Since the Prosecco and presents appear to have run dry, I'm finally jumping on this fresh-start bandwagon. My plan is to go through every drawer, every cupboard, and especially every bin on my "Scandinavian" Shelves. As I fill give-away and recycling bags, I'm repurposing and relabeling the empty bins to keep myself on track...
Here's the thing: I can't think with piles of stuff everywhere. I need places to store my books to sell, clothes to sell, clothes to offer to friends, and garage sale hopefuls until I have a critical mass, without them being everywhere in the meantime. My goal for the next two days is to clear out one of the largest bins, allowing me to fill it with to-be-donated goods. That pile is growing quickly, and though a car would come in handy, I'd settle for a little red wagon right about now.
Besides coralling all the things I'm getting rid of, the bins allow me to keep track of all the beloved things I'd like to hold onto. I don't necessarily have a place to display them right now, nor do most of the things fall into an easily organizable category, so they're all hanging out in a precious jumble labelled "KEEP". I also have a "KEEP: PAPER" bin full of flat and fragile items and a "KEEP: FOREVER" bin of things I might not need in the next year but definitely don't want to get rid of.
Any other major categories I'm forgetting? I've gone through all the bins except two so far (my embroidery bins- sure to be a tangle) and will be hitting up my craft drawers next, and then moving onto the closet. I've filled three paper grocery bags with give-away items, one full recycling bin, and am jazzed to keep going.
(Image: Tess Wilson)
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Since life circumstances at this time prevent me from doing much right now, what I CAN do is sort through, get rid of (donate) stuff so when the time comes to make the next step (move), there will be much less crap that moves with me.
This will include perhaps furniture items (eventually, if anything is to go), old books I no longer need to keep (example, a partial, falling apart set of the Narnia Chronicles that I ended up with years ago, why hang onto it?), going through files and getting rid of old, backdated stuff I no longer need to keep, things like old insurance packets from last year, and perhaps 2011 when I still had my old truck listed, that kind of thing.
I have already gone through some stuff and have already gotten rid of one outbox full of stuff, and have found other items I realized I don't need to keep, so far, most are from the kitchen, items that I no longer use or found never to be all that after getting them.
Definitely agree with the idea of collecting a "critical mass"to give away or sell. Reorganizing is part of decluttering, and it helps to see categories of things I'm not using to remind me to be more choosy with future acquisitions.
Thanks for sharing your ideas!!!!!!
Let me just say, Tess, this is one masterful Outbox. I'm especially enamored with the 'Keep' bin as it allows one the freedom to 'toss' without actually tossing. It effectivedly bypasses the roadblock one generally experiences shortly after hopping on the fresh-start bandwagon.
Indecision is adept at shutting down the delcluttering process resulting in frustration. I see your 'keep' box as a tool to reserve these difficult decisions until a later date....AFTER one's house is in order. Just 'toss' any item about which you're ambivalent (you know it's useless but sentiment insists you hold onto it) move FORWARD and revisit the Keep Box at a later date.