DECLUTTERING DIARY: DAY ONE

livingwellater80.comOkay, I’ve been putting this off for about ten years.  But it’s been so hot that it may as well be winter, when you’re stuck inside for days at a time.  What to do?  I can only spend so long reading books.  Then of course, there are the on-line games that get a bit tiresome after awhile.  Time to face the music and tackle the clutter.

 Here’s how it went:

First, all wires, old laptops, anything electronic, cameras, kindles, and instruction books that went with old printers, computers, cell phones, etc.  I had a drawer full of this stuff.  I mean, isn’t it smart to hang onto things you  might need someday? For example, two old laptops when you just bought a new one? No, I don’t think so.  It took about an hour to separate the wheat from the chaff here, and I ended up with a black garbage bag so heavy I could hardly lift it.  And that’s just one drawer!

Next, endless files of first, second and third drafts of my first novel, Take The Money: Romantic Suspense in Costa Rica, finally published in 2014 and still selling copies on Amazon, much to my amazement.  Ditto for 2^nd novel, Chasing Their Losses.  Ditto for my husband’s memoir, A Preacher Called Sinn.  Unfinished manuscripts of novels I gave up on.  Short stories I had published.  Stacks of how-to books about novel writing, editing, memoir writing, marketing, etc.  Rejection letters and letters of encouragement from literary agents and publishers.  Shoe boxes full of floppies and CD’s. This pile was so heavy that it took two more big black bags, because if it all went in one, it would be too heavy.

By late afternoon, I was worn out with decluttering.   But that was just the beginning.  In the coming days ahead  there were closets to clean, drawers full of old Tee shirts from every event I ever attended or country I visited.   Other drawers full of travel items like old toothbrush and soap holders.  Outdated cosmetics. Two sets of electric hot rollers from the long hair days, like maybe 25 years ago.  Why in the world did I save all that junk?  

Now, I’ve finished with solo decluttering. Next,  my husband must participate in our joint project of cleaning out the medicine cabinet, and then, the most daunting task of all: A basement full of memorabilia going back 40 years, shelves full of holiday decorations, old pictures, vases, pots,  and pans. My goal is to have all of this finished by November.

Working in a cool basement is fine now, but I don’t want to shiver in the furnace room come winter. During the dog days of summer, I would encourage all the hoarders out there to get busy decluttering.  If I can do it, anyone can! Read, DeCluttering Diary, Day 93 @  livingwellafter80.com