one step forward one step back...what's your challenge today?

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one step forward one step back...what's your challenge today?

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Started 10 months ago by luxcat
Latest reply from jlw
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luxcat
Member

I went through a spate of uncluttering yesterday and did another purge of both the bathroom and closet, with mixed results.

In the bathroom I discovered that despite my ongoing best efforts to stop buying crap and use up what I've got I have a year's supply of little bath gels (mostly collected from nice hotels) and no less than SIX tubes of deodorant. Yes. Six. I guess that I must have been worried at some point about not finding travel size clear deodorants so I have four of those, plus my everyday one that I'm using now, plus a new natural chemical free one I got at the health food store to try out... yegads. Well... I won't smell bad for some time to come.

My wardrobe is a constant challenge to me. Like many of us I suspect I have a fantasy of the "perfect wardrobe"... that personal uniform that makes one look put together at a moments notice and defies travel, seasonal changes, work requirements, last moment fancy dinners, etc.

Finally I stood in my closet last night and pulled out all the "oh I'll just wear this out then toss it later even though I hate it now" clothes, and the "I better keep this around because it fits- I'll lose that weight soon- even though it makes me look like a sack of onions" clothes and the "this is cheap and it will wash well at home so I'll just get this for work/travel/sport even though it's a bit ugly it'll do" clothes.

I left everything in that fit my idea/fantasy of a dream wardrobe, and hung everything else elsewhere. Now I need to go through it bit by bit and create categories.... the hard part!

*** keep item for now but tag the hangar to replace the item with the perfect item once a) I find it b) I lose the last 10 lbs (soon!) this applies mostly to jeans that do not fit well and some cardigans that have seen better days. Items I wear all the time but aren't just right.

*** give the item away because I have others that are similar that I like better or the item does not fit my fantasy as it is cheaply made or faded and worn out

*** add new item to my shopping list because it's missing (example: I no longer seem to have a plain white button up shirt)

*** put the item in a bag marked with a date for later decision

wish me luck! what's your challenge today?

Posted 10 months ago #
lucy1965
Member

Luck (though it doesn't sound as if you need it: that's a very impressive list)!

Yesterday we sorted the CDs. I will pause so that you may all put down the smelling salts. About 200 of them are going up to the Exchange! . . . as soon as DH goes through them all again and makes sure that none of them are actually sneaky pirated discs. WTH?

Actually, I know what he's up to: there were two copies of XTC's Apple Venus, and one was a copy made by a friend, complete with jacket art. I played it until I tracked down a legit copy, and now they're both languishing on the shelf because I listen to a .mp3 rip. So, not quite as bonkers as I thought.

Hopefully, after using our gifted tickets to Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, we'll come back, sort them and get them out of the house. I'd feel better about the progress if we could do that.

Posted 10 months ago #
susanintexas
Member

Hope to approach DH after dinner tonight about some of the maintenance tasks that have been too long deferred -- I am especially concerned about the sink in the master bath (which has been turned off/broken since before Thanksgiving in November) and the light in the walk in closet which has been broken now for almost 2 weeks. I think both toilets also need to have their innards adjusted -- every few flushes they start running continuously and need to have the tank opened and the mechanism jiggled. I do not want to live this way. I am more than willing to arrange for repair people to come but I think he will be hostile to that idea.

Posted 10 months ago #
Rosa
Member

Good luck with that, Susan, that kind of stuff is such a pain in the butt.

Lucy, I'm so proud of you with the CDs!

I am just defeated this week, and this upcoming week is not looking better, I have family stuff all week including two nights away from home. I'm spending today working on my job so I can take less vacation this week to cover being gone. So, AUGUST I'll start again.

Posted 10 months ago #
pkilmain
Member

Eeek, hard to believe that August is rushing up on us so quickly!

@luxcat - you could donate those travel size toiletries to a local women's shelter. They ask for them around here.

Posted 10 months ago #
needtocleanhouse
Member

I don't know if you believe in prayer but I just said one for you susanintexas. Hope it goes well.

Posted 10 months ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

Trying to decide what to do with the dog stuff that won't be needed. Some things I knew I wanted out of the house right away, and some of the washable bedding I'm keeping for now, but things like the favorite toys, and her collar and leash -- can't do it (btw, I do not consider these things having moved into the realm of clutter yet, but they will be if I don't at least think about it). Maybe it's too soon.

Posted 10 months ago #
susanintexas
Member

JuliaJayne: so sorry about your dog. I just threw out my cat's leash last week, and she's been gone for 13 years.

Posted 10 months ago #
KeKeD
Member

JuliaJayne - very sorry to hear about your dog. Definitely give yourself more time.

Posted 10 months ago #
bandicoot
Member

JJ...if it feels like it is too soon, then it IS too soon.
be kind to yourself...and i am so sorry about your dog.
(i have photos of beloved cats who have gone now, and i cannot look at a lot of them yet. one day. it's ok. i have time).

