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Original poster

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

976 replies

StealthNinjaMum · 09/05/2018 08:45

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

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
IHateYourCarpet · 15/05/2018 14:42

Sand - I need the encouragement! I don't hang on to much, but what I do have is pretty pointless.

Another item I'm debating over is a scrapbook my old team made me before I left Blush it makes me cry every time I look at it and realise how much I miss my old job (even though I left two years ago).

I completely get what you mean about some things to sell not becoming worth it. I figure if it doesn't sell first time here, I'll car boot it, and if I doesn't sell there, it goes to a charity bin/tip on the way home.

I kind of want to see your boxes of shame now Grin

IHateYourCarpet · 15/05/2018 14:42

Sand - I need the encouragement! I don't hang on to much, but what I do have is pretty pointless.

Another item I'm debating over is a scrapbook my old team made me before I left Blush it makes me cry every time I look at it and realise how much I miss my old job (even though I left two years ago).

I completely get what you mean about some things to sell not becoming worth it. I figure if it doesn't sell first time here, I'll car boot it, and if I doesn't sell there, it goes to a charity bin/tip on the way home.

I kind of want to see your boxes of shame now Grin

SandAndSea · 15/05/2018 15:09

Hahaa!! Put it this way, I peeked inside one the other day and saw a framed swimming certificate. It'd be almost understandable if it was my dc's, but no, it's mine! (WHY did my parents frame that???!!!!) I've got at least 6 to go through. Getting rid of glass jars is what I do when I'm avoiding the hard stuff.

IHateYourCarpet · 15/05/2018 15:13

Sand If they'd make half decent jam jars you could try sticking them on gumtree?

And parents are weird Grin mine have started thinking I want all my childhood junk in my house rather than theirs!

SandAndSea · 15/05/2018 15:15

I think I've had a secret thought of hanging the certificates in the loo (I'm pretty sure there are two of them). In real life though, our bathroom is fully tiled and it just wouldn't go. And it's not my style. At all. It seems wrong to bin them though. They're quite fancy for swimming certificates. I wonder if they might be worth something.

IHateYourCarpet · 15/05/2018 15:21

Sand 😂 ! Stick it on eBay for a penny. I dare you!

SandAndSea · 15/05/2018 15:32

A penny!!??!!! That's just wrong. I'm not ready. Grin

Would it be wrong to put the certificates in the folder with my degree etc? I could then charity the frames.

I'll think about that.

IHateYourCarpet · 15/05/2018 18:18

A pepper and some sad looking leeks decluttered into a casserole for tea.

Trying to ignore the fact it's not really casserole weather Grin

CiderwithBuda · 15/05/2018 18:55

I’ve been a bit rubbish th last few days. I’m sure something has gone though!

Today is my birthday so I went shopping for more clutter! DH is away. DS gave me a card from my own card stash. So I headed into town and spent a nice few hours pottering around the shops.

Planning on decluttering the last of some ice cream from the freezer later which will clear some space.

Givemethebiggestslice · 15/05/2018 18:58

Went through my paperwork box today and got rid of various old documents I no longer need.

Also did a massive load of laundry and used up various bottles of stain remover with only a drop left in each.

I really need DH to get involved. He’s got several drawers which are his and several boxes - I dared look in one box today and found a broken pair of glasses (must be from years ago as I’ve never seen them and we’ve been together ages), Smint mints that must be 10 years old and loads of other tat! Just why?!

Also he’s got loads of paperwork and there must be some he can get rid of!

SandAndSea · 15/05/2018 19:05

@CiderwithBuda - Happy Birthday, Cider!! FlowersCakeWineStar

NaMajesty · 15/05/2018 19:28

Cider happy birthday! Enjoy the ice cream WineThanksCakeGinGlitterball

AdaColeman · 15/05/2018 19:53

Happy Birthday CWBuda ! Sounds like a great day! Wine Cake Wine Cake

I'm getting all my emails well under control now, and eating my way through the freezer to make way for summer essentials like Magnums and vanilla ice cream.

