I think I may have mentioned before that my house is getting me down. Don't get me wrong, it's not dirty or anything (well not that bad anyway) but there is just too much stuff! On top of my own capacity to collect "stuff", I inherited all my ex' junk when he just abandoned his three-bedroom farmhouse nearly three years ago. I mentioned at the time that my youngest and his gf were able to take quite a bit of it when they moved into their own place and over the space of the two months' notice period he had to give after he had gone back to the States I went up every weekend and sorted and pitched what I could, but I still have a load of his crap in the basement. On top of that, of course, since the basement is very large, I also have anything the kids didn't want to take with them when they moved out - don't we all!
Anyway, it has been getting me down so as I was beginning to feel better towards the weekend I decided to have a shot at getting rid of 10 things a day. Not saying that will always be easy but I was willing to give it a go. Of course the first 10 were easy - magazines and things that I was "going to read" sometime. They went straight to the tip - don't know anyone that would want 20 year old copies of The Good Food Guide in English around here anyway. And of course "old me" says there are probably some good recipes in there but newly-minted me just said "ah bite me" - so in the recycling they went. I was easily able to throw out more odds and ends, plus things like - oh you know suntan lotion that is way out of date and that I don't use anyway because I don't sit in the sun at all! So easy peasy again. But next came the slightly more difficult issue of rather nice dresses that fitted me at the time I bought them but that I had never worn - and now I no longer could if I wanted to! You know, those kinds of things! That stuff was a little trickier because there are some lovely things in amongst them but hell, if they didn't fit me 18 months ago they sure as heck don't fit me now. Nope, not even that Karen Millen dress with the label still on it!!!! So I just took a deep breath and ploughed in until I had gotten 10 items on my bed, photographed them and put in a bag to take to the second-hand shop on Saturday. This shop is a new consignment store and I wouldn't mind getting a little "pin money" for some of it. I'm sure it will sell - what with the labels still on but we will see. I have also taken another large bag of stuff down to the charity shop and am planning more sorting tonight. Three books to donate to our second-hand book shop here at work meant I had to go over and sort out the cash kept there as I am the group's treasurer. So I took the bull by the horns and trotted my little petty cash tin with its millions of small coins in it to the bank here in work where the lovely lady with a fixed grin and gritted teeth counted it all out for me and guess what - just short of 1,000 Swiss francs - so over $1,000 that we can decide which charity to donate to shortly. Yikes, small change really does add up doesn't it!
At the weekend I fished out three rather large bilingual dictionaries I had - English/French, English/Spanish and English/German, photographed them and put an ad up here at work and also on Freecycle just on the off chance anyone was jurassic enough to still use proper dictionaries and guess what - they went within the hour! It would have been a tough thing for me to actually throw them out as I love books so I am so glad they have gone to a good home!
Oddly enough, even just getting rid of one or two small things seems to lift a small weight off your shoulders doesn't it, so by my reckoning, at this rate, lifting constant small weights "off my shoulders" I should weigh around 120 lb before Christmas! Ha! Like I said yesterday, "I don't want to talk about my weight" because having lost 4 lbs in one week when I was sick I knew it would go right back on immediately I got better but, even though three of those pounds did indeed go right back on I am still down one pound on last week, making a total of five "real" pounds in two weeks, so I'll go with that!
Oh and remember yesterday I mentioned about the two kids that had been arrested for blowing up the gas bottles at the local supermarket - turns out they were 14 and 15! Bloody hell. Not sure if they were feral kids or just idiots. More to follow I guess.
And finally, since my commute can be hellish at times I am signed up to a FB "motorway alert" for accidents called in in the local area. Mostly I get these alerts in French but just occasionally Mr. Google decides to translate them into English. A traffic jam/bottleneck in French is called a "bouchon" - which is also the same word for a cork in a bottle. Anyway, yesterday for some reason Mr. Google decided to send me an alert in English, which came out as "beware large cork on the road near the junction of ....."! Well it tickled me anyway!
