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

Bit slower here today, lost a bit of motivation with our move being put back to end of August. However we will be in England a fair chunk of that so still have a bit of a deadline.

Posted too soon... Still got a few bags of 'stuff out of house.
Keep going everyone, we can do this!

And now decluttering the remainder of the Pimm's. There is a limit on how much Spirits we can return to the UK with.

My outs since yesterday were:
Cardboard boxes to the tip

In the car ready for the tip/charity shop tomorrow:
DVDs
Bag of clothes
More boxes
Carpet grippers
2 dog harnesses to give back to dm

Still to put in the car:
Stair carpet
Old wardrobe (been in the garden so it's soaking)
Standing lamp

Da2's go kart to put in the shed to free up some room in the house.

The amount of clutter and clothes that need sorting is playing havoc with both my and dh's MH and seeing as I'm the able bodied one it's easier to blame me for everyone's mess (tbf, ds1 doesn't make any mess apart from dishes and food rubbish). I'm so sick of it. I need to get it sorted once and for all! Everyone needs to muck in and stop seeing everything as my job! Rant over

Sounds like lots of good work going on. I wish I had some Pimms to declutter with my strawberries as I’m sat here enjoying a peaceful 5 minutes in the kitchen
After the bay window triumph I have moved onto kitchen cupboards. A couple of pots containing very old flour emptied and washed out. All remaining flours and sugars grouped together.

It sounds like everyone's doing really well. I think I may well have a bottle of Pimms lurking in a cupboard that I might hunt out and declutter.

I tidied the cupboard under the kitchen sink and found a few things to get rid of in there - a mop head that doesn't fit our mop and some empty bottles. It turns out I have rather a lot of dusters, microfibre cloths, rolls of bin bags for the kitchen bin and bottles of non-bio washing liquid. I kept thinking I'd run out so would buy more but I had plenty that I just couldn't find under the other bits in there. I cleaned the kitchen and managed to use up the remainder of another two bottles of cleaning stuff.

We have a bin in the kitchen which never gets used because it's not big enough. I put it in the porch intending to get rid of it somehow but DH thinks we should keep it - "because it's too good to get rid of" - even though he was the one who constantly complained about it and insisted on buying a new one. 🤦‍♀️

Also out are a pair of DD's socks that are too small. I've added a couple of her outgrown summer clothes to the ebay pile so I really need to start getting it listed. There's quite a heap in the corner of the bedroom that I need to get rid of.

When I did out the under sink cupboard (this may have been last year) I found 6 packs of 4 dishcloths unopened 😱😮 They are now all neatly lined up waiting their turn. Every time I open the cupboard to get something out I smile at the fact it’s still neat - more or less

I know what you mean gassylady. I did my under sink cupboard a while back (it's on one of the threads here somewhere) and it's never got messed up since. I still love to open the doors and admire it!

Seriously fallen off the wagon and need to rejoin. I have a day off today so will restart. I was horrified the other day when a friend of DS dropped him.off and asked to use the toilet . I usually only admit close friends and family!
DP blames me for the house being a mess and told me I am rubbish at housekeeping (true) but neither he nor our teenage DS make any effort. Not sure why it's just my responsibility when we both work . It hardly encourages me to make a start.
In my defence I have a responsible job , I am a good cook and I organise all our social life and holidays and look after DGC. I just don't seem to have the housekeeping gene. When I think back neither did my lovely mum but her mum died when she was 15 so she had no example to follow.

Hi sandgrown ! Welcome back to the thread! Of course it's not all down to you! Can I suggest you get a cleaner for a couple of hours a week to help take the pressure off?

munchmunch I found your post quite depressing - but very familiar! It has taken a couple of years but I am training the dc into my ways of doing things and things have improved a lot. Your list of what you got rid of yesterday is amazing. Just visualising the amount of space that stuff took up must make you feel good especially the wardrobe. Anyway I hope you're feeling better today and appreciating your achievements.

sandgrown that would piss me off and my general advice is to get rid of the husband although most people think that's a bit drastic! My ex was a hoarder (copying his parents) and so I focused on my bits and dcs bits and occasionally I'd help him declutter a tiny area. He actually improved towards the end. I know he lives in a dump now - he complains about it - and I find that quite satisfying!

Ah, Karma's a bitch, Stealth!

Today, so far, I have gotten rid of a box which originally held a wireless adapter. The 'out' includes the software disc and various leaflets and small plastic bags which came with it. I had kept this all nicely stored away for years but, the truth is, even if we move, the adapter (which looks like a memory stick) can just go in a purse or something. It really doesn't need a full box like that.

