De cluttering and spring cleaning..anyone fancy joining me.

[Dowser]

Because we are away for more than half the week..a drawer and cupboard declutter and thorough house bottoming has not happened this year.

I’m not a clean freak, far from it but I do like neat and tidy and when things are falling out of cupboards it’s time to make a stand.

Last thorough declutter was 2.5 years ago for a rewire.

Soo, I’m breaking t down into bite sized chunks..a drawer or a cupboard at a time.
Today I tackled a drawer full of paperwork, bank statements etc. I don’t like to chuck them away in case there’s a problem..so I sorted that one today.

Anyone else?

I really want to have a day off! But the piles of stuff in the living room are dragging me on - need to box up all the photos and get rid of an entire cupboard full of the children's old videos. What does one do with old videos nowadays? The charity shops around me won't take them any more!

well, you have me motivated - one thing a day...

a shelf, a drawer, a corner - something...

slow and steady wins the race...

I cleared out our old videos a while back..I. Not sure if they didn’t just go to the tip

Well today has been hectic..the blooming wire cube storage turned up this morning didnt.it..so out was trotted all the stuff that had neatly been packed away into the wardrobe the other day plus all the stuff hanging up...loads of coats, jumpers etc.
My friend was here and she helped me go through ( some of) the clothes while dh painted the inside of that pArt of the wardrobe

I got a big black bin bag of stuff for charity...it all looks so neat in there..and we were all done by about 7 pm
I even tidied the bottom part of another cupboard in there. Nothing to chuck out , ..oh yes I did, three scarves..so that’s a whole heap neater.

I don’t know what it is with me and black..I had 8 black coats of various descriptions, that’s not including black fleeces, ( 4) those black puffA jackets that fit into a little bag( 5)

Black is not my favourite colour..lol
Still loads to do..when I tackle the other half of the wardrobe , I’m sure there,l be more to get rid of..and I might get some more of those cubes..they are amazing.

I took the day off yesterday after the weekend's work. I was on a day off work too, which helped. But today I can't bear to stare at the heaps of slowly sliding photographs and old paperwork piled up on the sofa and in front of the TV any longer. I'm not at work until four, so I shall go for a nice run and then come back and hoik rubbish into bags and get the photos safely put away.

Then deal with the billions of videos. I fear the tip may be calling their name.

Does anyone have any tips/ ideas on reorganising post/bills and other things that need to be kept. How do you store them and how long do you keep things for.
Having a big sort out/ clear out prior to hopefully moving this year and struggling today with this.

I have cardboard folders where I keep bils etc for 2 years or until the guarantee has expired which I keep in a filing cabinet. My children seem to have much less paperwork as they seem to do more online. I know it's a generational thing, but I like the feeling of having something on a physical piece of paper to refer to.

I've only done minimal tidying for the last 2 days due to family and work but I'm not working today so I'm going to sort through some boxes of resources connected with my work that I know I don't need to keep.
When I first became a teacher over 30 years ago it was drummed into us to look after resources we had made because they would always come in useful at a later date. These days there are so many online resources readily available that make some of the stuff I still have look like historic artefacts. It's when I find things and think, "oh, I remember doing that with such and such a class," but I've got to resist the nostalgia and tell myself I can keep the memories in my head, I don't need the evidence in my house! 🤣

Would look at each item and see if you need a paper copy. If not, log on to an online account, or create one and have your relationship turned paperless. I did this last year - It is incredibly liberating. Old paper copies that needed to be kept (yearly interest statements + P60s from last 7 years) were put in a box.

That left me with about 15 bits of paper a year - Council tax etc to be kept - so I have a spring lever box file with those in. I got rid of the filing cabinet - the place where old documents went to die...

(just make sure you add any email addresses to your address list so that the emails telling you that you have an online communication don't go to your trash)

That’s great info thanks- will aim for one folder per year then and will change some paperwork to online versions. That’s a great plan, next thing I’m doing is a toy cupboard- trips to charity shop needed I think!

I just put all bank statements over the last 5 years into a plastic carrier..all folded neatly and they’ve gone into the top of the wardrobe
We have a walk in closet stacked floor to ceiling with Ikea storage and wire baskets..im dreading the three paper drawers 😱
These must contain stuff from before the last five years
Last night I washed 7 jumpers that were barely worn and left them drying on hangers. They look so lovely. White, pale pink, pale blue, delicate shade of pale green, navy and red..they are going to a friend. They are all cotton, old navy, gap and maybe m and s.
I want to keep them ( hoard them) but I’m quite busty, don’t suit them and don’t wear skirts or trousers...so there’s no point is there.

I’m really attached to my stuff. I’ve just remembered..I’ve kept some white , pale blue and a pale pink linen trousers..couldn’t bear to part with them.

So much of this is psychological with me.
So much stuff is like new also . Doesn’t help

I’m starting to take stuff out of the bag..it needs to go.
Hopefully this afternoon

Got the last shelf of the cupboard emptied out, bagged up the rubbish and now have more photographs lying about than I know what to do with. Going to box them up ready for the move. Have also found some Children's Savings Bonds that my late aunt took out for my kids back in '98, anyone know if they are still valid to cash in?

