75ers' Organizing/Decluttering Support Group

For the last two years, some of us have participated in this group within the 75ers to help motivate ourselves and each other in the never-ending effort to keep our spaces uncluttered and organized so that we can have more room for BOOKS. The first year, discussion petered out around March. Last year, it lasted until June. Shall we go for September this year?

Truthfully, I remembered this as I finished up cleaning and reorganizing my coat closet today. Something about this time of year seems to stimulate engagement in such projects! But it is fun to see what others are doing as well

This thread is meant to facilitate discussion, highlight useful books and websites, and support each other in our goals in this area. Anyone may participate--you don't have to commit to partner or any other criteria. If this interests you, speak up. Also, if you have good resources to share, please do. I will post my favorite and most helpful resources in the second message, and will be glad to add yours. In the third message, I will list those who are participating by partnering on their projects--remember, that is not something you need to do to comment or even be a regular here, but it will help those of us who are doing so to stay in touch.

Feel free to post your own personal goals in this area as well as your progress!

You can find last year's thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/356425

Organizational/Decluttering Resources:

Home Storage Solutions website--this is a good entry point: https://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/declutter-calendar-january.html?utm_s....

A Slob Comes Clean: Reality-Based Cleaning, Decluttering, & Organizing
https://www.aslobcomesclean.com
How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind
Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff** MY favorites!!!

Apartment Therapy--January Cure: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/features/january-cure

The Spruce--Swedish Death Cleaning checklist: https://www.thespruce.com/swedish-death-cleaning-4801461

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by K. C. Davis

https://www.Flylady.net

https://clutterbug.me. (Note: I am a Bee)

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/features/january-cure

https://cleanmama.com

Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life by Matt Paxton

Do Less by Rachel Jonat

https://tidylifehappywife.com/decluttering-rules/

From Sandy last year:

Top 4 Books to read if you haven't done so.
Do this over a time, maybe one a month.
Tip: Clearing out the accumulation of years and years requires several rounds of culling and then reassessing months later, as you rummage in the cupboard, boxes, closets looking for the whatsit.

Carlson, Julie: Remodelista: the Organized Home
★ thinks outside the box ~ ample storage is not necessarily a good thing. Example: in North America, we've been conditioned to think that huge closets are desirable; but the truth is this encourages you to lose track of what you have (and what you hardly ever wear, leading to overaccumulation).

Fortin, Cary T. and Quilici, Kyle L. New Minimalism
★ geared to the North American home: describes archetype profiles to choose strategies to cope with idiosyncratic blocks to simplifying. This is a must-read to discover your personal difficulty in making decluttering decisions.

Kondo, Marie The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Particularly helpful:
★ simply having less (plays into Dana White's idea of 'container')
★ work by categories, not by everything in a room ~ more effective than dealing with an array of different items stored in that space

White, Dana K.: Decluttering at the Speed of Life
★ Container Theory ~ a shelf, a box or whatever, is an inspiring way to decide on what to throw away/donate/sell/put in the recycle cart. Once the "container" is filled, everything else in the category is surplus.

Another super helpful book for me: Peter Walsh, Let It Go
Especially effective in addressing downsizing under difficult circumstances such as moving aged parents out of their familiar home or coping with all the angst after a death in the family: a very relevant situation as my family negotiated the cleaning out of a beloved grandmother's house. Walsh's advice was invaluable.
★ wisest counsel: need to acknowledge (in order to make decisions) that items are nostalgic collections and out-of-date furniture ~ Walsh's writing is a gentle approach to gaining a good insight to the Western world's penchant for too many inherited 'treasures'.

Lastly, Jay, Francine Joy of Less.
Particularly helpful: dealing with sentimental and nostalgic items. Jay's advice resonated with us as a family because the decorative items felt so impossible to cull.
★ Detach yourself from the duplicated items; simplify how much 'stuff' is on display at one time. One of my favourite phrases was to be useful, an item must be used; that's the catch: most of us have items that are potentially useful things that we simply never use.

Oh, thanks for getting this thread started.

