Christmas 2021 declutter and clean up - festive fung shui [fwink]

[OnTheHillNotOverIt]

I know it’s blummin early but if I don’t start now I’ll run into the busyness and then I’ll be upset that EVERYTHING IS A MESS

So in an effort to avoid that I’m hoping someone might join me. In addition to just cleaning a bit (lot) I’d like to

Empty small under stairs cupboard and put board games in there

Empty small airing cupboard which is rammed with stuff I don’t use them I can get towels and sheets we do use in there

I have a drawer with festive/craft bits in that’s a disgrace too and doesn’t make me feel warm and festive

I am not an organised person so really want to try. So what are your goals for festive fung shui?

that should be in the title not fwink

I am up for joining in. Two out of my three kids have just reached the point of growing out of stuff (clothes and toys) so I would like to sort though everything and re-organise a bit which will hopefully lead to less clutter in general.

I would also like to sort out and streamline living room storage a bit more too.

I’d love to join you. I’ve been gradually (and I mean very gradually) decluttering and organising different areas of the house. I’d actually like to do a full make over of the dining room before Christmas but that means getting lots of stuff to charity and just having a huge clear out really.

Definitely here for this. I am starting this afternoon with the food cupboards in the kitchen because I bought my first Christmas food items yesterday!

Yes, I need to clearout my usual hiding places.
Luckily neither dh nor dc have noticed the Amazon box hiding in plain site under my desk, it's only a matter of time though!
Also need a big clearout of toys etc., so much is being kept and they hardly play with them any more. Makes me a bit sad though.

Yes👍I'm here for the decluttering support, I was only thinking of writing a list but this even better,to have the goal of having it done in time for Christmas. I started shopping for Christmas presents ,but I am running out of places to put them because things are stuffed in places they shouldn't be🤪🤣.

Goals are :
Make the walk in wardrobe walkable again 👀🤣 free up space for gift storage.
Spare room : take everything out of it and either donate, bin it, or put it back in . It's currently not very spare🤣.
Toys: sort out toys and books and decide what can be donated.

I'm in !
I've been working my way through stuff over the last year so cupboards aren't too bad but drawers need sorting and I make sure I take a carrier bag of things to the charity shop every Monday afternoon when I finish work , even if it's just a few items and it has helped clear stuff enormously but I've still got more to do and the garage needs some serious attention

Great idea for a thread!
I've been quietly filling the doorstep charity bags with previous years untouched presents, been ordering presents online for months in the hope that we can avoid the months worth of cardboard backlog that last Christmas created by getting rid as I go (fat chance, everyone seems determined to fill my house!) have finally got downstairs living space to a nice maintenance only level, next stage is the Man Drawer declutter as that's where scissors/sellotape/batteries/other Very Important at Christmas stuff lives and I hate having to root about all the crap...
Toy clear out for DS next probably. He's 2 and we still have baby toys kicking about that he's not interested in anymore.

Today I spent 3 hours clearing one cupboard in my bedroom, putting clothes away in drawers (I'm guilty of the floordrobe storage system) and packing away summer clothes. I've made space for Christmas gifts most of which I've already bought but had nowhere to put! Dusted and hoovered too so it looks much better.

How can I get rid of lego? I have kilos and kilos of pieces and lots of incomplete sets with no original boxes. Can't face ebaying it.

Thanks for this thread, it might give me some more motivation. We have lots of decorating jobs which need to be finished then all the tools etc can be put away. (only started in February )
I must go through the toys with the DC as I can't bear the thought of anything else arriving!
@Invasionofthegutsnatchers you can send your Lego to me! Or sell on marketplace by the Kilo?

Hoping to gain some motivation to do something other than buy presents!

I ought to declutter and clear up x

I'm good at buying. Not at clearing out and organising! My house has far too much in it. It depresses me daily. Giving stuff away is good for the soul though. I've offloaded 2 big items today and made the recipients happy which is a big win.

