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

Reinvigorated today.

Cleared out the shed, with boxes of items to recycle now sitting by the back door.

My neighbour is also the proud owner of 12 empty crates. Not needed by me after all the decluttering of the last two years, but he is delighted.

Finally I managed to move four coats out of my wardrobe. They have not been worn for the last two years, so it is time for them to go.

Well done on the uni notes, Raspberry! Mine are still on my list. (In my defence, I have culled them before but there's still more to go.)

I've just spent a happy half hour going through a bulging box file of cards and letters. So far, I've binned a paper bag, a birthday card and a Christening invitation for a christening I didn't go to.

Other stuff in there was mainly from my closest loved ones. I found a poem my partner wrote for me and love notes he'd left under my pillow. My mum used to write to me quite a bit too so there are lots of letters from her. I just can't bin them. I'm going to have to find a way to keep them. I'll just keep going and see what I can do.

SandAndSea I totally agree you shouldn’t be binning special letters and very precious cards. I wouldn’t and haven’t.

Get a nice box. Sort the cards / letters into piles from each person, then tie each pile with a lovely ribbon or cord.

That way they are not clutter, but something you can return to when you need emotional comfort. I still reach for the letters from my Mum when I am feeling low, 10 years after she has gone !!

Hey everyone!

I'm absolutely loving this weather! Something about just makes me feel better about everything. I hate the short days of winter!!

So today we've done a little top up shop, I've got the last coat of paint on the door hallelujah!!! and the boiler man has been for the annual service (and everything's fine).

This afternoon will be some relaxing, getting the car fixed (part of the heat shield has come away and is rattling against the exhaust) but luckily our neighbour is a mechanic and is going to take a look. Not sure what else yet, DH wants to do hobby stuff which is fair enough really, I've had him doing all-sorts since he's been off so I suppose I'll let him chill out for a bit 😂

Gosh, this all sounds amazing. I’m loving the sound of chucking out a load of university notes - I bet they took up more room than you’d realised too.

WoogleCone has reminded me of how long it is since I went through all the junk in my car. I’ll add that to the list.

Today I cleared out my airing cupboard. Baby things have gone in a box on top of the cupboard (I’m not ready to get rid of the baby sleeping bags yet). I’ve reorganised everything and have freed up a couple of drawers in my son’s room so he can now use those for his things.

It probably doesn’t look that impressive but it was so full I was keeping loads of bedding in other places.

I’ve also chucked out a load of stained, lumpy pillows and other things that aren’t useful any more. I won’t take a photo of that because it’s sort of gross.

I've been through that box file again and binned a few things from it, inc cards, newspaper cuttings (my mum likes to send me them) and a festival ID. It was tough tbh but at least it's organised and it shuts now.

I'm building up to do the next box.

I've now sorts through another sentimental box and a pile of papers and have another small pile of papers, cards etc to get rid of.

I think - think! - that all my sentimental papers are now filed in order. I just need to tinker around a bit with boxes (for storage) and will probably get rid of a bit more once the dust settles.

Sorts? *sorted

CruCru I had never thought of rolling up towels etc in the airing cupboard. That might actually be genius!

Hey! @Extant76! How's your sentimental wardrobe collection going?

Ooo. This is something I need in my life! Yesterday I tackled my boy's wardrobe and donated a whole bag of clothes to charity. The amount of room we have is amazing. Today I sorted through a toy basket and binned two broken toys.

Welcome dreamyflower! Good work on the clothes to charity, it feels good right?!

Marie Kondo would be proud of that cupboard crucru! Looking wonderful!

Got my car fixed, neighbour wouldn't accept payment so I went and got him some beer instead. Garage would have charged me loads just to look at it!
I didn't do anything else today, I actually fell asleep for an hour and half this afternoon so couldn't have done more anyway! Just happy to have done the last of the painting this morning.

