Clearing out

Thrifty tips, ideas, news & experiences on anything around the home to shopping to re-cycling etc.
Dorrens daughter
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Clearing out

Post by Dorrens daughter »

Yes I've decided to have a mega clear out and sort my clothing into Keep, Donate and "what on earth was I thinking about". I've started with my shoes (since I retired from work and after having a new knee, heels are something I never intend to wear again and I spend most of my waking hours either in docs or plastic clogs) and have two large bags of them ready for my sister to collect (along with some bags, scarves and belts) she drives and I don't so what ever they cannot salvage will be taken to a local charity shop.
Next I'm going to tackle my huge hoard of t-shirts in a particularly harsh manner, stained? ripped up for cleaning cloths, unlikely to ware again off to my sister then on to the charity shop.
Next will be books (because while she's here with her car I may as well take advantage) so all my "Rough Guide" travel books will be disposed of after all I'll be in Bulgaria when not here in the UK.
So that's me for the next few days "getting rid of the things that tie me down " and eat space, just for around an hour a day and I know that I'll feel much better in my self.
Happy New Year.
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Mo
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Mo »

Good luck with that.
I find it impossible to part with books. The one's I get from the dance club's charity bring & buy go back as soon as I've read them (and then I accidentally buy them again later), but any that I've had for some time are a different matter. Any attempt to sort or organise them soon finds me sat on the floor rereading (just to make sure)
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
Dorrens daughter
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Dorrens daughter »

I know exactly what you mean Mo, there's nothing more frustrating than searching for a book because you read it years ago and suddenly its on TV I must have got rid of The Handmaidens Tale then spent time trying to find it to re-read with no luck. I taped Vanity Fair then re-read the book (before passing it on to one of my sisters) sat down to watch the programme and was so disappointed with it, watched part of the beginning and the last bit then wiped the lot the book is soooo much better.
I have an entire wall in the flats spare bedroom lined with books and received around £150 in book tokens this Christmas hence I'm only getting rid of the travel books. When we go to Bulgaria we pack mainly books even though we only take hand luggage.

Anyway after today I've thought about New Years Resolutions which will be as follows:
Buy no clothing for the year (even after my initial clear out I've still got far to much).
Learn Bulgarian
Lose weight (I lost two stone before my knee replacement operation and some of it has crept back) so its back on the diet for me. )wav(
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Spreckly
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Spreckly »

I am expecting my family to clear my stuff out!
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Mo
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Mo »

)like( {rofwl} Jim's grandma used to say that (with glee) - she made a lot of soft toys and was given loads of reuseable fabric, we filled her spare room with bin bags (and took home pairs of curtains, one just right for the bedroom, several faded velvet which I used as linings).
Yes, my family will have a lot to do.
Dance caller. http://mo-dance-caller.blogspot.co.uk/p/what-i-do.html
Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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wendy
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Re: Clearing out

Post by wendy »

Spreckly wrote:I am expecting my family to clear my stuff out!



{rofwl} Me too.... and Spencer's Stuff. Because I have every single thing of his as well.
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If you can't be a good example........
you will just have to be a horrible warning
fabindia
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Re: Clearing out

Post by fabindia »

Interesting thread this. Clutter is something we all struggle with at some point.

What has been sobering for us is just how little we really need. We left UK nearly 30 months ago with little more than a couple of large suitcases. Even so, we could never say we suffered at all for not having certain 'things'. When we left India a year ago, again we just gave away loads, things like pans, our oven, cups and plates.

On the other hand, we have now acquired a house full of stuff again. Plus I now have all my diving gear out here with me. Goodness knows what I will do with it all if we move again, it is bulky and heavy.

