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Original poster

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

986 replies

StealthNinjaMum · 29/12/2018 10:28

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

OP posts:
Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 05/01/2019 09:25

That's interesting penelope let me know how you get on. I like the idea of a spreadsheet and will do one but I also like spontaneity and have the fear that we'll be snowed in for weeks (I know that never happens!) and I have lots of pulses because I always think I might be a vegetarian one day I won't, I love meat

I have got up early again to do washing. About a month ago I put a load of clothes that were two small in boxes and put them in the top shelf of my wardrobe. Since then it's been lovely having a much less cluttered hanging space with clothes that fit me. I have also lost over a stone in weight now so have taken the box of clothes that were too small and some now fit me. So if I get time I am going to jiggle clothes around and swap too big with too small in the boxes. I have one dress I will throw out as even I can see it's frumpy. I have another dress I love but I think I might give that away too. It's a jumper dress and is looking scruffy and shapeless on me but I love it still so it will be hard to say goodbye to it.

OP posts:
gassylady · 05/01/2019 10:02

Several of the kids home made tree decks/xmasbits gone as they are crushed out of shape or torn. Last two pressies delivered to a friend yesterday. Steadily working through a pile of work journals (mine and his) god week considering kids still off

Original poster
StealthNinjaMum · 05/01/2019 11:07

I agree with greenwillow there are two processes - putting something in a to go pile and and getting rid of it. I count putting something in a to go pile as having 'gone' because I can't physically get stuff out of the house every day. Today I took a huge carrier bag of stuff to a charity shop. It's stuff from the last ten days and there were probably 15 things in it.

Also oubliette there is merit in just organising something. Now that I know my multiple pritt sticks (was it 16 or 18?) are in the same drawer with the selotapes, 5 staplers and 3 hole punchers I will not be buying new stuff. Same with wrapping paper, lightbulbs, batteries, pens, toiletries, envelopes etc. I have used up stocks of all of these things and stopped buying new ones just because they're organised.

Stbexh is looking at flats today. The sooner he goes the better. We have 3 expensive but ugly chest of drawers and I am going to generously give them to him while I enjoy some more attractive IKEA ones that I have yet to buy.

OP posts:
MrsNezbit · 05/01/2019 12:33

Bathroom done and a big bag of chuckables, v pleased with how it looks now, so much better without multiple bottles of this and that on every available surface

Toomanycats99 · 05/01/2019 12:41

@StealthNinjaMum

I also have an ex - moved out 7 months ago but hadn't yet taken anything bar a small suitcase of clothes as he is living at his mums.

After much asking he finally got a storage unit although as so far he has only taken a desk, a box and a suitcase of clothes.

I have taken it upon myself a
To pack up his stuff and will be delivering it to him If not collected very soon!

I am feeling so much better being able to sort out stuff out now I have got rid of all his bits. Even down to too many mugs in the cupboard but didn't want to give to charity shop as I knew he would need some.

Luckily the storage unit that burned down near us is not the one he booked!

Mokepon · 05/01/2019 13:06

Ancient condiments and dog treats in the bin/recycled today.

MunchMunch · 05/01/2019 13:45

Binned - pair of knickers, pair of underpants, an my old stained vest top and the glittery parts of Christmas cards.

Recycled - cereal boxes, pop bottles, Chinese foil cartons from last night and Christmas cards.

Doorstep clothes collection bag - babygro, 2 tshirts, swim shorts, school shorts and a school skirt.

Well done everyone, lots of progress being made Smile

WoogleCone · 05/01/2019 14:08

I'm making my list of meals that we eat to start that meal planner. I can only think of 11 things I eat. Surely there's more than that?!?

What is everyone's favourite meals?

Peregrina · 05/01/2019 14:09

Another tip run done, and a whole pile of bags ready for the charity shop.

SandAndSea · 05/01/2019 14:35

Still in my mum's kitchen and I've moved some things around and have managed to fit all the mugs in the tea cupboard, which means we can chuck the mug tree. I've also freed up a drawer which will now be used for big spoons etc, which means 2 containers of utensils are now gone from the surface. The surfaces have never been so clear!

She's finally agreed to get rid of a couple of horrible old mugs. She won't part with her vintage silver jubilee mugs ("They might be worth something one day") but, I've shown her that they're selling for about a fiver on eBay so she's said she will start using them now. (This is a big change.)

One of the giant Tupperware containers has come back in and has been repurposed as a cupboard 'drawer' to keep clean tea-towels in.

Mumof1DS · 05/01/2019 14:40

Haven't managed today's yet, but managed some yesterday!

