Decluttering

My mum's friend gave up his job, and set up as a handyman having realised just how many people needed help.

He was really good, reasonably priced, and snowed under with work, but the busier he got, the higher his charges became, and the less neat his work.

He is still running his handyman business, but is now unwilling to do little jobs, and is blooming expensive.

I'm "doing" one if my wardrobe shelves.
It's big, though, so have had to come and rest for a bit.

I went to put a sweatshirt on last week, and found that where it's been on a hanger, I've got two huge lumps on my shoulders.

I doubt I'll be able to get rid of them, so they'll be in the bin.

I cant get to a recycling place, and I'm not prepared to be buried by a sea of stuff, much as it grieves me.

I've had to accept and adapt loads since I've not been well, so this is just something else I'll have to change.

Crossfan: Can you move in please? Recently moved and discovered a whole dressing table full of size 1 babygros and cot sheets! My children are in their forties!! They won't fit.

You could cut the feet out?

MissAdventure

My mum's friend gave up his job, and set up as a handyman having realised just how many people needed help.

He was really good, reasonably priced, and snowed under with work, but the busier he got, the higher his charges became, and the less neat his work.

He is still running his handyman business, but is now unwilling to do little jobs, and is blooming expensive.

I think that’s what’s happened with mine.

I suppose we've got to catch them when they're young, before they realise how in demand their services are.

I've tidied out the big self in the wardrobe now.
I can't say I decluttered because I put everything back in there, but that leaves 3 rails of stuff that will need serious work done.
Long sleeve, short sleeve, thick, thin.

I can't seem to work out a system of what should go where these days.

Shelf, not self... although I am a big self.

Well, the trip to the nearby town was very informative. I can take old batteries and plastic bags ( even crisp packets) to Tescos. Old reading glasses to Boots (I’m very fond of all my old glasses but they really should be helping other people) and the bra shop takes in old bras and sends them to other countries. I’ve never worn some of them but charity shops only take in ones still with their price tags on. I also left the charity shop without buying the Christmassy tin that I wanted to add to my huge collection of tins ( I love tins).

Oh well done!!
You've really made huge strides forward.
Its never so bad if you know your stuff is going to do good causes.

I know that bras do such good in places where women don't even own one, and for mastectomy women, who often have no bra to put a prosthesis in. 👏👏👏👏

I really wanted to get up early today to do some work in my much tidier garden but I couldn’t sleep last night and I nodded off after I’d given the dog her breakfast. Partly from worrying about the appointments I had today but also from my brain going over all the things I need to do. I get stressed by things like passwords etc. Want to get them better organised. Insurance company phoned to say they’d ok’d my recent claim I’d spoken to them a couple of times and they were quite unpleasant so I made a complaint about them. However, I have mislaid some pretty important financial paperwork. I used to be so organised with stuff like that .

I'm much the same regarding paperwork, letters, emails.
I feel I've almost become phobic about them.
Any letter takes me all day to open and deal with, and I was never like that.

I start sweating and almost hyperventilating.

How ridiculous!

I can’t throw anything away. I’ve got files going back for years. I’ve just got up to date with this years filing. I wonder if it’s because I used to be a filing clerk and was conditioned to file everything and not throw any of it away?And I’ve just found my ISA book!

I'm just thinking about outing paperwork from my girl's flat.

It's been seven years now, so I guess it can go.

MissAdventure

I'm just thinking about outing paperwork from my girl's flat.

It's been seven years now, so I guess it can go.

Thank you.
It's not as if I'm going to read through it.
Council contracts and rent statements aren't exactly frothy and fun.
Tomorrow, maybe.

Took two pictures to a framers today: one I’ve had for about 20 years but never got round to framing it. Mind you, there was a customer in the shop who hadn’t been in it for 25 years. I haven’t been there since before the pandemic. But I had an email from TalkTalk to say my contract needed renewing so I’m stressed about what to do. Cleared up part of the garden that the men had removed stuff from the other day. That was very satisfying. Thinking about burning all of the paperwork about my previous cats and dogs. It’s of no interest to anyone else and it makes me sad looking at it and remembering them. I’ll cry a lot if I do it but it might be symbolic.

I looked at the bottom part of the cupboard of doom, today.
It's really nasty in there,

I must sort it out, I really must,

It's shameful,

A younger neighbour mentioned being totally paperless yesterday; I did wonder what would happen if the internet ceased to function for whatever reason or even just power strikes.

I think I'd get myself in a real mess, being paperless.
Besides which, I've never been asked or agreed to things being emailed to me, or sent as pdfs.

I strongly resent being coerced ino it.

A few years ago I was at my daughters and there was a power cut. But we didn’t know who to phone to find out what was happening as her husband had thrown out all of the phone books because, with having the internet, he thought they weren’t necessary. And recently, when we were without power due to Storm Alma I wished I had my battery powered radio with me ( at Curry’s the next day people were trying to buy them). I’m never going to rely totally on internet stuff! Future historians will really struggle imo. No original source material. No photos.

MissAdventure

I think I'd get myself in a real mess, being paperless.
Besides which, I've never been asked or agreed to things being emailed to me, or sent as pdfs.

I strongly resent being coerced ino it.

I got rid of some very old papers from when I was working very many years ago and wish I hadn't, as I'm sure there's a small lost pension somewhere.

These things are obviously personal choice, but I much prefer to keep things digitally. I have a folder marked Finance, with all my banking in it. I take photos of letters about health, and have signed up for digital correspondence, and that is all stored in another folder. I have one marked 'house' for things like insurances, receipts and guarantees and so on - originals if they came digitally, and photographs if not.

If my computer were lost or stolen everything is on the Cloud, so I think it's a lot safer there than on random bits of paper, and I can find everything with a click or two. I wouldn't go back to filing things and having to spend ages looking for them unless I really had to.

I have all the contents of the cupboard of doom out.
That includes 2 mouse bait things, which have leaked everywhere, gravy boats (do I really need them?)
Saucepans, lids, and assorted, lidless tupperware items.

I've had to come for a rest now.

Numerous rest breaks later, some of the holes have been filled, only some, because it's a jumbled up mess in there, with bits of hardboard over walls with holes, and all kinds of horrors.

I now need to paint parts of it, and clean paint off other parts.

I know it's a tedious read, but I havebto keep motivated, and writing it down helps.

Same here. I find writing it down really helps and knowing that someone else is in the same boat is reassuring! I do need something to motivate me as it’s so overwhelming.