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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Decluttering support thread
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Thyme
Shipmate
# 12360
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by North East Quine:
The question is; how did I manage to let paperwork pile up to the extent that even after I'd sorted through it and shredded about a third, I still had 41 box files worth left??
![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif) If we knew the answer to that sort of question we probably would not have these problems.
Flylady's 'hotspot' theory helped me. Once I identified these, eg the dining room table, and got them cleared I made a rule that nothing was allowed to stay there. It had to go on my desk. Then at least the pile was all in one place. That helped.
I am so impressed that you managed to do all that artwork as well as the filing. I would never even have thought of that, never mind doing it.
Meanwhile, I have gone through my 'inbox' and filed/deleted most of that. Still haven't done the actual physical paper. Doing the email was a displacement activity, but at least something is tidier.
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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
Posts: 600 | From: Cloud Cuckoo Land | Registered: Feb 2007
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
I've been decluttering a memorial garden today ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) I know I am not a sentimental person but oh my, what some people see fit to clutter up the stones with! (in spite of any rules to the contrary). My friend D found something on his wife's memorial stone and wanted to throw it out, but he didn't know which of his family had left it - so I threw it out for him and now he can blame me!
Mrs. S, aka Hard-hearted Hannah the Vamp of Savannah ![[Two face]](graemlins/scot_twoface.gif)
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Ethne Alba
Shipmate
# 5804
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Posted
gracious.
the shed's been emptied.
Hubby must have started reading this thread.
Posts: 3126 | Registered: Apr 2004
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
The decluttering fairy has visited. Did s/he leave a congratulatory pound?
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
Posts: 8040 | From: Æbleskiver country | Registered: Aug 2009
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Roseofsharon
Shipmate
# 9657
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Posted
Have made some inroads into Mr RoS's wardrobe.
An uncounted quantity of shirts with frayed collars were thrown in the recycling bin last week, and today he selected 18 wearable shirts to go to charity shops. That leaves him with 18 good shirts, plus half a dozen work/gardening shirts. Some sweaters & pullovers have been put in the charity shop box, too.
It seems that dealing separately each category of clothing (which I lay out on the spare bed for his perusal) rather than it all being mixed together higgledy piggledy in drawers & cupboards helps him realise just how much clothing he has, and aids the concentration.
This is progress, but I am not looking forward to sorting through the jackets, trousers & suits that are still crammed into two wardrobes.
Nor his collection of hats scarves & gloves.
[ 31. May 2015, 14:07: Message edited by: Roseofsharon ]
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Talk about books -any books- on our rejuvenatedforum http://www.bookgrouponline.com/index.php?
Posts: 3060 | From: Sussex By The Sea | Registered: Jun 2005
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The Kat in the Hat
Shipmate
# 2557
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Posted
That reminds me of the time when I counted the number of shirts my husband had. "Do you really need a shirt for every day of the month?" I asked.
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Less is more ...
Posts: 485 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Roseofsharon
Shipmate
# 9657
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Posted
Mr RoS came back from church with a pincushion & needle-case as a wedding anniversary gift for me from the Tear Fund stall. I'm afraid he got a lecture on not bringing more "stuff" into the house when i am putting all my efforts into getting rid of "stuff".
I felt guilty at being so ungrateful, but it did have the effect of getting him to load the car with some of his collection of worn-out wheel/tyres from previously owned cars and taking them to the tip.
I am beginning to see a tiny chink of light at the far distant end of this de-cluttering tunnel!
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Talk about books -any books- on our rejuvenatedforum http://www.bookgrouponline.com/index.php?
Posts: 3060 | From: Sussex By The Sea | Registered: Jun 2005
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jacobsen
seeker
# 14998
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Posted
Could it be the light of an oncoming delivery van?
Sorry to be pessimistic. Will return at once to supportive mode.
Well done for your achievement. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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But God, holding a candle, looks for all who wander, all who search. - Shifra Alon
Beauty fades, dumb is forever-Judge Judy
The man who made time, made plenty.
