Part 7 of the decluttering challenge - can you get rid of one item a day?

[StealthNinjaMum]

Back again!

A group of mumsnetters have been emptying our homes, gradually decluttering our homes by getting rid of one item a day.

We’re very green and like to recycle, sell, give away and sometimes eat our clutter I’m still alive after the 8 year old gherkins.

Newbies are welcome to join us. We just get rid one thing and come back to update everyone on our progress, get support when it gets hard, and suggest new household systems and ways of doing things.

The most exciting thread on mumsnet. In this thread @SandandSea will tell us what she’s going to do with her big plastic sheet…..

Previous thread is here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3463110-New-home-for-the-new-year-still-getting-rid-of-one-item-a-day-part-6?pg=40

Hey everyone, I'm going to live vicariously through you all with your sunshine and beers today.

I'm in my windowless basement office looking longingly at the CCTV camera that's trained on the sunshiney bar.

BUT I did go to the post office on my way in this morning and dropped off a pair of shoes I sold on faceyb. So I guess I'll count that as my effort for today

Charity shop and recycling run done, and dog is enthusiastically eating the slightly out of date ham.

@PenelopeFlintstone - I had them for sale on Facebook. Not even an enquiry! So, I just decided to get rid of them. It feels good. (I have sold quite a bit over the years but have found it rather hit & miss.)

It's befuddling sometimes, especially when things are a great bargain. I have three Dessy bridesmaids dresses that I can't sell. They're beautiful and I had them on very, very cheap but not a bite for them either.
I did have a pair of patent nude heels on ebay once. I'd worn them once as a bridesmaid but knew I'd never wear them again. Had them on ebay for ages and someone sent me a message saying, "You're never going to sell them for 30 quid so sell them to me for 15". But I didn't want to! They sold at the price I wanted a couple of weeks later.
I think I'll put the dresses back on and see what happens.
Enjoy your Easter weekend everyone

I've already decluttered some amazon boxes to the car to take to the tip bit I've got more so I'm going to get them into the car today along with some some other bits for the tip that has been sitting in the bath for a few weeks! Don't worry we have an en-suite shower we use .

There's a bag full of teddies, a suitcase, and a waist twister thingy all destined for the charity shop. I'll also put these in the car so there's no excuse for not taking them!

Jam jars. How did we end up with so many jam jars? I’ve kept a dozen or so (with nice matching lids), and recycled another two dozen. The pan cupboard now has room for pans.

I got rid of a load of glass (empty jars, some burned down Yankee candles , )

I need to go through my bakeware , there's a load of duplicates that I can sort out and put some in the cupboard to store .

You can be my glass-ridding pal for the day, 70.

It’s astonishing what I’m finding in the back of each cupboard. Today it was the stopper off the gravy jug and the clip off a z-bed

Today I'm going to do the seasonal wardrobe switch, culling as I go.
I'll report back with results. (This is an accountability post.)
Have a good day everyone!

This video is my inspiration for my wardrobe work today:

It also made me realise that I quite like buying a few (just a few) new things each season especially when on sale. I previously thought a minimal, decluttered wardrobe had to be all solids like those Pinterest capsules. This has made me realise I can do it a bit differently and I think I like it more.

This is the third video of this lady's that I've linked to. I swear I'm not connected in any way to her!! Do tell me if I'm not supposed to link to these things. Thanks

Reporting back - one bag to the bin, two bags to the car. Total for the weekend is two bags to the bin and the equivalent of four shopping bags ready for the charity shop. (We don't have any textile recycling here, btw.)

This weekend so far:
Threw away a whole crate of craft stuff (random bits of paper, dried-up paint tubes, pipe-cleaners, lolly-sticks etc) which DS has outgrown and never goes near. Freecycled 2 large toys (toddler cooker and sand table). Bag of clothes ready to go to recycling. Knackered wicker hamper filled with electronic junk ready for the dump. DH has chucked away a big box of old comics. Building up a bag of children's books and games for charity.

A bra and a handbag in the bin rather than in my suitcase ready to go home. The handbag has had a ripped lining for ages and the elastic is gone on the bra and wire sticking out in places... Yet I continued to use them ..

Hoping for half an hour before we leave to go through the girls clothes they keep at grandparents to weed out the outgrown ones

Everyone seems to be making good progress!

