Well folks, the year has ended and it's once again time to be accountable for what my plans were at the beginning of the year. As you know, I try to purge a little each month every year so that I don't get a glut of things that I have to eventually go through all at once. My three areas I wanted to work on for the last three months of they year were reading nook, health and plants.
Reading Nook: This is a room with several bookshelves and a nice chair to sit and read in, plus it has windows on two sides, so it has a lot of light. For this reason it is also my plant room. I wanted to read some books on my shelves and get rid of them, as well as get rid of the books I have kept with the intention of reading again but not reread.
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| Reading Nook -- Before |
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| Reading Nook -- After (don't mind the disassembled shelving) |
I found I was keeping books just to have them, but decided that if I moved again, I do not want to move boxes and boxes of books just to display them. I have only bought a handful of books over the last 10 years and am really utilizing the library exclusively these days and I don't really reread very many books (with the exception of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, of course). I also do not really love holding up a heavy paper book as much any more!
How am I doing? I am going to say that I kicked ass in this category. I basically got rid of all books except for a few travel or education books, and a few books from my childhood, and a half a dozen that I have not read yet but still may read. I literally went from three bookshelves to one, and plan to get rid of that one in the next month also.
What is next? As stated, I will read the handful I have left, get rid of the last shelf and I will have a whole room to play with! Expected completion date: end of January.
Health: I try to get all of my health related things done by November, but if I haven't, this is when I check in with myself and get them scheduled by the end of the year. This works schedule-wise, but it also important for insurance, which often pays a certain amount of dollars or for one preventative visit per calendar year.
How am I doing? Check, check, check! I did save the best for last and had my mammogram literally the last week before Christmas, but otherwise I was pretty much good to go. Side note: I had a riveting conversation about the dangers of bicycling in San Francisco with the mammo tech while standing in the room half naked. Good times.
What is next? I need a crown and was putting it off for two reasons. (1) I hate the dentist and I don't want to do it! (2) the insurance I had did not cover it at my dental office, so I switched from a PPO to an HMO and now that it is a new year with new coverage, I can schedule it. I also get dollars from my company towards my HSA if I do certain activities (sleep, water, wellness check etc.) so I will get that done ASAP because compounding rules! Expected completion date: end of February.
Plants: I love plants and I often make clippings and replant them and so I have a plethora of plants. I didn't really have a plan for these, but knew that I need to start doing something about them.
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| Too many plants! And this is just a fraction of them. |
How am I doing? This year I gave away a few clippings to different people, but I still have too many.
What is next? Next up is to either sell some on FB marketplace or give them away for free. Expected completion date: end of January.
In addition to the above items, this year, I have also kept a bag in my closet for donation items and if I put on a shirt and it is too short, it goes right in the bag. I have taken at least one run to Salvation Army per month this year. I also keep a "to shred" bag, where I can easily throw paper items that need to be shredded and then I can take them to work and shred them little by little. I am also still working on selling some of the more valuable (or sought after) items online.
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| One (of many) load(s) of donations! |
I would say that all in all, I think my year of purging went well and hopefully that means that 2024 will be a breeze, as each year there should be less and less things to go through. I really do want to pare it down even more though, as it really is amazing how much stuff we accumulate over the years. My other goal is not try not to "stock up" on things, which is very hard for me, as I like to plan ahead, and to buy things when they are a good deal! There is always room to improve, I guess.
Did you get all of your health check ups done by the end of the year? Do you keep/reread physical books? Did you have any purging goals for 2023 and if so, how did they go?
You're taking me back to when I moved apartments as a young 'un. Our local library had a really killer book sale every year and I'd amassed a huge collection of 50 cent books. Once I started packing...I quickly came to the decision to donate nearly half of my stash back to the library. Obviously my copy of ATGIB made the keep list.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely positively I do not love holding a "real" book and I can't remember the last time I bought one. Kindle FTW.
I've gotten better at keeping up with the routine medical stuff but it turns out that I'm due for just about everything now so that's how I'm starting off the year. HSA's are awesome. We haven't had an HSA eligible plan for a few years so I can't contribute but that's where all of our medical funds come from and I'm continuously amazed at how the money seems to regrow itself.
I'm jealous of your purging progress! Congrats!
Kindle for the win indeed. I think it took me a while to get my mind there, and I really wanted to hang on to "treasured books" but just was not using them again and so finally decided to pull off the band aid! It feels so good and I haven't missed a book yet, although I did also keep ATGIB (naturally!)
DeleteI never had a HSA before and was so glad when my current job had that option; I have even convinced the guys at work to fully contribute if they can!! This is triple tax free money; why would you not contribute if you can!? And yes, it does seem to regrow itself, especially in 2023 when the markets did pretty well!
Wow! I cannot imagine getting rid of all my books. But, I do not read ebooks or listen to any audiobooks, so we're very different in that way. And I certainly do think about an eventual move and how heavy and cumbersome my books will be, especially since I have 98% hardbacks.