DH got his hobby time this afternoon and is readying himself for some gardening tomorrow. Goodness knows what I'll do tomorrow, maybe clean the door up of it's sticky tapey mess. Doubt I'll get anything more strenuous done, will be 39 weeks! im totally done now!!

You've done amazingly well, Woogle.

Welcome, dreamyflower!

Well done on the cupboard, CruCru.

Flying, thanks for all the good tips. I realised that my box files are broken, mismatching and not sparking any joy so, I've bought some nice, matching boxes. (Ssshhhh! That's just between us.)

Yesterday: finished sorting out DS memory box. Threw away half-a-dozen plates and pasta bowls which were lovely when I bought them from M&S 12 yrs ago, but are now too scratched and dulled to donate. I only buy British-made crockery these days (factory seconds and second-hand 'cause that's all I can afford). I have become a saucer-flipper - people from Stoke will know what I mean

Today: not much - gathered a football shirt which fell apart in wash (also 12 yrs old) and some other random bits of fabric & ribbon to take to the fabric bank tomorrow. Nearly finished reading my literary society newsletters (should finish 2 days behind schedule, not bad).

SandAndSea

Sharing mine. They make me happy every time I open the door. How sad am I ?

Love the look of your airing cupboard CruCru.

I like the idea of rolling towels and think I might give that a go.

That sounds very good, SandAndSea. I find sorting through that stuff is the type of thing I dread but then feel awesome once I've done it.

Hello dreamyflower!

You've reminded me, everythingisginandroses - I need to go through all the kitchen stuff as well.

Actually, there aren't any towels in that cupboard. It's all mattress protectors, fitted sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, little blankets and a duvet.

That looks awesome, flyingsouthwiththeswallows.

Fab, flyingsouthwiththeswallows

Wow, Flying! Looks good! What's in the green folders? Are they box files or those open files? Hope you don't mind me asking - I'm always looking for ideas.

I've been thinking tonight about my files of old bank accounts etc etc and think I might take them out of the files and box them up so there are a load in one labelled box. I think that might be a better use of space.

SandAndSea the green files (Paperchase) are all my personal paperwork, Bills, Coorespondence, Tax, House Details, Guarantees etc.
together with client files.

The Purple / Silver boxes (not really my choice of colour but they were a matching set I found in Homesense, contain the contents of my old Desk Drawers i.e. Staplers, Paper Clips, Pens etc. Packing materials for Ebay, Envelopes, Printing Paper, Birthday Cards (I tend to buy in advance, when I see something I like) etc.

Attached is the photo of the whole cupboard. I have moved recently and downsized from a 4 bed housd to a 2 bed cottage. This was the hall cupboard which held a few coats, Vacuum Cleaner etc. I had it shelved and now it contains all of the contents of the study from my previous house together with my DVD and CD collections which previously filled two pieces of furniture.

Sorry, SandAndSea just realised I didn’t directly answer your question. The Green ones are Lever Arch Open Files.

Re you Bank Statements, do you need to kerp them? Have you ever once referred back to them? If you ever needed a Statement the bank could always provide it.

I was drowning in paperwork when I started decluttering, but now keep only the bare minimum. i.e. Guarantees, 1 year of Utility and anything required by the Taxman

If you need more space flying, this is what we did with DVDs and CDs. Got rid of all the outer packaging and used small sleeves and a couple disk storage boxes from Wilkos and now what previously was a whole bookcases worth of stuff is in one little drawer. (Boxes and sleeves cost less than a tenner). One box has boxsets in and the other films, in alphabetical order so they're all easy to find. A colleague of mine uses a disk folder instead (one of those you can zip up around the outside.)
Agreed on bank statements, we're paperless on general stuff, the bank will print if needed and individual stuff can be checked on online banking.
I tend to keep just the most recent utility bills as if you need to prove your address or anything, most places will only accept something issued in the last 3 months anyway. My files aren't nearly as pretty as yours hehe!

Not sure what gardening will get done today after all, it's raining! Serves me right for being all weather positive yesterday :(

Will check in later if I get any wins today! Have a great day everyone :)