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

Put away, dammit!

Papergirl1968 - mind you, I'd have been pretty horrified to receive mice although my cats would have been delighted.

I've just done a quick look upstairs and I've added a few more items to my charity shop bag, Two boxes of Yankee Candles in a scent I don't like and a candle holder (I have three that I love and don't need any more).

I've also got rid of all the packaging I was saving in case any Christmas gifts needed to be returned - embarrassingly that included the packaging from Christmas 2018 that has sat on a shelf for a year just in case

My aim is to clear 2020 things from my house in 2020 - approximately 6 things each day.

Running total 56/2020

I'm trying to sort the next size of clothes for my 6 year old boy - my question is how much is enough - what should a spring/summer wardrobe contain for a 6 nearly 7 year old boy.
I am putting away perfect jeans and tops that he didn't wear. I have a habit of buying clothes for him that I think he would like and then he doesn't. He wears a uniform Monday to Friday so not much else is worn during the term. Any suggestions as to what exactly I should include to reduce waste in this area?

If he wears school uniform most of the time, then 4-5 t-shirts or tops, 4-5 bottoms (jeans/joggers/shorts/trousers) and 2 jumpers should be enough? Could you get him to pick from an online shop, or take him with you to buy his clothes so it’s only stuff he’ll actually wear?

I have been reading about capsule wardrobes for children - one said 6 tops, 5 bottoms and a hoodie. He does a lot of sport so need to factor that in and also the weather. I'm going to give it a try and be much more organised with the laundry and see how it goes.

The rubbish laundry basket has gone out to the bin and I emptied the contents into it. Found loads of the other halves of missing odd socks at the bottom !! They have come back in but the basket is done. Just the big plastic storage box to do

Two rugs gone today as planned, few out of date things from the fridge (hate wasting food).

Thanks for the nice welcome.

I hate waste and can be a bit of a hoarder, but I have found ways to use this to my advantage. Pretty bottles and jars are used as spice, grain and herb storage, with frequently-used spice mixes already made up. This has actually saved me a lot of space and clutter as I can combine multipacks into one bottle or jar and it also saves a lot of time in the long run! If I have to buy new herbs, some more gets added to mixtures, too, so I have a running supply of, say, chilli mix, Italian herb mix or curry base at hand.

I have sorted part of one of the bathrooms today, thrown away a few old and empty shampoo bottles (DD has a habit of not checking) and will keep working on the rag carpet I'm making to get rid of a few more old clothes of hers.

The kitchen is next; it'll be more of a using up mission than throwing anything away, but I prefer that to adding to landfill.

We have been given so many sweets I could open a shop; the kitchen is in an absolute state with packets of sweets and chocolates everywhere. I've used some in my chilli yesterday and will probably use up a few more in cooking over the weeks, but it just seems endless!

Sorting through one of the drawers while cooking tonight.

vinorosso I think you should be able to sell the shopkins - we sold a bundle for £10 on Facebook (a playset with a load of figures) I've had pretty good success with toys on Facebook and eBay, if it doesn't sell I list on eBay for 99p always goes higher and someone gets a bargain if not 😁

currently mid way through my room, bin liner and broken plastic drawers out so far.

can't wait for bin collection tomorrow we had gone to 2 weekly here and then the extra Christmas rubbish plus being pushed back a few days because of Christmas day/boxing day means 2 extra bags by the bin!

£140 of direct debits cancelled. Cash for the week being withdrawn tomorrow. I'm on a mission !!!

I must read more carefully, I was quite confused by the decluttered mice.

Willow, thanks for the reminder about not keeping things which make you feel sad. I've got a family heirloom which does that. I've been debating getting rid of it but I feel kinda guilty and sad about that too! I'm still building up to it but I think I will let it go soon.

One pair of slippers out today. I slipped over in them as the tread was worn so they've gone.

Cancelled my kindle unlimited membership. Don’t need it.

Used up a Clinique take the day off travel size and also a bath bomb today.

Dsis did gift me a bag for life of toiletries she was given as end of term gifts though. Mostly bath bombs and scrubby things. I’ll use it all though.

A couple out today: a pair of DH’s worn out shoes, and the towels from the swimming bag, which have been upgraded with new ones from Sainsbury’s sale.

When I started doing this I was keen to make sure it didn’t create more landfill waste, and stopping the flow of things coming in was just as important as things going out. I’m getting much better at only buying things I really need, and that are good quality. Hoping to keep it up in 2020!

