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

Bumblebee - can't you just use up your new toiletries through the year? Store them somewhere without the boxes, just the bottles, and work through them. Use bubblebath for shower gel? Could save you a fortune. Depends on how much space you've got.
Stealth - that surprise present in the box sounds delightful.
70isalimit - I'm going to do that too.

@PenelopeFlintstone

I have very little space!
That's why I came on here because I needed to cull the crap desperately!
I will hold onto any particularly nice bits

Fair enough, Bumblebee. You'll have to wave it goodbye

I have room for that sort of stuff; things I'll actually use at some point (currently working my way through 7 tubes of handcream ) but just wanted to get rid of all my junk.

Two play tents are bagged up and in the garage, waiting for a new home.

The understairs cupboard / office is working out well. It's so much easier not to have to run upstairs for paperwork. Yesterday, I enjoyed lots of telly, and sorted out the bureau drawers. A big messy plastic tub of papers is now off the floor, filed and in a drawer.

Cleared out the van of burger boxes, etc. Started on the clutter corners of the kitchen and utility. Working through a pile of bedding. All clothes now in wardrobes.

I can't believe how well you're all doing, getting rid of stuff on Boxing Day is showing a real commitment to decluttering.

I have sad news, I will be decluttering dh. He had some kind f mid life crisis about 3 years ago and we talked a lot and I thought things were better but they obviously weren't and now he wants to move out. I think subconsciously I never fully trusted him - hence my desire to declutter the house. We'll have to move to a smaller house so I'll carry on decluttering so that we fit somewhere. Much of the crap is his so I shall enjoy packing it for him!

@StealthNinjaMum - I'm so sorry to read that. I hope you're OK? I'm here for a hand-hold if you need it.

I'm going for a walk to the charity shop in a bit - going to declutter a Christmas tree and a few other bits.

Im sorry to hear that stealth, I hope you're feeling ok, were all here for distractions and hand holds

Perhaps an outrageous story to distract? That crochet blanket I made? That took a year? SIL sent DH a text to say thank you. To DH, not me. And when we saw her that afternoon, she didn't even mention it.

Hell she made a fuss when I made younger SIL one that she wanted one so thought i was doing something good but heavens! Even if she hated it and never used it, it would be nice to be thanked.

Going to go through that wool box tonight and take a picture of it, see if they want it over on woolly hugs.
Got rid of a load of packaging today and working my way through the laundry, picked out a few bits of DDs that are too small too.

Going to have a good go on saturda6 when DH is here to distract DD :)

Thanks, dh dropped the bombshell about a month ago and I have since got rid of about 50 bags of clutter - including many gifts he'd bought me. I thought we could go to counselling and resolve things as I thought our relationship was pretty loving but he is following 'the script' trotted out so often on the relationships board and rewriting lots of out history claiming to have been unhappy for most of our 20 year relationship!

Oh well I am very determined to move on, I have joined a few clubs, lost a stone in weight (largely unintentionally), possibly found a counsellor. Will enjoy my small family and start the divorce after dh gets a whopping bonus in January!

Today I have put two booster seats in the car to take to the dump.

wooglecone how annoying! What an ungrateful cow.

Sorry to hear your news Stealth , I hope that you and the DC are OK. You sound as though you are thinking about it positively though

That's awful Woogle , she must realise the effort that went in to making it.

No decluttering here other than trying to reduce leftovers. We had family over for a buffet lunch yesterday but nobody ate anything!

Stealth, i’m Sorry to hear your news but hopefully things will look up for you- at least you have a lighter future ahead of you xx
Woggle- how disappointing about the blanket. People just have no idea how much work goes into hand made gifts.
We have just had a buffet tea to try and clear some food items. Ddogs also had a buffet tea and are most pleased about the smoked salmon!
DH took DS to Bristol today to buy new trousers as he has grown so much again. All his other trousers can now go as they don’t fit.

