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Source: (consider it) Thread: Decluttering support thread
Boogie

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quote:
Originally posted by Yangtze:
May I join you?

Six bags to the charity shop in last two days. Am renting out spare room for a few weeks which has galvanised me I to action. Spare room is supposed to be office but of course for last few years has basically been junk dumping ground.

Have still got a way to go though. Not to mention the other rooms.....

Welcome to the thread Yangtze!

I have been de-cluttering and de-piling for ages now - I am naturally messy, so it's a constant challenge. But SO worth it!

[Smile]

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Nenya
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# 16427

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quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:

I have been de-cluttering and de-piling for ages now - I am naturally messy, so it's a constant challenge. But SO worth it!

Does the battle never end? [Frown]

Nen - feeling discouraged.

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Thyme
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# 12360

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Nenya: No it never ends, but it does get easier! The key is to find new habits to replace the old ones which led to the clutter taking hold. [Two face]

I was incapable of keeping my dining room table clear until it dawned on me that if I never, ever put anything on it, or didn't leave anything overnight the problem would be solved.
And so it turned out. I also put a runner and an ornament on it so it looks nice as a deterrent.

Likewise with the bedside table. I put the books in progress in their own place on a bookshelf. Nothing goes on the table except the alarm clock and lamp and the current book. Although the Kindle and ipod seem to be taking up residence. But they can go in the drawer.

I also realised that most of my piles of paper clutter got binned once I started putting them away. So I am a lot better at binning the junk stuff immediately.

I am making progress with the file reorganisation. One cabinet is empty and the other two are leaner. I have put the boxes in some plastic containers for the moment and reorganised the wardrobe. So there is some order emerging.

Firenze's idea of the bookshelf is growing on me. I think that will be the answer. I am also wondering if I can release some space on the bookshelves downstairs and if so will I also keep up with the filing. [Confused]

Although am I doing well at simplifying my life so there isn't much filing to do. [Cool]

[ 19. January 2013, 14:18: Message edited by: Thyme ]

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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ecumaniac

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# 376

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quote:
Originally posted by Thyme:
filing. [Confused]

I have four (four!) butt ugly file cabinets at work, so to make them prettier and less dreary to stare at every day I stuck wall paper to the front of them. Tutorial here, I used watered down pva instead of "modge podge". When I'm at work next week I will see if I can upload a photo.

At home for paperwork I keep document wallet folders in a couple of plastic crates that slot neatly underneath a desk. The 24, 35, 42 & 64 litre Really Useful Boxes will fit foolscap sized files. I think suspension files are the work of the devil, but those fit too. This photo is of my ex-housemate's filing system. Her crates live on shelves.

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Thyme
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Thanks for the links and info ecumaniac, very interesting and useful.

I'm determined to get rid of the file cabinets - I would never get round to decorating them!

The info on the boxes is very useful.

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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Nenya
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Nenlet2 has brought back a boxful of beautiful unused lever-arch files from his work which were going to be thrown away. [Eek!] They've made me really keen on the idea of filing. Though not quite keen enough to actually start doing it.

Nen - procrastinator.

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They told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn.

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Eleanor Jane
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# 13102

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We've been shopping a bit lately, so to offset the consumerism, I've finally gotten around to sorting out things to take the Charity Shop. Nice warm things like hats, gloves, a coat etc. which will hopefully help someone who needs them.

I also had a good tidy and throw out of our bookcase.

Now I just need to get my husband willing to look at his shirts with a view to charity shopping some of them... Wish me luck!

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jacobsen

seeker
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Sometimes old and creaky possessions can find a new lease of life. I had four IKEA woven baskets which used hold shoes, and would tuck under two chests of drawers in my bedroom. Then I moved from a flat to a house,and the shoes found other storage.

This is where the instant declutterer might have steeled herself to bin or give the baskets away. BUT I also have an upstairs sewing cupboard, while the sewing area, aka dining table, is downstairs.

Those four baskets now fit beautifully under my ancient convertible couch, which I was also thinking of replacing. They hold current sewing which I don't want to keep trecking up and downstairs, and knitting wool. A perfect match of old furniture and storage solution. (How is it that even a move from a two bedroom flat to a three bedroomed house with attic, utility room and garage, still left me needing more storage space? Even after junking an enormous amount of stuff?)

