February 29, 2012

I spent a LOT of time cleaning today. Cleaning, as in scrubbing and dusting. For several hours. And the place looks great. But cleaning a lot means I didn't have time to go through boxes or paper or cabinets, to purge the house of non-necessities. But I did manage to come across an old sweater and an old pair of scrub pants that I could toss in the garbage. So, Happy Leap Day! Two months of uncluttering, now completed!

Day sixty:
One sweater and one pair of scrub pants into the trash.

Odds and Ends

Another very crazy busy day today. But I found a fragrance that is starting to change for the worse, and an air freshener that should go too. Also, I have two pillar candles that can be donated to the resale shop.

Day fifty-nine:
Fragrance and freshener into the trash. Two candles donated.

Off to New York

Snce I am sending my daughter's tax returns to her in New York, I am including some other things in the box. She asked that I send her some of her T-shirts, sou I am hoping that six of them will fit in the box. And she also asked for a blanket to be sent - hopefully I can find it. And I have a couple circle scarves that I made - almost spring, but hopefully she can still get some use out of them. After that, I am not really not sure what else I will fit in the box maybe more tomorrow.

Bonus: found the papers i was looking for. And while organizing those continuing ed documents, I found some more papers to recycle and shred.

Day fifty-eight:
T-shirts, and scarves, heading to the post office. More papers heading to recycling and the shredder.

More of Same

I am looking for some specific papers, so I sort through other papers in the search. And I still haven't found what I am looking for. But I have created yet ANOTHER stack of papers to be recycled and/or shredded. Unfortunately, this may have to continue for a while... Till I find what I am looking for. :-(

Day fifty-seven:
More papers into recycling and the shredder.

Clothes

I was gone all day today, after finishing my daughter's taxes. So, tonight I thank Taylor for sorting through her clothes when she was back from college. Today's purge is a bag of clothes from Taylor. I need to inventory them, but they are getting donated.

Day fifty-six:
One bag of clothes going to the tri-county pregnancy center resale store.

Bills

I went through some more old paid bills tonight. Since everything is now paid online now, I don't have to keep as many paper records. So, most old bills can be tossed. Bills into shredder bag. Envelopes and inclusions into the recycling.

Day fifty-five:
Old paid bills, out the door.

Scissors

Today I threw out a scissors that doesn't cut. Why do I have things like this in my house?

I also did more tax forms - for my kids, this time. Recycled more envelopes and statement inclusions. I could really cut my mail stacks in half if I just took everything important out of the envelopes and tossed the rest into recycling.

Day fifty-four:
Scissors into the trash. Paper scraps into recycling.

While I Am Going Through Books...

...I thought I'd go through my cookbooks. And I found four of them that I no longer need. The truth is that I dont often cook (at least with cookbooks) and should probably get rid of all of them. But I couldn't go that far. I had to save most of them. But there was a bonus find, in this purge: some family recipes, on recipe cards, tucked into the cookbooks. And the 'Joys of Jello' book from my mom, which is hilarious. I can't part with that one because of the entertainment value.

Day fifty-three:
Four cookbooks, into the donation box.

More Books

Went through yet another bookshelf today. I found six more ancient books. Paperbacks - read ages ago. I don't think I will reread them or lend them out, and they have no sentimental value.

Day fifty-two:
Six books into the donation box

Books

Today's search had me looking at my bookshelves. I found two used workbooks, four paperbacks, and an ancient looking book called 'The Fundamentals of Bacteriology.' This last book I had never seen before. I am positive I can part with all of them.

As a bonus, I also found a Harry Potter book that was purchased in London. Wondering now which family members' it is...

Day fifty-one:
Two workbooks in the garbage.
Five books into the garage sale box.

Bills

I went through a file box of paid bills - most were from 2010. There were a few receipts I needed to save, but the rest went into the bag of papers that need to be shredded. That bag is almost full now.

Day fifty:
More paper into the to be shred bag.

Some More of the Same

I found yet ANOTHER bag full of bags (leftover from Christmas shopping). I also found another file box full of things I no longer need - like payment book receipts from the orthodontist, requests for donations from various charities, and an old cell phone contract, to name a few. The bags are in the recycling bin. And the papers are divided between the recycling bin and the bag to be shredded.

I also found a book I had been looking for, for my daughter!

Day forty-nine:
Bags, papers intonthe recycle bin.
Other papers heading to thenshredder.
Book given to my daughter.

Yarn and EOBs

I went through 2 knitting baskets tonight. And I found several dull skeins of yarn that I want to keep. But, I also found 25 partial skeins - leftover yarn balls from past knitting projects. This yarn is now in the garage sale box, although some of it might be given away to some young new knitters.

While I was in the family room, I remembered an old file box that was filled with old insurance EOBs. I quickly sorted through four inches of paper, and kept exactly three pages (some medical records I thought I should save). He rest are now in the bag awaiting the shredder.

Day forty-eight:
Twenty-five yarn balls into the garage sale box, and four inches of insurance records, awaiting the shredder.

