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[educatingarti]

This is the new minimalist/decluttering thread! I hope everyone likes the minimal title!

Hi everyone. I popped in a while ago but some scary moments in pregnancy had me taking it easy.

Now ready to get stuck in and eased myself in thurs/ fri and today have gone a little nuts and got DP to completely gut the nursery (my main hoarding space- rest of house has more subtle clutter, or none) as nursery is getting plastered soon.

Now the entire house... Except maybe the kitchen and bathroom looks like a bomb has hit it! DD comes home from a trip to her dads for 12 days tomorrow so want most cleared by then but I'm absolutely wrecked already. It's so emotionally draining I actually started shaking!

Having a break now ( 5 hours in) and then getting stick in again in 5 mins.

So far have 3 boxes for charity, one box of stuff to give away to a particular person and one bin bag for dump.

I took pics but when I upload them it seems that all the pics are of the most recent pic I uploaded. I'd rather clear another box than work out pics now. Ill try again later.

Hi Blue

Sounds like you have a lot going on, make sure you look after yourself

We are in upheaval as well, carpet being fitted so lots of displaced clutter around!

Good luck with the plastering! (Oh the dust, the endless dust!)

Hey all. Today's not seen much decluttering so far. Cupboard of Everything still untouched. Feeling a bit rubbish today & motivation evades me. Woke up to an unorganised mess this morning as hadn't got sorted before bed, and rushing about to go out this morning with DC realised I can't function well at all in a cluttered, chaotic environment. I get anxious and palatation-y and short tempered. I've been really trying lately with putting stuff away, a place for everything etc so really noticed tbe difference. Anyway, nuff moaning and 'me' stuff (sorry!) whilst not doing, and pondering the link between clutter & anxiety/mood stuff I read this great blog entry online and wanted to share
theuphillstruggle.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/decluttering-minimalism-and-the-mind/

Going to have a brew now and then do something little to try shake this feeling of being sat on by an invisible elephant:)

Wow blue, that's some serious work you've done there, well done!

Like Rosa I have not managed much today. I did clear the bed so the mattress is back on, but didn't really sort much of it at all. I am not feeling too well today and can barely stand (I have something called postural orthostatic tachycardia... not as exotic as it sounds but it's a total PITA). I have a busy day tomorrow so I'm trying to rest, and I'm planning to get more done on Tuesday if I'm up to it. Mainly throwing stuff out and gathering stuff for charity - stuff I've already thought of but can't physically get to right now.

I am still pg. That's about all I'm able to contribute to the thread at the moment. I know it's completely irrelevant, but it's pretty much the only thought occupying my head at the moment. Due date tomorrow. Can't see it happening, myself :(

Oh how frustrating mrsp :( hope baby won't keep you waiting too much longer!

Are you ready for it mrsp? Are you going to try to induce yourself (pineapple etc) or let it happen on its own?

Oh MrsP sympathies, DS1s birthday is on Saturday. Being pg in August is a real pain

Polka I think that elephant comes to my house sometimes

MrsP you have my sympathy too - ds born end Aug and the last few weeks were haaaaard.

My sister is decluttering and laughed today when she found a box of stuff I was throwing out years ago and she 'saved' because it was " too good to get rid of".. She hadn't used anything in the box and is now happily letting it go. And my friend who stayed this weekend is going home inspired to let go of things that are filling her flat. This stuff is infectious!

I still have a long way to go but there are now 11 empty stacked plastic crates upstairs. My sister took a pile of children's books for her school, my mum took some bags for life (there's an irony there) and my cousin's having some toys... Good to be giving away!

I've ordered myself a smart new backpack for my new job so the old one with the dodgy zip is on the way out. I notice that there are still 3 little handbags on the back of my bedroom door and can't remember when they were last used... I don't particularly love any of them either, although one was a present last Christmas and I feel bad about giving it away so soon.

I wish I could find the link but I read a great article on slow decluttering today - taking it at the pace that's right for you and being kind to yourself when progress is slower than you'd like.