Posts: 8040 | From: Æbleskiver country | Registered: Aug 2009
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
Virtual support and encouragement to all - especially perhaps to RoS who seems to be battling on two fronts here ![[Help]](graemlins/help.gif)
I've just started in on the kitchen cupboards (again!) in preparation for a new kitchen - WOOHOO ![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif) We'v had this one for almost 24 years and although the Dowager's has lasted longer (around 40 years at a guess - so long that it seems to have come back into fashion ) this one has already had one refurbishment, the workstops are showing signs of wear and some of the carcasses are beginning to give up.
Although I'll have even more cupboards in the new kitchen, I really don't want to transfer everything lock, stock and barrel, so I'm rationalising. For example - a tin of custard powder, BBE 2006 and a big jar of flour of one sort or another - no-one knew what sort ![[Ultra confused]](graemlins/confused2.gif)
Wish me luck as I disappear into yet another cupboard...
Mrs. S, girding her lions again (grrrrrrr)
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
Oooh, I want a lion to gird! Maybe he will eat some of the crap that's accumulated in our bedroom for at least three years as we try to keep the main house halfway presentable.
Hello, my name is Lamb Chopped, and I'm a hoarder. Well, not me, but a person I live with... I may have hoarderistic tendencies but am attempting to outgrow them... never mind.
Anyway, our big news is that today (miracle of miracles) we got the bedroom halfway cleared, and I have hopes of seeing it AND the main house reasonably presentable by the time relatives turn up this weekend.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
There's nothing quite like an influx of relatives to make you gird up your lions, is there? ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
LC, while I was working we used to have cleaners once a fortnight, and when I retired I decided I really couldn't justify the cost . I remarked to my daughter that waiting for people to come to stay so you had to clean the house was like being young again (precious little else about retirement makes me feel young!)
Mrs. S, lions at the ready
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
I've never been able to afford or justify having a cleaning-lady, but a friend of ours in Belfast who did used to run around like a blue-@rsed fly cleaning and tidying the day before the cleaning-lady was due.
Perhaps I ought to get a cleaning-lady ...
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
Ow-eeeee. I spoke too soon and have a MASSIVE sinus headache due to dust allergy. Last night I was congratulating myself on escaping it due to getting allergy shots!
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Piglet:
I've never been able to afford or justify having a cleaning-lady, but a friend of ours in Belfast who did used to run around like a blue-@rsed fly cleaning and tidying the day before the cleaning-lady was due.
Perhaps I ought to get a cleaning-lady ...
I've always thought I would do this if I ever had the $ to get a cleaner. It's bred into me, I don't think I can escape the results of early conditioning. Even my 90-year-old grandma used to wake up early on purpose to prevent helpers from actually having to do their job.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
Tidying, yes I agree - so they can actually SEE the surfaces they're supposed to be cleaning!
Mrs. S, still missing Helen and her assorted cohorts ![[Waterworks]](graemlins/bawling.gif)
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Intrepid Mrs S:
... missing Helen and her assorted cohorts ...
You had cohorts of cleaning-ladies? What size is Castle Intrepid?
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif)
I'd love to say, big enough to require a team of six ![[Cool]](cool.gif) but it was only ever Helen and one other, which was sometimes her daughter and sometimes not. They used to come for an hour and a half once a fortnight, so it wasn't as if they had acres of parquet flooring to polish and a spa and gym to clean ... which I believe was the case with some of their clients!
Mrs. S, chatelaine of Castle Intrepid (I love it...)
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
Back again - we're just about to start having our kitchen replaced . So, the garage is full of kitchen units and appliances; the worktops arrive tomorrow; and the work (which I confidently describe as 'all hell breaks loose') starts on Thursday.
I have been through my cupboards *again* on the basis that the last thing I want to do is move stuff out, pack it up, and put it away, only to unpack it, take one look at it and chuck it out. But we were at a Food Fair a week ago and Mr. S persuaded me into buying sets of little dishes ![[Paranoid]](graemlins/paranoid.gif) so I now need to throw some more stuff out
In other news, I was at a Scout event (we were heavily involved some years ago) and someone remembered my ruthless decluttering of their stores - since he was a past master of 'reuse and recycle' we had to agree to disagree on that! 'If you leave it there, Mrs. S will throw it away' was not an empty threat.
