# Aonyone else major decluttering before winter?



## MidwestGal (Nov 5, 2010)

I have one black garbage bag of garbage. About a dozen for Salvation Army. Anyone else decluttering? :nanner:


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

Today I started looking around..started taking some things out of my kitchen. Chalkware I have had on the walls..gone..cute but..tired of dusting them. Guess I'm getting old and lazy... ​


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## kpcntryrds (Apr 21, 2013)

I'm decluttering and organizing. I homeschooled my kids until this year (they're in 10th and 7th grades) and I'm going through the schoolroom and getting rid of a lot of stuff. It feels good to make the decision to get rid of stuff, and it will feel great to get it out of my house! Once that's done, the schoolroom will be converted into my sewing room. I can't wait to get back into quilting again!


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## BanTam (May 11, 2013)

I plan on getting all of my de-cluttering done by then end of the month. It's a great way to start the Holiday Season!

Does anyone have a good way to store plastic bowls and lids? Right now, I stack the bowls together and put all of the lids in a larger container. It works but it gets messy when the "bowl of lids" tumps over and the stacked bowls just get thrown into the cabinet instead of stacked.

There are only the two of us, but it's amazing how much we collect...I love a good thrift store.


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## KnowOneSpecial (Sep 12, 2010)

It was about a year ago that DH got diagnosed with prostate cancer at the young age of 45. That made us look around and decide we have too much JUNK. Since then I've gone through the eaves and gave away about 8 large white bags of clothes and donated about 15 more. I also threw out about 5 of them filled with clothes that were ripped, stained or ugly. We've also done the basement-and need to go through it again. The second time won't be as harsh as the majority of the junk is gone. We've also gone through the garage. Gave away an old chest freezer that still works to a friends Dad who is a vet and needed some place to put dead dogs until they could get disposed of. Nothing like an old rusty freezer for that job! It got it out of our garage and he got a good deal-free! Once my brother picks up Grandma's buffet, china hutch and chairs we'll be able to full park two vans in the garage again! 

Next week I'm going through the clothes in the eaves again as it's a change in season and there's a ton of stuff to put away. 

Feels good to get it cleaned up and not do that special "Trot around the Junk" every time I want to do down a hallway.


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## Chief Cook (Apr 24, 2011)

Just got through with the living room today! Next is the back bed room. I do kinda dread that room. When I get all the "stuff" out of there I will be turning it into MY sewing room. I have been waiting for quite awhile for a space for my sewing and now I am just gonna TAKE it. LOL It does feel good to get rid of things that are just taking up space. Like knick knacks, some days I wonder why do I keep things like that? I didn't pick it, someone else saw it and sent it my way. So there it sits, staring at me, daring me to pick it up and send it to the "box". Sorry, I gotta go, I gotta take care of this, right now!!!


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## defenestrate (Aug 23, 2005)

Since we are moving shortly, definitelly.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I've been trying to get rid of the junk in this house for years! Only problem is, the rest of the family keeps bringing it in. But, I'm making progress. My goal is to have it all done by the end of the year at the latest.


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## housewife (Mar 16, 2006)

BanTam said:


> I plan on getting all of my de-cluttering done by then end of the month. It's a great way to start the Holiday Season!
> 
> Does anyone have a good way to store plastic bowls and lids? Right now, I stack the bowls together and put all of the lids in a larger container. It works but it gets messy when the "bowl of lids" tumps over and the stacked bowls just get thrown into the cabinet instead of stacked.
> 
> There are only the two of us, but it's amazing how much we collect...I love a good thrift store.


My plastic bowls are stacked in a lower cupboard. We use a bowl with out lid often. The lids are in an upper cupboard... now running for the camera as it's easier to show then tell. 