I spent a lot of spring and autumn last year decluttering and trying to sell off clothes and other items that I do not use, like or have any particular emotional attachment to. And when I was doing a more thorough clean before Christmas I realised I had a ton more things I needed to get rid of. This included kitchenware that I completely forgot I own, kitchenware I knew I own but didn’t know where it was and about 90% of my jewellery and accessories. Most of it has now been put up for sale online and I’ve already had a few sales and am waiting for more.
Im putting the money I make from this towards my future move and have almost reached my initial target of 10 000 SEK (about €/$1000) so I’m pretty pleased so far. I do think I can make more with the stuff I’ve uncovered in the past month. We’ll see.

Wow, Paws, you've accomplished a lot already.

I've now been in this house for 3 1/2 years and most areas are ready to be examined, sorted, culled and reorganized. The coat closet is now done, but the whole bank of built-in wood cabinets on my dining room window wall, my shelves and desk in the office, and my basement remain prime candidates.

Hi Roni, thanks for setting this thread up again!

I have moved house this year. It was a good incentive to start decluttering. But I have way more to do. And, in spite of trying to keep everything organized, I still can’t find my stuff in this new house. I have to go through everything, so I’ll know what I have and where to find it.

>4 ronincats: Love those cabinets! But I can see they might contain a lot of stuff.

I am going to join in this year, as decluttering is one of my main goals for the coming year. I meant to do more last year, but put it off in favor of reading. This year I need to do some of both.

>4 ronincats: It’s been easier than you’d think. Yes, photographing can be a pain, as can writing the ads initially. But the site I’m primarily using (a daughter company of eBay) is easy to use. Also, things get easier the more you do it. And I get an endorphin kick every time I sell something. Having the premise that whatever money I make I can spent on whatever I want related to my move is a great carrot. It made it easier to pick out things to sell and it makes it easier to power through the fuller parts.

I'm glad to see this thread this year. I need to make decisions about where to start and then get started.

Hi Folks. I'm back for another year, but don't expect to make much if any progress in the next month or three.

My housemate fell just before Thanksgiving. She's had a hip replacement, and is now using a walker to get around. Large amounts of stuff were moved, mostly from her room, to make it possible for her to get around with the walker. Just about anything I should be sorting and getting rid of is behind those "temporary" obstructions.

Once she's fully recovered - or we know what her new limits will be - we'll be able to readjust and rearrange. But for now, I'm happy if I merely manage to prevent the clutter from increasing.

Fortunately (?) there's nowhere to put any new clutter ;-)

I just have to remind myself that without the decluttering I've done in the past 2 years, there'd have been no reasonable way to make space for her to use a walker. So even though all the space I'd gained is pretty much full again, it's a win overall.

>9 ArlieS: Sorry to hear about your housemate. I hope she recovers quickly (and that you can get back your decluttered space).

I dusted off my old New Year’s Resolutions. Every year they’re the same -
Get fit & trim
Get organized & reduce amount of stuff.

I moved in Nov and got rid of a lot but have much more winnowing to do.
A mountain of boxes remains in the garage…

I did get my drawers gone through, edited and organized Sunday and yesterday, but did not have any energy today. I'm still working on putting Christmas stuff away.

Ella and Nancy, moving certainly motivates you to go through things. I think it took about a year for me to get everything settled in after moving.

Arlie, that makes it hard in the moment, but it will get better and you can get going again. NOT a race.

I think my main goal for 2025 will be to get my grown kids to take things that are theirs. Today I did get rid of one letter for my older son! :D I do have a large shoebox full of various items to give my daughter (whenever I next see her, that is).

>7 PawsforThought: Where are you selling your stuff? Its seems more of a pain to sell things at my age than it does to give them away or donate them. Hurray for endorphins, though! :)

>13 SqueakyChu: It depends on what it is I’m selling. Facebook Marketplace or local FB buying/selling groups for stuff that are fairly inexpensive (not worth paying shipping costs). An eBay daughter company for most things that can be shipped. And a place that’s similar to Craig’s List (I think) for more valuable stuff.

