Decluttering one thing a day part 10 - the countdown to a clutter free Christmas

[StealthNinjaMum]

It’s the 10th thread and we’re still here!

We’re a group of mumsnetters who aim to get rid of one thing a day to develop good habits and gradually declutter our lives.

Newbies are welcome, those of us who’ve been here for some time have all seen dramatic improvements in our homes, the way we organise ourselves and even mental health. So if you’re new just check in and update with your progress and join in the general chat about recycling, housework and ways to be organised.

Previous thread here.

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

I just typed a long post and lost it! I also suggested freecycle for the boxes in the hall!

I am too tired to retype everything but will do a bit. Welcome flounderfish and ginislife

My house is a mess at the moment with homeless presents and sacks of paper to be recycled. I’ve just done two loads of washing and hoovered so my life is getting back to normal.

I am also wondering whether to throw away some old towels and buy new ones in sales. Some of them are scruffy. It’s not really decluttering. Suppose I could eat a box of chocolates....

16 pairs of socks out. Got bought loads of new ones and instead of just cramming them
In the drawer I’ve chucked out a load of old pairs that I haven’t worn in ages.

I’m particularly delighted with one of my Xmas presents. I asked for an over the door shoe hanging thing with plastic pockets. It was only about £8 from amazon and while it’s not the most attractive thing in the world, it doesn’t matter as there’s only a built in bookcase behind the dining room door I’ve put it on and that door is usually left open anyway. It’s got rid of the clutter of shoes on the floor and it’s easier to find a matching pair!

I’m also going through a bagful of old knickers, most of them sadly several sizes too small and won’t come up above mid thigh, so they’re for the bin. Although I have found one pair which still fit and are comfy so they’ve been upgraded to the underwear drawer!

wandering7777 I meant to say £150 is a lot of money and I totally understand how you feel but as you get better at this you’ll get better at making buying decisions and in the long run it’s a learning experience. Some of us have wasted hundreds or thousands in clothes we don’t wear so it’s sort of the same - just feels a bit less painful as it’s not in one go. I have no real advice but n how to sell it to make the most money (perhaps keep trying on eBay?) but think about how much money you won’t be spending as you’ll not get carried away on eBay again.

Papergirl - I’ve seen people using those shoe holders for all kinds of things online - make-up, hair products, craft supplies. Great in children’s rooms for odds and ends.
Also, regarding your knickers 😳, I love it when we find something we can actually still use and then we start using it. Really feels like a win.

Like these, although really they should be getting rid of some if they don’t want clutter - but maybe this isn’t clutter to them because they love the items.

Hello again 😜 my Christmas was manic with the four kids. Didn’t get to stop all Nov / Dec with Christmas shows etc.

All decluttering stopped as presents came in and I couldn’t move. I was also making a gift for a friend which was very labour intensive. So my house is a tip again.

Dh has been to the tip today and I restart today. Lots of clothes to charity. So I need to catch up on everyone. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas?

Yes Penelope, our bedroom doors have pegs on for hanging dressing gowns etc, but actually hanging pocket thingies would be really useful in a bathroom or nursery to put various lotions and potions in.

Feeling a bit better about it all, we had a quiet day at home and I was able to sort out the toys a bit. DH are still debating whether to TTC #2 (I’m in favour, he’s unsure), so I’ve sorted a bunch of toys to either keep for #2 or donate, now that DD’s outgrown them.

Also got a bag for the charity shop; I don’t know whether to ask my mum to stop doing stockings (as I only end up donating it) or just accept that she enjoys doing it, and just suck it up.

Our visitors stayed later than I expected today so I've had to leave DP and DD to start emptying her room pre decorating and we'll sort out post decorating instead.
Good news is the food in the fridge has been well decluttered!

The box and laundry basket in the hall are loaded with tat !! Need to go through them and load the black bin.
I have folded laundry into an ironing pile in my office and put some work stuff away in a cupboard today. A small win.

Thanks @StealthNinjaMum. I really am a prize eejit!

I woke up this morning feeling a little more optimistic. One big benefit of decluttering is that once it’s done, and everything I do have is in its rightful place, I will know exactly what items I need - meaning I will waste far less money in the future. I’m hoping to get my £4.5k debt down to zero this year so it’s quite crucial!

Ok..twins arriving this year and already have two! Desperately need to de clutter but am a hoarder and a ‘it might come in handy’ person by nature, also we are keeping something things that we may well need in a bigger house like a shoe rack etc. Please help me. I am lucky and haven’t changed size much and will go back to work eventually so need to to keep work clothes etc. Spare clothes all vacuumed packed and in the eaves but we are drowning in stuff still. Have some family bits and pieces, china etc which again would be able to have out in a bigger house but am feeling DH pressure to get rid of (his side doesn’t have stuff he would want or is worth handing down).

