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?

well, today is my day off, and I am not feeling motivated.

I tried to get rid of some paper-clutter in the week, started with A for work (the company I work at starts with A), and only got as far as putting my payslips in date order :( still a bunch of pension papers and goodness knows what to do in that file)

I also thought about decluttering the shoe tree- does thinking count???

Lexi I'm right down with you on the slutty end!

I do not go back to work until the 5th November so I am hoping to have a blitz- have told the kids they can have friends round, so need to do a blitz on bedrooms and playroom this weekend!!

dh is not liking my new resolve- our bedroom is STILL the only tidy room and when he leaves clothes on the floor or on the bed I put them in the washing basket- he has been moaning but I will NOT HAVE IT. So many times I have spent hours and hours tidying only for it to slip back, this thread has spurred me on to do it properly (thank you sooo much fuzzpig)

anyway, holiday starting with haircut and tea at in laws- my fil cooks a mean veggie curry!!! So probably only minor progress today

Good luck fellow cluttersluts (love that name) and remember baby steps - any little progress is part of the bigger picture

Just remarking my place - haven't read for a while. I seem to be getting another chest infection so can't do anything. Again. Hope everyone's doing well!

Incidentally we have had a possible invite to a friend's for Xmas which would somewhat take the pressure off, but I still want a tidy house...

Not much happening here due to work but DD1 is keeping her room really tidy so that is helping a bit. I have cracked on with ebaying though and have made quite a bit of cash from it which will pay for the xmas Sylvanian stuff that the DD's would like.

Thanks for starting this, fuzzpig! Sorry to hear you're feeling poorly.

True to anticipation, I did not manage anything much at all today. I literally moved a stack of big books from DD's room to the lounge, and filled the short shelf in her room with board books that possibly should be weeded out but she enjoys books that are for younger children. Stack moved to lounge sitting in a pile, despite there being a 1/2 empty shelf.

Does NOT buying anything despite being tempted count as progress?

Oh yes it does Mrs Muddy!!! Not much progress here- but bedroom still tidy

Hope you feel better fuzzpig-

Tommee that sounds like good progress

No progress, I'm full of cold so is Ds and my mum is seriously ill in hospital. Am considering it an achievement to have done the dishes and made another stocking

Waiting- so sorry about your mum- hope she improves - and you feel better soon.

Thanks, me too. I shall commence decluttering again soon.

ooooh, I'm back - phew - had a wobble but managed to sell a fair bit of stuff on the facebook local pages - made a bout £50 as well. Only prob is now done it for a friend who doesn't have a big local page and I have now got a car boot full of stuff to get rid of for her (all sold - just waiting collection). I will deliver all my Avon today and then I'm going to start bagging up the non-sold stuff ready for charity shop.
Besides that, not much else going on!

Waiting - hope your mum improves soon :)

Signing in on the sick parade here too! Haven't moved off the sofa yet today, although I am now dressed (in about a gazillion layers)! I have a stinker of a cold, and couldn't keep down even water and paracetamol this morning. Have just demolished a tin of veggie soup though and feel quite a lot better.

This weekend we (I say we, it may not involve much of DH other than getting out the tools) have to try to finish the wood flooring in the hall which foxed the fitter who was here yesterday. He did the living room so I have that space back now. I am going to bring in my boxes of books from the shed where they have been since August (hope they are not damp or I will cry) and see how many I really want to keep. I don't expect to chuck many, but I can't let them back in the house without being put through the process.

By Friday the spare bedroom needs to be clear for my dad to sleep in, as he's going to help with putting on skirtings and hanging doors.

Good luck for a clutter busting weekend everyone!

Thanks for well wishes, my mum is a cancer patient and things really arent lookin good. i have a horrible cold so have done practically nothing other than spend money online and skulk about in a mood. have made some more stockings though and got the boys a chest of drawers so more toys have gone into actual drawers rather than just milling around the floor

Afternoon all - actually managing to get something done today - have pinned the dcs down and we are working through their room at the mo - so far its 3 bags of toys for the charity chop and another 5 for the bin .

About half way round the room so should get it finished by this evening....... which means that I can then get access to their drawers to put the clothes away which have been living in the spare room for months.

virtual [tea] and chocolate to all those feeling poorly, waiting similar situation here - I hope your mum is comfortable

Pants isn't it, me and Ds are full of cold so can't visit incase pass it on. No decluttering today, lots of tea and bed rest.

ooh I'm in - a bit late (only 2 months to Xmas ) but I did start decluttering last month. So far...

• sold £100 of old clothes (including a maternity dress - youngest DC is 11 next month!) on eBay
• got the kids to sell their old toys and games (they made £20 between them)
• gave away two old chests of drawers which were emptied by the above
• chucked out a whole bin bag of partly coloured on paper (DD's never to be finished 'projects')
• shredded 2 bin bags of old bank/card statements & receipts for things I don't have any more
• recycled a huge drawer full of old jiffy bags & envelopes which I'd kept just in case I needed them

hope all the lurgies out there clear up soon, and you have some better news about your mum, Waiting

Thank you, I really should sell some old clothes but I hate estimating postage always get it wrong then end up out of pocket

Hi waiting, have you got a fb local selling page, literally as quick as I list people are buying, it's mental. Made £50 in two days ad no postage as its local people collect :)

Yeah I might give that a go find I get messed about a lot but only same as eBay, will give it a go.

I have done the books! Cut down by about a third. I don't know whether to try to sell some of them though, I wonder about doing a car boot? What's the typical paperback price at a boot fair - same as a charity shop perhaps?

I have been holding on to the old bedroom doors which we took out in August. A week ago they had to be put outside while the floor was done... Now they have swelled up and will have to be taken to the tip. Argh! I was certain I was going to get some money for them, too!

I can't find a local fb selling page - I've found selling apps but I avoid fb apps like the plague. Should it be a group with the name of my nearest town, basically?

mmmm, tidying the sock drawer, very therapeutic .

Can I join please?!?!

Already made a start last weekend......DC's had the weekend to tidy/sort their bedrooms, whatever was left on the floor at teatime Sunday was being blacksacked and taken to the dump...I have started sticking to my word so that's what I did. It ended up being six sacks of things because they just couldn't be bothered!

Plan is to declutter -

kitchen

the understairs cupboard
Pantry
All cupboards

living room

Just needs a general declutter / things putting in right places.

Hi lexi, if you're on fb just look for local groups with your biggest town on it, usually they are on there. Mines got about 3500 members so very busy :)