Getting rid of one thing a day decluttering challenge Part 5

[StealthNinjaMum]

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

5 big bags to the Recycling Centre (mainly old computer things )

Bag to go out to charity shop tomorrow (some clothes and kitchen ware)

I'll be sorted for the year I reckon

Congratulations on your new baby Chunkymonkey123

Love this thread, babies, updates, house moves, and steady decluttering progress.

Bookshop bought most of my books, that will help towards car insurance. Still got more to sort but will leave it for a bit.

2 charity shop bags full, and one of rags, must get them into car today.

Then, like ememem84, attacking the non stop tide of recycling. I swear it breeds.

Mine is breeding because amazon keep sending stuff on subscribe and save in ridiculous boxes when they could chuck it all in one box

I've started on the cupboard under the sink (another 'cupboard of DOOOOM'). It's a bit overwhelming. So far, I've purged 8 cloths, 2 sponge cloths, 1 weird duster thing and 1 exfoliating glove. I now have nice, clean, labelled boxes for the cloths, scourers and gloves.

There's more to do.

Congratulations, @Chunkymonkey123! Lovely news!

I'm having a break whilst watching a clutter clearing programme on Netflix. It's called, Consumed, if anyone's interested.

Congratulations @Chunky

@stealth the thing is, yes they are what the sets came in (second hand, never checked contents against pics) but with another DC due next year it'll be potentially another 5ish years before the Duplo goes and storage really is limited/none.... flattened cardboard boxes I am keeping, but those moulded plastic ones are just cluttering up the place.

In that case keiki just get rid of the boxes. My sets were all new so I wanted to get as much money as I could from them. That reminds me I should sell a few more. There are some that I am still attached to.

Today's feeble effort (but every little counts) is a plastic spatula that I burnt a few years ago and haven't used since yet has been cluttering a drawer.

Decluttered some tissues today achoo!
Congrats chunky monkey on your lovely baby 😍

Good efforts everyone! Today I have taken some batteries to the battery bin, posted some parcels and done some recycling.

Recyling? I meant shredding!

Congratulations Chunkymonkey123 - I'm surprised you have the energy to even think about decluttering!

I made good progress over the weekend, but not necessarily in the areas I was intending to. I spent a while on Saturday afternoon looking through stuff in our bedroom for a Charity shop drop-off this week. I have bags and boxes stacked there with things that have been earmarked to go. I re-excavated the path through to the built-in wardrobe and put away a lot of things from that area. I was also pretty ruthless with some stuff I was only keeping because I hadn't decided what to do with it. I found, gathered together and sorted out all the spare coat hangers into 3 or 4 lots. (We have replaced a lot of ours over the past few years with the thin velvet-covered ones.) A bag of kids' ones will be advertised soon for free pick-up. Two lots of "vintage" ones will be advertised on eBay or Gumtree. I hand-washed a Nepalese hat that looks like a chicken, which will be joining the charity shop box. I had searched for some almost-new canvas shoes to hand wash as well. I knew they were in a crate on top of the tumble drier - but it was too late - they had really discoloured and the rubbery bits had gone hard. I guess they had been there much longer than I thought, so they were chucked out. Although it was not my intention, I then emptied out the crate, which was filthy. I hoovered it out and washed it, and ditched a whole lot of dirty carrier bags in the process. I still have to look for a shallow plastic box or crate to put on the top, to store my gardening shoes and the crocs that are slipped on to empty the kitchen bin etc..

Yesterday afternoon I did get round to clearing the top of the dog crates. One of them was disgusting! It was a complete jumble of stuff, interspersed with biscuit crumbs and dog hair. The fleece blankets we use to cover the crates were washed. All the non-dog stuff that had been dumped there has gone upstairs, and there is now a tidy storage crate of leads, collars and harnesses; a bag of outdoor toys and a box containing treats and poo-bags.

Mattress delivery day is tomorrow, so tonight I still have some areas to clear... at least on a temporary basis.

Thank you everyone 😊

I have set aside a big bag of maternity clothes (that one was a very easy win!) and now need to think of a pregnant friend to palm them off on!

I have also decided that it is unreasonable to have chipped mugs, bowls etc so I have thrown two mugs and two wooden spoons (why do I have three?!). 4 more mugs I have my eye one but they are DHs so need to check with him first.

I have decided to use my favourite baby clothes to have made into a soft toy (website called love, keep, create) so I can get rid of the rest without feeling really sad about not having a tiny baby anymore!

Congratulations @Chunkymonkey123. How old is your baby? Mine is now 4 months but you sound like you are doing a lot better than me on deuttering baby stuff. Think I will look into one of those teddies after Christmas though (as if we don't have far too many soft toys already!)

Keiki I agree. Ditch the boxes! We are also storing lots of toys for DS to grow into (4.5 year age gap, so will be a while) and I'm trying to only keep the bits that will be used. Plus I know realistically I will never have the time to sort lego etc back into sets. DD tends to rip the boxes to pieces anyway!

Today's items are a huge pile of DD's 'artworks' plus half a dozen dried up felt pens. Was going to go through the whole lot, but ran out of time. However it's definitely more in than out at the moment for Christmas so I know how you feel GreenWillow.

Sounds like good progress everyone. I have once again done very little decluttering. I have been out shopping. I have done other housework - tidying, washing, hoovering although the house still looks a bit of a mess. I have hidden dds xmas presents and put a few for relatives under the tree. I need to wrap those because I think the house will instantly look better if stuff is under the tree. I also have a recycling bag full of packaging from all the presents I've ordered online.