  1. Christmas cards between recycling or bin depending on whether glittery or not. Did think about making them into labels but will I have time? Probably not.
  2. End of a bottle of bubble bath. tough job it was too, that soak in the tub Grin bottle in the recycling.
  3. 2 old creams of DH's. he was prescribed these to avoid a surgical procedure. He recovered from the surgery a while ago, yet we still had a tube in the fridge and a tube on the bathroom shelf Hmm Both now gone Grin
MsAwesomeDragon · 05/01/2019 14:46

I have "decluttered" a suitcase full of clothes, a laptop, a flute, and a load of stationery. And a daughter, as she took all of that with her as she went back to uni today.

Dd2 has added some toys to the charity shop bag, and we might do a few more toys this evening before bed.

Mrsoh39 · 05/01/2019 14:51

Can I join please?
Another one who has decluttering on the top of priorities list.
I'm sick of seeing stuff everywhere, it drives me mad, doesn't help that the kids don't help, but I will be getting them to as they are old enough to know better, and see how it stresses me out.

yesterday I got rid of loads of stupid little toys that you get with Mac ds or kinder eggs and the kids magazines, have 2 bags of toys for the charity shop.

Must be careful not to over do it at the moment though as I'm just getting over tonsillitis and I still don't feel 100%.

Going to read through the thread now.

OublietteBravo · 05/01/2019 15:44

I’ve been tackling the pile of shoeboxes in the bedroom. I have a nice new storage box/seat in the bay window and the shoes I’m keeping are now neatly tucked away in there rather than being in messy piles.

Next up: the stuff clogging up the surface of the bedside table.

Peregrina · 05/01/2019 16:46

No less than six bags of stuff went to the charity shop, with a few more with clothes and other bric a brac to go. Another bag being assembled for a trip to the tip.

pippistrelle · 05/01/2019 17:20

You put me to shame, Peregrina, but I took one bag to the charity shop, and cleared out the make-up drawers.

Next stop, underwear drawers. There are many bras long past their proverbial use-by dates, although why do white bras seem to go grey so quickly? (Or is that just me?)

Misty9 · 05/01/2019 17:22

I chucked/recycled old jams yesterday and today all the recycling finally went from Christmas. All those saying they won't have time to make gift tags out of old cards - all I do is cut the back off and use the whole front of the card. Takes seconds. Am I doing it wrong?! Grin

General tidying and cleaning takes up sooo much time!

70sbaubles · 05/01/2019 17:58

Clearing out stiff is addictive! Sooo glad I charity shopped stuff today. Have gone through the house, 2 bin bags full of recycling and 2 of rubbish. All Christmas decs in the loft.
Going through 3 bookshelves and got a binbag for old books. The house feels better already

OublietteBravo · 05/01/2019 20:28

I’ve been through my handbag and got rid of all the extraneous stuff. Today has definitely been a better decluttering day.

Mumof1DS · 05/01/2019 21:04

@misty9 haha that's a good way of doing it! I would have found out the craft scissors with the wavy edge, cut round the design, hole punched and put some thread through. Maybe I've been creating work for myself?? Grin

A lack of decluttering in our house today... Only decluttered some donuts with DH while watching Marie kondo on Netflix Grin

bobgoblin · 05/01/2019 21:05

Thanks for all the supportive comments about the phone call anxiety - I feel slightly less stupid about it all now. Bizarrely I'm ok when people call me but it's when I have to make the call myself that the problems start.

PenelopeFlintstone I'm going to have a look at the link you posted. We've been menu planning for a while and try to shop to that but we still seem to end up with mountains of things we don't use. I blame DH - when I take him with me all sorts of random stuff ends up in the trolley despite us going with a list.

Today's decluttering was using up some leftovers in the fridge, throwing out a few dodgy looking leftovers that were lurking at the back and sorting out the magazine rack and getting rid of all the old newspapers.

I took some photos so I can list another item on eBay. I've got something on there that finishes tomorrow and there's been a couple of bids so I'll pack it up in the morning and then I can post it as soon as it's been paid for.

walkingtheplank · 05/01/2019 21:53

I haven't contributed for a few days. Today was pack up the Christmas decorations and bin/recycle cards. I also binned a set of temperamental tree lights.

IWillWearTheGreenWillow · 05/01/2019 22:07

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for personal reasons.

MsAwesomeDragon · 05/01/2019 22:11

I decluttered some paperwork. I removed identifying info to be shredded and put the rest into 2 big bags for recycling (I'll take them to work where we've got big paper bins). Pretty much all of that paperwork was from work but has been sitting taking up space in my house for ages, some of it was from 4 years ago!

PenelopeFlintstone · 05/01/2019 23:56

For those interested, I made my shopping list like this:

  • chose 14 dinners
  • put all the ingredients in the section above
  • asked the family for some input to stop them whinging
  • took my list to the kitchen and crossed off with a pen anything that I already had in
When making the list I still included things that I already knew I had e.g. soup pasta, as this is my master list. So I typed it in and then crossed it off with a pen after checking I had some. Otherwise, when that's used up, I'll still forget to buy it.