Six on Sunday - Week 20

Back up into the attic for me, clearing out some larger items.  At this rate, we may have nothing stored in the attic soon!

Old stereo system, light fixture that came with the house (now replaced), books from a computer we haven't had for years - 88 pounds

Susan pulled some hardbacks from one of our many bookcases, as well as a box of puzzles we may never have managed to solve (if we ever tried to).

Five books (mostly memoirs), a box of puzzles - 9.5 pounds

Books are one thing that we have a lot of, many of which we can probably stand to let go.  It will take quite a while, six at a time, for us to get down to just the books we can't bear to part with!

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 19

Today is Leftover Sunday: leftovers from previous Six on Sunday culls make up this week's submission.  

We have eight prehistoric textbooks from two weeks ago.

Old, old textbooks - 15 pounds

And four items from the pantry reorganization of last week.

Coffee pot, bread slicer, mini-fridge parts, freebie lunch bag - 4.75 pounds

I'll take the textbooks to the used book store and see what I can get for them.  The pantry items will go to Goodwill; maybe somebody needs a lunch bag, or a replacement coffepot.

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 18

This weekend, we turned our focus to our pantry, which had gotten terribly disorganized.  We neglected to take a "before" picture, but we did take a snap of the stuff we decided to throw away or empty out.

Pantry Items to remove (utensils not included) - weight not recorded

We are keeping the utensils in this picture, but all the boxes, cans, and contents must go! There are probably a month's worth of Six on Sunday items here, but we'll just count them as a day's worth.

We also neglected to capture a weight for these items, but it was heavy enough to split a lawn-and-leaf trash bag!  We had to quickly get a second bag around it to keep it from spilling everything onto the kitchen floor. And get out the vacuum cleaner to clean up what did.

After pulling out all the items on a shelf (keepers and trashers), we cleaned off the shelf, then took some thought as to how to restore the keepers in an organized fashion.

After Picture - a lot tidier

We still need to pull out the stuff on the floor of the pantry, sweep it out, and restore it after a thoughtful sorting.

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 17

Back up in the attic again, another box of old computer books for review.

7 really old textbooks, 4 old reference manuals, 1 stack of old organizer pages - 28 pounds

A lot of these books are computer textbooks from when I was in college (back in the Dark Ages). The rest are Apple Macintosh books, which would make them "only" 20 years old or so.

Also in the box was a bag of old personal organizer pages, again from 20 years ago.  Why I've kept them, I have no earthly idea; by this time, all of the information on them is very likely to be obsolete. Certainly I don't need my to-do lists from two decades ago! I guess it's a case of "out of sight, out of mind"; once it's tucked away in a box in the attic, don't give it another thought.

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 16

I went up into the attic for Six on Sunday this week, to look through some racks of old clothing we had put up there years ago. Essentially all of the clothing up there was Susan's, so I brought some down, and she picked the items to let go of. 

Two coats, a suit, a dress, pair of slacks (w/ belt) and a sweater - 9 pounds

Since there weren't enough of my items to discard, I also pulled down a box of old computer stuff.  Some of the disks were for my old Apple IIe, which must make them nearly 30 years old!  Even if I still had a working 5.25-inch floppy drive, the information on them has probably long since been randomized by the heat of the attic.

Pair of sweatpants, manuals and disks from Apple IIe and Macintosh computers,
two different printers and at least 3 old games - 9.5 pounds

And, as a bonus, I also get to throw away an old, decrepit box!

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 15

While visiting Grandma this weekend, we decided to do a Six on Sunday at Dad's house instead of ours. After a couple of false starts (big boxes of stuff that needed too much review time), we settled on a small box of items.

Small Box Contents

From this collection, we decided to sell nine things:

Airline fan, eyeglass repair kit, memorial coin, playing card holder, solar calculator, glass stopper,
earring, cross, hiking patch and pin collection - 0.5 pounds

And to discard another six things (1.0 pounds):

Silk Flower, Membership Cards, Chinese Shoe Polisher

Backpack Pole Caps, Projector Foot Pads

Old ID badges

The rest we can put to use ourselves.