With a new foam rubber cushion along its length, that couch is here to stay.

[ 20. January 2013, 18:20: Message edited by: jacobsen ]

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Welease Woderwick

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# 10424

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Lever arch files are fab! I had them in my office before I retired, all arranged on a bookcase behind my desk so I could scoot back and select the right one then scoot back and replace it when I had finished. Get lots of plastic pockets and you'll never look back.

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The Intrepid Mrs S
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quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:

I have been de-cluttering and de-piling for ages now - I am naturally messy, so it's a constant challenge. But SO worth it!

Does the battle never end? [Frown]

Nen - feeling discouraged.

Nen - last year I persuaded a friend of mine, instead of giving stuff up for Lent, to resolve to put her clothes, shoes etc away as she went along, rather than leaving them all around the house. She's still doing that nearly a year later! So, it CAN end, with enough shiny new habits [Smile] You need a motto - 'don't put it down, put it AWAY!'

In other news, we have managed to unload most of the stuff Mr S put on e-bay (and made some pennies [Yipee] What's left is being advertised on the noticeboard at the back of church, for free, or going to the tip. The workbench in the garage is *nearly* clear now, after Wayne came and took away the Atari and a ginormous boxful of games for it. Sadly his wife was Not Happy - he collects computers*

*well, so do we, but not intentionally!

Mrs. S, so pleased to see the back of all this Stuff!

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Don't get your knickers in a twist over your advancing age. It achieves nothing and makes you walk funny.
Prayer should be our first recourse, not our last resort
'Lord, please give us patience. NOW!'

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The Intrepid Mrs S
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quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:

I have been de-cluttering and de-piling for ages now - I am naturally messy, so it's a constant challenge. But SO worth it!

Does the battle never end? [Frown]

Nen - feeling discouraged.

Nen - last year I persuaded a friend of mine, instead of giving stuff up for Lent, to resolve to put her clothes, shoes etc away as she went along, rather than leaving them all around the house. She's still doing that nearly a year later! So, it CAN end, with enough shiny new habits [Smile] You need a motto - 'don't put it down, put it AWAY!'

In other news, we have managed to unload most of the stuff Mr S put on e-bay (and made some pennies [Yipee] ) What's left is being advertised on the noticeboard at the back of church, for free, or going to the tip. The workbench in the garage is *nearly* clear now, after Wayne came and took away the Atari and a ginormous boxful of games for it. Sadly his wife was Not Happy - he collects computers*

*well, so do we, but not intentionally!

Mrs. S, so pleased to see the back of all this Stuff!

[ 21. January 2013, 08:01: Message edited by: The Intrepid Mrs S ]

--------------------
Don't get your knickers in a twist over your advancing age. It achieves nothing and makes you walk funny.
Prayer should be our first recourse, not our last resort
'Lord, please give us patience. NOW!'

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Boogie

Boogie on down!
# 13538

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quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:

I have been de-cluttering and de-piling for ages now - I am naturally messy, so it's a constant challenge. But SO worth it!

Does the battle never end? [Frown]

Nen - feeling discouraged.

Oh dear - I was trying to be encouraging!

My clutter and piles were unusually bad and I have ADHD which means organising myself is a constant battle. But I am so much happier and less stressed with a (nearly, nearly) clutter free house.

[Smile]

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Garden. Room. Walk

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CuppaT
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# 10523

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Somehow what started as decluttering for me, selling off some clothes on consignment and some books on Amazon, has morphed into other people giving me things to sell for them also. So now I have more!

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Stand at the brink of the abyss of despair, and when you see that you cannot bear it any longer, draw back a little and have a cup of tea.
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Japes

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# 5358

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quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:
quote:
Originally posted by Boogie:
[qb]
I have been de-cluttering and de-piling for ages now - I am naturally messy, so it's a constant challenge. But SO worth it!

Does the battle never end? [Frown]

Nen - feeling discouraged.

What I've found is that the battle has significantly reduced! Where I'd put aside a whole day, regularly and resentfully, to tackle the work, now I've been keeping on top of it more, it has reduced to a couple of hours, less regularly.

