Join me in getting rid of at least one thing a day decluttering challenge?

[SandSnakeOfDorne]

I am trying to declutter, starting with our loft and garage both of which need some work doing so need to be a lot emptier! After they're done I want to declutter the rest of the house. I've already got rid of loads of stuff but I'm starting to lose motivation alone!

We have quite strict rules for what we can put in rubbish so I'm selling, free cycling, taking stuff to the clothes bank etc. At least one thing a day. I'm hoping to be done by Christmas!

Anyone want to join me?

I’m out of the bathroom!
I have filled a black sack full of rubbish. A primark bag full of recycling and 3 huge bags full of laundry.
I now know what I do and don’t need to buy toiletry wise for the rest of the year- just toothpaste actually and think that the soaps, shower gels, bubble baths and deodorants will last us well well into 2019.
I’ve started on the landing. I’ve put all DS’s stuff back into his room and hoovered halfway along it. I’ve had to stop now as the hoover isn’t sucking anything up so I’ve washed the filters. Phew!

Well done, Gibble. Sounds great.

I'm still plodding along. Initially, I thought that aiming for one thing a day might be a bit light but actually, what it does (for me) is keep the momentum going long-term, which is really good.

Today, I've got rid of a top I hate (I had kept it cos dp likes it) and a silicon ice cube tray which the cat had bitten into - found it at the back of her cupboard. I'm a bit mistified about why I still had it. I think I'm much quicker to get rid of clutter these days. It all seems much easier and freer than it used to, which is great. It's nice to be noticing these changes.

PS That is, apart from the paperwork which is still waiting for me on the dining room table. Gotta sing up the positives though!

Does cancelling a beauty products subscription count as getting rid of something today???

Yes of course it counts. Decluttering the clutter of the future.
Good job everyone. I've done nothing today. But tomorrow is another day.

I've started too but because I've failed in the early stages previously I'm not going gung ho this time. So by taking the pressure off, I'm telling myself that I have only to commit 3 hours a week minimum. Whatever I do over the week gets sent off to relevant clothes bank/charity shop/rubbish/eBay box.

Hopefully this will prolong my motivation as it's soooo boring

Naughtymutha - I like this thread because I don't have to go gung ho, but because it's at least one thing every single day I do have to keep going. Three hours a week sounds loads! I'm not doing that much but still dropped 10 bags at the charity shop on Tuesday.
It is boring going hard at it but sort of easy if you just have to go and look for one thing - and that usually turns into a bag, for me.
Good luck anyway. We all do it our own way :)

I like this thread because I know that even on a manic day, I should be able to get rid of at least one thing. My house IS starting to get better and it WILL get easier and be quicker to clean. Once we have sorted all the really awful bits, DS might actually be able to get his head around doing his bedroom. DD’s managing with hers a lot better.
I also got rid of a box of recycling from the kitchen earlier and then another this evening. Went to Costco and bought 12 tubes of toothpaste so DH knows that we don’t need ANY toiletries at all this year.

I'll see if I can pull together a bag of stuff out of my linen cupboard today. It's so dark in there that I'm going to wear a headtorch. lol. It's not deep but it's around the corner from the hallway light. I'll look pretty odd. Ha ha.

I've done two shelves of the linen. I've got two bags to go out and I'm now over it.
I can tick this thread off for the day, so now I'm going to do the jobs on the other one.
Oh, and thanks all for the advice on the dressing gown. I think I'll put it in the linen cupboard while I decide - there's room in there now! :D

Naughtymutha yes it is boring but keep going, a little bit every day does eventually make a difference. A couple of years ago I started Flylady but it was too prescriptive for me but I do like the idea of setting a timer for 15 minutes every day to focus on an area.

Yesterday I spent thirty minutes on paperwork (not the hour I had planned because I got overinvested in a parking thread in AIBU!). Someone mentioned before that paperwork leads to more horrible jobs. I was putting all my pension paperwork together feeling depressed as I haven't worked for years and have two quite small pensions. As nasty as that job is I do have to sort it out soon and the paperwork needs to be my priority.

So I am now going to leave my computer and not get over invested in any more threads and really do an hour of paperwork!

naughtymutha - I used to find it tedious too buy I love it now. I just love opening drawers which are clear or walking into my living room and basking in the spaciousness. I've got people coming round later and I was just thinking about what I've got to do to prepare and it's EASY - there's hardly anything to do compared to how it used to be. It's definitely worth all the effort.

