The decluttering on thing a day thread - part 11

[StealthNinjaMum]

We’re still here.

After 10 threads my house still isn't tidy!

So join me and a lovely group of mumsnetters who simply get rid of one thing a day and report back. Gradually we’re developing good habits, reorganising ourselves, often improving our mental health and having friendly chatter along the way.

So newbies are welcome, just check in with your news and join in the general chat about recycling, organisation and housework.

Previous thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3760076-Decluttering-one-thing-a-day-part-10-the-countdown-to-a-clutter-free-Christmas?pg=1

ALSO many of us have set a target to get rid of 2020 items this year and will report on that.

@Elloello I do my best clothes decluttering when moving house... Can you do an imaginary house move? Is it worth paying someone to move or store these items?

Biggest decluttering motiation?

Have a new friend/ someone you fancy/ your future in-laws round for a sleepover. It's still a fair few months until the next one, but by all that is holy to me am I decluttering before then. Too many outs to count. A few ins, which are all storage-based.

Does anyone know of a really good checklist of questions to ask yourself about an item. To show yourself it's just not worth the space and heartache.

Watching with interest as I would love to know the answer to this.

Ok, this is going to sound ridiculous, but there's even a couple of kitchen utensils in my cutlery drawer that I'm sentimental about but never use, including an old slotted spoon.

They're only cheap things, but are each about 50 years old and used to belong to my great aunt. They're perfectly usable but I just don't seem to need them with the type of things that I cook.

On the plus side, they're colourful, do make my cutlery drawer look nice and give me a warm feeling when I see them. They also take up minimum space. Should I just keep them?!

My checlist is simple:

-Is it useful?
-Do I need it for my finances/ job?
-Is it still in good condition/ pretty?

If it's no to all of them, then it's an out. If it's a no to the last one, then I consider whether I can easily repair/ upgrade it.

Hello! I think I have found my people .
The thought of 2020 things out by the end of the year seems massive. We downsized from a 3 bed semi with garage to a 2 bed terrace without garage just over 3 1/2 years ago and I did 3 skips worth of decluttering then but crap has built up again. My resolution for this year is to get the house manageable again as it's much better for my mental health when it's tidy.
So far, in Jan I sold 3 items of clothing on eBay, sent 5 coats to the charity shop and threw out a load of wool oddments. Yesterday I gave away DDs buggy and I've listed a travel highchair on eBay. So that's 6/7 out of 2020.
Just having a restorative cuppa (been at a kids birthday party), and am going to tackle the stuff that's piled on top of our wardrobe. It's not been touched for over a year so am using that as a sign it's not needed.

Busy commitments/ill family end of the week so back to decluttering today. Out go 4 old phones - all way out of date/support and some carpet pieces.
440/2020

Aim for this week is to sort all the books currently stored in cupboards and boxes in the 'room of doom'. Have one new 'in' next Saturday - a bookcase for those books we are keeping.

A bit of an odd one.. just decluttered my phone case. It no longer has raffle tickets from a draw in November and old receipts. Two receipts have been sorted for expenses claims.

We had a party to go to this morning so decluttered a gift bag and the present. I find my motivation wanes on Sundays.
I also have a lot of clothes and need to create a smaller wardrobe of items that look good and go together.

@Reastie the Lidl roomba is good. Not as powerful as the shark, so carpets will still need doing, but enough to keep us ticking over on a daily basis (which I wasn't managing, at all).

We've done some shuffling today - DS3 has a new bookshelf from the garage, for school stuff; DD has got rid of her chest of drawers (currently under the stairs, but heading into the garage); DH has put a book out (but since 95% of our print books are mine, that's a greater feat than any of my book clearing).

Yesterday we decluttered things out of the freezer to make chicken crunch for tea and I am about to declutter a glass or two of Tesco 0% alcohol fizz while I have a bath and DH watches tv sport / supervises homework.

Still considering the possibility of a pretend house move / large skip to just chuck everything in!

sandandsea where I live there’re millions of independent coffee shops so I probably have a dozen loyalty cards. I threw away a load recently as the coffee shops had either changed hands or closed!

