Organizing 101/ March-The Basement

[rlovew]

Buffy- It is great to hear of the outpouring of support. If we can do anything else let us know.

Rebecca

 

[ddavis860]

Hope today is better Buffy. I know what you are going through, we had a flood, twice. It's just terrible!

Hang in there

I had the stanley steamer people come out after my basement dried out, and they sprayed some anti fungal on the floor to prevent the mold growth. If your insurance people don't pay for the flood damage people to come out, it might be worth looking into. It was alot cheaper than having the flood damage people out of pocket. Just a thought...it really did stop the mold and mildew.

Bet that vaca is looking better and better. You will be so ready to go!

 

[YodasMom]

Buffy, I hope things are going better today. I have gone through that flooding experience too many times, too, and it is SUCH hard work shlepping everything out of the basement because it's so wet. Glad the sump pump is installed and working....you'll be glad you've got it. But, for now, the clean-up is still taxing. Thank God for good friends, huh?

I hope you're able to get things done and ready for WDW without being too exhausted.

Now, I'm glad we had the drifting, white-out, blowing snow conditions yesterday instead of the warmer weather with flooding. We did have flood warnings Thursday, but that changed to blowing snow warnings. Hope your DH got out of Chicago OK....it was challenging out here.

 

[ksjayhawks]

The basement is your challenge this month.

We worked hard on this over Christmas break. Almost done with it. Our stuff is in good order, we are finishing up all the boxes of my mom's -- actually she has her and my dad's stuff, the sister who lived with her, two uncles, her parents, some of my dad's mom's . . . That is what is taking so much time!!!!!! We have to go through everything, every little piece as you never know what you will find that they have hidden!

Goal
Create a safe, dry, manageable storage system We have shelves that my husband has built. I like them as they are free standing and will come with us if we ever move again!

Declutter
- inventory contents of shelves and boxes. Create piles for trash, donation, repair, and keepers. Working on this--with my mom's stuff. Our stuff is done and a lot is gone (trash and donation), garage sale is in april.
- Get as many things as possible up off the floor. Done due to shelving.
- Check for water damage, bug or rodent infestation, and drain backup problems. yeah, ok, now they tell me Done.

Clean
- vacuum and clean shelves, floor, and walls Completed last weekend.

- clean drains, dehumidifier, extra fridge area. Trying for this weekend.
- change filters on furnace. Schedule furnace maintenance appointment for the summer. Done--we have a service plan and change filters on the first day of each month.
- check/replace batteries on smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Do that on January 1.

maintain
- keep items such as wrapping paper, scissors, and tape in one area. . Done. Have the plastic organizer bins for paper, ribbons, bows, bags. Tape and scissors are in a drawer in the "mini kitchen" area.
- organize any items you're storing in the basement by category. Store on pallets or on sturdy off-the-floor shelving units. Done, stored on the shelving in plastic tubs, holiday together, etc.
- Label and keep an inventory list of any boxed items. Keep extra copy of the inventory list in a safe place. Everything of ours is labeled and inventoried. Working on what we keep of mom's stuff. I love my dymo label maker!

 

[ksjayhawks]

Buffy

Sending you some hugs ! I would come help, but am too far away.

 

[Queenie]

Buffy

Sending you some hugs ! I would come help, but am too far away.

Same here, but by a waaay bigger margin!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Thanks guys ya'll are just great!!

We are about 3/4 of the way there. The last major thing to do is move the carpet out of the office area. And squeegee the water out. The rest of the stuff can wait until we get back. The dumpster is full, mostly with the cabinets that were there. DH bought some plastic bins and plastic shelves from Home Depot but we filled those up pretty fast so we need to get more but I need to go through the bills first.
I think my house has a personal problem with WDW. When we went in Dec 2005 the car broke down on our way to the airport so we had to use our friends car. In Aug 2005 DS5 had major back spasms the day before DH and I left. Thankfully the chiropractor was in his office but DS5 was out of commission the whole weekend. And now this!

 

[hopemax]

Sorry about your basement. That sucks.

However I completely understand about money and things going wrong. February was supposed to be our first month of really saving for the cruise (Jan was paying off Christmas bills). We did GREAT except for the $170 we spent on DH's new glasses (after insurance) and the $400 we spent on new tires for the car. And then we found out that insurance isn't paying $160 of dental work that we thought they would, so that has to come out on March's budget.