In terms of decluttering I have just chucked out three leaflets that have been at the bottom of my wardrobe for two years and an umbrella case - have no idea where the umbrella is - probably broken or lost!

Ha - StealthNinjaMum - the umbrella will appear as soon as your bin has been emptied. I can almost guarantee it!

I have so many things lying around waiting for bits, or for me to dig out the instruction before selling/donating. As soon as I give up on something I invariably find the missing bit.

I didn't get any photos done yesterday for selling, so will either have to do them in artificial light, or wait until the weekend. I did, though, put the rather full black bin bag from the landing into the landfill bin. And, assuming the weather improves a bit later this week, hope to drop off at least one bag at a Charity shop.

Yes Purplefrog I'm fairly certain the umbrella's hiding under a pile of crap in the cupboard under the stairs but it doesn't really need the case. What annoyed was that it was in my wardrobe. How do these things get there? Possibly a toddler made in den in my wardrobe with it - about 6 years ago! My wardrobe is an area that needs an extreme declutter but that would be like admitting I'm never going to lose weight and I'm not ready for that admission yet!

Hi everyone! Not a bad clearing day today.

My kitchen 'cupboard of doom' is now thoroughly clean and organised and actually looks rather empty! Laundry products are on the side of the washing machine and washing up products are on the side of the sink and DW. Everything's clearly labelled.

Out:
An old packet of sponge cloths - never used and had gone hard.
3 empty card boxes, 1 ice cream container and 2 packets.
1 toothbrush.
5 odd socks.
1 latex glove.
1 window scraper squidgey thing.
1 sink plunger (like new - we had 2).
The bendy bottom of the shower door.
Half a pineapple has been eaten on time (rather than forgotten and then composted).
1 fancy incense stick bag and a packet of incense sticks.
A load of receipts. (These last 2 are extras - not from the kitchen.)

1 empty spray bottle has been repurposed as a vinegar spray for laundry. (It turns out that I have another 6 bottles of vinegar for cleaning!)

6 old cloths kept aside to oil the garden bench. (Then they will be binned.)

4 loads of laundry done.
Bathroom cleaned.

To buy? Sticky hooks to fix dustpan&brush to the side of the cupboard to maximise use of the space. I've not entirely decided about this yet.

Today I took around ten tshirts of DH's to the recycling bank and I also put in the local recycling centre an old, broken, electric razor of his which he had said could go. I've also sorted out some clothes of both DS's and DD's that are good quality and can be passed down to our friends younger children.
We're just in the process of redecorating our bedroom and I've decided I don't want to keep the dressing table mirror and stool, both modern and immaculate condition but just not what I want so I'll have to try and find a home for them. Everyone is doing so well but at this time of year its like trying to stop a flood with a bath sponge with the amount of stuff coming in! My kids are only very little so we are just having the bare minimum of stuff, from us anyway, I've not put all this effort in for Christmas to send us back over.

Wow Sand!

I have finally binned those Duplo boxes. Also a couple of cardboard storage boxes.

And finally got round to the bathroom cupboard! Not much cleared out, a few empty packets, creams not used in over 10 years and one I couldn't even remember what it was for. Mostly I've just had it all out and tidied up - all the children's meds together, all the plasters together, all the cold remedies together type thing. Fitted in a few more things that had been on the windowsill too. Very pleased.

Joining... I have a few ahem trouble spots in my house that I need help with!

Tackling the study first. It's emotional and I need to go through some lost dreams & some rescued dreams, revisit some neuroses, disappointments etc. Ugh. I've been putting it off for years and I can't face seeing it on my New Years resolutions lists for 2019 or I will feel like a total failure!

The problem is mostly paper...

I will see if I can manage one or two things tomorrow.

Good luck all xx

You're all doing so well. Welcome dixiechicklet Paperwork, me and SandandSea and a few others know all about paperwork. I got rid of bags and bags of it at the start of the year and still haven't finished

I have had a really productive evening. For once dds fell asleep at a reasonable time and dh was working late so I had lots of time to myself.

I started to sort through my wardrobe putting clothes in an order - smart dresses, casual dresses, tops etc. My more casual vests are now in a drawer and I even chucked two vests and a scarf into the charity shop pile. I then started to put the jeans that don't fit into a box to put them somewhere 'temporarily' while I diet into them. The box was overflowing!

At this point I gave up and sorted through a rucksack I used on holiday. I chucked out lots of receipts, three packets of biscuits, tickets and holiday insurance information.

I also put some of the charity shop stuff on the spare bed into 5 carrier bags to put into my car. Mil is sleeping in that room on Friday night and its a busy week so I'd like it cleared as much as possible tomorrow.

Wrapped up presents for bil sil mil and dnephew and dnephew to be yesterday and boxed up to send off. They live overseas so need to send stuff today or it won’t get there for Christmas.

So that’s loads gone.

Recycling pile has increased again as my subscribe and save orders arrived yesterday.

Have sorted through a bit more of my wardrobe and a teeny bit more of the Room of Doom. I had a collection of second hand toys I bought from eBay - mainly rarish lego and playmobil sets - that were in the top of my wardrobe. I've put some in the 'reward' box for dds homework, some with the playmobil house, and a set of Romans have just gone straight into the charity shop pile. I found a few boxes of matches that have gone into the kitchen to be used up. I also found more wires which will go to the dump. The house doesn't look tidier but lots of annoying little things have been rehomed.