To ask what you do with all your *shit*

[thedcbrokemybank]

We have a side in our kitchen that is piled with paperwork. It is mainly kids stuff - a comic that was bought last week that hasn't been finished but if I put away will get forgotten about, a list of spellings for the term, timetable of dance class which I can never remember, a wordsearch that my dd spent ages making. Generally just stuff which if I file will never be seen again or never get used. I just don't seem to be able to have a place for it. What do you all do with the shit that gets piled up on the side??
I should add that we have 4 dc so we have a lot of crap!

We have a shit drawer in the kitchen, and a crap basket in the living room. Actually one and half shit drawers because I keep forgetting it's meant to be one and stick the useless shit in with the useful shit.

I try and go through them every few months and whittle it down but it just happens doesn't it? You know you should probably throw or put the stuff away but you'll do it "later", then it just NEEDS to be moved so it goes in the shit pile/drawer/basket. Interesting ideas here.

Our TV stands on a side table with a deep drawer, and that's our "lettery crap" drawer. Anything that needs action/response within the next day or so is put on the mantelpiece so we don't forget, then once it has been dealt with it joins the lettery crap drawer. We can't stick stuff to the fridge door because the cats ping the magnets off and then shred whatever bit of paper they were holding up

Stuff that needs keeping gets filed properly, everything else gets binned once a week. The only way to stay tidy is to stay ruthless. I simply can't cope with the endless piles of crap otherwise. Stuff like the children's comic and wordsearch you mentioned just get binned after one week. The dance timetable would get copied into whatever diary you use the day you get it - paper or electronic, and the hard copy binned, the spellings would go on the fridge door or possibly on the pinboard in each child's room.

The thing is we all know this stuff, it's not rocket science. It's just getting off our arses and actually doing it that's the problem!

4DC here too.

We have a drawer entitled "crap drawer"

thenoodlesincident I love that idea! I'm starting to fall in love with ikea again after having been a bit 'meh' about it for the past few years. Just repurposed our Kallax units from the living room and turned the dining room into a playroom for the kids. The kallax fits purfectly. Now just need some furniture for the living room but not really sure on how I want it to look (and persuading DH that it's a good idea lol)

I think perhaps we need an 'in tray' type system in the hallway for things like post that need to be dealt with. Then somewhere to file important stuff. Also somewhere for DH to put his wallet and phone.

We have had a bench in the hall for bags etc but everything gets dumped on there and it drives me slightly bonkers that I can never find what's needed. So that's something to look at.

Had a conversation with DH the other day about a house rule I would like to implement: with anything new we need to ask ourselves:

Do we want it? If yes...
Can we afford it? If yes...
Do we need it? If yes...
Does it have somewhere to go right now? If yes, let's get it. If no, then let's wait until we are ready. We've fallen into a habit of buying before we are ready for something or made room for it, and dealing with that on top of decluttering to make room for it is an added stress on top of everything else.

Right, on to continue with decluttering

Blatant placemarking.

I also have a kettle pile

I don't have a 'third drawer down' like most people have in their kitchen. Not being smug. There just isn't one in the kitchen.

So, some things are in a plastic box in a cupboard i.e. drawing pins, elastic bands, candles in case of power cut etc etc

I've had to find a home for the matches, the bag clips in other drawers.

What we do have though, is a filing system. I purchased three boxes that fit drop files. I've got the drop files and the plastic tabs that go on them to identify them.

I also have about a year's worth of filing in the in-tray !

Hello stressy!

Yesterday I tidied the kettle pile. It does still exist though I'm afraid

I have one of these and also a crap drawer. Stuff goes in there and never again sees the light of day. But it's stuff I think I might need but nvever actually do need No idea where it all comes from but whenever I tackle it and throw or put stuff away there's a new like a day later.

Bin most of it. Dance timetable can be put on your phone calendar and recycled. Word search can be displayed in your DD's room if she's keen to keep it. Comic can go on a bookshelf until it's read and then recycled. Spellings could go on the wall near where DC do homework, or copied into the front of their spellings book if they have such a thing.

We have a cork board to pin things on, but more importantly a giant sized (6 inches or so) paper clip hung off a hook. Any letters to do with appointments, trips, dress up days, whatever go there in date order so the top item is always the next due thing. Works a treat.

We have a separate similar clip for random things that need to be kept, eg county school dates for the year, swimming lesson dates etc. Every few months I go through it and throw away out of date stuff.

I'm afraid I've got a 'pile' of stuff at one end of my dining room table which was actually 'tidied up' yesterday but you wouldn't know it to look at it.

I'm considering a box which I could maybe put under the table hidden by a long tablecloth. Oh dear. I know that I'll never be a minimalist and yes, I a little ashamed of myself.
But you know, I kid/comfort myself with the belief that my home reflects my artistic/creative personality.

I have a drawer for all paperwork. We go through it every couple of months and shred bills that have been paid and things we no longer need. Any upcoming appointments/school newsletters with dates of stuff on are on the fridge and get shredded after.

Some great ideas here but also be clear what you actually need to keep and what can be photographed/scanned and stored on laptop

I keep current insurance Certs but all other Insurance docs are scanned and stored online. Same with bills - I have never had a problem. I had a £10000 pay-out on Insurance recently and I did not even have my policy number - they found my details sent me all the docs i needed and paid out without complaint.

