January 2010 Blog Posts (20)

Getting in the Game

I started my adventure by giving away a blouse to a friend of mine. It fit her much better than it did me and she loved it. Next I gave 10 pair of sandals to my son's church to be taken to Haiti. Two coats were given to a coat drive. A never opened pack of thank you cards went to my pregnant daughter-in-law. She will need them when she has a baby shower. I also sent two never used storage units bought at Ikea to my son for the baby's room. Grand total 6 things. I'm being conservative with my… Continue

Added by Annette Boreing on January 31, 2010 at 10:29pm — 1 Comment

53 Books!

There are many reasons why a librarian discards books. Some haven't been checked out in decades, others split and lose chunks of pages when you open them, and then there are the ones have illustrations of spiral-permed teenagers wearing cropped football jerseys and acid washed jean jackets on the cover who complain about their hippy parents not understanding them.

Letting go of books can be one of the hardest chores a librarian undertakes. We are in this business because we love the… Continue

Added by Ida on January 29, 2010 at 3:17pm — No Comments

GET RID OF FIFTY THINGS (AND CREATIVE WAYS TO RECYCLE THEM)

enjoy this terrific review ....

In Throw Out Fifty Things, Gail Blanke walks you through every room in your house, if you've got a house (I just ignored the attic chapter), guiding you through how to declutter it by getting rid any thing that "weighs you down, clogs you up, or just plain makes you feel bad about yourself"; doesn't add something positive to your life; or takes too much time to decide about--the obvious conclusion being that if it requires too much analysis, it's a… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on January 29, 2010 at 1:48pm — No Comments

Will I need it ever again?

Hi everyone,

I read the book in December and have been de-cluttering a little at a time. I haven't started a list, but I intend to. I bought the book because my things are "living rent free in my house".

Sometimes I gave certain things away and regretted it later. I know this is a fact. Although, they were really not that greatly important anyhow.

I did something daring at Christmas: I gave two books from my collection to two friends who I knew would appreciate at… Continue

Added by Ellen Mason on January 27, 2010 at 1:06pm — 1 Comment

Can't believe I'm getting rid of my collections

Started decluttering New Years day. I've slacked off because work is so hectic. After reading just part of the book And with finances being really tight I am able to give up my collection of Halloween Barbies. I've been carrying these around for 12 years now. Now that I'm over moving them again, I talked it over with my husband (he bought them for me). He didn't care if I sold them. So off to ebay they go along with over 3/4 of my other halloween collectibles. I went from 6 bins of halloween… Continue

Added by Mary Fittro on January 25, 2010 at 7:48pm — No Comments

My Bookshelf

I have a small professional bookshelf next to my desk in the library. I've been slowly cleaning out the former librarian's clutter from this shelf over the past few months. Today, I discovered the book Being Digital on the shelf. Sounds like an interesting book, but unfortunately, the copyright date was 1996. I think I already know much more about "being digital" than the author could have dreamed of 14 years ago.

Goodbye to Being Digital, because I'm already there!

Added by Ida on January 25, 2010 at 3:32pm — 1 Comment

I did it!

Well, it took until Sunday, but I invited my sister over and we got to work. She was so helpful as she wrote down what I got rid of. We made it to 45 items in an hour's time. I had to work hard to come up with 5 more things. I then realized that I had a bag of 25 drinking glasses that I have never used. They had been sitting under the kitchen counter for over 5 years. Out they went! It felt good to get of them.
I did feel enpowered and better as I let old things go.

Added by Candy Clutter on January 25, 2010 at 2:46pm — No Comments

comments about ida's post

ida,

i hope you are recycling or donating all the items you are finding. If i were a patron of your library, i would love to see a big box with a sign "free books for the taking!" instead of seeing them go out with the trash. i bet a patron could use the glue gun sticks, too!

sally

Added by Sally O'Malley on January 24, 2010 at 2:30pm — 1 Comment

my list so far...

1. toys

2. sporting goods

3. bed

4. tables-6

5. books

6. magazines

7. clothes- mine

8. chairs -5

9 linens

10 fabric

11 candles

12 candle holders

13 plastic ware-tupperware

14 organizers-drawers etc

15 balls-i had a huge collection to cull

16 games

17 appliances

18 photo supplies-printer and paper

19 art work/pictures- framed

20 storage bins

21 xmas stuff

22 halloween stuff

23 easter… Continue

Added by Sally O'Malley on January 24, 2010 at 2:30pm — No Comments

love the idea, hate the title!

i'd rather title gail's book: 'Get Rid of Fifty Things'! i hate the idea of trashing more stuff out to the landfill so 'throwing out' stuff just doesn't sit right with me! But i do like that gail addresses the idea of recycling and donating before throwing away.

