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

How do you judge if you stuff is worth selling or giving away?

Can I join?
I’ve started selling things on fbook.
Clothes, toys, tables, conservatory.

I have used mumsnet for some time and I had no idea what so ever that you just put people's name in bold to get their attention. Major facepalm. I have been @tting people for way too long

I wondered how so many people could shorten me to maj. Btw each time I see someone had called me 'maj' I think of the burnt old bag from Benidorm

So I'll try the bold text now. Stealth that's amazing to have got rid of 7 year old junk!! Rachy ask around, does anyone you know need the item? If not, sell it. CMH we have a brand new thread, it's not full yet --and we would just make a new one anyway.

Found more old batteries which were dead, so will get DH to put them in the battery bin later when he goes to the shop

Hi can I join. Mental health issues and a shitpit of a house, have decided enough is enough but just keeping on top of basics is an uphill struggle. Support and finger wagging is just what I need.

Welcome CMH123

Rachyhayes it's partly laziness, I can't be bothered to sell everything - like clothes would just be a faff. We donate a lot of clothes as 'rags' as my dds and dh don't really look after them and they're not good enough quality. I also tend to donate books apart from where I have a set and I think someone might want to buy 6 Charlie and Lola books for example.

I have sold all the big baby / toddler items because there's always a market for them so potties (that really surprised me), highchair, jumperoo, bricks, toddler bed, little tikes car, noisy toddler toys, travel cot. I always go on to the facebook sales pages and eBay to make sure my prices are as high as I can get. I don't mind it but I have found since xmas that people aren't turning up to pick up their items and I'm waiting around for them. I'm at home most of the time anyway (sahm) so it doesn't really affect me but it does make me angry how rude people are.

I'm lucky that I don't really need the money but I have earnt about £120 in the last year which I am going to put into a bank account for dds so that's my incentive to keep selling. A woman on the last thread had learnt about £6K from eBay but I don't have that many valuable items.

Hi everyone!
I've continued my theme of clearing the kitchen today by steaming a Christmas pudding and eating it! Yum!!

Today I chucked out a pair of trainers (with a hole in the toe), top (badly bobbled with loose threads) and some odd socks.

I found it very difficult as I hate waste and feel guilty that things are going to landfill, so I hold on to things thinking I might get some use of them, or I could recycle them, or put them to the charity shop... mostly I get round to this, it’s the broken useless things I struggle with. I always think, ‘Oh but I could maybe use that one day.’ One day never comes though and I’m drowning in crap!

Maz - I used to be like that too. Just keep going; it gets easier.

Please, please, please can I join in.

I have been decluttering now for a full year and love my simpler life.

I rarely buy new items now and take things back quickly if I realise I have made a mistake or just fallen for some unrealisable promise.

However, I still have a loft and garage to go and then need to start on my wardrobe again !!

Have cleared a drawer this morning of junk, I could get rid of more but I'm not sure what the kids want to keep.

Managed to send my visiting Brother home today with three Beano / Dandy characters which belonged to my late Husband.

Too emotional to send to the Charity shop, so a perfect solution !!

Maz I hate waste too but that thing that clutters your house has already been made and if it isn't in landfill it's still taking up space - and slowing you down every time you have to walk past it/ push it out of the way to get something useful. I just aim to lead a more green life now, don't buy as much and spend a long time recycling and finding homes for things to minimise the stuff I put in landfill. If you feel really bad put it on free cycle first. Someone might have an inventive use - garden ornament, play prop etc.

About 3 years ago I held a 70th birthday party for mil and bought party food from Marks. It came in a big plastic crate which became a repository for paperwork and junk. I finally took it back today.

Hi nixnjj. Start small. It might take time but you will soon see the benefit. Yesterday a friend popped in uninvited and I sat her down to a nearly empty table! It was so nice and unstressful.

@MazDazzle I’m the same. I’m fairly environmentally friendly and really struggle with waste.

I had 2 awful plants on the kitchen window I asked DH to put them in the compost because I felt cruel!

I was ok when I did my clothes as they were in good enough condition for the charity shop.

It’s all the bits of jigsaws, toy parts in junk boxes that I hate to throw away.
And we have tons of paperwork to deal with.
And magazines I haven’t had time to read.

Sunday will be my cleaning day!

Me too!

Deciding how I'm going to get rid of something can take an awful lot longer than deciding to get rid of it in the first place. I try to "match" items to local charity shops. I like eBay because I know it is going to someone who wants it.

I don’t have too much problem with getting rid of things but actually getting round to it is more tricky.

Need to do more on this at the weekend. I did discover when we moved quite how many tools and wires DH has - they’d all been hidden away before. And I do agree many of them are useful but there just seem to be so many...

Miranda (Re. getting round to it being tricky) - That's why I like this thread so much. Firstly, it's easy to get rid of just one thing and I often end up doing much more. The daily nature of it helps to keep it in my mind. And, if I don't do it, it's easy to catch up so I don't feel bad.

glitter I have spent hours and hours finding those bits of toys, jigsaws, happy land, duplo and putting them back with their sets. I'm sure I would be earning less than £1 an hour if I was taking my facebooks sales as a salary but as purplefrog says it is nice to know that someone wants it. A lady just picked up two toysets that were loved by dd1 and said her grandson loves that so I'm pleased I spent the time finding the bits and not throwing them away.

I have had a good week. Stuff has been leaving the house (rather than being placed in a pile).

Can I join please?

My house is a tip my shed and loft are overflowing.
I am holding on to clothes I never wear because they cost a lot of money. I can't be bothered to eBay them but I can't quite bring myself to give them away

I'm also holding onto all my ds baby stuff even though he is 5 and I am probably extremely unlikely to have another child now but again can't quite bring myself to get rid!

Am annoying myself!

I need to join this! My house is like a jumble sale but I spend so much time under a sleeping baby/entertaining a grumpy baby/toddler and just trying to keep up with things like laundry that I don't get far on the decluttering.

I'm doing a baby stuff sale tomorrow so that will hit my quota for this week and make me feel like I'm off to a good start (thankfully the sale was postponed during the recent snow so I've actually had time to sort everything ~some stuff~ out.

A tip for the ratty clothes that you hate sending to landfill, h&m will take them and anything in too bad condition to be reused gets broken down to fibres for making other stuff, I now keep a bag on the go of stuff to drop there when I'm in town. No idea about the random plastic tat though, I have the same problem there.

All the glass jars piled beside the sink are now out for bin day.

Old mop bucket and basin and runner carpet that was left here from the last owner are also out for the bin day.

Have decided to upcycle a hard guitar case into shelves for my DD.

Today (Saturday), I'm going to spend 45 minutes in my office which has somehow suddenly become non-functional - boxes everywhere. Fixable.
I'm sure a lot will go out the house from there.
That's Step 1. Then I'll report back with Step 2 if I have any motivation left.

Out has gone: a 4L tin of dried-up paint, 3 kids lanyards, 6 kids books, 3 kids paintings, a broken cardboard reindeer, a filthy old knife, a broken diy scraper, and about a ream of paper for recycling.

I've done my one thing for today (some embarrassingly out of date cake sprinkles) and am planning a charity shop run to clear the car boot, so will be looking to take a few more bits if possible too.

I threw out the base for DS's walker. One of the clips had broken so it can't be used. I also sorted through paperwork.

This weekend I will focus on the dreaded under stairs cupboard and the full up recycling cupboard.

We got rid of a broken trampoline, various bits of cardboard, and a lot of old CDs and DVDs 😊