Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Lady Declutter

Just call me Lady Declutter. About two years ago I became obsessed with decluttering. I was never a pack rat or hoarder. Moderate amounts of clutter just seemed to collect over time. I've always kept my house looking nice so it didn't look like I was accumulating a lot but over time it builds up.

Now that we've chosen to be apartment dwellers at this stage in our life I'm learning how important it is to stay on top of what comes in and to make sure stuff also goes out.

Today I made a run to the trash area of this complex to set out some patio stuff other apartment dwellers might like, another form of recycling. Keeping the patio swept is a losing battle. Don't know why it takes me so long to figure some things out but yesterday the light dawned, a solution. I can't tell you how many legs you have to try to work a broom around between the lawn furniture, grill, and plant stands.

I hopped on my friend Amazon and ordered a very cheap light weight leaf blower.  Figure it will only take a short zip with that to keep things looking nice out there. I could wait until Thursdays when the landscape people are here and get the official leave blower to do the job for me but not sure I can stand the noise. His sounds like a airplane taking off. Too much noise.

Opened the closet on the patio and discovered Bob has stuffed it with bags of cans. Lady Declutter can not have that. He's been fascinated with the recycling room at the new Walmart and is dying to try out the can crusher. I've never found can crushing to be even remotely exciting but looks like next week that will be one of our 'together' tasks, crushing cans. Oh well, keeps him entertained.

As soon as I get those bags of cans out of there Lady Declutter is going to get serious about the rest of the useless stuff hiding there. I can be ruthless.

While at the trash a little bit ago I saw a lamp. Now I see a young man walking by our apartment with that lamp. One man's trash is another man's treasure they say.

Inside I've started a Goodwill box. Will work on that until early in the week and make a Goodwill run.

I experience great freedom living without clutter.

17 comments:

  1. Freedom from clutter feels wonderful! Sounds like you've got a handle on it. I do pretty well myself, but still have some boxes in the basement that came from our other house 11 years ago; they have never been opened! Just stuff we don't need or use.

    Crushing cans; now that sounds like an exciting adventure :-)

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    1. It takes very little to make me happy these days.

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  2. I'm not fond with crushing cans but I'm a firm believer in recycling them. Fortunately I live close enough to a high school that I never have to wait long for the band or a sports team to go around collecting them to help pay for uniforms.

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    1. Yes, I'm all for recycling. Would never put drink cans in regular trash. Usually put them in a spot near our trash area where some rough looking men on bicycles pick them up. Our son's are picked up by a pitiful looking man pushing a grocery cart.

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  3. Oh, I wish! I think if I lived alone I would eventually get rid of all the clutter here, but I don't ...

    Wonder how a weak leaf blower would work on dog hair?

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    1. If this one can blow leaves it should be able to blow dog hair.

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  4. I wish my micro manager could get a handle on decluttering. We have altogether too much junk.

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    1. I didn't want to leave a lot of stuff for our kids to have to deal with once we're gone. At this stage in life I don't have to have a lot of material things to be happy so I'm trying to keep things to a minimum. Less to dust and walk around.

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  5. I would drive you CRAZY with my clutter!!! But it is organized and even decorative! Even I keep a Goodwill Donation Bag going and I have a trunk load to take Tuesday!
    Blowers are great!!! I used mine today cleaning off the rug in the gazebo!
    I subscribe to your posts but haven't received notifications the last few days and I saw your comment on Susie's blog and followed you over here! Perhaps my suc=bscription ran out??? I will re enlist!!!! Happy 4th to you and Bob!!!!

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    1. Perhaps it's because I haven't been posting regularly. Yes your clutter would drive me crazy but since I don't live with it I can enjoy it in your house. I used to decorate a lot when I had a house but not so much in an apartment. No place to store decorations.

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  6. Another way we are alike! I don't like clutter either. While we have way too much stuff, it all has a place, or out it goes. Each week as I dust, I decide the fate of more stuff - stay or go. Most of the mail never makes it past the recycle bin.
    I do hope you get some pleasure out of watching Bob crush cans!

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    1. I'm telling you I can hardly wait for this trip to Walmart to crush cans. I'm sure I never dreamed life would come to this when I married this man. I wouldn't call this a date by any means.

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  7. I really have a difficult time functioning in clutter. And I understand the need to not have my children faced with the task of having to sort through my stuff. I hope there will be even less of it by the time that becomes an issue. I still have nightmares of having to go through my mother's small apartment. She was more of a pack rat than a hoarder. And then, wth the dementia, things were put in the oddest places.

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    1. It's bad enough to lose a loved one without the horrors of cleaning out a years old build up of clutter. Deliver me from doing that.

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  8. It's a constant silent struggle here in this house of clutterer vs. non-clutterer. Clutter annoys me so much I actually feel eager anticipation at the idea of cleaning out a closet.

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    1. I often accuse Bob of having a tunnel dug under his closet. I don't know any other way he could be keeping all the stuff he keeps. I never think about his room or his bathroom when I'm cleaning house or decluttering. If I go first the kids will find the part of the house I live in to be in very good order with little work to be done. If Bob goes first I'm turning the nightmare of cleaning Bob's space over to the kids. I don't want to think about it.

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  9. I too think of my next of kin facing my junk and have been taking something every time I go to town to Goodwill. Last time I moved, I put unwanteds out by the road side and after a while I couldn't make it back to the front door before it would be gone. I think they were waiting in the bushes. Great to know our trash makes someone's day.

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