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

A card game with some of the cards missing has just gone!

I solemnly swear I will not clutter this space back up.

New flooring laid and I think looking super. Worth all the clearing out.

👍🏻👍🏻

Wow! Defender, that looks amazing! Are you going to insist the rest of the family stay upstairs for a fortnight so you can keep it clear? .

Lots of packaging decluttered today as I have (drumroll please).... finished the wrapping ! I have never been fully wrapped this early before except the year DD was born (and even then, by this point I was in a newborn fug of milk and no sleep and tinsel. I have no idea who got what that year).

Also a dried out white board marker in the bin. Now I am decluttering a sherry before dinner, because I can.

I have no doubt there will be more to do tomorrow.

It's peculiar the vicarious pleasure I get from reading this

I know exactly what you mean, light.

Welcome, @Papergirl1968!

I came home tonight and binned a deodorant straight away - it just wasn't doing the job. (It was almost empty so not too wasteful.)

I've also done a tip run today - the car is the clearest it's been in ages!

I tried to drop some bits off at the charity shop too but they rejected them so I've got to re-think that.

@Defender90 I love your new flooring!

Thank you, Sand - I am spurred on by the unwelcome news that I’m going to have virtual strangers here for most of Christmas Day and indeed most of the festive period (long story).
The floor looks lovely, Defender.

Tomorrow We are having our front porch replaced. I’ve only just found this out.

So I’ve cleared all the coats from the coat rack. 19 coats. For essentially two of us. And a sombrero. Will sort through them tomorrow.

I’m also going to take stuff to charity shop and look for a small sideboard. We have a long Ikea unit but it doesn’t really go with the living room. If I can get something for around £30 (they’re usually good at selling things superbly cheap) happy days and I can then sell our unit.

Extra firming neck cream (clarins) finished. I squeezed the life out of it this evening and slathered it all over my neck and shoulders.

Also found a pair of pants which have seen better days (and the matching bra went the other day).

As predicted, today not quite as productive as I'd hoped, but the baby is much better. Filled the 30litre kitchen recycling bin with various boxes and art creations. Cleared the kids table. The dining table still looks a mess and the kitchen is bareable but could be better. Can't clean the bathroom - see below.

The tree is up and the bathroom is full of boxes of decorations. Need to have a sort through the loft at the weekend to make space for them all.

Is it too early for new years resolution? My aim for next year is to find a home for all my homeless clutter. I have 2 big boxes of it

I was able to start decluttering some of the goodies I have been making. Caramels went to a friend and dh took some truffles to another friend tonight. More will leave this house this week too, which I'm excited about.

Golden syrup gone. We had about four almost empty bottles and a tin. I’ve used up one bottle on my porridge (about a teaspoon). And will decant the rest into the time later to make space in the cupboard.

The window guy is here to replace our front porch. 😂

Of course you have a sombrero, ememem. Who doesn't? Good luck with the porch replacement and looking for a sideboard.

Keiki pleased to hear the baby is better. A bathroom full of boxes of decorations sounds less than ideal - could you cull some?

light, I too get completely excited about other people putting things out. Odd, isn't it? I am putting out the Pants of Avoidance today too. I never wear them and would rather buy more than put them on, so out they go.

Hello Papergirl1968! It must be difficult to face near-strangers for Christmas, although we have my sister and her family (amongst others) coming on the 28th and I have to find a balance between Clean, Lovely and Festive but not Snootily Tidy and Too Well Off (my family dynamic is bollocks).

Off to declutter wet leaves into the green bin in advance of the last collection tomorrow. Have a good day!

willow well exactly...who doesn’t have one?! Dh brought it back from Mexico for me years ago. He apparently had to wear it on to the plane....

I’m baking. Have used up a bag of boiled sweets (no idea where these came from) and am making stained glass gingerbread biscuits. Never attempted this before but figured I’d give it a go. Fingers crossed.

Welcome userxx it's a great place for support and chat about organising yourself, cleaning as well as decluttering your house.

userxx I found that I hung onto lots of clothes and when I finally lost weight I didn't actually like them, they looked old fashioned. Now I am much better at just throwing them away and not keeping them in the wardrobe for ten five years!

sydneycarton as I see it every year it gets a bit better, it's ongoing, especially when you have kids. My house this year is significantly better than last year which is better than the year before etc. I think I'm most proud of how much emptier my kitchen looks this year. I decluttered a bread bin my ex bought me, a coffee machine and a knife block - all took up lots of room and I have so much room for food preparation. Having said that as everything I have bought is frozen I don't need the space.

I hope you get everything in your delivery. I have a delivery of frozen food on Friday evening and will buy fresh stuff on the 23rd or 24th.

Welcome papergirl I would be inclined to take it to a charity shop with other stuff and ask if they want it? I have bought things like that in charity shops and not minded. I've also taken things I wasn't sure about to see what they think.

I have gone through DVDs with dc and put about 10 in the charity shop pile.

defender90 I am so jealous. That floor looks amazing.

papergirl1986 blimey that's stressful having strangers in the house. You can get a lot done in a week. Alternatively just copy greenwillow and declutter some sherry.

19 coats. ... And a sombrero.

This made me laugh. It seems to sum up modern day life somehow.

"The Pants of Avoidance"

Love this!!

I think I've finally finished the Christmas shopping. I know I said this a while back but it turned out that DP's master plan for his side of the family was to give everyone cash, even the children! So, I had to take over. (Do you remember that washing-up advert with Robbie Coltrane? Well, it's kinda like that.) I'm worried that 2 of the children might compare presents and one of them might be upset so I might buy another little thing. But then, the other one might be upset. I've been doing this for hours now. (They don't even say thank you.)

The good news is that the tree is finally going up today! That will mean that the living room is done and then I can start on the chaos which is the dining room.

Bags dropped at charity shop. Couldn’t find a side board so will keep dropping in every now and then.

@ememem84 I too have a sombrero!!!! And I am a committed minimalist, but live with some DC and a DH who are not....

And I am posting on here instead of hitting the last of my decluttering - but I did get all the Christmas decorations up and I returned all of the boxes to the attic - DH was quite impressed as it is usually his job (I'm tiny so it is an awkward job for me) but he was working late so myself and 13 year old DS did it - I'm quite proud of that!!!

Wet leaves decluttered into bin to be collected tomorrow morning
Old clothes decluttered into clothes recycling bag to be collected ditto.
Lego put tidily away in DS3's room so it is Out Of The Way for Christmas.
Utility room tidied by putting away the tins and throwing away a Rice Pot Noodle (IYSWIM) that everyone hates.

I feel left out, I haven't found a sombrero (but I am reaching tipping point on the sheer number of baseball caps hanging on the coat pegs).

If dh doesn’t turn up to the car soon he’ll be decluttered. I’ve been waiting in the car with a very tired and emotional ds and Dd who is getting hungry for her next bottle.

Hope he turned up and everyone got fed, and into bed, ememem. I've just decluttered 20 magazines into tomorrow's paper recycling (they were stacked down the side of the bed and I'd forgotten about them!) and a collection of really, staggeringly, ugly scraps of material gifted to us for quilting that had frayed too badly to be used. I've also passed a paperback I don't want on to DD (she keeps books to "prove" to herself she's read them. Anyone want to hazzard a guess on how I've ended up where I am today ?)

Repeat after me: the item is not, in itself, the memory!

Everyone fed. Littlies in bed. Dh turned up.