The month has not ended, yet, but, I think I have done just about all the decluttering I want to do, this month!
My March Decluttering Goal was 31 items decluttered. I can happily state that I decluttered a LOT more! Much of what I decluttered were items I had stored in the garage. Several items were donated, some were recycled, and the rest were tossed because they were too old, too worn, too dirty, etc., to be donated.
Decluttered items included:
7 bags of clothes
5 pairs shoes & boots
10 clothes hangers
5 purses
1 "leather" drawstring pouch the new shoes came in
16 VHS tapes
1 DVD
16 books
6 magazines
1 magazine holder
1 punch bowl with 10 cups and the hooks to attach the cups
1 metal plant stand
7 plastic/vinyl table covers (most were being used as dust covers, shelf liners, etc.)
1 fabric sofa cover
1 mini decorative screen
3 former work related reports
1 old fridge drawer (used to store glass jars)
15 assorted glass jars
- plastic plant drip saucers
- several wood trim off cuts (from hardwood flooring and door trim
1 nylon scrub sponge
2 spray bottles
1 photo album cover
8 cardboard boxes
- some packaging materials
2 plastic laundry detergent scoops
1 metal pump used for squeezing out silicone sealant
- some car motor oil and half used cleaning supplies (given away)
2 old car floor mats
1 old rice cooker
5 stuffed toys
3 dolls
1 child's wheeled backpack
- several children's toys and games
2 child-sized brooms; replicas of Sri Lankan brooms used indoors with coir (coconut husk fibers) bristles and outdoors with ekels (the ribs of coconut palm fronds)l brought from Sri Lanka by my mother for my daughter
3 jigsaw puzzles
1 plastic shoe box
1 gift wrap organizer (my mother sewed)
- several partial rolls pf gift wrap
2 bags assorted beads
5 wreaths
- assorted wreath making supplies including bags of fabric flowers, dried moss, floral foam, decorative items, etc.
1 large decorative cookie tin
- some note pads
1 ruler
4 resin snowpeople family
1 bag plastic Easter eggs
1 plastic tray/container
1 pair rusted scissors
1 picture frame
- paint stirrer sticks
1 paint brush
- zippered bags that bed linen came in
1 set juvenile bedding (fitted sheet, flat sheet, 2 pillowcases)
1 mirror
1 box costume jewelry
2 hair bows
2 cassette tapes
1 set old Christmas bulbs
1/2 bag of sand (leftover from home remodeling project)
1 basket
2 old kitchen towels
- craft leaflets and booklets
1 craft activity kit
1 portable CD player
3 dried up paint cans
1 foil pie pan
12 x 3-ring binders
2 wall hooks
- Old tax preparation instruction booklets (from 1990!)
1 small roll of leftover vinyl flooring
- vinyl floor tiles
1 wall clock
- several egg cartons (kept to use for germinating seeds)
- several files of old bank statements and other personal papers (my mothers)l what I am working on, currently.
I didn't list some other bits and pieces such as dried out pens, broken sprinkler heads, an assortment of nails and screws, etc.
Oh, and last, but, not least, the one item that made me thankful for my biology background and familiarity with handling skeletons:
The complete skeleton of an adult opposum that I pulled out from under one of the metal shelving units!
(No, I did not take a picture of it! No doubt you are all relieved that I didn't! LOL)
What I did take a picture of is this - one of the wreaths I had made, which I tossed:
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| Notions Wreath - Decluttered |
I am not quite done with decluttering in the garage. There is still more stuff to go through and declutter. But, I think I'll wait until April to do so.
Wow you did really well! I can't say I kept track of everything that I got rid of, but I am pleased with the books I've managed. I still have lots more to get rid of but shall continue to work on it next month.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. It was hard for me to get started, but, once I started, I found it easier to let go of the things. You did very well with the books. I'm hoping to carry the same momentum to the stuff in the house, next month!