Hopefully you can see the smaller lids are in a TupperWare lid holder. Amazing what you find in thrift stores!! Then the others are just to the right. I have a lid that is too big for that cupboard so it lives in with the cookie sheets. We have dividers in a lower cupboard to keep them all straight.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I started fall cleaning and de-cluttering mode yesterday.  So far, all that is completely done is the master bedroom but it's start. 

Today I'm tackling a bookcase that hasn't been touched in five years and the then the hallway where it sits.


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

Yep, already made one big haul to goodwill and am working on getting another one together. As soon as I go through the kids winter clothes I am sure that I will have another one since they have more clothes than they can wear. House is much more manageable. Also I have packed up the family heirlooms that I don't want to dust anymore for the girl's when they get their own houses in the future. That way they are available for the children but I no longer have to dust them. I used to love those things but now I am just tired and don't want to spend all that time doing housework anymore.


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## Gretchen Ann (Aug 30, 2010)

Sometimes I need to reduce what I've already reduced.

A year ago in March 2012, I cleaned out my kitchen cupboards. Really cleaned them out. I donated boxes of stuff to the Depot. This spring I reduced again. If I hadn't used it in the last year, out it went. 

Sometimes, just for a good feeling, I open my cupboards and gaze upon them. I still get a tingly feeling at how decluttered they look. It does help a lot that we no longer have children at home.

I did allow my children to go through the boxes before I carried them out. If they wanted something, they could have it, but it needed to leave the house. I have also boxed up the "family heirlooms" for the kids. I made sure I wrote on the box who it was for and what it was and who it was handed down from. They thanked me for that.

Now I'm working on keeping counters & tables uncluttered. 

We are still storing furniture for some of the children. When that is gone, it will really be roomy here. I don't like my house to look like a furniture store.


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## donnam (Sep 27, 2005)

I've been working on this for a month and the change is great. The house is much more manageable and easier to take care of. I started in the attic and worked my way to the basement, which I did this am. I am on my way to recycling and the local thrift shop to donate a truckload. It feels so good to be free of the stuff.


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## ronron (Feb 4, 2009)

I guess I am more of a declutter that an organizer I was just reading a blog on organization she had all matching clear tubbys for her stuff I have a variety of them in every color and size under the sun with the exception of the Christmas stuff if its in a tubby as good as gone around here.. She had rows of nicely hung black slacks in her closet.. I have one pair I call them my funeral slacks...She has a bill center the latest one from the container store I have my Google calendar and auto pay it pops up with all the info on the bill including phone number to call and pay it... I have no bills that I have to mail in everyone takes debit by phone.. At this time I am down to keeping my sewing and food storage under control... I am a drawer emptier, paper shredder, clothing tosser, declutteing machine...


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## Barracuda (Sep 17, 2013)

We have been doing some major decluttering around here. We just reorganized the basement so my son and I have somewhere to play this winter. My computer room has also been moved to the basement to make way for baby number two's room.


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## Leister Square (Feb 7, 2010)

I have had great success storing lids in a regular cardboard shoe box for years.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

January is my big 'declutter month'.
Maybe cabin fever is what drives me.....
Right now I am trying (sorta) to organize a space in the basement for my pantry, seed drying, dehydrating, etc. stuff.


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## doozie (May 21, 2005)

Yes, I am still.....working on my giant remove the clutter project. I really don't know where the remaining stuff fits into my life,and I have yet another load to drop off at the Goodwill today.
I am now to the point of going through the living area and kitchen stuff. I am also doing the not used in a year, or duplicate item, out it goes.

I have emptied the basement of my so very important that it sat in the basement for years,neatly packed and stacked,but never used items. When i looked at it all that way it was an eyeopener!

Ironically, I fond a little book, How to Simplify Your Life, no, never read it either,had to laugh at myself for picking it up somewhere and bringing it home,and it is outta here too.

