New year clear out

[hoopyloopycow]

So today I have...
Decluttered my clothes, shoes, drawers and wardrobe,
Deep cleaned the bathroom,
Washed and remade all beds,
Hoovered properly upstairs,
Decluttered and organized the airing cupboard,
Cleared out huge upstairs cupboard and reorganized,
Made room for all the dds new Christmas presents (sneaked out two no bags full of crap in order to make room!!)
7 bin bags of crap have left the house today, is it sad that I'm really excited!
Starting downstairs tomorrow

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

• most not mist!

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

How is everyone getting on?

Have done a mini clear out of the playroom this morning. My DS1 (the future hoarder) even got involved and binned (!) some of the rubbishy toys (freebies from comics and broken stuff). I am very proud of him. He now has a pal over and it just looks some much more spacious and relaxing in there!

I have a mountain of crap from said playroom stacked up on the kitchen table to sort through this afternoon.

My next goal will be the utility room. It's an absolute disgrace.

DH is in the big front bedroom painting.

2016 is the year we get every shipshape! This is the mist de-stressing thing I've done in years

[Blakerose15]

Thank you I will start today I have a dinning table which I will use

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

Blakerose if you could get yourself a clear area to work that would help you (instead of being down on the floor or on your hunkers). I like using the kitchen table. Just take one drawer or one shelf or one box/bag of clutter and put everything on the (in my case) table and just sort through. Ditch stuff, don't just rearrange and put everything back, you'll get nowhere fast.

Also, try not to buy further storage until you cleared out the storage you already have. In my case my 'everyday' stuff has been piling up because my storage has been taken over by crap that is crammed away (out of sight, out of mind).

I am starting to see the fruits of my labour here and I can't tell you how much more wonderful it feels to open a drawer and find one or two things in it rather than hiding my head in the sand and just not dealing with the rubbish stuff that's been hidden away for years.

Best of luck and congratulations on your pregnancy btw

[listsandbudgets]

Blakerose just start with one small aim a day. Someone further up this thread advised me to give away 27 things a day and throw away 27 things a day. I thought it would be really difficult but actually it wasn't at all.

Went through book cases, clothes drawers, cupboards for things to give away. The first 27 things I chucked out were plastic takeaway containers! Next day I went through old toiletries and got rid of a huge heap of them, next day old medicines and first aid stuff.

It felt like achievable small amounts of stuff but it really adds up and dosen't take long each day

[Blakerose15]

Hi I'm 11 weeks pregnant n really want to declutter but have no energy any advice plz

[listsandbudgets]

First viewers here. If coincidences can get any weirder, they live in the flat next door to the one I moved here from!!

Sitting here exhausted after 2 hours of cleaning and tidying letting the estate agent do her job and feeling very nervous.

[hoopyloopycow]

Woohoo day off work!
On the menu today we have....
Sorting books, random boxes of frames/candles/light shades etc and delivering to charity shops.
The mountain of paperwork to complete/file or shred (once I find the shredder?!)
Boring daily tasks, washing/ hovering /dog walking etc.
Not setting out to do anymore than this as it's always surprising how long stuff actually takes to do.

Sounds like you've all been really productive

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

Good luck with the house viewings list. I feel your pain regarding the extra rubbish to get rid of. My recycling bin is being collected tomorrow but I already have a stack of stuff waiting to go into mine too! We don't pay for our green (paper, plastic and cans) bin by weight so my lovely neighbour has said to us before that we can fill hers up with our extra stuff. I haven't seen her around for a few days though and I would prefer to ask before doing so....

Basin it sounds as though you have achieved loads!

Yesterday I put hooks inside my wardrobe doors to hang up necklaces and pulled together a box of costume jewellery to donate to the charity shop. Still have loads to do.

Besides cleaning up the kitchen and keeping the bathrooms respectable(-ish) and some basic laundry everything else is being neglected while I am on this quest. I'd be mortified to bring someone in at the moment tbh, but no pain, no gain!

I might bring my 2yo out tomorrow for an hour or two though as he needs a little break from the house and my demented decluttering! He's been watching a lot of TV recently

[BasinHaircut]

FINALLY sorted my cutlery and Tupperware drawers today.

No other clearing out done, I've been sorting out plasterers and plumbers instead.

[listsandbudgets]

A small bag of dd's clothes ready for charity shop tomorrow

Had a couple of cupboard doors rehung as they'd fallen off

3 house viewings tomorrow so frantic cleaning and tidying once dc's gone to school in the morning

[listsandbudgets]

Let me rant just one moment.

The bl**dy recycling collection wasn't taken. Appears they've decided next week will do. Our last collection was 11th December so I've got a whole month worth of stuff including all the Christmas stuff and a huge pile of bottles from Christmas and new years party. I literally can't get a tin can in the recycling box so now got a bag in the kitchen which I know they won't take because it wil lbe considered "overflow"

On the other hand the mattress has gone. Friend decded she didn't want the cot after all so stuck with that and dp suddenly announced desire to keep it just in case

[BasinHaircut]

Well done martin!

Got the painting done but didn't manage any clearing out. However I have cancelled tomorrow's plans so I can get some things done, including my Tupperware and cutlery!