I've also cleaned out a storage cupboard and DP has repaired a light fitting which has been out of action for ages.

I've tackled the pile of stuff and trying to work out what to do with old tech. Ironing done and washing out so little steps

I've sorted out my clothes today. One suitcase of jumpers/a box of stuff I love but need to lose half a stone (or more) to fit into and everything else is away in my bedroom. I've chucked out over 100 items - 2 very large bags and it feels good!

More outs:

A shoe cleaning cloth.
2 x shoe stretcher spray. (I'm pretty sure these are over 30 years old!)
2 x shoe cleaner. (Also old.)
Some candle wick (for making candles).

Just been up to our loft for the first time in ages and have discovered that dp has been storing much more up there than I realised.

But, the good news is that, in the confusion (of him being rumbled), he's agreed to let go of a whole, quite big box of computer stuff. I've got it straight out and by the front door before he changes his mind.

Outs for last couple days:

Bottle of prosecco. (Mainlined 5 aperol spritzs day before yesterday DH helped too!! 😂).
Miniwoogles old hoodie and 2 books that are beyond saving
2 glasses that dont match anything
An old body cream

Also cleared the kitchen table again. That bugger just keeps filling up 🤬

Wont get much else done today, wooglette had her first jabs today so itll be cuddles all night for me 🥰

Will do a tidy in the morning though, window man is coming to quote us. Cant afford the lot now but I do need a new front door!

After actually getting lots of stuff out this week today I have slowed down. I have been doing my nails recently so tonight intend to use up a tiny bit of nail varnish from 4 bottles! I must have about 20 bottles of nail varnish and generally really well groomed toenails!

SandandSea I always assume you are younger than me (mid 40s) but you mention shoe stretcher sprays that are 30 years old so now I'm wondering! (It's ok you don't have to say if it'll 'out' you but that is seriously old clutter

Main out today was a garden bench that was falling apart.
Plus lots of little bits.

We also decluttered lots of Euro change at the park bar.. turned into beer, wine and bratwurst.

Bin day here so got rid of some cardboard packaging that was hanging around into my recycling bin. I also left a bag into a local charity shop.
I've been following this thread for a while in conjunction with the organised mum method and after nearly a year I can say I'm winning against the clutter and rooms are a lot easier to clean.

Thanks stealthninjamum Well last night I had a bit of a breakdown after arguing, again, about the clutter.

I woke up this morning and felt so much better so I think I needed to get it all of my chest. I've recently stopped taking sertraline so I think it's a bit of everything that got on top of me.

I managed my tip run and charity shop drop off. I finished filling in the holes from the old towel rail etc and earlier I started painting the downstairs bathroom white. Put Meatloaf on Spotify and blasted that while I worked on the first coat. Going to give it a second coat at about 10pm (I seem to work better from afternoons onwards) but I think it'll need 3 coats as it's covering a god awful blue colour!

I did bring 2 things in though, a new washing basket which we were desperate for and a glass vase/dish thingy for my coffee table.

Stealth - It's funny how we imagine people sometimes, isn't it? Is it the tiara which makes me seem younger?

munchmunch sometimes it's good to let it out. It sounds like you're making a dent in the clutter so I hope your family took notice last night and support your efforts.

Similarly I had a hissyfit about a year ago because by the end of the week my beautiful hall had ten pairs of shoes out and every coat and bag on the floor. Dcs have got better about that and tonight I moaned about two coats and one bag not being put away so it's a big, big improvement.

sandandsea I think - and this is going to sound ridiculous - I imagine you being young because you have a partner rather than husband! Even though I think some of our paperwork is the same age so you can't be much younger than me. I have a tiara too so don't see that as a young thing. It's my wedding tiara so should get rid of it....

Which reminds me I finally gave my wedding dress away yesterday. It was a formal dress rather than traditional white dress so just went to a charity shop.

Stealth - I don't really have a tiara. I was referring to the one I think you 'gave' me on another thread, wrt Amy from the Big Bang Theory. (I love Amy.) I get what you mean about the partner thing though.

sandandsea I remembered the Amy Farrar Fowler conversation but forgot it was me who gave you the virtual tiara!

Funny about the age thing I am a middle aged woman with a boyfriend which feels really odd but there doesn't seem to be a better word than boyfriend - partner is too serious. I am pleased to say my boyfriend has a very minimalist flat!