Declutter Day 42

Today we have cleaned out closets and it was a huge job. The room where our exchange student will be staying was used for storing things that we hadn't gotten around to putting anywhere yet. Yes, we've lived here 3 years and still have boxes of stuff that hasn't been put away. I probably should have just tossed that stuff (since I haven't needed it in 3 years).

Most of the stuff was decorative things that I hadn't decided exactly where to use or if I wanted to use them. I also had stuff that belonged to my grandmother that has sentimental value but really doesn't go with my home.

Here's a better breakdown of what we did:

• all holiday decorations to the attic (we had Halloween and Thanksgiving and even some Christmas stuff that needed to be organized and put in one place)
• box of enamel pots (still haven't decided what to do with these - maybe on the tops of the cabinets like they were at the old house)
• sewing material and supplies (gathered these together in one place so I know where to find them) - I left the sewing machine in that closet because I don't think I have enough space for it elsewhere and it won't interfere with any of her things
• blankets and bedspreads - these were placed in two of those space bags and will be stored in the hall closet once I go through it - I was amazed at these bags and how much they shrank
• school papers from our little one - I had already gone through these and saved only the ones that were special to us - I have them in a clear box that will be stored in the top of my closet
• bed linens for the camper were returned to it
• several other items were sent to our local charity store - mismatched sheets, old picture frames, etc.

I intend to post a picture of that room when I am done (probably another day or so).

Declutter Day 41

Today I have decluttered literally a ton, but not at home. Today was the day to clean up the old computer lab along with its cabinets, drawers and storage towers. We (my little one, six students helpers and two teachers) worked nearly 5 hours to go through the whole area and toss items that were old, broken, obsolete or just plain unusable. I wish I had taken pictures, because the students would feel so good about all the help they gave.

Here's some of the things that made up that "ton" - we didn't weigh it but it had to be close to that:

• old software with its documentation and users manuals
• dictation equipment and curriculum materials
• calculators
• textbooks
• printers and printer parts
• keyboards (with some kind of connection that I have never even seen)
• broken mice
• decorative posters and other items
• old assessments and worksheets
• broken furniture

We did recycle everything that we could and all of the technical equipment is sent to one area in our county where it is auctioned off. The furniture that is still usable was put in an area at our school where others have an opportunity to use it.

It was a very successful day. The lab is looking more like a lab and less like a trash dump, but I am really tired. Now to get everything set up next week.

I've still got to finish our exchange student's room. She'll be here in a couple of weeks. The room is shaping up and starting to look more like a bedroom instead of a storage area. I've still got to do the closet, but I've got to get my closet straightened up first. Maybe tomorrow!

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

This is turning out to be a very busy week with technology work for school, teacher training and vacation bible school, but I do have my 5 Things I Can Live Without this Thursday. So here we go:

1. too many school supplies - do you know teachers hoard these things for lean years (kind of like this one) when there just isn't any money - I still had way too much stuff
2. too many unread magazines - I have a stack that I put on the sofa two weeks ago and I still haven't had time to read them - they are going out in the recycle
3. curbside recycling - this isn't one I chose but our area is discontinuing this after Friday of this week - there wasn't enough money to fund this program in our rural area - now we'll have to sack it up and take it to a recycling area which will be a pain
4. mismatched pillowcases and sheets - how do you get more pillowcases than you have sets of sheets for? - I can see needing a few extra pillowcases but I had 9 that had no matching anything
5. boxes (well, one box and one laundry hamper) of stuff from car - we cleaned out the cars a week ago and still hadn't put up all the toys and clothes and junk from the car - most of this belonged to my 5 year old and I thought it had been put away - we are vowing to start cleaning out the car every day rather than just once every whenever

So what can you live without this Thursday? I couldn't get the Mr. Linky to cooperate with me today, so if you'll leave a comment then I'll come back and add the links. Come on. Join in. I want to see what others are doing without. I need the inspiration this week.

