Decluttering one thing a day part 8 - the one where we de-tetris the cupboard of doom!

[WoogleCone]

Welcome! This is thread 8 of the declutter one thing a day challenge!

This is just holding the discussion open until @stealthninjamum gets her computer sorted and back in action :)

Everyone is welcome here, new and old. We implore you to join us on our mission to clear the cupboards, swipe the sides and declutter all debris!
We recycle, reuse, give away, donate or just plain chuck it out to help clear our spaces.

If you're new, start with a small mission - can you tackle one small area at a time? Be it a bedside table, a bathroom cabinet or The Kitchen Drawer?
Just one thing a day is all we ask and report back here with your outs for the day, or week at a time. It's very easy to get the bug when you start small and have success!

Will we find any more big bags of change? Can we sell more big ticket items? Will the school books all get returned? Will the happy meal toys ever stop multiplying and just how many books can we say goodbye to?!

Previous thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3525812-Part-7-of-the-decluttering-challenge-can-you-get-rid-of-one-item-a-day?msgid=87790915#87790915

I have a completely decluttered room. Just one... But all clothes, toys books and crap in DDs room have been sorted and ready for the Packers.

DH sorted his stuff today.

I can feel progress. Lots of stuff ready for the tip and recycling run tomorrow.

Well done, Around. It sounds like you're making good progress.

Not much out here today so far as my freecycler turned up at the wrong time and we were out. I wish this was unusual but it seems to go with the territory.

Woops
Bought a Poang chair in great condition at a yard sale yesterday.

That's OK, math but what's going out? 1 in 1 out, remember?

Haven’t posted the ad yet, but I’ve done most of the text and have started a small pile of books to leave.

I brought a whole bagful from the closet to the second hand shop - some old toys, school supplies, packet of printer paper, about a dozen items in all in a big black bin bag.

So I am ahead numerically, just not in volume/mass - however you might describe the space a chair occupies.

Day 1 of operation house sort out. Dc are at a club and dh is at home so this afternoon I've got him to agree we will sort out our bedroom. It's a joint effort as we don't touch each others things but it needs to be done. Grass cut in back garden yesterday so I can do some hedge trimming later and we're going to buy the paint for the stairs. Dc are being encouraged to give me things for bin and charity shop as well

My freecycler is, hopefully, coming today and I've thought of another thing she can have, so that's at least 4 items going out today.

I am rejoining the thread after a few months away. I thought I had the house under control as we had moved and everything seemed much more organised. In reality all the cupboards and drawers were rammed full of stuff so that now when something comes out it's difficult to put it away so it gets left out and then all the sides and floors end up covered and it looks dreadful. I was so embarrassed when a friend called round unexpectedly to drop something off and I had to clear a space for her to sit. It's not always that bad but it's bad enough. We have moved to a smaller house and there is less storage but we are going to have to manage until we can afford to build an extension so I need to declutter again.

We have just been on holiday for a week but I have the rest of the school holidays to try and get some decluttering done. Yesterday I cleared all the empty bottles from the bathroom and a couple of boxes from upstairs. Outs today so far are a peg bag that's seen better days and is far too small, two pairs of DS's school shoes (although I did buy a new pair earlier) and a pair of flip flops that I have taken on holiday for the last four years and not worn because as soon as I put them on I realise they cut into my feet.

I'm on my fourth load of washing today so this afternoon I am going to put the clean and dry things away and I am going to try and tackle the paperwork on the dining table as it's recycling day tomorrow. I will report back later because I need the accountability or I would spend all afternoon drinking tea and watching boxsets.

This thread is really helping to keep me on track! I've decluttered my make up and charity shopped a couple of bagfuls of random useless stuff. It feels good!

I have conquered the bay window of doom! All stuff sorted into charity bag or a place found for it elsewhere 😀 Just need to decide whether to keep the chair that sits in there. If it stays it needs reupholstering if it goes I won’t be able to pile stuff on it🤣

Half of Living Room managed today. All sorts of crap binned and lots into the recycling bag (Germany had a very comprehensive recycling programme!). PILs have arrived and tackled the garden this afternoon with DDs help. Tomorrow I want to finish living room and maybe start on Toy Cupboard.

Clean washing put away, paperwork sorted and the rubbish shredded/recycled. I still have a large ironing pile in one corner of the lounge and I need to file the paperwork that needs keeping. I did a quick sweep through the house for any more recycling and rubbish as it's bin day tomorrow. DS had brought a huge pile of work home from school at the end of term. I persuaded him to sort through it and most went into the recycling bin which was a pleasant surprise - he usually insists on keeping absolutely everything! Quite a successful day so I just need to keep up the momentum tomorrow.