Here is this year's January Cure 30 day decluttering project.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/january-cure-2025-decluttering-project-37446296

Checking in again. This still seems like something I ought to do :0)

My out-of-town family flew home on Mon. Organizing has been on hold since before the holidays.
New and renewed effort started yesterday.
I made a list 😀
I did some tidying and arranging; shifted some books. Did not unpack a box which was on my list, but today’s another day. Had to drive to Charlotte and just got back about 3p. Time for tea and toast, short rest and finish my current book. But there is still time this evening to accomplish something..

Christmas stuff is finally all packed up and waiting to be shifted to the basement. That's a big one.

I removed about 40 books from my To Read shelf. Many of these had been in my house for years! They will go the fellow BookCrossers, out in our Little Free Library or given away for free at a local book festival. Win-Win!! :)

Friday l took a box and 2 bags of books to the used bkstore. I took another box and several bags to thrift stores. I had to look while l was there, so came home with 4 books, 4 champagne flutes, and 8 dessert plates.
Yesterday l sorted and shelved a few books.
Today l did the first task of the 20 Day Cure >15 ronincats:
That was clearing the corner of the bedroom of Christmas wrap, cards, bags and boxes and putting it away.
Began unpacking a box of books…to be
completed later. Now taking a reading break and thinking about lunch and a walk.
I just have to keep up the momentum and do something every day.

This is the year I'm going to declutter. At least a little bit. Hopefully this will give me some inspiration.

My big task this past week was to take out of my kitchen drawer and cupboard all those plastic containers and lids. I put all of them on my dining room table and tried to match them up (not all containers had lids, not all lids had containers! How the heck does that happen?!).

Once I matched up containers and lids, I decided I really didn't need them all, so I made sure they were clean and loaded a bunch into my donation box. Far fewer made their way back into my kitchen drawer and cupboard. I do use some larger containers to hold things so I just made sure I had their matching lids and put all the lids into one of the containers. I won't tell you how many such items I found: washed and put away empty jars, etc, and so on. Sure, I sometimes use those jars to root cuttings from plants but honestly, SO MANY???

Anyhow, I am almost giddy with glee now when I open the drawer or cupboard and see, not only way fewer but also, it looks so neat and tidy. At least for now. I know better than to get too smug.

Next big task is to tackle the under the counter cupboard. Who knows what evil lurks there?

>22 jessibud2: Good job! This task is one I didn't make it to last year. You're motivating me!

My fun project for today: I took a giant stack of old cards people wrote to my husband and me over recent years. I pulled out ones I wanted to discard and others I wanted to keep. Of those I decided to keep, I cut off the front of the card and only left the written side (with some very touching notes to us). The front of the cards I made into beautiful bookmarks which I insert into every book I release in our Little Free Library! What card stock was left, I just recycled with other paper. I also found a photo of my dear late favorite aunt and posted it over my desk. Shelley, that picture is right beside a picture your mom painted (on a notecard you sent me…but NOT cut in half!). :)

>22 jessibud2: My problem with containers is that everyone is different, and I can never find the right lid for each container!

I have been finding that just sorting something small makes me very happy, because it looks so neat when I spot the clean and organized area each day!

>14 PawsforThought: What is an E-bay daughter company?

>25 SqueakyChu: It’s an auction site that is (at least partly) owned by eBay.

I need this group. As a family Christmas present, I rented a small dumpster, got rid of some large furniture that was beyond charity shop quality, and junk from the barn attic and basement. Tossed most of the saved plastic food containers over concern for micro plastic transfer, and made space to sort other stuff for donation.

Today's adventure: I organized a small bedside table on which my husband piles stuff. He is now looking through all the items which I placed individually on our bed! I tossed a story on two pages of paper he found hand-written by no one either of us can identify. This became scratch paper for notes (recycling!) I found a misplaced Bookcrossing book that I would like to recirculate this spring (as it's about gardening). I found a geography quiz book that my husband and I were working on until it disappeared. It's now found, and we will resume our game. I found a "Love With Food" box with a chocolate coin in it. I will eat that, and recycle the box with paper goods as my husband and I are are different diets now and can no longer eat random food. I found two bottles of aloe vera gel. I combined the contents of one and recycled the second bottle. :)

Today's feeling about my adventure: Good vibes! :D

>24 SqueakyChu:
I love this idea. Bookmarks with love attached.

