Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Getting rid of one thing a day decluttering challenge Part 5

984 replies

StealthNinjaMum · 01/10/2018 17:18

We’re still here!

For 4 threads a group of mumsnetters have been getting rid of just one thing a day. We’ve been throwing out, selling, recycling and giving our stuff away.

But we're still not finished.

Newbies are always welcome to join us. Just get rid of one thing each day and come back here to discuss your progress and get support when it gets hard.

Previous thread here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3298777-Getting-rid-of-one-thing-a-day-decluttering-challenge-Part-4?msgid=81434878

OP posts:
KittyB52 · 24/10/2018 22:34

TidaQuel I am the same.

I know I have several pairs of shoes in the wardrobe which have barely been worn and are unlikely to be worn again. They are only high street brands, weren't expensive, and I should just take them to charity shop. But part of me thinks I might get a quid or two for them on Ebay, so they sit in the wardrobe, waiting for me to have the time to photograph them, upload the pics, write the bumph, wait, package them and post them.

Or swear at Ebay buyers for wanting stuff for nowt and then take them to the charity shop anyway. Grin

StealthNinjaMum · 24/10/2018 23:00

Welcome TidaQuel. Try not to keep stuff because you want to sell it.I'm sure my progress has been slow because I'm lazy because i have tried to sell a lot of things and kept trying to sell them for months. Now I put things for sale on Facebook and give myself a time limit, bump it a few times, and if it isn't sold by then I take it to a charity shop. I also declutter little by little but sometimes have a big burst of activity and clear an area. Do you think you need to do something really big to inspire you? Is there an area or shelf that would look good clear or would change your life if you dealt with it?

bobgoblin emem84 what a lovely new start you're giving yourselves. It will be worth it even if it takes years. Every day things get a bit better.

I didn't do much today but I found another 6 or so picture books to go and some craft projects. I have probably got a 2 foot high pile of books ready to go and I'm really pleased as it's been hard getting rid of them. We still have loads left but it gets easier to get rid of them as dd2 is reading very easy chapter books now. (She was so behind in reading I never thought we'd never get here).

OP posts:
Bowerbird5 · 25/10/2018 03:48

I got the stuff to charity shop.i did ask for the bag back as it is useful for charity bag. Will de clutter straight into there. Resisted buying a brand new puzzle for £1.50.

KittyB52 · 25/10/2018 09:11

I have to buy a new sleep bag for DD as she is too long for 18-24 now. So the two existing ones that we’ve been making do with will go on EBay this weekend for a week, then if unsold, off to charity shop.

A few things I have on EBay have got bids, so will have those out of the house at the weekend.

And I’ve found a charity nearby which makes handmade home decor - am going to ask if they’d like some beads, fabric and wire from my craft stash.

Nothing actually out of the house today though, and I’m heading out for the day. Will have to find something... Grin

ememem84 · 25/10/2018 09:17

Back to new house today. Back to unpacking and decluttering. Probably another tip trip.

Keiki · 25/10/2018 09:45

Decluttered the house of an ornate fireplace yesterday, so many loads of rubble gone. The house is in chaos due to building work. Hoping to convince DP to declutter as we put things back. Listed a couple of clothing bundles on Ebay that sold so am posting them today. This made space to put another box of things away that had been standing around for months without a home.

lljkk · 25/10/2018 09:53

lever arch folders & box files: maybe freecycle or charity shop? We still find occasional use for them. Bank documents, family history documents, photos. DC each have a larger binder full of 'certificates' they have earned since nursery school.

Moving office 3 yrs ago, I was ruthless. Best declutter ever.
At home, sadly, not so effective! Managed to get bags to charity shop & textile recycling this weekend, yet still so much more I'm sure I don't need & shouldn't keep. Beginning to ponder drastic lowering of prices on Ebay items. Some damaged electronic goods to go to tip.