On Wednesday and Thursday evenings I managed to fill the brown bin with prunings. I also got rid of a couple of items from the freezer that were out of date. I then took Friday off work and spent a bit more time in the garden. I finished cutting all the smaller branches off a self-seeded tree we removed a few weeks ago to get in to cut the hedge. There are still 5 or 6 thicker branches that need the powered loppers to cut, but they are now sitting beside the shed, and the rest has gone to the recycling site. I did a bit more of the rabbit hutch dismantling and filled a bin bag with the non-wood and non-metal bits and an old burst ball and broken plastic watering can which has now gone to landfill.

I haven't done any selling over the past few weeks, so did some photos yesterday and went on to eBay last night to discover that the fixed price listings have all changed to 30-day "Good 'Til Cancelled". Grrrr! I don't know how I missed that... I have re-listed one item and will do some others tonight, when I work out what format is now best to use.... sigh!

There’s been some good work on the thread over the lovely weekend! Unfortunately it’s been a bit slow this weekend as DH had a terrible bug all weekend and so I’ve had 15mo DD on my own which isn’t I conducive to getting tidying done!

I have however chucked out- 1 pair of “painting” trainers (we haven’t done any painting ourselves for about 7 years), 1 pair of expensive but not very comfortable running trainers (haven’t worn for over a year), 1 pair of slightly moulding sandals and a cheap pair of slippers that are wearing through on the sole. Add that to several “scruffy” t-shirts, plus I took a huge box of cheap chocolates to my parents’ as we didn’t particularly like them (and DD kept trying to snaffle them.

I’ve also ordered some nice new door knobs for the upstairs doors as current ones are loose and in danger of breaking. Also chased up a quote from one of the builders we had round to price for fitting french doors in the lounge. Currently the stuff in there is half packed up and it’s unusable so the sooner we get it sorted the better.

You guys are doing amazingly well! Sorry to those with poor lies.
Thank you so much whoever recommended the shark. I love mine and it works so well!
I have cleaned the bathroom and emptied and hoovered the landing. I’ve also pulled out my bed and hoovered underneath it and broken my wrist trying to push it back in (not really but it cracked and there was much pain and I effed out loud with the window open 😳). It’s still sore now so I’m struggling with the rest of the cleaning and clearing as I can’t really lift much with it atm.
Now going up to finish cleaning bedroom.
Have thrown away almost a big black bin full of utter dross and took the old fusion to the tip this afternoon when I went to get paint for the bathroom.
Onwards and upwards!

Ooh you've all been busy. I have found a very old pregnancy testing kit box so that's gone. Sometimes I think I've emptied every drawer in the house and yet things like that sneak in. Maybe there's some kind of evil pixie that is adding crap to my stash.

The main news is I started painting the spare room. I'll finish next week but feel really pleased. I am looking to buy more furniture for it too as the stuff in there now is very babyish.

Question for you all: do you throw out crockery as soon as it gets a single chip? I'm not worried about the germ theory, just aesthetics.

On a mug - one chip? two chips? How about plates? I reckon a lot of mine (all matching and I like it) would go if I was strict. I'm not sure if I want to.

I bought three identical sets. Maybe I should put the unchipped ones away until the worsening sight of the chipped ones offends me and then chuck and switch.

Advice and opinions, please

Penelope. Chuck them!

Oops hit post too soon. Have been to A&E as my wrist is awful. I have tendon damage to my right wrist so no patient contact for a week!

I skimmed through the thread last night and didn't have a chance to comment as I was tired and I felt guilty being called a "stalwart" by greenwillow. So greenwillow I had an easter egg hunt too the week before last on a day when it wasn't nice enough to do it in the garden and was happy for children and their parents to go around my house as it looks so much better. I did minimal tidying compared to a couple of years ago because it genuinely doesn't need much. There are obviously a couple of pockets of clutter but we're all mums in the same boat and the rest of it is pretty tidy.

greenwillow I'm now 30lbs down and have never felt this good. Join a diet thread for more support like this one.

penelope last year I kept a load and gave it to a fair that had a crockery destroy stall. This year I only have a mug with a chip and sods law it's an old 1980s one of mine that I love. So it is sitting in front of me with coffee! I have got rid of so many mugs that I will keep one with a chip!

gibble oh dear, I hope you feel better soon.

Off now to buy some new clothes and watch penelopeflintstones video.