Today's challenge: Clean out a bottom desk drawer!

1. What did you find?
2. What did you discard?
3. What did you recycle?
4. What did you reuse?

1. I found some sealing wax for letters. I thought of it recently when I received a holiday card with sealing wax. I used to love to use that on my letters. I'll have to see if it's still ok with the postal service to use it. I also found some fossilized shark's teeth! One year I collected those along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Those will go into my jewelry box.
2. I didn't discard anything!
3. I'm recycling an old telephone router and telephone cables with electronics as I no longer have a land line. I recycled other paper pages and and a plastic spiral from a manual of an item I no longer even have (not that I even knew the manual had been in this drawer all these years!).
4. I reused letter size paper as a note pad by tearing it in fourths and clipping the pages together. I do this all the time, though.

Result: That drawer is now clean and organized!

Well, I don’t have any desk drawers (I don’t have a desk) but I was putting away the Christmas decorations and noticed a box underneath the one I have most of the decorations in, so I took it out and looked through it. Aside from a handful of pencils, a zebra pencil case, a comb and a few tennis balls (I’ve never played tennis aside from in PE class), it contained three floppy disks (!!!) with my 2003 CV on it (the year I graduated school) and a bottle of sand - which I assume come from a holiday to Turkey my family took in 2000.

I cleaned out the drawer in the rolling cart that I used for my laptop comuter desk until it got too cluttered. Found a fountain pen and bottle of ink that I had lost track of, backup CDs of photos and other files, a 6 inch slide rule in a leather case that was my Dad's, a stack of iTunes gift cards- (need to check them for any balance), a USB plug in Zip Drive and some discs, and lots of junk.
Discarded old receipts, notes with no-longer relevant info, dead pens,
Will reuse three hole punch, ruler, good writing sticks,
Will recycle paper, magazines and instruction manuals for old equipment.cables and wires for long gone equipment.-

I don’t have a desk drawer either but l thought I’d clear out the night table by my bed.
I did unpack 1 big box of books today.

Christmas is back on its shelves in the basement. My goal today is to clean off and out my desk.

>31 PawsforThought: Did you ever have a dog? Or a housemate using a walker? That's the usual etiology for tennis balls in my house. (Pro tip: if your aging or temporarily disabled family member is at all active, skip the tennis balls; my housemate wore out a set of them in only 3 days. We've now ordered something called "walker glides" which we hope will last better. But the tennis ball experiment did at least result in 3 dog-chewed tennis balls being tossed - the third was too damaged to be installed on the walker.)

>35 ArlieS: No on both accounts (I have a minor dog phobia!). I think I either bought them to use when washing and tumble drying down covers/pillows or I might have had thoughts of starting to play tennis.

What were you using the tennis balls for for your housemate?

Today I will tackle the secretary fold down shelf beside the bed. A piece of mail and a book of checks are both missing and suspected to be in the pile of clutter there.

Today's Adventure: I challenge you to go through a pile of flat things!

1. What did you discover?
2. What will you discard?
3. What will you recycle?
4. What will you reuse?
5. Did doing this create even more work for you? Ha!

I assorted one pile of papers, folders, and notebooks under my coffee table.

1. I discovered four books, two of which I will give away and two nonfiction books (gifts to me) of which I hope (yeah, yeah!) to read.
2. I will definitely discard the fossilized rubber bands I found in this pile.
3. I will recycle with paper goods the many sudoku from The Washington Post which I never did.
4. There are some unfinished crossword puzzles from The Washington Post that I save for a friend who does them when she visits. Somehow these moved out of circulation, so I'll put them back in the pile of crossword puzzles for her.
5. Absolutely yes! I found so many recipes!! I can't use them unless I'll be able to find them again so I'll have to sort them out, discarding ones I won't use due to dietary restrictions, and placing others into appropriate folders (which fortunately I do have).

