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

Another thing you can use is a swingball bag, if you bought one for Christmas. That's what my wrapping paper's in.

Starting tomorrow . Plan is to unpack (been away for few days) and then Christmas decorations. Hope that starts me off.

It is inspiring to read everyone else's updates and it always gives me new ideas on what to look at.
Another bag of toys and kids clothes to the charity shop today. Then I bought myself a whole new wardrobe of clothes, which sounds luxurious but it really isn't. It was basics like, Jean, vest tops, cardigans etc so I've gone through all my old clothes which I've worn and worn and worn for years and got them ready for recycling. I've also made a small pile of clothes I'd like to shrink into but I have been ruthless and there are only about 10 items on that pile. I now possess 12 tops & 4 cardigans. Jeans etc to be fully sorted tomorrow. It is deifnely easier picking outfits from a smaller selection. My family think I'm mad for doing this but DH agrees the house is a calmer place becuase of it and everyone who visits comments on the "ambience".
Since having a huge toy cull I have noticed the toys that remain get played with a lot more has anyone else found that?

Also the "really useful storage box company" do a wrapping paper storage box. I got mine years ago and its still going strong. Hold loads of wrapping paper, bubble wrap, sellotape, scissors etc so it's all in one place.

This evening I have been through the pile of paperwork which had taken up residence on the kitchen worktop. There were letters about school trips which happened in 2017

433 that’s the box i want!!!!

Packed away most of the decorations yesterday. Got rid of a couple of things along the way but I think we still have too many. I’ll put them in the loft tomorrow and then have a ruthless cull of them next Xmas. Most of the cards went in the recycling as well.

I spent the afternoon sorting through one of the many piles of clean washing that are stashed around the house. A few bits that DD has outgrown, a pair of pjs with a hole in and a cardigan with a hole in all went in the textiles recycling bag. I need to check when the next collection is so I can put it out. The rest of the clothes were put away but I had iron most of them first because they were so crumpled which is really annoying because they were fine when I took them out of the dryer - about 2 weeks ago. Lesson learned though - two loads washed and dried and put away this afternoon.

I also sent did return to sender with a pile of junk mail from our old house. Some of it was for the people who lived there before us and we were there for 11 years! We’ll have to pay to get the post redirected soon and I really begrudge paying for junk to be forwarded! Did a bit of digital decluttering too by deleting some unwanted emails but there’s hundreds to go.

DH has taken down all the Christmas decs today and when I got home from work we put them all away in the loft. Some old baubles and broken decs have been chucked away too.
Took 2 drinks bottles into work today and have put the money into DS’s jamboree pot.
DH has bought DS new pillows as I asked him to and he has bought and replaced lots of blown lightbulbs. My bathroom and kitchen are now REALLY BRIGHT! And very dirty 🤦🏻‍♀️

willow, cut them with regular scissors! New pinking shears cost a fortune!
My fabric scissors have a sleeve and everyone is forbidden to use them

Got home about 12 last night but up at half 6 with DD as DH had to get the super early bus to go to work to be allowed to come with me to the scan. Dropping her at nursery soon so I might nap! Either that or I'll eat my weight in toast and then try sort some more clothes.

Morning all,

Pippaparty that's a great idea re the suit carrier! I would love one of the proper wrapping paper boxes 433 has but frugal funds do not currently allow. Pretty sure I can rustle up a suit carrier and hanger though :)

DP is off work and has joined my efforts - he's doing it way better than me TBH. He took the tree and decs down yesterday and decluttered a basket of random items in the kitchen. He Also made an eBay sale so that item is leaving the house today along with a clear plastic bin bag of worn out/stained baby clothes for recycling as they're not I good enough shape to pass on. I've got a carrier bag of paper work with me to go in the work shredder and one other item is bagged up for him to take to the charity shop today 😃

Goal for today is to separate the toys I am going to cull from her main toy area, take pictures for selling and take them upstairs. Also to repost a clothing bundle I have for sale.

Late to the party but please can I join too, SAHM to two under 3s and a house choc full of STUFF, I aspire to a place for everything and everything in it's place

Mrs Nezbit that's my aspiration too! We moved from a small flat to a house 2 years ago and I thought that the move would rid us of the clutter problem but in fact we just upped our clutter to fill the larger space!

I've noticed Marie Kondo is now on Netflix, has anyone watched. Useful or really just procrastination about doing the tidying?

@battenburg I'm just watching Marie Kondo now... am feeling v motivated but my 9 month old is not letting me get on and do anything yet so am procrastinating right now

Just catching up with the thread!

Walkingtheplank I'm amazed you have frozen berries to throw out, they last about 5 minutes in our house!

PenelopeFlintstone I love the suit bag idea for wrapping paper. We may even have a spare one somewhere!

Stealth I know what you mean about feeling you have to hang onto things because they're old. I have loads from when I was a teenager that I can't bring myself to chuck just for that reason. I am currently kidding myself that the vat collection of letters I have from various friends and penfriend had social history value!

