Identify and Rid Myself of 43 Items of Überclutter

30. Goodwill bags. More stuff I don’t want/need (books I’m tired of, clothes I never wear, and a coat that can’t be washed…not good for the allergies).
31. Tubbies. Took them to Goodwill, and as I was unloading them, a guy asked if he could have one. I handed it over, and gave the rest to the employee. Everyone wins.

28. Coat I’ve barely worn. It’s a puffy coat, so it’s rarely cold enough here to wear it. Also, it’s spot clean; I’m trying to get rid of anything that can’t be washed (preferably) or cleaned, in hopes of assuaging my allergies.

29. Some more books. I’m reviewing my book collection, and purging anything that I probably won’t reread. It’s getting tough, because I’m getting to the books that I did enjoy at one point – I think my tastes are just changing.

Next up: Tubbies and chair. If nobody wants the tubbies, I’m giving them to Goodwill. They’re still in decent shape; I just (finally!) bought matching ones that stack better.

FFB has offered to take the folding chair off my hands. He still has the other one (though not the table), so we’re reuniting the couple.

I’ve also identified another possible: my Rubbermaid boxes. (“Tubbies,” as FFB calls them.) I have several, all mismatched, and they stack poorly. I’m thinking about investing in a matching set so I can bring some order to my closet. I’ll just need to find a new home for the misfit tubbies. (FFB does not want them, but he knows someone who might.)

(definite)

My “one in, one out” rule is working much better now that I’m hanging all the clothes that used to be in my dresser. When I run out of hangers, it’s time to get rid of something. Just added 4 sweaters and two fleece shirts to the Goodwill pile.

_{Will renumber the possibles as they become definites.}

24. Garland from my wedding. Was going to get rid of my bouquet and the last couple of table arrangements, but they’re too pretty to toss. (The garland looks like it’s been trampled on.)

25. Boxes. Some are to things I no longer own (my old cell, for one); some are to things I still own, but don’t see the point in keeping the box it came in. How many boxes were there? Let’s just say I can now fit my vacuum and my new shampooer in the office closet now.

Possible 26. My James Dean posters. Not sure how to get rid of them (I can’t bring myself to throw them away), but they’re just collecting dust in my closet.

Possible 27. My lone folding chair. Its mate, and the table they went with, were given to FFB eons ago. I kept this chair because I needed a computer chair. As I bought a real computer chair in 2000, and received furniture-like folding chairs for the dining room as a wedding present (2002), I really don’t have any use for this chair. I’m just not sure who would want one folding chair.

Possible 28. Literature anthologies. I weeded through these a few years back; because my wasband and I were English majors at about the same time, we had almost the exact same textbooks. I kept one copy and gave the other away. Still…I’m losing an entire shelf to books I rarely consult. Not sure if I want to continue giving them real estate.

Possible 29. HTML and Javascript books left here by the most recent ex. At one point, I considered learning these languages; however, now I’m not so sure I still care. Plus, I’m not sure if the books are even still relevant. Perhaps I should have FFB take a look at ‘em.

er, whatever was “email and RSS feeds.”

Tiny dent. Minuscule. But you gotta start somewhere…

(Stopping now because I’ve just spent the past 4 hours on the computer and my butt’s going to sleep.)

but some great tips from one of my favorite blogs: http://www.happiness-project.com.

First, the secret to happiness is not organizing? What? Actually, she makes some excellent points.
http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2009/10/note-to-self-dont-get-organized.html

Then she discusses 27 tips to keeping your house in order (staying organized).
http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2006/08/the_twentyseven.html

I was pleased to find that I’ve already (mostly) taken the advice in the first one, and am pretty good about following the tips in the second. Where do I fall short?

Somewhere, keep an entirely empty shelf or drawer.
I’d love to, but right now? Not happening.

Know where to give things away.
Where does one get rid of a wedding dress that wasn’t fashionable 7 years ago and is smaller than most junior high girls could wear? Inquiring minds want to know!

Never accept anything for free, unless you’re thrilled with it.
I’m getting better about this, but still find myself falling into this trap occasionally. Luckily, it’s usually clothes – and I always have a Goodwill bag going. Where do I fall short? Tote/duffel bags. I have bags of bags in my closet. Maybe R will take them…

Have enough hangers in every closet.
This was a challenge when I decided to move all of my clothes out of the dresser into the closet, but luckily Mom’s not to the point where she can throw hangers away yet. :)

Make your bed every morning. Keep your keys in the same place each day. Every night before bed, do a tidy-up to put away everything that’s out of place.
I’m working on these. Some days are easier than others.

Also, I can’t recommend this tip highly enough:

If you can’t find something, clean up.

It really does work! (No, I’ve never had small children…but I’ve had a husband that made the mess of three.)

Dropped the paper in the recycling bin at work. Was too tired to go to the grocery store, though (plus, I haven’t made menus yet…doing that tonight), so the bags will have to wait. They’re in my car and ready to go, however.

Computer files are backed up, finally. Didn’t even take all that long, once I got started.

The paper, as well as the plastic grocery bags, are now near the coat rack in two of my cloth shopping bags. So they’re not gone yet, but they’re closer to the door!