Back from Vacation

We have been on vacation and so posts have been very few in the last week or so. We had to get ready for vacation and then we were gone for several days. It was a fiasco at the beach (the mosquitoes tried to eat us alive), so we left midweek and came home. Then we went to our local state park and just relaxed for a few days.

Anyway, we are back and are now getting ready for our exchange student who will be here in less than 3 weeks.

I did get our inside freezer cleaned out and defrosted last week in the middle of our vacation. All of those fresh vegetables that had been put up had not been organized - just thrown in the freezer. We still have corn that will have to be put up either this week or next so that will be busy.

Stay tuned for more decluttering. I'll be working at school this week for several trainings and some computer repairs that need to be done. I'm sure I'll find plenty of decluttering that needs to be done there as well as here. It seems that clutter is a lot like rabbits and just continually multiplies.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

This week has really gotten away from me. It's Saturday morning and I just realized that I hadn't done 5 Things I Can Live Without THURSDAY. So it's a little late, but here goes:

1. scratch paper - I had given my 5 year old some old paper to use as scratch paper but he has scattered it everywhere - so I'm rethinking this and probably just going to put it in the recycle bin next time


2. toddler undies that are too small - our little one has grown out of several pairs of his 4T undies so we have gathered up all those in that size and discarded - I knew it was time when he asked me about the "marks" they were leaving on his waste because they were too tight


3. grease stains on shirts - I'm can't seem to get them out with anything - if you have suggestions other than those I've tried let me know (Dawn detergent, Spray and Wash, Oxy clean powder)


4. tired feet - between working several days this week for 10 hours a day and putting up vegetables during the evening, my feet are killing me


5. old sheets - I hate when sheets get those knobby places in them - we have thrown out several sets that were past their prime

So, what can you live without? Link or post a comment and let us know.

No Decluttering Recently??

I haven't gotten much decluttering done recently. This is what I have been doing - vegetables. See my blog at http://grocerysavingsforrealfamilies.blogspot.com/ to see my progress with that.

This week I'm working on getting the house straightened back up so we can go away for a few days. I hate to return home to a messy house.

So my decluttering has been put on hold for just a little bit to get some other things done, but I have been busy.

5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday

I relaxed so well on Monday that I am having trouble getting back into the decluttering mindset this week. On Tuesday morning, my little one said that Monday was a wonderful day and there was no way that Tuesday could be any good. As far as decluttering for me, it wasn't.

Then on Wednesday he had some dental work done that he had to be sedated for so we had to watch him very closely all afternoon and evening. I thought that when we had our dog treated for heartworms years ago and had to keep her quiet and calm for about a week that was an impossible goal. No way! Try keeping a rambunctious 5 year old quiet and calm for an evening. Talk about impossible!!

Well, to get on with the work for today, here's my 5 Things I Can Live Without Thursday:

1. my husband's cluttered and out of control outside shed - I think I may tackle that thing next week - we've been putting up vegetables and I can't even get in there to put the veggies in the freezer - ARGH!!
2. freezer burned meat - we bought 1/2 of a cow last year and I didn't realize that we had nearly 30 packages of hamburger that had not been used - it's all freezer burned and awful now - I'm kicking myself for that - just think of all the money that was thrown away - ARGH!!
3. toddler bed - we're getting rid of it - our neighbor is having a little one and wants it so it's going
4. stuffed animals - I have secretly gotten rid of several of these this week - there were quite a few of these "stuffed" in the camper - they got removed and gone through without notice - do you find it hard to remove some of those toys unless your sneaky about it??
5. magazines - I am vowing to stop subscribing to ANY magazines for a while - I don't ever seem to have time to sit down and read them before the next one comes in - sometimes I have 2 or 3 of them before I take time to look at them - they obviously aren't on my priority list so why am I wasting the money??

Well, there's the 5 for this week. Want you join in and share? You can use the comments section or the linky.