Anyone want to join me for a school holiday decluttering thread?

[NickNacks]

Slowly but surely our little house has developed a problem. She's run out of space!

Added to the problem that we are all a bit crap about putting things away after we are finished with them and I am a childminder, something has got to give and some serious getting rid has to happen.

I have a fairly quiet school holidays approaching so plan to sort it out in time for a stress free start to the school year.

Would anyone like to join me?

[building2016]

I basically finished the shed before it poured with rain! Hurrah!

Have decided to throw out all three grim massive unwieldy tarps and get a new one folded flat for use when we need it. (Never, in case you were wondering.)

We do need to go through tool boxes and the absolutely unnecessarily comprehensive assortment of nails and screws and fixings of various sizes, but DH and I will have to do that together.

I also mended a bit of fence and am about to mend the hoover .

[itshappenedagain]

After an eternity a few hours in my ds's room it's looking a bit better. We're now off to a swimming lesson and will continue it when back.
It's a good job I have another 4 weeks off!

[PolkaDotFish]

I have managed to achieve precisely nothing on the decluttering front this week. BUT I have arranged to farm out eldest DD to my mum for a couple of days in mid August. She will have a whale of a time at Grandma's and I will attack the house! I shall take the advice upthread and get the storage boxes ready!

1AngelicFruitcake - glad to know I'm not alone! Can I ask what you did with the baby stuff, did you charity shop it, chuck it? You are right in your approach, I need to be much more ruthless with the baby clothes!

[NickNacks]

Very excited to see lots more people joining us- welcome

I'm off to Ikea tomorrow. So bloody excited over a shop. 😂

[user7755]

Kids rooms are sorted. A big bag of stuff for charity.

DH has looked through his clothes - got five bags for charity and he still has enough outfits to wear a new outfit everyday without doing any washing . He's refusing to get rid of anything else, but I suppose it's a start!

[grumpypug]

Not got much done today at all - did start the playroom but then got distracted by a cup of tea and left over Easter eggs!

I think the playroom is too big a job and there's nowhere to put all the stuff so might start with the kids bedrooms. Hopefully clear some space and then relocate some of the playroom stuff (to the charity shop).

[NotCitrus]

One bag to charity shops today (shop I have Gift Aid card for has stopped taking books, so dropped one bulky item on them and the rest to shop down the road). Found a library book due back two months ago and returned it. Couple more items to go on eBay and others I won't bother - charity shop gets anything worth under a fiver.

MrNC has asked for help sorting his clothes out so may manage all sorts of decluttering with him...

[1AngelicFruitCake]

Polka dot - well I can tell you what I've done so far but still got so many clothes to go ! I tried to imagine my current baby in the clothes and was surprised at how many I wouldn't dress my baby in but was hanging onto! I have lots to the charity shop and am currently getting a newborn set together for a local charity. Just chucked out any with stains or well worn. I've been through all the bags twice now and still finding things to chuck! Update how you get on as it might help to spur me on!!

[PolkaDotFish]

1AngelicFruitCake - thanks for replying. Have decided to have a big chuck out in August when the 3-6 month clothes are removed. I pledge to (i) chuck out the worn/stained items (ii) put aside for selling only the nicer things like boden etc and (iii) give the rest to charity. I will update but it won't be for a couple of weeks as we are off on hols on sat, hurrah!

And will the rest of you take a break - your amazing decluttering is showing me up

[Ditsy4]

Sorted the bed and cleaned some of the bathroom.
Spent five hours at school. Cleaned out the cupboards, threw out a bag of rubbish. Sorted loads of paperwork ready for shredding tomorrow.
Came home tired. Haven't done what I wanted at home bit there is always next week
Plan to do some more of the bedroom before I go to school.

[Afreshstartplease]

OK so yesterday I did most of the bathroom and started dds room too

To finish the bathroom -

Wipe walls
Wipe side of bath
Order new loo roll holder
Give it another mop

To finish dds room

Put away rest of clothes
Sort through soft toys
Build toybox
Build cot
Sort new furnishings
Hoover

[user7755]

Today I will do;
Bathroom and loo
Downstairs books, DVDs and the cupboard under the fish tank.

Waiting for a fella from cash for clothes to text me and let me know how much he'll give me for the mountain of clothes we have. Once they're gone I can get to the upstairs books.

Then there's the kitchen cupboards (half a day) cupboards under the eaves (a day) and the garage (a day) to do. Will get DH to do the eaves cupboards and garage with me.

