| Author |
Cleaning Up:  DeClutter Pledge-  |
|
harmonyfarm
True Blue Farmgirl
785 Posts
Debbie
Southeastern
Ohio
USA
785 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 7:44:59 PM
|
I, Debbie Bullington, pledge not to declutter my house at all, because it is allready decluttered.. I have learned how NOT to be a "clutter bug".. I will be happy to help anyone else declutter theirs.....
Debbie
"If you can't find the time to do it right...how will you find the time to do it over" |
 |
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Sep 02 2010 : 8:33:55 PM
|
I know what you ladies mean! I have to be VERY careful when I go to garage sales. Many times I will see something and thing "What a great deal!" and the reality is the idea is nice- but not functional for me- at least not in this stage of life.
I am really looking forward to the cooler weather and just getting everything wrapped up and organized in my house. I am ready to feel like my house is a home and not a rummage sale! LOL
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
star-schipp
True Blue Farmgirl
942 Posts
Starletta
Middletown
Indiana
USA
942 Posts |
Posted - Sep 03 2010 : 08:23:09 AM
|
Debbie, I would love to hear some of your tips!
We can do no great things; only small things with great love - Mother Teresa
farmgirl sister #1927 |
|
|
|
Motholelis Mom
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Deborah
Louisville
CO
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Sep 03 2010 : 2:10:15 PM
|
Debbie, can you come over this weekend?
LOL!
Deborah
Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
-- Margaret B. Runbeck
|
|
|
|
Georgiaberry Mobley
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Georgiaberry
Fouke
AR
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 06:36:21 AM
|
Really, Alee, 50%? Wow, that made me sit up and take notice.
"Get rid of half" is the kind of concrete goal I can relate to - like flylady's "you can do anything for 15 mins" rule. Amorphous goals like "leading a remarkable life" don't get me too far. That is what they keep talking about in the book I just read "Unclutter Your Life In One Week." It was a pretty helpful book, focusing a lot on productivity, which is not something I am good at, so that was great for me. But the best thing I got from this book was in the first few pages - work toward eliminating things that are not CURRENT or RELEVANT. For me, "someday" has got to go. Now my mantra is CURRENT AND RELEVANT. Thia may seem painfully obvious, but to those of us who are not BO (as flylady says, born organized LOL), sometimes it isn't. I need to learn as I go.
But GETTING RID OF HALF may be added to my meditation LOL.
OK - here goes (she says with trepidation)
I, Georgiaberry Mobley, pledge to declutter my house, focusing on eliminating items that are not current or relevant, and trying to cut our possessions by half (yikes!).
Farmgirl Georgiaberry
always busy at www.SunshineForDinner.com
|
|
|
|
Georgiaberry Mobley
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Georgiaberry
Fouke
AR
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 06:40:14 AM
|
OK maybe not books, though. I will need to get rid of more than half of something else, so I can keep more than half the books. I am not perfect, I don't even strive for perfection - I like books, something else will have to go.
Farmgirl Georgiaberry
always busy at www.SunshineForDinner.com
|
|
|
|
phonelady
True Blue Farmgirl
323 Posts
Carla
Loveland
Colorado
323 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 10:35:04 AM
|
Books are ok, as long as there's shelves for them to go in.
Who's that master organizer guy? Peter Walsh! He says, just make sure the books aren't stacked everywhere on top of things - I wouldn't know about that, would you? '_'
That's like, "No clothes on the floor." In the hamper, in the drawer or hung up or in the washer. Just none on the floor.
I figured it out as a matter of safety. If there was some reason the family had to evacuate the house, would they fall over things on the floor trying to get out? What if one family member had to wade through a bunch of stuff all over the floor to rescue another?
When I realized this was a vary real issue I got all the stuff up off the floors and arranged the furniture so that anyone, even firemen in full gear could get from one place to another in my house. Yikes!
