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

@SandandSea loving your mop enthusiasm!

And greenwillow is surprisingly enthusiastic too!

That reminds me I need to buy a new mop head but I am definitely not excited about it.

Lovely to meet you Dockray

OMG reading threads from greenwillow with increased concern. Your poor dh has really suffered. I hope he gets proper treatment and is able to get better quickly. And it sounds like you need to put your feet up too. Are you ok?

Back to decluttering. I have managed to find one thing a day but mainly paperwork, I have done lots of shredding and filing. The good news is that I finally took some bags of clothes to the charity shop so I no longer have a massive pile on my bedroom floor. My bedroom is looking pretty good with its EMPTY CHAIR that can be sat on.

Stealth - Whoop-whoop!! Get you and your empty chair!! Glad you're back with us - I was starting to wonder if you're OK.

Well, I've got some movement in the box department. I don't want to speak too soon though. I'll get back to you.

Also, just to say, I don't think my kitchen's ever looked so good. Thanks everyone!

Huzzah for the empty chair stealth!! We had one of those in our first flat and the damn thing was like an extra bleeding wardrobe 🤣

Well were on it early today, DH just woke me up to sit with DD as I'd forgotten it's council collection day, I think the same thing you've just done raspberry. They're coming for the old sofa, TV stand and side board. All of which are old and knckered so no fit state for donating. They have to be outside by 7am though so that's what DH is on now. no way I can waddle them out of the conservatory myself haha
It'll free up soooooo much space though!

Doing a trip to IKEA today, need new blinds to go in the kitchen and nursery. We've turned into an episode of Changing Rooms this week, just call me Carol!

Thanks SandandSea things are very good. I have been busy in real life and only really on the mumsnet diet threads. Online dating is taking up lots of my online time now. I am chatting to a very interesting new man but obviously it might not go anywhere.

Can't wait to hear your latest box update.

WoogleCone / Carol I think chairs are like exercise bikes - clothes racks! I love it when large items like that go - but don't love the IKEA trip so much.

Greenwillow . That's so tough. I hope you have support in real life and I hope your dh gets the right treatment to make a quick recovery.

IKEA wasn't too bad in the end, we went a little before opening so DD could play on the outdoor park bit (glorious weather here today) and got in as the showrooms opened. Managed to get blinds for the kitchen but not the nursery so back to Wilko's for that one.

When we got home the council had been so the large bits of furniture are gone! Whoop! That should definitely count as like a full weeks worth ;)

Willow as tough as it sounds on you, it's great he's in hospital and getting sorted. They'll figure it out! Plenty of rest for you when you can manage it :)

Definite congrats on empty bedroom chairs. I found a blanket box at the end of my bed. Had forgotten that was what was under the pile of crap at the end of the bed! Some boxes of random junk and clothes. And the blanket box is full of more of the same. Planning on sorting that lot out next week. Plan is to use the blanket box for its intend use - bedding! Out of season duvet etc.

I’m going away for the weekend and have just been sorting my toiletries bag. Junked some old travel sizes I haven’t used for the last few years.

Willow - sounds stressful with so much going on but it explains why your DH was feeling so bad. I find Berocca really good - think I recommended it up thread for your DH as my DH found it good after flu. I’d recommend it for you too. Instead of just coffee!

Just dejunked part of my wardrobe and discovered the scarf I bought DSis for Christmas. Let's call it 'being really organised for next year'.

In fact, just realised it's her birthday shortly! Yay, present sorted!

That's great news willow! Keeping my fingers crossed for a very swift recovery for him!

Ooh great thread. I got really into the idea of decluttering a while ago, but between 2 young children who everyone likes to spoil at Christmas and birthdays, and family members offloading on us when they move house, we seem to be as cluttered as before. This thread is just the inspiration/motivation I need.

Glad to join too! Like Zippety two young children here and far too much stuff. So far today we have got rid of three t-shirts into recycling, 4 saucers and a couple of old nail files. Not much of a dent but I am trying! My eldest - just turned 4 is a bit of a hoarder - so getting rid of stuff is tricky. If asked he offers to give things to his little brother which is wonderful but means they stay in the house!

