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

Mattress has gone off to the dump. Hoorah! £25 for someone to pick it up but money well spent in my mind.

Not quite sure where to start today. There's a lot of washing to sort out-to put away and to be done.

Recycling has gone out. Bins have been emptied and picked up.

Been through the medicine cabinet and ditched some head lice treatment (empty) an old bottle of throat infection relief mouthwash (also practically empty), and decanted an almost finished mouthwash into a new bottle.

Also currently using up a pack of dishwasher cleaner.

I'm going through my books. Some will go to the charity shop or sold online (maybe), others will be recycled due to me writing in them when I was younger (was encouraged to do so in them as they were interactive things.)

I need to go through the toiletries again. We've got baby clothes we no longer need but are storing them for the next family member who gets pregnant.

And we're finally eating the last of the frozen butternut squash tonight. Does that count?

Eating butternut squash definitely counts :)

I have been lazy but am back to it today!

One bin bag of packing paper given away to a neighbour who is moving

156 emails deleted

Bags dropped off turned away from the cookbook shelf twice (too daunting) will return to that later. Inspired by others upthread going to have a pick through medicine shelf

sandandsea I laughed at your suggestion to look at the TV manual! I have no idea where it is. My manuals seem to be all over the house no matter how often I try to find one place for them and I regularly find a manual for an item that has died many years before. But thank you for the suggestion, I am keen to sort out my many CDs and DVDs.

Welcome lemonade, cheekyfucker, moglovesmincepies and apologies if I’ve missed anyone.

3littlerabbits a child saw the craft sets going into the charity shop and decided she didn’t want them to be thrown away - even though she didn’t want to do them on Friday - so we opened a couple yesterday, started on them and she got bored! I am going to have to sneak them out! The main thing is two bags went of the three so it is progress - just not as much as I would like.

Total has gone back to er… 18 our of 1095! or maybe 17? I can’t be bothered to count…. Given that it’s only 1 a day I feel pleased that I am achieving that.

vinorosso that comment also made me laugh!

So as well as the charity shop I also finished taking down the last of the xmas decorations. Even though they’re beautiful the house seems so much bigger and clearer. I have decluttered emails so far and updated my 2020 diary with a few dates which is so satisfying to feel organised. I never properly finished my dining room and bedroom declutter before xmas so when dc are in bed tonight I’m going to get rid of a few bits.

Laundry all in hand and put away. Got a couple of other jobs done including booking DD's birthday party.
Tidied around our bedroom and found a lot of stuff for bin/recycling. A few bits in charity shop bag. I noticed one shop near us can't take any more donations so need to check before I take my things.
Listed something on Freecycle.

Don't worry, Stealth, most manuals are online these days. Maybe try googling it.

Thanks, Willow. Bit wiped today, that's for sure.

Struggling to find time now I’m back at work, must stay motivated!

Only 2 things today but it's better than none.
It's much harder when I'm back in work so I think I'm going to aim to do most of my clearing at weekends.

The good news is that where we have cleared an area both DH and I are making a real effort not to reclutter it. We are actually filing or dealing with paper work as it comes in.
It's early days but long may the new us continue.

Running total 276/2020

Today’s outs: a plastic cracker toy that I found in a drawer, some random bits of felt and a council leaflet listing last year’s bin collection dates.

I’ve also had an epiphany with my fridge: any veg close to expiring goes into a certain drawer so it’s all in one place and it encourages me to use it up. Tonight I cooked three leeks that were on the turn to have with dinner. It feels so good to be wasting less food!

Brilliant idea on food waste there, Wondering. This evening we decluttered the end of the Christmas Stripey Cheese into a sauce for smoked fish. Feeling very thrifty and housewifely as a result. I also bravely decluttered the end of a bottle of alcohol-free white wine that was taking up fridge space!

I also got the accounts totally up to date and my tax return submitted, so the filing system is smooth and shiny and hopefully I will stay on top of the accounts in an ongoing way this year (hollow laugh).

Running total 369/2020.

109/2020, today’s outs;

Broken soap dish
Two burnt out foam glow stick things from school fireworks night
Tube of superglue
Broken dinosaur snapping to (tried to fix with superglue, bodged it, blamed dried up glue, threw glue out as well)

Took a bag of clothes (already counted) to the charity shop at lunchtime, quite a big bag so it’s freed up some space in the hallway. I have also decluttered some of the leftover fancy M&S Christmas custard, delicious with a sliced banana 🍌

Morning all! Very brief go through the top of my jewellery box this morning - decluttered three bits of broken necklaces and a pair of broken earrings that remind me of a very old boyfriend who made me very unhappy. I'll have another pass through later on. There are drawers.