StealthNinjaMum · 25/10/2018 10:26

Just cleared a couple of widow ledges that had accumulated clutter again. Conkers, stones, and Elsa (Frozen) box. Also decluttered a mini mars bar I bought for trick or treaters

OP posts:
WhenDoISleep · 25/10/2018 13:07

The buyer from Facebook Marketplace that I mentioned on Monday turned up - so yay for getting a relatively big item out of the house. I also sold some wellies on eBay on Tuesday so they have gone as well. Still have over 30 things listed, currently 7 of those will sell at the weekend.

Other than that it has been a bit quiet here with half-term - I've made a start on clearing out the playroom part of the living room and have a bag of things to go to the school for the Christmas Fair and a big box of stuff to go to the Scouts for their fair, I am also going through the mountains of children's books we have and will send a lot of the books for toddlers etc. to charity. Someone up thread helped with this by saying that books can always be bought again if needed - I have weird emotional attachments to things and that is what is stopping me getting rid of a lot of things, I think. I need to get beyond that and make the house a nice place to live.

ememem84 · 25/10/2018 14:34

Haven’t caught up but...

4 bags to charity shop
11 bags of rubbish
Three boxes of cardboard
A bag of weeds

bobgoblin · 25/10/2018 14:56

A very productive couple of days. We tackled the loft yesterday. There’s still some things up there as the hatch is very small so DH couldn’t get through to reach everything but the bulk of it got done. So we went to the tip with a lot of cardboard from empty boxes that were up there, a couple of manky holdalls, a broken laptop, a broken baby rocker, a piece of skirting board and 3 bags of garden waste that were hanging round outside. We took the DVD player as we lost the remote years ago and without it it’s a nightmare to use. While we were out we dropped off 3 big bags of baby clothes at the clothes bank.

I was hoping to pick up a day’s work today but there wasn’t anything so I persuaded DH to help me tackle the garage/shed. There was a lot of random wood in there - I think some of it was here when I moved in. We were loading it in the boot when a man from down the road asked if he could have it so a boot full of wood was left on his drive! We also left some metal out for the scrap man but the man from down the road says he might have it if it’s still there when he comes back later. We managed to fill the car again for a tip run with yet more cardboard from empty boxes, a big bag of rubbish from the garage, a holey paddling pool, a broken plastic greenhouse thing, a broken pasting table, a big damaged mirror, an old bookcase and a box of random junk. We managed to squeeze two more bags of garden waste in as well.

DH accused me of hoarding all of these things. I told him it’s not hoarding as I’m quite happy to get rid of it - it’s laziness. I couldn’t be bothered to deal with them so I stuck them in the garage. Except now we have to deal with them all at once. Lesson learned!

I’ve decluttered a couple of programmes from the sky box and had a few cups of tea. DD is at nursery and DS has an after school activity so I’ve got an hour before I go out. I’m going to tidy the kitchen and see if there’s anything else that can go while I’m in there.

Bowerbird5 · 26/10/2018 05:20

Wow! You are on a roll hobgoblin!

I took four bags of stuff to school. I have decluttered the files but feel I might have some duplicate pages so when I get time / feel in mood I need to get them out together and just have one Master copy instead of one in each file. My filing cabinet there is now full. I think DH got a surprise. Have a pile of games for school fair but might give them to charity shop to get rid. I find it difficult with my own children’s books but I have piled up some bought for school quite easily. I kept telling myself I could pick them up again at a car boot sale if I need them. That helped.
Found Tupperware lids and now have a neat pile of them. Hmm! Hoping they will match up as I work my way through the kitchen. If I put them out the box will turn up later won’t it?
Going to declutter knicker drawer. I have some more attractive knickers but they ride down which is really annoying. Think I might get rid of all except the Sloggi ones... big girl pants ...that stay put!

CupoBlood · 26/10/2018 10:35

Well done everyone- slowly but surely here, bedside table shelves done.

Hopefully knocking a few other things off tonight.