I'm a naturally messy, untidy person, and that's where the battle mostly is with me, the part of me that likes to be tidy and organised, agin the messy, untdy me. That battle will probably never be won!!

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Heavenly Anarchist
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# 13313

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Just cleared the huge pile on the chest in my bedroom and tidied all the clothes and shoes away. I need to get my bedroom back into a presentable state.

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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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Heavenly Anarchist
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# 13313

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Following Flylady's instructions, today my plan is the tackle to chest I keep the underwear, socks, tights etc in. When I did the major declutter of the bedroom a couple of months ago I rather dumped this area and said I'd get back to it later and never did [Roll Eyes] there's tights in there that I haven't worn for years.

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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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Heavenly Anarchist
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# 13313

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I like the idea of a Lent resolution [Smile]

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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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The Intrepid Mrs S
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# 17002

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quote:
Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
I like the idea of a Lent resolution [Smile]

It worked really well for my friend, HA - just need to persuade her to start doing the same with the heaps of papers she has all over the place!

Mrs. S, wishing she could declutter some of this sn*w

--------------------
Don't get your knickers in a twist over your advancing age. It achieves nothing and makes you walk funny.
Prayer should be our first recourse, not our last resort
'Lord, please give us patience. NOW!'

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Thyme
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# 12360

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Errghh! I have nearly emptied the filing cabinets. I am running out of steam but must finish or it will never get done. Tempted just to bung several remaining files into the boxfiles without weeding and sorting first.

A scrap metal merchant has put me in touch with a man who will collect them for free. This is a bloke with a van I think. He takes them away and sells them on. I might be able to get a small amount of cash for them if I took them to the yard myself but then I would have to get them down two flights of stairs, into the car etc, etc. The likely amount of money is not worth the hassle.

The problem of how to store the files and make a replacement worksurface remains but I have a sort of a plan. (There is a length of kitchen worktop over the cabinets forming a desk at present).

As with all major changes it is making me feel sick and stressed.

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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The Intrepid Mrs S
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# 17002

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But it will be so LOVELY when it's done, Chive!

Mrs. S, regarding the S family study with disfavour

--------------------
Don't get your knickers in a twist over your advancing age. It achieves nothing and makes you walk funny.
Prayer should be our first recourse, not our last resort
'Lord, please give us patience. NOW!'

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Nenya
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# 16427

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quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
Lever arch files are fab! I had them in my office before I retired, all arranged on a bookcase behind my desk so I could scoot back and select the right one then scoot back and replace it when I had finished. Get lots of plastic pockets and you'll never look back.

Mr Nen, who is the paperwork expert of the house, files everything in lever arch files. He has shelves full of them in his study. I've been unconvinced until recently (my side of the family always employed the stick-it-back-in-the-envelope-and-put-it-in-a-pile-or-drawer filing system) when he's been helping sort out my mum's paperwork and I've seen how his method works so much better. [Smile]

I like the idea of Lent resolutions as well - so much more constructive than giving things up. I'm going to give it some thought. Thanks, Mrs S. [Smile]

Boogie - you didn't say anything wrong, you did say decluttering was worth it! I was just feeling discouraged generally when I posted that.

Nen - when's Ash Wednesday? [Ultra confused]

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They told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn.

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Heavenly Anarchist
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# 13313

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Well I've sorted the underwear and sportswear, thrown lots out and moved some other piles of clothing into new homes. Getting there [Smile]

--------------------
'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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Thyme
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# 12360

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Congratulations!

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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Eigon
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# 4917

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Off to the charity shop shortly with some clothes I've grown out of (sideways) and down to the recycling with some scarves that are too ratty for the charity shop (I was learning to knit when I made them, with far more enthusiasm than skill!)

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Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.

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Japes

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# 5358

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quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:

Nen - when's Ash Wednesday? [Ultra confused] [/QB]

13th February.

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Blog may or may not be of any interest.

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North East Quine

Curious beastie
# 13049

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I've just found my daughter's "Santa list" [Hot and Hormonal]
Still, it's given me an idea for her next birthday!