Mrs. S, uncharacteristically trepidacious
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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To The Pain
Shipmate
# 12235
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Posted
Our kitchen is due to be ripped out on Friday, giving us the weekend to decorate. Plan is to clear everything into the spare room doing some decluttering on the way, then declutter yet more on the way back in. I'm now a bit concerned about where the new cabinets are going to go while they wait to be installed...
Unfortunately, the worktops were delivered last Friday, so getting into the spare room is a bit of an obstacle course (why is 3m always so much longer than I think it will be?). I am, hopefully, successfully decluttering (on the work smallads) the gigantic kingsize bed that we have dismantled to fit the kitchen gubbins in the spare room. It will be replaced with a single/large double trundle bed once the chaos recedes.
And naturally, this week I have a committee meeting and a birthday meal on two evenings and Callanish is deserting me to go to a funeral Thursday/Friday. What fun!
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Now occasionally blogging.
Hire Bell Tents and camping equipment in Scotland
Posts: 1183 | From: The Granite City | Registered: Jan 2007
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
Mr. S has had a rush of blood to the paws and started dis-assembling the kitchen The dining room is full of the contents of *some* of the cupboards and the garage that isn't full of cabinets is now full of bits of dead kitchen.
He was last heard muttering about keeping the shelves in case they came in useful ![[Mad]](angryfire.gif)
I may be up all night on Thursday, emulsioning the bits of wall that have emerged (in a variety of colours ) but the good news is that a week tomorrow I finally get a decent-sized fridge
Mrs. S, looking for the GIN
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by To The Pain:
... why is 3m always so much longer than I think it will be? ...
You're still thinking in imperial, dear.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061
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Posted
Hmm. This is not in the US, I deduce. Because here you get the cabinetry in, and then they template for the counter tops. Adds to the time, but you do get (ideally) a perfectly fitted top. It never happens that walls are perfectly square and floors perfectly level, which is why custom cutting is called for.
Is the floor (the tile or lino or whatever) the way it is supposed to be? Be sure that the installers don't mar it by dragging heavy bits across. They should lay down cardboard or canvas or something. Or perhaps you plan to refinish the floor after all the work is done. If this is so, clean like a madwoman as the workers go along, because dust will mar the new finish.
(I used to work in a kitchen installation shop.)
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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page
Posts: 6378 | From: Washington DC | Registered: Mar 2014
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Beethoven
Ship's deaf genius
# 114
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Posted
I need to declutter! Most of the house isn't too bad (by our family standards, at least...!), but what was the dining room and is now supposedly a study/craft room is a disaster area. Mostly it's my fault - I get back from running Brownies and just dump my stuff in there so it's out of the way. The next week as I'm getting ready to go I heave the old stuff out of the crate, and pile the new stuff in. And I now have a big box of outdoor activity equipment added in. This is becoming a bigger problem with every passing day as in the not-too-distant future we have house and dog sitters coming to stay. Oops...
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Who wants to be a rock anyway?
toujours gai!
Posts: 1309 | From: Here (and occasionally there) | Registered: May 2001
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Beethoven
Ship's deaf genius
# 114
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Posted
Sorry for double-posting, but I was inspired by Mrs. S's intrepid determination! One crate of outdoor stuff is now in the garage (not even in a safe place waiting to be taken there! A heap of stuff has gone into the recycling, craft things are put away, and all my Brownie stuff is reduced to a single crate which is out of the way. The room's not yet perfect, but it's sooo much better than it was I might even manage to continue!
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Who wants to be a rock anyway?
toujours gai!
Posts: 1309 | From: Here (and occasionally there) | Registered: May 2001
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Roseofsharon
Shipmate
# 9657
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Posted
It's roughly 11 months since i started on my de-cluttering programme, and I am beginning to see actual identifiable rooms emerging from the chaos. Mr RoS is now committed to a move to a smaller house, although actually dealing with the "stuff" has not reached the top of his list of priorities.
