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

Hazel & Willow - We've been doing more consumables for Christmas in recent years too and find it much better. I still wrap them though so everyone still gets their present unwrapping experience. I really like giving experiences and meals out and similar things which can be shared and make nice memories.

Thanks for the welcome. We are also planning a frugal Christmas.

Out for today is a carrier bag of outgrown playdoh toys. No ins, although the DC are at the ILs so that could change on their return...

Hello to all the new people!

I feel like I need to start thinking about Christmas. Ideally I’d like there t not be too much Stuff involved but DH likes giving gifts and has form for ignoring agreements about budgets etc when it comes to presents. I’m thinking that maybe we will get a family ticket for the zoo or similar.

I decluttered a load of laundry and housework this weekend so the house is fairly tidy at least. I also need to declutter DD’s shoes as there are some that no longer fit and I need to make space for DS now he’s walking!

Annoyingly my plans to build the kallax for the toys have been scuppered as I’ve opened the box to find one side panel is dented with paint chipping. So I’ll have to call them tomorrow and hope they can replace it.

I went AWOL again, sorry! Busy week as DH has inured himself so I’ve been treading water a bit. I did however get the 9 eBay parcels out, woop! I was not popular at the post office that morning.

Baby had an epic nap yday morning so I cleared out 3 wire basket drawers from inside my wardrobe that were over loaded with maternity gear, nursing bras, old pjs etc. The maternity gear is getting packed away in a vacuum bag (see previous posts about wanting DC3 😂). I’ve also got a bag or 2 of baby stuff that I’m keeping regardless of what DH says at the mo. Plan is to vacuum pack it and keep in my mums cellar. If no baby in a predetermined amounted time then it will be cleared and out. I’ve also pulled together all summer clothes and they will be vacuum packed too. I’ve learned from a experience tho and will hold off packing away for a while to give sneaky stuff a chance to be found first

And today I’ve listed another 11 items/bundles on eBay.

I’ve read back over the thread, well done everyone! You’re all doing well with keeping on keeping on!

I really need to get the house in better order 😊
Basically we have too much crap. The house gets cleaned so that it's not a complete tip ( have recently taken items to the dump and have a few bags of clothes and loads of books to donate this week)

Must sort the clean bedding tomorrow , wash the bedding in use now and clean the bathroom floor, mirror and sink.

@SandAndSea I have seen people put bundles/ bags of hangers on gumtree / free cycle free for collection. I phoned round charity shops til I found one who would take them I think. Sounds as if you’re doing marvellous things.

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow I understand the ‘what if I can’t replace it’ problem, having been horribly poor in the past, I fear that now that we’re not rich, but stable) and with the possibility of Brexit recession. .
The thing that stood out to me was you’re talking about clothes you don’t like not just that they don’t fit. You don’t want to replace them surely?
Can you try to sell them? and drop any money you make into a future clothes fund?

The bathroom finally got finished yesterday. Threw away half a dozen empty shower gels and shampoos that had barely enough to be useful in. Then started on the basket that contained a whole host of lotions and potions. Amongst it I found a Christmas gift to DH bought 2 years ago, unopened, the ungrateful swine 😂 and 3 full bottles of Johnsons Baby Lotion. I’ve never used these as DD has eczema, so rather than chuck they have been gifted.

The basket has been thrown to give us some accountability! So all that stands are two full bottles of shower gel, one shampoo and conditioner, 1 tub of my hair mask, 1 baby shampoo, 1 baby wash and a tube of toothpaste. Hurrah!
Oh, also decluttered a spider that must of been hiding on a towel and found it’s way into the washing machine
My upstairs is finished! And I can’t tell you all how good it feels to walk into my bedroom now

I’m so determined to get through my storage spaces today and empty as much as possible.

• ottoman bed
• wardrobe storage space
• laundry storage space.
• kitchen storage cabinet ( 4 of these).
• nursery storage cabinet/cotbed storage.

It’s been a hideous task that I hadn’t touched for 6 months or so.

My plan is to choose at least 100 items today to get rid of. As it’s over flowing.

If I manage to get rid of 100 Items I’m going to reward myself with a bar of chocolate and a nice warm hot bath with body scrub, facials and all.

Ahhhhhh let the fun begin

Thanks, Coldhands. I think I might try ringing round about the hangers - good idea!

I've got to admit that I've rescued one of the blankets from 'the pile'. I've washed it and I'm really pleased to have it. My mum also decided to keep the blanket box and actually, I think it will be useful, so it's all good.

I've got a list of jobs to do today including sorting out the last cupboard.

I have a boot full of beautiful girls clothes meant to go to the charity shop and I can’t bear to drop them off. They’re so lovely and barely worn, and yet I haven’t managed to sell them on FB. Don’t wonder if they actually are lovely; they are.
I don’t believe the sunk costs fallacy- I like to get a bit back!
Help!

I find it very depressing putting stuff in the car & traipsing round the charity shops only to have it rejected, really takes the wind out of your sales. And all the parking is lousy near our shops so I really have to psyche myself up.

@Wwydplz a reward!! I have to get the flat estate agent photo ready for tomorrow, which will include innumerable small diy jobs with sick DH underfoot. I’ve ironed the bedclothes, I have storage plans for most, if not all things that don’t currently have a place (car boot last resort).