Cancelled my kindle unlimited membership. Don’t need it.
In the same vein, I unfollowed loads of my Likes on Facebook. Some interesting things have started popping up now - things that I don’t even ever remembering following.

I’ve been slowly s l o o o o w l y decluttering for the past year and 2020 is the year I need to finish this! My buying and low level hoarding mentality has massively improved but there is still a lot of work to be done. Just before christmas the medicine cupboard of doom got sorted out - I keep opening it and staring in happily so I do know the benefits of decluttering, just need to stick at it. I find it hard to let things go, but need to focus on what the me of 2020 needs, not the me of 2002!

ruudgullit I love your running total. I think I might borrow that idea. I think I might aim for 3 items a day so 1095 (worked out in my head so possibly wrong).

(Welcome ruud and any other newbies I have missed. This thread is too fast to keep up with on my phone).

I've had a really productive day. Lots of tidying and finding homes for Christmas presents. I have also gone round collected xmas card envelopes and wrapping paper to recycle and gift bags to reuse next year. I have also been collecting the immense amount of chocolates and sweets given to the dc to store in the kitchen in one place rather than under their beds (where I'm sure we really would get mice!). I've also chucked out some newspapers and magazines from December (yay! only a few weeks old!), rearranged some furniture and hoovered. My house just seems fresher and clearer. I have about 6 bags of rubbish to go later in the week (they're hiding behind the settee so you can't see them!)

Oooh yesterday I also took some toys to dparents so ds has something new to play with there!

penelope interesting you said that about fb. I’ve had that too!

Ememem I’ve read the jumperoo folds but haven’t worked it out yet although tbh we use it as a ‘quick, dump Ds there so he’s safe whilst I get shoes on/go to the loo/answer the door’ etc so it needs to be ready for action.

Pickledlily that’ll make sure a difference once you can get rid of the childminding toys.

I’m desperately trying to use up all the Christmas scented candles so I can throw them away and having read about the safety of air fresheners and cheap candle smells any more that get gifted will go straight to charity if they’re paraffin candles and not using natural scents.

We have 2 big bags we’re hoping to take to the charity shop today. Including some Christmas presents which I feel guilty about but I won’t use them and they will clutter up the house for a few years before I get rid of them in the end anyway. 4 big bags of recycling have just gone with all the Christmas wrapping etc too.

I need to start decluttering when back but also need to combine DD and DS’s clothes, toys and books into one room as they are now sharing. Wardrobe is out as they have the airing cupboard in there. Thinking bigger chest of drawers and a big kallax for toys plus the trofast for things like Lego. Am I missing a trick? I want them to be able to get their own clothes out which is a worry as the little one is quite little and maybe would struggle with a bigger chest of the drawers (the one we have won’t manage both). Thanks

chaosonthehorizon my dds have the biggest kallax - all boxes are organised into toy type and have 4 cubes for their books. under their bunkbed they have big plastic drawers - one for school uniform, one for outside school clothes each. they have a small plastic drawers with underwear, socks, pyjamas in. the plan eventually is to use the kallax as a room divider to give them both privacy once in secondary.

unintentially decluttered my Disney teabag jar I smashed it by accident this morning. never seen another one like it 😭

decluttered my Disney teabag jar I smashed it by accident this morning

I did that yesterday, smashed my Emma Bridgewater coffee canister

Managed to find another one on eBay (it’s one of a set) but it’s cost me £££.

Posted too soon, I wanted to say that I would have shrugged my shoulders at breaking just about anything else but this is a favourite thing that sits on the side and gets used almost every day. C’est la vie.

yule there’s a white button on one “leg” press it and separate the green bits then fold in on themselves. Youtube it.

@Chaosonthehorizon have you considered a tallboy? We have one for our toddler (and had it since he was born) and he has been able to use it by himself since the age of 2 1/2. Together with a chest of drawers it could be perfect for 2.

I've just de-toddlered the house a bit more. The potties have vanished from all the bathrooms and toilets as he is now tall enough to climb onto the loo by himself, with a toddler seat and I got a bit fed up with the unnecessary cleaning out of poo when he can just do his business in the loo instead.
I've also got rid of all his plastic spoons; we have 4 sets of steel toddler cutlery and a number of teaspoons, so more than enough.

The tween is, as always, reluctant to de-clutter.

I'll continue looking through my own room; it's kind of a dumping ground for everything we can't fit elsewhere (including damp washing on various racks), so I need to look into more efficient storage.