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

Can I join? I'm so disappointed in myself. A few years back I bought a Christmas tree for in the dining room and have never had enough space with all the clutter to put it up. Last year I promised myself that I would be able to put it up this year. But I can't

I also have bags of clothes that I last wore in 2005 before I put on weight in the hope they will fit again at some point as well lots of "stuff"

That's most if my wardrobe, @WistfulBarnacles. Decluttering weight should be my second NY resolution.

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow that's already the decluttered pile of decs! Mostly inherited from relative, all really good quality stuff I like but would never buy myself so its staying. I really just need to go through the loft. DP has already mentioned several items from that that can go to the tip and a few more I want to sell.

Hey, Wistful! Welcome to the thread! You know, it's not too late. It's not quite Christmas yet. Just start!

wistful if you haven’t worn the clothes and they’re already bagged up get rid of them. Odds are when you lose weight you’ll want to buy new anyway.

Hello Wistful, good to have you here, welcome to the thread! I think a lot of us have found that clothes from the early 2000s, kept for "when we slim down" (ahem) aren't what we want to wear when we finally get there. If they're already bagged, can you just charity shop them so someone can get some use out of them? I did this earlier in the year with some packed-away clothes that we'ren't going to be "me" by the time I could get them on, and a couple of lovely suits I was holding on to for the idea of who I'd been - I've not had a suit-type job since 2001, so you can imagine how up-to-date the styling was!

Can you identify a space in the dining room big enough for the tree and work on clearing just that?

Can you channel the energy you're using to feel disappointed in yourself into just making a start, somewhere? It will make you feel much better, I promise.

Hmm, Keiki, I see the issue if your boxes of decs are post-declutter. Have you thought of turning the bath into a storage space ? Let's think outside the envelope here!

Today I'm aiming to go through more magazines in my bedroom (18 months' worth, 2 years old, unopened, professional reading). I don't have to do it and it makes me anxious, so I think I'm going to open them, scan the contents briefly for anything unmissable then recycle.

Right now though, I have to leave for a counselling meeting to declutter some stress in 15 minutes, so I'd better get dressed!

greenwillow I don't have a sombrero either and have another two baseball caps for dc that were a gift from their uncle and really naff. I need to teach the dc it's ok to donate presents you don't like straight away rather than hang on to them for ten years because it's some sort of obligation.

I have been wrapping presents. It's not exactly decluttering but the tree kind of looks 'finished' now so I'll take it as tidying the house.

My main decluttering at the moments is the freezer so yesterday we had home made shepherds pie. I am specifically going for home made stuff as I don't know the date of them so in the next few days we'll mainly be eating spaghetti bolognese, chilli and shepherds pie as they're the things I always make too much of.

Welcome wistfulbarnacles I am going to repeat what I think I said yesterday that when you finally lose weight you will look at the 2005 clothes and not like them so get rid of them now! This has happened to me a few times

Would you like to describe your dining room? We might be able to offer support if you make that your number one target. Perhaps you can just allocate 15 minutes today to go through some stuff. Just set a timer on your phone and let us know how it goes.

Dhs old boots have gone in the bin. I made an executive decision.

He bought new ones and these arrived yesterday. So one out one in.

A load of receipts are the out for today. We're off to visit family for a few days so the decluttering will cease until after Christmas. That said the food stocks will be decluttered!

ememem84 I have made several similar executive decisions about DP’s crap things. Pants with holes, a T-shirt from a stag do where the groom has since divorced and remarried , crummy primark shirts with the collar worn down; it’s amazing how often they accidentally fall in the rag bag.

I’ve chucked a load of mini-crap lurking on what I laughingly call the mantelpiece; rubber bands, hair grips, plastic tokens etc. I think tomorrow I might unashamedly sack off work (meant to be WFH but there’s not much to do) and start some cleaning and tidying up to avoid losing my shit on Christmas Eve when it still looks like a tip...