All bills are online and I keep receipts for major items for a couple of months and then scan and store.

Kids pictures etc go up for a few weeks then photographed and stored online also do this for lego models/dens etc we Home Educate so we have a lot of this sort of stuff

we have a 'toy hotel' box for all those crappy toys from party bags and free with meals - toys stay there for a bit and then LEAVE!!! They do not stay for longer than 1 week EVER!!!

We also have a not absolutely strict but still there concept of if it has not be used/worn/played with for 6 months it can go.

Not perfect I still have far too much stuff in my house but it does help to keep it manageable - but no longer have a paperwork problem since using the photo/scan idea.

What?! You mean you don't have 'THE DRAWER' in your house? I thought it was compulsory for all households!

I have a coal fire, 5 kids, and a cynical attitude to yet more self indulgent bumpf from my kids' school (and their primary schools were bad for this but the high school is little better).

Kid can deal with it (if it's relevant to work/homework) or the fire does. Comics in their room.

I have a filing cabinet in the study - a file for DS1, a file for DS2, a wall hanger to attach party invites, pictures, spellings and tat to, everything else is gone within a week. I don't deal well with clutter at all so just don't have it. All banking and saving is done online and we've got hardly any paper statements from anything any more, so not much paperwork.

The only exception are the DCs bedrooms; they love clutter and tat so they're allowed to blu-tack their shite to the walls, have tubs of kinder egg crap and so long as it doesn't clutter the house I leave them be.

Buy and read this book; it is brilliant! www.tidyingup.com/books/the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up-hc

go digital! I bin 99% of stuff that comes through the door because it's usually all crap - all bills are paid via dd and are emailed. I think the only things that come through my door I actually keep are tesco clubcard vouchers maybe 4 times a year.
Same with most docs/letters - take a picture of it (good because if on a shared drive/whats app msg everyone in the house can see it and share equal responsibility for it if it relates to them so not just my job!) and then bin/shred if sensitive. You could do this for your dance timetable for example - it's geenrally more useful too as my phone is always to hand (whether in work, car, shop, etc. whereas the letter isn't!)
Instruction manuals - check if available online (most are), if so bin.
Only keep warranty if it will feasibly break within the short warranty period and was expensive enough to bother faffing about returning to manufacturer.
Same with receipts - cheap stuff chuck in the bin, others chucked after 30 day return period/1 year.

Another saying scan/photograph paperwork and put into something like google keep.
I have now got into the habit of checking school/activity bags (they have some kind of bag for every activity kept in the cloak room) as soon as they get home - I deal with whatever is there - pay the bill, sign the consent form, add dates to (google) calendar, things I need to to do for it onto my 'to do list' (I have an app -ticktick) etc - anything that needs to goes straight back in the bag to go back - everything else gets scanned, into google keep and paper copy binned. That includes things like newsletters and birthday invites etc too
For anything that I have to hang onto for a while/will take a while to sort out - I have an A4 folder filled with polypockets and go through it once every week or so - but honestly there is hardly anything in there as I am so ruthless.

I no longer find myself scrabbling through a pile to find out what time that party is etc...I have them labelled as child name or whatever in Keep - - and if I can't see something I can do a search. When I get a new newsletter for the term -I archive the old one
I do have a full size filling cabinet that I keep passports and file paid bills/car docs etc in - but only use the top drawer (rest are filled with all kinds of stuff -filing cabinets are great storage - the drawers really do hold a lot and mine is an old one painted white so it doesn't look office like )
Children's artwork - again scan and bin. Maybe put on display for a while - and mine have a display folder with a limited number of pockets (8 -enough for 16 pictures) -if they what to keep something and the folder is full they have to chose one to replace.
I have a wicker basket on a shelf in the living room that I put things like half read comics in - and every so often go through and get rid of the older ones. I also put some things in a pile on the coffee table - so they can pick them and up and do them if they feel like it - but go through and get rid every week or so (just keep them to a small manageable pile) ...
Mcdonalds toys etc - I say no toy if we go to somewhere like that ...I have enough plastic crap in my life. I also try and avoid comics with stuff like that on them. Anything we do end up with they have a small drawer in their room -and I cull it when it starts getting full...
I also have a cork board with plastic push pins (that stick out) and I tend to hang things off it - like flash drives etc and I hang little document/bull clips on there for small receipts that I want to hang on to - or I have a stash if school lunch envelopes.

We have 3 DC's and have crap in / on:

Third drawer down in kitchen

Side in utility room

Under the stairs

To the right of the cooker

Mind you, I only recently threw out DC1's nursery bills - he is 14

These threads are such a great kick up the arse

What?! You mean you don't have 'THE DRAWER' in your house? I thought it was compulsory for all households

No. It might explain why I feel so lost ! No crap. No rummaging through a drawer furious with frustration that something can't be found. I miss that third drawer down.

I look mournfully at the cupboard where the third drawer down should be.

I'm looking forward to getting a different kitchen. Hopefully with a third drawer down. All that lovely crap. Aaaand relax.

I am going to try the new device called a BIN as we really need to just bin stuff