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September decluttering/organizing accountability!

post #1 of 94
9/1/09 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
I got in late on the August one so I didn't accomplish ANYTHING


1) Get ALL clothes put away or donated

2) Go through the rest of the boxes in storage. Declutter the cardboard ones and put the stuff in plastic bins OR assign it a home

3) Find a home for all of our books. They CANNOT sit where they are!

4) Organize the closet...and get a system down so it STAYS that way.



Can we have some ground rules for participation?

- Check in weekly. Come in once a week and discuss where you are in your goals.

- Be Supportive See someone struggling to complete their goals? Jump in and offer a suggestion!

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post #2 of 94
9/1/09 at 4:20pm
I'm in!

I have one goal for September but it is a big one:

(1) Organize my garage so I can get my car in.

To do this I need to find new homes for many things - hopefully not in my home! I would love any tips on how to organize tools/etc.. or any good garage ideas other people have used in the past.
post #3 of 94
9/1/09 at 4:56pm
Thread Starter 
I found this on Real Simple... Maybe it can help?
post #4 of 94
9/1/09 at 5:21pm
joining!

i jumped into the last one with a week left but i didn't get much done, other than pickles which im very happy about..

but i have a lot of things that i want to do...

my bedroom is the first.
its shared with my 19 month old dd..and i have two closets, one which is for her clothes, a built in dresser which is for my older dd's and a second closet which serves as my closet and linen storage. my dd's closet is mostly ok, mine is a big mess. i finally got around to putting my older dd's clothes into the drawers which takes a lot of clutter out of my space.
i am getting a king sized bed next weekend : and the bed that is currently in there will go into our spare room. other than our bed, i have a play area for my daughter which i try to keep tidy and a rocking chair which ends up piled with random stuff (trying to stop this!)

right now i also have a pile of things destined for my craft space, which is not set up yet...im going to take some photos now and then get working on it. i know that once i get things put away where they belong i will feel much happier.

second is laundryroom/craft room.....

elaine: i have no garage, but i sure wish i did, not for a car because i have none, but for the random stuff i have around that i wish had a spot. a dangerous double edged sword, huh! good luck with it!
post #5 of 94
9/1/09 at 5:29pm
I'm going to join in on this one.

We're just finishing up a remodel project that has kept us all out of our bedrooms for 6+ weeks now. So most of our stuff has been just crammed into a few rooms. They'll be done this week so we'll be moving back in and getting everything reorganized and decluttered again.

I have a huge list of stuff to do room by room, but I'll have to post it later since it's at home.
post #6 of 94
9/1/09 at 5:37pm
This is perfect for me, public declaration will go far in forcing me to deliver.

Mine -

1. Finish DS's play area organization including baskets for toys

2. Address top four book shelves in above mentioned play area

3. Install software and find home (within our house) for DS's key board and my printer, both of which have been sitting in the dining room for at least 3 months.

4. Clean out laundry room

5. Remove the "extra" stuff from the living room. (this is a biggie)
post #7 of 94
9/1/09 at 5:43pm
I'm definitely joining this one. We're moving in roughly 3 weeks and have lots to do!

1) First, I'm going to start on the kitchen. Donate old dishes, pots and pans, linens, and utensils that we no longer need or use.

2) Second, I'm going to hit the linen closet and our bedroom closet. It's time for H to purge his clothes and get rid of old shirts, sweaters and pants that he hasn't worn in years and donate them.

3) Third, will be going through boxe that we moved from our basement to my IL's basement so that we could 'show' our house better. Lots of decorations for the holidays, toys, baby clothes, winter clothes from myself, and odds and ends.

That's really about it. Big items will either be left behind in the house or we'll call Goodwill or Salvation Army to come and pick them up.
post #8 of 94
9/1/09 at 7:41pm
I'm in!

We moved 2 weeks ago and have a HUGE shortage of furniture for the new apt. Therefore many boxes of things really just have no where to go until we can buy an armoire, a couple sets of drawers and some shelves. That purchase will be made around the middle of the month.
So... until then I 'm decluttering and organizing around the boxes.

