Slightly OT - Spring Cleaning

[Guitar_grrrl]

I go through this nearly every year, but this year, I'm doing it big time!  I'm trying to seriously downsize my stuff.  Having MS makes my desire to get rid of excess stuff and clutter even stronger, just for safety sake, and, who knows - I may not easily be able to get rid of much stuff as my mobility becomes more impared.

Heck, letting go of toxic relationships is right up there with getting rid of stuff I don't need, too!

Along with safety considerations, I figure a clean, uncluttered place is easier to keep clean, therefore saving precious energy.  It will also give me time to pursue my music, spend time with the people who matter most.  

Paring it down to just what I need.....  How about you?

[Guitar_grrrl]

Lulu - I like the POD idea - I think I'd do it this way: Put everything but the furniture you want in the house (and I may get rid of some furniture, too), and then, as a week goes by, only pull out what you need. You don't need to put it back in the POD.  At the end of a month, anything you haven't taken out of the POD can be donated/sold/recycled/discarded.

Sarah and DV - Nothing like a move (or two or three) to purge unneeded stuff!

Ess and Calama - Sorry about the "S" word.  I wish I did have some rain or snow.  We're in the midst of a serious drought, here, and I've had 1 1/2 inches of rain since last March.  Kinda perpetual "Spring", right now, and Summer is looking downright dangerous! :-O

[calamfred]

You crack me up! I am picturing Mr. Groundhog on Feb 2...lol.

I hear ya about the cold...it's hard on the ole body, makes the pain worse. I fear I have turned into an old coot...now just need to shake my fist with a miserly scowl whilst mumbling, "You lil whippersnappers"...haha..

And don't get me started on it getting dark before 6 pm...I used to love Autumn, and even Winter snow...now, not so much...Summer heat is not great either, BUT that's what air conditioning is for!

C

[essdipity]

Some great posts here.

But I can't past the thread title. Spring??? Holy moley. We're having a frigid winter, more snow tomorrow, and the season is just settling in. And I don't even live in an area with particularly harsh winters.

Think I'll poke my head up and have a look around maybe in March.

ess

[doublevision1]

Growing up in an RCMP family we moved every 3-4 years and we managed to accumulate a lot of stuff that we dragged from coast to coast and various points in between. The entire family were pack rats. I don't recall having a weight limit, that's a really good idea, lol.

We recycled, donated, sold and tossed out so much stuff when we moved last year. You'd think we'd have had a nice fresh tidy start but no, still manage to have a pile of stuff here. My one victory is that I've kicked my magazine habit cold turkey. You would not believe the piles of back issues. My husband said I was one subscription away from qualifying for an episode of Hoarders.

I'm really lucky to have found a cleaning company that I can have come every two weeks. They are unbelievable. They clean EVERY nook and cranny. They started last week and I am thrilled to have found them. They have motivated me to get rid of the last of the junk, and to finish unpacking (we moved a year ago!) And they supply all the cleaning products, which are environmentally friendly and non-toxic to pets. I finally feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel from all the clutter.

An uncluttered space is good for the mind. I'm much better able to relax when things are tidy. And safety is a very good reason to be as streamlined with your stuff as possible.

[Lulu54]

This is when I wish I were a military family and moving every 2-3 years with a weight limit.  That forces you to throw/donate things out of the stash.  We don't move often and are now in this over 20 years - plenty of time to fill up every nook and cranny.  Now we do need to purge but I don't have the physical energy to  do the  ordinary stuff.  If only I could do this while sitting down!!

Good for you grrrrl to be starting it now - spring looks a long way off for me and I hope I find some energy before then.

Calama- I'm with you, pushing one stack from here to there no longer gives me a a sense of accomplishment.  :-)

I think I just need ones of those POD units in my driveway and put into it everything I want to keep and then walk away from whatever is left in my house.  That might be my plan.

[kwarendorf]

I had the "good fortune" to move twice last year; once out of a 2 bedroom apartment into storage and then from storage into a 1 bedroom apartment. I did a major purge before the first. When the movers arrived at the new apartment i realized that a second purge was required.

It's amazing how much stuff I got rid of and yet still have more than everything I need :-)

Kyle

[calamfred]

I've been trying to get my sewing and quilting rooms more organized, and I do have a pretty good load of things to donate and sell. I feel like I am mostly moving things about, and then it looks as though it's been cleaned. Lol.

My hubby planned on building me more shelves for storage in my fabric room, but his MS and Addison's have both been flaring lately. The last few months, his MS seems to be progressing so much and affecting his legs, bowel and bladder. It's sure hard to watch it, and feel so helpless.

I must say, good for you! And I know it's a great feeling when it's all said and done to look around and see how good everything will look. Safety and free time are definite pluses, too!

Regards,
C

[SarahL2491]

wish I had your energy and braveness to weed.  I thought I did enough weeding when I moved this summer, but it doesn't appear as tho I did, perhaps need to do it again.

You are right, uncluttered is easier, now if could get the "man stuff" in the shed instead of my pantry LOL