Progress has been hampered by various health problems for both of us - the most recent being a slightly fractured wrist & possibly torn ligaments for me, and a hernia for Mr RoS - but I carry on nibbling away at the elephant, and have hopes of getting an estate agent in with a camera by the end of the month.
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Talk about books -any books- on our rejuvenatedforum http://www.bookgrouponline.com/index.php?
Posts: 3060 | From: Sussex By The Sea | Registered: Jun 2005
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
Brenda, the floor is the one thing we aren't going to change. Although it's been down 24 years the floor is heavy ceramic tile, and the prospect of changing it all through the kitchen, breakfast room and utility gives me the cold grues anyway it's still in pretty good nick.
The worktops are being cut to size and ready-jointed by the suppliers, who do an absolutely brilliant job (they did them for our bathrooms) but this can take up to two weeks, hence ordering them in advance.
Beethoven, I am flattered! but you are so right, it gives you a lovely feeling of satisfaction. And RoS, I am amazed at your staying power. ![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif) to both of you
Mrs. S, looking at another day of putting Stuff in crates
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061
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Posted
Kitchen renovation is like childbirth. Once it is over and you have the new arrival you completely forget about the misery of achieving it.
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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page
Posts: 6378 | From: Washington DC | Registered: Mar 2014
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
Kitchen renovation is like childbirth. Once it is over and you have the new arrival you completely forget about the misery of achieving it.
Surely one for the Quotes file!
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Uncle Pete
Loyaute me lie
# 10422
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Posted
I called the GotJunk line and got rid of a lot of stuff. I also got rid of my old refrigerator and have a newer one. I have given away a bookcase. I have purchased a tape gun and rolls of tape, and got boxes in which to put the books. As soon as I finish filling them I am donating them to a book sale. Of course, someone will have to come get them!
I will probably have another mini load for GotJunk in a week or so.
My housekeeper says I better, because the sorting packing area is a humugous mess.
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Even more so than I was before
Posts: 20466 | From: No longer where I was | Registered: Sep 2005
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Hilda of Whitby
Shipmate
# 7341
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Posted
There is nothing like putting your house on the market to make you get rid of stuff you no longer need/want/use. Our house is going on the market in early August.
There are just two of us, and we didn't have a huge amount of stuff, comparatively speaking. But we had more than we needed, for sure. We have been taking things (housewares, clothing, etc.) to Goodwill. The Salvation Army came to take away some things that was too awkward to fit in our car. We called a hauling service to take away junk in the basement and our backyard shed (some of which was left by the people who previously owned our house). We went to the dump on Friday to drop off some things. We've been donating books, videos and CDs to a bookstore that is run by a local public library. We have one more trip to the dump and one more trip to Goodwill and we'll be decluttered!!!!!!!
Again, we didn't have a huge amount of stuff, but boy, it feels really good to have gotten rid of things that were just taking up space. The house also looks bigger with less stuff in it, which is the main point of the exercise.
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"Born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world is mad."
Posts: 412 | From: Nickel City | Registered: Jun 2004
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
Hilda
It feels very liberating, in my experience, to get rid of Stuff. We still have Too Much, but till we move house there's no need to get rid of any more. That may be some time off, I hope - not only are we in the throes of creating the most beautiful kitchen ever, I took one look at the kitchen contents stacked in crates in the dining room and announced that they'd need to carry me out in just such a crate, before I packed up the house and moved
Mrs. S, quailing at the thought
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Jane R
Shipmate
# 331
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Posted
Brenda: quote:
Kitchen renovation is like childbirth. Once it is over and you have the new arrival you completely forget about the misery of achieving it.
*gulp* I am going to be spending a large part of the summer organising my mother-in-law's kitchen renovation. We've picked an efficient firm to install it, so that's a good start. I'm just hoping it doesn't take longer than a week... Daughter and I are going to have to go and stay with Mother-in-law while the work is being done.
Posts: 3958 | From: Jorvik | Registered: May 2001
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
Good luck with that one, Jane!
Our builders are installing ours in their spare time (the chippie is a good friend and the other tradesmen are becoming so) but Andy reckons installing one from scratch, floor and all, shouldn't take more than a week as long as all the trades are lined up.