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kingsfold

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# 1726

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quote:
posted by NEQ:
I've just found my daughter's "Santa list" [Hot and Hormonal]

For which year? [Biased]
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Nenya
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# 16427

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quote:
Originally posted by Japes:
quote:
Originally posted by Nenya:

Nen - when's Ash Wednesday? [Ultra confused]

13th February. [/QB]
Thank you. [Big Grin]

Nen - off to search for diary.

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They told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn.

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Yangtze
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# 4965

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So, I basically got the house clear and tidy-ish enough for friend to have at least some space in the spare room. However my room is now full of stuff.

There just isn't enough storage for everything I have so things are going to have to go. Yes, I work from home but that doesn't mean the work papers have to take over everything.

The "it might be useful one day" drive is VERY strong in me.

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Thyme
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# 12360

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Congratulations Yangzte


I have emptied all the filing cabinets. Although there is still a pile of files waiting for a new home.

Weather has prevented me from getting sufficient quantities of boxes.

I am trying not to think about how much money I have spent on boxes, lever arch files and plastic pocket sheets.

I'm also at a tedious stage of trying to make best use of the things I have so I will have to reorganise some boxed stuff into the lever arch files. Tedious.

John with the van and his mate are arriving tomorrow afternoon to take the filing cabinets away.

Tasks before then are to clear the stuff off the worktops and clear the access to the cabinets and stairs. Shouldn't take long. [Big Grin]

[ 24. January 2013, 14:08: Message edited by: Thyme ]

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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The Intrepid Mrs S
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quote:
The "it might be useful one day" drive is VERY strong in me.
Yangtze, you may need to work on its replacements 'Good grief,that doesn't owe me anything!' and 'If it hasn't been useful these last 10 weeks/months/years/decades/delete as required, then it never will!'

Good luck ...

Mrs. S, proud owner of a decanter or three ...

--------------------
Don't get your knickers in a twist over your advancing age. It achieves nothing and makes you walk funny.
Prayer should be our first recourse, not our last resort
'Lord, please give us patience. NOW!'

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The Kat in the Hat
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I can almost see the floor in my office!! [Yipee]

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Less is more ...

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Starbug
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# 15917

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I had some old duvets to get rid of, which were going to be thrown out in the Hippo bag. A work colleague advertised that she needed some old blankets for a dog shelter, so I asked if the duvets would be any use. Twenty-four hours later, we have a clear space on the floor and the dogs have some warm bedding. [Smile]

[ 24. January 2013, 21:37: Message edited by: Starbug ]

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“Oh the pointing again. They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do? Assemble a cabinet at them?” ― The Day of the Doctor

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Thyme
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# 12360

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Good for you Kat. [Yipee]

I could hardly see the floor in my attic yesterday despite throwing out loads of stuff. I seem to have just as much left. I had several files with names like 'odd bits and pieces' 'Useful stuff' and so on. Some of them contained duplicate items. [Roll Eyes]

John and mate turned up on time and removed the cabinets and worktops.

It doesn't look a lot better. At least before it looked like an office, a scruffy office but an office. I am wondering if I have done the right thing.

Now it looks like a storage area. It looks smaller as well. Still I am not finished yet.

I dusted, hoovered and washed all the areas previously hidden by the cabinets.

It needs decorating. It would be easy enough as I woudn't need a ladder, just a chair and it wouldn't involve removing wallpaper. I will try and do that this year if we haven't sold it by Easter.

While I was at it I prised open the little door into the roof space. As I suspected there are some boxes and box files in there. I think they have been there at least 10 or 15 years, maybe longer. I don't know what is in them. When we move I'll have them cleared out and dumped.

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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Nenya
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Mr Nen and I talked Decluttering this morning and made a sort of pact. I'm going to declutter my paperwork and he's going to declutter his clothes. (The admission that he needs to is something of an event. [Biased] [Yipee] )

We have a free afternoon so I'll start after lunch...

I so understand that "it might come in useful" thing, especially as I'm sure I'm not the only one to have thought on occasion (ok, maybe only one or two occasions [Biased] ) "If only we still had the..."

Nen - procrastinating on the Ship as usual. [Hot and Hormonal]

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Thyme
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All the sorting and filing is done. It is not perfect but it is finished.

