The big Easter de-clutter

[NorthEastNancy]

I have regular clearouts but still can't believe how much shit we have and crave a minimal life.

We're on annual leave and have tackled the big cupboard of doom in our room today.

We've only got half way through - it's piles of stuff we put in there 15 years ago when we moved in and have added to but never dealt with. It included

9 sleeping bags (were a family of 3!)

6 Files from a qualification dh doesn't teach anymore

Ornaments and trinkets we'll never use

7 rucksacks of different sizes. We used to backpack to campsites before dh passed his test - 14 years ago! Not used one since

A big box of Wii games. Not even sure the Wii is still a thing!

4 dead spiders

And bugger knows what else. Will tackle the rest tomorrow.

Tip run booked and we'll do at least 1 charity shop drop.

Anyone else de-cluttering? I now have the urge to do every drawer and cupboard!

Your 9 sleeping bags made me lol
I can’t face the cupboard of doom yet but I’ve cleared through the kids bedrooms today and removed two bin bags of absolute shite. I also want to keep going but not sure where to focus next.

Good going! Have ypu got a crap drawer you could do?

On the plus side I found a Le Creuset butter dish that we got in TK Maxx 15 years ago and could never find! I quite fancy making my own butter so I'm chuffed!

Also found a size 10 pair of Doc Martin work shoes. Neither me or dh are size 10. They're brand new! Mistake have been in there when we moved in. Will hoy them on Vinted!

Just out 50 books and a lot of clothes.

50? That's a lot of books!

I hate clutter with a passion
i do sections of the house each holiday

my cupboard of doom is the garden toilet - its rammed so tight I'm frightened of opening it - I'm not sure what will leap out a rake or gazebo?

I put of the cupboard of doom because I was scared of spiders. A garden toilet of doom would terrifying me 🤣

Yes and no - it's not here.
I just counted 45 metres of books.
We will sort some more out over Easter. We simply don't have space.
A lot of them are good books but haven't been read for years anyway.
Our local hospice always ask for books to patients and visitors so they can have a bag.

I sorted the kitchen yesterday and filled a sack with plastic, old pens, scraps of paper, clutter and mismatched cutlery. Even found paint brushes for last summer. And cleaned out the food cupboard.
However I didn't go over the cupboards. There are probably quite a few things that have piled up too.

We've decided to paint the bedroom ceiling and a couple of walls.

They desperately need doing as we had a rook leak - I'm now down drowning under the contents of the cupboard and wardrobe as we need to move the wardrobe to paint 💩

Next time I get an urge to tidy or decorate - shoot me!

We ended with sorting around 150 books bringing them to new homes and throwing away a lot of things just piled up around the house.
Work still to be done but a good Easter declutter here.

We ended up doing a load of charity shop runs! I was a bit embarrassed but the staff seemed happy enough!

No drawer or cupboard in the house is safe now though!

I am impressed by what you managed to fit into this cupboard in the first place.

My dad was in the army and we moved around every 4-5 years for 15 years. My mum always said that that was the reason she never managed to accumulate clutter until my dad had his final position and we moved from a flat to a 4 bed semi-detached house with cellar and loft.

The amount of stuff she threw away when she then moved out and downsized to a 2 bedroom flat 35 years later was staggering.

Even then we found mountains of unused items when we cleared her flat when she moved into a care home 6 years after the downsizing.

@reluctantbrit it's an ex council house so the storage is great - big walk in cupboard whixh has been totally wasted over the years!

Looking to sell the house this spring, have done two bootfulls to the charity superstore (smaller ones get sniffy). Given up trying to give to friends or sell, have had stuff lingering under the stairs to go for months. Done most big cupboards, still kitchen to go.

We added 25 books to go and I sorted the DIY cupboard yesterday as the children are much older now a lot isn't in use anymore and went to the scouts' cupboard for better use.

I sorted a lot of DIY materials Friday and handed a bag to our our local nursery today. They often ask for materials fir the children.
Win/win.

I have an entire loft of stuff to sort through and get rid of things as we want to do a loft conversion. But Ive kept lots of the kids old toys and books and don't really want to get rid of them as we might have grandchildren in the next 10 years to pass them onto so it seems silly to get rid of them.

But are they op to date? We god rid of most he childhood tiys and books our parents kept - as they were outdated. That's why I have kept very little from our children to pass on.

Do check them properly though. My parents did this but apart from Lego, books and a doll we didn't keep anything as the plastic in the pretend play food/tea set had deteriorated and the Barbies actually felt strange to touch, like the plastic got gluey.

They originally had them so my nieces had something to play when visiting. But between them using the toys and my DD arriving were 16 years and it really showed.

We have only Lego, Playmobil and some wooden toys left. Books only where they have sentimental value, most ended up at a school/women refuge.