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 14

Larry is in Oregon for a few days, visiting his sister's family and his father, but before he left, he got the old washing machine tub ready for disposal.  This tub has been sitting in our backyard ever since we got a replacement tub... several years ago.

Washing Machine Tub - 4.25 pounds

Larry gets it down to almost nothing in size.

Broken Down for Disposal

Since Larry had to do so much work on the tub, I selected five additional items from my extensive cookbook collection for him to use as his weekly purge.  I used to belong to a cookbook club. Sometimes cookbooks just arrived, you know?  I did not even realize I had duplicates of two of them.

11.25 lbs

Man, those cookbooks are heavy!

I will never reread these Jan Kaon hardbacks.  I enjoyed all her books up until In the Company of Others, which I did not care for at all, so I decided to get rid of all the hardbacks.  I am sure someone else will enjoy them.  The first half dozen or so books in the "Mitford" series are really excellent; I have them in paperback.

8.5 lbs

Larry left with the camera card in his computer, so you will be seeing pictures from my phone until he gets back.

Six on Sunday - Week 13

We have made it to Week 13! A whole quarter of a year, pulling out a few items a week that we don't need to keep, and getting them out of the house.  So far our closets have been the main beneficiaries, but other rooms are beginning to benefit as well.

Susan continues to work through the clothes in her closet, looking in a box of older things tucked away. She has now managed to consolidate two boxes of clothes down to one, so that's one less box taking up room in her closet.

Six tops and shorts - 3 pounds

Some of these things were old favorites, and been worn until they were almost worn out.  And one had never been worn, never even had the tags removed! I guess this is one time I bought something for Susan, and she didn't really like it, but it never got returned for a refund.

Larry is cleaning out the cabinets in the master bathroom, and moving on to find things in other rooms as well.

Bag of expired meds, two free totes, old exercise program, old CD player, old pair of socks - 5 pounds

The medications in the bag were all expired, or boxes that were emptied and consolidated with another (who needs a box for 2 band-aids?). The free totes were sent unsolicited by various charities in their requests for donations. We tried the exercise program, but found it to be too vigorous, too hard on our joints. And I rarely wear brown socks; they just don't go with the pants I usually wear - black slacks, or jeans, or shorts.  In fact, the brown loafers that I've had for many years (because I wear them so infrequently they never wore out) have become my painting shoes, just so I can get some use out of them!

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 12

This week we are finishing up with the pet equipment from the coat closet, plus some clothing from a storage box in Susan's closet.

Tops and sweaters, an old electric toothbrush, a dog sweater and dog collar,
set of eyeglass cases - 8.5 pounds

Six on Sunday - Week 11

While cleaning out our coat closet, among other things I found a collection of dog collars and leashes.  Since we no longer have any pets, we really don't need this many collars and leashes, so we decided to let most of them go.
  

Twelve dog collars and leashes - 4 pounds

I think I will take them down to the local animal shelter, although I fear they will try to get me to take a pet home with me!

Larry 

PS  What Larry doesn't say is that we used to have three dogs, including a Saint Bernard.  His collar was the large red one in the upper left corner.  He was the reason for the extra sturdy red leash! I still miss him, but he has been gone for over 18 years now, so it is probably time we cleared out his stuff.

Six on Sunday - Week 10

This week Susan culled a laundry basket full of stuff from the shelves in her closet.

Items pulled from Susan's closet

From this bounteous haul, she consolidated a box of little items, and a bag of medium sized things.  Plus a basket and bath scrubber, some fancy soap, and an exercise monitor.

Small and Medium Toiletries, Basket and Scrubber, Soap, Body Bugg - 5.5 pounds

Not finding much in my closet to eliminate at this time, I moved on to my drawers in the dresser, where I found a clothesbrush, a collection of orphan pocket squares (I no longer have the matching ties), some brown socks (which I rarely wear anymore), and three organizers (of which I have more useful ones).