DeleteI am really impressed with your decluttering. Was the possum skeleton from one that died there? How amazing it just decayed away, leaving the skeleton intact! Or did you put it there? I am curious! I've no goal to declutter right now. I'll face it eventually! Celie
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. I'm afraid the skeleton was from a poor possum that died in the garage. The side door had a big hole in it for a couple of years before I replaced it and the garden cats and possums used to get into the garage. I'm not quite sure how this one died, though, whether it was injured and went under the metal shelving unit to hide until it healed or whether it got stuck under there. It gave me a bit of a shock when I put the broom under there and pulled out parts of the skeleton!
DeleteThere has to be a medal somewhere for such a vast amount of decluttering! At the very least there should be a "Hip, hip hooray!" I took a small box of items to a charity shop today. I do have some other things saved for a different location.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. I'll reclaim my Queen of Toss crown from GON days! :D
DeleteWell done on getting the box of items to the charity shop! I'm starting to put together another box of stuff to donate - need to call and schedule a pick up!
Another productive month. I think I am finished with my own decluttering (no opossums here), next to start on Lily's! X
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules. Well done on what you were able to accomplish with your stuff! Does Lily help you with deciding which of her items to declutter?
DeleteTherein lies the problem. Lily doesn't really like getting rid of anything :D
DeleteOh, that must make it hard to declutter! Good luck! :)
DeleteI'm so impressed. I helped my SIL to declutter the other weekend, but have not done too much myself. I have hung a backpack in the bedroom and labelled it "for charity shop" so far it just contains a pack of 4 pairs of new socks (given to my husband but too small) I will try harder in April
ReplyDeleteThank you, Angela. That was kind of you to help your SIL with decluttering - it helps to have someone else's opinion, when it comes to deciding keep or let go and another pair of hands, too. The backpack designated for the charity shop is great! I just have a grocery bag to fill - I keep it in the spare bedroom. Maybe we can both fill our containers in April!
DeleteWow Bless, that's a fantastic amount to have decluttered ... well done.
ReplyDeleteI'll be joining you again in April. I'm currently dealing with all the books and will look at clothes and household linens next. I don't think there's much more to let go but there will be a free kerbside collection tomorrow so it's worth having a quick look through all the cupboards.
Thank you, Eileen. :) I thought I was done for this month, but, I found a few more items to declutter, this morning! :D Thank you, once again, for motivating me to tackle the garage!
DeleteLooking forward to having you join me in April, too. :)
Your decluttering is impressive. May I just say you could do with an electric shredder. I have had mine for years and it sits on my desk and is used regularly. I even shred my name and address on envelopes that come through the mail and I wouldn't be without it, you just can't be too careful. I'm intrigued by the skeleton of the opposum, did you know it was there? I was kind of good and decluttered just a few good items by gifting them to a charity shop who were delighted with them.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Eileen. My daughter has been telling me to get an electric shredder for years! I've just been kind of stubborn about not needing one! But, maybe I will reconsider it!
DeleteNo, I didn't know about the opossum skeleton! It was a bit of a shock to find it!
Well done on giving those items to the charity shop! I'm sure they were glad to receive them. :)
You have just been awarded the crown of de-cluttering queen. That list is an amazing amount of work - well done you! Yes, thank you for not posting the skeleton remains of the possum - they are not attractive alive so I doubt the remains would be an improvement (col).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary-Lou. Yes, possums are not exactly cute and cuddly, are they? I once saw a mama possum walking around my garden with her babies clinging to her back and it was one of the weirdest things I've seen!
DeleteWow! March was indeed a great decluttering month for you. Did all of those things come out of the garage?
ReplyDeleteYes, most of the items came from the garage. Some of the clothes, however, were what my daughter decluttered from her closet. The plant stand was behind the shed.
DeleteThat declutter is EPIC! You must feel as if a weight has been lifted. I am desperately impressed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa. I am rather ashamed that I had that much of stuff to declutter (and there is more, too!), but, now you know why I found it so overwhelming to even start!