There isn’t an app where you can scan your more modern ones (eg Marks, Tesco) and then hold your phone next to a scanner in the shop. That way you don’t have to carry them around. I’m old fashioned and just have my cards in my bag with an elastic band around them so that they’re easy to find and not falling out of my wallet.

@StealthNinjaMum I think you can add your loyalty cards to Google Pay

stealth try Stocard. I have most of my loyalty cards scanned into it.

So I've sorted the top of my wardrobe, and some general bedroom crap, resulting in another 2 bags of rubbish ready for the tip tomorrow. Managed to empty an Ikea kallax box in the process, so that's flattened and stowed away. I also found the missing glue sticks for my glue gun so I've saved myself money by not needing to buy any more for my next craft project.

This decluttering lark is very cathartic.

I've avoided the wardrobes again today but have started to attack the utility room, it's left me raging what on earth happens to plastic food containers? About eighteen months ago I spent some money on some nice plastic boxes with colour coded lids and got rid of a stack with dubious fitting lids, today I have a selection of lids with no containers and containers with no lids and a shit load of takeaway containers that I neither want or need.
Out today:

22 takeaway containers
A selection of plant pots
Party plates, cutlery, bowls, glasses
5 pet bowls
6 Candle holders
15 plastic lidless food containers
2 flasks
1 manky shopping bag that I don't even recognise
5 drinks bottles
2 broken killer jars
A set of dariole tins
6 mini flan cases
A broken mop
Three half packs of serviettes
9 old toothbrushes
8 large carrier bags (the type clothes are put in from nice shops)

388/2020

Stealth, I'm old-fashioned too (and my phone is too full of photos to load any more apps).

I've been doing well, going through some of my old uni work, which I'm enormously sentimental about, even though I don't need it, as such, any more.

Outs:
3 sets of lecture notes
4 spiral bound booklets
1 plastic wallet which was disintegrating

There's more to do but at least I've done some.

Wow, you’re all doing so well! Dd is ill here and Ds potentially is getting it so little progress but I like reading of your progress to keep me motivated when I can.

@Keiki I can't wait to get rid of the jumperoo, it's humungous! DD2 currently very much enjoying, but I only see it lasting about 3 weeks!

Just one out yesterday and today a dress I sold on eBay which really wasn't worth the hassle to be honest!

Not much achieved this weekend. Had DD's birthday party and family over so it's been a bit hectic! Washing basket is overflowing and there is a lot of stuff to sort out around the place. Am too tired to start tonight so back on it tomorrow.

I had a productive day yesterday. Found another 14 things to go out, taking my total to 249/2020.

Then last night I decluttered my uterus of a nearly 9lb baby boy! So that’s one big ‘in’ for the Cletter family....

I let myself have today off decluttering.

I tried selling some DVDs on one of those online sites, but they’re worth about 80p in total! I’m not sure it’s worth posting them for that.

On a more successful note, I have managed to sell an old painting that doesn’t really work in my house for £30. DH had a last minute change of heart and said we should keep it, but it’s been sitting gathering dust for two years waiting to be framed and we've never bothered. It’s being collected tomorrow - woop!

Congratulations @Clettercletterthatsbetter - I think you need more than a day off!

Wow, @Clettercletterthatsbetter! That's Lovely news! Many congratulations!!

Wow @Clettercletterthatsbetter congratulations! Does he count as an in or an out ?

After a few days off due to getting home late. I’m back to decluttering.

10 DVDs and 2 shoe box size boxes of CD singles from my teenage years.

I’m thinking about doing a car boot on the 16th as a useful way to get rid of the stuff that DH won’t allow me to Chuck but will allow me to car boot.

Hoarding DH has also started accusing me of phantom disposal of items. First, he accused me of throwing out his face cream (I’m sure it is in the bathroom cabinet instead of sitting on the sink). Secondly I had allegedly thrown out one of gg vacuum cleaner attachements. I haven’t. It more likely that it’s hiding in the clutter somewhere.