We are freeing ourselves from stuff to make room for the things that matter. It took a while to get all this stuff so it may take a while to get rid of it...

can I join this thread? I thought we were pretty much decluttered but it's definitely an ongoing procedure rather than something that ever finishes!

Started the week well - 3 things listed on freecycle, and old baby clothes chopped up to make a patchwork cushion. Loads of baby stuff to sell too - think will go for nct sale as easiest option.

This month I want to keep track of everything that comes into the house and get rid of 2 items for every 1 that arrives...

Thing about slow decluttering is that normally, whenever I get the urge to declutter its because I have a looming deadline- people coming to stay, work being done on the house etc in which case, slow decluttering isn't for me!

Though I intend to be constantly decluttering the bits of the house that are already pretty minimal ( or were til we pulled everything out yesterday.) I guess that's slow decluttering?

After yesterday I have 27 empty boxes, 3 boxes of stuff for paper craft day to be organised for September ( boxes will be empty by the end of that day as giving away anything that's left!) 2 bin bags, 4 charity boxes and a huge box of things to give away to someone specific. Oh and a box that's so overflowing its technically 2 boxes worth of eBay stuff. There was just so many boxes filled with little bits if everything in the nursery- doesnt seem that much now its all be organised.

I still need to sort through photos and paperwork and stuff I saved from holidays. Ill wait til DD gets home tonight and look through the boxes with her as she's better at remembering than me!

I also used some vacuum pac bags to seal up some things to store in our eaves - Easter decorations, fabric for Christmas craft and fabric that will be needed once we know gender of baby and I can start seeing for the nursery. Christmas decs will be sorted through in December

Today I'm packing up /posting a heap of sold eBay stuff (£30 yay!) and moving the boxes back out of the living room and into the den (not currently used) as I don't want to carry them upstairs by myself. DP away for a few days now.

Oh, small chest of drawers also going :)

Wow Blue you are doing really well!

I used to be 100% a deadline de clutterer especially when the DC were smaller and time was at a premium. Now it's probably more like 40%

I try to manage what comes in, but also feel the need to do 15 minute bursts when deadlines loom (cleaning too )

Welcome Being

The more the merrier

Thanks everyone. I'm still pg. I was at the supermarket yesterday, and seriously considered buying a pineapple, I'm just not sure I could eat the whole thing. I don't mind pineapple, but it's not my favourite, could manage a bit maybe. I'd rather have a flaming hot curry, tbh. That might end up being tonight's dinner. DH isn't too keen on very very spicy things, but he might just have to live with it, or get his own dinner!

Only thing about curry is that it has to come out the other end. Personally I won't be having a curry just before pushing a baby out!

I did hear you need to eat a lot of pineapple to induce but it could also be a placebo effect for many.

I prefer big bursts of decluttering personally but I mentioned slow decluttering because I know there are a lot of people on the thread who need to manage their energy.

I'm trying to encourage independence in my dc so I gave them a packing list and a little suitcase each today for our few days away at the seaside. Schoolgirl error: forgot to check what ds1 actually packed. No pjs, no tshirts... I'm traditionally a massive overpacker (because I get anxious and want to foresee every eventuality) but it's fine... DS is sleeping in my tshirt from today and his boxers. I was planning to buy him a couple of tshirts soon anyway because he's had a huge growth spurt and all his tshirts are age 8 (and turns 11 this month!).

We hardly travelled light but I managed to limit myself to 2 board games (in case of rain), lego, paper, pens and 2 books each. This is progress, people!

School holidays. No decluttering, or anything, being done here. Lots of supporting ds1 as he is in major meltdown most days and we're desperately trying to get a working routine in place.

Optimistic for decluttering to continue when dh returns to work next week. I say I haven't done any but I have a bin bag full of part pieces from various toys. Which may or may not be in the loft. But I've removed them from circulation for the time being as half a train track is no good!