[grumpypug]

Bathroom done - all sorted, things thrown and nice and sparkly clean.

Next job my clothes, kids clothes and to see if the Mr will part with any of his.

Mr is moaning about the playroom (my stuff in there) but he will have to wait. I'm going to have a brew then make a start on the eldest's clothes.

[building2016]

Not exactly decluttering but I planted up the containers at the front of our house. Now it looks beautiful. :) Must sort out the back door area later as it is a state. Well done decluttering everyone!

[SnugglySnerd]

You all sound like you are getting on brilliantly. I'm not, we've been out a lot this week and we're going on holiday next week so I think progress is on hold for now.

[Ditsy4]

Did a couple of things this morning then about four hours at school. Nearly finished there just a bookcase to do and some bags of files etc.
Tomorrow
Bathroom
Bedroom
Ironing, put away.
Clean kitchen table and wash floors.
Then a bit of gardening

[grumpypug]

Ditsy - do you store school stuff at home? I do due to being in a large shared classroom. It's my Misters bugbear! I've promised to sort it this holiday but don't know where to start!

[SharonfromEON]

Late joining. I thought I someone had posted a thread about me in the beginning I am a CM with 1 DS and a lack of space. .I sorted out my bedroom and a huge bag of stuff for the bin ..But today I sorted out DS bedroom..I have a big bag of stuff..I had to hide in my bedroom so I could put it in bin when he is asleep.. Also while he played on the street with friend I started on the garage.. I sorted out piles of paint I no longer even have on my wall..A big pile of stuff for tip.. I think I could fill a skip

[Ditsy4]

Grumpy pug
Yes, unfortunately. It is mostly in bags. I have a different bags for different days when I am in different rooms. I have a tiny one which is chokka and shared with other resources. Not much bigger than a cupboard really.

Sharon
My DH says that! "We need a skip." He finally sorted out some of the shed and took lots of paint tins including empty ones to the tip.
Well I better get up and get cracking. The one thing I like about school hols and no kids is I can have a lie in. I'm not usually one for lying in bed but on a school holiday it is so much more than a Saturday! So I'm up now for breakfast and start my list at 9am.

[Ditsy4]

Tiny room that is!

[itshappenedagain]

Today in into sorting my ds's toy cupboard and dd room.
After discussing what we could do with the mountain of outgrown toys, we have decided in a car bout sale next Sunday.
Do I have a week to se clutter the rest if the rooms and get everything sorted , I'm praying the weather is nice!

[grumpypug]

Swimming lesson this morning then to finish sorting my clothes. I did half yesterday and managed 3 bin bags for the clothes bank.

If I get mine finished I'll start on the kids clothes. They have far too many!

[Littlemissjt]

Hello! Can I join please?
I have two more weeks off before I'm back at work (Scottish teacher) and a nap refusing 11 month old so I will do my best!
So far I've cleared the bathroom, the cupboard under the kitchen sink and glasses. I had lots of lovely glasses given as engagement/wedding presents that I had put by for what I'm not quite sure. So I got rid of all the mish mash of glasses and am now using lovely ones.
Today's plan is living room. Finish the make up/costume jewellery in my room and put away some small baby clothes. That's one I'm no good at as everything is going in the loft just in case there is ever a dc2.

Having read through this thread, you are all very motivating! Well done and thanks !

[MrsHathaway]

DH has taken all the crap from the loft to the tip. It has been in the spare room for a couple of weeks.

Now I can get to the bags of outgrown clothes. We have three sons and live in a "pay it forward" community so everything gets passed down or along. Sorting everything by size takes forever but it makes such a difference being able to go into the (now tidy and organised) loft and grab a vac pack labelled eg "5-6" and save £100+ in shopping. So that's my project for this weekend - collect everything in the house that's outgrown so not worn, sort it, reallocate if appropriate, bag up, then into loft or to friend's house who is our next in line.

We found in the loft the bag of stuff which hadn't sold at the NCT sale ... in May 2014 . Pretty confident all the baby snowsuits aren't going to be needed again - DH has had the snip!

House needs a major tidy everywhere: having stuff around has made it really difficult to keep on top of normal organisation. Bathroom is an embarrassment!

[itshappenedagain]

I have failed miserably today...however I have done several thousand loads of washing and sorted a child's toy cupboard so we can now get into it.
Il have to do dd's room tomorrow afternoon!