The art of decluttering - be organized!

I just want to say THANK YOU to those who follow the blog. While I don't know all of you personally, you are always there for me; you provide loads of support and always have great ideas. If you didn't know, you are helping motivate me to get my life in order. And I love all your comments. I love that some of you are, or have already, tackled your houses and the decluttering process; I love that you are getting off the bus one stop earlier than necessary and adding a few extra steps to your day. I think we are all motivating each other, and that makes one big supportive community, of which I am happy to be a part of!!! THANK YOU!!!! 

Nothing was created in a day, and our health didn't deteriorate in a day, but if you start small, you will be amazed at how short those long distances between stores really are. Keep up the good work, everyone!!! 

And if your families think you have gone mad, just ignore them. Smile and say, yes I have, but I'm alive, and I'm doing something about my crap or my health. Don't argue with them - agree with them, and soon they will keep quiet because you are not feeding their fire!!! Don't tell anyone, least of all DH, but that is my new stance. When he calls me crazy, I agree. I am!!! And well, I'm having fun. How about you?"

Go for it!!!

I will say that while we've had fun these last couple of days, it's been an exhausting exercise, mentally and physically, but the amount of work we got done is incredible. And to think I brought a small ball of yarn to crochet a scrubby -- what the heck was I thinking? That I would walk in the house and everything was already packed? 

I just wish I had one more day, because I could have finished the job completely. How many times have I said that? But I swear, we've been working like mad, and I know my aunt will be so happy when I'm gone. Well, hopefully not, but she won't have someone cracking the whip. I'm trying to leave the house somewhat uncluttered if you can believe it, because the clutter is overwhelming. 

Plus, I got her set up on WhatsApp so we can communicate quickly this week when she needs advice, encouragement, or wants to share what she's done. For some reason, our texting abilities have gone astray in the past. 

Not only did we have to pack up the house, but we also had to sort through it first. And then we packed. This is the typical scene in the house over the last couple of days. 

We sorted through a section and found stuff we no longer wanted/needed. We put those items by the front door. 

Stuff to be removed from the house

Then we moved the items to the garage or the car so we could get rid of them. 

Like magic - the stuff is gone.

I don't know how many times I have done that, and there is another pile of boxes at the front door that need to be moved to the garage this morning before I leave. 

Thank goodness for the garage/shop. It's been a godsend for keeping the house clear of clutter. We also spent some time in the garage sorting what my cousin will deal with and what's being picked up this morning. 

The picture below shows the side of the garage that the young lady is picking up this morning. Lucie has been an absolute angel; she came late yesterday afternoon and picked up all the metal stuff (two lawnmowers and two metal filing cabinets) that will go to the metal recycling this morning. Then she is coming back and will make several trips to clear it all out. Her goal is to find homes or recycling places for most of it, but much will still end up in the landfill, which is expensive. 

This crap will go this morning.

Lucie is like the 1-800 got junk for Salt Spring. A lovely, young, enterprising lady, and we are happy to support her. Sadly, I won't be here to see the half-empty garage, but I will get a picture after it's gone. I'm so excited, and seeing the clutter disappear will be good for my aunt. You know what they say -- out of sight, out of mind.  

I tell you, this is a daunting task, and seeing any clutter is overwhelming. It is for me; imagine if you were older? This is what clutter does to us in our houses -- it overwhelms us, and we become unable to function properly. You MUST start getting rid of it, and the more you do, the easier it gets and the better you will feel. 

So here's a starting point for you. If you inherited some of your parents/aunt/in-laws or whomever, start there and get rid of all their crap. Because that is what most of it is- CRAP. My grandfather had LOADS of sheet music. A good part of it was photocopied, and he bound all the edges with masking tape. I have no idea where he copied the music from, but he often did this. We all remember his love for playing the piano and singing at the same time. 

Some of Grandpa's music

We put all the music in the recycling bin yesterday. Was I sad when I tossed it? Absolutely not - I just wanted it dealt with. So imagine those sheets of music sitting around for over 30 years, untouched. Wait -- they were touched as they were moved from one place to another. So if you have stuff like that around your house --- get rid of it!!!!