This has been a long slow process for me,but I think not being rushed into decisions of what stays or goes has given me the power to finally let go of the things once and for all.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

Yeah, but every month I donate to DAV like clockwork..it keeps things reasonable. Lately there's been a lot of clothing drives..coats for kids, things like that.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

I spent the afternoon going thru a box that hubby had filled w/papers. I didn't expect it to take that long. But it wasn't stuff that I could just toss. It had things like SS numbers, credit card numbers, etc. That's the 2nd box like that I did this week! If hubby would just get rid of the stuff when he's done w/it, it would have made my life that much easier! Some of this stuff dated back to 2005!


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## Pat-wcWI (Oct 28, 2012)

I started doing a major decluttering about a month or more ago. We are packrats and stuff keeps piling up. Goodwill has gotten a few boxes of misc. stuff already and I have a big box filling for a clothing drive at church in the spring,
Next May I plan to have a thrift sale.....my first ever!
We had a dumpster for awhile which we filled and now have a large garbage can which we look for stuff to fill it with every pick up.
I am so sick of the junk we don't need or use that just takes up space.


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

I like reading all the posts and it motivates me. I took a big box to ARC this week and I am going to tackle the closet next. I really don't need to keep so many clothes b/c I am retired. Jeans & a nice shirt is all I need!


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## paradox (Nov 19, 2012)

I have dragged some 5 gallon buckets into my closet preparing to fill them up with summer stuff and put them out in the shed so that I can bring in and hang up the winter stuff. It's really kind of a zero sum game though. Maybe I will cull some stuff as I pack


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

I just got done doing some "spring" cleaning headed into winter. Basically I pick a room and take everything out that is definite clutter. Throw it in a laundry basket then start at the ceiling then the walls then windows then dusting and finally vacuuming. Then I take a look and see if my decor is clutter itself. If I decide to take something out of a room I usually don't keep it. Unless its sentimental ( which I don't really get with stuff) I hate storing things in boxes. If I haven't used it or thought about using it in the last few months I get rid of it. Usually give it away. After I'm done with the whole house I go through that clutter basket and deal with that. 


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

I donated all my old Cosmo magazines to the VA clinic the other day. That'll get the Vets' hearts racing.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I decided about a month ago that I needed to get my possessions reduced down so it will all fit into a one bedroom apartment. No planning a move real soon, but the writing is on the walls that I'm heading for senior apartments in the next couple of years. So my goal has been to take at least two boxes a week to the humane society thrift store. I've done that except this week. But the house is still cluttered.... <sigh>


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

I do Spring and Fall clean out. Never really organize anything, this house has zero storage and DH is too cheap to buy shelving that we really need.


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## Sumer (May 24, 2003)

I keep de-cluttering and still I have way too much junk. 
I am a piler. I have piles to go to the Salvation Army. Piles to go to this kid and that kid. Piles to sort thru and piles to put away - shred - stash - condense....
I do think I have made a huge dent in the last year though. I been working on the attic. But I keep inheriting things so it&#8217;s about even. 
Right now I have my entertainment center in my hallway and a desk in the driveway. They are my next get rid of / do something with them items.


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## FarmChix (Mar 3, 2013)

defenestrate said:


> Since we are moving shortly, definitelly.


Us, too. I think I am going to have to put some things on craigslist. I have to get rid of a treadle (I have more than one), an air hockey table, a foosball table, a generator....we just have too much to move this time. We have six adult children, and it is amazing how much we have accummulated!


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## housewife (Mar 16, 2006)

Sumer said:


> I keep de-cluttering and still I have way too much junk.
> I am a piler. I have piles to go to the Salvation Army. Piles to go to this kid and that kid. Piles to sort thru and piles to put away - shred - stash - condense....
> I do think I have made a huge dent in the last year though. I been working on the attic. But I keep inheriting things so itâs about even.
> Right now I have my entertainment center in my hallway and a desk in the driveway. They are my next get rid of / do something with them items.


I'm a piler too! My family keeps knocking into piles then I have to start all over!! :grumble: It seems the more I de-clutter the more I find!! As soon as I organize one area or clear out a spot someone fills it. A friend gave us 30lbs of coffee and a case of chocolate :bouncy: so it's not like I can complain about that but I had just found that spot! 