Annasgirl · 26/10/2018 10:52

Just decluttered and cleaned my fridge. Took everything out, dumped one bin bag full of out of date stuff and rearranged the whole fridge. It looks amazing!!! I got inspiration on Pinterest and copied their idea of removing all smoothies and yoghurts from multi packs and storing them in the fridge door - so smart, now will never go to an empty pack in the morning rush again - my DC and DH never remember to remove the empty boxes!

ememem84 · 26/10/2018 11:39

Wardrobe emptied from dparents and have taken all buy three bags for life full to new house. The three bags (containing socks dresses tops jeans T-shirt’s etc) are going to the charity shop today.

I am being ruthless. Because I have to be.

PurpleFrog · 26/10/2018 12:39

Everyone is doing so well! Especially bobgoblin whose last post is making me tired just reading it!

I haven't had a very productive week. I did sort out some more magazines and got a few more piles into the paper bin. We were out for a lot of the weekend, but the big news is that we have at last ordered a new mattress. We tried a number when we were out on Saturday and actually made a decision. It will take 6-8 weeks to come, so that gives me a little time to clear a path for the delivery men. Gulp! So, I need to sort out a lot of the stuff on the landing, including 2 fish tanks, and also clear the clutter at the sides of the stairs and the stuff between the bed and wardrobe at my side of the bed.

FermatsTheorem · 27/10/2018 13:17

Hello, newbie here creeping quietly onto the thread.

My house is a nightmare!

But this morning while the boys played Xbox I took 4 carriers of toys to the 2nd hand shop, binned 2 pairs of my knackered old shoes, took three pairs of DS's shoes he'd grown out of (remarkably without trashing) to the recycling, and sorted through a 10" high stack of papers and assorted junk.

To be honest the house does not look significantly different, but at least I've done something... Onwards.

lljkk · 27/10/2018 15:21

Little & often is good, too. x

StealthNinjaMum · 27/10/2018 15:33

Hello Fermats. 10 inch high stack of papers is awesome. work. It's like dieting. A hard slog but little and often means in a months time you'll notice the difference - possibly less.

I haven't been on much because my iPad and phone don't seem to want me to go on mumsnet (there's been a thread in site stuff on this) and so I have to use dh computer. It means I am loads more productive.

Anyway Thursday pm I chucked some stuff out of the fridge - gone off curry paste, barbecue sauce and something else. Yesterday we had some friends over for a playdate / small Halloween party and put up some decorations and had party games. I chucked out some old decorations and used cups and napkins I bought a couple of years ago. I had a good cleanup of the kitchen too and put washing away so my house is looking quite tidy.

This morning we introduced some slime into the house. There was a free workshop at Hobbycraft. If any ends up on my carpet I will cry.

OP posts:
Riddo · 28/10/2018 09:25

I put a buggy on marketplace for free. The woman who wants it has made 4 collection appointments and still not been. It's now wet because I left it outside for her to collect and then it rained overnight.

Now I've got to dry it out and find someone else who actually wants it. 😡

ememem84 · 28/10/2018 09:27

Hate when that happens riddo it’s one of the reasons I stopped Facebook selling.

ememem84 · 28/10/2018 21:23

Another bag for charity shop. I like this game.

And a pair of shoes sold on eBay. Yay!

We’ve finally moved into our new place.

CupoBlood · 29/10/2018 06:44

Well done everyone- update I didn't get anything done this weekend.

So new week to start again!

Good luck everyone 

megletthesecond · 29/10/2018 07:14

Marking my place so I don't forget to lurk.
Someone on the "I hate winter" thread suggested that a clearer house might be better for the spirits than a cosy house. So I'm going to make am extra effort to brighten and de-clutter my place.
In an ideal world I'd have a John Pawson style shrine to minimalism but in real life it doesn't happen.

KittyB52 · 29/10/2018 07:18

Well done, everyone!

I haven’t done much myself this weekend, but DH got put a pile of paper in recycling (after I asked him to) and cut down two overgrown shrubs because it’s green bin week.

I have sold a few things on EBay so they will be posted off today.

And a bra I’d forgotten about turned out to have a loose underwire which meant a very uncomfortable day out on Saturday. It’s been binned now. The bra, not the Saturday.