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=

I managed to have a quick sort out earlier whilst babyRum slept and got rid of some old paperwork (love a good shredding) and now have one bag for charity of coats and shoes, so that's an out when I manage to pop by the charity shop. I need to aim to do a bit of sorting each night when baby is in rather than collapsing in front of Netflix!

Tuesday - out - one outgrown school sweatshirt.

I’m so pleased that I’ve reached the end of the tidy-and-sort of the school clothes. Socks keep turning up, all either dark grey or black. Very mysterious!

There are a few items that are slightly too large, and are now in a separate cupboard until they fit.

Seven too-small vests are in the kitchen. They have been washed so often that they are very soft, but also very off-white. They’ll make good polishing cloths.

Just cleared out my present drawer with 23 odds and ends that won't be suitable for regifting. Small unwanted toys in perfect condition, colouring packs, toiletries etc. They are all going to the school Christmas fair to be sold for funds for school. Interestingly 3 items came from there last year, were never used by us and are going back!

Meant to share the joy of a present drawer which can actually close, containing only gifts that will actually be given. Clearing it took 3 mins tops.

This is very much a week of ups and downs.

Yesterday, we got the charity shop and toy bank boxes out, hurrah! Was feeling very gung ho about continuing with the rest of the house, sorting out, putting to rights, clear by Christmas etc.

This morning, I have utterly crashed and burned. My attempts to declutter 4 stone of ugly fat seem to be failing. (Maybe I could cut a limb off? [Grin]) The dog is a needy, yappy little bugger that I don't much like. DS2 and DD both failed to get up and made it to school with microseconds to spare. DS2 is grumpy because he's got an appointment about dealing with the ADHD he doesn't want anyone to know he's got, this afternoon. (Anyone with a brain and eyes can join the dots and see he's got it). DS3 needs help with big homeworks (by big, I mean roll of paper on the kitchen table, keep going til you're done kind of big). No-one tidied up after tea last night (DS2 was meant to) and I have a man coming to clean the oven at 2pm. I've forgotten to get the chicken out of the freezer. DH will be home late due to a late meeting. The Home School team want to inspect us next Thursday and I'm terrified. I've given up alcohol, sugar, grains and dairy so I can't even eat my way out of this. Broccoli isn't going to cut it

So, I'm hiding in the bath while DS3 has his last online lesson of the day, trying to reset. Wish me luck.

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow good luck. I hope your day improves, stressful by the sound of it

Just boxed up four big outdoor coats and posted them to Wrap Up the charity that gives warm coasts to the homeless in winter. Felt good to give them to a good home and it's nice to be able to see the pegs in the coat cupboard because they are not groaning under the weight of coats no one ever wore.

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow I hope your day got better.
Our bedroom is looking better but still have stuff to go. I spent way too long looking online for a sturdy blanket box/ottoman without any joy. I need to have a look in an actual shop at some. Once we have that the spare pillows and duvet can go in there which will make it look tidier.

I dropped a small bag to the charity shop today as I was passing one which is easy to park outside. It was a bag of miscellaneous bits that I had picked up from various rooms.

sandandsea love hearing about your packing. I’m jealous as I have 3 smallish underwear drawers that have things thrown in so knickers and bras are all chucked in together. Maybe I’ll reorganise them.

medway you’re doing amazingly well and have really got on a roll with this.

rumrumrum I sell a lot on facebook but I have got quite a good instinct now on what will sell having done this for years. It is a real faff waiting in for people though but I’m too lazy to go to the post office which is why I don’t do eBay. My key thing is that I set a deadline to sell it and if it doesn’t go I take it to the charity shop. I used to have things hang around for year ages. I’m lucky that I don’t really need the money but by selling things it is easier for dds to give stuff up as I tend to give them the money.

greenwillow well done your dh! It reminds me my husband had about 50 shirts that were ‘too scruffy’ that he refused to throw away ‘just in case’. I was so glad to see him pack them when he left.

By the way your house probably is clearer but as you’ve been doing this gradually you get used to it and it isn’t as dramatic as if you just Kondo’ed it.

I am in the same position with books. We have hundreds of childrens books including dozens of Enid Blyton that dd1 loved but I just can’t see dd2 ever enjoying them.

Anyway I hope your day got better.

purplefrog I remember the upheaval when you got that boiler, i bet it’s so much easier now! Likewise I remember my plumber commenting on my airing cupboard. I am DESPERATE for him to come back because it is so organised I love it.

I haven’t done much in the last few days, I suppose I have decluttered a small bit of nail varnish and a torn swimming cap. My mum - who I have probably moaned about before - has sent me loads of old childhood papers. We had an argument last month and she’s sulking so I don’t know if it’s some sort of statement but I am now in possession of my school reports, innoculation records, baby weight records. I’m wondering whether to throw them out. Any thoughts?

