Decluttering one thing a day - Part 9

[SandAndSea]

Welcome to our 9th thread in the Decluttering One Thing A Day series!

As you might imagine, we aim to get rid of one thing a day (or the equivalent, if we miss a few days).

The idea is that aiming low in this way prevents us from getting overwhelmed. It's also sustainable so helps us to develop effective clutter clearing habits which last.

In reality, many of us have found that once we start, we often get rid of far more than just one thing. (But if we don't, that's OK too.)

Everyone's welcome! We're a friendly and supportive bunch, from aspiring minimalists to full-on clutterbucks! We're also pretty green so you'll find lots of recycling, freecycling, donating and selling.

Previous thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3612006-Decluttering-one-thing-a-day-part-8-the-one-where-we-de-tetris-the-cupboard-of-doom?pg=1&order=

Can I give you another gem? None of these are my original thoughts. Some other people are very insightful.
Add up what you think you could get for all your clutter. If you only have clothes and books and that sort of thing, say it comes to £200. Is that a fair figure? Different country, different houses, etc.
Finally, ask yourself whether you would pay to $200, or whatever it was, to have a clutter-free house? If the answer is yes, you can just donate all that stuff right now. Right now. Gone!
Like it? Again, not my own idea but I do like it!!

Hello fellow declutterers. I haven't had a very successful week (parents visiting) so really just posting here to make myself feel accountable! I do like the idea about how much you would pay to have a clutter-free home. I have a tendency to hoard things because I have paid for them and could therefore sell them -- but I never get around to it...

The only things I have found worth selling is Jojo bits. I made about 140 on those. But even Joules, Boden bits I only get about £2 for on eBay. FB only gets interest in Pjs or BNWT stuff. But pjs I now give to the major hospital children’s ward. I’m trying some bundles on eBay but if it’s 50p per items it’s not worth,the time stress and petrol etc. It’s a buyers market and there is too much out there. I even put some BNWT H&M things on a FB selling site for offers. I got no offers. Not even 50p for a £20 brand new dress!

I might try them at a fiver just before Christmas. But when I think of the profit per hour I wouldn’t work for so little when parcels sell for £2 or below.

In other news the bin men came so bye bye dh tat 😂

I bought a coat in a charity shop today and dropped off another black bag while there. Including what I bought in there last week. I’m looking forward to when cancer research write every year and tell much my donations made.

Penelope- I bloody love that!! Thank you!

I've done quite a bit today. The new bed is now together and dressed and looking lovely, with all the packaging ready for collection.

I've also been through all our bedding. I've cleaned under-bed storage boxes and have them all sorted for each bed. I know I'm keeping too much bedding atm as it's hard to tell what it's like when it's not on the bed. So, I've promised myself that as I make the beds each time, I'll get rid of things straight away if they're not good enough.

I am definitely getting rid of a king size duvet cover and sheet, and a big box.

Jojo bits. I made about 140 on those
That sounds great! That price for Joules/Boden is terrible - it really is getting back pennies on the pound, as they say.
Willow - that’s my experience too. To be honest, I was dumbfounded at no takers for my listings but the recent posts on here show me I’m not alone.
Maybe a way to feel better about our losses is take the stuff to the charity shops and get it out of the house BUT if we need anything, like I actually do despite the other clutter, try to get those things from the charity shops first. Then it’s sort of mitigating our losses by finding what we need at bargain prices. This suits me as we don’t have places like Primark where I live so I could buy jeans at a charity shop for $5 but about $40 at a normal shop.
I’m just working through this idea in my head as I post. Very important not to bring back unnecessary ‘bargains’ from the charity shops though.

Thanks, Sand and Medway.

As you can see from my name, I’m about a year behind with my intended target for being decluttered. This has been very depressing, on top of rather difficult family circumstances.

I’m giving up on my self-Imposed targets apart from the daily target of one thing out. I’ve tried hard to get dh on board with the garage and at the same time fallen so far behind with my own stuff that I gained three stone. So it’s time to get back here and declutter for myself and LOs. Also some much-needed decluttering of office and personal tasks.

@Tidy2018 I think you're doing well just chucking one thing a day. Look after yourself.

My one thing to chuck today will be odds and ends of broken jewellery. Just a small thing today.

@Medwaymumoffour There are some good Mini Boden selling groups on Facebook! Things seem to sell quickly there at good prices and the groups are very active. Search 'Mini Boden' and join a few.

Morning! Tidy2018, I am also attempting to declutter 3 stone from my person as well as find my house. I find it's hard not to get obsessive.