I am still working on the desk, which includes the piles of flat things on top. After one day, the bottom two drawers are clean and organized, the top one is cleaned out but there is still stuff out on the "flat surface" to go back into designated spots. And, oh yes, definitely created more work. The shredder has been emptied, contents bagged for recycling. While there is less ON the desk, there are piles all over the floor of things that need to go elsewhere or be filed. And there is still a fair amount on the desk. I have a before picture and when I get done and have the after photo, I will share here. But that may not be before Sunday, as tomorrow and Saturday are spoken for.

ETA Yes, I found the jury duty notice and info sheet that needs to be returned, probably the most time sensitive item mislaid.

>39 ronincats: Sounds like a big job, Roni! I certainly am enjoying my mini-tasks as opposed to the 15-minute decluttering I tried a year or two ago. We’ll see how long this lasts. LOL!

Cleared clutter from table tops - dining table, night stands. Cleared counters in kitchen and bath. Stashed boxes and odds and ends. Recycled old newspapers.

>36 PawsforThought: People put tennis balls on the feet of two-wheeled walkers. That makes them quieter, and less likely to destroy floors.

>38 SqueakyChu: Stacks of flat things are scary. There's always one important phone number or similar per 100 pages of random junk, when it isn't even worse - 50% of the material needing to be filed in a dozen different places. My house is full of what were once stacks like this, transferred into filing boxes unsorted and labelled something like "misc from top of desk June 2019".

>42 ArlieS: I’ve never seen that done, and I’ve worked in elderly care. But then again I don’t think I’ve ever seen two-wheeled walkers, either. It’s all four-wheelers here.

>43 ArlieS: transferred into filing boxes unsorted and labelled something like "misc from top of desk June 2019

Helpful, isn't it?! LOL!

>42 ArlieS: - We used to do that on the kids' chairs in my classroom. MUCH quieter, lol!

>44 PawsforThought: - Two-wheeled walkers usually have the wheels on the front 2 legs and little ski things on the back 2 legs. I think it's to slow them down and so that the walkers don't roll out from under them if they stop. My mum had that kind when she first got a walker. But once she got used to it and was still with it enough to want her freedom, I transitioned her to a 4-wheeler. Also, the 4 wheel walkers had a seat so she could sit down if she got tired. The 2 wheel one didn't.

Today's Fun...and your newest challenge: Go through a long middle drawer!

1. What did you discover that you didn't know you had?
2. What did you find that you can use right away?
3. What did you find that made you laugh?

Here's mine:
I went through a log middle drawer in our hallway. I had no idea what I would find there as we've lived in our small house for over 40 years! :D

1. I discovered a box labeled "FLOATING CANDLES"! In the box were three skinny, tall glasses. On the bottom of each were colorful glass stones. In each glass was a roundish candle! I have no idea from where they came! Maybe Peir One? I have no recollection of either buying them or receiving them as a gift. They look like fun, so I'll plan on using them sometime. :D
2. I found cloth place mats, cloth hot pads, and cloth napkins--some that even match sets I have! I threw them in with my laundry, and I'll plan to start using them soon.
3. I found a tea cozy! My younger son once told me that there was no such thing as a "tea cozy" (because he didn't know what it was). I recall buying mine at a vintage/antique store (along with a beautiful teapot). I might have used the teapot in the distant past, but I don't recall using the tea cozy. I use tea bags, but maybe, just maybe I'll try to brew a pot of real tea! I'm saving both of those. :)

Have fun with your own adventure!

Last week was very fruitful for me regarding clearing out. A ton of things were sold through online auctions, including multiple books, comics, jewellery, decor, and more. I've now sold enough that I've surpassed my initial goal (set a year ago) and have set a new one. I've restarted the auctions for the things that didn't manage to sell - those auctions will close after two weeks.

The insides of my cupboards and drawers tend to be organised; it's stuff that's outside that tends to be put aside for later when I can be bothered to put it away properly. But, of course, the piles grow and become more daunting so 'later' gets put off more and more. Plus, I like to put just-washed items (clothes, crockery) at the bottom of the pile so I'm not just re-using the same three items all the time. Crockery is easy but piles of clothes, not so much. I do also need to reorganise a shelf or two though.