Carla
It's not just life-
It's an adventure!
http://familyhistoryfindings.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
|
|
brevardorganics
Farmgirl in Training
11 Posts
Elizabeth
Brevard
NC
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - Sep 04 2010 : 7:17:56 PM
|
[font=Comic Sans MS)I have truly enjoyed reading everyone's pledges and ideas. I started packing this past April for a July move and sorted/thrift stored/threw away many many boxes of items! LOL funny thing is that what I thought I just HAD to move = when I got to NC I found myself opening the boxes in the garage and NOTHING came in until I knew exactly where it was going and that I absolutely loved it and had a use for it. I have to tell you I have gotten rid of just as much stuff now as I did before I moved. I have also repacked several boxes since we are just renting for a year of items I will not miss/do not want to put up in this rental and save it for our new house. It will be such a great surprise to open those boxes in our new house! Still purging......[/i][/font=Comic Sans MS][/font=Comic Sans MS]
Going Back to Basics is easier than you think! |
|
|
|
Georgiaberry Mobley
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Georgiaberry
Fouke
AR
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2010 : 12:36:54 PM
|
I am cleaning out my plastic food storage containers today! I am trying to be more consistent in including the kids in household chores - 6yo ds was dish helper today, and he couldn't figure out how to put away any containers from the dishwasher because the cabinet was so full - talk about an A HA moment. No wonder I have to do everything myself - no body else wants to put up with this baloney! And I shouldn't, either. I have many many lids and few containers - how does this happen lol? I easily pitched more than half - that feels good. I am not buying any more, either, because I am keeping leftovers in glass as much as possible to cut down on all things plastic. I like the Kerr wide mouth half pints and pints - the kind with the straight sides. They are so easy to use and clean. I also use wide mouth quarts to store salads, soups, things like that in the fridge. I paid $10 for a dozen of this style half pints recently. It is convenient to buy more lids and rings in the canning section when mine start to get rusty and worn out, but I also like the plastic lids you can order from goat dairy supply places, although they leak a little.
Well, off to see if I have earned my badge yet, tra la!
Farmgirl Georgiaberry
always busy at www.SunshineForDinner.com
|
Edited by - Georgiaberry Mobley on Sep 09 2010 12:37:38 PM |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
|
|
Motholelis Mom
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Deborah
Louisville
CO
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2010 : 4:02:50 PM
|
Georgiaberry, I really like your suggestion about keeping leftovers in mason jars. And one size lid fits all!!!
Deborah
Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling.
-- Margaret B. Runbeck
|
|
|
|
Georgiaberry Mobley
True Blue Farmgirl
79 Posts
Georgiaberry
Fouke
AR
USA
79 Posts |
Posted - Sep 09 2010 : 5:28:10 PM
|
I hope you all are inspired to try this in your kitchen. It has been one of those little changes that turned into something bigger. In the beginning, it was an effort to lesson our exposure to plastic offgassing through our food. I have found over time how great the mason jars are - you can freeze in them (leave the lid off to allow expansion, then put it on when the jar is frozen), bake in them (set the dish in a pan of water if you are worried about cracking), microwave them, or heat them in a pan of water on the stove if you avoid the microwave. Don't try any of this with regular glass jars, though, as they might break.
And, as you say, interchangeable lids! Plus, I think they are cute!
Farmgirl Georgiaberry
always busy at www.SunshineForDinner.com
|
|
|
|
momdrinkstea
True Blue Farmgirl
180 Posts
Elizabeth
Ozark
AL
USA
180 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2010 : 9:34:14 PM
|
I pledge to get rid of lots of things in this house, as long
as they're not mine......LOL...just kidding.
I'm trying for 20% to start, then I'll go back and do 20% again.
My downfalls are paper stacks, outgrown kids clothes, and packaging.
Why does everything come with SO much wrapping? Drives me crazy.
We burn anything burnable, so that helps in decluttering.
Any tips on getting the hubby and kids to help?
It's so overwhelming for one person...and my "helpers" tend to
wander off and wander away. I tried ice cream sundaes as an
incentive for the kids, it worked once, but after that, fizzled.
My BIGGEST pet peeve...I just finish cleaning a room, and the
gang can DESTROY it in about 10 minutes, after it took me HOURS
to clean......ARRRRRGGGHHH!