(Still haven't started on my paperwork though. )

So I set my timer for 60 minutes of paperwork and a friend phoned after 34 minutes so I had a nice chat and a cup of coffee and haven't settled back into it. I'm trying to do 30 minutes a day but didn't do Monday which is why I'm catching up today. It's never-ending, I'm sure my paperwork gives birth to baby paperwork overnight so every time I go back into the room of doom it never looks emptier. Yet I have shredded bags and bags of stuff.

Good idea to set a timer, Ninja. Thanks for that.

I took a box of assorted bric Abram to the charity shop.
I'm doing a serious clean of my house so another box is filling up.

Last week all the Christmas stuff went in the loft, after spending the previous year in the spare bedroom.

Today I sorted out a load of glasses which had been put in the shed after a relative died. Washed them all, re-organised a cupboard to store the ones I want and put the rest in the charity box. Except for the chipped one which I managed to throw away instead of thinking "It's not so bad".

Gave a barely used slow cooker to a daughter.

This is so satisfying!

Bric Abram 🙄. "Should I proof read?" I thought. "No need" I thought.

I have found carpet moth larvae in my bedroom 😱

Eek! Carpet moth larvae. I just made the mistake of googling carpet moths. Are you going to have to call someone in to get rid of them or is it something you can do yourself?

I ended up spending another hour on paperwork and shredded lots and filed lots. I think I now have all my utilities and bills from 2009 (when we moved in here) in a single file and have filed one-offs in another file like double glazing bills (FENSA certificates), electricians certificates and various guarantees. My natural inclination is to keep everything but on this occasion I threw away/ shredded lots of stuff. At some point I'll get rid of old bills but at the moment I just went everything in one place.

Carpet moth larvae?! That sounds bad. I don't know what that is.

Don’t think it’s too bad- it means that DH will HAVE to help me clear out our bedroom and we’ll have to hoover it every few days to clear them. Need to move out the bed etc to do underneath too. I’m seeing it as a silver lining as I am so down about the amount of junk in our house upstairs and downstairs is looking so much better since the big clearout that I know we can do it.

Ok what is carpet moth........ im to scared to google......

Wow well done everyone some amazing progress since i last checked in must feel great knowing those bits are done no matter how big or small!
I have one main room downstairs which needs whitewashing so bough the paint today and have the shelving unit i need so now now have to try and move furniture around to get to the walls and paont one at a time in between work and sen child charging around i think i have a plan it involves staying up in the night but it will get done lol.
Think once thats done will inspire me abit. Moved a shelf out the way and decluttered a black bag of stuff and loads of old cds and broken cases etc so thats one bit gone atleast xx

Loads of good progress being made on this thread!
I’m feeling a bit deflated. I’ve done all the easy wins so now it’s much slower going. I was also hoping that the house would be much cleaner automatically but what had actually happened is I’ve neglected the cleaning in favour of decluttering!

Gibble - is there a lot of stuff in your bedroom? Lots of furniture? Do you think you'll be able to do it this weekend? Or is it not such an urgent thing? It would be a great opportunity for a decluttered bedroom sanctuary if your 'furniture mover' is keen to assist!

Alice8 Bric Abram* :D Sounds like you went well yesterday.

Betsy - I don't think I'd ever get the painting done in your situation as I'm too lazy. But I have heard, and have found it to be true, that the hardest part of painting is opening the tin! I've interpreted that as 'actually starting'. It's certainly true in my case. I would have to set a time to start and start, come what may. With whitewash, can you wrap the brushes and rollers in clingfilm overnight, or do they all have to be washed in between? I was thrilled when I learned about that trick for normal paint.

ChunkyMonkey - I know what you mean about the easy wins. Have you got any cupboards you haven't looked in yet? Catalogues? Kids clothes? Out-of-date stuff in the pantry? Shoe cupboard? Even if you can get rid of one thing - just to not lose your momentum. Find one thing and tell us? :)

As for me, I don't really know what to do myself! Here's an example that will surprise you: we had an old 3-piece suite which was very comfortable and we liked it. The kids thought it was the most embarrassing thing ever, so we bought a new one after a couple of years of nagging. BUT I really like it and it's much more comfortable than the new one, so I don't want to lose it. So, the armchairs are in the living room with the new suite, and the sofa is in the backyard!! That last bit is a bit more common in Australia than the UK, I admit, but it's not looking great! So, while I'm posting about throwing away dressing gowns I've got a second suite of unnecessary furniture!! Ha Ha!! demented laughing

Lol at the second suite 😂.
Not lots of furniture, fitted wardrobes, king size bed and a dressing table and little desk. And absolutely mountains of shite!