I am at about 40 things right now, but struggle with all the furniture the Salvation Army picked up recently. Chairs, tables, dressers, headboards....i think they should be separate items, not lumped into a 'furniture'… Continue

Added by Sally O'Malley on January 23, 2010 at 10:30pm — 4 Comments

My Desk at Work

Sometimes I'm so busy, I become oblivious to the objects around me. I started my job as a librarian in last August and have been clearing away decades of clutter left by my predecessors. I've been surplussing (throwing out) books, av equipment and furniture by the truckload, but I really need to make my desk space a place where I can think and plan without physical clutter invading my mental processes.

Here's what's being deselected (librarian-speak for tossed) today:

One… Continue

Added by Ida on January 22, 2010 at 12:37pm — No Comments

Terrific review on Throw Out Fifty Things....enjoy

http://www.deannaraybourn.com/blog/2010/01/in-which-i-dont-do-spring-cleaning.html

Added by Gail Blanke on January 22, 2010 at 12:03pm — No Comments

A New Year of Letting Go!

On Monday, out to the trash went my old dead VCR!

Three rooms in my house have my biggest concern- the cellar , my bedroom, and my computer room. I am a collector and researcher, and have WAY too much stuff! Some of the things I have serve no purpose!

I plan to clear out the clutter BIG TIME this year!

Added by Ellen Mason on January 19, 2010 at 1:27pm — No Comments

2010 is the year of Letting it Go!

Hello! 2010 is the year for my journey to get rid of clutter. I live in a very small house (725 sq. feet) and I want to get rid of things that take away from the square footage. I found this website tonight and decided to start throwing out 50 things this week. I am going to do it. It will be hard I know, but it has to be done. I am looking forward to dropping things off at Good Will this weekend. Today is Monday, January 19 and I hope that Sunday, January 25, I will have had gotten rid of 50… Continue

Added by Candy Clutter on January 19, 2010 at 12:27am — 1 Comment

Keep up the cause

Some Christmas things are being recycled, some are donated. The closets are being cleared. We have "done 50" in time for this year's tax deduction! I am helping prep for a relatives estate sale. Thank goodness I will not pass down such huge accumulation of worthless clutter. Yet, there are a few fun or sentimental finds among the mess.

Added by Karen Weiss on January 13, 2010 at 6:23pm — No Comments

Nothing 2 Throw Out

Well I removed the Christmas Tree, and cleaned the living & dining room, but had nothing to throw away. I was searchin high and low. We'll see what comes up and out when I move to the family room. STay posted.

Added by alondra ladison on January 12, 2010 at 10:05pm — No Comments

I've been decluttering and throwing out for 7 months now..

Hi, I wondered whether there are any other people also involved on a long-term project ?

Since my only child started school in May 2008, I have had time to get into the long overdue declutter project.

I have been chipping away at it every week since and feel I am only a couple of months off having done the whole house.

It is amazing the things that I have kept - I cleared out a whole filing cabinet which I had hardly opened in the last 8 years (since I moved into this house ) and… Continue

Added by Ingrid Snyman on January 10, 2010 at 9:35pm — 1 Comment

Avid Scrapper On A Roll

Day 3&4 I'm tackling the garage and this is what came out of it; 6 containers, 7 new folders, 1 canister w/pasta, 2 nuts & bolts holders, 1 new canister, 1 tent, 1 ribbon holder, 2 bed pillows, 1 juicer, 1 sleeve of cups, 1 sleeve of lids, 12 magazines(that was hard), 3 new scrapbooks, 2 new packs of page protectors, 1 new tote, 1 new 1999-2000 pocket planner, 1 photo holder, 2 new Wii controller skins, 2 photo frames, COURT PAPERS, 1 Christmas tin, 1 lrg. heart cookie cutter, 2… Continue

Added by alondra ladison on January 10, 2010 at 1:09am — No Comments

Avid Scrapper Update

Feeling fired up about my 50 things to throw out, I tossed things at work that I didn't even count or add to my list. Finding this site and tracking my progress is fun, but therapeutic. Tonight I tackled the Kitchen; I swear this stuff in here really does grow. I do go through my stuff every now and then and I still tossed out 25+ items. Ok here goes; 1 empty jar, 2 Vegas souvenir glasses, 2 cups, 4 mugs, 3 sylicone jar openers, 1 grease tray, 4 red placemats, cable wires, 2 mini bag holders, 1… Continue

Added by alondra ladison on January 10, 2010 at 12:17am — No Comments

LET’S HEAR IT FOR HOPE!

I don’t have to tell you, hope is a rare commodity in the world today. Its opposite, despair, seems to have gained the upper hand.

Yet everything good starts with hope. This country was founded on hope; it has endured because of hope; our greatest leaders in every sector are those who give us hope.

With hope everything is possible. Hope breeds optimism and positive energy; positive energy breeds the kind of resolve that causes heroic effort. Heroic effort creates results -… Continue

Added by Gail Blanke on January 3, 2010 at 12:58pm — 1 Comment