Gibble1 · 15/05/2018 20:19

Happy birthday Cider!
Ada: farmfoods has magnums 8 packs on 3 for £10 at the moment. I bought some yesterday!
I don’t keep bread in my handbag namajesty! I have a shopper that I take to work. It holds my socks, bread, pens, competencies book, handbag, ID badge and anything else I take to and from work every day. I also get the milk for the staff room so it’s handy to carry a large bag in one hand and the milk in the other.
I also put my hat in it every day when I get changed before leaving home so I end up putting lots of theatre hats in the bin at home 😳.
This evening I was just getting changed and had taken off my trousers to find that someone had locked my locker. It doesn’t have a key and all that I keep in there when I’m not there is antihistamines and my goggles. When I’m at work, my clothes are in it!
I was mightily cheesed off as my car key was in my pocket in my locker!
The keys were retrieved and I was unlocked but I did panic. One of the girls said I could have gone home in scrubs til I pointed out that I would have had no shoes or car keys!

AdaColeman · 15/05/2018 20:58

Thanks for the Magnum tip Gibble !

You've had quite a day by the sound of it, I bet you were glad to get home. Smile

MrsMozart · 15/05/2018 21:05

Happy Birthday Cider!

Gibble1 · 15/05/2018 21:16

Ah it’s ok Ada, my friend was tidying lol and was a bit pink faced at having locked me out lol.
I’m just decluttering mountains of fluids as I’ve only had 4 drinks all day. Must rehydrate and not forget my water tomorrow.

Kahlua4me · 15/05/2018 21:24

Happy birthday Cider 😊

I have finally managed to start sorting out the filing. Lots of paperwork filed and even more ready for burning. Feels good to have cleared my desk! I have also been through all the documents stored on my computer and deleted tons so hopefully it will now run better.

I sorted out the utility last weekend and was amazed at the amount of empty shoe boxes I was storing, obviously thinking they would be handy for something....all gone now 😀

CiderwithBuda · 15/05/2018 22:33

Thanks all! Couldn’t manage the ice cream as had too much pizza. In bed now but planning a more productive day tomorrow.

bobgoblin · 15/05/2018 22:38

Happy birthday Cider. Cake

I didn’t think I’d achieved much today but now I’m writing it down I’ve done more than I thought.

DD wasn’t in a very cooperative mood this morning so I decluttered the pinboard in the kitchen. A load of takeaway menus went in the recycling bin. There was a plastic wallet stuck on there full of money off coupons most of which also went in the recycling. It’s a bit annoying because there was loads I could have used but they’d gone out of date and it made me realise how wasteful clutter is. Things get lost or broken and have to be replaced because of all the mess.

I used DD’s nap time to make some phone calls I’ve been putting off for ages. There was nothing that difficult to do but I’d been letting anxiety get the better of me. I put on my big girl pants and got it all sorted. So that decluttered my to do list and my mind as well. I feel a lot better now.

And this afternoon I walked the long way round to pick DS up from school so I could drop a carrier bag of stuff off at the charity shop. Normally that would be left in the hall for months before it got sorted.

I used up some fish I found in the freezer for tea and while I was hunting through the cupboard I found a jar of tarragon that was over 10 years out of date so I binned that.

This thread is definitely helping me. I start off thinking that I just need to find 1 thing to go and manage to get a lot more done than I expect.

Gibble1 · 15/05/2018 22:52

I’ve used up a bar of soap tonight. 1 item at a time lol

catg83 · 15/05/2018 23:15

Today a load of toiletries we will never use have gone to the local food bank.

TuTru · 15/05/2018 23:36

Failed today so I think 2 things tomorrow xx

IHateYourCarpet · 16/05/2018 08:26

Happy birthday Cider! Though I don't believe in this 'too much pizza' you speak of GrinI'm also a bit disappointed by Gibble not going round with a full loaf in her hand bag! Though I have been known to carry a block of cheese...

Giveme good luck with convincing DH!

Sold two dresses and some mini vases on eBay I was never keen on.

I also got the wrong date for the bed delivery. It's today Blush I've checked six times to make sure I'm right. Which has given DH another twenty four hours to whine about me 'making him sell his bed and wardrobe'. Tough shit though. Once it's here, they both need to go!

DM is visiting today to look after DS while I hopefully go to the drop in and get a coil fitted. So I'll be decluttering my periods for the next five years Grin

CiderwithBuda · 16/05/2018 09:51

Morning all.

IHate - I def ate too much pizza! Was still full going to bed!

Trying to decide what to tackle today.

We are still trying to sort office/sitting room. If I do some of that we can move computer back in there. And I can unpack boxes and sort my dresser - china and glassware etc.

Or I can do my desk and a bookshelf in sitting room which would lead to figuring out what if any storage I need in office.

Or I could do some of my clothes.

I’m going to change beds now and will come back and decide in a bit.