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

More outs including a soup maker, oven gloves and about 6 DVDs.

Not really any outs for me as yesterday was mainly packing. Loads of things I’ve forgotten though, so a lot to do this morning!

SandanSea sounds like you’ve been really productive .I’m a bit mystified about what the tooth gadget was though.

Hope baby doesn’t keep you waiting too long Woogle. I went 12 days over with DD and it felt like forever. Fortunately DS was more timely!

Gave the girls bathroom a good clean yesterday... Ours included their collection of empty bottles and some old bath toys.

Both girls on board with the toys for the orphanage in Fiji plan so they can help with that... Although DD2 thought we were physically going to Fiji with the toys, not just delivering them to Daddy's office!

Hello. I'm sorry to not be around I am still having computer problems and hate mumsnet ting on my tiny phone screen.

I have been really busy with dcs and dating a new man but still managing to get rid of one thing a day. In the last week it has been shoes, books, children's clothes ie pretty much the same thing as normal. I also had a moth infestation in the playroom so I have been emptying furniture and decluttering that. I am getting a pile of things to get rid of but will run it past dc first.

I just spoke to my DMum on the phone , she was wondering where some of the items had gone to......

I went up in Feb (it is now late May)

She had loads of clutter (she is a hoarder) we went through things and I got her to choose 1 item out of 2 to keep, help her set it up.

She wanted me to take the other to the Church . Trust me the Church would NOT have thanked me and it isn't fair to unload something onto them.

I blagged it (claimed I took some things to Church , might've been with them ) , I did take a huge bag of wool.

Interestingly she doesn't remember the discussion we ( DMum, DDad ,, myself) had with her Consultant ending that her clutter had to go for safety (trip hazard) .

She cannot throw things out , it has been a huge problem all her life and worse now because sometimes she cannot reach her own bed for clutter.

It is a slow process (but I'm going back next month, armed with bags )

Hey everyone.

70 that sounds like a difficult situation but one that you're ultimately helping very much with, well done! She's much safer for it :)

stealth hope your computer gets fixed soon! And new man, ooooooohhhh!! Have fun ;)

Good job on the books willow, we had several culls of ours last year and it just felt good to let go of them. Goodness knows why we kept them so long.

aroundtheworld, you mean you're not taking us all to Fiji too?!?!

And thanks raspberry, still waiting here though. Officially overdue!

Just laundry done today, taking it easy whilst also trying to keep moving lol. Certainly getting through towels etc with the potty training. Not convinced she understands to be honest but she's already 3.5 (speech delayed) so i don't want to leave it any longer.

Pray for a painful night for me ladies, I'd love nothing more than tomorrow's report to be a decluttered womb!

Fingers crossed Woogle.

Decluttered the bathroom today. 4 unused bottles of Shampoo / Conditioner bagged up ready to go to DD. Old bottles of suntan lotion / mouthwash / jars of cream all cleaned and in the recycling.

Unfortunately, I also broke the lid to my cotton wool jar. It was my Grandma’s and I remember longing to have it since I was a young child. Felt very sad and also frustrated at having to spend an hour on my hands and knees cleaning tiny shards of glass from the bathroom floor !!

Sorry about your jar FlyingSouth x
All 6 bags dropped off at the charity shop yesterday, with only 1 item being taken back (tried not to let the toddler see anything to demand it back!)

Few clothes added to the H and M bag recycling pile - trying to be ruthless when things get a bit small for DD

Hi, new in here and having a bit clear out.

Tackling the dumping corner of spare bedroom. Emptied out an old suitcase containing clothes I don’t like anymore and some I doubt will ever fit again. Then I went on to old handbags - 4 earmarked for the Charity shop and one for repairs at the local leather shop.

Found an interesting photo of us at Empire State Building when our DS was 3. He is now a teenager. The photo has gone in the photo storage area.

Also buy from ‘who gives a crap’ and also struggle with the storage issue. Fab loo rolls though.

Very large planters ferried over to DD, with my reward being a beautiful Geum from the Garden Centre and a pot to plant it in.

Welcome mastertomsmum :) sounds like you're making great progress already!

Nothing going on here today, my report is not the one I wanted to give! We tidied a bit as my parents are visiting tomorrow but that's it. I fancied doing some door but I'm too freaking big now, it's getting silly.

We'll see about tomorrow!

Wow lots of great outs the “french horn” wins for me. Did you just happen upon it having forgotten it was there or have you been looking at it the whole time

Much less excitement here, some outgrown stuff and a teapot for charity bag. Few books and DVDs to check with kids and then add tomorrow. Need to round up all the stray shampo and shower gel bottles to before the recycling later in the week

The French horn? It was on long term loan from school and the child doesn’t play it any more. If only I could do the same with four guitars and a drum kit!

I did return it to school rather than anything more drastic

Decluttered a husband but only until Friday. Well I will after I drive back to his office with his forgotten stuff... He only remembered his passport because I gave it to him. You wouldn't think he goes at least once a month!

I hope everyone has a fruitful half term!

Hi everyone! I'm a bit behind on the thread but still going strong. Hope you're all having a lovely bank holiday.

Hey everyone !

Good bank holidays all round?

Not much done here, parents visited, brother and gf came too so was nice to see everyone. No baby yet, midwife appt later though.
Potty training having very limited success, feels a bit never ending- I posted a thread where it was a solid 50/50 split of carry on you're doing great and oh no, leave it for now, do it later! Were carrying on. Don't want to confuse the poor girl!

I'm going to get some baby stuff out this afternoon, clean down the new steriliser etc so that'll keep me busy.

Have a lovely day all!

@RaspberryBlonde - The teeth squirting gadget is designed to squirt water between the teeth. It's an alternative to flossing. It's good, but bulky and a bit tedious to set up each time (if you're not very motivated, like me).

I'm going to try to do a bit more clearing today, having had a lovely break at the weekend. So far, the new phone is set up, with our numbers programmed in, and the old phones (which look really old and rubbishy now) are in the out pile. All the packaging is in the recycling too.

Another box has also gone out.

Been lurking on these threads for ages and decided to jump on before this one closes! I’m due back at work next week after maternity leave and as ever I have done hardly any of the tidying and decluttering I had wanted to. My children are 5, 3 and 10 months, so right at the peak of stuff (clothes, toys, books, mountains of plastic crap) and we live in a flat with no garden so it all seems very cramped, although it’s actually a decent size.

My in-laws live very close to us and are lovely generous people, which means the children get even more stuff from them, and DP hates to get rid of anything “just in case”, so it can be a struggle to try and keep the place as clutter free as possible. I know with small children it’s never going to be a minimalist dream, but I need to get on top of things before we start looking to move in a couple of years- the thought of carting around some of this stuff for the next god knows how long is hideous.

I challenged myself last year to get rid of 52 carrier bags (or the equivalent), so an average of one a week, preferably to charity or recycling, and I’ve done it again this year - I’m on 21 so far and only a couple went in the rubbish. This week I’ve got rid of some baby clothes, an old wallet, some odd socks and old ketchup sachets (DP hoards them against some future condiment-based emergency ). Today’s items are a four-year-old bottle of balsamic glaze and some very elderly yeast.

Onwards and upwards!!!