Clothesbursh, Orphan Pocket Squares, Socks, Organizers - 1.5 pounds

Not a lot of weight this week, but Susan's closet shelves have gained a lot of tidiness.  

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 9

This week Susan continued to clean out her closet, finding another six items that no longer "spark joy" in her life.

6 Shirts and Sweaters - 3.75 Pounds

And I have found another old belt that I don't need, and some old painting clothes, in my closet.  Finishing out my six are some old VHS tapes which I got secondhand years ago and watched once.  I think we could still play them, but they just weren't that good.

Shorts and Tee Shirt, 3 VHS Tapes, Old Belt - 3.5 Pounds

Susan wins the weight contest this week, but only just.  Maybe next time I will have eliminated all I want to let go from my closet, and will have to seek items elsewhere.

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 8

More items from Susan's closet.  Three pair of dark slacks that she doesn't need any more.  Three shirts that didn't fit or had big bleach stains.

3 Shirts, 3 Slacks - 4.75 Pounds

For me a pair of shorts (from Susan's closet - why? I don't know :), old tee shirts, and a collection of shoulder straps that were in my closet when I no longer had the thing they supported.

Shorts, 4 Shirts, Orphaned Strap Collection - 3.5 Pounds

Still working on the closets and clothes for the most part.  

Larry

Six on Sunday - Week 7

Larry cleaned out under his sink.  His contribution is a basket of Buffy's grooming items.  Little Buffy has been gone nearly ten years now, and we have been pet free ever since.  I can go Larry one better. The sweatshirt on the bottom of my pile was a present from my mother-in-law from when our Saint Bernard, Bucky, was alive.  My MIL has been gone ten years, and Bucky died on the 4th of July in 1996!  The sweatshirt was always too small, and I am pretty sure it never sparked any joy; but it was personalized, so I hung on to it for over twenty years, which is completely nuts!

T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirt -  4.5 pounds
Pet grooming items - 1.25 pounds

This is sad.  It has been seven weeks now, and it still is not hard to find stuff to get rid of in my closet.

Six on Sunday - Week 6

It is a small stack this week, but I feel like I am giving up an old friend.  That green "purse" went everywhere with me since 2004.  I remember buying it at a sporting goods store in Flagstaff, Arizona, on our driving trip to the Grand Canyon.  I wanted a hands-free purse for the trip.  I liked it so much that I never switched back.  It is time to let it go; the buckle and one of the zippers had broken.  My short stack might be a complete pitch pile this week:  the elastic is totally shot on the red shorts, and the white and dark turquoise tops have holes in them.  The blue sweatshirt and the light blue top might be worth donating, but only just.

4 tops, 1 pair shorts, old purse - 3.5 pounds

There is no sentiment in Larry's pile.  He has lost weight so does not snore very often at all anymore, so we can let go of the CPAP machine.  We are still awash in tote bags; the slipper socks are worn through, and he has two nice belts that are better than any of these three worn out pieces of leather.

CPAP machine, old computer bag, old slipper socks, 3 belts - 9.25 pounds

We are both still enjoying the purge.  The clutter just holds you down and holds you back!

Six on Sunday - Week 5

The closet purge continues.  I found five pairs of slacks that were no longer sparking joy in me, and an old sound generator machine. It would generate a variety of soothing noises and slowly taper off to silence, allowing you to drift off to sleep to the sound of ocean surf, or gentle rain. Larry used to snore a lot, and this would help drown him out.  Seems like it developed problems with the sound selection, and we stopped using it.

Five pairs of slacks, sound generator - 7 pounds

After a thorough cleaning of his closet, Larry found two pairs of shorts and two pairs of slacks that are now too big (yeah!), as well as a carry-on bag, and an old gimme tote from a conference his mother attended.

