April/May Room challenge..declutter a room of your own choice - Page 2

[zebra15]

HI, I'm late to the party, as usual.  I just posted in the 2012 thread that I need to organize my kitchen pantry.  I am still dealing with my 'craft' and storage closet from december.  I am moving slow on my own closet as that is deemed MOMMY"S SPACE and I want it to be 'perfect'.  I'm sure you all can understand.

I really need to take a full day and tear apart the pantry, and re-organize the thing.  Then take a day and meal plan based on what we have in inventory for the next 30-60 days.(and stick to that plan).  I have so much pantry items its just not funny.  I coupon like crazy and things come for free or almost free (a necessity on my zero income house right now) but I must be organized so they do not expire.

I don't know how to post to internet, nor do I want pics of my space for all to see.  But if you lived closer I would be happy to invite you over to look and hELP ME.

[clutterwarrior]

Hi and welcome Zebra 15, justmeandmybrood, 3XMama, and everyone else who has joined in too!

I got a lot of my son's books stored away yesterday in boxes, but only the ones I really want to keep like the Dr Seuss ones and Mr Men ones, the rest are going to charity.

Not really feeling much like doing anymore this afternoon as it is raining and miserable, I am going to have some 'me' time instead doing some craftwork, and keep going with the decluttering tomorrow. 

[tropicana]

i'll join. i will try to take pictures tomorrow when it's daylight. it's my old bedroom, which i hope to use again one day real soon. (been sleeping with my son in another room.) here's what needs done:

* clothing, clothing, clothing. the bed has been repository for all folded clothing and towels that need put away. put away is all over the place. first i need to sort it into piles, then put it away, or ask my kids to put it away. also, hand me downs that have come my way. also need put away, or passed along. i will need to employ several kitchen sized garbage bags to fill with the give-aways. doing this alone will take care of about 80 percent of the problem in this room. it's a BIG problem. i've probably got 2-3 hours of work just to deal with the clothes.

* miscellaneous. this is the other category of clutter. financial papers. photos. a few baby items that are suitable to "sell" in a consignment shop. this might be 5-7 hours of work. i don't know. i have a hard time decluttering papers. i get wrapped up in the "what ifs" and don't trash much / enough.

this room has become the catch-all for clutter, and i hate that!

once i get the clutter cleared, i want to sew a new bedspread for the bed (in purple, using PLUSH fabric) and buy a few new pillows and a down comforter to make the bed lush and inviting.

otherwise, the room is in pretty decent shape.

encouragement, please!!

[zebra15]

Clutterwarrior, you and I have 'worked' together over the years...  I know we can conquer so much in 2012!

I've decided to finally get the last stuff from my old roommates house in the next couple months.  There is NO WHERE to bring it here so I must deal with that stuff quickly and efficiently as well.  DS has some lego sets left and I have tons of craft supplies.  Everything needs to be sterilized and then quickly determined 'keep or sell'.

I can probably sell the craft stuff on the homeschool lists I'm on or ebay.  Lego's will be sorted and kept for now.

I'm feeling the need to cut all material ties with this woman.  She is going down like the Titanic and while my things are minimal, I WANT THEM.

Makes total sense  right?

[clutterwarrior]

You can do it Tropicana!!  I do admire your ambitious plan to sew a bedspread, I am so NOT a sewing type unfortunately.

Yep makes total sense Zebra15.

[sk8boarder15]

So I haven't gotten to the bedroom at all this week :( But I have gotten more progress done on our kitchen and dining room, which are to be painted soon so they need to be as empty as possible. If I could find some one to buy our darn piano, that would be so awesome!! 

[MamaFern]

ugh. i need this! i want to work on my bedroom. i have way too much stuff in my closet and things under my bed that i cant even remember what they are. i want it to feel serene and calm..right now it feels a bit cluttered and chaotic. pictures when the sun is up...

[tropicana]

Originally Posted by tropicana 
* clothing, clothing, clothing. the bed has been repository for all folded clothing and towels that need put away. put away is all over the place. first i need to sort it into piles, then put it away, or ask my kids to put it away. also, hand me downs that have come my way. also need put away, or passed along. i will need to employ several kitchen sized garbage bags to fill with the give-aways. doing this alone will take care of about 80 percent of the problem in this room. it's a BIG problem. i've probably got 2-3 hours of work just to deal with the clothes.

unbelievably, i got through the entire load of clothes today. the bed is now empty!! i could sleep in it tonight. but i want to make the bedspread first. and probably wash all the sheets too just for a fresh start.

thank you for this thread. it got me started. 

now for the pile of papers...

[sk8boarder15]

Woo Hoo! Got to working on our huge mess of a closet today and we have gotten rid of 5 garbage bags of clothes, and 2 boxes of stuff! Thats in addition to 2 bags of trash! Its slow going... but its PROGRESS! 

[zebra15]

I used a couple item from the pantry... thats gotta count for something  right??  plus i had SNAPPLE in there...  total score for me!  I wonder what else is hidden in there... 4 shelves and the floor space... could be a drink gold mine

[MamaFern]

I started on my kitchen yesterday..I needed to clean my fridge out and after that I decided to do a bunch of other things that needed doing..im going to stick  to it today till im happy, then move to my bedroom. 

