Keep on getting rid of one thing a day decluttering challenge!

[StealthNinjaMum]

After a thousand posts our homes are beautiful, decluttered places of harmony and relaxation….. or perhaps not?

We’re still trying to recycle, freecycle, sell our unwanted stuff and most of all clear out our houses, garages and sheds.

It’s easy to get involved, literally get rid of one thing a day and report back for support (and sometimes finger wagging if you’ve ‘accidentally’ bought a load of new clutter!)

Please join us and a warm welcome back to

@SandSnakeofDorne @PenelopeFlintstone @MajestyRoyal @Cupoteap @Gibble1 @SandAndSea @Medwaymumoffour @Rainbowqueen @Namethecat @lljkk @CapricornWithAUnicornHorn @Helsingborg @Panda81 @abitoflight @fannyanddick @AbbieLexie

(Apologies if I missed anyone out)

Original thread here

Been lurking a while (posted about my wardrobe a few weeks ago I think...). I've quite unexpectedly finished work and don't start a new job for a few weeks so I've got a big list of things to do, one of which was sort out the spare room/office. Started tonight, shredded loads, put about 8 books in the charity pile, filed and recycled paper. Got a box of stuff I brought home on my last day to sort out and that's it. Plans tomorrow for starting to clear out the garage with a trip to the tip. I'm inspired by this thread I have to say. It would have been easy to think on the face of it I didn't have much decluttering to do, but I realise it's an ongoing job

Stealth - I prob have same again upstairs! . I got rid of about a third of the pile. Some unworn as were too tight. Cupboard is now nice and tidy though!

Oh huge sympathies about the mice! Ugh!

Really still struggling with motivation. Between people buying stuff for DS and DH bringing stuff home.

So in exchange for disposing of four boxes of medication and emptying the entire contents shite lining my handbag in the bin, I have gained a hat, a hoodie, five pairs of socks, a pair of sunglasses, and four new toys.

It just feels like I'm fighting a losing baffle constantly.

Oh. And I'm going to count a nice big order I received for some discontinued stock that was cluttering up my office

I’m still lurking. I’ve chipped away at a few bits but not in full blitz mode.

I’ve got a new chest of drawers being delivered today so I’m bedroom blitzing on the weekend. A couple of months ago I took 4 black bags of my clothes to the charity shop.
Some were new with tags on, there was a massive range of sizes and hundreds and hundreds of pounds worth. This was a massive thing for me as I have magazines still to read from years ago.

BUT I haven’t looked back! Haven’t longed for the clothes, don’t care about the money. It’s just nice to shut the wardrobe doors and not tread over a mound of things to get to bed.

This weekend it’s going to be underwear, magazines etc.

The downstairs magazines mountain will have to wait.

IHatetoCashew - that sounds really frustrating. I know when I was looking into Marie Kondo a lot of people said that initially they couldn’t get other people in the house on board but once they saw the results of what was happening that they got involved too. Just keep chipping away and hopefully your DH will see the benefit. And with people who buy stuff for DS - is it useful or tat? Could they be persuaded to buy experiences? Tickets to the zoo or similar?

Glitterbiscuit - I did similar with clothes a few years ago. I have to say there is one dress I regret getting rid of but that’s all. Need to do it again now....... And I have a magazine issue too. I find now I buy them but don’t get around to reading them. And I keep them even if I’ve read them. Today’s job might be to get rid of some magazines. Our recycling gets collected tomorrow so a good day to do it.

medwaymum that is so annoying about the pants, I am guessing your dh was trying to 'help'?

I am tempted to throw away 300 lego bits from dd2s floor. Her bedroom is her sanctuary (suspected asd) so I don't tidy it as much as I should but she let me tidy a bit on Wednesday without having a tantrum and I might start on lego today. I can't remember the last time I hoovered but i have told her if a mouse gets in her bedroom we'll have to throw the lego away so she's being more cooperative.

We're also in easter holidays chaos. The food areas are spotless and the rest of the house looks like a bomb's hit it. I'm so behind on washing and ironing that dd1 couldn't found any trousers yesterday so wore dd2s. There were some clean trousers that had been in the drier for 2 days and hadn't made it up to her bedroom. At least I washed and put away both girls school uniforms and PE kits at the start of the holidays so I just need to cope for a couple more days and then get organised when they go back to school I have no idea what day they start back.

Ninja you sound like me. Two of my kids ran out of clothes but I did 3 loads yesterday as it didn’t rain.

My six year has asd but he’s severe, in a speech and language school. To hoover up Lego put a thick tight over the hoover nozzle and hoover up into the tight just via the nozzle with no attachment. Tip out the Lego as you go into a pot and sort the soup of Lego and gunk at the end.

