New home for the new year - still getting rid of one item a day part 6

[StealthNinjaMum]

Here we are again!

Little by little a group of mums netters have been decluttering our homes by getting rid of one item a day. Whether we eat it, bin it, recycle it, sell or give it away we are slowly tidying our homes.

Is this the thread where we finish? Probably not

As usual newbies are welcome to join us. We get rid of one thing and come back to update everyone on our progress and get support when it gets hard.

Previous thread is here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3381702-Getting-rid-of-one-thing-a-day-decluttering-challenge-Part-5?pg=1

I'm just going to copy other people's posts! Last week I copied someone clearing out the hallway drawers. Today I'm going to copy the greying underwear poster

mumof1ds I think I'd be inclined to keep the fancy pants. I'd be kicking myself if I had to buy the same sizes again afterwards. Will they go in a vacuum bag at the back of a wardrobe for now?

Everyone's at work today so won't get anything done, I won't be active at home til 7.30pm again at which point I'll probably fall asleep haha. I did make my list last night though so will make a concerted effort this week. When the rest of the house is done, the ultimate goal is to clear out the conservatory which when I get past the rubbish and old furniture/general debris, I have some brick work to finish and then can get it replastered. Then it might be a usable room again.
We'd love to move to a new house but I'm not sure we'll sell it without a new top on the conservatory, that's a few thousand we don't have 😣

Mumof1, I would save them if you can! I'm a size 30GG and my boobs went back to the same size post BFing for 16 months (just a bit saggier). Underwear can be so expensive. Though I have the same conundrum with a large selection of thing knickers which I used to love and find comfy but post DD and stitches I don't know if I'll ever wear again!!

In fact this thread has made me take a decision on the pants - anything that came from a multipack I will chuck and I'll only keep the ones which match a bra. Progress 

Yesterday I found the out of date bin collection leaflets so they went in the recycling along with yet another load of papers/bottles etc from the kitchen - I don't know where it all comes from! Also used some left over packaging for my ebay parcel so I'll get that posted today.

I work as a supply teacher so I never quite know when I'll be working. As there was no work for me today I'm going to make the most of the day and try and get some decluttering done. I do need to give the house a clean so I am going to try and use up some cleaning products. I have a ridiculous amount at the moment so I'm not going to buy any more and once they're gone I'm going to try making my own. I might have to invest in a couple of glass spray bottles but at least I'll be reducing the amount of plastic waste (and hopefully saving some money too).

Time to get off MN and crack on - I'll report back later!

the greying underwear poster

I don't know whether to be proud or sad...

I have an irritating lack of bin space for getting rid of stuff, thanks to my council's small wheelie bin/fortnightly collection axis. It has also contributed to an awful lot more litter and rubbish being dumped on the street. My husband civic mindedly picks up this rubbish because you'd wait a long time for a street cleaner, but then fills our bin with bags of street rubbish, reducing our space further.

Be proud, Pippistrelle!! Thanks for the idea haven't done it yet though My knickers are black but going baggy and holey

greenwillow boots are a real problem with us as we don't have a place to store them. Muddy wellies just sit in the utility room for months because I can't be bothered to remove the mud.

Could you just find a more attractive box for them to go in? Or is there a different room you could put a shoe storing piece of furniture in? Like a utility room or cupboard under the stairs?

Today I'm tidying rather than decluttering. I'm on my second load of washing and have started to rebox the decorations nicely to put back in the spare bedroom wardrobe in an organised way. I have chucked out some xmas cards but saved others to make into tags next year. I have also found two empty boxes to recycle. I then have lots of hoovering as the xmas trees/ decorations left needles and glitter everywhere even though they were fake.

mumof1ds how much space to do you actually have to keep your underwear. I had about 3 big drawers so while I was in the getting pregnant / breastfeeding stage kept some nice sets and they didn't really get in the way but if I had only had 1 drawer I would've thrown them out. NB at some point I did a massive declutter and had about 30 bras to go as I lost weight! Now I only have about 6 but I love them all.

After a big declutter yesterday I did an early tip run this morning. I am just trying to psyche myself up now to get all the charity bags sorted and take them. Then the big declutter will be finished, although I suspect DH will call a halt at that point and start re-acquiring junk. Still some of his 30 year old work stuff has been binned, so I should be grateful for small mercies.

I am back at work today, slightly despondent that I didn't achieve more during the holidays. I think I need to make a list, and try to tick off at least one large thing a week.

In the past week I have...

Washed a bundle of storage boxes that have been getting dusty waiting for me to use them somewhere.

Cleaned out the snack cupboard - binning all random sweets that were past their use by date. I have put a storage box in there to stop things rolling off the shelf when you open the door. ( I think I will look for a slightly smaller one, though.)

Sorted out 2 large bundles of magazines to post, as the chap that bought a lot from me on eBay at the end of November was interested in other years.

