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=

Thanks all, inspection meeting was fine. The poor over worked HE bod (one of two people to support 700 HE families in the county!) was very happy with what we're doing, and I have a bonus super clean house!

Keiki, it is well known at washing is squared by the addition of an extra family member, not just added. Sad but true. The jump from 4 to 5 is worse, and 5 to 6 is exponential!

Now all the tension around the meeting has gone I feel like a wet rag, but will try to get this blasted dolls house and some books out today. Looks like I was right and all the car seats are too old for anything other than the tip.

Well done Willow!

I've been slacking the last few days but DD is taking 5 unused toiletry items to school tomorrow for the school fair. I need to tackle the study of doom next.

Well done, Willow! It must be a relief that that's done now.

I've ticked off another 'renewing insurance' job. I couldn't bear to spend any more hours trying to find a better deal so just went with what I had and paid the bill. I'm glad it's done.

Out: a pair of broken tweezers.

I'm feeling a bit stuck regarding some of my sentimental papers/course notes/writings etc. I've got far too much. What have you all done with your own school/uni etc work? If you've let it go, how did you do that?

That's great news willow and it must be a good feeling having a clean house that will last for two minutes with four children and the willowhound

I ended up having a good afternoon with my tetris tidying. In tidying some things away I found myself chucking out some old instruction manuals, birthday cards from a child's 2nd birthday, and some photos of ex-husband and exmil which I'll be giving to him at the weekend. That's about 30 items but sadly they only took up the space equivalent to about half a shoebox so I haven't really cleared a dent.But every little helps.

I also found an old notepad which had to do lists from a couple of years ago so I made a very quick admin to do list for tomorrow and I'll start using it.

sandandsea I think I threw away all my uni work other than essays/ assignments so I have just one ring binder of it. At one point I had a whole big box. I probably have 50 books from university that could be thrown away. I didn't read them then so I'm unlikely to read them now - but I like the feeling that I have a few shelves of intelligent books!

Willow - nice to hear some positive news this week!

Stealth - glad I sold my Britax car seats before they started using Best Before dates!

Sand - I still have a lot of school and Uni notes. I started throwing some school notes out around 5 years ago. I kept some that might have come in handy for dc exams, but in reality things have changed so much that they were never used. I threw out a bit more this summer. I also threw out a couple of lever arch files of Uni tutorial work as well, but haven't plucked up the courage to start on the notes yet!

Talking about Uni books, I brought down a box of DP's from the loft in the summer. He is older than me, so these are science books from the mid-seventies. I wanted to donate them to the Charity bookshop in the town that I work, but he refused and said he wanted to keep them. Why? He is not look at them ever again, if he hasn't looked at them in the past 25 years. They are out-of-date and not worth anything on eBay (I checked! ). And he, of course, is the one who teases me about being a hoarder. Sigh!

Sorry - it was Willow with the Britax car seats, not Stealth!

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days but MiniRum has been poorly so haven't got much done! Did manage to sort through some of my pre-pregnancy clothes and have added a few to charity bag. Just need to take to the shops now so it's out of the house. I've also re-cluttered my house with Christmas presents, but at least they'll be an out once Christmas comes.

Willow - Sorry to hear about your DH and the car but congratulations on the good inspection!

SandandSea - I binned all my old school notes, and have kept the very few 'interesting' pieces of uni work, and my dissertation in case I ever decide I want to read that again...which is unlikely!

Vino - that's good you've had some success with Facebook now. That's what puts me off it a bit is being messed around.

Keiki - the washing! How?! We've only gone from a family of 2 to 3 and the washing is endless. How does someone so small create so much mess. Now I understand why people have tumble dryers!

I can identify with the study of doom and school/ uni notes and books. I actually managed to get rid of some paperwork from the study yesterday but it's a tiny dent.

Yesterday I also got a hat and necklace for the charity bag, a couple of small electricals to be disposed of at the tip and cut up some old membership cards. Today I passed on some craft bits for my BFs son. But acquired a few bits while Xmas shopping- oops!

Oh and can someone please tell me I'm not the only one with floppy disks still stashed away but no possible way of accessing the contents Guess I should find and bin them.

You were right, Stealth, we are no longer tidy. But I know in my heart we are are underlying clean and that will have to do! The car was inspected yesterday too and it looks as if no serious damage was done, although there'll be some panel beating involved.

Probably just small outs today, although I discovered yesterday that I can sell lego sets for a decent price even without the box. I may need to rebuild a couple of them for photographs first (oh dear oh dear ).

I've been reading @roseypeas House Princessing thread too, although we're nowhere near ready for that yet, and so this week DS3 and I have planted bulbs in our garden and DM's and hoed a couple of flower beds.

I have to pop into town to pick up a Christmas present for DD today, so I shall take some charity shop stuff with me.

