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'm really glad to see that you're all still here. I had good resolutions to stick with this last year but didn't last unfortunately. Going to try again for 2020!

Lots of cardboard boxes collapsed ready for next kerbside collection or top run whichever happens soonest. Christmas cards sorted for recycling (or bin for the glittery bits) Some DVDs and outgrown t-shirts selected to start the next charity bag.

I’m sticking to one a day so a weeks worth I reckon

Busy busy!

I have got rid of over 100 items today, many of them old toys that none of them play with anymore.
All ready for the charity shop.
I'm calling it 100 items, because after that I gave up counting!

277/2020.

Still need to do more though!

Happy New Year everyone!

And welcome to all the new members!

I had a bit of a break from decluttering in the run up to Christmas, but am back with a vengeance! A local carpet shop had a really good Boxing Day sale on and I have taken the plunge and ordered new carpets for the living room and dining room; and the hall, stairs and landing. Gulp!

This means that I have to declutter and tidy enough to be able to move things around for the fitting, which we are arranging to do on two different days, a week or two apart. This is being made easier, because, like Willow, I am in the process of decluttering an adult DC to a place of their own. That will give me extra space both upstairs and downstairs, to move furniture into temporarily, along with boxes containing their contents.

So, I have spent the last few days trying to make some progress in the dining room, which has become a general dumping ground. I have found 3 or 4 things that I had lost over the past couple of years. It was paper and cardboard bin collection today, so I managed to get rid of quite a lot there. I am still not sorting paperwork properly at this moment, but am taking a first pass through, putting like things together into cardboard wallets, and chucking anything that is obviously redundant. I found a pile of gas and electricity information leaflets that were over 10 years old. Sigh! Also, the instructions and servicing details for the boiler that came with our last house – that we replaced around 3 years before we moved. Another sigh!

I have started a new Charity Shop collection, and also hope to drop some stuff off at the recycling site tomorrow.

I am sticking with 1 thing a day, as I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, although, I am hoping that this is the year I manage to get everything sorted out.

Only 4 items out today so far.
A broken earring, empty earring box and two out of date spice packets.

I tidied and organised my jewellery (Mainly by doing a sweep around the house of all the different places I’d left things) meaning I found some items I’d forgotten about.

Running total 253/2020

A few more items here to bring me up to 50/2020; couple of bits from the food cupboard (crabmeat three years past BBE anyone?), instruction leaflets, manky old pair of free spa-type slippers DP took home from our holiday in August , and a cracked mug. I’ve also chucked some slippers but they’re being replaced so I’ve not counted them

Hi, quite new to this. Just put out two old lamps and a bag of two-small kids clothes for tomorrow. Hope I can keep this up as i did think about it last year but never quite got round to it.

For those who have been doinf this for year - how are your houses now in terms of clutter? Are you more aware of what you're bringing in to the house to begin with?

I've cleared 5 bulging, black sacks of laundry since yesterday and in doing so, have more 'outs', including my Christmas tablecloth which is now looking worn and stained.

Hi, @RuffleCrow! My house is really quite clear now. I've been on the thread for, I think, over 2 years (? since the first thread) and was clearing for quite a while before that. I've still got personal paperwork (uni notes etc) and photos to go. I'm definitely more aware of not bringing more in. I did a no-spend month a while back and ended up extending that for several months - I really got into it!

Ending the day on 66/2020; a load of old nail polishes well past the use by dates, an old MP3 player, a hairband and a random packet of biscuits from a hotel my mum stayed at in Burnley #exotic

Hi @RuffleCrow, my house is cluttered a lot because ex never wanted to part with anything, so it will take me a while to get it where I want it to be, but I'm enjoying just getting rid.

Another 2 sacks gone, so let's call that a other 50 items.
327/2020

Two of the kitchen cupboards of doom. I’ve been dreading dealing with the cascade of Tupperware that fell over every time I got a plate.

I’ve still got more to do but I’ve made such a difference today, my kitchen is quite limited on storage so reorganizing things really helped.

Newcomer here! I feel I have found exactly what I need in this thread!

We live in a 3 bed semi, me my husband and my 5 year old DD. We have a baby on the way, due in July!

Recently I have been feeling totally overwhelmed with the clutter in our house. I have a strong urge to hire a skip and chuck everything in it! But instead I shall do one thing a day.

We have 6 months to get this house as clutter free as possible!! (And then we can fill it straight back up again with baby related clutter!! Lol)

Does anyone else have a garage full of junk? Ours is full of old toys and furniture. It is SUCH a mess!!

Should I start in the garage or my house? I can’t decide!

Hi @RuffleCrow! I haven’t been on the thread that long (though lurked for a while) but have been decluttering/aiming for a more minimalist home and lifestyle for a good few years now. Our house is fairly clear now, but I find that I need to do a regular declutter to keep on top of things, especially with two (soon to be three) small children who seem to breed mess and crap! I’m not quite at the point where I feel I’m happy with the amount of stuff we have, so I’m keeping going with the purge!