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." -Albert Einstein |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 06:49:19 AM
|
Catharine- Institute a "SLOB" Bin in each room. At the end of the day give a 10 minute warning. Anything left out and not in it's place goes into the slob bucket. Then they have to do extra chores/cleaning to earn things back from the slob bucket. If they haven't earned their things back by the end of the week- they get tossed/donated to charity.
"SLOB" stands for (1) Stop (2) Look Around (3) Organize it (4) Be Done!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
MInwife
Farmgirl in Training
42 Posts
LEA
OXFORD
NC
USA
42 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2010 : 06:57:50 AM
|
I absolutely need to join in here....My big thing is china.... I have 4 boys and designated a special set to each one . My grandmother's, my husband's grandmother, my great grandmother etc... but the two married children already have lovely more modern patterns so I need to just keep a setting of each for display and get rid of the rest. I'll have way more cabinet space!..and then I need to think on these little gnomes all over the house...so much to do!
Lea
www.theendoftheroad.typepad.com |
|
|
|
momdrinkstea
True Blue Farmgirl
180 Posts
Elizabeth
Ozark
AL
USA
180 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2010 : 08:38:04 AM
|
I like that, Alee!
But I need a SLOB bucket for me, too! LOL
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." -Albert Einstein |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
|
|
Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Sep 13 2010 : 10:43:11 AM
|
I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO need to declutter! You should see my house! UGGG! I'm pledging to 1.) Get this house cleaned up and shining for the holidays! 2.) NOT bring any more back in that we absolutely don't need!
I should show before and after pics =P
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
Palouse Prairie Girls Chapter
http://palouseprairiegirls.blogspot.com/
http://prairiegirlsjournal.blogspot.com/
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
|
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
|
|
Cabin Dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
54 Posts
Brenda
Cortland
NY
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 05:02:46 AM
|
I like the SLOB technique Alee, I will try that. I have this week off for "vacation". My plans are clean out my basement, attic, and the rest of the house.I usually fizzle out the first day. I'm going to try to keep up the momentum. A lot of stuff can be tossed/recycled, or given away.I just keep thinking it would be nice to be organized and have some extra space to boot!I guess I should be thankful that I only need to go thru my own stuff. Kris, you've got your hands full with you Grandmother's things to sort through. good luck!
Farmgirl #1954 |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 08:57:03 AM
|
Good luck Brenda! I know you can do it!
I cleaned Nora's room today and some of the toys got hidden in the "trash" bag. Stuff that is of no real value- like the happy meal toys and such, or cards that had gotten stepped on an bent. Her room looks good and her books are all on the shelf now. :D
Each time I am doing laundry I am seriously re-appraising what is left in my drawers and what I am putting back in. Is it stained? Torn? Worn out? Too Small? Too big? If anything answers yes it either gets disposed of, or donated to the thrift shop. My laundry pile is noticeably smaller. Seriously! It is so nice not to sort though piles of clothes in the dresser or in baskets to find one of five shirts (or whatever) that I can wear to work. And since we are on a budget- I go shopping for "new" shirts at the thrift store as well, but when I do that I am very picky. It has to be nice looking and fit well _now_. No sense in buying more things I am not going to wear.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
|
|
|
Cabin Dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
54 Posts
Brenda
Cortland
NY
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 12:55:14 PM
|
Thanks Alee
Hey if you get bored, need something to do, this week and feel like taking a trip to upstate NY..................... lol :-)
Farmgirl #1954 |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22937 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22937 Posts |
|
|
Cabin Dreamer
True Blue Farmgirl
54 Posts
Brenda
Cortland
NY
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - Sep 20 2010 : 08:37:23 AM
|
Call me weird, but we're having a dumpster delivered today! I am so excited! getting our basement cleaned out (is that strange?). We've accumulated so much in 25 yrs. some things are what we inherited from the previous owner and just never got rid of.I've got my sleeves rolled up and ready to go!
Farmgirl #1954 |
|
|
|
Cleaning Up: DeClutter Pledge- |
|
DeClutter Pledge-
