Home Office Declutter

Well, It's been a couple of months since I began my home office declutter and clean up - and you know, it's been going really well!

I've moved a huge bookcase from one side of the room to the other side of the room - and in turn it was really swapping sides with a hand-made desk Grandpa made (which isn't much use to anyone but to hold things in it like stationery - which it's going to do for my in the end anyway.

Then, I got out a shredder my Aunty Helen won at a raffle for me and I have filled 3 big rubbish bags full of paper from over 7 years ago... well over 7 years ago! And that's emptied the top drawer of my filing cabinet - which Dad wants. So, that's one big item from my office gone! Yay! I don't have to do anything, just wait until Dad comes to collect it! Isn't that great? Well, for me it is! 

And now, I've just bought myself a foot rest from Office Works to get myself ready for the new desk I'm hoping to get for myself to replace this whopping big desk with a normal-sized student desk so I can have more wall space to hang some book art. Plus, I can get some floor space back. 

Thus far, from this office, I've thrown out about 4 bags of rubbish into the bin outside - and this is good. But it doesn't look like I've even dented this room; and you know, it's mainly because all of this came from the filing cabinet. Once that's finished up, I'll be making some real space from the other things in this room. Once I get the stationery which is sitting around this place into the home-made desk, this office will look and feel so much better! 

So, how is your home decluttering going? All good? Mine is going well, and it's been fun using a shredder! 

I've Been Away!

I know, I've been away... but it doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about what you've all been up to - or been working away on my house.

My internet was cut off to make way for the National Broadband Network; and getting onto this new network took a bit of time to get done. There was two separate days of me being at home for two different tradesmen to get in the work on my place. And now, my Netflix doesn't work... but not to worry, I'll get onto that too.

Since the last time you all heard from me, I won a little shredder and have been shredding to my heart's content! So far, I've tossed out two big rubbish bags of shredded bags into the bin! Both these bags are from my 2-drawer filing cabinet - which I'm getting rid of in a few months! 

This is so exciting!

Well, I'm looking forward to this!

Otherwise, I've moved the big bookcase in the home office and got it to swap positions with Grandpa's handmade desk. It took some doing, but it all looks great! More light comes into the room now and I'm looking forward to saving up some money and buying a smaller desk which is just a simple student desk with drawers. I do need to replace an old bookcase and move another bookcase. But this will all take time... and this is something I have.

Otherwise, I've been cleaning out downstairs too. There's coffee mugs I've put into the donation bin and I've replaced my pen boxes with pretty little planter pots which were too pretty to put plants into - and were very cheap. Things are getting sorted and tossed out in my place at a swift rate; and I'm so pleased with my progress.

So, how is your house going? Do leave a comment and let us all know. It'd be good to swap notes on how you're all doing.

Weekend of Decluttering

This weekend just gone was something which was unplanned for me. I turned the computer off on Saturday afternoon, turned around and looked at the office and realised that that afternoon was it: I really had to find the floor of my home office!

So, over 3 1/2 hours, I pulled apart one bag and a milk crate of junk and threw out 3 rubbish bags of crap I really didn't need, sorted out my writing and bank statements and medical stuff into individual piles and found that part of my floor. I even found room for the step ladder I've had stuck in the living room for this room; and finally brought that into the room!

What a great thing for this to happen!

I felt exhausted but great!

Then, I walked out of the room to be confronted with the big bags of shredding I've had stored here... and realised I just had to get them over and done with. So, I phoned my folks and asked if I could use their shredder (as mine had bit the dust a few years ago when it ate a piece of plastic and burned out its engine by accident). They said yes, but not that day. 

So, on Sunday, I went over there to find Mum wasn't feeling so great. She'd spent the night coughing, coming down with that virus going around, and so Dad and I organised my shredding morning away from their side of the house and I spent about an hour going through one bag. It felt wonderful to do that! 

Now, to get in and work through the rest of my office, sort out what needs to be shredded, what needs to be tossed out and what I really do need in this place. 

How is your organising going? Have you found your mojo again - or are you still working hard and fast through some of the Weekend Challenges I set last year and early this year? 

Shredders: Are They Worth It?

In the post below, I mentioned shredding old bank statements and other things that can clutter up your house. 

Now, it's good to shred things - or get a company to come and do that. However, doing this can be pricy; and this is something I'm trying to keep to a minimum.

Shredders at office stores can cost from under $100 to well in the $2,000 mark; it kind of depends what you're looking for. If you're running a small business, you'll be looking for a good quality shredder which will be well worth your money - and spending over $1,000 - $2,000 on a good-sized shredding machine will be something you'd be looking into.

However, what we're looking at here for around the home is something that will be nice, compact and still kick butt with shredding your unwanted paper goods; and you don't want to pay the Earth for it. 

So, this afternoon, I went to OfficeWorks and found a huge range of shredders sitting on the shelves. They ranged between $84 and $2,150 and up to $3,000. I was looking at the lower end of the price range and happily took some photos of the under $100 ones and came home. 
But when I got talking to my folks (who have a 'Fellowes' shredder), they told me to not bother buying one unless I'm prepared to fork out over $300 - $400! This is ridiculous! I should be able to own a good shredder and still not have to break the bank to do it! 

Now, I did own one once a few years ago. My folks bought it for me for my birthday and it went very well. I was happily shredding things I didn't need, until one afternoon a piece of plastic envelope was caught between two pieces of paper - without my knowledge - and it burnt out the engine! The shredder was out of warrenty and they company told me it would be better if I bought a new shredder... since then, I've been bagging up my shredding papers to take to my folks' place. But now, I just want to save up and buy a new shredder. 

Kind of stupid isn't it? It's not worth having a shredder unless you're going to pay a lot of money... and yet, it's something you need to protect yourself from identity theft. The biggest catch-22 we'll face in our lives... and something we don't want our family to have to rummage through as we get older. 

Shred Bags

I'm partway through my home office and have realised that I need a shredder - badly! - and so I'm saving up for one. 

The first thing I've been doing is shopping around for a shredder; and the best place I have found for these things is OfficeWorks. This is a great place here in Australia for all office needs - no matter how big or small your office is. 

I had a shredder once before and accidentally fed it a piece of plastic with some paper (it was hiding in between the paper) and it burnt out the motor! Damn! So, I'm in the market for another shredder now. I've looked online for one, but I do better when I'm instore looking at the machines themselve. This is because there's normally more in stock on the floor than there is on their site online and I can ask the questions I need to ask to the people who know what they're talking about.

It's just the best thing to do really.

But until I do save up for that shredder, I'm going to be doing what I call 'Shred Bags'. These are bags of material which need shredding, which I'll be putting away - out of the way, until I can afford my shredder. You see, I don't have a credit card, and that's how I like to keep it. I'd much rather pay for things with my own money than owe a bank anything.

So, today, will be spent getting myself ready to shred unwanted paperwork I can't just throw in the bin. Yes, this is the stuff that's too sensitive to put into a rubbish bag, like bank statements, membership forms to magazines and other such things and old receipts as well. Until my next post, I hope you're working on your place as much as I am on mine.