Pine Cones

I found a basket of pine cones. These were gigantic pine cones - six of them, spray painted gold and silver. They were in a hand crafted basket. And I remember years ago, displaying them at the holidays. I really like them a lot. But since I haven't put them out for several years, and had actually forgotten that I had them, I guess it is time to put them in the garage sale box. I may have second thoughts about the pine cones, however. But even if I do, the basket is definitely past it's prime. That is today's purge.

Oh yeah - I also gave a beanie baby (princess), that had been sitting on my shelf, to a sweet little girl who is in the hospital. Definitely my favorite declutter to date.

Day forty-seven:
Basket, into the garage sale box. And six huge pine cones, also in that box, but may get rescued and brought back into the Christmas decorations. And a beanie baby given as part of a get-well gift.

More Banking

Uncovered yet another old file folder full of old banking stuff: checks, statements, receipts. I didn't notice the dates, but we haven't banked there in years. Now, it is in the bag that needs to be shredded.

Day forty-six:
Pile of old bank statements and such, headed to the shredder.

Taxes

Had to get papers ready for tomorrow's tax appointment. A fun way to spend Valentine's Night. (Actually, it is REALLY great to get this out of the way - great once it is done.) So, tonight's purge is a batch of envelopes and statement inclusions that have been cluttering my files and the desk. There are more for tomorrow, or another day, but for today, that's gotta be it.

Day forty-five:
Envelopes and statement inclusions, in the garbage.

Expired

Went through another basket in the linen closet. Found five more expired meds. Mostly eye drops, they were WAY out of date. A couple expired in 2008. Now, they are all in the garbage.


Day forty-four:
Five expired meds, into the trash.

Papers

More old bank statements and cancelled checks for the shredder. Also found some old magazines for recycling. This is really boring, but it is more stuff out of my house.

Day forty-three:
Old banking stuff to the shredder and magazines to recycling.

Halloween

Went through a box of Halloween decorations. There was not much in there - my Halloween decorating has become pretty minimal, especially since I had no idea what happened to that box. But there were a few things I no longer needed from that box. A plastic pumpkin tray, a couple little fake jack- o- lanterns, and a jack- o- lantern candle are now in the garage sale box.

Day forty-two:
Halloween platter, candle and little fake pumpkins into the garage sale box.

White Basket

Got lost again in sentiment - but managed to pull another small bagnof recyclables (bank statementsold papers) out of the white basket from the crawl space.

Day forty-one:
Papers recycled

Crawl Space

And now for something completely different: the crawl space. This area will take months to sort through. There are so many boxes down there, I cannot imagine what I am in for.

So I started tonight with a basket full of papers. Yep, nice filing cabinet - a white laundry basket. In it are a lot of memories - an old car receipt, music programs... And photos! Found some photos that I thought were long gone! Hooray! I will be posting some on Facebook. Maybe here, too, if I can figure out how.

But this chore is all about getting rid of things, and certainly treasured photos are going nowhere. I did manage to toss out an old binder and a bag of papers to be recycled. Also found some old credit cards that will be cut up and tossed in the trash. Not a lot out the door, but had a nice evening of memories.

Day forty:
Bag of papers for recycling, and old credit cards and a binder for the trash.

Another Book

Long day today - out of the house for most of it. So, I found a book that will go in the donation sale box.

Day thirty-nine:
One book donated.

Mail

Got rid of some old mail. This was a pile of mostly junk mail - solicitations for credit cards, and holiday catalogs. A brown grocery bag, overfilled with forgotten junk mail, went in the recycling bin. Another small batch of statements went in the 'to be shredded' bag. Unfortunately, there is still more for another day.

Day thirty-eight:
Old junk mail, into the recycling bin. And a small stack of statements ready to be shredded.

Upper Shelf

On an upper shelf of a kitchen cabinet, I found eight coffee mugs, a plastic pitcher, a Tupperware snack container that had no lid, and a mini Starbucks travel cup - also without a lid. Two of the mugs are kinda cute - they are golf- themed, and a pair. They will go in a donation box. Everything else into the trash.

Day thirty-seven:
Two mugs donated. Six mugs, a pitcher, a snack container and half of a travel mug into the trash.

Coat

Day thirty-six:
Long black raincoat, in the donation box.

Batting

Went in the garage to find today's throw-away. I found a pillowcase filled with cotton batting that was used as harp padding. Kinda icky now, it was tossed away. And later when in tha laundry room, I found an old plastic glass that used to be part of a smoothie shaker. Also, now, in the trash.

Day thirty-five:
Cotton batting and plastic glass, in the trash

Books

Put a box of used books in the car, to be brought to Willow Creek Community Church tomorrow, for resale in their bookstore.

Day thirty-four:
One box of used books - out the door and ready for donation.

2.2.12

Found a box of checkbook registers. I haven't balanced a checkbook in years. And I found a brand new cell phone cover, still in the wrapper. Also found a little bag of Jabra Boosts - little earpieces that somehow boost sound. I have no idea where these came from.

Day thirty-three:
Checkbook registers and boosts: in the trash
New cell phone cover, into the donation box

Hat

Fishing Buddy hat, though it was a little sentimental and a nice reminder of those with special needs, it was a little fishy smelling. Won't wear it again. Now in the trash.

Day thirty-two:
Fishing hat gone.