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 got distracted and didn't finish clearing the bedroom surfaces but I didhang up some scarves and belts that had fallen on the floor of the wardrobe and decided to throw away 3 scarves and 2 belts in the process.

Myname That’s a great idea to give old pants to nursery as spares! I decluttered a drawer of old knickers, vests, socks etc and just put them all in the textile recycling bag, but next time I might see if nursery would like them. I’ve got some fancy dress bits they might like as well.

Not much decluttering here as we’ve been on holiday (4 days self catering with 3 small children, ugh) but I did ditch a pair of DS’ pyjamas which got stained and were getting too small anyway.

Ticklemeelmo good plan to declutter before baby. I’m sure I did some but clearly not enough as I’ve got loads still to do!

Thanks Sydney! I hate waste and they were in near perfect condition but I know charities are a bit funny about used pants 🤷🏼‍♀️ So win-win for me and the nursery really! I also declutter old toys to them sometimes. Hope you had a good holiday though sounds like you may need another to recover!

Some stuff in today - had to buy bras as stopped breastfeeding but can likely sell my nursing bras as they are in good condition. Also returned some clothes.
Nothing actually out but some headway made in baby’s room: one bag filled for the dump and 2 of toys that have been decluttered from DD’s room and need to be stored for a couple of years. Oh also sold a tin of unopened paint and a baby play mat on Facebook. Hmmm maybe quite successful after all!

stealthninjamum that sounds great! I still have a way to go with my closet, I really want a capsule wardrobe, but it's hard to decide what to keep sometimes. I have managed to get rid of close to half of the amount I did have though!

We had our yard sale today, had lots of outs but not much for money coming in. Still it's enough to buy the kids some clothes as they are outgrowing theirs. So more outs to come! We managed to throw away a mouldy sleeping bag and a bike thats seen better days, along with 3 boxes of clothes to the second hand shop as well as a small box of books.

Sounds like your wardrobe is very organised now @StealthNinjaMum! I bet you also wear more variety now you can actually see what you have.

Rather ironically I lost weight shortly afterwards and would have fitted into all of them!

This is what stops me getting rid of clothes, I always feel like I'll slim back into them. I used to have a lodger and my clothes have spread to their wardrobe since they left a few years ago. Determined to be more ruthless so it only contains what I actually wear

Oh no willow! Maybe your FIL is decluttering too and saw the perfect opportunity! Would your DS not need any of it at uni?

Back here after a long break
I was all decluttered but over the last few months it's all gone to pot!
Summer hols has been a bit busy and finally did a bit today so:
Unworn banana republic jacket, a skirt, couple of jumpers, a dress, a couple of blouses, metallic converse and a couple of books to charity pile
School uniform in pile to give to a friend
I've got rid of most gcse stuff but a few books to take to charity, rest given to a child in year below and all notes to recycling
I have a Jenga cupboard of Tupperware doom to sort and dogs cupboard all a mess
Plus with having bought a few Xmas presents, I really want some space

@Mynameisnotthis seems you're making some good progress with it all though! Need to give Facebook Marketplace a try

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow that's a great idea. I've definitely been guilty of putting a bag of charity shop clothes together then not ever getting around to actually taking it. I think if you don't miss the things you've put aside within a year or so then probably safe to assume they won't get worn again.

Hi, I'd like to join if I may?
I've got rid of two bin bags of clothes (too small, too big, just not right for me) and old shoes.
Decluttered dd2s room while she was away so lots of old dressing up stuff and plastic crap gone. And paper, so much paper in her room!
I'm going to try not to buy any more clothes for myself, I have work stuff and how much could I really need for weekends...

Can I join you all, please? I’ve been lurking here on and off for ages but think I need the accountability of actually posting!

I’m a serial declutterer so don’t have masses of things to go, but I could always use more motivation! I’m expecting DC3 at the moment so I need to do a good clear out of baby clothes to work out what’s usable and what isn’t. I also need to sort out DC1 and 2’s clothes for autumn - I seem to have brought in a lot of new stuff recently and not got rid of enough old stuff!

I also need to sort out the toy cupboard/cupboard where all DD’s ‘creations’ go...I’m sure there’s a fair bit that can go from there!

This weekend I have got rid of:

• 9 pairs of old pants (and only brought in 6 new ones, so it’s a sort-of win!)
• filled about half a bag with clothes for charity
• listed a load of stuff on fb marketplace, though so far I’ve had next to no interest in it. I’ll give it a week or two and then send to charity if no takers.

@Ticklemeelmo it does feel like good progress and it is spurring me on to do more! Outs today:
Baby swing/bouncer
Tin of unused paint
Toy

Also made (back) £52! I find marketplace sometimes works really well, others it’s full of time wasting knobbers! Must just be your luck when you post. Local groups are good for selling too. Oh also sold and got payment for a bundle of clothes and a baby sleep bag on eBay so need to get them ready for posting.

