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?

Lexi - on FB try searching 'things for sale in , see what groups come up on your search and pick the ones with the most members. You often have to ask to be in these groups but the admin people often add you within a few hours.

Also ask local FB friends if they know of any local selling pages.

Naff all done here this weekend ...... but there again I haven't bought anything so I haven't added to the chaos either [hgrin]

Hello fellow cluttersluts.

Iliketomoveit - am rubbish at doing links on iPad but wallpaper for bedroom is 'Nolita Smoke' by Laura Ashley. It's a big iris pattern in muted colours. I love it. Am doing a very unfashionable 'feature' wall! Went back to Laura Ashley to match paint colour and discovered matching curtain fabric in same pattern with a darker background so am going with that for curtains. Have never had a bedroom done how I want it so am very excited!

On the decluttering front I failed in my tasks on Thursday. But have cleared dining room for painter tomorrow. House now more cluttered than ever!

It will be worth it in the end!

Tomorrow is bedroom sorting.

I have sorted all the old videos out as we no longer have a video player and a lovely lady off facebook whos two little girls have video players is coming to pick up. I have a bookshelt empty and these two lovely girls have got lots of disney classics for free. win win all round as i had replaced them with dvds long ago

Great thanks ratbag and ILikeTo! I found one for hertfordshire which is a bit broad but I'll see how it goes. Now got to take pictures of things and post them I guess. It will be Friday probably, hopefully all pickups will then happen over the weekend.

Sorted a few more books today, and some tools and electrical guff that is in the understairs space. Took a boot load of wood offcuts, jam jars and old net curtains to the tip (I'd been offering the jars for people doing jam, but no interest). So that's a little more space created. I have more things ready to go to the tip next time the bigger car is available (Skoda Octavia, with the seats down you could literally get a full length of a mattress in there). We have not looked after our barbecue this (wet) summer and it is pretty shagged. Need to separate it into wood and metal parts and tip it too. We still have most of a gas can though. I may give that to my parents who are more likely to use it.

And I decluttered my lawn of leaves! I had an old bin which is going to be ideal for making leafmould in. I drilled holes in it, and half filled it with just what's on my lawn.

2 more black sacks of clothes ready to ship out, this time to my cousin for her ds. It's really nice when you can hand on useable clothes to someone you know. Giving her a bag of boots for her little one too. I have also found a home for my jumperoo.

All going in the right direction - out the door!!!

Great to see lots of stuff being recycled.

I have done NO de-cluttering this weekend-am going to see what I can do before strictly so I feel like I have achieved something!!!'

2 DAYS........2 DAYS!

thats how long I have been in the dcs room and its no where near finished yet

But there are another 9 black bags of rubbish to go out to the tip. The toy cupboard is empty and ready to have the boxes stacked back in it. The beds have been stripped, the frames washed down and the mattresses hoovered.

Hopefully I will get finished tomorrow.........

Well done to everyone - we're all getting closer to that Christmas Eve Baileys [hgrin]

Hello everyone - very impressed with all the efforts, despite the lurgies going around
Hadn't thought of fb group - what a great idea, will have a look.

Not been a hugely productive few days, but cleared out the old CDs/DVDs, went through my underwear/pjs draw and a few other random bits from the living room. And treated us to new cushions for the front room and living room too. Whilst there's still more to do, I'm definitely feeling an improvement in he house now - and that's spurring me on.

We're got a few friends coming over for Hallowe'en on Wednesday, & hoping the work of the last few weeks will mean less to do to prep for that! [hsmile]

I've managed to declutter tidy the entry area! I wish more items were leaving from there than 4 pairs of shoes, but at least everything is tidy now.... now to work on DH about getting rid of the shoe tree that's now empty, and getting new, better storage.

Well just after my last post I got a text from the decorator. He is ill so not coming this week. Sigh. Have put big items back Into dining room. Fingers crossed he comes next week.

Ghoul - two days? Wow. Take a big pat on the back!

Lexi - sounds like you are doing well.

I had a look at FB selling pages for my area and found a few. Great idea.

So far this morning I have just done normal house stuff. About to hang up a load of washing and decide what to do next. May do charity shop run. Then I have a pile of ironing to do.