ReplyDeleteYou're a great purger. I'm like you, doing it throughout the year, and keeping things at the ready to be donated. I call the Vietnam Vets or Easter Seals, too, and they come right to my front porch and pick things up.
That is great to know about the Vets or Easter Seals picking stuff up! Salvation Army used to do that around here, but I think they stopped doing it. I may have some furniture to donate, depending on whether or not I can sell it, so it would be great if someone could come and get it from me! I did donate a car once and that was pretty painless actually!
DeleteYou know these posts are my KRYPTONITE. Oh I love purging and tidying and having only things I need/want/love in my house. Yesterday was thrilling because the Christmas tree went to the curb for recycling and I feel like my house can "breathe" again.
ReplyDeleteI love decluttering and it is a constant process in our house with two young/active kids who cycle through interests and clothes (just today I realized my daughter's pants are almost ALL TOO SHORT! It's like she had a growth spurt overnight, literally!).
I don't have many physical books in my house. I get almost all my books from the library. I have a few nice books on display, and then one small bookshelf that holds everything else (including the few picture books I kept and my kids books like Nancy Drew etc).
I only keep books I love or know I will re-read. Everything else I donate (though I just don't buy many books, so I rarely have books to give away or donate).
I did not get my health checkups done. I don't have private insurance so I have been putting off getting a dental cleaning but I NEED TO TO DO THAT. Regular health things are covered in Canada, so I never have to think about price when it comes to getting bloodwork or seeing my GP.
That is so nice to just get your health stuff done whenever wherever and not worry about costs! I am constantly trying to make sure that I strategize re healthcare (in network/out of network, deductible, HSA etc. It is like a full time job) and am always helping the guys at work because they are so confused by it. Unfortunately it is something I am good at (reading BS documents and then figuring out the best plan financially) so I don't mind too much but it can be very stressful for some people!
DeleteI have the same issue as A but for me, it seems that all my pants have shrunk as they don't fit on the waist as good as they used to! :)
Thank you for this progress report! Loved it. I am proud to say that I do all of my check-ups during the year, always. Not a negotiable item. My physical is always in December, my mammogram is always in March, my obgyn is in January, dental cleanings are every 6 months. Decluttering... I always, always am on the look out for items to let go (sometimes to a fault). Similar to Elisabeth, not many physical books. maybe... 20? Libby and my local holds is where I go to; rarely do I buy books.
ReplyDeleteWell I am not quite down to 20 books, as I have kept some reference books, mostly travel related, as well as a few health and language ones. Otherwise, I am getting better! I probably am down to 30-40 but may cull again. Like you said, I am always on the lookout for things to let go and I have had a little luck with FB marketplace lately (not for books) and so of course if I can get a few dollars for it, that makes it even better! I have not bought a paper book in years though!
DeleteI did a similar purge of my books when I was living in my downtown condo. I did this challenge where for every day in February, I got rid a number of things related to the date. So 1 thing on 2/1, 2 on 2/2, 3 on 2/3, and so on. At the end of the month, you will have gotten rid of 435 things or something like that. I think 300+ were books! Similar to your situation, I realized I did not want to re-read these books and I was holding onto them for ambiance. And my reading tastes had changed pretty dramatically. Now I own probably 10-15 books, most are about/set in France so they go between my Eiffel Tower book ends that someone gifted me. We have A TON of kids books and could probably purge some of them but Taco still likes board books so I will hold onto them for another year.
ReplyDeleteI got my mammogram the week before Christmas, too! Mammograms FTW! I do not find that procedure to be all that bad. I had heard that it was horribly painful. But I think it's not bad at all. I mean after pumping and having a child bite my nipples while BF'ing, getting a mammogram is pretty easy.
Mammograms for the win! You know, my Mom always talked about how horrible they were, but personally, although I don't have much to squeeze, it is not really that bad. I haven't even had kids biting my nipples and I did not find it as bad as I thought I would. I would say that falling off my bike is worse than a mammogram.
DeleteI did that purge with you! I did not get rid of a lot of books that time, but I did get rid of a ton of little knickknacks and t-shirts and strange things that I had too much of. Sadly, I still had hundreds of things to get rid of after that! I think moving really helps with the culling as it makes the lugging and packing and boxing more realistic and the items less important to carry from place to place. Everyone should move every five or ten years and maybe we would accumulate less stuff (?)
Look at you purging books! What an awesome job! I have done what I think is an amazing job purging my books. My husband, however, insists on keeping his and he keeps adding more. *sigh* There is only so much one woman can do. I married him knowing his habits, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated by the plants. I used to have a spider plant for many, many years and I moved it several times, across multiple states. And then I had a depressive episode and could barely drag myself to do the bare minimum of life and it died and I feel a ton of guilt over it. I did give a lot of clippings to friends, so I'm hoping I can get a clipping from one of them and get that spider plant back!