Haven't been able to do much today as MiniRum has been having a meltdown but managed to sort out some mail and old birthday cards to go out with the recycling so a little bit of progress. My parents are having the baby for me tomorrow so I can hopefully have a decent sort out/declutter!
Thanks all for the selling tips - I think putting a time limit on how long things are up for sale is a good idea @StealthNinjaMum I've still got bags of clothes I tried to eBay 3 years ago so probably time to charity shop them!

Oh I'm a hoarder (hence why I'm here) so would probably keep all those documents @StealthNinjaMum, but realistically do you need them, will you use them? Probably not so Bon them!

Do you like looking at them, Stealth? Do they make you smile?

Could you keep the funny/exceptional ones and bin the rest?
Even better, photograph the special ones and bin them all.

I think you should photograph the innoculation stuff and birth records too, but not keep them.

@StealthNinjaMum I can highly recommend tidying your sock and knicker drawers. High return for not too much time input.

Today is busy Thursday.
Things are happening which mean we are worried the sale may fall through. Arg. Am going to continue to pack and clean as if it’s happening.

@Coldhandscoldheart fingers crossed your sale goes ahead.

I think we’re worrying over nothing & it’s solicitors being slow, but I think we won’t relax til missives are done.
@StealthNinjaMum I do think old school reports can be quite a fun ‘down the generations’ thing. But could you store them electronically?

Sorry for yesterday's tantrum, it just all got on top of me. Today will be better.

Cold, crossing everything for your sale.

Stealth, I'd say, as a family historian, all those documents are of interest. I'd photograph the inoculation and baby weight records and then chuck them; but keep the school reports (if they make you smile) as they are a genuine window on your childhood for future generations. The feel of the paper can be an important connection to the past.

OTOH, if they make you sad and take up space, out they go!

Rum, hope you get lots done today!

Not sure what the plan is today. I got a big piece of work out yesterday, so I could take today for Getting Things Done ahead of Christmas - I've got at least a day's worth of sewing to get out of the way that will clear some space in our bedroom.

It wasn't a tantrum at all willow - some days things do just pile up emotionally as well as physically and you need to dump them to declutter .

I'm going to tackle a massive basket of 'useful things' I've not touched since it was shoved in a cupboard about eight years ago.

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow I read your list, and then got to you e also decluttered, alcohol, sugar and dairy & could’ve cried for you!

Will the sewing offer any relaxation for you? If so, I’d do some of that.

Right, I had a cup of tea & warmed up a bit, see you on the other side.

Can I join you? Am in the middle of a major declutter. Partly inspired by the death of a very good friend a couple of years ago, I helped her dd clear the house. All that stuff of no use or interest to anyone apart from her. I vowed I'd not leave my dc a mess to clear. It's taken a couple of years to get up momentum, but I really feel now it's more about the time and effort than the will. That's not to minimise the time and effort thing!

I had a breakthrough watching The Marie Kondo eps on Netflix. I can't do the whole minimalism thing she does, and the one category at a time thing doesn't appeal, but she asked someone the question "do you want this is your life going forward?"

That was my breakthrough, enabling me to let go of significant things, like books (I have a serious book habit!).

I really like the idea of one thing a day. With the books, to avoid overwhelm, I've been doing "every time I drive into town take 2 carrier bags of books and drop into a different charity shop".

I had to hire a skip after getting kitchen work done, so got a slightly bigger one than needed, kept it longer, and have been tucking into it broken crap that's been lying around the house and garden, very satisfying.

Don't want to lose momentum so thanks for the inspiration!

Today's out (by 8am) - I was keeping a fairy wand for dressing up even though it's seen better days. Binned it and felt instantly better.

Thanks penelope greenwillow coldheart rumrumrum all good thoughts. My initial thoughts were 'a week ago I didn't know these things existed, so let's shred them without reading them, and nothing's changed!' but I just can't do it. I read a couple and found them a bit depressing because my memory of my childhood is of being very bright and hardworking and actually my school reports showed otherwise! I had thought I'd be able to show them to dc but dc will see it as reason to muck around at school!

I actually want to do what rumrumrum suggested and bin them but maybe I need to scan them first - they can go in my pile of things to be scanned!

I think I was inspired by the person who on the first or second thread put the link to the Swedish practice of decluttering to make things easier for your children when you die. I do have thoughts that if I died my poor kids would have a mountain of clutter to go through and I'd like to avoid that.

The school reports might give them a laugh after you've died - the side of mum we never knew!!!

I think I was inspired by the person who on the first or second thread put the link to the Swedish practice of decluttering to make things easier for your children when you die. I do have thoughts that if I died my poor kids would have a mountain of clutter to go through and I'd like to avoid that.

This is very true. In fact I'm grateful to my mum as she's already put in place power of attorney etc and actively declutters her house with me and my brother in mind.

She recently had to empty her own mum's (my nan's) house after she went into a home and it was a huge job.

Lots more ins (mostly for baby) and no outs at the moment, but I need to do a big tidy today, so hoping to find something.

Stealth my reports were also not as great as I remember and actually made me sad of the missed opportunities, so I got rid of them.