Also went to look at carpets and have booked an appointment for someone to come round to measure up and show us more samples next Saturday so that's exciting. Another step closer to having a finished house.

Going to finish stripping the box room walls and get the old manky carpet up and gone tomorrow.

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

Tupperware and plastic tat press sorted out. I still might have too much stuff but I have lunches and snacks to prepare and leftovers to store constantly. God, that's been bugging me a lot . Done for now anyway!

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

Best of luck with the painting Basin! I have a 2yo too so know how hard it is to get stuff done with a little helper in tow!

[BasinHaircut]

Sounds like a plan martin!

We are painting today so probably not much clearing out. But you have reminded me that my Tupperware drawer and cutlery/utensils need sorting so will strive to get that done today. Bought a new, bigger cutlery tray and might chuck some of my reproducing forks in the skip!

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

Hooray, Saturday is here so a break from routine!

Took down Christmas decorations (finally) yesterday and condensed them down into fewer boxes and threw away a few broken bits.

Using spare boxes from decorations today to clear playroom of Playmobil which older dc's don't play with will be played with by youngest when he is older. Same for dressing up clothes. Anything broken is headed for the bags I've put by for the skip.

Our playroom is one of those awful ones where you can see crap on the windowsills as you approach the house, after today no more! It makes my teeth itch every time I come home from being out.

My DS with hoarding tendencies is out of the house today and his younger brother who is far more gung-ho is going to help!

Oh yeah, and I will get around to the tupperware as that also gets on my nerves.

What is everyone else up to?

[listsandbudgets]

Just squeezed big bag of odd socks in to bin. its full ot bursting now and the cardborard for recycling is stacked along side

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

we had bins collected on Tuesday, but tomorrow's recycling has been there for a month, as we missed the one collection over Christmas . So I have recycling piled up in the kitchen, waiting for the bin to empty.

And although the rubbish bin was empty on Tuesday morning, it's now full again as I'm managing to find so much broken/un-charity-shopable junk in all the nooks and crannies.

On the plus side, i've found my fabric stash again, AND the recycling men will take fabric scraps, so that's had half a clear out too

[BasinHaircut]

I hate that lists! We've been really lucky and had all collections over the holidays.

Plus we've done 2 tip runs and chucked a bit in the builders skip (well I guess I am indirectly paying for it anyway) so have been able to keep on top of the rubbish!

[listsandbudgets]

Well the estate agent came and photographed the house this morning. I love this house but we need to move. I had to shove A LOT in cupboards so it didn't look cluttered but at least I had space to put it in which I wouldn't have had a few weeks ago so the clear out is obviously having some affect

Nothing much today otherwise but house looks lovely as long as no one looks in drawers cupboard or cellar .

We finally get a recycling collection tomorrow. They are normally fortnightly but haven't had one since 10th December so theres a lot of stuff.

[BasinHaircut]

Bugger. Plaster behind old manky wallpaper is all blown and coming off in chunks. Was hoping to be able to avoid re plastering the entire room but oh well! 2 walls stripped, 2 to go. Should get those done at the weekend, and get the carpet and skirting up and in the builders skip before that disappears on Monday.

[BasinHaircut]

Hi All!

Ended up having a mini sort out in the box room yesterday and getting a few bits up in the loft (dont worry, im very strict about what goes in my loft, it was summer clothes, some new pans we got from SIL for xmas that i want to save until i get my new induction hob, and a couple of boxes to things we have just got 'just in case' they need to be returned.

Chucked half a bag of summer clothes that quite frankly i am too old for now so thats a bit gone. And identified a couple of bits to go on gumtree (old TV and DVD player that were from our bedroom in the old house). will get them posted online later on.

only things in that room now are bedding for the sofabed which we just do not have any storage for at the moment sp im not sure what we are going to do with them as they need to be kept fairly accessible as MIL stays over once a week.

Got a bit more work to get done this afternoon (working from home again today) but in a minute im going to go and start strippng the box room walls! Everyone deserves a lunch break right?

[MartinRohdesBellybuttonFluff]

DH took another bag into work with him this morning to drop off to the charity shop on his lunch hour. I am kind of doing the 'bag a day' (and more!) that I had signed up to in another thread in December but never got round to doing.

This morning I have to make the dinner (to save time tonight) and sew on badges to a scout sweatshirt and go to the bank but I am going to attack another drawer or cupboard! I am not stopping until I feel satisfied.

Only rooms that fill me with absolute dread are the utility room and playroom (it's a dump ) Some of this decluttering is hard with my helpful 2yo tailing me but he can't be my excuse (or else nothing will be done).

How's everyone else getting on?

[listsandbudgets]

Very little today.

I found a few books for charity shop pile. I've been through DD's drawers and found a small pile of outgrown clothes for charity shop. Went through bedside cupboard but amazingly it was relatively tidy, just binned a few outdated toiletries.

Oh and I found big selection boxes I'd forgotten to put in DCs stockings in my bedside table. I took away the packaging and replenished my secret chocoolate tin with a dozen bars of chocolate. Since no one else knows they exist they are fair game