1) DD's armoire to organize and declutter (2nd round- the after move round)
Got the socks done today! Maybe a couple shelves tomorrow?

2) Decorating: Hanging pictures and photos. Also started on that today. I need a plant for my plant hanger. This one is kinda hard at the moment too because I don't know where all the new furniture will go.

3) Further organizing of my bedroom closet. Continuing my 2nd round of decluttering clothes. This one is soo hard for me.... but I have slowely been letting go of a couple of things each time! Baby steps!

4) Go through the 3 Miscellaneous stuff boxes and do 2nd round.

5) Try to keep putting away as I go.... I've been trying to grab something everytime I leave a room.
post #9 of 94
9/1/09 at 8:05pm

I'm IN!

My house is a mess, and totally chaotic. My overall goal is to have everything exactly the way I want it by the winter holidays-- specifically, by the time I leave for a vacation. I did a lot of good work decluttering and cleaning last winter, when I was in my second trimester. Then the third trimester hit...... then the first three months with my little one. I'm ready to get back in the game!

So for September:

*Spend an hour and a half every day cleaning (not including cleaning up meal prep in the kitchen) until the place is reasonably tidy. Use the FlyLady system of doing a bit in each room, rather than aiming to get one room totally clean before moving on.

*Do a deep clean in the kitchen-- cabinets and etc.

*Get baby clothes organized, everything too small stored away somehow, as well as maternity clothes.

*Take existing boxes of stuff to Goodwill.

I know it doesn't seem like an impressive list, but it's about all I can handle with the baby!
post #10 of 94
9/1/09 at 8:13pm
AFWife - Thanks for the link. This will help me start.

MamaFern - you are right about the double edged sword. My poor car has not been near the garage in a year! We also have a basement, which is great but another lost pit of stuff! I find these area just keep me from dealing with the junk like I should and avoid getting rid of it. My latest rationalization is I don't want to overburden the trashmen all in one week!

busymama - I recently did our linen closet and got rid of all the sheet sets we never used, I basically wash and reuse the same ones all the time. I kept one spare set for each bed - that's it! What a huge difference this made. I need to go thru the toiletries do and donate them to a shelter next.

To all the others - Good luck mamas!
post #11 of 94
9/1/09 at 9:44pm
I'm in!

We're moving at the end of the month to a rental (which one TBA) until the spring when our new place will be ready.

So, the big goal is: pack up everything we want to keep but won't need in the next 6-9 months and put it in storage, pack up everything we WILL need in the next 6-9 months and move it with us, and GET RID of everything else.

My smaller goals (an ongoing list):

*sort mason jars, keep a box worth and Freecycle the rest
*go through kitchen
*go through girls' toys
*sort through girls' clothes, keep stuff for this fall/winter handy, pack the rest for storage
*sell our exercise bike online (what were we thinking when we bought it?)
*cheer on the mister as he continues to sort through his shop
*go through gardening stuff, toss and pack
*toss broken furniture
*take recyclables to Eco Centre
*recycle bottles
*take TVs/DVD players to the mister's school
*catch up on filing
*go through kid art supplies
*eat our way through the pantry, fridge and freezer
*catch up on mending
sort through A's artwork
*pack up kitchen stuff for storage
*pack stuff in A's bedroom for storage
*put camping stuff away in tote
post #12 of 94
9/1/09 at 11:34pm
I'm in!

I want to work on our storage areas this month, in prep for fall. I am also working on some personal things to start a routine to stave off SAD, so this is a good mix.

To Do
In Progress
Done!


Clean off top of credenza
Organize kids craft supplies in credenza
Organize medical supplies
Organize hall closet
Organize/clean kitchen cabinets
Organize/clean spice shelf
Clean laundry room
Go through home binder
post #13 of 94
9/1/09 at 11:35pm
I'm in

Go thru pyrex/corningware and get that cabinet organized.

Go thru the three dresser drawers in my bedroom that are stuffed full of papers and whatnot.

As fall decor is brought out downsize to only the favorites.

Donate things I have on Craigslist that haven't sold and take the loss for space.