I'm definitely not losing my shit, no no nooo! DP is supposed to be doing the house with me but apparently needs detailed instructions in order to complete every. little. thing. I'm not going to rant on (tempting as it is), instead, I'm going to tell you about my outs today.

I've cleaned out the fridge - quite a bit of ood food and packaging plus 3 jars have gone out.

I've also finished wrapping presents which need to be delivered soon. I've started on the others.

Lots of washing and cleaning is going on too.

I'm also going to have some brown tinsel going out - apparently, I should have specified not to buy this. (Smh.)

On the subject of clothes, I find it hard to let go of clothing BUT there is a huge difference in the way I feel in flattering clothes that suit me vs things that don't suit me. It's too painful to cull massively in one go so I drip drip to the charity bag. I'm also more careful that the limited garments I buy now fit these conditions

1. Must fit properly now. This is my happy weight which supports some indulgences and fun. If I get slimmer I look better but miss out.

1. Must fulfil a purpose eg there is a gap in my wardrobe, is a basic or replaces a binned item

1. I love it.

I have major work to do decluttering my clothes!

Talking of clothes, I've taken a break from the Christmas madness and have now got 2 coats to go out. This includes my absolutely favourite coat ever! It used to look so good on me and feel so good too. But it's worn now and tbh, too small. I'm in 2 minds about letting it go but I know it's time. It's thick so will leave a nice bit of space in the wardrobe.

I’ve been really busy at work and ill this week but have still managed a few outs, went to put the washing away and couldn’t cram any more in the chest of drawers I store towels and bedding in so chucked a couple of manky old towels and a bottom sheet. Our bin men will take rags/fabric in the recycling so they just need to go out on bin day.

Last year I gathered up all the Christmas wrapping paper and cards and bought a plastic box to store them in and put it in the loft with the decorations and it has paid off because 1. I’ve not tripped over it in the house all year and 2. It’s all together rather than scattered all over so I’m using up all the random little bits and I’m not tempted to buy loads more as I can see I’ve got an entire storage box of Christmas paper already.

Tomorrow is the day though. I have two and a half hours child and work free, a mad glint one my eyes and a bin bag. Watch out clutter!

@PickledLilly great idea re wrapping storage!

This year I bought two rolls of Christmas paper. Then realised I needed to differentiate between ds’ and dd’s Gifts. And dhs. So I bought plain rolls of blue and pink paper for the kiddos. Dhs are in Christmas paper. The rest will be Christmas paper with name tags. Didn’t want to waste tags on ds because he’s 2.

But the leftover “plain” paper can be used for birthdays etc.

I dream of childfree time to declutter.

I've had a crazy busy week so far but managing a few outs. Today it was out of date stock cubes, earlier in the week took 6 old medicines to the pharmacy for disposal, got rid of two bin liners full of fabric that I had had plans for but I was sick of seeing, passed on a kids air bed and sorted out loads of DDs old toys to sell or take down the charity shop. I'm off work now until after new year so time to actually get things out of the house. I'm getting pretty ruthless now, it's great!

Oh and yes yes to using up toiletries before buying more, I have so many but I'm banning myself from buying more for now.

Sleeping - Yes! It feels great when you start to make that shift from struggling to let go of everything to really enjoying getting rid of things.

I wrapped half my presents tonight and in doing so, noticed that my dedicated 'wrapping box' (which holds everything for wrapping from sellotape and gift tags to fancy gift bags), is broken. It's got a big split and hole in the bottom, with sharp edges. The good news is that it got me thinking and I've realised that I don't use or need most of it. I haven't replaced any of it for years! It's just the same old stuff, sitting in a box! So, I'm going to get rid of it. The sellotape can go in another household box. The gift tags can go in the Christmas decorations box. I think I'll probably get rid of the rest.

This is going to leave a big hole on a shelf. Probably not for long though.