I was so, so organised last year, right up to December when I realised I was only organised with presents, and everything else was a disaster. So I've started earlier this year, nearly sorted with the gifting stuff, craft supplies purchased, and now I just need to make some room for us to be festive in! I have a lot to do & only small slivers of time, so I'm starting now. (Or when I'm finished browsing Mumsnet anyway.)

I’m here for the fwink.

I'm in! Just started sorting through stuff, I think me and DP are going to a car boot sale this Sunday - there is a lot of stuff, so if we can sell it all for 50p an item we'll still make some pocket money to put towards Christmas, seems like a win-win. Tbh even if we don't make a profit - I'll just be happy to come home with an empty car.
I also have lots of cupboards rammed with shite that I've hidden. Very daunting job to start but so satisfying

Ooh excited for this!

Oh I’d like to join! Really need to declutter our too-small house after the year of lockdowns, and get rid of things and fix and decorate a bit so we can have a lovely house for Christmas. I used to be very organised, but since having DD I seem never to have time and the Stuff has taken over 😭

I'm in. I'd love to join in with this.

Can I join? I badly need to do a trip to our local waste site - I have two crates of glass jars, a box of batteries, old paint, a cot mattress and some sheet glass that need to go.

And I have some good ish items that are too big for the charity bag that I’ve been meaning to offer on the neighbourhood WhatsApp.

And a charity bag to donate.

And a bag of Christmas stuff to donate - I need to ring the local charity shop to see if it’s too soon for that. Last year I left it til December and they said they had too much already, so I need to find the sweet spot.

Why oh why is it so much easier to say these things rather than do them?

I’ve been meaning to have a clear out for about 2 years now. I have to get some stuff out of the house before I bring more in. It’s my birthday soon, then dcs birthday then dhs birthday and then it will be Christmas. We have no space for new incoming stuff!

I threw out a load of old makeup last week. And I sold 2 tops online this week. This is the only progress I’ve made so far.
I’m going to fill some bags for icollectclothing - they take soft toys as well as clothes.

Great to see so many of us on a mission.

I’ve been fwinking that I do struggle with hoarding. Even the airing cupboard has stuff we no longer use but I find them hard to throw out because I remember the kids using them when they were small.

I will try thanking the things and then putting in textile recycling bag. I will get waylaid by thinking I could make gift bags or ghosts for Halloween with a sheet with a hole in.

Argh! Any tips? Anyone else a keep it just in case person?

I used to be very good at getting rid of stuff and not holding on to things - but since I had DD I find myself not able to do that, and keeping lots of stuff just in case/just because she used it as a baby and all that kind of thing, so I completely empathise.

I’m also finding it difficult to sort through and get rid of things from my pre-DD life - for example, clothes I will probably never fit again and would probably not wear even if I could fit them! But I’m reluctant to get rid of things that remind me of the old me.

I guess that’s psychologically very obvious - I feel like I’ve lost my old self so can’t bring myself to let go of those things. I understand that - but then how do I actually get myself to break out of that mindset?!??

I have a memory box and keep some items for sentimental reasons. It helps me pick one item out of a pile rather than feeling I have to keep it all. I’ve gone from having a groaning attic to half a box because I’m conscious of keeping space for future memories too.

Its a pretty big box (one of the IKEA packing boxes)

Oh I need to do this abs itching to get started but never have any time, although I plan to start on the kitchen today between gymnastics and the school fair 🙄. I've started buying Christmas food and have nowhere to put it.

My plan is to go room by room. Living room is only really some drawers, big job in the kitchen as I fancy taking everything out, cleaning, getting rid and resorting, then the playroom which is my nemesis, kids clothes, a pile of old school and nursery stuff which I don't know what to do with and on and on. I had such an organised house a few years ago but it's all just built up which I hate.

Here's to us all having a lovely, organised home to enjoy Christmas in!