Some unavoidable ins today as it is my birthday - hurrah! - but mostly uncluttery ins - kindle books, downloaded knitting patterns, new socks to replace holey ones. I feel very loved and grateful that people listened to me!

374/2020

Yesterday's outs - finished a sample-sized moisturiser, binned a tub of health food supplement things that DH doesn't take anymore, 2 toddler jigsaws into the charity shop box and 2 empty boxes from toys in the recycling. I have no idea why there are so many empty boxes lurking in this house. It's ridiculous! I did spent yesterday afternoon catching up with laundry so everything that is clean is now ironed if needed and put away. I've also made a much-needed appointment to get my hair decluttered at the weekend.

Work's a bit slow this week so I have another day at home today. I need to sort out some wfh stuff but I am going to try and reorganise the shelves in the living room and hopefully find a few more outs along the way. One thing I did notice was that when I tidied the living room last night after the D.C. had gone to bed it didn't take long at all so decluttering is helping us to stay tidied.

Total is up to 116/2020.

Happy birthday Willow. Hope you have a lovely day!

One out yesterday-old printer box 128/2020

Ok, does anyone else have a box of "things that are hell to try and categorise, organise or otherwise classify so they can be put away"? It's mostly "random things that I do love or like but I don't want just randomly on a shelf somewhere". I feel like that is my great big barrier to an uncluttered house.

I try to tackle The Box In The Study sometimes and end up just moving things somewhere else... where they clutter up and then they end up back in The Box. It's all in a box in the first place because then I can pretend it's not there and that I have reached true house-tidying zen. I'm sure Marie Kondo would see right through me, perfectly organised socks aside!

Mostly it's a foot rest as it's under my desk, but that's ridiculous. And the logic that "if it's been in there for x length of time you clearly don't need it" doesn't really work because sometimes I find things I've been looking for, or things that just plain don't have a home".

Example content, for context:

1. A hanging thingy that is filled with lavendar. Has long since stopped smelling and actually, now I notice, the hanging bit has also come off. But it's cute. I don't want any more things on doorways because the cat paws at them. I think my grandmother gave it to me about 17 years ago. She's still alive and will never visit, so I could get rid but then doesn't it go to landfill?
2. A strange photo frame a very dear friend gave me, which I will probably never put up but might? Still in its box.
3. A decorative glittery hedgehog that I love but is fragile (see earlier re: cat)
4. A snowglobe. I don't like desk clutter so don't really want it out, but I don't want to get rid either. My mother slightly stole it for me when I was very small - a colleague was chucking it and she asked if she could have it instead.
5. (two) notebooks with a hand-translation of a favourite book (came out not in English first, and I was desperate to read it). No longer in touch with the sender, and now I have the "professional" translation in the bookshelf. I don't need two copies, but it seems a shame to chuck when so much effort went into it.

Help!!

I think it's because they're all slightly sentimental and I'm terrible for attributing guilt to throwing things out. This is why I'm here!

Happy birthday IWill sounds like some well deserved ins. Have picked through the cookbooks agreed with OH to get rid of 6. Also found 5 other books to go.
The box of stuff sounds difficult Mom why not park that for now go for some easy wins and revisit another time. I also have some sentimental bits like that and wonder about an old fashioned cabinet of curiosities to display them!

Happy Birthday, Willow!

Something else we share... as well as cluttered houses!

We got word yesterday that our carpets have been delivered, so I need to crack on over the next couple of weeks, then arrange a fitting date for the living room/dining room one. I am toying with the idea of doing some skirting and ceiling painting as well, but not sure how I'll manage that with the dogs.

17 bits to the charity shop
3 bits to the charity shop "bin" drop-off
23 items from The Box ditched

^dead elastic bands, anyone? Balls of foil? How tired was I when I put everything in here "to be sorted later"...

Oh, woops! So that's 150/2020 so far.

Happy Birthday, Willow! Hope you have a lovely day!

I've got a couple of ins today in the form of new laundry bags. With all this rain, I've really needed them to go to the launderette and the bags4life/sacks I was using just weren't doing the job well enough. I'm pleased with my purchase as they tick all my boxes and won't be wasteful.

I've got another bit of kitchenware going out. I've been debating it for ages because I love it but I just don't use it. So, it's got to go.

Also out: a plastic thing. I don't have a word for it. Or a use. So, it's going.