declutter

Well my personal challenge deadline is tomorrow. I have finished everything except for the things in my daughters room, which I have decided will just have to be done when I pack up her room. I’m glad that I have everything else done though!

Yesterday I went to Springfield (where I’m moving, 1 hour away). I was gone for about 8 hours I’d say, and when I got back I realized that the fridge door had been left standing wide open. The work of my 5 year old daughter I’d presume. So everything in the fridge was warm and ruined. Soooo everything is getting trashed and I’m starting over (besides my beloved ketchup, which I’m sure didn’t go bad). I think that it’s about time to get rid of everything. There’s some stuff that’s probably been in that fridge since I moved in here haha. Also it’ll be good to have a lot less cold items to transport during the move.

So my goal deadline is growing closer… I had planned on getting some stuff done today but had some sort of sinus/ stomach bug combo thing that took up most all of my day. I don’t have school this week though, so I’m going to get this done this week hopefully. I have the hall closet (shouldn’t take long), the bookshelf in my room (also shouldn’t take long), my daughter’s dresser (again, not long), and then her toys and bookshelf (most time consuming). But having all week off of school I don’t see why I couldn’t get this done, knock off the Harry Potter book, and get some or all of the homework done for the next week. Now that’s ambition boys and girls!

Did the last of the kitchen cabinets. Now I need to do the microwave stand and the box of miscellaneous seasonal items that’s sitting in my laundry room, and that will do it for the kitchen all together. I finally got rid of the very last of my ex husband’s stuff, and it’s about time because I’ve been divorced for 2 1/2 years lol.
Tomorrow’s mission is to go through every videotape in the house. That includes the ones in my daughter’s room and the living room. I’m also going to put that box of holiday items on the list. If I get really into it I might just clean out the coat closet too.

THIS is all of the stuff that I am giving away from my closet and dresser. All but about one small grocery bag is from my closet though. The weight of my clutter that I am releasing today is 130 pounds! In the process of doing this, I also get to check off my goal about having only clothes that make me feel good. I got rid of probably 25 pounds of clothing that I don’t wear or that makes me feel like I don’t look good.
This is the final product:

I think I feel a decluttering spell coming on! I cleaned under and behind the couch last night and took apart the hide a bed and vacuumed out all the crumbs. Now it’s ready to move :) I really REALLY have to do my homework for my SOCI 316 class online and then I’m going to do some decluttering before I take off to do some Christmas shopping in the city. Oh, and Monday I’m going to declutter the dresser and paint it along with my 2 new end tables.

• clean under and beside couch(what I dread most)
• go through the video tapes
• go through coat closet (which has a chair sitting in front of it and don’t really get used for coats)

• microwave stand

• under sink
• hallway closet

• closet
• desk
• dresser
• bookshelf

• dresser
• bookshelf
• toys

Yikes it seems like so much to do!

I went through all of my cabinets in the kitchen and got rid of unnecessary things. I decluttered my counter tops and on top of the fridge. The only thing left in the kitchen is the microwave stand and kitchen table. I must mention that the microwave stand wasn’t left out today though, I gave away my dishwasher and somehow ended up taking my microwave down and cleaning the top of the stand, then scooted it out and cleaned behind and under it. I hadn’t moved it since I put it there 3 1/2 years ago, and it was pretty nasty! Better see it now privately rather than the mess being discovered by my moving helpers lol.

I cleaned out the laundry room and got rid of some things that were sitting around in there. In the process of doing that, I also went through my daughter’s closet and separated the too-small and never worn clothes, and put away the summer clothes. I can’t wait til we move and have a walk-in closet for my daughter. That way I don’t have to put away the out-of-season stuff, but rather just have it in a different part of the closet. But the clothes found a good home with someone who has 3 little girls in the size range that I was giving away.
Sooo what is next for my decluttering mission? I think I need to tackle the end tables in the living room, and then go into the kitchen and do the microwave stand, then look to see if there’s any kitchen stuff that I don’t use. After that I’ll make more plans :)

I decluttered my desk in the bedroom, on top and in each of the 3 drawers. I even got rid of the huge lamp sitting on it and instead got a floor lamp that has a reading lamp sticking off of it. It looks good in my room! It’s good to have a functional workspace again, although I don’t really ever use it. Maybe this will change! I think my next decluttering tasks will be in the bedroom as well: the top of the bookshelf and the top of the dresser. As far as my daughter’s room, it just makes me want to cry because it is soooooo terribly messy and full of toys that don’t get played with UNTIL I go to get rid of some of them.