And tonight, I have bribed DS2 to babysit and DH and I are going on an actual date, to an actual gig. It is a very long time since we've been out together to anywhere other than Tesco, so I am very excited.

willow that's a good way of putting it 'underlying clean'. My house is 'underlying clean' too.

I have made a list just for today. Will try to avoid mumsnet and get things done. It's tidying jobs but they will inevitably lead to me finding old crap to chuck out.

One of my jobs is to buy myself flowers. Feeling a bit down that I have a boyfriend but don't see him very often and no-one has bought me flowers in years. It's better than the alternative which is to eat the children's chocolate advent calendar!

Good idea, Stealth.

I've been organising DP to do things and am very pleased that he has started mending our cooker. (Any sense that we might not have an oven for Christmas and he was on it!)

He's also agreed that we can get rid of the stereo. It doesn't work properly so we hardly ever use it. It's not even that decorative; actually, it's an annoying dust magnet. I'm waiting to hear from a buyer now.

Hmm, there are boxes and boxes of school and uni notes in my mum's loft at the moment. I've been comtemplating binning them, I'm sure she'd appreciate it. haven't looked at them in the last 10+ years so can't see what use they 'd have! Uni books I have kept, but there were only 3 I bought and they relate to my hobby anyway so not totally irrelevant.

I've just realised I have several mothercare vouchers that I guess I need to use up! Best research car seats, hated the used ones we were given for DC1.

This week:

I cleared out some kids’ craft stuff to donate to local nursery and charity shop. Also board games and jigsaws for charity shop. Got a large carrier bag full to give away, but what’s left seems to have spread out and filled the space again! Magic.

I also cleared kids’ play table and coffee table (looks much better but refilling already) and a couple of shelves.

It’s not always easy to see much difference, but as there is less stuff and what we have is what we actually want...it does feel a bit better! Just need to keep it up.

Frustrating day today. Person was a no show for the free item; went to put broken toy in small electrical bin near us but bin wasn't there and nobody interested in item for sale! On the plus side did some Christmas shopping.

I'm. Proud of myself today. DD came home with her P E kit for washing. I took one look at her trainers which are a) too small and b) knackered and binned them immediately. She has the next size up to take to school on Monday. No dithering!

Progress here :

Sent DH and DS off to Charity shop with - 2 pairs unworn shoes , some sealed toiletries (they were BOGOF and I didn't like them enough to start the new ones) and a suit (outgrown barely worn)

Some worn shoes to the collection bins (at the recycle)

Bag of clothes at one of the kerbside collections

I have some bedding ( used but still functional) and a couple of jumpers to go out when I can persuade someone to take them .

Lots of tidying, admin and washing done but not so much decluttered, just a few papers that need to be shredded. The house is looking a lot better but there's still lots to get rid of.

DH and I have just cleaned the living room.
We’ve had dust storms here and everything was coated. We decluttered dust, cobwebs, small clouds of dog hair from under the sofa and armchairs, and chucked out a large rug (it’s going face down in the walkway of the veggie garden to suppress weeds). Multiple small crap and rubbish bits into the bin, but there’s more to go.
Looks much better. Certainly couldn’t have applied ‘underlying cleanliness’ to that room!

Hi again everyone!

Just wanted to check in and thank you all again for your loveliness.

I’ve arranged a few hours of childcare for my baby which is helping no end!

I’ve enjoyed catching up on your progress. Sorry to hear about the car, willow, but glad it’s not written off. Well done for the inspection, too!

Penelope- I bet it feels amazing now! My living room is currently a disgrace as I’ve pulled loads of stuff out. It’ll get worse before it gets better, right?!

Ah, Brutus, I know that "worse before it gets better" feeling. Usually accompanied by being unable to see the room at all and it being 30 mins til you need to start cooking tea! It will right itself eventually. Babysteps! Glad you have some support with the baby so you have time to approach things on your own.

Hoping for more outs here today, but I'm not going to list them in advance because that seems to somehow move them to my mental Done List and they stall.

Stealth, you should absolutely buy yourself flowers. I'm sorry you don't get to see Lovely BF as often as you'd like and maybe don't feel valued as a result? DH made me coffee in bed for the first time in ages today and it has made me feel quite special and looked after - are your DDs old enough to do the same occasionally?

Returning to the idea of families and washing... When we were a family of 4, even using real nappies, I washed on Mondays and Thursdays and that was it! Going up to 5 people pushed us to a wash every day, and now with 6 and a dog it's 2 or 3 washes every day. Our washing machine lifespan is not great. I once calculated that I was washing 42 pairs of pants and socks and 42 tops/ formal shirts a week, never mind bedding, towels, jeans, school trousers, kitchen stuff etc - and retired immediately for a lie down!

And speaking of which, I need to get on with today. Happy weekend, all!