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?

My Decluttering efforts have been shite this week. Once ds is back at preschool next week, I aim to start on the kitchen cupboards.

Good luck with the car boot Lexi

And welcome to the newbies

I am doing really well, it has taken me months, but I have nearly finished and I can really see a difference, and tidying is easier, now there isnt so much "stuff", I am left with ebayable stuff that is slowly going on now.

Pouring with rain this morning so didn't do the boot sale. There's always next week...

Did get speaker cable routed all the way around the room so that my dad (visiting for the purpose of helping) can do all the skirtings in there tomorrow yay! Then it's a short hop to getting the room painted which will mean pretty much finished.

I need to join :( every surface is covered in crap. We have way too much stuff and there will no where to put the xmas pressies at this rate. I have started but not making much difference at the moment but hopefully I will get there in time for christmas when the sides can be covered in new crap

mega I find surface = clutter so I have also got rid of surface.

I've sold toyboxes, a book case (2 actually as a dresser is about to go), the DCs train table as it just becomes something we throw stuff on.

If there is a surface that can attract crap - then it will get filled!! I had to literally do 1 drawer at a time otherwise it was over whelming

Can't believe it's only 7 weeks til Xmas eve! So much still to do.

Ok I'm back on- need to put some more stuff on FB pages tonight. And sort generally. Going to do the hallway tonight. :)

Hi Cluttersluts!

Am back. Was away last week so nothing done.

Decorator is still sick apparently. Very annoying as I feel in limbo really till that is all done.

Need to do a general tidy round today. Unpacking, washing, changing beds etc.

Then today's task will be to finally sort my desk. Bought it a fe months ago but haven't actually used it yet. It's full of bits that shouldn't be there. It also contains my list of things that need doing in the house room by room so it would be useful to find that.

Will also to charity shop run I think.

fuzzpig thats not a helpful comment I'm still kidding myself I have loads of time left!

Right dcs clothes to put away today and then I will be able to claim the sitting room back!

I was offline last week. I managed to do a lot of important jobs, like washing the outside windows and cleaning the gutters (that one IS important for winter here). We had the neighbours in after trick-or-treating Halloween night, and DD and their littlest trashed DD's room. So we had to re-sort all the clothes before we went away Thurs, and DH and DD sorted the books last night. And I had cleared downstairs as they were coming over - just don't dare open the study door!!

I know I'll get there, and little progress is being made all over, but then things get trashed again so easily....

It's like trying to bail out the titanic with a thimble.

DH upstairs attempting to get some order in our tip of a bedroom, so we can move the bed in time for window people to get in tomorrow, but really it's just moving the junk around as we have neither the time or the energy to do it properly

Did our bedroom yesterday. My half of the wardrobe and chest of drawers is pretty organised as I've got into the habit of clearing out every so often, had already done bag for the charity shop and one for recycling. The problem is that DH never gets rid of clothes. He has t-shirts dating back 15yrs! I have resorted to sneaking the odd thing out now, so far he hasn't noticed.

Also sorted the bookshelf in our room (am a book fiend) and took a buggy tray full of paperbacks to the charity shop today. I find I'm getting more ruthless with books, once I've read it I try and pass it on (have a Kindle too which helps).

Have tidied out my paperwork/junk cupboard today ,mainly to look for a receipt to return something to b and q, to find you only have 45 days to do it and its nearer 60. Oh well. DD back at school tomorrow so can crack on a bit.However DH has bought some new seats for the car so I have almost a whole car interior in the house now !

Still done naff all here.

I spent yesterday cleaning up the carnage from half term, so just cleaning done rather than de-cluttering.

Rowg I feel your pain, we are always doing things like that. Being cluttered wastes so much energy in terms of having to look for stuff! Would love to have a place for everything and everything in its place!

I am a bit miffed with DH as he is being annoyingly realistic about the fact we are unlikely to have finished by Xmas. I OTOH would much rather carry on dreaming that it will happen!

However we finally have two new windows, with the others being done tomorrow. It's amazing - I actually thought there was no glass in them as they are so much clearer than the old leaky rotting ones!

