Decluttering around the house

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DarthKermit

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#239775 3-Aug-2018 13:36

Over time we've been systematically going through everything in our house and trying to declutter, reduce and eliminate unwanted, unneeded items.

Also if we have say two or three of the same item we try to get rid of the excess ones.

It's amazing just how much junk we've accumulate over the years. It feels great to eliminate things that are just taking up space.

What are some examples of your own decluttering and the kinds of items you've eliminated from your house?

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#2067461 3-Aug-2018 13:40

recently moved places and took only about 20% possessions to new place. great feeling.

we regularly donate cloths to recycle bins at supermarkets.

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MikeAqua

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#2067479 3-Aug-2018 14:38

Living in a little apartment teaches you to be minimalist and a cunning storer (or is that storist).

Mike

eracode

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#2067489 3-Aug-2018 14:52

Moving house is a great decluttering and cathartic exercise. We moved 3+ years ago to a brand-new house and live in a slightly minimalist (but very comfortable) style. I find it really liberating.

I tend to measure book ownership by the metre. I know many will be appalled but we deliberately took a very stringent approach to books and went from about 20 m to 1 m. Did the same thing with clothes and shoes.

We did away with a large 7.1 HT system with receiver and big brown speakers and (again, some may be horrified, esp. @Dunnersfella) in two separate rooms we now have unobtrusive wireless Sonos soundbars, surrounds and subs which handle TV audio and streamed music. We have no CDs or DVDs and no means to play them - unless you count the PS4.

We also got rid of piles of crap stored in the garage and cupboards etc - esp. kitchen stuff. I think it’s a well-known fact that the amount of crap stashed expands to fill up the available storage space.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

MikeAqua

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#2067495 3-Aug-2018 15:08

For kitchen de-cluttering, I'm a big fan of Joseph Joseph products (juts make sure you never pay full price for them).

They specialise in nesting sets of kitchen equipment - bowls, storage containers, utensils etc.

There stuff saves lots and lots of space. Simple but clever and functional design.

Mike

rayonline

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#2067497 3-Aug-2018 15:10

We are struggling get part our 2x CRT TVs. So hard to get rid of them.

When we moved here, I took up the smaller room. I don't have much stuff. Well some clothes that still fit me that were bought 20yrs ago from abroad. Then, it's not much. My dSLR was upgraded after 10yrs to the first one. When I am away on travel, I can live with just my carry on, I don't use checked luggage and it's been my preferred away, just do laundry more often. I have also got rid of many printed out stuff like info, webpage prints, brochures etc .. I have kept info packs I have picked up from travels but have never got thru them again but those stuff only fit into 1.5 Foolscap storage "box". Have stopped buying books and just used the library and never been a DVD person after watching it once.

We have got rid of various PCs, I still use one for my photography hobby that is about it. Most people here just use laptops and a tablet. My 20yr old MiniDisc stereo doesn't seem to break.

tdgeek

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#2067499 3-Aug-2018 15:15

I need to do that while the wife is away. I will be ruthless, if I'm not going to use it in 6 months its binned or given away. No more, "that might come in handy"

DarthKermit

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#2067527 3-Aug-2018 15:33

I still need to do more, such as going through my off cuts of wood and cull out pieces that will likely never be used.

I recently went through my box of odd nails and scrapped any that were rusty or bent. I tend to be a pack rat and pick up loose nails and screws, etc when I'm out for a walk.

We have a couple of old routers in the garage that need culling.

We also reduced our book collection by about 20 books recently. It all helps.

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rayonline

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#2067545 3-Aug-2018 15:44

DarthKermit:

We have a couple of old routers in the garage that need culling.

Many councils landfill have a IT department where they take electronics for free recycling. Flat screen panel TVs are often $10 though. We got rid of a number of routers and phones that way and computer parts. Stopped buying routers now since ISP just give them away.

bmt

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#2068075 4-Aug-2018 19:06

I've done 5S at work and recently moved so it's been very helpful. Got in a 7.5m3 skip bin to assist and then only need a few car trips to transport what little I was taking.

The kitchen is a really big one when it comes to decluttering. Went and bought a new cutlery set (4 of each thing) since there's only 2 of us but will probably get another. At my last place we had accumulated so many odd forks and spoons etc!

Mark

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#2068087 4-Aug-2018 19:42

We are in the process of moving, so the family have been shipped off ahead to live in the caravan leaving me free to "de-clutter" and get the house ready for selling ... it's been awesome! no one to argue if I pick up an object and say out loud "I think I'll throw this away!" :-)

Facebook has also been great for just listing random junk and having people come and take it away.

Geektastic

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#2068110 4-Aug-2018 21:28

Can't say it's happened. We have a large house occupied by two people so there's plenty of spare rooms for stuff!

The only place it regularly happens would be stuff in the fridge.

Journeyman

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#2068114 4-Aug-2018 21:52

rayonline:

We are struggling get part our 2x CRT TVs. So hard to get rid of them.

Why is it hard to get rid of CRTs? No inorganic or e-waste collections?

rayonline

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#2068129 4-Aug-2018 22:54

Journeyman:
rayonline:

We are struggling get part our 2x CRT TVs. So hard to get rid of them.

Why is it hard to get rid of CRTs? No inorganic or e-waste collections?

$25 disposal fee at landfills. Even flat panel Tvs costs $10.

Was able to sell on trademe for $1.

antonknee

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#2068137 4-Aug-2018 23:27

I love decluttering...

Honestly I came to the conclusion most stuff I had wasn't being used. Now everything in my life needs to be beautiful, useful or joyful - otherwise I sell it or donate it. More specifically for useful, if I haven't used it in the last 3 months and I don't think I will in the next 3 then out it goes.

I try to keep the amount of stuff I buy to a minimum (which has two great side benefits of saving me money and being good for the planet).

Less stuff to clean and tidy, don't have to worry about it, can pack my life up and move it around tomorrow if I had too.

rayonline

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#2068245 5-Aug-2018 14:10

To me it is the waste of money buying all these stuff. Even a large house for that matter, when we moved here I picked the smallest room. The writing was on the wall also in the late 1990s we had MP3 and VCDs before we got DVDs so computers was the way already back then. If one is into gaming or other processing yes a desktop computer is useful, for most people out there most them them just stick to tablets and laptops and can do without stereos.

Even a car for that matter. Some use public transportation to work and just the odd weekend with the car. A car cost around $1,500 for a year that is insurance, regro, wof, on a PA basis re: tyres and other servicing and maintenance + $1k for the purchase cost (on a PA basis ie a modest $10k car to be used for 10yrs for eg). A lot of places overseas having a car can be optional.

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