Clearing out and accumulating again are just parts of life's cycle I guess.
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Meanqueen
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Meanqueen »

Bin collection day today. I've put out a small hand held mini hoover type thing, it hasn't worked very well from the start, awful suction. We can put small electricals out with the tins and glass. Don't know why I have held onto it for so long. It's gone now, thank goodness.

ilona
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lancashire lass
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Re: Clearing out

Post by lancashire lass »

fabindia wrote:Clearing out and accumulating again are just parts of life's cycle I guess.


after my mother passed away and I cleared her house, I vowed I would never let my house ever get into the same state .... :oops: If anything, I'd say I've hoarded lots more as I always have "projects" on the go and it is so annoying when you realise you had something and had thrown it away in a declutter and now have to buy it again. Not to mention not finding what I wanted and have had to buy another only for the first one to turn up almost straight away. I also recycle a lot but I know I seem to have more than I actually need.

I spent some of my Christmas break having a bit of a sort out - I'm determined to at least get my landing back again - as I would like to do some painting and decorating this year. You need a practically empty room to do decorating but at the moment all I seem to do is move stuff out and move it back because there's nowhere to put it.

Dorrens daughter wrote:Next I'm going to tackle my huge hoard of t-shirts in a particularly harsh manner


Yes, I seemed to have a collection of those that could have filled a skip - my clothes go from (1) decent to (2) use for mucky jobs (3) keep if they still fit even if they are worse for wear. I was particularly brutal with my hoard of old t-shirts and felt quite liberated afterwards.
Dorrens daughter
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Dorrens daughter »

My Mum died a couple of years ago and I inherited heaven know how many sets of knitting needles (that she had inherited ) as the only knitter out of five daughters so I sorted them out ,took a spare set to Bulgaria then posted the rest on freegle they where gone within an hour.
As I continue my clear out, sisters, charity shops and freegle will gain.
fabindia
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Re: Clearing out

Post by fabindia »

Dorrens daughter wrote:Next I'm going to tackle my huge hoard of t-shirts in a particularly harsh manner, stained? ripped up for cleaning cloths, unlikely to ware again off to my sister then on to the charity shop.


Now old t-shirts was something Mrs Fab was after. She has seen they can be cut into strips and crocheted into new things like rugs, bags, etc. That's a project of hers that hasn't got underway yet.
Michael
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Meanqueen
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Meanqueen »

Great idea, Michael. Don't throw your t shirts away, make a rug. All you need is a piece of canvas or netting, and a crochet hook.

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ilona
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lancashire lass
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Re: Clearing out

Post by lancashire lass »

Meanqueen wrote:Great idea, Michael. Don't throw your t shirts away, make a rug.
ilona


... neither of you are helping! I already have a hatch hook for making rugs (in school I made a rug so am already familiar with how to do it)

Dorrens daughter wrote:I inherited heaven know how many sets of knitting needles (that she had inherited )


I also have hundreds of knitting needles that my grandma passed on to my mother who already had just as many. I'm not a knitter - every knitting project I ever did, my mother had to "rescue" it (usually by pulling it apart back to where it went wrong and re-threading the needles) I think I've been holding on to the needles for sentimental reasons but it makes a lot of sense to give them to charity as I doubt I'll ever try again.
Dorrens daughter
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Dorrens daughter »

Please don't give me any more ideas for old t-shirts, I'd already considered tearing them into strips and knitting a rug, and saw an article a few years ago on how to turn them into shopping bags, i.e tie a knot at the bottom cut off the sleeves and turn it inside out, you may have to cut the neck binding off as well depending on the style.
I'm thankful for the knitting needles passed on to me and by letting some go I trust that a new knitter will be grateful for them as well.
Happy New Year.
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Spreckly
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Re: Clearing out

Post by Spreckly »

When we did car boots for our village church extension fund, I put a load of knitting needles out. My Mother and I both knitted, and I had duplicates. Some were pretty coloured plastic sets - Ilona, you would have made something from them, I'm sure. I had some large sized wooden ones, and a man bought these to use as ships masts for a model he was making. The coloured ones sold like hot cakes. Surprisingly I also got rid of several embroidery transfers.

I have had a mini sort out of CD's, gone to the charity shop I frequent. My old jumpers I wear under newer ones in the colder months. T shirts go as cleaning cloths and OH uses them in his workshop.

But the bulk will face my sons one day.... and I hope they deal sensitively with it!
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