@Zaphodsotherhead I think so!

The Brownie uniform has gone!

I scan my paperwork onto Evernote which I would recommend. I used the paid for version (£4 a month from memory), but they free version is sufficient for most people - I use it for work too, so have a massive amount stored on it.

All your documents are available via any computer or via an app on your phone.

Never got round to doing anything today..and don’t feel up to it tonight.
I’m starting to drag things out of the bag..going to retrieve my rather nice black evening jacket ..just in case I get invited to an evening do somewhere.

Zaphod..it’s worth giving a try..probably best to write to them.

Well so much for not doing anything tonight..started after 9pm on my cardigans..removed a big bag of those from the wardrobe...Still have loads left, some new..won’t be buying anymore this year..again loads of black..
I reckon if everything black was put into large sacks they would easily fill half a dozen.
Anyway I’m feeling quite smug..but I should’ve put them in colours..tomorrow’s job.

Tidied a few more small drawers but nothing much to go out apart from a photo frame.

Visit to the solicitor yesterday to sign contract, should complete today so am completely on edge because the money is going to be TIGHT!

Made a start on the last shelf, but rather lost impetus lately (I think it's stress). Also sick of the many bags of rubbish piling up in the kitchen, but might do a couple of dump runs this weekend (I shall have to if I'm moving next week...)

Well done on last night, Dowser. Isn't it funny that once you think you'll just do a small thing, before you know it you've done more than you planned?
Was busy with work and my MiL yesterday but I'm not working today so DS1's old room will be tackled. He moved out almost 3 years ago but lots of his stuff didn't.
If you do that trip to the dump, Zaphodsotherhead, you won't be tempted to retrieve anything. 😁

Good luck with today Zaphod.
I’m not going to see how the day pans out..sort the cardis into colours, then tackle the row of tops that are on the same rail.
At the bottom of this side of the wardrobe again about five feet wide by 6 feet high are several bags of things like nighties, trousers, tops, t shirts..so I’ll give them a rake over. There’s a big bag of crystals in there . Another thing I must stop buying as I have nowhere else to display them.
I also need to cleanse all the others on display.
I like to rinse them under the cold tap, put them in the sunshine..not too much of that around at the moment and then reprogramme them..

All of this of course is to ward off the Walk in closet of doom next door and the spare bedroom of doom at the end of the house..I can feel them looming ..mwha ha ha!

I actually am going to see how today pans out..doh

@Dowser It's been a while since my last post on here as I was waiting for the ex to pick his stuff up but things have changed!!

His parents are coming for his stuff tomorrow, so I've spent this week digging it all out of cupboards/drawers. That has freed up so much space! I've also decluttered basically everything I can. The bookshelf now has all books upright, ordered and none of ex's.

The kitchen cupboards have been cleared of all things I don't use. I re-organised DS's baby food cupboards and reorganised them, especially all his snacks, which now have separate shelves for individual packs or multi packs! I swapped the plate cupboard round for half the saucepan cupboard as didn't have enough room for all DS's plates/bowls and created a "baking utensils" cupboard out of the bits I moved out.

I have completely reorganised my airing cupboard instead of everything kinda thrown in like it was before, it's now all sorted into piles.

Now for ex's stuff to finally go tomorrow and then I can get things to help storage become less of a hassle!

Wow polka dot..sounds like you’ve done amazing and achieved loads of space without having to get rid of too much stuff that you’d maybe rather not.
I’m hope you’re ok though.

I never did anything today. Had a very lazy morning, nice bath , lunch and thought if we don’t go out now it’ll be too late, so about 3 ish had a wander around our marina , saw a lovely sunset , Tesco’s and then home.
Felt tired..and didn’t have the energy to start pulling out more stuff.
Maybe tomorrow.

I am collecting together the old console games - for consoles we no longer have! Threw the cables in our "small electrical" kerbside collection on Friday.

Had a look at music magpie and CEX, looks like a few quid can be had - they are all in good condition - nothing like what was spent on them, but rather than landfill, will get them boxed up and sent off today.

Come on, come on, I need a good kicking...

Doing the paperwork for the house purchase seems to be all I can manage at the moment - I feel i may have overdone the decluttering. I've been looking at piles and boxes of photos for a week now, and the videos are still in the cupboard! I have to shift as I'm hopefully moving next week!

Was going to be very productive yesterday, but did a ten mile run and then got called into work, so NOTHING achieved on the household front! Spur me on today, people, please...

ok... ermm... not too good at motivational... quite good at dictatorial - mum to 2 teenagers... - so...

"get off your arse and get it done!"

"What you doin on MN, you have work to do?"

ermmmm hope that helped...

Thank you, Beyond. I do feel more motivated today (and also the sun is shining, which I find helps. Well, it highlights the dust more, which gives me additional reasons to get rid of the shit!)

I find if there is dust - just don't touch it... then you notice it less. (not helpful sorry, my inner lazy is coming out today)

Hope you can get everything done that needs to be done.