Getting rid of one thing a day decluttering challenge: Part 4

[StealthNinjaMum]

And the decluttering continues…

For 3,000 posts we have been slowly transforming our homes from hovels to palaces.

We’re not quite there yet some of us are further than others but we won’t give up until we have a decluttered existence.

We just get rid of one thing a day and report back to showoff for support and to be told off when we’re naughty and bring more clutter back into our homes, gardens, sheds, garages.

As ever newbies are welcome to join us.

Previous thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3243987-Getting-rid-of-one-thing-a-day-decluttering-challenge-Part-3-Are-we-nearly-there-yet?msgid=79207142

Todays update;

I have an empty washing basket.

All bins in the house have been emptied and in the big bin ready for the bin men.

The corded hoover I haven't used for 4 months is off to its new home on Wednesday.

A couple of pairs of DH shoes he hasn't worn for months because he has new ones are now in the charity bag.

Im all over this cleaning, tidying and decluttering malarkey at the moment

Bag of clothes to Charity shop (including a pair of jeans that I'll never fit into again and a couple of sealed make-up bits)

Metal stool from DD room which broke

Still got a wooden Ikea Moppe chest to recycle

Emptied washing basket and out things away.

Ditched some more packaging.

Have s horrible sore throat so decluttered paracetamol and vitamin c tablets.

Been ill but on the mend now. Only a few bits of paperwork since 6th. Will get going tomorrow

Can I join in?
I’ve just started tomm which I’m loving and this will be perfect alongside it! I’ve got to much junk!
Today I took old biscuit tins that we saved ‘just in case’ to the tip.

I'm plodding along - I have another 6/7 bags ready for the charity shop, 2.5 bags for the textile recycling collection on Monday and a box of games / unwanted gifts that will go to the Scouts for their Christmas fair. Despite all that the house seems as bad as ever and it is starting to make me wonder what the point of trying to declutter is.

Since the start of the year I have taken 30+ bin bags full to the charity shop, at least 10 have gone to textile recycling and any amount of rubbish/tat has gone in the bin - I even had a medium Hippo bag full to the brim collected a few weeks ago, and I still can't see much improvement in the house.

I'm trying to tackle tidying the living room today, now the DC are back in school. That is a mountain in itself as it is a double size room - we have one end for the sofas/tv and the other end is the playroom. I'm tackling the sitting area today - the play area is a full week job I think, given the mess it is in.

I also have a load of hardback books (popular fiction) I need to get rid of - they are in immaculate condition but the charity shops don't want them really. Any suggestions?

I emptied my boot. Hurrah!

whendoIsleep that's an awesome effort, it might be that lots of stuff you've donated have been in messy cupboards. When I wonder about whether it makes a difference I go around and tidy up window ledges and other surfaces.

Someone on an earlier thread got money by sending books to this site but I haven't tried www.webuybooks.co.uk

Otherwise our local Tesco and Sainburys have areas to swap books or buy books and my doctors surgery has a book section too where you can pick up a book for a charity donation.

Or you could offer them free on Facebook and free cycle and someone might even pick them up for you.

I put some toys for sale yesterday only to have someone make a bid and then not turn up. Today I'm going to carry on sorting out the playroom in particular the arts and craft drawers. My mums also visiting so I don't think it'll be too productive.

I've found 6 DVDs for the pile and 3 books. I've put the books into the website I mentioned above and so far they're only worth 15p (5p each) and there is a minimum order of £5. I am going to keep going although I do regret having given loads away.

That's great Kokoloco I know shoes are hard to get rid of.

I am having a rubbish day, I have been doing internet research for my mum who is updating her will and she has drained me of all energy with her negativity! I sold one toy today so one thing has gone but I really need to finish my list and do stuff on it.

Have run around the house madly for an hour. Sorted through lots of papers and leaflets, school work, party invitations etc. Done lots of shredding, put about 12 magazines into a recycling bag and another 6 books in the charity shop pile.

