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

3 full bags to charity shop yesterday and one electrical to recycling. However, I still have non-working Christmas lights (2 sets) in the car as the electrical shop which has a recycling bin would not accept them, so cross. He suggested the council recycling area but that is miles away and I think you have to pay per load (i.e. per size of your car or trailer ) - which would be pointless for 2 sets of lights

Battenberg - I have a couple friends who work in primary schools so I'll ask them

Can I ask you all, what time lints do you all use for non use before getting rid of stuff? Like everyday handbags, shirts? I've got one not used for 4 years+ but it's a nice bag but brown/tan

Worked today so just an hour or so of re-homing later

Quite looking forward to all the shredding that will come after tax return

abitoflight I don't really have a time limit, its more gut feeling that I won't use it again. In the case of a bag I might have forgotten I owned it so I'll decide to use it from tomorrow. Then I'll transfer things over and either realise it's not practical, or doesn't go with the rest of my wardrobe or I'll remember why I loved it.

Sideboard is the gift that keeps giving candle and a sniffer from in there too. Found a small illuminated magnifier as well useful for small details when sewing

A sniffer?????

Sounds like everyone is doing well.. I’ve had a busy few days at work but a pile of baby books have gone in the charity bag and some clothes. I need to drop it all off on my day off on Friday.. I’ve just about cleared the bed I spread loads of stuff out on while sorting out a room so going to tackle that a bit more this evening...

Snuffer! Thanks auto correct. Five paper recycling bags to go out this week so all the shredding and sorting has paid off

Ah - snuffer!

Finally got to the baking cupboard so I no longer risk a flour shower every time I open the door. Most pleasing.

Also bagged some clothes ready to go to the charity shop at the weekend.

Abi, I don't have a time limit for clothing and TBH we previously lived in a tiny flat and I got rid of loads and loads of clothes, which now I feel a little regretful of as I could still use them. Though I have to remember we had literally no space! I haven't worn my 2 pairs of good jeans since pregnant (DD is 2 now) but there's no way I'm getting rid of them! Which has reminded me to get them out to try on this weekend. DD is still in the covering everything with banana, weetabix and bogies stage so I dot want them to get ruined but I'll definitely wear them again.

Stealth, I think I'll try and do a round 1 cull! Our kitchen is tiny and at the moment there's no where for them to be unpacked from from the loft room and ideally I'd like finale space in the loft room to set up a little seeing table one day and learn how to use my machine properly.

Good lord my phone typing / autocorrect is appalling! I would like to make space in the loft room for a sewing table that should say!

@battenburg I'm trying to make space for my sewing machine too, I'd love to have a proper craft space, my dining table is not up to the task and the dining room never looks tidy because it's always covered in work in progress stuff

Good luck with making the space MsNezbit :) I don't even have any ongoing projects - everything is just in boxes and bags in the loft room, but if I can clear out enough then I am certain there's enough room for a wee table. I've got some lovely Liberty fine cord fabric (bought with a voucher around 5 years ago) that I would love to make into matching skirts for me and my DD. Just need to find the time!

battenburg my very slow approach to decluttering is literally doing each area in ten stages! I realise that I don't miss the last 5 items I got rid of and get rid of a few more and so on. Recently I have started to chuck out more stuff in one go so I am definitely going quicker.

Today I have to do some errands in my local town so I am going to get rid of some bags to the charity shop. I am also going to find some more books to get rid of. When I get back I intend to tidy my bedroom - which is a mess - and throw out more school books.

I also do things very slowly. None of these arbitrary rules about when something was last used work for me. My first step is identifying something as a potential candidate for going, then I have to think about it for a while. I might put it in a "to go" pile, but I know that if I rush and get rid of something too quickly I will regret it. I'm not sure if my heart and my head have to have time to fight it out and come to some sort of unanimous decision!

Slight fail, I blame hormones/nesting. I've treated myself to some Yankee candles off Groupon. And feeling slightly inspired by KonMarie I am going to go through the towels/bed linen later and clear out anything I don't like or doesn't fit the bed properly. This does mean that I have given in and bought some new duvet covers and sheets that I have been coveting a while. So, net about the same hopefully, but a tidier cupboard!

Naughty! (A tidy cupboard is great because it will help you see what you don't need).

Feeling despondent. After an hour in my bedroom it doesn't look any tidier. Every item of crap belongs in another room and it's rarely mine. So I am just a moving toys, books, wires, papers other rooms and spreading the mess around. I have decluttered two books today and created mess everywhere!

I'm starting to feel a bit better so getting back into it. Today's items include:

An old anorak which hasn't been worn for years and is starting to disintegrate!
A bum bag - it no longer fits me and even if it did, it doesn't spark joy.
A broken camera - I looked into fixing it but it's too expensive.
Lots of receipts shredded - many from Christmas presents and kept just in case of returns.
Lots of packaging - a/a.
Lots of laundry done.
A bathroom cupboard has also been thoroughly de-moulded.
All the Christmas stuff is now packed up and ready to go back in the loft.
I've also finally eaten all the chocolates in my advent calendar so that's now in the recycling.

I'm wavering over a vase. I use it a lot but I don't love it.

Another anorak - I've never worn it and I actually hate it. (I didn't buy it, someone gave it to me.) I really don't know why I didn't get rid of it ages ago.

I've also bumped my sale posts.

Glad you're feeling better sandandsea

I am just about to get rid of a cook book. It's for salads but has such weird / obscure foods in it I realised that I won't ever use it. I'm also thinking Heston is definitely going and a delia Christmas book - although I might photocopy one recipe from her book.

Thanks, Stealth . Cookbooks are so enticing, aren't they? I've got rid of most of mine but tbh, I don't think I've looked in the rest since. I tend to just cook the same things and the few recipes I need I have on printouts or written out. If I need anything, I usually google it. But, I like to see a few cookbooks in the kitchen - it's homely.

Used up the last of the Christmas crackers tonight and boxed up a delivery so it's ready to go tomorrow.

but we have clear recycling bags in the street and would hate a stranger to know my child's name!
Ah, that explains it I didn't know people had clear recycling bags. We have wheelie bins here. I can see your point.

Still have over 100 books lined up in my spare room to be sorted, catalogued and repacked. I need to really get this sorted as the room is now unusable til its done.
Would it be easier to buy a little bookshelf and put them on it?