Two pairs slacks, two pairs shorts, carry-on and tote bag - 9 pounds

Six on Sunday - Week 4

I cleaned out my closet some more.  Decluttering is getting easier instead of harder.  The only thing that gave me a bit of a twinge is the robe.  My Grandma made it for me 25 years ago and I wore it forever.  It has giant holes in it, as well as dozens of little holes throughout the fabric.  I have lots and lots of other wonderful stuff to remember her by, and Grandma, herself, would have thrown it out two decades ago.  Bye bye robe!

Three Sweaters, a Robe, a Top, and a Purse - 7.75 Pounds

 Electronics day for Larry.  The printer was replaced a year ago when it started to smoke - scary that!  The scanner has not worked for about five years, and I think the PC ran Windows 95.  We brought the electronic bird home from Shreveport a few years ago; it can completely fly the coop now.

Two Computers, a Scanner, a Printer, a Router, and a Parrot - 61.5 Pounds

Look at how much weight we have gotten rid of already in only four weeks.  I added it up, 111 pounds of stuff.  The clothing in my closet is already hanging more freely.  Someone asked earlier what we are going to get to replace what we are letting go.  The answer is nothing!

Happy decluttering.
Susan

Six on Sunday - Week 3

Tomorrow is our 30th anniversary.  Thirty years!  Hard to believe it has been that long.  My Mom and sister sent us these beautiful flowers yesterday.  Aren't they gorgeous?  And today is Cindi's birthday too.  Happy Birthday, Cindi, you are now three years older than me instead of only two.  I always like that.  :)

We are still harvesting our Six on Sunday selections from the master closets, though I think Larry has let go of all the clothes he plans to donate for the time being.  I still have lots more clothing to cull through.  For sure none of these pieces sparked any joy.

5 sweaters, 1 pair sweatpants: 5 lbs

The Neat scanner is leftover from when our home was burglarized two years ago.  Everything we had scanned was in one of the stolen laptops.  That is when we decided scanning was definitely not for us.  Talk about not sparking joy; quite the contrary, that dang thing brings up nothing but bad memories.

2 pair shorts, 2 polo shirts, travel iron, Neat scanner: 10.5 lbs

I hope everyone is having a terrific Memorial Day weekend.  Larry and I are really enjoying just hanging out here at home.

Take care,

Susan in Texas

Six on Sunday - Week 2

We are still harvesting stuff from our master closets.  I was surprised that my clothes weighed more than Larry's "stuff".  I read an article on the Japanese method of closet cleaning.  You are supposed to look at everything in your home and ask yourself if it "sparks joy" in you, if not, thank it, and let it go.  I think I will try that method after all the obvious clutter has been removed.

Lunch bag, Sweater, Tote Bag, Backpack, Flashlight, Aqua-Shoes - 4.75 pounds

I really should thank those shorts.  They were my favorite shorts; sparking joy for years, finally giving up the good fight with the material splitting down the front of one leg. Thank you, favorite shorts! Bye bye.

Shorts and 5 tops/sweaters - 6 pounds

Introducing Six on Sunday - Week 1

Like many people, our house is crammed full of stuff that we do not need.  In the interest of minimizing the hoard, Larry and I created "Six on Sunday".  Every Sunday for the indefinite future, each of us is going to select six items that can either be donated, easily sold, or thrown out in the upcoming week.

I decided to start with six old pairs of shoes.  I wear tennis shoes every day to work and I have to get a new pair when my feet start to hurt.  I kept one old pair for gardening and my current new pair; the rest can go.  The slippers and the flip flops are completely worn out junk.

Six pairs of shoes - 7.25 pounds

Larry has a more eclectic mix of items.

Pair of shoes, 2 pair too-wide jeans, 1 pair too-short jeans, lunch bag and water bottle 8.25 pounds

An uncluttered environment is supposed to help release creativity. If the growth of storage facilities is any indication, "Six on Sunday" should become the next national passtime.  Make the commitment! We are working on a "Six on Sunday" badge that you can grab and put it on your blog.  Help us make the world a better place.  Join us in eliminating clutter!