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

@SandandSea I bought this one

firebox

and have put some documents in it and have already needed to go into it to refer to them (passports and dd1s red book). This morning I found my driving test pass certificate and feedback and that went in (why am I keeping that?) but it's still practically empty. The aim is that it's light enough for me to take in and out of the loft and hide it up there. The only problem is that I am now worried that if we got burgled all my important documents would be in one place!

Thanks cider I went on the diet 6 years ago and I took about 2 years to lose it but it is starting to pile on again so I need to stop myself. I need to be mindful about what I eat and start logging in my fitness pal again because I loved being a size 8 and now I am probably a size 12 but I squeeze into size 10 clothes so I know I don't look my best. I know a size 12 isn't big but because I am really short I show the weight although I was about 16/18 at my biggest.

Well done on the 4lbs declutter mrsoh2004.

I think loads of people can't really see mess. Dh certainly can't like I can although he has started to declutter his study. His entire carpet is covered in papers and stuff and boxes. Anyway last night he spent two hours in his study and produced a pile of stuff to be shredded! I mentioned a few weeks ago (sorry if I repeat myself) that he does not know why we both kept phone statements back to 1994/95 and he has decided to follow my example and shred his! Even better he has agreed to LET ME SHRED THEM! How to rejuvenate a decade long marriage

Today I sewed a button onto school dress and decluttered my sewing box. I have also put three of dd1s dresses into the rags pile because no-one would ever want to buy them, they were dirty and torn.

I am actually tackling the bathroom of doom, and its all thanks to you lot!!

When I'm flagging, I come on here and your progress (or not) gives me that little push to get going again.

I know it's nothing big, for most people having a clean bathroom probably seems like breathing. But for me lately its been a big deal, so thanks all

Meds cupboard decluttered, why the heck was I keeping contraceptive pills that expired in 2011?? Like I'd trust them!

Thrown out hair dyes I will never used, used loads of my cleaning stash, and about to tackle a very old make up bag. OK I did buy a new frying pan, but I did declutter the old one

Oh wow Stealth, horribly jealous, don't think even my leg would fit in a 12 these days . Awesome work, can I be really nosey and ask which thread worked for you?

Three adult colouring books on the pile to go to my sister (she'll actually use them!). And three big plastic dog beds now looking for a home with a dog rescue.

Happy day

Decluttered half an ancient jar of salsa. Made it into a strange chilli dinner when DH is away is always, erm, interesting.

Realised I really need to get a box together with all the stuff we're taking to the christening next week. I can't believe how much we still have to do. I've just made a list I'm not normally disorganised. I just can't get enthusiastic about it.

Oh I love adult colouring books MrsMozart, find them very relaxing! Maybe once I declutter there will be more time... to use the cluttered felt tips and colouring pencils

Awesome Carpet, 20 parcels is massive. What's all this about freezing jars? I may need to re-read, sounds like a godsend

I can't remember what genius mentioned it on here Buffy! I'll have a flick back through. And a massive well done on the bathroom of doom!

DS is now in bed holding my dressing gown hostage, so I'm going to crack on with the cupboards in the kitchen. And I really need to get some retiring down, I'm no where near the targets I set for myself. I need to do about 6k tonight to catch up

Once again, I've scared myself had my toning belt on while I've been writing. I'd forgotten how good it is for period cramps!

Probably going to abandon the kitchen cupboards for today. DH will be back around midnight and that'll wake DS up for a couple of hours, so best squeeze some sleep in now.

Buffy there used to be just one diet board and so I joined a very general thread called something like 'it's now or never' and it went on for 3 or 4 threads. We were all doing our own thing (a couple doing low carb, vlcd, my fitness pal) and it was very supportive. I know size 12 isn't that big really (although my bmi is 'overweight') but my clothes are too tight and I have a flabby stomach so I do want to be thin again.

More weirdness from dh. There appears to be a new empty shoebox that used to have papers in it and he has done some shredding.

carpet 20 parcels. Does that mean you sold 20 things on eBay? That's amazing.

