Decluttering Strategies

Post date: May 18, 2017 8:54:57 PM

Decluttering Strategies by Cherie Dargan – Highlights of a Panel Presented at the Western Home, May 18, 2017

Our Journey to Windcrest

Our story and a half house in Waterloo had many built-ins, closets, a full basement, and large garage. We wanted to downsize, simplify & not deal with steps, the yard, or snow. I hired two women, Lynn and Kathy, retired teachers with a business (“What Needs Done”), to help declutter, room by room. Next they helped pack up the house, and then unpack: I could not have done it alone!

My Three Questions

1. Do I need it?

If not, should I give it away to a friend or family member, consign it, or donate it?

2. Do I really want to keep it?

If yes, WHERE does it go in my new place?

3. Does it have meaning for me?

For things from my parents, grandparents, how do I use it, display it, or repurpose it?

Tools: Tubs, Clipboard, Lists, Layout

Room by room, what do you need?

We looked at our new house, listed the major furniture we had for each room & noted where it would go

Helped us determine what we might need to buy, what we saw as essential, & what NEEDED TO BE SOLD, GIVEN AWAY, DONATED

Consider Consigning at Stuff, Etc.

I set up a free account at Stuff, Etc. in Waterloo and began taking two tubs at a time in 2014: I’ve consigned clothing, household goods, books, furniture.

I’ve made over $3100 since 2014!

What to do with what you aren’t taking to the new place!

Asked my children to look at tubs with childhood memories: they sorted through them and decided what to do with the contents

Gave away furniture to extended family, friends

Took carloads to Goodwill, House of Hope

Arranged for St. Vincent de Paul to pick up a truckload of furniture and misc. boxes

Took a lot of books, magazines, and misc. stuff to the “free box” in front of my office at Hawkeye Community College

Chunk it down….room by room

Tackle one room at a time, and maybe even one closet or drawer at a time

Enlist friends, family, children or HIRE HELP!

Need at least three boxes or tubs: Give away, Sell, and keep/pack up

Don’t get overwhelmed. Take a break!

Lessons learned

I took pictures of many things before I gave them away or donated them

Second wedding dress donated to Theater

Kept reminding myself WHY we were doing this: for a better, simpler life in our new place!

Repurposed, reused some items like our old dresser and mirror for “entertainment” center and mirror flipped around for a shelf. Old church sign became a hallway entry mirror.

Preserve treasures

Wore my Mom’s 1940s Wedding dress in 1974: took to Varsity: cleaned, boxed up to keep. I donated my second dress to the community theater.

Take a Picture of Things you give away

Repurpose & Display old Family Treasures

Get creative! Fun with Walls

What do you do with….

Excess towels – homeless shelters, Vet clinics

Excess socks, clothing, cleaning supplies, personal care items – homeless shelters

Long dresses, costume jewelry – community theaters

Old pantyhose—my helpers used them to create “the humiliator,” (a yardstick covered with hose for getting under things!)

Books—consign, local library Friends, Goodwill

Tough Stuff: Reduce, Consolidate

I love books, and had way too many—and way too many bookcases. We had to get ruthless.

Inherited mom’s numerous photo albums: tore majority apart (old plastic sheets) and reduced bulk to several tubs of photos.

I will scan in photos for kids. Will discard those we cannot identify.

I inherited mom’s 35-40 boxes of slides! Sorted, scanned in majority and threw out many of clouds, sea gulls, sea, landscape, etc.

I inherited mom’s slide projector, movie projector, and donated them to a local museum.

SHRED sensitive documents!

You don’t need to keep 15 years of checkbook registers, tax returns from ten years ago, etc. HOWEVER, don’t just throw them away. Shred!

If necessary, invest in a heavy duty shredder and do it yourself – or check out professional services.

Decluttering & impact on behavior

Got rid of more than half my holiday decorations & got rid of more since moved!

Reading more e-books and audible books, and library books because bookcases are full! Cutting back on magazine subscriptions.

Emptied at least half a dozen tubs that I then got rid of!

Get rid of it!

We sold our mower with an online ad. We gave away our snow blower. We gave away the long ladder to my son.

We consigned a lot of garden tools. I gave my son and daughter in law the lovely garden arch

We took some things (old grill, garden bench) to the curb & someone took them!

True Confessions: I’m not done

I still have numerous projects: A tub of slides to scan, several smaller tubs of pictures to sort and scan, and my Mom’s correspondence, family history to read, scan, Files to sort, discard. Paper, paper, paper! Fortunately, we have seven closets, the garage, and furniture that contain a lot of these things.

It’s a Process

We spent over a year decluttering, packing for the move and a chunk of a year unpacking & settling into villa, but continue to declutter!

It’s about time to start going back, room by room

My trick: 2 empty tubs. Try it!

Set aside two empty tubs and challenge yourself to fill them up. When full, make an appointment to consign, and if Stuff rejects it, it goes to Goodwill.

Questions? Thanks! Cherie Dargan

cheriedargan@gmail.com

www.geekygrandma.org

My friends, Lynn and Kathy, “What Needs Done?” Chore Service. See me for a business card.

Last Updated May 18, 2017