Hey all! I am 4 days from the end of the summer school and will be driving back to the New House on Saturday! DH is primed to do the move on Friday, so there will be a lot of unpacking to do.
Even though we de-cluttered a lot before I left to come here, I am going to keep an empty box to the side and continue the process as all the boxes are unpacked. There are 2-3 boxes of CDs which will all be going in those logic cases and the boxes will be chucked out, and more DVDs as well.
I can't wait to get stuck in and decide where everything will go in the new house, so exciting!

Hi Artemis !! How are you? How is the summer school?

Returning to a new home, that's so exciting

My challenge today is a mystery box full of papers . Found in the dresser, not sure how long its been hiding in there

Wow Artemis that's so exciting. It is great you won't have quite so much to unpack since you've already decluttered some, and that you will start as you mean to go on by decluttering as you unpack.

Hopefully MrsP will have her own exciting news soon. Hurry up Mini Pennyapple! You know the best way of bringing on labour is supposedly sex, but it didn't work for me DS was due on August 19th and wasn't born until the 30th after induction.

Can't believe that was nearly 4 years ago now - in fact we've just been discussing going uniform shopping as he starts reception next month. I'd like to leave it a bit later as I want to get more stuff sorted first but then I don't want to leave it too late and find there's not much available.

I went up to st barts yesterday to meet an occupational therapist and when we were discussing short term goals I talked about decluttering and simplification! She said it was a great idea to use that as an incentive and also I can keep doing short bursts rather than overdoing it and getting ill.

Noticed a clothes aid bag arriving this week so I'm going to dig out all the clothes from the chazzer pile and stuff them in that instead, and try to weed some more from the wardrobe. Trying to find the energy to start - arranging a trip to London and working on the same day was not a sensible plan!

I've got a few weeks off work so have sorted out some bags to go to the charity shop, some clothes/shoes/bags for CashForClothes and some larger items to go to the tip. I detest going to the tip and am putting it off. Full of men standing around smirking as I struggle to throw stuff in the huge container thingies. Hate it. Needs must though.

The summer school is going well but I have been so busy - I brought 4 novels with me and haven't touched any of them at all! I agreed to co-direct the play which the pupils put on on the last night of the summer school so every break has been taken up with rehearsals, read throughs etc.

I've been living out of a couple of suitcases, it shows you how little you actually need to have to be perfectly content!

I ordered our white goods today online, to arrive on Saturday, the new house doesn't have them and our current flat has a completely fitted kitchen.
I just cannot wait to get home and get nesting!

That's wonderful Artemis busy days and lots to look forward to, what an exciting time in your life. I hope both you and your DH -and his things- find a contented home together

Like Harriet up thread comented on packing light, we rarely miss "things" when they are no longer at hand/in sight

I have yet to go on holiday and wish I could have a box of odd things to hand which is what I went through this morning.

DSs using Hama beads at the table as I sifted through this pointless box of rubbish !

I think it was after a particularly messy piling up of stuff in kitchen. I wanted to clean so just grabbed a plastic tub and put away, with a view to sorting through, ahem ...a good 6 months later and there is still was

I was tempted to just bin the lot, but I went through it and found some treasure and a lot of recycling!

I must stop doing the sweeping stuff into boxes to sort through later, quite often later doesn't come

I must stop doing the sweeping stuff into boxes to sort through later, quite often later doesn't come

Indeed! It is shocking how many of those boxes we still have, though drastically less than I first joined this thread. I am really enjoying sorting through them though - it's nice to find the odd thing I had genuinely missed, but it's also nice to see how much stuff I can get rid of, and the satisfaction of emptying a box completely is really quite exhilarating :o. And it's quite low effort physically so it's good for me.

Had a lovely afternoon painting outside with DH and the DCs. And of course nobody missed all the random shaped brushes, rollers etc that I mentioned getting rid of last week.

I managed to fill that clothes aid bag right up. DH has told me to just get rid of anything I want of his - he has always hated clothes shopping so tends to cling on to anything no matter how threadbare or misshapen, so he'd rather have no say in it. I think he's mad brave to do that - there's no way I could let someone else, even DH, minimise MY stuff! The anxiety would be huge!