I am with you Anna. I also am dismayed daily at the sad state of clutter that seems to control my life. I threw a bunch of ruined things finally that were lingering in a closet. I have to laundry or dry clean others, and then, they will all either be donated or might try and sell as they are not coming back into my house. Still, until I do that, they are more clutter in the garage.
ReplyDeleteDon't even get me started on the garage! Garages round here are not big (if you even have one) and I don't know anyone who can actually get their car in it!
DeleteGigantic cork in the road...hmmm something to do with all that European wine lol. Getting rid of stuff is cathartic as long as you aren't a hoarder. I am constantly getting rid of stuff, either selling or donating as am in the thrifts so regularly. Hubby tends to hang on to things more than I do (he also has way more clothes than I do) so a bit tougher to get him to let go of stuff.
ReplyDeleteWow, another man who actually has more clothes than his wife. That makes two of us. Oh and I guess you will have to watch out for those large European corks soon enough!
DeleteI wish that's what my DH would start doing -just getting rid of a few things at a time. I know he'd feel better to get the room to actually move around in his garage and shop. I've tried to suggest that, but guess he's not ready yet.
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard to start with as it is so overwhelming but even after just these few days I am amazed and delighted at some of the "treasures" I have re-discovered. I know he wouldn't let you do it though would he so until then .... trouble is, clutter IS depressing, and oppressive and energy-draining isn't it.
DeleteI am so with you in the decluttering arena. I now have large Amazon boxes in 3 locations of the house to toss whatever is leaving. After the boxes are full I will sort them by destination and they will be out of here. House weight is as real as the physical excess I carry with me all the time. It just doesn't wiggle.
ReplyDeleteHa, they need Weight Watchers for houses then I guess. My problem is that things can't be THROWN! That would drive me insane, unless it's really rubbish. I have to find them loving homes, which may take more effort but ...
DeleteDecluttering is such a rewarding experience. We are moving in the next few weeks and I'm determined I'm not taking anything with us that we no longer use or enjoy. I'm married to a man who is happy to lug everything along from location to location, but he's never the one dealing with the move. On days when I'm not feeling motivated I start small like the bathroom cabinet or my spice rack, looking for expired items. It will be worth the effort you make.
ReplyDeleteHi Vicky, we haven't met I don't think, but thank you for stopping by my blog. When we were first married we moved quite a lot until we bought this house in France. I've been in it 28 years so yes the clutter accumulates. As I was driving home tonight I was telling myself to imagine I will be moving to try to galvanize more action out of myself - it's a good idea. Moving is great for getting rid of stuff but I also found if I had too much time available I wasted it. Good luck with your move (and your spice rack)!
DeleteI was just reading an article about home decor - it seems the trend is to not overfill rooms with furniture....ummmmm...I'm guilty!! When my ex's father died we inherited a lot of stuff and when my dad sold his home we divided all the furniture and STUFF between me and my four siblings. My place isn't the worst of the bunch however - I'd say one of my brothers and one of my sisters has way more STUFF collected in their larger homes than I do. BUT I do need to keep removing stuff as it does look awfully cluttered. The walls are closing in!!
ReplyDeleteInheriting stuff or having stuff dumped on you because you've got room is also a factor but .....
DeleteI have been decluttering for five years (really). One floor complete - it is so wonderful - I must have been quite the little clutter bug because I couldn't believe the amount of "stuff" I had "collected". I knew I was cured then I went to a thrift store - bought a few things - took them home - had no where for them and re-donated all of them the next day. I'm done shopping and the house never looked so good - it just takes time - a lot of time - but someone has to do it. Good Luck Mary Ellen
ReplyDeleteWow, five years, although I don't know why I should find that so incredible really. I have been going for a week or so now and every night I have sorted something - just another 4 years and 51 weeks to go then! Ha. At some point I will have to downsize as this house is too big for me so I really do want to get this done. Well done you - oh and thank you for stopping by my blog.
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