I decluttered a bunch of jars of random stuff from my fridge and containers of forgotten things (yuck), washed and dried & filled with bulk dried goods ect..

de-cluttered and moved my dishes.. I have 3 chipped bowls, 2 chipped cups, a few glasses and some other random kitchen things to get rid of. ... I moved my tea and teacups to a different shelf..moved my plates and bowls and mugs as well... wiped down all shelves and cupboards (upper ones) and washed the windowsills between the 2 panes..

my counter is full of stuff i didn't get finished with last night so it doesn't look that much better atm, but I changed things around as well and im really happy with how it feels (hence the things on the counter that need putting away) im excited to get it completed today!

on my list: corner cupboards..one has non perishable food, the other has containers, cookie cutters, jars, and everything else that has nowhere else to go i do this one quite often because i cant stand when im looking for something and cant find it!! and also its the cupboard that my 1YO loves to pull everything out of and in a rush i just throw it back in and shut the door.

also need to find a home for large bags of bulk stuff that is sitting in a corner staring at me. it means clearing out a bin from somewhere else in my house.. :D

[zebra15]

I emptied FINALLY this 5 drawer rolling cart. (I know everyone thinks are are soooo wonderful and I did at one time too but right now its just a hinderance to me).  I went through that thing and all my office supplies are now in LOCKING LID containers in my organized, clean, Adult Space, storage closet.  It's really worth the time to me to do this closet correctly.   To actually 'see' what's going in there, where I'm physically putting it and WHY I'm putting it there.

Needless to say I still don't need any more tape, writing things, post it's etc but at least now I can find the stuff and hopefully my 'office' will begin to run smoother.

God I love plastic containers with LOCKING lids. 

My closet might almost be done.

The pantry... well.. thats a whole nother story.  I may just hold of on grocery shopping for weeks and eat our way through that sucker.  lol

Oh the rolling cart is going to the dumpster area, but not in the dumpster, someone will take it by am!

[justmeandmybrood]

Sounds like you all are doing super!!

I unloaded the box I had collected to yard sale on a friend who is collecting for 3 of us in her attic (I just love her for offering this, to get this stuff out of my sight!).  

Still deciding what to do with the craft stuff, and how much to keep...especially considering we are hoomeschooling now and some of it has already come in very handy!

[zebra15]

Originally Posted by justmeandmybrood 

Sounds like you all are doing super!!

I unloaded the box I had collected to yard sale on a friend who is collecting for 3 of us in her attic (I just love her for offering this, to get this stuff out of my sight!).  

Still deciding what to do with the craft stuff, and how much to keep...especially considering we are hoomeschooling now and some of it has already come in very handy!

Thanks for the support (I think you are referring to me) and if not I;m gonna take the praise anyway

Well, you can keep the craft stuff for now.. but don't buy anything new. Keep putting it out for the kids to use and the stuff they dont touch after x amount of time, get rid of those things.  For example my DS NEVER EVER used 'feathers'  So I got rid of those years ago.  He never used glitter glue, again gone.  He LOVES origami so all paper stays,esp scrapbook paper.

So maybe check back to the craft area in 2-3 months and see what the status is and go from there.

[justmeandmybrood]

Thanks, Zebra - great advice!  With every move, I go through a minimalist phase and end up parting with too much, and with this impending move I need to retain some balance, so great advice.  

Keep up the great work, btw!  I am drawing inspiration!!

[zebra15]

I tackled a 'box' aka laundry basket that was used for moving back in MAY!! today.  I found a duplicate copy of a book DS needed.  Stuff that like that really gets me upset.  $$ is so tight and I just can not afford to have duplicate copies of books.  I got rid of 3 remant skeins of yarn, WHY I moved those is a mystery, found my sewing box! and some other books!, a few more office supplies and thats about it.  I do need another go around on a few items but then this 'box' can be deemed 'put away'.

Dinner is left overs so even that feels like a relief in a way.

[3xMama]

Originally Posted by 3xMama 

I am so here! I've been doing this in my kitchen already, but I'm glad to see that there is a thread! I'm about halfway through so pictures aren't going to do much anymore. Most of the seen clutter has been moved already! Its been so awesome to get things organized and cleaned! I'm finding so much stuff we just don't use anymore. I'm going to have to pull together a garage sale this spring to get rid of it all. 

Here is my list of stuff to do, things I've already completed I've crossed off:

Clean oven

Organize oils/vinegars, get rid of old/unused

Organize and wipe out baking cabinet

Organize all appliances and fit them into cabinets

Organize spices

Clean fridge-inside, outside and freezer

Wipe down walls

Declutter main counter (its a catchall mainly for mail/paper)

Wall counter declutter

Strip and wax floor

Clean out the garbage can (though that may have to wait for spring!!)

Wash window and window sill

Clean off tops of cabinets

Wipe down inside of all cabinets and drawers

Organize and weed through utensils

Clean dishwasher inside and out 

Tupperware cabinet

Clean and organize lazy susans

I'm hoping to keep this up and go through the rest of my house room by room this year. I'm rather daunted by it, but my house really needs it. Going room by room should help me focus. I tried to wash all the walls at one time in my house once and about cried!! Lets get it done!!

Well, I've gotten a few things done here and there. The weekend was full and towards the end of last week I had a horrible headache so I hadn't done anything in several days until today. I've managed to get several things half done (for instance, half of the utensil drawers are organized and clean), but I'm going to really focus on getting it the rest of the way done. I need some boxes or something for all the junk I'm getting rid of. Unfortunately, my cabinets are really looking nice but my counter space is horribly cluttered while I figure out what to do with all stuff I'm getting rid of (garage sale, whatever doesn't sell is going straight to Goodwill).

Here are the things I *can* cross off:

Clean and organize lazy susans

Clean fridge

I think I'll tackle finishing off the utensils and drawers while dinner cooks tonight. 

Zebra-You are doing so awesome! I'm really inspired by how much butt you're kicking!!

[sk8boarder15]

I had to get side tracked as we are painting the kitchen and living room this week. So spent some time organizing as we emptied this rooms. Kind of a crazy week around here! 

[zebra15]

Couldn't cope with life today... will try do to more tomorrow. 

[clutterwarrior]

Oh Zebra.... Hope tomorrow will be a better day for you.