Getting rid of one thing a day decluttering challenge: Part 3: Are we nearly there yet?

[StealthNinjaMum]

For 2000 posts a group of messy mumsnetters have been chucking out, selling, recycling and cooking weird cakes.

Are we free of clutter yet? Sadly not.

Thankfully we're here to get support and be told off when we have a relapse and bring more clutter into the house, garages, sheds, gardens.

Newbies are welcome to join us, it's easy we literally just get rid of one thing a day and report back.

Previous thread here

After 1 hour of watching minimalist room tours yesterday I managed to throw away a pair of my favourite high waisted jeans. Both back pockets had holes in them but I would wear them shamelessly when out and about or with a long top to cover my bum when visiting friends or family.

Slow start but Feels good. I'm going recycle more clothes today though to make the trip to the recycling bins worth it.

I agree Penelope but the prep makes the end result so much better !

Yes, I agree, Sandgrown. I actually had to stop as it was too sunny on me. I did go back to it after though. Hopefully the thick glue-like paint and the low temps tonight won't mean it doesn't dry, thus stopping me getting into the painting tomorrow morning. I'm not looking for an excuse, I promise! [grin}
I'm going to look at Minimalist rooms on youtube now.

whoops.

1 pair of skis, 2 dog bowls, a mirror & a plastic box - all before 10am!

(Disclaimer - they are outside waiting to go to the charity shop but at least they are no longer in the house!)

I have just looked at a minimalist room tour and been really unimpressed.

It was a lady's bedroom. It was white, airy, beautiful but had no bedside tables as she keeps her phone downstairs. Where does she keep an alarm? I also couldn't see anywhere to keep underwear. She talked about having a wardrobe somewhere else and a reading corner in her bedroom but there were no books. I suspect she has a room she doesn't do a tour of which contains all the stuff which should've been in a bedroom!

Well done Penelope you had a good day. I always put music on and dance around the house to make it more enjoyable. I am now going to leave mumsnet and add more varnish to the chairs. I'm not in the mood for it but I'll force myself.

@UnderTheOakTree Well done !

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I now have a bag with 5 pieces of clothing, but I'm getting a tingling feeling to keep one of the dresses I've put in the bag. The only reason it's in there is because it's too tight on me now.

@stealth take some of the videos lightly as some of these people have been minimalist for years and no longer wear underwear lol.

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I hope i don't get addicted and get that OTT, considering I like wearing skater dresses.

No underwear?

OMG!

She clearly doesn't have breasts as big as mine.

@StealthNinjaMum I don't think I have ever been an inspiration before!

My chair is nearly finished. It's not looking quite as good as I had hoped. I had problems yesterday with the first coat of varnish redissolving the wood stain and moving it from the filler to the wood itself. Sigh! (I had read all the instructions carefully and it should have been OK.) So, for the second coat I mixed in some wood stain and daubed the worst areas. Then I put a clear layer on top. I decided not to do the whole piece of wood where the repairs are - I think I should have got the matt instead of satin after all. Anyway, I did another little bit of gluing last night, and hopefully tonight will clean off the rest of the sanding dust and polish the wooden bits to try and make them as shiny as the repaired area!

I definitely have no minimalism aspirations...

In between spells of working on the chair yesterday, I also sorted out some of the stuff that is in our bedroom. I have organised the stuff to sell so like things are together in boxes. I have also opened up a passageway to the built-in wardrobe. It doesn't contain our everyday clothing, but it has required an expedition to get anything in or out of it in recent months. I will now be able to put away some winter boots and jackets that are lying around elsewhere. I have started another Charity Box and put that down in the hallway. This reorganisation has also made it easier for my next DIY project, which is to put up a wooden batten above the window to attach a curtain track to. We decluttered the brass curtain pole earlier in the year - it was a sophisticated one with a cord pulley system to open and shut the curtains - but it had stopped working properly. The cord had frayed slightly and kept catching, so we pulled harder and the supports got twisted and one eventually pulled out of the wall. So, we spent many months with permanently shut curtains to redistribute the weight, which was depressing and very conducive to mould on the windows! I then got fed up of this and took the curtains down, but the blinds let in too much light in the summer. So, at last I have got suitable wood and hope to get it done in the next week. (We bought the curtain track around 2 years ago....) The landing and the other 2 bedrooms all have tracks anyway, and I prefer them for bedrooms. Of course, when I came to put filler in the holes left by the pole supports, I found my squeezy tubes had hardened, so I had to use a tub and putty knife. Sigh! As long as we don't drill in the same place, it should be OK.

Monday ! Did you sell all your pants and keep the profits?

I really haven't done much this week. I feel a bit well ... unfocused. I'm sort of wandering from room to room. I can't seem to concentrate on much. Everything is still really up in the air about moving, so I think that's dragging me down a bit. Yesterday we were told it could be September, then another lady said February I work better to actual deadlines!

Another KIT day Monday, so I'll try to get on with motivating myself Tuesday.

I have just finished catching up on this thread, a whole weeks worth of posts!

Currently trying to declutter pounds, so I ordered some new workout clothes. This is my declaration for you all to see-

I will NOT use my new workout clothes to clean the house, walk the dogs or run errands. I will use them to work out only. I will use them for their real purpose. Buying workout clothes doesn't make you loose weight if you don't work out in them. Yes they are comfy but it doesn't mean they can replace real clothes.

Managed to palm off a cot and bouncer that DS grew out of months ago. Going to list more clothes on eBay, and I have a bag of old towels to go to the RSPCA as soon as they re-open. General decluttering of random plastic bits, lots of gardening so we now have a weedless front garden and a lovely lawn on the back so DS can play football without being stung by 5ft high nettles. Plenty of cleaning and clearing in the house. Going to decorate my room in the next couple of weeks. Oh and I decluttered the under stairs cupboard ready to store Christmas and birthday presents for DS. Yes I know it's June, but I'm going to be done by November so I can actually enjoy the Christmas period instead of stressing and having a major mid life crisis like last year .