Willow - glad your Dh is on the mend. Just make sure he takes things slowly and doesn't try to do too much too soon.

I haven't updated for a couple of weeks. I took the day off work yesterday and DP and I cut some long straggly bits off the top of the Lleylandii hedge at one side of the garden. It was a job we started last year but didn't manage to finish. There are still a few left to do, but I need to remove an elder bush/tree first to get the ladder in. Yesterday's efforts also involved removing another tree which had sprung up over the last couple of years. I have filled the brown bin and 2 large garden bags for the recycling site and I still need to finish cutting up the rest of the tree.

In the house I have done another 4 newspapers from my pile, and washed some large items that are not being used and put them in the loft. I have also sorted out the paperwork on "my" table beside my seat in the living room , chucking out a lot of bits that are not needed and filing some others into a cardboard wallet for 2019. Apart from that I have got rid of a number of small bits and bobs.

Greenwillow hope you and your dh are able to get some rest while he recovers.

Welcome zippetydoodahzippepetyay and flowerstar19

Well I am still doing minimal decluttering because I'm busy doing other important stuff online dating but I am about to take off an unflattering gym top that I will never wear again so that is going into the charity shop pile.

Welcome zippety and flower!

Small tip run today but the outs were: two old broken lamps, bag of textiles, three pairs of very old shoes and a couple of broken stacking boxes. Small fry but we were driving past the tip to pick up some more paint so just grabbed what we could and chucked it in the car.

Kitchen has a few touch ups and cutting in to do but it's 90% done as we've been on it all day. Going to put another coat on the living room door while DH sorts DDs tea. It's going to be at least three coats each side (dark varnish previously that was still very dark even after sanding) so if I do one a day then i can take advantage of overnight drying.

Also I've been waiting on two photos to arrive in the post for frames I had waiting. They are now on the wall instead of the floor!

Thank you, inspired by the thread I just threw out an old chipped serving dish, it was taking up loads of room! Small victories :)

Hello all.

Not a lot of decluttering going on here. No real excuse, just being lazy and disorganised. DH away with work next week so I’ll hopefully get back into it.

GreenWillow glad to hear that your DH is on the mend. Hope you are managing to look after yourself.

The small victories soon add up to bigger ones flower! One day at a time, this thread had seriously helped me to get sorted.
Helps that I'm mega nesting right now though 😂

I’ve fallen off the wagon a bit with life getting in the way so I took advantage of a quiet office and binned a load of paperwork and a few bits and pieces in the bin... my work desk looks better and I found something a colleague was looking for so win win..

Greenwillow wishing your DH a speedy recovery and make sure you look after yourself too!

I’m not achieving anything at the moment. A combination of being insanely busy at work (it’s always bad as the end of a quarter approaches) and bloody Brexshit.

I decluttered a bar of chocolate this evening.
Willow, hope DH is on the mend soon. Hope you manage to get some well earned rest too xx

DH and I dismantled DS bed (we've bought him a new one , its not a hint for him to move out
I've put his chair in the shed (it might be ok to recycle , I need to have a good look) He was just using it to put things on , not to sit on.
He has 2 guitars on stands and his clothes rail+ chest of drawers so trying to get rid of any clutter .

I have a velvet/sherpa fleece blanket to go and some clothes.

So nothing for ages then a carboot full .

wooglecone that's industrious. I love it when the decluttering makes other more 'fun' jobs easier / possible. I think I say this every thread but I spend lots of time making my house Less Bad but very little time making it Nicer. So I love reading when you do stuff like painting / varnishing/ furniture making and always plan to do more of that myself.

With that in mind I took off a door handle last night. I bought door handles about 5 years ago thinking I'd get a handyman to do it but never found one. Anyway I decided to do it myself and it's really easy. Why did I not know this? The only problem is that the screws of the new ones are in a different place to the old ones so I am going to take an old door handle to Wickes today and I'm going to buy some new handles and attempt to get rid of the old ones on free cycle or a Facebook group.

I am going to attempt to do more filing and paperwork today as I can't seem to keep on top of it. I'm also giving some stuff away to a friend who's a special needs teacher - stuff like alpha blocks characters and learning resources.