I didn't manage to clean the tops of cupboard yesterday because I need the big decorating step ladder for that, not the little indoors steps. The plan this morning is to get them out of the garage and get on.

Today we will be posting the ebay stuff and charity shopping the rest. I'm pleased the nursery curtain sold, because I made it so it's unlabelled and the local charity shops will send it for rags, which seems a terrible waste.

Right. DH is watching the rugby and I suppose I'd better get up.

Yesterday I cleared out my baking cupboard and got rid of loooads if out of date stuff. I also discovered flour weevils for the first time 🤢🤮

Tidy - you can do it. One thing at a time

Sandandsea - go the the charity shop with no bag. You can only then hold a few purchases. I walked around mine with my bin bag of donations before I bought anything. Keep my hands busy so I struggled to try on the coat 😂

😂

Good thought, Medway!

Ebay stuff packed, charity shop things in boot of car. Staying there for now as it's tipping down, DH is watching more bloody rugby and I'm not dropping it off on my own.

This afternoon we have cleaned the top of the kitchen cupboards, put the china we don't need daily, or even weekly, on the top of the cupboards and rejigged other cupboards so we can find stuff. 4 brandy balloons (untouched since our wedding) and 5 small glasses out. Special nursery-set china mugs into baby boxes. Kitchen surprisingly shiny at ceiling level!

I have also decluttered frozen pumpkin into pumpkin cheesecake for tomorrow when DS1 comes home for reading week, and have found his bedroom.

That's it for this weekend. Sitting down with a magazine with a glass of (if DH can imbibe in front of the rugby, I can imbibe in spite of it!). See you Monday!

Eh? Emojis have gone berserk. That was meant to be a glass of wine, not a glass of cake!

I can see a glass of wine on my iPad!

I haven't been very successful lately with getting things out, more ins it seems

I did manage to have a couple small outs today though, 2 of my nieces have birthdays, we were able to rehome a very lightly used teddy bear that has a reading book attached and tells stories. Seemed pointless holding onto something for so long that could get more use out of it (about 10-15 years old but looks brand new!!). It had been sitting on a shelf in the closet pretty much it's entire life, so hopefully it'll get loved there.

The other out was from my DD, she gave my other niece an old top she never wears now that has also very little wear on it. Part of me does feel bad about gifting older lightly used items, but I have to remind myself that there's really nothing wrong with it if they are still in good condition.

The ins I've had this week are part of my Halloween costume, and part of it didn't fit, they refunded but don't want it back! so now I have to find a home for it.

I've done that thing again!!! I really need fuller, more supportive pillows so, after much deliberation, I bought a pair today. But, I've opened the pack to find that they're even thinner than my current ones!!!! I can't even take them back because I tore open the packaging (it didn't have an easy opening). I can see how this happened but I'm still really annoyed with myself!! Do you think if I put them back in and sellotaped it, the shop would refund me?

SandAndSea I would at least try! If they won't could you sell them?

I did remember I've had to throw away 3 pairs of socks this week! I'm soon going to need to replace them though.

I hopefully have someone meeting me tomorrow to pick up the corset. I have had many people message me about them, but usually it's getting people to meet that can be the problem.. fingers crossed

This week I got rid of a bag of DC's artwork and stuff from the bathroom cupboard. I've listed some things to sell too and will take them to the charity shop at the weekend if they've not sold by then.

Today's outs:

5 Body shop containers, I returned them to store in exchange for £5 credit

1 x storage basket sold on fb marketplace

2 x jars of weird pickled food, unopened, given away on a fb zero food waste group.

💪

Wow, is this catching - the DC just cleared a bag of toys for the charity shop too!

The zero food waste group sounds great blue, going to see if there is one local to me.

Thanks, Hazel! I think I've decided to keep them now. Even though they're too flat, they're also really fresh, soft and snuggly and, rather annoyingly, driving back to the shop probably isn't cost effective.

My out today is another bill! (We've saved over £150 per year on this one.)

Wow, good job there with the bill, Sand. Mumista, I read your post too quickly and couldn't work out why you were keeping children's art in the medicine cabinet! Hazel cross fingers with the corset. Blue good thought with a local food group - must look and see if there's one around here

No outs here today except for a decluttered bottle of wine over lunch but probably plenty of food decluttered in the next week as DS1 is home for reading week and eating everything in sight while he's not paying for it ! But it's lovely to see him and I'm sure he's taller again, so that's all good.

Charity shop and post office run tomorrow afternoon while I drop DS3 off on a playdate.