Sorry to hear that @StealthNinjaMum
But I am sure you will come through it

Looking forward to DCs being in bed when I will be decluttering the toys that have descended upon the living room with hopefully a big bag of old ones to go to charity and lots of new ones to take their place (tidily)
Will also be sorting the empty boxes and packaging leftover from Xmas (had a lazy day yesterday) and donating all the books I don't read to charity (or back to the library depending where they came from)
Expecting for every new thing in I can get rid of something
Going to do this even more so this year. I slacked off over Xmas and my house has descended into chaos

Thanks all :)

Just finished going through the wool box and I've posted on woolly hugs. Hopefully someone can make use of it.
Me bringing the box downstairs though has inspired DH to go through a box of his stuff which is wonderful too and very rare for him to get in on decluttering haha

Couldn't be bothered to cook so had a Chinese and will be tucking into the Xmas chocs soon, counts as decluttering right?!

It's entirely possible willow, we don't have the most brilliant of relationships but it has definitely getting better. I always got the distinct impression she thought poorly of me i stole her brother so was hoping this might mend a few fences but hey ho. No use crying over spilt milk. ill just bitch about it on MN

I'd be joining you decluttering the wine if only I could have a drink, DH has that task all to himself this year ill make up for it next year

I appear to be in the strike through mood tonight haha

Thanks everyone. Dh told the dc the news after work there were lots of tears and dds begged him to stay. Stupid man.

I went into the room of doom and discovered two more boxes of doom that I assumed just had school work in. I went through one, it contained lots of personal stuff like theatr programmes (including a Joseph one signed by Jason Donovan), house stuff like receipts and quotes for new bathrooms etc. So I have a bag of stuff to chuck out, lots of papers to shred and lots of things from happier times with dh - information on our wedding from the registry office, his valentines cards to me, a couple of theatr programmes of shows he'd taken me too. It really threw me. I don't feel ready to chuck it out yet, still can't believe it's over. So most of he box can go and I'll keep a couple of bits and perhaps burn them when the divorce comes through!

Stealth - That sounds so tough. Rhetorical question: Are you squirrelling away all your/his financial details? I think I would do that soon, in case he decides to get arsey. You just never know. (So sorry to be saying that but better to be safe than sorry.)

Woggle - That's so bloomin' rude! I'm really sick of this (what seems to be a) new trend of not saying a proper thank you! We're still waiting for thank yous from some of the chn of the family (who didn't thank us last year either). I can't stand the thought that we're going to be giving them presents (resentfully now) for the next whatever years, with no effort on their part towards any reciprocity or connection or consideration. Are you going to raise it with her? Maybe your dh should speak to her? It really is bloody rude, especially after you put so much love and care into it.

Forgot to say I've had an offer on ebay!! The item's been up there for ages but it's just not enough so I've counter-offered. It's good to have some action on there finally.

I've sold! Yaay!

Thanks sandandsea we have a joint bank account so most things have my name on. Because we have an offset mortgage it doesn't make sense to have accounts anywhere other than with our mortgage lender so ages ago he closed all his accounts to add to the mortgage account. Sneakily I do have 3 other accounts with a lot of money in so I'm not too worried. It's lucky I'm disorganised! I closed down 3 small accounts last year and filed info on the other 3 with a view to adding them to our shared pot but hadn't got round to it. I am conscious that I don't have a big pension so will be paying into my state pension In a couple of weeks - although obviously I am entitled to some of his. I also have two small work pensions I need to look into. This morning I also applied for child benefit.

Anyway the moral of the story is to file paperwork. I think if I hadn't got on top of things last year I'd be feeling completely overwhelmed now.

I got up this morning and shredded / filed more papers and did a child benefit form.

Oh well done, Stealth. It all sounds very positive.

Well done stealth, glad you've got some ££ to back you up during this. I'm going to join you on the shredding front I think, we have 2 spare shredders at work so I'm going to acquire one today to sort old paperwork out. Will get DH to carry the box downstairs later.

Sand well done on your sale! I went through a big eBay phase and sold loads of specialised books but now I have nothing that anyone would want to buy haha and I'm not going down the smelly slipper route