How about a Book-Culling Day, folks? :D

Your challenge is to sort ONLY ONE large shelf with cookbooks.

1. How many cookbooks were there?
2. How many will you give away?
3. Where will your give-away cookbooks go?
4. What else did you find among your cookbooks?
5. What are you going to do with those things you found that were not cookbooks?

Well, I have a huge hall shelf that is about 3/4 cookbooks, all piled and stacked very deeply! I only dealt with the cookbooks and not with the part of the shelf that held boxes.

1. There were 80 cookbooks on that shelf.
2. I decided to give away 25 (21%) of them.
3. I will release these cookbooks in a Little Free Library (either our own or someone else's).
4. I found 18 bookmarks.
5. I will keep the best bookmarks for my personal use and the rest I will give away by putting them in books I release in my Little Free Library.

Parting note: I have to learn to stop hoarding cookbooks. The fewer I have, the more I will use each. LOL!

I got rid of SO MANY cookbooks when I moved. I still have a 24" shelf of them but am resistant to further culling despite the fact that I usually just do a google search for recipes.

>51 ronincats: My husband also sends me a recipe every day from The Washington Post on email so I also collect those in a folder on Hotmail called “Recipes”. :D

>52 SqueakyChu: And I neglected to mention the hundreds of recipes bookmarked on my browsers!

>53 ronincats: LOL!

I promised a before and after of my desk project.

Very pleasing!

>55 ronincats: Wow!

>55 ronincats: - Very impressive!

I finally searched the secretary and found the missing checkbook and HOA assessment. Unfortunately I didn't put much away, it's just neater piles now.

>55 ronincats: Wow. That desk looks great.

I haven't been on this thread before, but glad I stopped in. I've been able to create certain habits that help me stay a little less cluttered, but sometimes they get backed up anyway.

Yesterday i scanned all the important papers (and maybe some not-so-important ones), assigned them to a document folder and discarded the paper. Desk top is looking pretty clear just now.

Last week I donated 29 books to my local library. I did hold one of them out because it caught me interest all over again, and one other that is not in good enough shape to donate, but good enough for me to read before I chuck it. It felt really good to cart those books to the library, and I will do it again. The value of ebooks is that they don't take up any visual space!

In the beginning of the year I went through the lower kitchen cabinets and got rid of some unused stuff, lots of plastic, and rearranged to make more room. (Jim now has a place to store a toaster!)

I have a bag of clothes pending to Goodwill or another thrift, and a box of random things to offer up on BuyNothing. (I don't really need three dustpans!)

Oh, as for cookbooks, I don't have many physical cookbooks, but I continue to winnow them down as I a) replace them with ebooks if possible and b) decide we don't need them. Probably all of them. I'm not much of a cook.

Last week was calmer, and thus less fruitful, than the week before and I didn't sell much, but a couple of books and some home decor things left. Also, last night someone bought a pair of rain boots that I've had up for sale for a long time and didn't think were going to sell so that was nice. Now I just have to get to the drop-off place, which is always a bit of a hassle (that shipping company's closest drop-off point is inconveniently located for me).

This week will see more auctions ending but probably not as many as two weeks ago, so won't be quite as stressful.

Yesterday, I had a couple of friends over in the afternoon. One of them recently adopted a cat under sad circumstances (former owner died and cat was left alone, unattended and outside). Anyhow, Beth had nothing for the kitty and I have a ton of stuff accumulated from years of having cats. I was so happy to be able to give her a lot of things: a litter box, an unopened bag of litter, quite a number of cans of food (that my boys have turned their noses up at), a cat bed and blankets, toys, a collar and a harness and leash, etc. Not only was she grateful and this will save her a fair bit of money but I was also so happy to be able to give it to someone who will really use it, and get all this stuff out of my basement where it had only been collecting dust. I had donated many things to the cat shelter over the years but these were more recent items and all were in excellent condition. Of course, I washed the cat bed and blankets the day before they came over. This was truly a case of keeping these things for a good reason and it actually worked out that way.