Of cource my parents stopped by for there yearly visit/inspection. I failed... Would rather have free chocolate than a pass :hysterical: Besides a pass is impossible... We don't think alike. 

I have 4 boxes in the truck and a few bags so off to the Salvation Army and the SPCA to empty it... I just have to remember to stay on target!!! Don't go into the store and DO NOT LOOK AT ANIMALS... shot better take DH. Sure hope no one notices the sewing machine in the Jeep... It followed me home... honest


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## unregistered358895 (Jul 15, 2013)

Every couple of weeks we have been picking an area of the house to sort through, and we are mounding a pile of boxes of things to have a yard sale in the spring. Not very sightly, but we'll make some of our $$ back to put into household projects.

This is stemming from a desire to have a simpler life, the concept that our next house will probably be a much smaller dwelling, that we want to move as soon as we find the right property and can get our $$ in order,and... an 18 month old.

Toddlers really make you realize that there's a ton of stuff you'd rather just stop moving up and out of the way. A person can only live with so many sets of shelves.


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## Queen Bee (Apr 7, 2004)

I always Fall clean instead of Spring clean, so yes ... I am work on each room for a week or until ever thing has been decluttered and clean... Kitchen and dining area done.. Living room done except moving the sofa, done! Worked in my pantry last night for 4hrs. It is 12x14 and holds food, paper products, large pots, canners, canning equipment , holiday dishes, china, crystal, a freezer .. Dh and
and when the kids come home the stick every thing in there , that they don't know what to do with! So it quickly becomes a junk room You can't even walk in!


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Well, instead of getting rid of junk, I now have more in my house. But, I can't really complain. My MIL died recently, and we've been working out cleaning out her apartment.


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

If you really want to declutter and keep it that way, move every 3 years. Trust me. 

(Dizzy, I'm sorry for the loss of your mother in law).


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

My barn entry way has become cluttered. I put all of the freezables, in buckets and carried them home, like I do before each winter, where I have now cluttered up my basement shop. Iodine, insecticides, cattle pour-ons, liquid soap, round up, etc. I need a constant clutter coach.


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## dizzy (Jun 25, 2013)

Less-is-more said:


> If you really want to declutter and keep it that way, move every 3 years. Trust me.
> 
> (Dizzy, I'm sorry for the loss of your mother in law).


Thanks. She had cancer and was in pain, so knowing she's at peace helps.


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## housewife (Mar 16, 2006)

Dizzy sorry to hear about you MIL.


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

Yes, working to declutter here too!
I've been working on it for the past several months and I've taken off LOTS of stuff. I'm not just decluttering, I'm trying to downsize. I have a lot of stuff I never use or just don't need anymore. 

Like others of you, I'm tired of dusting and cleaning "stuff". I don't have the time or the want to anymore. I've given a lot of stuff away. I give clothes to my daughter and her friend, if they want them, if not I donate them. 
There's a family shelter in town I donate things to all the time - especially kids clothes, coats and shoes that are in good shape. They also take toys, baby furniture and household items, since they take in families who've lost their homes and belongings for one reason or another. It makes me feel like I'm helping people out if I can share what I have.

I keep a couple of boxes in the house and toss stuff in them when I'm cleaning. One I keep in the extra bedroom and the other I keep by the coat closet in the livingroom. Then when they get full, I toss them in the car and donate them on my way to work or during my lunch hour.

My nemesis is paperwork. I try to toss things as they come in the mail, but too often it piles up on me, because it's receipts for tax purposes. So, I got an expandable file and designated the tabs by year and started tossing the stuff next to that and then sorting and filing it when I have time. 
I laughingly told my Aunt I think the paperwork breeds while I'm sleeping. LOL!!


