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=

Oh dear, Blue, sorry to read that. I might be clutching at straws here but is there any chance you have a photo with the pics in the background??

I got the item out of the bin, it is fine and perfectly clean so DD has put it in her room. She then proceeded to have a panic attack whilst DH glared at me. Ffs he has no idea how much time I spend sorting out their clothes, sifting through outgrown stuff, buying new bits as needed, getting feet measured and buying shoes, organising toys and passing on old ones, sorting out their craft stuff, tidying the bloody playroom and getting storage organised, sifting through books etc etc etc. I make ONE mistake in 9 years and suddenly I'm a villain.

Thanks @SandAndSea

Oh, Blue, that's so irritating. Have you tries the Posting To Grandma trick? After a given period displayed at home, all pictures are put in a big envelope and posted to Grandma, who often rings up to say how lovely they are, but ensures they are never seen again!

That's a great idea! 🙂

I cleanered out a folder with paperwork - some from 8 years ago! I was looking for something but didnt find it.
I brought a bag to the charity shop this morning with baby clothes.

Oh @Bluewavescrashing just what you don't need. It's really tricky, I struggle with getting rid of old craft makes. Not sure my DD is that observant so I get away with a lot.

Toys are hard, I put stuff that hasn't been touched for ages in a bag, don't get shot quickly enough and DD discovers them and declares them her favourite. That said I had a toy I sold on FB collected today.

I've also managed to weed out more paperwork, feeling great to finally be tackling it! And deleted 550 more emails last night.

I sorted a pile of clothes into those that can be mended quickly - missing buttons, etc - and those that are too damaged to be worth trying - mostly holes. Clothes for mending are now neatly in my mending box. There are probably more that can go for rags when I look through them again. If I declutter too quickly I get panicky.

Two pairs of LB’s school trousers went into the ragbag for donation. Ragbag now full, and in van.

Decluttered - two pairs school shoes, hardly worn, lovely condition
Two pairs holey school trousers.

Hope things are better this morning, Blue - that was very unfair yesterday. I can't remember how old your DDs are, but I only get art from DS3 (9) now. We go through everything he's produced half termly or thereabouts and choose one thing to display, a couple of things to go in the Art Box Of Things To Keep, one thing for Grandma (if she's not drowning in art due to previously mentioned envelopes!) and we photograph other things he's proud of. I do find he regularly volunteers to put stuff out if I keep doing that. DD produces endless art (mostly watercolours) too, but she curates her own Insta feed of it and as long as I can mostly see her carpet, I ignore it!

More books into the charity pile yesterday, and I moved boxes of photographs from high up on the fireplace shelves to low down on the bookshelves in the study. They're now easier to get to and the fireplace shelves look much less like a Wall Of Stuff, so I'm pleased.

Today I want to try to sort out the lego technic sets that DS3 inherited from his brothers - he finds it just too fiddly with the dyspraxia / hypermobility, so I'm checking the bits are all there and passing them on to the toy bank / charity shop, unless they appear to be worth ebaying. The lego minecraft I was going to sell, because it turns out to be rare, I built to photograph and DS3 immediately commandeered to play with! This is good, though, because he is relaxing enough to play again. We have made a "lego village" in a corner of his room of a police station, half a ninjago building, a bit of star wars lego etc and it is currently being ravaged by lego dinosaurs. I thought he'd forgotten how to play, so that is really lovely.

I'm happy, just had another marketplace item collected. And I've used someone else's idea of popping money from those sales in a jar. I've got more to list and I expect it'll soon add up.

I sat with the tv on last night going through more paperwork and got rid of a wedge more. This thread is definitely keeping mite motivated!

Good work selling stuff @SleepingSoul.

Normality has resumed this morning. In fact DD admitted she tries to keep too much stuff. Everyone was tired and grumpy yesterday--weekend is definitely needed!

I've done a laundrette run and a charity shop run today. So, I've cleared a load of laundry and got rid of my latest pile. The stereo has also left the building.

Haven't managed the lego decluttering today, but I got another big bag of paperbacks to the hospice bookshelves in Tesco - and all but one of the ones I took a few days ago had gone! I'm counting that double .

I have managed to wrap all the presents to be brought by the jolly fat gentleman, except 3 still in transit and 3 perishables that don't wrap. I am hugely proud of myself, I don't think this has ever happened this early before, even the year DD was born (she will be 15 next Saturday). I have a list of which paper relates to which child, and it's all safely stored in my wardrobe.

I've got a few Christmas decorations out of the barn and found some material I want to try to use as reusable wrapping for family presents. Now the children are decluttering the end of the sweeties for the fabric advent calendar, I am decluttering a glass of wine and all in well with the world.

Enjoy the wine @IWillWearTheGreenWillow.

I'm planning a tip run tomorrow. Odds and ends. My life is so exciting 😁

That's nothing, Blue, I totally forgot to mention my thrilling hour spent emptying and scrubbing out the fridge! Lots of elderly condiments removed, including some chutney we made in (wait for it) 2001! It was like tar! However, at least I know the drains are clean now .

I am currently decluttering a jar of Epsom salts in my bath & catching up with the thread a bit.
Yesterday out went an old tube of dried up glue & a broken toy that I thought got chucked before we moved! We literally moved rubbish! And smallest child nearly managed to retrieve it from the bin.
@Bluewavescrashing I’m glad reason has been restored.

I can't bring myself to do much today except prod DP to get rid of some of his clutter. Consequently, we've got 5 pairs of rather worn man-pants going to the rag bin.

@sandandsea at the man pants.

I've actually done a skip run today! The microwave and various small electricals have gone, along with a load of old tiles and some small furniture. My car has a big boot and it was fairly full.

I've also binned a couple of old sun lotions that were probably a way past their use by.

Decluttering Epsom salts is a worthwhile mission, Cold! Ruddy children rescuing things from bins. I used to put things out in the dead of night!

Sand, man-pants out counts double if you convinced him it was his idea .

Today, I'm counting a double declutter - I found a duvet cover of my grandmother's (she was very forward - thinking in some ways) that is too old fashioned to use as bedlinen, and have repurposed it to cover the kitchen chairs with bang up to date mid-century fabric . It was that, or have the seats wear right through, which we can't afford right now, so I'm really pleased.

Decluttered a broken bauble whilst putting up the tree. I also accidentally decluttered the tree lights by catching the vacuum on the wire and hoovering them up; needless to say they are now broken and I need to get some replacements. I'm not cut out for fancy Christmas stuff am I?

Maybe it was their time, Vin?

I'll have to remember that for next time, Willow.

Well done on the repurposing! I love things like that.

I've done a little more. Outs:

Some packaging. (I admit, I was holding onto it 'just in case'.)
A bulky key ring which hasn't been used for years.
A bottle of natural moisturiser which was over 5 years out of date!!

Hi all. I have fallen off the wagon with Christmas looming. I have put the tree up which has displaced the toy pile.

I’m trying to write up a housework timetable with decluttering worked into a schedule. Let’s see how that goes!

Not sure if want to just try to keep it tidy until after Christmas or keep clearing out. I am a bit lost again

Hi, @Medwaymumoffour! Good to see you back on here again!

How about just decluttering one thing a day for now? I think we can be so easily over-whelmed when we try to do a lot at once. Do one thing.

Another way, which can be great when you have a lot, is to set a timer for, say, 10 minutes, and then move at speed to fill a bag. Maybe you could get the whole family on it, make it a competition to see who can declutter the most in the time? If this seems too much though, just do the one thing.

Let us know how it goes.

Editing fail.

Do one thing