>62 jessibud2: Oh, that's great! What a fortunate kitty who not only came to what I'm sure is a very loving home after losing their previous owner, but also to get so many great things from you! And good for you that you could offload things you don't need anymore.

>63 PawsforThought: - Yes, my basement tends to be a catch-all for things until I can find appropriate new homes for them. I was so happy with this particular situation!

>64 jessibud2: It's a great feeling to be able to give to someone who needs it. When our dear old kitty died we gave the things we had left to the local cat shelter and they were so grateful that we'd thought of them. I was just happy that other kitties would benefit, and as kitty originally came from a shelter it was the obvious thing to do.

>62 jessibud2: That was great, Shelley!

>63 PawsforThought: Hi Paws. I was all prepared to sell a set of FMR magazines from 1984 that have been languishing in beauty on my bookshelf for years, but ebay prices are not worth the effort. I might give them to the library, or I might actually LOOK at them again. What a concept.

I'm a little bit at a pause this week, contemplating not only things I can evict but also my general schedule. I've created a typically busy one for myself, but as it happens, several appointments this week and next have been cancelled, so I have more unscheduled time. That of course leaves room for other things that I've been unable to coordinate, so I might take that opportunity. In general, between a few too many commitments and too much screen surfing, I have a more cluttered schedule as well as a more cluttered apartment. Trying to streamline both.

>67 ffortsa: I know plenty of people who feel that way, that it’s not worth the time and effort to sell. I’m definitely not making a good hourly wage but I don’t see it that way. Yes, the initial set-up does take some time and effort, but I’m pretty good at organising a good workflow so it hasn’t been that bad. And renewing unsold auctions is literally the click of a button so it’s fine if things take time to sell. Instead of focusing on how much time I’m spending versus how much I’m making, I’ve been focusing on the total sum I’m working towards and seeing my numbers climb gives me a real high. Also, I usually have a TV show on while I’m putting ads up or packaging something to send, so it doesn’t feel so boring.

>68 PawsforThought: Thanks for that encouragement.

Well, I tripped one too many times on a pile of stuff next to my bed (it's a loft bed, I store stuff under it...but the stuff has been leaking out over time). Sat down and dissected the pile; reduced it by more than half, discovered stuff I'd forgotten about (a bag of crochet cotton and zippers, for one), and found a pair of glasses that still/again work for me! I had gathered half a dozen old pairs of glasses in one spot, and then forgot about them; one pair of reading glasses work again, though they must have been wrong at some point since I replaced them. So now I have an extra pair of reading glasses; I've been wanting a pair to keep at the table so I don't have to remember to bring a pair every time.

Two medium-size bags of stuff (the glasses, some knee and back braces, pretty papers, a zipper bag...) to go out (they haven't left yet, but they're in the donation spot), and quite a bit of trash pitched. And a filthy dusty floor swept. The whole area was barely 18 inches square, piled up nearly to waist height; there's still stuff there, but it's knee high and half the volume (and out of the walking path). Progress progresses!

>70 jjmcgaffey: Yay! And a win with the new/ old glasses.

>70 jjmcgaffey: Oh yeah. I have a closetfull of stuff, somewhat organized, but somewhere in there is my pair of backup glasses. They are supposed to be in one storage box, but nope, not there, so I have a project to take everything on that shelf at least out of the closet and triage it all.

I've been pretty hit or miss here after my opening campaign with the dining room built in drawers and the office desk and bookshelves, but I am at the point where I do need to complete the filing left undone there, and also to do a couple of digital tasks--emptying the mailbox and updating and organizing passwords. My hard copy of the latter is seriously disorganized and out of date. I'm going to try to do 15 minutes of the digital tasks per day until it's done, as both elements are rather major.

Other than that, I have moved things around in the mud room to make a hand-building station there while my studio out in the garage is below freezing and repotted my African violet and orchid, so a few things have been getting done.

>73 ronincats: Good luck with the digital tasks. They are necessary, but so easy to postpone. So kudos. I need to work on that as well. Passwords. Pff.

>73 ronincats: I’ve resorted to using an address book for my passwords so at least they’re easier to find, especially now that every man and his dog has an app or a website.