As well as getting those out I added more baby clothes to the bundle for charity.

IWillWearTheGreenWillow quite right to go for the non-iron. I ironed a load last night (rock n roll) and found out this morning that DD has taken a stretch and outgrown a looooad of the clothes I ironed. 😩

Just checking in this morning, not sure what I have planned today, except - I must do one self care thing every day, doesn’t matter what else I do, I must do that thing.

Lots of good work going on here; well done, everyone!

Self care sounds like a very good idea, Coldhands.

Welcome back, abitoflight! And, welcome, @WhatWouldJohnSay & @Clettercletterthatsbetter!

Nothing out here this weekend apart from 1 pair of jeans from DP. But, lots of decorating which is still ongoing.

Hi long time lurker here wishing to join. I’m trying to follow the organised mum cleaning method but house also needs a de clutter. This weekend have sold some toys of ds also got rid of a cupboard for free although was replaced with 2 we had in loft.

Today I have got rid of some towels and kids shoes to the charity shop. The shoes had been hanging around for ages but the towels and bits were sorted out yesterday with the new cupboards.

Ds still on summer holidays and have friends over the next 2 days so decided this morning to sort out wardrobe out and have another pile of my clothes to go.

Now need to sort out the understairs cupboard to put the shoes in. Our room looks a mess and still have holiday unpacking to do. 🤞will be in better order by the weekend

I haven't had chance to update for a few days. Stealth I took up your challenge from the other day and cleared the top of my bedside cabinet. It was an easy win really because most of the things on there were toys and books belonging to the DC so they were returned to the correct room. I could then dust the top for the first time in months weeks. You are so right about just getting a small area cleared and it making a difference.

Yesterday morning I cleaned out a drawer in my bedroom. I had a spare set of those ikea boxes that you can put in drawers (can't remember what they're called) so I threw out the old ones which were a bit tatty and used these instead. From that drawer went a couple of old toiletries and bits of make-up and a few other things I moved to the bathroom cabinet. The drawer is now nice and tidy and organised.

I realised that one of the drawers under our bed was empty so clothes that are currently too big for the DC are now in there. There's still a lot of space in there but I'm going to try and keep it that way because it's a handy place to stash Christmas and birthday presents. No outs from this but more space created in the DC's cupboards at least.

Yesterday I spent the entire afternoon tackling the huge laundry pile in the corner of the lounge. It was all clean so it just needed ironing and putting away. Into the rag bag went a pair of DD's leggings and two pairs of socks. Also out are two almost brand new Grobags so I might see about selling them. The corner of the lounge looks so much better so I've made a promise to myself that clean washing gets dealt with straight away in future.

I've been swimming with the DC this morning so I'm having a quick cuppa and then I'll see what I can do while everything here is calm (and the DC are actually playing nicely together!)

It sounds like everyone else is doing well. Welcome to all the newbies!

Wow! You lot are busy! Am away from home ATM and then on hols and not really back in action again until after 5th Sept, so feeling a bit frustrated.

Just decluttered the last of a rather dusty bottle of amaretto - tough job but someone’s got to do it

Yay to bobgoblin! I'm so pleased. I have been clearing surfaces too. My bedroom ones tended to have children's toys and books too and I am currently looking at a shoebox which I need to recycle without dc seeing or it'll be turned into a house for a fairy or hamster and I'll never get rid of it.

Yesterday I mainly went through socks with dc throwing a few away and putting some in the charity pile. I often have a pair of children's socks yet one seems longer than the other, I wonder if there is a fairy who gets a kick out of socks. Anyway we attempted to match socks and recycle the pairs that either seem odd fitting now or just too dirty.

When dc are in bed I'm intending to continue to tidy my bedroom cupboards and drawers. I'm not sure I will kondo my underwear but I might organise it better.

@willow I'm sorry to hear none of the kitchenware is usable it's frustrating when you're given unusable items.

I had a major out yesterday - DS finally let me buy him a new hat, I told him his old one will have to get thrown out- he agreed to it! He wears that thing ALL THE TIME, only taking it off at the food table, to shower and to sleep. I tried to replace it at Easter, but he gave it to his Dsis instead

One out this afternoon - an empty cardboard box. Like many others on here I seem to have random empty boxes all over my house. This particular one is too small and flimsy to be useful so it's gone into the recycling.

Hungry I can sympathise. My DS is 5 years older than DD. Every single time he agrees to part with something he gives it to DD. So now there is a huge box full of paw patrol toys that he doesn't want any more in DD's room and I have nowhere for it to go because her room is so much smaller. And he's spent all afternoon in there playing with it

Youngest has bought in more Lego to go with a set he already has. But it’ll fit in the same storage crate so not too bad. Few bits into the rag recycling and a couple of outgrown bits of kids stuff into charity bag. So none of if has left the house yet but I’m sure it’ll be worth dropping g in soon. Holidays have definitely slowed my efforts down.