Clean out under the sink cabinets in the bathroom.

That doesn't sound like much but I'm actually in a good place right now.
post #14 of 94
9/1/09 at 11:47pm
I am in!!!

So far I have:

cleaned out and cleaned the shelves in the fridge.
decluttered out grown clothes of dd2, dragged out the next size.

Need to:

-declutter pantry
-organize pantry area with appliances etc
-clean out and eat from freezer and start "feeding it" again. Then we will eat out of it until the mid winter when the beef arrives.
-organize and create a better bill paying, budgeting book. I have outgrown my current ways.


we are remodeling our master bath and closet. I cannot wait to put our closet back together!!
post #15 of 94
9/2/09 at 4:04am
*sigh* And I had been doing SO well too. Recently the house is getting away from me... clutter is creeping in and it doesn't take much for me to get overwhelmed and say 'eff it all' So I totally need a place to keep me motivated, and to be accountable!

Just off the top of my head I want to:

* declutter some of MY clothes
* get the previously decluttered clothes of the boys out of my closet
* Actually do something with the books that are filling the shelves in the top of 2 bedroom closets (need a bookshelf srsly)
* thin out the not really played with, but always scattered around, toys of the 3 boys
* find a way to organize my craft supplies so I can USE them
*declutter all holey ratty towels... then buy new ones as this will leave us with about 2

These aren't decluttering or organizing exactly.. but will make me feel better about my house
* hang pictures/art that hasn't been done since we moved in.. in April :
*will be back to add more .. must cook dinner :
post #16 of 94
9/2/09 at 5:13am
I am in this month. I guess I can't guarantee that I will make it the whole month, as I am due on the 28th with my second little girl. However, the first little girl was "late," so I am thinking I will have at least 3 weeks. My dd starts kindergarten tomorrow... well today, and it's full day, so I will be needing projects. Plus, I am nesting and already tackled many of the major projects.


1. Finish the nursery. Have 1 panel of wallpaper border to fix, some random "stuff" to clear out and organize all of the baby stuff.

2. Set up a changing/baby stuff station downstairs

3. Clean my room and hook up the co=sleeper. Have older dd on a mattress in my room and will have to do some rearranging to make room for everyone. My dresser is cluttered and I have about 5 baskets of laundry to put away.

4. Papers, papers, papers!

5. Figure out how I want to store my craft supplies so I can re-claim the dining room table. Kid crafts need to be easier to access so we can use them more.

6. Declutter as much as humanly possible while the urge is soooooooo strong and I really don't feel the attachment to the stuff.

That's quite a list, but I think I can do it if baby cooperates and stays put for a while.
post #17 of 94
9/2/09 at 11:35am
Thread Starter 
My goal for the weekend is to get 1 and 3 done!
post #18 of 94
9/2/09 at 2:28pm
Thread Starter 
Any ideas on what to do with books? I have NO bookshelf or anything like it. I don't want to throw them in storage AGAIN...but I may have to.
post #19 of 94
9/2/09 at 2:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AFWife View Post
Any ideas on what to do with books? I have NO bookshelf or anything like it. I don't want to throw them in storage AGAIN...but I may have to.
Kid or adult books?

I have DS's books in several baskets throughout the house. It works well. He can easily see them (I put them spine side up so he can see the titles). There is always a basket close by to put away the ones that get scattered about.

Adult books? I am slowly whittling down to just the bare essentials. It has been so hard as I re-read books all the time so I am in no position to be offering advice
post #20 of 94
9/2/09 at 3:04pm
Oh, just what I needed!

*sort through all clothes in the house (donate, pass down, keep for use this season, clothes to turn into rugs)

*clean up toy room

*re-do kitchen cabinets and drawers

*organize paperwork into filing system

*unpack arts and crafts items into cabinet

*sort/purge pictures and memorabilia, etc.

*paint boys room, our room, dd's room and dining room

You may also like:

Sitting or Squatting: What's Really Best in the Bathroom?
There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
10 Things You Don't Need For a New Baby
Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › September decluttering/organizing accountability!