Like so many things from our parents' era, most of the stuff (including furniture and dishes) is dated. Do yourself a favor and get rid of it today. Yes, TODAY!!!!! It's a perfect day to get rid of that kind of stuff, and when I get home, I won't have time for about three weeks to tackle it. Still, you bet I'm going to remember this week, and I'm going to print out those lists, or I'm just going to get my butt in gear and finish clearing out our garage and the office. 

Once that is done, I need to start back at the top of the house and attack the clothes closet (AGAIN!) I was ruthless the last time, but not nearly enough. I would love to cull my clothes down to one suitcase, my 50 lb suitcase. I only wear a few things, so why do I need all the rest? I might opt for two suitcases because I have a few coats and I wear them all. 

We had another small fire, and this time when I took the picture, I had the screen on top. I sent the pictures from the other day to Dad, and he scolded me for not having the screen on. The mesh is rather large and open, so any embers will escape regardless. The days of burning are over, and my hoe? The metal end fell off at the last stir, so I knew I was done!!!!

One last kick at the burning barrel

To make things easier, this area beside the front door is now where all the packing materials are stored. Boxes, bags, totes, etc. That way, when I needed a box, I could look at the pile and pick one. That area will stay until all the packing is done. 

The packing supply area

This area holds all the packed boxes. They are sealed and labeled. Yes, there are a few open things on the left, and my cousin will deal with those, hopefully this weekend. I have two cousins: one is coming this weekend to clear the garage, and the other will come the following week to help with the last-minute stuff and the final move. 

What we have packed

This is the area for the tape gun, labels, any information we might need this week, and stuff for the new owners. All neat and organized. 

The labeling area

The bedrooms are pretty much clear except for the clothes, other items my aunt will need, and the furniture, which will be picked up at the end. That leaves the large kitchen and eating area. 

I set up a small folding table in the eating area. This is where our young kids used to play when we came to visit. I remember M scooting along on her butt across that black-and-white checked floor. While it's been an exhausting couple of days, I would NOT have changed it. I've enjoyed the visit so much, and there are so many memories in this house. And the fact that I can help someone out  - it's all therapeutic. And a HUGE learning lesson for me. Even though I know all this, I need to get myself in gear, because I do NOT want to be in this situation when it's time for us to move. 

Especially the "dirty" areas, like the garden shed, the garage, the cold room in the basement. Those need to be cleared!!! 

We are not panic packing; there is no need for that. And as for me, I don't want to panic-pack when I move. As I mentioned earlier this week, I want to be able to call the real estate agent, put my house on the market, sell it, and move without having to declutter. It will all be possible; it is well within my reach, except for that basement, and I need to start dealing with that. 

Oops - I got sidetracked. So about 3 in the afternoon, we were finally ready to tackle the kitchen. I know, we had to deal with the garage, then make trips to various recycling places, get some groceries, and finally get to work. 

I will say that my aunt is a trooper. What we dealt with for the next 6 hours was the culmination of her life as an entertainer, a cook, a mother, and so much more. 

I would bring out dishes and other kitchen items and put them on the table. She could sit at the kitchen table and direct me to keep, donate, or throw away. It worked quite well, and I got to hear all kinds of stories about her life and where this dish or that dish came from. While we didn't clear the space entirely, we dealt with the things that have the most memories. 

Our staging table for decluttering the kitchen

It was hard work for both - physically for me, mentally for her. But we did accomplish so much. 

We also had to deal with this buffet-style cabinet, which was filled with glassware. And the counters were covered with more stuff. 

Progress!!!!! 

There are two sets of dishes still in there, both china. I think she has decided to keep the small set and use it every day. Yeah!!!!! We're hoping Lucie can pick up the other set today, but that is not my decision to make. Otherwise, all the upper cabinets are empty except what she needs to eat this week. 

We cleared about 1/3 of the lower cabinets, and she will have that task this week. I'll set up some boxes so she can put the giveaway stuff in them, and I suspect most of it will be giveaway, since the place she is going has meals except for breakfast. 

The last thing to deal with in the kitchen is the food. Again, she can putter through that stuff, and hopefully by the end of the week, it will be done. So all is good, and she will have something to occupy her this week. Otherwise, she'll have loads of time on her hands. My cousin will have 1 1/2 days to help with the final pack, so even if she doesn't tackle the kitchen, they should be able to do that.  

