review, reduce and re-pack my stuff :-p

I still need to and want to do this, but it and a couple other goals are going off the list and being incorporated into an umbrella “stuff” goal. Stuff is driving me crazy and has to become a priority.

Need to take stock at home and see what’s left to be un-/re-packed. I know the boxes of magazines are still untouched; I’m reluctant to go near them cos at least while they’re packed they’re well out of the way, but I do need to do something with them. The bags currently housing my craft and art supplies need going through and proper storage found for them, too.

I’ve been feeling a strong urge to get rid of unnecessary stuff in my house lately. Need to take advantage of that while it lasts and do some purging.

Two small ones containing figurines, candles etc: I’ll unpack these very soon (tonight if I have time), display the few I have space for, throw out any I no longer want and re-pack anything I still want to keep.

One small one containing old purses, scarves etc: most of this can probably be thrown out.

One medium one containing an assortment of random stuff: I’ll unpack this tonight for definite, find homes for anything I need to keep, and throw the rest out.

Two large-ish ones containing magazines, some books and assorted paperwork: these will have to wait until I have time to go through them properly, I think. The books will be easy once I’ve made some space on my bookshelves; the magazines are mostly health and science ones that I don’t want to throw out, but I’ll probably find I’m not referring to them often enough to justify the space they take up. When I need information I usually go to the internet first anyway, rather than trawling through a pile of back issues. At some point I may take the time to go through them and tear out any articles I really want to keep, and discard the rest.

Not too much further to go!

...it’s time to throw them out. Yesterday evening I tackled a big box of assorted clothes, accessories and knick-knacks that I had put aside in some long-ago decluttering bid, intending to list them on eBay. Of course I never got around to it, and the box has been just sitting there ever since. I split most of it between the charity-shop and recycling bags, reclaiming one over-sized red t-shirt for the gym, and kept only a couple of items that might actually be worth the hassle of selling.

I got rid of my bedside locker yesterday, too. I like having a spot beside my bed for my book, glasses, phone etc, but my flat is just too small and the locker was partially blocking access to my chest-of-drawers as well as taking up a lot of visual space in that corner, and there are other places I can put the stuff that was in it. So it’s been donated to Little Bro’s housemate, who was delighted with it. It was unexpectedly uncomfortable – I’m not very good even at ditching stuff I don’t need or want, and it’s harder giving away something you like and use – but I’m glad I did and am trying to see it as a lesson in non-possessiveness.

I’ve tentatively arranged to get the stuff for recycling (four black sacks of paper/plastic/textiles so far, plus several big cardboard boxes flattened out and a bag of glass bottles) down to the bring centre this weekend, so hopefully that’ll go ahead. I’ll hardly know the place when there’s that much more space. I’m beginning to suspect it’ll actually be quite reasonable if I put enough effort into it.

I’ve had several decluttering and unpacking goals that have gone by the wayside because they haven’t really been practicable. There’s no point unpacking any further now that I’ve decided to move again, and “decluttering” isn’t really accurate since it’s the boxes of stored stuff that are the main problem; but I want to go through everything, get rid of what I don’t need and pack up the things I’m going to keep, tidy and ready for unpacking in my new home.

I made a start at the weekend and reduced three boxes of assorted jumble into one box of things to keep, carefully packed and itemised on the outside so I’ll know exactly what’s in it. My flat looks like it’s carpeted with black sacks at the moment – one for trash, one for the charity shop, one each for paper/plastic/textile recycling, one for giving away or ebaying. The chaos seems to have to get worse before it gets better :-p