We had big plans to make some major changes in our upstairs living areas today, then Matt ended up having to work so that went out the window. Instead of sitting around moping about it (too much) I decided to keep working on the basement. The kids were not co-operating at all so I was running up and down the stairs pretty often and decided to be very minimal about what I did. Still, some work done is better than none!
Today I tackled the first pile next to the foot of the stairs. Again, another dumping ground, this was a combination of various wood and drywall type things from the many different house projects we've had over the years. Not exactly what you could call scraps (for the most part), but large enough to keep around for future projects. Ultimately I think Matt would like to build some kind of work bench downstairs to properly store all this wood, but I figured out how to keep it in the meantime.
I broke a few 'rules' during this sort but rules are made to be broken! Check out the pictures below.
Most of the stuff from on top of the dresser was basically put on top of the giant pile in the middle of the basement. I needed to clear off the dresser because that's where I had decided to put all the pieces of wood, etc. Again, if you have to, make a path through the junk to get to the 'home' of the item you are sorting. I also ignored some of the other items on the floor where I moved all the wood from because that wasn't what I was working on today.
I was pretty excited to find some pieces of drywall and wood that I think might work for something we've been talking about doing in the living room. Anything that saves money is great, right?
These are my thoughts from my experience today:
- If you are overwhelmed, just stop. The clutter isn't going anywhere. You can come back and deal with it later. If you find yourself holding an item and looking around in desperation with no clue what to do with it, put it down and come back later! If you don't stop you may end up feeling even more overwhelmed and not sort as effectively.
- Know when the time is or isn't right. Even if you have big plans of getting a certain amount of sorting done, if circumstances aren't working out you need to know when to stop. For example, today both my girls were not cooperating, Desana kept trying to go outside and Freya was crying for me. So today was a fairly quick sort.
- As I said previously, if it's not yours, don't throw it out. All this wood stuff is Matt's, and maybe I could see a few pieces that I might toss. But, it's not mine. So it's all in the pile on top of the dresser and Matt can decide what to keep or toss later.
- Set a deadline for selling (for example, if an item hasn't sold in a month, donate it). If it takes up valuable space in your home, holding on to an item in hopes of making a few dollars may not be worth the wait. See if you can think of any family or friends who might be in need. Offer the item to them for free, or for a lesser amount than what you're trying to sell it for. Stress that they should not feel obligated to take it. If they pass, pack it up and drop it off at a charity or call a charity that will pick it up for you.
I think I am about 90% ready to donate some of our bigger pieces rather than trying to sell them. I'm just going to consult with Matt over it and then we'll figure out when to drop them off at the Salvation Army. One advantage of owning a truck, it sure makes it easier to transport large items!
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