Oh man, if only you lived closer to me, you could have five hundred clippings! I have spider plants growing out the wazoo! I even gave clippings to my Mom like 20 years ago, went and traveled, and then came back and got a clipping from her and now I have a great great great grandchild of the original.
DeleteYour hubby is a good guy. If there is something that I would forgive being a hoarder for, it would be books. I feel a kindred spirit with him!
I found another company that will take clothing that is beyond the actual donation stage. I had to buy the bag and then I ship it to them. I have not yet completed so I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I have cleaned out socks and underwear to date. I plan to add more to the bag as I often go through clothing. It's time to go through my workout clothing again. That kind of stuff is not usually donation worthy. I had to let go of the majority of my books when I got married the first time. Quite a few paperbacks went to my Mom and those are now the ones I re-read at the lake. I'm a big Kindle reader and I have the app on my phone so I always have a book to read. The majority of my posessions are clothes and shoes, I did bring some furniture with me but had already donated quite a bit of kitchen supplies prior to getting married the second time. We didn't register and asked for charitable donations in lieu of gifts. I have inventory but even that I keep relatively low unless I am gearing up for a larger show. I think over the years I have gotten much better at holding loosely. I love how you set goals and checked everything off the list!!!
ReplyDeleteI made made a goal to get rid of 28? books off my main bookshelf in my living room in 2023 and I know I got rid of more than that but I need to open my sheet where I was tracking it all, so that was successful and this year I am going to have to figure out a number and do that too. I have a free library and I put a lot out there and I selll at a garage sale we have every year and I give to friends and other free libraries. I have two boxes that I keep in the basement for books to go in our free library and when they get full I start donating out of that. I go through the library every Monday and put new books in and take out books that have been in there for over 3 months.
ReplyDeleteYou have a garage sale every year? Is it a neighborhood one? That is a great idea to do it every year. I was thinking of doing that as it would be a lot easier than trying to do each sale individually through FB but it is winter and I don't want to wait and I don't feel like organizing it #lazy. I thought about putting in a little free library but my neighbor did it so I decided not to for now. I tried to put a bunch of books into the ones in my neighborhood but they were all full!
DeleteI am in a de-cluttering mood right now, I hope it lasts. I need to take on my clothes closet and my bookshelf, I think. I recently got all of my doctor visits complete, including December GYN and Mammogram appointments. FUN! It feels like a good way to start the year.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you did a great job in 2023, so 24 will be easier for sure. Happy New Year. :)
Happy New Year to you! It is good to start the year off "clean" from some of those chores that are not that fun (the doctors) and to know that (hopefully) you don't have to do it again for another 10 or 11 months! Re the bookshelf, I was a lot more brutal last year and I asked myself if I was keeping it, had I EVER re-read it? If not, 99% of those went into the donation pile! If I had not read it before, I asked myself if I would have time to do it in the next two months. If the answer was no, I put it in the donation pile. I kept a few books like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and some Lonely Planet guides to places I have not yet been, but mostly I can or would read the other books on my Kindle anyway!
DeleteSuper-impressed with your decluttering progress/successes. This is a serious goal for 2024 (after I basically failed to do much about it in 2023.)
ReplyDeleteI did get all my health check-ups though (which I feel great about and my doctor was happy that I took such good care of my health - which is always nice to hear).
Nice job with the health checks! The decluttering is very satisfying once you are on the other side of it, but getting there is hard! That is why I split it up, so it doesn't seem quite as daunting, and I have a plan of attack, so to speak! I also tried to be very strict this time so I won't have to do it as much in the future!
DeleteBooks are the one category I have a problem purging. I am a huge rereader, and even if I didn't LOVE a book I think, well, maybe I'll reread it? In fact it is a character flaw in that I am incredibly ungenerous with my books! I have had too many beloved books not return to me, and so I don't usually lend them out anymore. Ah well, we all have our things. Good job on all of it!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand regarding being ungenerous! I lent out A Tree Grows In Brooklyn to a friend, and it was given to me by my grandmother and she inscribed it and I asked him to take good care of it and he lost it! I was so upset and then my grandmother passed away and I was just mad! I think you can only lend it out if you expect NOT to get it back!
DeleteOMG - I did the SAME THING with the dentist last year. It was going to be hundreds of dollars to get a cavity filled because I was on the stupid dental insurance plan that didn't cover anything, so I switched plans and went to the dentist in early January - all fixed and I don't even know if I paid anything for it. Woop, woop!
ReplyDeleteBooks are my aesthetic, so I love having them around even just to look at, haha.
I agree with you regarding books as decorations! However, there are some of these books that I have boxed up and moved at least three if not more times and I decided that if I have not read them, I don't need such heavy decorations any more. I am turning over a new leaf!
DeleteRe the dentist, I will still have to pay as there is a 50% coinsurance payment BUT it will be much cheaper and well worth the extra $10 per month I am paying for the insurance. However, I really still don't want to do it at all! :(