MrsMuddyPuddles - I did our hallway earlier in the year and we bought a nice tidy shoe rack. I am the only person in the house who actually puts their shoes back on it! DH is the worst offender! Am about to instigate a new rule that any shoes not on rack will be thrown in a big black bag in the garage. It's driving me mad.

Only problem I found with the fb selling sites is I always end up buying more than I sell

Today I have cleared out the pantry, but the shoe shelf in there. Cleared out under the stairs and put the dog bed in there and taken the door off so now the dog has his own space. I have also cleared out the hallway.

That is me done for today I think. Will make a start on clearing out the kitchen cupboards one day this week.

Put the shoe shelf in there, not but.

Another day, another 5 bags of crap and the bloody dc's room is still not finished .

To be fair, there are 4 of them sharing a huge attic room and they not only have all their clothes up there but all their toys and books are up there too - joys of having to make room for a lodger to help with the harvest on the farm. But still the amount of broken toys, half finished pictures and general detritus I'm finding is seriously embarrassing

Thank god its the worst room in the house except for the farm office so anything after this will seem easy.

Please can I join you? I neeeeed this thread!

House looks like a permanent bomb site, and we've got family coming for Christmas, so I have got to get cracking on it.

First steps will be all our clothes - me and DCs, anyway, DH can sort his own out!

Well a productive day here today. I did DS's wardrobe so have a bag full of clothes to take to Dublin tomorrow. Have even remembered to book an extra bag on Ryanair!

Have sorted the clothes I need to sell. And I have cleared another two bags of clothes from my wardrobe. I am getting there slowly!

Welcome ShopsCat! Take a tip from me. Make a list. Check it twice . And tick stuff off. I know if I just say I need to sort the house I do nothing. Doing a list and ticking off the jobs, no matter how small, makes you feel in control.

ooh I am losing my mojo I have had to leave decluttering to deal with manic but basic cleaning as ds has a friend coming- 8 year old boy; not convinced he will notice but still.

My plan was to de-clutter first and then clean but I have resorted to moving piles of crap from one place to another

Come on in shipscat, it won't be long before you can call yourself a fellow clutter slut [hgrin]

Your dc's bedroom will be spotless by the time you've finished ghoul

Enjoy Dublin Buda . I liked your wallpaper v much. I can't wait to have a bedroom that I really love. I had one once ..... When I lived on my own!

I hope to start sorting through the kitchen cupboards today. I hate to think what I will find. Brown rice, a 5yo box of polenta that I have used 1tbsp of. The possibilities are endless .......

My cleaner comes on Tuesday mornings, I'm usually at work but today I have a chest infection so am working at home. We had a good chat about decluttering and she says she'll do a car boot with me! She has DIY bits and bobs to get rid of too - door handles and that sort of thing. DH was deeply uninterested in doing it with me, so I will let him off if I have other help.

She also says she will do us a full day "builders clean" once all our redecorating is finished, which is a great aiming point.

Cider thanks for the reminder - I still haven't made my list for each room of how it will be once finished.

Loving being a clutter slut Can we get badges made?!

I sorted out half the DT's wardrobe, and have a big bag of clothes to pass on to a friend. (DTs now have very few clothes left, but I'm sure they'll cope)

I'm going to do mine when the DCs are all down later.

Oo I saw mention of Christmas Eve Baileys-may I join you ? I write to do lists to the point I have a to do list about a to do list about a to do list. Practically nothing is ever done. I need to go through every drawer, cupboard, corner and underbed in my house. I am very easily distracted by food and tv ! Dd is five and her room is immaculate as we did it last week. I cant open the spare room door and my house resembles a tool shed/ car repair yard (thanx dh). There is stuff on my to do list from 2009-I would love to clear it before 2013. And my books have been in boxes for six yrs as the bookshelves are full of things that arent books. Dh has a diy things to do before Christmas list which he may/may not crack on with. I'll warn you, I will need poking with a sharp pointy stick occasionally!

Welcome to the thread rowgtfc [hgrin]

Mind you, I need the pointy stick at the moment, I got nothing done yesterday. Today is another day however, so I aim to crack on.

Good start shipscat