An ex-manager of mine said on FB that hers had taken three weeks but I'm sure that must have involved extensive building work (or bad planning).
I'm confidently expecting the Dowager to want a new kitchen when she sees ours (that's usually how things go) but I shall Put My Foot Down. It would kill her!
Mrs. S, living on microwave goodies ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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To The Pain
Shipmate
# 12235
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Posted
The spare room is full of the contents of the kitchen, the living room is full of the new kitchen, our room is half-full of the contents of the hallway and the overflow of new kitchen cupboard doors, we managed to paper and paint the empty kitchen over the weekend and we've moved to the house of a friend who is on holiday for the duration! Joiner friend is planning on finishing on Wednesday but has put Thursday in the plan for contingency and cleaning up.
I'm ashamed to say that in nearly single-handedly emptying the contents of the kitchen into the spare room I failed to do the dishes, so we carted them over to holidaying friend's dishwasher. I am very much looking forward to having a dishwasher of our own. I did fill the wheelie bin (and that of the guy next door who I know to be away for a week) to the very brim and I think there will have to be a fair bit of rationalising on the way back in, but I am now more confident to do it.
Here's to sparkly new kitchens with sensible layouts and optimised contents!
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Now occasionally blogging.
Hire Bell Tents and camping equipment in Scotland
Posts: 1183 | From: The Granite City | Registered: Jan 2007
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by To The Pain:
Here's to sparkly new kitchens with sensible layouts and optimised contents!
Hear, hear, and amen to that!
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Jane R
Shipmate
# 331
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Posted
Hear, hear!
Mother-in-law's kitchen may take a bit longer than a week. They have to block up a serving hatch, install a new electric oven and (probably) rewire everything in sight - I don't think the wiring's been touched since the 1970s. My mantra for the next month is going to be 'It'll be nice when it's finished.'
And safer - finally we get rid of her gas cooker, which we've been worried about ever since it became apparent that she has lost her sense of smell...
Posts: 3958 | From: Jorvik | Registered: May 2001
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Brenda Clough
Shipmate
# 18061
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Posted
I have had major home renovations done. And my harsh on-the-ground experience is, that whenever a builder gives you an estimate? Doubling it is not sufficient. Triple it.
A crew came by to pop the roof off, add a shed dormer, and tuck 4 new windows into the new wall. The builder promised 6 weeks. Like a fool, I invited my in-laws to visit for week 13. Should have invited them for week 19, that would have just about been right.
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Science fiction and fantasy writer with a Patreon page
Posts: 6378 | From: Washington DC | Registered: Mar 2014
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Jane R
Shipmate
# 331
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Posted
But the good news is that the existing kitchen is so old and decrepid that it will probably fall apart with one blow from a sledgehammer...
<wanders off singing 'Always look on the bright side of life'>
Posts: 3958 | From: Jorvik | Registered: May 2001
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Roseofsharon
Shipmate
# 9657
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Hilda of Whitby:
We have one more trip to the dump and one more trip to Goodwill and we'll be decluttered!!!!!!!
Envy!
Only one week to go before my self-imposed deadline for having the house sufficiently clear to let the estate agent in with a camera.
Most rooms are done apart from a run round with a duster & the vacuum cleaner - but Mr RoS has still not touched his bedroom.
I emptied a carton of old papers into the wheely bin last week - including various old magazines some of which were no doubt precious to him, but too bad!. There's a lot of actual junk, and mountains of old clothes to be sorted/chucked out, but I've already been in trouble for sending a favourite jumper (which I've not seen him wear in 40 years) to a charity shop. I've not summoned up enough courage to tackle the rest myself - yet.
The current plan, once everywhere else is finished, is to put all the clothes that won't fit into the wardrobes into bin bags and shove them under the bed - it's an Edwardian brass bed, and is quite high off the ground. I probably won't be able to get the collection of old radios, multiple electric razors, rechargeable tools (with chargers), socket sets and sets of drill bits under there as well, so they can go into large cartons and be stacked against a wall - pretending we have started packing up stuff ready to move. Just so that it looks a bit like it could be a proper bedroom.
I am getting close to the end of my tether.