Hi everyone!
I hope you had a good Christmas and managed to avoid too many ‘ins’! We didn’t do too badly here, though DM did what she usually does and felt compelled to supplement the kids’ main present with an additional 5 or so presents each that weren’t needed. Managed to convince kids to keep some at her house for playing with there!
I’m trying to use the time over the Christmas period to reassess what we have vs. what we need. I will try to make some in-roads into listing bits on FB/eBay over the next few days though I suspect it’s a bad time of year for selling things!
I’ve come to the realisation that I still keep things that are for the ‘me’ I wish I was, rather than who I actually am. I thought I was good at not doing this - eg. I no longer keep clothes that don’t fit in the hope I’ll slim into them! - but I think I’m guilty of it on a larger scale with things like furniture. I hold on to extra chairs in the hope that one day we’ll have an additional reception room, or extra storage items “because one day we’ll own a house with a separate play room for the kids”. Yes, hopefully one day we will have more space, but that day is at least 3 years away, probably more like 5+ years away, so why am I stuffing the house with large items that we don’t need now? I think it’s time to be a bit more honest with myself about the life we have and what works for us now.
So yesterday I went through the kids’ toys and all the other assorted crap that lives in the living room and tried to get rid of what I can and then tidy it in a way that saves a bit of space - it was starting to feel like the living room was trying to suffocate us! I haven’t counted ‘outs’, but I’d guess it’s over 50 things.

Just seen your post @Chaosonthehorizon - it sounds like we’re fairly similar in keeping things for a future house! I’m also pregnant with two kids already - this one is due early Feb (just the one baby here though!)

Welcome, @flounderfish, @GinisLife and @Chaosonthehorizon! It's good to have you with us.

@Clettercletterthatsbetter - I've done this too! I kept 4 extra, fold-up chairs for years (over 10) "for bar-b-qs".

I took back an unwanted present yesterday and have another mug going out today. I'm going to try to get to a charity shop with a load more stuff today too.

Penelope- i put my daughters school tight, pants, socks etc into a shoe holder like this. Makes things run smoother in the morning as she’s the only person I dress now.

I hit the sales yesterday. I must try to not go again. It forfilled a itch and I did mostly buy things I need to replace for the kids but I did get some extras for my dd. Also ordered a few Jojo bits in their sale as it’s the last year it will fit her 😭 but that has a good resale price so I “think” I’m being good.

Still never got round to my bedroom properly either.

wondering7777 I know how you feel. We have debt (more than yours) and I do get frustrated at the amount of money we must have wasted over the years. Stealth's advice is spot on. The more you do this the better you get at letting go and more mindful about what you buy. I have tried eBaying as a way of getting back some of the money we've spent but the amount I've made hasn't really made much of a difference so I've given up now. I feel better with the things out of the house than seeing them all the time and being reminded about the waste of money! Today I have put an expensive dress into the charity bag. I wore it once to a family wedding. It doesn't fit me anymore and I was going to sell it but I've been meaning to sell it for a year so today I've decided I'd be happier to get rid.

Boxing Day's outs were lots of food and wine and one pair of socks. Yesterday was more successful. I started tackling the laundry piles so more socks have gone and a pair of pyjama bottoms (I got rid of the top months ago). I used some gift vouchers I've had for a while to buy a new handbag in the sales. I ordered it online on Thursday and it came yesterday. Two battered and worn handbags have gone out in its place.

Today I have emptied a box that was in our bedroom. It was mostly paper so it's been recycled. I've also spent time checking and updating our budget and we haven't overspent by anywhere near as much as I thought which is good.

I've got a couple of hours to myself this afternoon so I'm going to try and watch some of the programmes I've recorded this week.

Aaaarrrgggh! Our hall and lounge are overrun with stuff from DD's room- sanding done, her and DP are cleaning stuff down then we can start painting. Binned a few random bits from in there.
Got rid of the excess recycling at the dump this morning. At least the kitchen is less cluttered now.
I bought a half price bubble bath set in Boots today which I won't count as clutter as it's stuff I like and will use.

I have four bags (so far) of clothes for the Charity Shop (DH did a long overdue cull)
Some kitchen things are set to go out (some to the dump, some to the Charity Shop)

I am going to try on my jeans that I haven't worn for heaven knows how long to see if there's any earthly reason to keep them (I think the answer is no) . If I do meet my target to lose the weight round my middle then I'll probably need new jeans anyway ? These are Bootcut Next Slim'n'Lift and one of the reasons I stopped wearing them was the fact that without a belt they slide down after an hour of wearing .
With a belt I have a zip , two buttons and a belt to undo before I go to the loo.

@Custardcreamfiend thanks for the reply. Mindful buying is definitely the way forward! I think I’m going to take the print down to our local charity shop.

I managed to get a couple of bags-4-life to charity today.

I've also bought my first e-cloth. (In the sales.) Quite pleased so far.