Posted 10 months ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

Thanks everyone. I just went through one of the dog baskets and found a few things, mostly grooming stuff, but I couldn't throw out her brush. It dawned on me why it's so hard to get rid of her things -- it feels like I'm slowly getting rid of parts of her. Maybe that's why some people keep so much of their loved one's stuff? I know it's just stuff, but it feels like it's part of her.

Some people, including one of the vet nurses at the hospital seemed surprised that I didn't want her ashes. I didn't and neither did my husband and son. Instead, I got out all the photos we have of her. At first, it was hard to look at them, but it was nice to remember her younger and active instead of sick.

Posted 10 months ago #
mskris
Member

JJ - so sorry for your loss. Take the time to grieve. I still miss my first doggie - even though we've had 2 since she passed, none can come close to meaning what she did to me.

I was sick for 2 days last week and spent much of the weekend sleeping trying to fully recover, so I didn't get as much done as I'd planned (plus it was just too darn hot here, even with a/c on!). I did go through my closet again and got rid of 10-12 items and 2 pr shoes. I have more to do, but the stuff that's left is harder to part with (ie, still fits, still looks good, but rarely wear for some reason). The stuff I did part with I put in a bag to be donated. Most of them were 100% cotton that only looks great if you iron, and I don't have time for that (I have a steamer, but it's not as good)! I made a promise to myself that I wont' buy any more items that require so much care that I'm not willing to take! I also moved things around so I can better see what I have, and vowed to wear some of the items from the back of the closet (I'm wearing some today). I'm still on my no-spend kick (which is working okay for me, but not my kids - I had to buy them craft supplies yesterday - all 3 are very artistic).

I hope to get to that neglected closet in the basement next weekend.

Posted 10 months ago #
susanintexas
Member

Well, DH got the master closet light fixed -- yeah! He bought some parts to fix the toilet flappers but didn't do anything. I mentioned that the sink also needed repair but, although he didn't get defensive, he didn't want to talk about it. I WILL have a serious talk this week, though.

Posted 10 months ago #
themusiclivez
Member

@lucy1965, I'm with you on the CDs! Just this past year I think I got rid of about 200 as well. I still have around 150. I love music, but even I had to admit to myself that it was too much. I didn't even listen to half of them! Does the place you're bringing them to give you store credit? I'm curious how that works. I feel like whenever I bring CDs to FYE to exchange for credit/cash they aren't worth a dime!

Posted 10 months ago #
lucy1965
Member

@tml, I do get decent store credit; the exchange is locally owned and has seven branches in-state, all near colleges and/or universities: the one nearest me is a block from the campus of the largest state university and has a great selection, and I can search the entire system catalog and request items from other branches. I can also give them a want list and when something on it comes in, I get an e-mail and text letting me know they've put it on 24-hour hold for me.

I've checked them over and I'm doing another quick pass on the DVDs; they'll go out today.

Posted 10 months ago #
BBChapman
Member

@JuliaJayne: An artist friend of mine arranged a photograph and her dog's collar in a shadow box and it made a lovely tribute. (I keep one of my long-lost cats' tags on my keyring.)

Posted 10 months ago #
Netleigh
Member

susanintexas,
hurrah for a small step forwards for your husband, one thing mended how many more to go?

Posted 10 months ago #
JuliaJayne
Member

Thanks mskris. She was my first dog, too. I feel pretty much like you do about your first dog. I had to go in dog food aisle at the grocery store today. It was so hard.

BBChapman - I love the idea of putting her tag on my key ring. I'm going to do that. Thanks.

Posted 10 months ago #
Joless
Member

@JuliaJayne - my utmost sympathies :-( When our dog passes away I know that I am going to hurt a lot, but my GF will be utterly heartbroken. I hope that you're able to remember the good stuff very soon.

Posted 10 months ago #
jlw
Member

Right now my challenge is that I don't feel I have space to declutter. Which is ironic, since I want to declutter so that I have more space!

Recently my husband and I got bikes (which are certainly not clutter - they are awesome! Exercise, entertainment and transportation all in one!) and the only place we can safely keep them in our apartment is in the spare bedroom's walk-in closet. Also known as the Closet of Doom because that's where we throw everything that doesn't have any other home. So, I need to get that closet organized and get rid of the extra stuff in there. I also need to shift some things because the coat closet is keeping some things (Christmas decorations...argh!) that should really go in the other closet, while things that used to be in the storage closet (vacuum) should go in the coat closet.

What's annoying me right now is that everything in the closet is in everything else's spot. And I know in general what stuff I want to get rid of, but it's stuff that I need to go through in detail, not just grab a whole box and chuck it, so then I will need to spread things out and take up most of a room while I look at them. And then there will be piles of stuff sitting around, which really irritates me and also provides lots of opportunity for the more mischievous cat to mess things up.

Whew, that was rambly. I hope it made some kind of sense. Just had to express that - I'm sure I will figure something out though!

Posted 10 months ago #

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