Yes I think was trying to help but as per the norm doubled the work load....

cider I have got rid of some shoes that are too tight recently. Why do we buy them?

ihatetocashew that's annoying but trying to be positive maybe you've replaced useless stuff with useful stuff? Just find it a home and make sure you throw away some worn out socks. I haven't explicitly told dh I'm decluttering but I think he's noticed and when I give him things to tidy through treat him like a child he cooperates.

Today I am going to try to get rid of a few bits from my bedroom. Dd2 saw me trying on a hat yesterday and laughed so that'll be going.

Ihatetocashew - I used to have the same problem of people buying ds excessive amounts of stuff just because they wanted to. I tried several things to stop it but nothing worked. They mostly only buy him stuff for Christmas and birthday now that he’s 15 so there’s light at the end of the tunnel Also, despite me asking them not to buy me stuff because I really don’t need anything, they still do but I have very little guilt in putting things straight into the charity shop bag. That sounds terribly ungrateful, doesn’t it but I figure they don’t listen to me when I say my house is so full, please don’t buy me things so why do I feel I should keep them and make my life even more chaotic!

Posted too soon !
Was going to reply to the other posts but the few minutes of calm have been broken and the kids are back to creating chaos!!!! Going to take us all out for some fresh air and hopefully that’ll let them burn off their excess energy

I started on the digital clutter yesterday. I unsubscribed from some more sites and spent about half an hour going through and deleting emails. I barely scratched the surface.

"My name's SandAndSea and I have over a thousand unread emails."

I wouldn't say useful stuff! It's more multiples of stuff DH already has lots of he has crates of clothes. Two drawers. And all three of the wardrobes. All bursting with clothes.

While it winds me up, I think he does have some issues surrounding hoarding. I try not to be too unkind.

I've just done a HUGE shop. Which actually felt quite productive as I planned it to use up all of those weird ingredients in the cupboard

I think dh has just learnt hoarding from his parents and I am gently questioning him and he is realising that he can't explain why he hoards things. I have been going through drawers today (just to see what was in them) and I do wonder why he has two drawers for socks and two for pants and many, many tshirts. I think I'm going to stop buying them for him and throw out some of the holey ones.

The contents of my 3 underwear drawers (knickers/ bras) are now in just 2 drawers and I have removed plasters, money, emery boards, sanitary products, swimming costumes,vests and put them in their correct places. I am going to have to throw out my favourite bra (sobs) as it's underwire has broken. This has upset me a lot because it gives me a better cleavage than any other bra and I am going to have to go bra shopping.

Please can I join. Drowning in stuff. Going to tackle the playroom today.

Stealth RIP to your fave bra. Absolute tragedy when that happens

Welcome to the newbies I hope you can find lots of inspiration to declutter on here

Stealth DH is the same. His mother hoards clothing, and he's very much the same. Though I'm the opposite extreme I hate any form of clutter.

Just used up some ancient, but still alright pistachios. De-shelled the little buggers and have had a practice at baking a courgette, like and pistachio cake for DS's christening I do not trust it. It's very green.

I've got rid of bagful of gift bath stuff I'll never use, glitter bath bombs and bubble gum scents!

And thrown away some out of date peanut butter!

This thread has been an inspiration to me.

lol at the pistachio cake cashew! (Hmm a nut theme going on here!)

We are getting our house valued on Monday so I'm even more motivated to declutter further this weekend. Got some boxes in the living room to sort through and I need to tackle DD's room which is too small for the amount of things she keeps in it..

I found some age 10-11yo polo shirts in DD's boxes. DD is 16 (sigh).
I mis-weighed something I decluttered, sold & posted with MyHermes & had to pay a £5.50 penalty. (sob).

I try to filter appropriate magazines to the dentist or doctor's office. Their selection is normally fairly lousy.

Grumpy it certainly smells okay. There's cream cheese frosting as well, so that'll use up a bit of my icing sugar hoard!

I've started to clear out my office, though I'm starting to see I need a better storage system in there. I'd actually forgotten I had a lot of stuff in there!

3 boxes (which did have stuff in) and a holey tea towel have gone out here today.

As you were.

Nothing out today. And nothing in. Hoorah. I may have to tackle my drawer of tshirts.

I am hovering over a pair of espadrilles on asos. I love ‘spedrilles. Have one pair at present. Do I need any more? Probably not. But need and want are two very different things.

Had a minor sort out of the garage (I can see the floor now!) followed by a trip to the charity shop and the tip. Trying to set up a Gumtree account but not getting the registration email for some reason. Frustrating as I have a rug and set of drawers to sell!!