Well done, everyone! Lots of great progress being made here!

Well, my flakey freecycler continued to be flakey, but did eventually turn up and take 3 items today (not the 4 I'd hoped, but still good).

I've since been going through a couple of kitchen cupboards and have re-jigged things around; tidying and collating related things together.

From this, I've decided to charity a hanger - it's one of those small, wooden ones which go with clothes peg holders. I'd had an idea that I was going to make one out of some shorts or something, but it's never happened and tbh, I don't think I will ever have enough time or interest to do this. (I don't even have a sewing machine.) It's been annoying me in that cupboard for, I reckon, about 5 years! It's hard to believe that, after all my dedicated decluttering, I'm still coming across things like this. It's not even the last of it! I know that there are other things in there too which I need to think about.

Anyway, I've got a friend coming round tomorrow and I'm pretty sure she's going to be taking quite a bit of my out pile away with her and will hopefully, help me to decide on a few other things too.

Right - I’m in! I’ve just left my stbxh and now I’m surrounded by boxes of random crap which needs to be culled!

One big item gone already though, Theworldcouldbemymollusc

DS is hiring a moving van tomorrow as he is moving into a new apartment, so I have to take all the stuff off the bookshelf I bought for him so that he can move it out of the sitting room. If he doesn't take it I will cry as the library book sale is next weekend and I will have a nice empty spot all ready for books selling for buttons. Fingers crossed.

Well done gassylady, bay window of doom sorted! Massive congrats! Wheres next?

vallar its addictive right?! What's going on for you today?

Glad your freecycler turned up eventually sand, shame about the 4th item but 3 is a great out!

Welcome mollusc! Good luck with the boxes!

I've ebayed two items, one is super annoying as the person has messaged to say their address on ebay is wrong but I've already sent the damn thing. I think they're angling that I've made a mistake and that her address is different on paypal but it's not, they both match. Why in earth would you start bidding for stuff if theres any chance it would get sent to an old address, the mind boggles!
Anyway, didn't get to strip paint yesterday as Miniwoogle was poorly and off nursery (I dont do it while shes in the house) so will try again on thursday. Moses basket out of the living room, wooglette is way too big for it now (at 8 weeks old, how absurd!) Its being stored for a friend so that'll be a big out but not for another 18 months or so.
Happy to report I've decluttered 3lbs from myself though :)

I know what you mean about random things which should've gone long ago SandandSea, this morning I recycled a 3 year old newspaper from the bedside drawer in the spare room. Part was missing so it hadn't been taken up to read.

Will catch up with thread properly later, DH is away this week so chasing my tail a bit!

Welcome theworldcouldbemymollusc getting rid of a husband makes it all so much easier.

Today I have filled the car up with chemicals, old oil, bits of wood from the garage and taken them to the tip. I am also going to go to the charity shop with some toys and books.

gassylady congratulations on the bay window of doom!

wooglecone I'm in awe of your diy efforts while with two very small people in the house.

Welcome, @Theworldcouldbemymollusc !

I've got another random item going out today: clothes dye remover. I must have been hoarding it for about 11 years. Maybe more. (I have a vague memory of wanting to dye some old sheets for something.)

I've also woken up to the fact that I've got 2 water filter jugs, with filters, stored away in the kitchen. I'm going to start using them up and then at least one of them is going to go.

My kitchen cupboards are starting to look quite spacious now. More to go though.

A couple of bags out to the charity shop here, outgrown children’s clothes and some fancy dress bits and pieces. DD1 went to the last birthday party of “the season” on Saturday and like Stealth we reused a gift bag from DS’s party to take the present in. No party bags, which was nice, just a slice of birthday cake and a little book with a packet of sweets stuck to it, so minimal clutter in and no plastic crap - always a winner for me!

I’ve spotted holes in a couple of flannels and towels and a split in a skirt I haven’t worn for years, so I feel a textile recycling collection coming on; might go through the airing cupboard and get rid of all the small Moses basket and pram sized blankets and sheets etc for a quick win.

My friend has been and relieved me of a big bag of stuff, most of which will be going to charity. I'm left with a small bag for the rag bin, which I'll drop off soon.

RaspberryBlonde - Yes, it's weird how we can stop seeing things, isn't it? My house is pretty organised and tidy but I'm still finding lots of clutter all around which has been there for years.

Wow, so much hard work
DH started the room tidy yesterday and dragged everything out from under the bed. I'm planning to sort through it before putting some of it back