 

[party of 3]

sorry to hear about your water issues buffy. we had that last year and it's so awful when your going thru it. i have not been keeping up with the organizing 101 threads so this is the 1st time i've read it. so i've missed jan and feb and forget march. you see my basement is a complete nightmare! we have lived here for 8yrs and we still have boxes that have never been opened. and my mother has moved 5x's in those 8yrs and we have 3/4 of her stuff down there. ooohhhh good grief. it would take a complete miracle to do something with that hell hole!!!! i have been baby stepping my way thru it, trying to throw out one box every week, but something always comes up that's more important. i guess i have to look at it as take one bite of the elephant at a time. i'd love to have a big yard sale and just sell off all kinds of stuff, but you have to go thru it 1st. not to mention the fact that i had my ds 5 years ago so to add to all that crap is a boat load of "baby stuff". bins and bins of 0-3, 3-6,6-9, etc. and every other baby item you need!!!! REALLY just thinking about it gives me a headache!!!!!

well buffy enjoy your trip because the basement will be there when you get back!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

....not to mention the fact that i had my ds 5 years ago so to add to all that crap is a boat load of "baby stuff". bins and bins of 0-3, 3-6,6-9, etc. and every other baby item you need!!!! REALLY just thinking about it gives me a headache!!!!!

well buffy enjoy your trip because the basement will be there when you get back!

talk to Patchchild, she just found out she's having a boy. Maybe you can pass some stuff off to her.

I'm unloading baby stuff as fast as DD can plow through it. I am DONE!!!

The basement is just about done, for now anyway. I just have to pull the carpet up in the office space. We ended up filling the dumpster so that will cost a fortune. I'm just glad it's done. I'm waiting on DH to come home with lunch and then it's on to the next thing. I guess I won't hit my 3000 posts before we leave. Bummer!

Just looked it is ssoooo weird seeing 1 day left on my ticker!!

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

I'm glad you were able to get the bulk of it done before leaving.

I hope you just take the time away and do not think about anything but the moment you are in.

 

[ddavis860]

Guess what you get do to this month??? Finish that craft room!!!

Nancy- This is all your fault!

My room is now torn up. I finally got a great idea on how to set this room up. My DS is brutal when it comes to purging...
"I might need that"
"Mom it looks like trash to me"
"But...."
"Mom, it's trash"
"Oh OK, throw it away"

So, I'm about 1/3 done, and pooped...need some elves to come in and finish it for me....

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

Now my DSs are born pack rats.
Hey Mom, are you using that? Can I have it?
No, I might need it.
Well, you haven't used yet. Can I have it?
No.
Please, I can really really use it. Now. Can I have it?


See the pattern here? Guess what happens? Actually, it's about 50/50. Sometimes I give it to them and sometimes not.

But if they see something in the garbage, I know I'll see it the playroom.

 

[ddavis860]

So, why didn't I do this a long time ago? Motivation lacking? Not sure

My basement is the kid realm on 1 side, and DH domain on the other...both still look good from the organization done over Christmas break.

My room is really coming along. My industrial trash can needs to be emptied. I have a FULL BOX of swap stuff that I have collected (still in baggies, need to plan another trip). A Scraprack full of things that I have collected. My DS has been a huge help, and even offered to help me move a desk that is not being used anymore into my room to replace the folding plastic table that I have been using. I'm thinking of getting a piece of glass cut for the top, to protect from the glues, glitters, and paints that I use all the time....

Anyway, I'm happy with the results...but still have a long way to go....

finished!! Yeah, I wish...

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I got my bill for the dumpster today!! I'm getting $80 back. Woo Hoo!! It was .7 tons and we paid a $300 deposit. I think I'll use it to buy stuff for my swaps, just don't tell DH K? K!

 

[mickeyfan2]

Now way I am joining this. That is DH's domain and it really needs much work to find the domain.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

I got my bill for the dumpster today!! I'm getting $80 back. Woo Hoo!! It was .7 tons and we paid a $300 deposit. I think I'll use it to buy stuff for my swaps, just don't tell DH K? K!

I'm not telling! Go buy and enjoy!!!

 

[ksjayhawks]

Done with the basement!

Neighborhood garage sale is next month. We have so much stuff, we may have to do two different weekends.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

Basement.. still in the same shape as the beginning of the month!
Sorry, didn't get this one accomplished.. I'll add it to next month..

So, B&MB..what is on the agenda for next month??? I can't remember!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

You beat me to bumping this up.

We are 1 month in everyone!! How are we all doing?

DH and I have gotten everything thrown away from the flood and the new hot water heater is installed and working!
So now I am sorting 1 box at a time starting tomorrow.

Sundays To Do list
- sheets
- finish laundry
- grocery list
- grocery store
- living room
- basement box