1 last thing (for anyone who has read this far) - what can I do with the foam mattress from the cot? Anything that I could make from it or is it best to just go in the bin?

Also I'm now going to watch minimalist people on YouTube. Bye

No PANTS that is a bit minimalist for me.

TwoSweetners I made the Moses mattress into a garden kneeler, but couldn't think of anything to do with the cot bed one as it had springs and foam so we ended up chucking it. Good luck with the lbs.

Major decluttering win here - I painted, cleaned and reorganised the dreaded under-stairs cupboard today. Following your lead PenelopeFlintstone of doing DIY to use up odds and ends of supplies. It looks amazing now, although there's a whole new pile for Freecycle, wahhh! You know what, that's actually pretty much me done with "project" decluttering - just DIY to do now. Hope you'll still have me on the thread, it's very motivating.

Gumtree people didn't come (again) and I'm waiting for an eBay item to finish - hope it sells!

DH only had 4 items to sort and guess what, they are still all here!!

I'm miles behind with this thread but inspired by a pp sorting out the sealant in their bathroom, I had arranged for a plumber to come round today. He did a few small jobs AND the sealant so I'm thrilled! Not decluttering as such but real progress!

So much progress on here I like it

How are the chairs stralth. I mentioned to our handyman today who is working through the house to get it ready for the photos for the rental advert - that I’d like him to show me how to use a drill and a sander if he has one. He laughed at me! I’ll show him haha...

shinny how you’ve described decluttering is exactly how I feel..

I’ve gathered a carrier bag full today. We have a storage basket at the side of the sofa for remote controls, pencil case of stationary, laptop stand, tape measure etc and I’ve decluttered it. Return labels, nail files, old nail polish, sachets of sample shampoo, few old leads that’s I have plenty of, old broken remote, Boden catalogue (not spending at the moment I’m trying to be frugal and sensible!) an old book, bits of paper...

Haven’t attempted my cupboard of doom paperwork yet but I will give it 15 minutes at some point maybe later or tomorrow see how I feel.

DD has gone to our caravan with my mum and auntie so I have the house to myself it’s BLISS! Still surrounded by boxes but that’s ok....

Box set here I come ;-)

Well done Penelope you had a good day Thanks. It doesn't look much different but was a necessary start.
I always put music on and dance around to make it more enjoyable. Me too. I don't have any music on a phone but DS offered to connect his to the TV today to keep me grooving today. THAT will refresh my music knowledge!!
Following your lead PenelopeFlintstone of doing DIY to use up odds and ends....just DIY to do now. Well done!!

I painted three door frames and a window frame. Nothing to declutter, however, as there's 15 litres of paint in that particular tin!!!
I'll find something to chuck from the pantry or the spice drawer - there's always something there for an easy win

Sorry for the multiple posts - can I blame the time difference? I did use up a roll of masking tape

carpet I have lots of unfocused days which is why it's taken so long to declutter but then I go through very focused periods and it kind of balances out. Just aim for small achievements and it's not too much pressure.

no filter I have done two coats of Danish oil (it isn't varnish but don't really know the difference) on one chair and one on the other. There is a little table between them which I haven't started on. It's quite a quick job to do each coat, maybe 15 minutes. I'm going to try to finish this weekend but it might be hard as we had a playdate yesterday and the house looks like a bomb's hit it with toys everywhere, painting stuff out and dens in the bedroom. One toy got broken so I'll be putting that in the bin for today's item.

nofilter my sander is called a black and decker mouse and it's quite small. I bought it about 20 years ago and it still works although I haven't used it very much. It is honestly really easy you don't need to be shown, there are probably youtube videos. If you sand for too long your hand gets shaky and you have to stop but you get used to that. I have also been known to use dh's drill but I'm usually worried about drilling through electricity wires so often get a professional to do it or dh if he has time.

Did you manage your 15 minutes of paperwork?

twosweeteners do you ever go on the Christmas bargain threads that reastie organises? I try to do my christmas shopping early and these threads tell you when the sales are and it's good to buy throughout the year.

penelope wow that's a good effort even if you've only got rid of one roll of masking tape.

Yesterday I visited a friend who lent me some crutches about 3 years ago. I gave them back. So that was my decluttered item.

TwoSweeteners - might the people who want the cot also want the mattress? Not everyone has a new one. Otherwise, FreecycleFacebook for a dog's bed?

Hi everyone can I join? We are cluttered. Me, OH and my 2 DDs. On the surface, it is passable, but we have lots of stuff in cupboards etc. Also, as we are half way through renovating the house, at the moment we have two unused rooms that are used for (ahem) storage. Also three (yes) sheds. OH is the worst offender. He is of the school of thought “if you see a bargain, buy it now as you never know when you might need it”. I’m hoping that I can say everyday that more has gone out than comes in.
So today: I need to go to town to buy a birthday present. I will take the three bags of clothes to the charity shop that have been sitting in the kitchen for three months . I will also spend 30 minutes on one of the paperwork mountains.
I’ll check in tonight!

All family away so just me this weekend
Today plan is to empty all handbags/weekend bags/ rucksacks of bits left from ends of hols etc
To sort the drawer of random crap in kitchen
Sort out 2 bags of random crap from old bedside tables
Go through clothes that DC have demoted to spare bedroom and a charity run
That will keep me going long enough!

Stealth where can I find reastie Christmas bargain thread please?

There is this one tea towel which has always (irrationally) really irritated me!

Off into the charity bag it's gone!