DeleteI always forget to read your blog and come across it now and then and was delighted to see someone take the time to share the various items you have been decluttering. Well done. Yes, I have been working on some of the same, however, I am a constant declutterer, meaning I have a box of items going for donation all the time. When I come across something else that I have no need for, it either gets donated or thrown out in the trash. I will arrange to have the Epilepsy Foundation pick up my current items. Various clothing items, a new bath mat purchased before the bathroom redo and no longer needed, a handbag that I've never liked using, new uncomfortable socks, a winter jacket, rain jacket, a couple of cat pods/beds, freshly washed, but no longer of interest to our cats, cat mats, scratching pads that hang from the door that were unused (prefer the cat tower scratch post), unused jar candles, (prefer only soy or beeswax candles), small Calphalon frying pan, 9x9 baking dish, kitchen tools, some dust collectors etc. I have more to sort through before pick up and expect to find quite a lot more that can go. A set time for pick up will be a good motivator to get it done, although, a couple of days after they pick up, I will probably have to start my next box with something I missed. Congrats on your success. A bit of a labor of love. Ranee (MN)
ReplyDeleteHi Rae/Ranee, thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. :) That is wonderful that you have an on-going decluttering system set up. I have a bag for clothing items that's on-going, but, the rest of the stuff is hard for me to declutter. But, every now and then, I get motivated to do a big declutter!
DeleteHope you will remember to visit my blog, again, in the future! Looking forward to hearing from you. :)
Wow! You must be feeling greatly unburdened after all that! Bet you can't stop admiring the tidied areas. 🙂
ReplyDeleteI am feeling a little better about the general state of the garage. It is by no means completely decluttered; I think I will need another month (and that paper shredder that my daughter ordered for me!) before I can consider it to be decluttered, but, I have cleared some areas! :)
DeleteWhat a good month you had decluttering, Bless. You really are working hard and getting things done.
ReplyDeleteI thank you for the continued attention to this task as it keeps me going too.
I had another good month as well. It's been years now since I started decluttering and I keep piling up the things to donate.
I mentioned I saw on a video of the average home having 300,000 items and it made my stomach turn just contemplating what that all means. It has stayed with me this month and spurred me on.
I don't really have problem areas - I've mentioned I don't keep things in my attic and basement. Other then some paint kept in the basement so it doesn't freeze in the winter in our garage, both the attic and basement are totally empty of stuff.
But there is my nemesis the garage. lol
I did some good decluttering in the garage last summer and I am set to attack it again and finally get it to a point that I am happy with. That is my plan once the weather warms up a bit.
Reading through the comments, I see you are getting a shredder. I'm glad. I've had mine for years and I love it. And also with your hands tending to cramp now and then, cutting up all your paperwork might not be a good thing.
Skeleton - Eeeeeek!!!!
Wreath - Cute!!!
Thank you, Debra. We've both had a good month! I've been decluttering for years, myself. But, there still seems to be more to declutter! I can fully believe that the average home has 300,000 items; I probably have half that amount in just crafting supplies! LOL.
DeleteThe garage is my storage space. I need to spend more time in there in April, too, and declutter some more. I'm sure you'll be able to declutter your garage once the weather warms up.
Yes, the shredder was delivered today! I haven't opened the box, yet. Once I do, my hands will thank me, I'm sure. Yes, I was worried about my hands cramping.
LOL; some people have said they would have liked to have seen the skeleton. I enjoyed making that wreath, but, took it down after several years. Should have decluttered it back then! Well, it has been decluttered now!
That is fabulous - you really did well. I have de-cluttered several areas this month, and just yesterday we managed to discard and donate quite a few items when we switched our seasonal clothes closet. I am getting very close to NOT having any other areas to tackle.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susanne. Well done with your own decluttering! If you run out of areas to declutter, I've plenty of cluttered areas to share! :D
Delete