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## mcsleg (Feb 24, 2013)

this is a great thread. A friend of my mother's new years resolution was to get rid/donate one thing everyday. I've started late but am doing quite well at this. I also clean one shelf or drawer or cupboard per day. now if I could just get my husband to stop buying hang bringing stuff home. 


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## dixiegal62 (Aug 18, 2007)

Didn't do much before winter but started early spring cleaning/de-cluttering last month at a slow pace. I've added a few of fly lady's practices into my routine by tossing at least 27 things away each week. 

I'm getting to the age where I'm tired of the constant cleaning and picking up so I'm getting rid of useless junk...

if I only pick it up once a week to dust it and never notice it any other time its gone. If it's something that brings me joy I keep it and put it in a place of honor instead it being lost in the clutter. If I'm picking it up ever other day because someone else is always leaving it out, it's gone. If I haven't used it in 6 months ( unless it's seasonal ) it's gone. Nothing is kept to be sold later, because I never get around to it anyway. A lot of it is getting donated to my sister in law who is going through some hard times and she's selling it, which makes me happier then it collecting dust in our basement waiting for me to never getting around to a yard sale.

I'm enjoying the process very much. Things I loved and only held on to but never used are now being used daily instead of being saved for special occasions. I enjoy this the most in our kitchen! 

I work on 1 room a week and the rest of the house just gets the daily pick up. Some weeks I'm too busy to deep clean anything but hopefully will be done by spring and enjoying my new found freedom from clutter!


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## unregistered358967 (Jul 17, 2013)

It is very freeing, isn't it? Plus think of the joy someone else will get out of it.


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## Sumer (May 24, 2003)

I like this thread. Makes me feel so not alone :gaptooth:

I mostly have only weekends to do stuff because of work. Yesterday I did a deep clean to my bathroom. De-cluttered the cabinets and cubbys. I found enough moisturizer to get the wrinkles out of an elephant.
Pitched an overflowing bucket of stuff I no longer need or want. 
I have a box that is marked - stuff I don't want any more - I added to that. When it gets full its GONE!

Still working on the living room. I just got new carpeting in there so everything had to go out of that room. Only stuff I really need, love, want, or use is going back.

The back room is totally trashed! :runforhills: Again trashed since I had it pretty much cleared out like twice in the last couple years. But life throws curves and I seem to get more stuff to store for others and now its filled with living room stuff on top of everything else.


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

Sumer said:


> I like this thread. Makes me feel so not alone :gaptooth:
> 
> I mostly have only weekends to do stuff because of work. Yesterday I did a deep clean to my bathroom. De-cluttered the cabinets and cubbys. I found enough moisturizer to get the wrinkles out of an elephant.


That's hilarious, thanks for the laugh Sumer!! :hysterical:
Me too! 

DD and I were talking about this yesterday. 2014 is THE year to get decluttered and organized. That's my goal. 
I'm going through my cabinets again. I realized last week I do NOT have to keep all those coffee cups that came with my dinner ware when we got married. I have a full set and we never use them. We have our favorite mugs and I have a set of china with cups we can use for large family dinners, if needed. I'm going to box up the cups and several glasses and donate them to Food & Shelter for Friends. Hopefully some needy family can use them.

I ended up with more of my Mom's stuff, after she passed away last in December. I donated her clothes to the Nursing home, the rest were pictures and things I plan to put in albums and hang up. I'm going to make some memory/shadow boxes for favorite family things items and use photos in those too. That way I can hang things on the walls in different rooms and actually see them, instead of having them stashed in a box in the closet.

We have a piano that belongs to DH, his parents gave it to us when they moved to Texas several years back. DH never plays it anymore. We talked about selling it, but DD mentioned yesterday she wanted to buy one and start the girls taking piano lessons. I told her not to buy one, she can have ours! Yay!!! Now it will get used and I won't have to dust it any longer (not that it got dusted often anyway. LOL!).

Slowly but surely I WILL get this place clean and organized. I'm determined!