Got rid of a bag of paperwork. Two items sold on e bay and a pile of kids books to the charity book table in Morrisons

A good tip with the freezing of glass jars is to put in all the ingredients for a sauce (spag bol/chilli/curry etc) and freeze them. It's really good for meals where you have to pre cook or pre 'seal' the meats. I chuck in the right amounts of ingredients to do a sauce and put it next to whatever meat is going to be cooked with it, then take both out to defrost in the fridge overnight and use them the next day for tea. You can whizz in the blender before or after freezing. I find it so helpful as they store a lot better than Tupperware and don't stain orange or loose their lids and break!

Yes Stealth all eBay. Still have 35 active items on there, so hopefully should shift a bit more.

Nama I think you may be a genius. I've thrown out so much manly Tupperware!

Manly Tupperware

I really should have consulted the Tupperware first to find out it's preferred pronoun, rather than assuming!

MANKY Tupperware! Manky, yellow, brittle, pongy, Tupperware.

Love the idea of manly Tupperware.

I did my desk yesterday afternoon. It looks much better. A pile of papers went into the recycling. Which goes today so it all went straight out. Didn’t do everything as I fell asleep on the sofa after lunch! Think I slept for about an hour and a half for some reason.

I’m another who can’t see mess. Well I can but then I stop if you get me! It blends in and becomes normal. I do love when it is tidy though. My Cleaner is in this morning and I tend to spend time tidy ahead of her so when she goes it’s all lovely and tidy and clean. Lasts for about an hour!

Hello, I'm new here. I'm 7 months pregnant and nesting HARD.

I've been decluttering like crazy before the new arrival gets here. I've sent bags to the charity shop already, and listed some bits for selling. Two new piles sorted out last night for selling and Freecycle. I hate chucking stuff but it's so much work getting people to come for things!

I almost miss that nesting feeling Grey! You get so much done.

I love this thread! I’ve had a couple of really bad nights with DD so I haven’t really been motivated to do a lot of decluttering. I’ve sorted out a few more of the DC’s clothes but that’s about it. DD is at nursery today and DS at school and all I’ve done so far is declutter half a pack of cherry bakewells, a lot of teabags and some programmes off the sky box. Reading this and seeing what everyone else has achieved has given me the kick up the bum I needed so I’m off to see what I can do I the next couple of hours!

Well it’s my day off and I had a lie in til 9:30 and am still in my pyjamas 😳. I have to go and get the candy floss machine out of my car to clean it though.

Ihate that's amazing. I am in awe of people who can be bothered to sell on eBay. (And think that you are probably the person I stand behind in the post office every time that puts me off ebaying because you cause really long queues! )

I love manly tupperware we should try to remember it for the next thread title.

My sort of decluttering is that I shredded some stuff for dh (who is definitely manly to me today.) Also dd2 has decided to be dry at night and we have had four successful nights out of the last 7 so I have a big pack of size 7 nappies to get rid of. I'm not sure how I'll do it because dd would be mortified if any of her friends knew that she was still wearing nappies so I will have to get rid of them anonymously. I guess I'll have to email charities. I might wait a week to check she's absolutely sure that she doesn't want them. We think she has ASD and various other behavioural / developmental issues and so this is a big, big thing for her.

Welcome greyclouds it sounds like you're having a really productive time. I think I pretty much gave up housework when I was pregnant (other than essential stuff) and only really started again 8 years later.

Quite possibly Stealth ! I try to take them at weird times too avoid inconveniencing too many people.

I normally hate ebaying. But it was all stuff I knew would fetch a vaguely decent price, so I figured it'd be worth it.

Done the cupboard under the sink again. Cleared out two empty bottles of spray, some water stained paperwork of DH's, and a filter jug we haven't used in over a year.

Oh and Stealth, the food bank agreed to take some of my nappies, even the ones I'd opended. May be worth a call? Or I'm sure your local women's shelter would be grateful for them.

Thanks carpet I hadn't thought of that. I am going to hide them in my wardrobe just to make sure dd is happy with her decision and then get rid of them.

Lol StealthNinjaMum!

So I need bin bags. New card arrived today, so I dragged DS to the cash point twenty minutes down the road to unlock it...

I forgot the new PIN number three times and locked myself out

Clearly my brain is full of clutter.