I have put got another big pile of children's books into the charity shop pile, I'm not going to even try to sell them. While doing this I cleared the top of the bookcase they were in and got rid of various artworks, magazines and an old box. So I have made about a bin bag of papers today and 2 or 3 very full carrier bags of books.

Last night I decluttered a jar of mouldy jam (jam in compost, washed jar in recycling), an unused soap dish, a candle holder (both in charity shop bag) and an empty biscuit tin (saved for homemade produce but never used). As a result of the clear out and re-organising, the under sink cupboard is much tidier, although the amount doesn't feel like much. Today I've taken a big bag of paper for shredding.

I have the same attitude stealth. I cant be bothered to go to a car boot to haggle with someone that my price of 50p is too much for a brand new hardback or fanny about on facebook / eBay with flakey buyers when I can just get rid!

Anyway, the hoover went to its new home last night so thats now gone forever. I have binned a few candles that havent been used in such a long time that they had a thick layer of dust on them.

In not so decluttering news, with the 99% loss in profits announced at John lewis today, I had to spend my vouchers before they declare eventual collapse which I predict will be very soon. I do however have a nice new knifeblock and cutlery set. Guess what drawer I will be decluttering tonight :D

I do sell some stuff on Facebook but it tends to be big stuff. Or sometimes I'll decide to stay in for a week and put lots of things for sale so that when someone inevitably doesn't turn up to pick up an item I don't get so annoyed because I'm waiting for others. I find people don't want to buy books unless they're part of a set.

Today has been a good day. I have dropped four bags at the charity shop containing rags, glasses, toys and books. I have also posted an old router as dh's last broadband provider gave us a postage paid envelope to send it back in. I've also recycled some bulbs. These things had been in my car boot for ages and it is almost clear. I have taken some medicines out too to take to a chemist.

I have also gone through some wires at home and found an old breast pump plug (pump chucked out years ago) and half a baby monitor. Will put these in a pile for the dump.

Terrible news about John Lewis. I used some really old vouchers I found recently, they were so old the staff looked at them like they were museum exhibits. I also have some really old (probably 20 years old) House of Fraser vouchers that aren't valid online but I don't know if they'all be valid in store. Probably not.

I have been working away but I'm back on it today. An old bathroom mirror was collected whilst I was away.

Today I need to clear out summer clothes from DD2s drawers cos she wants to wear shorts every day even though it's not warm enough now...!

Very busy today but I have found another small box of keys in the Room of Doom which I didn't know about so I am guessing that they are for the last house or maybe a previous job. I have thrown one set away and will get dh to look for the other but I think they'll probably all be binned. We have sets of random keys in 4 parts of the house but also have the odd key 'hidden' in a room if it's got a patio door. I don't know whether they should all be in one place but then it'll be a faff to open a door to get to the garden if that key is kept in the kitchen. On the other hand I don't want the keys in such an obvious place that a burglar could find them and get out of the house with big stuff (not that we really have anything big of value).

Unexpectedly did some good decluttering. A couple of days ago I was sorting through wires and cables. We have millions of them. I have just spent a few minutes going through some I'd hidden in a drawer and managed to find cables and plugs for a kindle, blackberry and a videocamera. All three are now being charged for the first time in years. I am really excited as I have seen really old photos of dc on the blackberry and i need to work out how to get them onto a computer. I can probably give the videocamera to dds. I also found a fraying iPhone wire which can go in the recycling pile.

There are still loads of wires but slowly I am going through them. At some point I'll need to show them all to dh as he'll know which ones we can chuck out. I have also just bought some labels to put on them as I work out what they're for. labels here

Hi everyone! Back from my hols and I've decided to go through all the clothes I didn't pack to see what I can chuck, before I unpack properly. So far, I'm charitying 2 pairs of shoes and a pair of jeans. I've also binned a lovely bag which had, sadly, reached the end of its life.