Trying to decide whether to focus on a room at a time or dot about gathering things. I have to remember that they don’t picture the insides of cupboards, so I don’t have to tidy them!

Coldhands - I’m lucky in that one shop has bins outside and you can drop your stuff off anytime. Another shop has a laneway behind it. Your situation sounds painful and I don’t blame you for not being keen.

Craft cupboard is sorted, more or less, and I went through some of the puzzles as I knew the DCs had lost some pieces, so that was 4 puzzles in the recycling bin. Said bin is full to the brim, but luckily tomorrow is bin day!
I counted our bags for life, and we have 10... that are currently empty (yay!) but as soon as we’re behind on laundry and don’t put the clothes away as soon as they’re done, we end up using all of the bags, leaving none for shopping. That’s a lot of clothes, if it fills all 10 bags!

Ahhhh this is taking much longer than I expected. I’m 30 percent through. And more work keeps popping up as it’s a jungle.

I’ve emptied out all the storage spaces and allocated spaces for everything now. It’s therapeutic seeing the jungle empty. The mental energy it takes to start up something is the hardest step for me so I’m still going to reward myself and even though it’s just 30 percent progress but now that is have a plan everything else should fall in place and it’s less likely I will continue to procrastinate. Motivation is fully on board. For me being overwhelmed without breaking things down is what puts me off and so the first step is usually the biggest achievement.

Next step is sorting through them and actually deciding what to get rid of. I will continue to work now but I assume I should be done with that by tomorrow and day after with the labelling of every location. I want to become a bit of a minimalist.. aim is to get rid of 100 items again just so I get through the mental barrier of getting rid of things and hopefully get the ball rolling.

To cut my work down into chunks I will use bin bags to seperate different categories and won’t do any arranging/folding until the sorting is done. Sorting should be done by tomorrow and so arranging and folding by Wednesday evening.
Wednesday I will send DH to the charity shop to get rid of the items I’ve finished sorting. I will set up an account and sell stuff on eBay, or give things out to friends.. for now, I will keep those in the cot as it’s currently not in use.

And then Thursday I shall celebrate and start with sorting my big fat pile of paperwork which I’ve briliantly hoarded for a year.

So schedule:

Tuesday : finish sorting items
Wednesday: DH goes charity shop, I finish arranging and folding.
Thursday: celebrate and start the first step for sorting out the paper work/filing/desk area.

Let’s see how it goes!!!

Off to feed myself chocolate

We've just finished clearing the last cupboard - hurrah!! It was quite difficult for my mum as it was full of unfinished and unstarted projects. We did find one completed tapestry though, which I've taken to frame.

We've filled approx another 2 sacks for charity and 1 for recycling. The cupboard is also going - it's quite big and ugly and needs work so it'll be good to let it go.

Apart from all that... we're getting pretty close to the end of the thread!

@StealthNinjaMum are you there? Or, should I start the next one?

Great work Wwydplz!

Penelope are they baby clothes or older girls clothes?

Not a lot achieved decluttering wise today as spent ages cooking today but did manage to clear out all muslin cloths from a drawer in the living room now that baby is past that stage.

Also spent the evening sorting and folding other people’s baby clothes donations to the Babybank. They have limited opening hours so I offered for some people (strangers) to drop their stuff to me and I will take it along. . So lots in today but straight back out tomorrow!

Mynameis - they are early teenage.

I decided to create a new thread before we ran out of space to link to it. Please join me here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3711883-Decluttering-one-thing-a-day-Part-9?watched=1

Hi all, quite week for me this week. I was good on the not buying front but I didn’t really get rid of anything. My family support worker has drawn up a plan to clear a area so I do need slightly into keeping areas clear as well as decluttering.

Sorted out some shoes today. Ten pairs gone including some very expensive ones I wanted too keep just in case my fat calf’s ever slim into them. But i didn’t feel any regret. I’m in a certain phase of my life right now ( school run mum of infant schooler) and I just need clothes that reflect that. Not glamourous work outfits.

Dh was putting things away in the kitchen when things he was pilling ontop of each other fell on him. Mil is over and I can hear her berating my kids because the table isn’t clear.

So with the stress of having a house guess in this mess, being slagged off while I’m out of earshot and dh having a strope I feel like it’s all pointless anyway. Whatever I do I get no encouragement and I’m a slob. I need to up my culling again. But getting rid of around 400 things in a month with hardly any encouragement, just constantly being told it’s not enough has really stalled me. I’m really resenting dh. It’s his house too. He makes me feel like he’s a saint for tolerating my hoard but in reality he only cooks and washes up. Every other job is down to me.

Pity party here

I’m sorry you’ve had a difficult week! You’re doing so well though, 400 things is impressive. I also find it hard to keep going when there’s no encouragement, so that’s why I post here, as there’s at least an acknowledgement of the work done. It would be great to have real life encouragement, but maybe that’s to come later down the line.

Good luck!

@Medwaymumoffour here’s the new thread, I’ve tagged you on it too www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3711883-Decluttering-one-thing-a-day-Part-9