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## Delion (Dec 6, 2013)

This represents about 25 years of clutter we had accumulating around the homestead!


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## housewife (Mar 16, 2006)

Delion I couldn't do it that way... 


Box 19 for the anual book sale has been packed box 20 half full. Still have too much stuff but it took years to this bad so I guess it will take time to go through it all.


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## Delion (Dec 6, 2013)

housewife said:


> Delion I couldn't do it that way...
> 
> 
> I neglected to say that was clutter OUTSIDE! It's going to take a different kind of courage to tackle the 25 years of cargo we've accumulated in our living space to get things loosened up!
> ...


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## housewife (Mar 16, 2006)

Delion said:


> housewife said:
> 
> 
> > Delion I couldn't do it that way...
> ...


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## Delion (Dec 6, 2013)

Courage everyone! There comes a time and when it does, don't look back! 

With all this good encouragement It's done! :sing: 

I tackled years and years of personal paperwork -- cards, old letters, kid's artwork from school, clippings, odds and ends. It's all GONE! GONE! GONE!! 

There are a couple boxes of real sentimental stuff . . . but just the thought that the family won't have to go through all this, someday, cheers me up! It's like I've given them gift!


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

Delion said:


> Courage everyone! There comes a time and when it does, don't look back!
> 
> With all this good encouragement It's done! :sing:
> 
> ...


GOOD JOB!!!!! :goodjob:

I'm so happy for you! That's awesome!

I'm still working on mine. I started two more boxes inside the house. 
We need to tackle the stuff outside and burn a big pile of it. I've been thinking about that this week. We have two large brush piles, but we need to brush hog the pasture and part of the yard before we burn stuff. I'm going to work on that in March. We need some rain before we can burn anything.

I finally got two closets mostly cleared out. I still work full-time during the day, so all this has to be done in the evenings and on the weekends. The only way I can stay motivated, is if I give myself a weekend off occasionally. 

Progress!


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## Delion (Dec 6, 2013)

Vickie: 
I advise caution and care when burning. 

We just finished burning bags stuffed with paperwork and old books, piled on top of a dry brush pile. Those old books coming apart in the fire, and the updraft lifted blazing pages high up in the air, where the wind caught them and blew them toward our house! 

Thankfully we have deep snow and it was cold, so the pages turned to carbon before they hit the ground. 

If it had been dry and warmer it might have been a really bad move on our part. So be careful when it comes to making a big fire.


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## OUVickie (Mar 8, 2003)

Delion said:


> Vickie:
> I advise caution and care when burning.
> We just finished burning bags stuffed with paperwork and old books, piled on top of a dry brush pile. Those old books coming apart in the fire, and the updraft lifted blazing pages high up in the air, where the wind caught them and blew them toward our house!
> Thankfully we have deep snow and it was cold, so the pages turned to carbon before they hit the ground.
> If it had been dry and warmer it might have been a really bad move on our part. So be careful when it comes to making a big fire.


Oh my, Delion - I'm glad nothing else caught on fire! That's a good warning to anyone burning brush piles and such.

I take all my books & magazines and donate them to the Friends of the Library organization for their annual sale, but I'm sure even newspaper or anything light enough would do the same thing.

We won't be burning anything until we get a good Spring rain and then only after our pasture has been brush hogged good. We have too many cedar trees around our area to burn when it's dry with any kind of wind - just too risky.


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## Delion (Dec 6, 2013)

We do lots of spring burning, because there's danger of wild fires in our neck of the woods, once the snow melts. By burning a fire-guard around our yard site, as soon as it's humanly possible to burn (when there is still snow in the bush) has been our insurance policy. 

I actually don't like fire, but it's worse when you have no control over what's coming at you. It's something we just have to deal with, but always one has to be so careful what they do, once they drop that match.

Wishing all of us safety. My mother used to drill into us kids: "Fire is your best friend and worst enemy"


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