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Talk about books -any books- on our rejuvenatedforum http://www.bookgrouponline.com/index.php?
Posts: 3060 | From: Sussex By The Sea | Registered: Jun 2005
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
RoS, I really really feel for you.
It's not that I have that issue with Mr. S, but the Dowager keeps saying that she's going to move. This is a lady who has lived in a large four-bedroomed house for 50 years, every drawer and every cupboard in every room is rammed. And she can't even bring herself to throw away holey old pairs of knickers!
Mrs. S, who has the local skip company on speed-dial
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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L'organist
Shipmate
# 17338
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Posted
I've more-or-less finished de-cluttering the garden studio so am feeling pretty virtuous.
Whether or not I would have arrived at this happy state now (or ever) if I hadn't had to make room for another friend of the children's to make their home here is anybody's guess.
Now there remain the sheds...
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Rara temporum felicitate ubi sentire quae velis et quae sentias dicere licet
Posts: 4950 | From: somewhere in England... | Registered: Sep 2012
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To The Pain
Shipmate
# 12235
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Posted
Callanish has put up pictures of kitchen progress on her blog and hopefully we will be able to move back in tomorrow evening or thereabouts. Of course, that's when the real work of decluttering begins. We may even be contemplating a microwave-free existence and I suspect that at least on of our coffee-producing gadgets should move on to a new home.
Callanish also has plans for the worktop offcuts, but I hope that they will not be a cause of clutter in the meantime.
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Now occasionally blogging.
Hire Bell Tents and camping equipment in Scotland
Posts: 1183 | From: The Granite City | Registered: Jan 2007
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
That's going to be lovely when it's done, TTP. Do keep us posted! ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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To The Pain
Shipmate
# 12235
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Posted
Will do, Piglet, will do!
We are now nearly at the finish line - the floor is down, the bespoke shelves are built, the gas to the new hob is in so there's only a few bits and pieces to sort out and the joiner hopes to be out this afternoon. Most exciting. I don't think we'll move back in today (we'll be back very late from delivering tents and helping a friend pack to move) and it looks like it will be a busy little weekend treating the worktops, getting everything back in and catching up with a friend who is visiting. And putting up another tent. As you do.
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Now occasionally blogging.
Hire Bell Tents and camping equipment in Scotland
Posts: 1183 | From: The Granite City | Registered: Jan 2007
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The Intrepid Mrs S
Shipmate
# 17002
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Posted
l'organist - *RESPECT* (and I really mean that)
I got back from Manchester last night after two nights away, so was pleased to see the plinth in place, all the handles on the cupboards, the dishwasher installed (and lovingly balanced on the worktop off-cut, neatly solving that issue), lighting all done; and oven, built-in microwave-cum-grill, and hob all installed. All that's left is the trim to the wall cupboards (last job, I'm reliably informed) the tiling, and the installation of the cooker hood, which - and I am more excited about this than any grown woman should be) is going to vent to the outside!
Mr. S*, who has been manfully holding the fort while I was having fun in Salford (and yes, I mean that most sincerely too) has put all the photos on FB but I'll post a link to a few when it's all done.
*He's normally very good about decluttering and has been frequenting the local tip - sorry, Amenity Recycling Area - but for some reason has kept all the old shelves from the last kitchen Do not ask me why:rolleyes:
Mrs. S, off to do a stint in the church office *yawn*
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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!'
Posts: 1464 | From: Neither here nor there | Registered: Mar 2012
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Lothlorien
Ship's Grandma
# 4927
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Posted
Has he kept the shelving from the old fridge too? Fridge shelves absolutely never fit any where else, unless perhaps outside shelving built in bricks to suit the size. Mr L always kept such stuff.
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Buy a bale. Help our Aussie rural communities and farmers. Another great cause needing support The High Country Patrol.
Posts: 9745 | From: girt by sea | Registered: Aug 2003
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
...and I'm just about to have a cupboard built, probably aluminium but possibly steel, and I will need fridge type shelves!
Having something like this made is actually to enable decluttering of all my camera stuff to somewhere where I can control the humidity rather better AND to have it all in one place instead of bits all over the place!
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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