I still have a small box to pack this morning and move all the discarded glassware to the garage for Lucie to deal with. I'd better shower and change before I leave, or they may ask me to sit on the plane wing for the flight home! Sadly, no upgrade for the flight home. I'm in the upper half of the list, but it is long! 

It's funny how, when we move, we look around our house and comment on how shabby this or that looks and why we didn't fix it. The new owners will think we are lazy, dirty, or careless. I know my baseboards need painting, and the walls need repainting; some rooms haven't been painted since we moved in 23 years ago. It's not my priority. But we do have some things that we need/want to fix for us! While we enjoy the next 10+ years in our house. 

And here is a deer that we spotted from the kitchen window. Oh -- should I tell you the story about the booze? We found quite a few half-empty bottles of booze in one of the lower cabinets. We weren't sure how it would affect the septic system, so I went outside and dumped it down by the field. There might be a few drunk voles to deal with this morning. Then I put the bottles in the back of the car where they will be taken to the liquor store for refunds. 

One of the two deer in the field

I'm sure the car is going to stink this morning. I should have left them on the ground beside the car. To make matters worse, we left two bags of orange juice containers in the car because we forgot to take them to recycling (you can get money for them here). So if someone looked in the back of the car, they would think we had one wild party!!!! I had a good chuckle about that. 

We have a huge bag (again) of electronic waste, and we forgot to take it to the recycling depot. So my aunt will have a few small tasks like that to deal with. I'm going to send her a WhatsApp message each day to remind her what needs to be done. 

OK -- I will confess that I sent a box of stuff home to myself. I found a few books that I wanted to browse through and a couple of jigsaw puzzles. I didn't have time to browse the books, and trust me, I will share them with you because they look like fun. So that went home by mail, and I have a few things in my suitcase. More on that when I get home. Why the heck didn't I bring a slightly larger suitcase? 

Well, not to worry. 

Now ---in light of what I just said, DO NOT JUDGE me on this. 

But the next time someone asks you if you want something, just say NO THANKS. I already have a house full of clutter, and I don't need more. 

Unless it has some special meaning, like the demitasse spoons, which I must steal one this morning before I leave. And yes -- I have read the Spoon Stealer book. It was very good. I have a few stolen spoons at home. At least I think I still do. I must check that when I get home. 

But here's the other thing about an uncluttered house. I cleaned my kitchen cupboards and drawers before the pandemic. I can't find the post where I did that, but I'm pretty sure it was at least ten years ago, probably around 2017. And I cleared out HALF of what was in the cupboards and drawers. My kitchen is in pretty good shape. But the result of that decluttering is that it is super easy to maintain. Each item has a place, so when you are done, you put it back. Simple!!!! Guess how much "maintenance" our kitchen items require? NONE!!!!! 

That should be the same in any area of your house. 

Oh god -- I feel a list coming on!!!!

Some tips for decluttering BEFORE you move. 

1. Start piles around your house as you put "like" items together
2. Start small, but START
3. Once the "like" items are together, you can now evaluate what you have
4. Then sort into what you want and don't want, what is good to donate, and what is garbage
5. Then find a nice home for the things you want (be ruthless and honest) - do you really need three sets of dishes? Or 25 coffee mugs? 
6. Then get rid of what you don't need; throw it away or give it away, but be mindful: donating to a thrift store is NOT always the right move. How many "BEST MOM" mugs do they want? NONE!!!! So some of that stuff (sadly) ends up in the landfill. 
7. Think the next time you want to buy a cute, very specific gift, it will likely end up in the landfill, so maybe a gift card for Tim's is more appropriate and useful. I'm thinking teacher gifts here -- get more creative. How many teacher mugs does one teacher need each year? 

OK -- that's it for today. By the time I edit this, it will be time to get moving. I have to finish packing my suitcase, move that stuff, have a bite to eat, and then I'm off. OH -- and have a shower! 

It will be a GLORIOUS day, and hopefully there'll be no fog to contend with as the seaplanes fly on visuals!!!! 

Ciao!!!!!