I've decided to get Ikea bookcases, they have the perfect thing,(thanks for that idea Firenze) and a folding table.

The Really Useful boxes would probably be cheaper but not so visually attractive. We want people to see the possibilities of the room. And they wouldn't provide such flexible shelf space.

I was going to order/get them today but this morning the estate agent phoned, people wanted to view the house in less than two hours time.

[Eek!]

Mr T and I scampered round stashing and dashing, swishing and swiping and so on. We have a well rehearsed routine now.

I do owe such a debt of gratitude to FlyLady. We were ready even though they arrived early and the house looked OK because I have kept up with basic routines.

The attic had to be presented as a work in progress. Thank goodness the filing cabinets had gone. I stacked everything up as neatly as possible against the wall and the room did look much larger than before.

So I am not going to buy any stuff until we know if they are going to buy it. They said they are ready to move, no chain, so our fingers are crossed and [Votive] .

[ 26. January 2013, 16:25: Message edited by: Thyme ]

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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Heavenly Anarchist
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That sounds positive [Smile]
DH has spent the day clearing the outhouse as he has just bought a huge metal lathe secondhand from work and it needed a home.

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chive

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After a week staying at my sister's extremely tidy house I came back to my shit tip. Cleaner starts on Tuesday so I'm trying not to get too downhearted but I'm terrified of the whole thing. I usually refuse to have people in my house (partly the mess, mostly the madness) so it's going to be immensely difficult to let her in and let her touch my 'stuff.' And part of me is comforted by my stuff - it's my security blanket.

I keep telling myself this is a good idea but as it gets imminent the desire to hide under the bed increases exponentially.

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'Edward was the kind of man who thought there was no such thing as a lesbian, just a woman who hadn't done one-to-one Bible study with him.' Catherine Fox, Love to the Lost

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Thyme
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Courage! [Votive]

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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Starbug
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# 15917

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We went to visit mother-in-law today, taking with us a wooden table with double drawers that I'd been using unsuccessfully for storing tea towels. We put it in her spare room. MIL now has a new-to-her dressing table and we now have a set of much more practical storage drawers.

This decluttering thing is becoming addictive! [Yipee]

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“Oh the pointing again. They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do? Assemble a cabinet at them?” ― The Day of the Doctor

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Nenya
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Mr Nen spent some time sorting his clothes this afternoon and most of them have gone back into the cupboards, but I do have a pile of things to get rid of so it's a start.

Meanwhile my paperwork is slowly starting to migrate into a lever arch file. Very slowly.

Nen - tired and a bit overwhelmed. [Frown]

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Heavenly Anarchist
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Well, I'm feeling virtuous today, having cleaned the bathroom, cleared my hotspot (kitchen table), tidied the veg rack and wiped down the kitchen surfaces. Later I will do as Flylady says and give the lounge a quick tidy. I also have the urge to sort out dh's wardrobe - I think this might all be displacement activity for the fact that I should be doing my marking [Smile]

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The Intrepid Mrs S
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I can see you've all been working hard [Hot and Hormonal]

I wanted to share a tip that I picked up when the Telegraph did a series on housework, years ago. Get all your bedlinen out of the airing cupboard (or wherever you hide it) and sort it into sets - then store each set in one of its pillowcases. Get rid of all the odds and ends (or at the very worst, put them into a pillow case at the back).

Result - tidy airing cupboard and easy bed changing, how many hours did I waste when we had single as well as double beds, trying to put a single sheet on to a double! It's such a small thing but SO useful - and FREE!

Mrs. S, hoping someone else finds this helpful [Smile]

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Heavenly Anarchist
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That is a good idea [Smile]

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The Intrepid Mrs S
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quote:
Originally posted by chive:
Cleaner starts on Tuesday so I'm trying not to get too downhearted but I'm terrified of the whole thing.

Chive, you may find that the desire to get your money's worth out of the cleaner is helpful - our house is pretty tidy but both Mr S and I rush round putting stuff away before our cleaners come, because we don't want them to waste paid time moving Stuff about!

Once you have it a bit tidier you may find that it's such a nice feeling you're encouraged to keep it up [Big Grin] YMMV of course

Mrs S, in a spirit of encouragement...