Re toiletries, this might sound really tight but I always cut plastic shower gel, shampoo etc containers, whether they’re the soft, flexible plastic type or the rigid, harder type, which is a bit harder but can be fine with sharp scissors.
I then rinse them over me. There’s usually enough in for one or two more showers or to wash my hair. Conditioner especially can be stubborn when it comes to getting the dregs out but rinsing the empty bottle and tipping it over your hair leaves it nice and soft anyway.
I’m trying to switch to bars of soap but using up leftover and gifted shower gel first.
I’m trying to declutter but I hate waste too!

@Papergirl1968 if I can I add water to the shower gel/shampoo/conditioner. Then get the last dregs out that way.

Spent 4 hours tidying, decluttering and tetrising the loft last night. All the boxes of decorations are now up there and there is tons of space!

However, the bathroom is now full of stacks of drawers, paint cans and other stuff that needs a sort through - some to use for the baby, some to chuck out. Drawers came with the house, many more units up there but by 11pm we'd run out of space to bring more stuff down, and enthusiasm. Paint also came with the house, but looking at the colours not even the person we bought it off! Also brought down a car seat that I hated using with DC1 as the straps kept twisting so will chuck out and replace for DC2.

Tip run needed at the weekend. Also a few more presents out today.

@Papergirl1968 I do that too! I also have a Basket of Bath holding all the soaps / samples / mini bottles of stuff I found when I first went through the bathrooms. The rule is we shop in there first, although DS2 has Opinions on smelling like rose petals when he could smell like Lynx . I'll probably have finished it all by the time DS3 (9) leaves for University...

Christmas wrapping is at the top of the stairs on the middle floor, so theoretically easy for everyone to find and the Box of Wrapping Tat is on the bookshelves there. I have no doubt at all I will still get "Mum, where's the....?" at 10pm on Christmas Eve from DS2!
Yesterday's outs were:
the end of a jar of jam I used to marzipan the Christmas cake.
the smaller (unusable) locking wheelnut from the car before the car before last (it's ok, I think the garage we sold it to scrapped it because the aircon went pop and it needed £££ more work to fix than the car was worth!)
a "cut glass" doorknob

Today I need to:

• go through the intray in the kitchen because people have just been dumping stuff there and it's all about to fall in the dog's bowl.
• Decide what to do with the Sewing Projects basket in our bedroom - it's full of stuff I've promised to do, but I keep tripping over it. I think it might go in the loft for a bit.
• make DS3's Santa message on the Portable North Pole and declutter that off the To Do list
• go round the house with a big black bin bag!

Wow, Keiki, we cross posted - that's an awesome amount achieved! I have paint at the back of the garage that came from old last house, 15 years ago next year, with us. Must put getting rid of that on our New Year List.

Is anyone else building a list of decluttering / improving jobs to do next year? Our from door / window really seriously need repainting and it's started a list that goes on for several pages!

I did a digital deuterium yesterday evening. Deleted some people and groups from fb and Instagram. Deleted Snapchat and deactivated my Twitter account.

Also deleted some unused apps.

Wow keiki that's an amazing amount done, it' really good to clear out stuff like old paint that's been hanging around forever. Tell us how you dispose of it. In my area the tip no longer takes it so you have to add sand to it and then put it in with your rubbish bag. It feels wrong to dispose of paint like that - and what if you don't have sand? Annoying to have to buy it.

My dc are off school now so I will be unlikely to do any big projects. I am annoyed that I didn't finish decluttering my dining room or bedroom before Christmas. I am going to try to do ten minutes a day in one of them. Also I am going to go through stuff with dc to get rid of before Santa comes.

Right, went back over the chest of drawers of doom and culled a further two towels and three sets of single bedding and a few random pillowcases. Cleared the bottom of DD’s wardrobe and got rid of her voile curtains that we took down when we re-decorated her room and now can’t put back up because her bed is now under the window, a few pairs of too small shoes and moved too small school polo shirts into DS’s ‘to grow in to’ box. And the dog helped me out by weeing on some paperwork on the floor ‘to sort’ so that was sorted straight into the bin.