Chucked a pile of car magazines from 2015 in the paper recycling.

Cleaned Mum's Dyson and fitted the new brush bar ready to sell. Tested it yesterday after reassembling it, and it is working much better. I am now having second thoughts about getting rid of it. Sigh!

Dealt with some more of the long-term ironing pile. Found a hooded sweatshirt I had been looking for, and found some more stuff for the mending and textile recycling piles.

I have also done quite a lot of decluttering of the Sky Box, which is useful since lots of new series start this week. And I have been working my way through some boxes of coffee pods that are out of date, and not ones that we normally use.

Belated Happy New Year All! Decluttering took a back seat over Christmas, but now the decorations are all put away (apart from the broken ones, which got binned), the tree's been recycled, and I feel like it's been a good start to the year.

Out of the house today: the bag of children's books that my mum dumped on me before Christmas, off to the paeds ward of the hospital. The essential oils I didn't use are being collected by a freecycler tonight, and DH has agreed we can make a start on his tatty t-shirts tonight.

@HalloumiGus you asked about decluttering and prepping - I think they can work together. I've got a shelving unit in our utility room that's currently full of junk, and I'm slowly clearing it out to make way for extra supplies of storecupboard food, essential toiletries and some basic first aid supplies. Only stuff we'll actually use over the course of the next few months, whatever happens. The way I see it, it's better to have things you know you need in a place where you can actually get to them without having to wade through clutter. If there's stuff you can sell, just get on and do it; it'd be better to have the cash than the thing. There's very little in our house that's likely to get decluttered then I'm going to wish for it back in an emergency. Maybe tools if you had to do some basic repairs or maintain your car/bike? But most stuff, the 'if you haven't used it by now, you never will' rule applies.

Ok I've done my knicker drawer too a few stray Christmas bits that got missed the first time are now down aw we'll

Thanks @stealthninjamum and @battenberg1978, space isn't a problem, I have them in a carier bag in a top cupboard, so I will keep hold of them. It's true I would be gutted if I ended up the same size after throwing them away! Shame nursing undies aren't quite as nice

DH is going out early for his shift tonight and DSvis quote tired by the sound of it so my plan to declutter the wardrobe tonight is a go I'm not even sorry that makes me sound like a complete sad act might watch an episode of Marie kondo just to get me in the mood...

But most stuff, the 'if you haven't used it by now, you never will' rule applies.

This is so true - and recognising it even more important. Sometimes with stuff you are not sure about getting rid of, if you put it aside for a few months and still haven't touched it, then you know it's the time to dispose of things.

The charity run was also done successfully with stuff going to three different charities.

So today I've cleared under the stairs and sorted out about 4 pairs of shoes, and a few other bits, my total today is about 15 things, which I'm happy with as I've got work for the next 2 days.

In that case mumof1ds you should definitely keep them.

Iwillweargreenwillow could you get like an outdoor storage thing for them? I have a very cheap plastic storage box from Homebase. It's obviously too big, I wonder if anyone does something that's smaller. I've googled and found a lovely wooden bench with storage underneath but am guessing you don't want a whole new piece of furniture!

Been shopping with mil today so to compensate for a vase being brought in I've thrown out a baking tray that's past its best.

General rubbish/recycling done and ready to take to the bins.

I still haven't done the tip run but I will!

I got rid of some old socks into the ragbag. That’ll have to do for today. Unless I can count doing my tax return? (HMRC owe me £770, which is surprising).

Last of the celebrations decluttered😮 several holey socks into rag bag. Several items listed on eBay and a pile of cardboard waiting for a dry day so it can go to the tip

I'm home now. DP has obviously had a mad tidy in preparation for my return but had left quite a bit. I've now tidied the fridge door and binned quite a few papers. Several unwanted presents and 2 candles are also in the charity bag.

Just catching up on everyones good efforts! So need to read back through a couple of pages :)
Today i chucked some dried out tubs of playdoh, 4 random wine glasses now my nice ones fit neatly into cupboard. Its bin day tomorrow wahoo so been joyfully adding to it and the recycling :)

Hello all, have been missing in action for a few days and now feeling inadequate as you’ve all been so productive.

Managed to clear a few bits from my ‘to file’ like yesterday as I needed to find something in it and threw out anything that wasn’t useful like empty envelopes as I went through. I’ve also sorted through the bag of mini toiletries which have come back from holiday. There’s now a box of shampoo and conditioner and a box of shower gel and soap, so it can actually be used up. A threadbare towel has gone too, although that will probably be replaced.

Would love to tackle my wardrobe but it’s tricky as DS is still in our room and I don’t think would sleep through it.

Congratulations on the tax refund Oubliette, I must remind DH to do his although fairly sure he will owe them!

Full of cold today, have moved the left over Christmas alcohol off the side and into a cupboard but that will be all today I think