I use KeePass - open source, free, good encryption. I sync with...I think I'm using Google Drive at the moment, I keep switching between cloud drives. But it means I have the same database, continually updated, on both computers, both phones, and my tablet. Very helpful. I only need to remember the one password...well, and the three or four necessary to set up KeePass on a new device (though if I've got an old one nearby, as I usually do, I can read my passwords off that). I've tried paper, and digital documents - I wasn't happy with a) insecurity and b) accessibility (or lack of same).

However, I desperately need to update Quicken, and then do taxes. Bleah.

>76 jjmcgaffey: I'm on a single password manager too, LastPass, and so far it has worked well, except when I forget to enter a new item. (Duh). As for Quicken, I'm ready to pull that report, but have to wait for the mutual funds to report in anyway, and that generally takes far too long.

>76 jjmcgaffey: I'm wanting to migrate from Last Pass and may give KeePro a try again. (I used it at least 20 years ago, but don't think it was available on cell phones then.) Free is always good, and and it worked well.

It works well on Android phones - there are at least two apps, and I think a lot more, that can read and edit KeePass databases seamlessly. I use KeePass2Android. It used to not work at all well on OSX and not wonderfully on iOS, but I think matters have improved since the last time I checked (5-6 years ago).

Found and starred after catching up on the 2024 thread.

From 2024:
>@Murphy-Jacobs "My biggest bugaboo, the thing I have the hardest time getting rid of, are books. I imagine myself as a giant wyrm sitting on my pile of volumes, just petting the ones I'm not reading :). "

Oh, my, that's me. I love this quote.

>75 humouress: yes! I have an address book with a little elastic to hold it closed.

***
My 2025 decluttering is focused first on my dh's stuff. After more than 44 years of marriage I am now single, a widow, and facing a huge pile of boxes and possessions from his Man Cave, dresser, bookshelves, etc.

In the days since Ron's passing I was able to clean out his dresser, and his side of the closet, donating anything decent to the local thrift stores.

Our adult son has been bringing boxes of assorted stuff out to the living room, and I've been going through them in the evenings after work.

Oh my, Ron had bills and receipts from 2002 stored in boxes!

I'm hoping to turn the Man Cave into a study/office as well as a guest bedroom, but it's going to take time.

>80 fuzzi: - So sorry for your loss. Don't rush yourself, take your time. Even for things that have no sentimental value, you still need time to sort and decide what to keep. This is not a quick *project*. And for the things that are more personal and sentimental, well, don't forget to give yourself breaks. It's almost a year since my mum passed away and we had downsized her things considerably during the years of her illness. I am still not done with the files, the *things*, etc. I go gung-ho for awhile, then I need to stop. It's ok. There is no clock ticking.

>80 fuzzi: I’m so sorry for you loss. And like >81 jessibud2: said, don’t rush yourself but allow it to take time if you need to slow it down a bit.

Your plan for the man cave sounds like a good idea. It’s good to have something like that to work towards when the work on occasion might feel a bit overwhelming.

>80 fuzzi: It's so hard to lose a partner. My condolences.

What we learn about people when they are gone is sometimes disconcerting. Your husband's cache of bills and receipts reminded me of when we cleared my father's office; we found checkbooks with checks still in them from accounts closed 40 years ago. But in a strange way the memory is like a hug from him, and a rueful smile. May what - amusement? - soften your grief.

>80 fuzzi: My condolences on your loss. I’m glad you have family to help you sort through things.

At least the receipts are organised into boxes - I have them shoved willy nilly into bags … er … waiting for me to enter them on an app to keep track of my spending (sometimes I leave them on my chair to force me to enter them - hasn’t worked yet).

I am glad for this thread. While I have not gotten started on any cleaning/decluttering this year, reading others' journeys keeps me motivated to get to it. Even if it isn't right away.

Thanks for the kind words, and suggestions. Ron was an avid ball cap collector. Whenever we traveled he'd get another cap (or I'd buy him one on my work-related trips). I went through them this weekend. I'm only keeping one, a quality cap with a suede bill that came from Chicago. I put it on his dresser.

Onward!