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Don't get your knickers in a twist over your advancing age. It achieves nothing and makes you walk funny.
Prayer should be our first recourse, not our last resort
'Lord, please give us patience. NOW!'

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Boogie

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# 13538

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quote:
Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
quote:
Originally posted by chive:
Cleaner starts on Tuesday so I'm trying not to get too downhearted but I'm terrified of the whole thing.

Chive, you may find that the desire to get your money's worth out of the cleaner is helpful - our house is pretty tidy but both Mr S and I rush round putting stuff away before our cleaners come, because we don't want them to waste paid time moving Stuff about!

Yes - we had a cleaner 'till we semi-retired and couldn't afford/justify one. My cluttering tendencies meant I stuffed the stuff in cupboards on the day before the cleaner came [Hot and Hormonal]

My decluttering now includes trying to make sure EVERYTHING has a place. It's so hard for my disorganised mind - but my kitchen and stationery cupboards have been thus sorted for 6 months now - wayhay! It's a joy to know where the selotape is!

My study leaves a lot to be desired, still. But now I know it can be done.

Battle on, battle on!

[ 28. January 2013, 13:55: Message edited by: Boogie ]

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Nenya
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quote:
Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
I can see you've all been working hard [Hot and Hormonal]

I wanted to share a tip that I picked up when the Telegraph did a series on housework, years ago. Get all your bedlinen out of the airing cupboard (or wherever you hide it) and sort it into sets - then store each set in one of its pillowcases. Get rid of all the odds and ends (or at the very worst, put them into a pillow case at the back).

Result - tidy airing cupboard and easy bed changing, how many hours did I waste when we had single as well as double beds, trying to put a single sheet on to a double! It's such a small thing but SO useful - and FREE!

Mrs. S, hoping someone else finds this helpful [Smile]

That really is a useful idea. [Smile] I sorted my airing cupboard not so very long ago, but when its turn comes round again that's what I'll do. [Smile]

For the last two days I've shipped bagfuls of Mr Nen's clothes to the charity shops and the clothes banks and it's good to be almost clear of them now. I've also got a bit of filing to do this afternoon, to try and keep my breakfast bar clear (one of the hotspots that attracts clutter). The house is littered with my various attempts at filing and it's going to take a while to consolidate them all.

Nen - still tired but a bit more optimistic.

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Thyme
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I like the storing of bedlinen idea. I will do that next time I feel moved to tidy the airing cupboard.

I have ticked a few icky jobs off my list.

Wash the kitchen floor - Done

Clean the soap dispenser and drawer in the washing machine - Done.

Run self clean oven programme, clean racks - Done.

Properly clean hob - Done

This morning while wondering if my kitchen knife was sharp discovered it is when I sliced into my index finger. Strangely it doesn't hurt. But it is bundled up with plasters and is a good excuse for not doing any more for a while.

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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Thyme
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# 12360

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The attic room is finished! [Yipee] [Yipee] [Yipee] [Cool]

It looks fabulous. I am thrilled. The Ikea units are perfect (thank you for that suggestion Firenze).

The room looks so much bigger and more attractive now. I have more storage space than before. I can see at a glance where everything is. Also, strangely, I think I will be more motivated to do my dressmaking than before. The space seems easier to use. I am definitely going to decorate asap.

I am not a 'frilly' sort of person but I could put a curtain over the front of the shelves and that would hide the files. I'll have to think about that.

Also thinking of replacing the folding bed (which is functional but not attractive) with a sofa bed.

I'm not going to get another table yet. I'll see how the room works before I decide if I need one and if so what sort.

I wish I had done this a long time ago. It didn't take long once I'd started. Also, I have realised that the filing cabinets held a lot of unhappy memories and now the cabinets have gone I am not reminded of them.

Off to do some sewing.

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The Church in its own bubble has become, at best the guardian of the value system of the nation’s grandparents, and at worst a den of religious anoraks defined by defensiveness, esoteric logic and discrimination. Bishop of Buckingham's blog

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Heavenly Anarchist
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That sounds lovely Thyme [Smile]
Btw, your parcel has arrived safely - thank you.

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'I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.' Douglas Adams
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