I am back to work tomorrow after yet more time off, straight into an 8.30-7 shift. BHF are collecting their charity bags on Thursday so I'm determined to fill that up if nothing else. Though I really should finish clearing the stairs of clean clothes - it was a bit awkward for the window man clambering past it all

I have had an amazing offer from my lovely lovely cleaner that the things I need to sell can be stored in her spare room. Should I take her up on this offer (until we can find a time to do a car boot together) or will it just be nagging at me even when not cluttering my own house... but it would give us that much needed wriggle room to sort through other stuff.

We have a growing clean-towels mountain on a chair in our bedroom. I am waiting for DH to notice it.

Wow, TenTunTruck - if your cleaner is really happy with that, I'd go for it - it'll make you feel like you've 'lost' a load of clutter. And might encourage you to do the car boot sooner as you'll feel you need to get your cleaners room clear for her.

Progress here has been .... slow, but ongoing. But am definately getting a bit of change of mode - it gets easier & easier to chuck things out doesn't it

The bad news - I am still off sick going back to see doctor tomorrow.

The good news - we have our new windows! Yay! House is warmer already. And now we don't have that hanging over our heads we can get on with proper sorting out. Hopefully :o

I've gone way off track and the house is a tip.

DH is off this weekend though so i will try to get on top of things. So busy with work though. How's it going with everyone else?

Hi all.

Hope you are all still at it.

Still plodding on here. Did a charity shop run and got rid of a car load. Desk almost sorted. Room by room list done.

Blooming decorator still out of action though. Now not here till Mon 19th. Sigh.

Tomorrow I will be finishing desk area and sorting out bedding etc in airing cupboard.

Fuzz pig- hope you are better soon. Horrible being ill any time but especially when you want to be doing stuff. Good news re windows though!

AndifI- take cleaners offer. You will be more likely to do car boot to get stuff out of her house than your own!

Is there space for a newbie?

I've not read the whole thread yet, but you're inspiring me.

I have the toys really well organised but EVERYTHING else is a shit heap. I'm a serial hoarder and complete protagonist = disaster zone of clutter. My main aim is getting the living room sorted so we can get a tree up and decorations. The dining table is in there too and we haven't been able to see the surface for months. I think the last time we ate at it was last christmas .

We got a new corner unit from Ikea last weekend and put it up yesterday, which involved jiggling a few other bits. The corner unit is mainly for the new toys arriving at Xmas, but have shoved some of the clutter back on for now. We're in the 'middle' of sorting when it is ten times worse than before you started and we've had to clear some space for DD to be able to play.

Today we're going to put shelves up, speakers on the wall, (rather than cluttering other surfaces), get some tester pots of paints and maybe some more bits from Ikea - that would save having to worry about cooking too.

What are your rules about getting rid of paperwork . . . . . what goes and what stays?
I have stacks & stacks & stacks. Wage slips from over a decade ago, utility bills from a property I used to own

Does anyone have any suggestions or links for boards to put down in the loft?
I know there is insulation up there, but we've not looked yet.

There is always room for another

I have failed off of the wagon and accomplished sweet Fanny Adams this week. Ds has been poorly so has turned into a Velcro baby.

I still haven't cleared the kitchen cupboards ......

Hi Mrs, welcome.

I think you only need to keep financial info for a maximum of 7 years but maybe ask in legal or money matters?

We have got standard tongue and groove chip board in the loft but depending on how old your house is, you may have shallow joist space and insulating blanket going across them. In order to have the right thickness of insulation under your loft boards you either need to replace some blanket with high density space board or use something to raise the joist height. We found some plastic stilts which work really well - you screw them onto the joist and screw the boards onto them.

We have put the car boot stuff to my cleaner's spare room. I sold a set of speakers on ebay this week so need to take them to the courier pick-up place. Didn't go for much, but hey ho.

Right now I am staring at a box of paperwork that needs to be shredded. Urgh.

Right - I need a kick up the backside..........

I have managed to get the airing cupboard done today - it looks fantastic!

I also took another dozen bags to the charity shop.

I have managed to move all the clothes out of the living room and sorted them into piles to be put away. I now have a gorgeous de-cluttered living room with a fire roaring away just waiting for me and a bottle glass of wine.

BUT I still haven't finished the dcs room I've only been trying for 2 weeks ......