Welcome also to @peanutfoldover! I’d probably start with the house in your situation, as you’ll feel the benefit there first as you spend more time there (I assume!). I found the easiest places to start were clothing and books, as I don’t have much sentimental attachment to them. I’d recommend starting with something easy, to give you a boost to keep going.

I’ve done fairly well today - I’m up to 141/2020, having got rid of a host of random things including books, toys, CDs (we don’t even own a CD player, so no idea why we’d hung onto those for so long), clothes and shoes.

I’ve also identified a number of things to list for sale so hopefully that’ll turn into some more things for the ‘out’ total over the next few weeks.

Beautiful cupboards, @PickledLily! @RuffleCrow I reckon I've been on here about 14 months now and my house is noticeably easier to clean and quicker to tidy. We're still not minimalist by any stretch of the imagination, but we have fewer Things. And I try to think about what I buy, not just mindlessly acquire.

@peanutfoldover, I'd start in the house with a baby on the way (how lovely - another thread baby! Which reminds me, has anyone seen Woogle in a while?).

Hello again Keith, welcome back. Sydney, does you mum get all the exciting trips? .

Only one more thing out today - the end of a Molton Brown mini handwash that I tipped in my bath.

258/2020

Did anyone else see the really irritating article in the Guardian this morning, about decluttering all being a con aimed at Millennials? Best of all, the whole thing was a puff piece for the author's book about... Decluttering!
[[The empty promises of Marie Kondo and the craze for minimalism

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/03/empty-promises-marie-kondo-craze-for-minimalism?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard]]

Hi @RuffleCrow! I’ve been working at it, off and on, for about a year and a half, I think? It’s definitely made me more conscious of what comes into the house, I try not to buy new things unless I really love them. DD only gets toys at birthday/Christmas, so we’re not drowning in kids stuff. DH is not a minimalist, and probably never will be, but I’m getting there. It makes me much happier to not have so much stuff to deal with.

Today’s out: the Christmas tree! The living room seems enormous now!

Thanks all - you're giving me hope!

5 dead biros today. Not much but I was determined to get something out!

96/2020

Aha! I have a doppelgänger! I do desperately need to declutter too, but I'm not the PickledLilly you are trying to get hold of @IWillWearTheGreenWillow .

I am quite jealous of PickledLilly's tidy cupboards however.

This certainly isn't a quick fix, Ruffle. But I think it's great for developing long-term habits.

Welcome Bunkerlife it sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you but time to start planning. Have you thought about what you’re going to do first? Personally I would try to do something that made a big visual impact like getting rid of a piece of furniture or clearing a big surface but obviously that might not suit you. Some people have had great success here starting with their lofts which then means a clear space to move things into as you start what we call the tetrising of where you move things around to clear spaces.

SandandSea that sounds brilliant, I love it when just getting rid of one item makes such an impact.

KeithLeMonde some of us will always be here! Welcome back.

Welcome RuffleCrow like sandandSea I’ve been on since the first thread - think it might be three years. I still have an unbelievable amount of stuff that I don’t need but I am very careful about what I bring in now. My house has lots of storage so much of the clutter has always been hidden but I used to waste my time looking for things or buying things we already have because I couldn’t find them. Looking around now quite a lot of my shelves and drawers have empty spaces and I have got rid of a few bits of storage furniture too.

PickledLilly wow those are so organised. I love the plastic baskets.

Welcome peanutfoldover one a day is really achievable - that’s 180 items in 6 months. You’ll probably find you’ll get into it some days and do more than 1 item a day but even if you don’t there’ll still be good progress. I would start on something that make a big visual difference. So perhaps furniture in the garage?

pickledlily

So I don’t have much of an update for today. I had a playdate and the girls did some hama creations so I intend to iron them and give them to the mum to clutter her house! I gave them the choice of about 8 craft sets and they were so disinterested I’ve decided to give them away. I used to go a bit mad in hobby craft or Sainsbury’s sales after xmas so most were things like felt reindeer kits or santa keyrings. Many haven’t been opened, i wish I’d looked at them before xmas but when dc go back to school next week I’ll sort through them.

Joining!

DC2 will be our final baby. She is 1 month old and just moved up a dress size so starting with a baby clear out . Already have a large bag of clothes to donate to a charity shop and have been adding to it daily as the things she grows out of are worn.

When I was pregnant I had a huge clear out of toys from DC1 and his old clothes that I did not want to keep

@StealthNinjaMum my house is quite big with lots of storage so doesn't look too bad but I have an area on my landing that has for a long time been used as a dumping ground for peoples unwanted stuff so that's first.