I went into the garage yesterday for the first time in ages, I was banned before Christmas as DH was keeping presents in there. Let's just say that it is not as clutter free as I remember! Recycling collection is tomorrow so hope to get rid of a few boxes at least.

Agreeing with the old stuff and hanging on to it. I've finished the shredding now and the last to go through were my primary school reports! Verrry old!

Just been through another two of DDs drawers and my wardrobe, I have a full box to go to textile recycling now too. DH can do his own later!

Also wrapped a birthday present using up some tissue paper that came in at Christmas and a silver bag I had leftover so happy they'll be out the door on Saturday.

Wool parcel also gone now!

Recycling bin out ready for collection.

I've decluttered ds2's old knackered coat, a karate jacket that I was keeping just in case one of the dc wanted to restart karate but that's definitely not happening.

I'm desperate to go to the tip but since our bin collection moved to fortnightly the queues are horrendous so I'm waiting until next week when I can get there for it opening and hopefully most people will be back to work from any holidays they've had. I might fill the car with all the tip stuff so then if I'm passing and the queue isn't so bad I can drop it off. At least I can then try and declutter the little passage.

Talking of wrapping paper storage. I've been thinking of getting one of those carrier bag holders which you can fix inside a cupboard. I hate buying more plastic though - need a recycled card version.

Today I've found homes for most of the new Christmas toys by rearranging the toy cupboard and folded the boxes - now outside- ready to be collected tomorrow.

Hi! I have just found this entire sub forum and am ridiculously excited! I love a good clean, sort and declutter!

I am on a mission to sort our house as part of my broader new years Resolution to be more organised. We moved into our house only 6 months ago but a load of boxes of DH's 'treasured possessions' (read: hoarded rubbish) ended up in our attic and still need to be unpacked - I blame the pnd I had for the fact it's not done yet! I made a start the other day and managed half a box to either the bin or the charity shop bag I did warn him that as he has done without it for 6 months, most should probably go. He didn't disagree... Just hasn't actually done anything about it. I have taken matters into my own hands...

Unfortunately his 'hobbies' also come with a lot of stuff . I intend to organise the loft so the stuff I can't get rid of, should at least be tidy!

I'm trying to break it down into manageable chunks, as life with a baby means I can't go all guns blazing at it like I would have done previously.

Yesterday I only managed to declutter a piece of custard tart leftover from new year's Day the fridge needed it gone, right? It looks tidier anyway

Today when I am home from work and DS asleep, I aim to declutter at least another 2 things from one of DH's box in the loft that I started the other day. Well that's the plan, DS is poorly with a virus so we shall see if it is successful.

I love the motivation that this thread has given me! Is is sad that finding this forum has put me in a really good mood??

Right, managed another 4 bags of assorted stuff to take to the charity shop first thing in the morning. Had intended to go today but a few things popped up so didn't make it.
Back to work on Monday so will slow down but I think I'm doing ok so far.
Lots of inspiration on here!

Did the cards, wobbled when I thought I'd hold onto the discarded pile to cut up for labels. Realised it would never happen so they have all gone into recycling.

DH 'helpfully' suggested tackling his pile of legal books for eBaying. Not a quick job as there were 9 boxes in the playroom, plus about another 5 boxes worth in piles under a cot bed, 2 in a cupboard and 5 in the attic! That's over 200 large books! Now they are covering every available surface in my spare room as I try to put them in date order, catalogue them, photograph them and rebox them ready to post online! Its worth doing as they are valuable and it will clear a huge space (assuming they sell quickly). Not a 'in a day' task though so aim to complete this by the end of the weekend.

Well done to everyone else, even throwing away one thing or repurposing it is a step in the right direction.

Loaded the car with tip stuff only to find the tip isn't open on Thursdays... so that's tomorrow's job now

I have these for wrapping paper - one for birthdays and one for xmas. They stand up in the spare room wardrobe behind plastic boxes of decorations. It's a bit of a discipline to only have 5 or 6 rolls of each, I'm sure Christmas 2017 I had about 15 rolls of Christmas paper and I actually used up all the cheap IKEA ones I'd bought years before that I didn't like.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002Y9D22S?pf_rd_p=338d5482-a910-4f62-b1e2-a66912b500ea&pf_rd_r=FMM4FEZA1M8CV4Y03ABT&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Well done naturist some things just take time but it'll hopefully be worth it for the money and extra space and knowing that the people who buy them actually want them as opposed to pick them up in a charity shop and then never look at them like I do

mumof1ds sadly I like this forum too!

Not a big housework day today as dds haven't gone back to school so we went out for lunch and soft play. I will be shredding a school 'handwriting' book I found in my bedroom from dd1. For some reason I feel quite attached to it even though it doesn't meet the 'creativity' criteria I've established for school books.