Less than 3 months to go! It's the DECLUTTERING FOR CHRISTMAS thread...

[fuzzpig]

My house is a state! I am absolutely determined to declutter in time for Xmas this year. I have never managed it before

My main wants are:

• to clear out our tiny kitchen (it's a galley style, so small you can barely swing an atom let alone a cat!) so that cooking is less stressful and we will be more likely to do festive baking etc - another thing I've never managed to do...

• to do a massive sweep of all DCs toys, books and clothes. They have WAY too many, and especially with toys it means that new things don't really get appreciated because they get lost among everything else.

• to completely sort out our living room so it actually looks nice when decorated and there is room to play.

I am unable to do much ATM because I'm not very well, but this could be a long term thing so I don't want to just leave it - I want to do a tiny bit every day. Yesterday I collected a laundry bin full of recycling stuff - mostly pieces from some orchard toys games - some of which due to clutter have never really even been played with properly

I can't be the only one who needs to declutter for Xmas - who's with me?

All progress has been halted by a combination of awful pain in my belly for the past 3 days (waking me at night strength) and a cough turning into a suspected chest infection. Last night I slept through, and belly seems to be slowly resolving itself. Cough is getting worse, but I will go to GP later for ABs (am asthmatic and suffer chest infections, not regularly but often enough to know when I need meds).

On the positive side, I have also been unable to get stuck into crafty projects or anything else, so no worse mess has been created. And I did manage to haul out the recycling bin this morning for collection (full), so I can refill that this weekend.

Am a bit envious of all the progress, but not too much as last night, I managed to take care of a pile on the kitchen counter that's been bugging me for months AGES.

lljkk I used to save boxes for our gerbils, stuffing them into random places I was SHOCKED when we moved how very many we had, and resolved to store boxes in the recycling bin instead. except for the good ones that their tank didn't have room for right away

Tonight's plan is to mop the kitchen floor and maybe tackle the tupperware, jars, and other food-storage devices. Wish me luck

Have finally sent some stuff off to the dump and more to the charity shop. Seems like hardly anything again but at least it's something, and that's the best I can hope for right now!

Problem is that because of mad-house Ebaying I now have a great excuse for lots of hoarding of padded envelopes, small boxes, other packing materials.

One way or another, hoarder instincts seem to out themselves. :)

That sounds nasty BiddyPop. Hope you are ok.

Our washing machine stopped working a few days ago and I couldn't get any repair people as no one seems to repair integrated machines.

With help over the phone from my Dad and several You Tube tutorials later I have fixed the damm thing myself.

Off to mum's tomorrow and am leaving DH a DIY list.

Kitchen floor mopped I pulled everything out, DH did the work!

I LOVE the 'endstate' idea lexi. That is just what I need - I tend to dwell on the negative and feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of stuff that needs to happen, but having a clearer idea of what I we want our house to look like will really help, especially as it is so frustrating having to go slowly due to our health.

Oh, and if this thread gets full and we need a second one, can we somehow involve the name "clutter sluts"? :o

Hope you're feeling better now biddy - chest infections are just awful :(

Hope you're feeling better biddy , I've joined the poorly ranks too. Sore throat, nose and jaw which the GP thinks is viral so I have to ride it out. I am shit at being ill, I get very very grumpy.

So in consequence I have done naff all. I'm going to forget about de-cluttering over the weekend and hopefully shake this virus. Then next week I WILL BE BACK

another one in the poorly ranks here - done nothing this week in between looking after various poorly dcs and a poorly dh and now it seems to be my turn to crawl into bed with the lemsips

I have now decluttered 4 cupboards, hasn't yet made a visible impact, although I am planning to put more stuff away once all cupboards are done. It is nice to open the cupboard and see tidy tins, should help me know what I need at shopping.

Have unfortunately recluttered though with secondhand school and brownie uniform from school uniform sale. At a pound an item how could I resist?

Have unfortunately recluttered though with secondhand school and brownie uniform from school uniform sale. At a pound an item how could I resist?

Xxxxxx phone!

3Bunnies have you bought new uniform then .

I have finished all rooms apart from kitchen and our bedroom. Which I hope to get done next week.

I haven't done anything today yet or yesterday! there's always tonight or tomorrow?

Am very at wheredidIput it, too!

To be fair Mrsmuddypuddles I did do a massive clear out earlier this year so this is/was just to get back to where it was.

Hence the name .

No progress to report but I heard it's free listings weekend on eBay just now! I have some things I wanted to set a higher starting price for, so might try to do that tomorrow.

oh, really Lex??! We DH have been waiting for one of those to get rid of baby stuff...

wheredidIputit That's one of the few things I hate about "organising"- and even more about being orgainsed by someone else.

Hi all - I'm also in need of a massive declutter - we did the garage -you can actually WALK in there now - not climb over everything....

well, thing is WE didn't do it - we paid someone to come and do it for us - £50 plus the cost of a skip (and 20 min in the middle saying keep/throw) - best money we have spent.... now need to find someone to come help in the house - but the stuff in the house seems so much more more personal..... we will get there - maybe not before Christmas though..

Sounds like 50 quid well spent. I went through my drawers yesterday and sent a bag to charity which was either too big (maternity) or too small (pre children) rediscovered a few trousers too. Trying to do an application form at the moment too so not much time.

Not much progress here. Not entirely sure why!

Decorator now not coming until next week which is both good and bad. Have decided on colours and wallpaper finally.

The stuff I need to get rid of so far is sorted into piles. Just need to do it now!

Have to sort dining room and bedroom this week so that when DH is back next weekend we can move all the furniture around.

Dining room not too bad but bedroom a bit of a nightmare. Determined to get those rooms done this week.

Five bags of unwanted junk taken to charity shop yesterday. Another bag of junk put out for the binmen tomorrow.

I have had the most productive and amazing day!

Dh and I decided we would tackle the storage container in the yard as for the last few years we have put loads of stuff in there but very little has actually made it out again.

We have spent the afternoon laughing and crying at old memories from college and growing up, including a box of old photos from when I was tiny. I found my old diaries from 1986 which were interesting to say the least - oh the problems I thought I had back then

Also found an old case which had all the cards and telegrams from when I was born and the tutu I wore for a ballet recital aged 6!

there was also a hell of a lot of junk as well

Anyway the container is now tidy, shelves have been put up and we finally have somewhere to store tools, outside stuff (eg brolly for table) and all our camping stuff which now means I have an empty cupboard in the utility room

Going to have some and read a bit more of my 13 year angst.....

So, today I redeamed myself by having another bash at DD's toys AND clearing out the nappy box (we did real nappies, so a box of clean ones + misc stuff has been sitting around for the last 6 months or so, with only the top bits used for night nappies). I'll probably want another go at her toys, but there's a good laundry basket-full of toys and a carrier bag of nappy stuff out of her room! and in the hallway