The decluttering one thing a day thread - part 12

[AlexTheLittleCat]

For StealthNinjaMum

We’re still here.

After 11 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/3799710-The-decluttering-on-thing-a-day-thread-part-11?pg=1

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

22 pairs - wow!!

I've got rid of another two items. Also posting a couple of cards now that I've been delaying writing, for no good reason. I find I'm so much more productive and efficient the less clutter I have. It's like I suddenly have the mental energy to get things done.

Urgh, urgh!!! Was tidying my jumper drawer and got attacked by a giant mutant spider I absolutely hate the bloody things. Dispatched it via the handheld Dyson straight into the wheelie bin but now there are jumpers spread everywhere and I’m terrified of touching them incase he had friends. It’s so stupid, I’m brave about pretty much anything else, scoop up the live mice the cat brings in in my hands no bother but spiders just make me feel ill, it’s ridiculous. My heart is racing and I’m considering just burning the bloody jumpers because they’ve been SPIDERED

Going to join in while I'm at home more due to working at home for part of the week.

A couple of the kids' pyjama bottoms with holes have gone in the bin. They've seen plenty of use over the last few weeks as the boys have barely got dressed!

Oh an in between battling with giant evil spider I found ANOTHER pair of jeans as well 7 pairs listed on eBay so far along with a ring an ex boyfriend bought me in 2005 that was five sizes too big and has been in its box still with the receipt ever since.

Alexthelitlecat thank you so much for starting the thread, I tend to do mumsnet on my phone because my laptop is temperamental needs to be decluttered but I like starting a thread on my laptop.

I have to say that it gives me so much pleasure seeing that you have spelt the word 'one' correct. The other thread title bothered me so much!

I have done no physical decluttering today but I have deleted a lot of apps and some PDFs from my iPad, that counts right? :)

I think what needs decluttering the most is my brain though. Waaaaay too much crap in there

Just put a load of recipes ripped out of magazines and cards in the recycling. Have kept some for lockdown baking and new ideas

I found another pair of jeans when I emptied the tumble dryer 🤦‍♀️

Wow Pickled that is an impressive amount of jeans, good on you for being so decisive and getting things listed straight away. I have a bit of a tendency to put things to one side and as if by magic I’ve seeded another pile of stuff that I forget what’s in it. I’m thinking I will have to use a set place for all my eBay stuff like I do for the ever present rag bag and charity shop bag. Could be a job for today as it’s £1 selling fees on eBay until 31st so I should take advantage of that.
Welcome to all the new folk this is a marvellously supportive thread and has really helped me both with support and ideas with which spots to tackle next.

Tipped the contents of a large toy box out today in an attempt to keep the kids off their screens. Managed to throw away a small collection of broken and old toys.

No decluttering today other than a few more apps. I did organise some more board games though. Now that more are upstairs we have got to the difficult decisions with the ones left.

I think I’m gearing up to sort through more bags/boxes of random crap too. There’s room to put some more in the airing cupboard but I feel like I could manage to at least condense them at get rid of some easy stuff first. It’s embarrassing how much I find in these things that we really could have just thrown away in the first place.

Also need to go through the toddler’s clothes again as she’s outgrown stuff and it’s not all fitting in her drawers.

Got brave yesterday and identified 4 history books to go. They are mostly How To History On The Internet books from the early 2000s and the world has rather moved on since then!

Although I was amused by the one published by Debretts in 1985 which bemoans the cuts in Government funding for archives, in 1984! Twas ever thus...

Hope you've recovered from the spider encounter Pickled. There are loads of big ones hanging around our house at the moment too!

DH did a bit of a tidy up of our garage yesterday. Not a lot made it out but it's all better organised now so we won't be buying duplicates of things we already own. Big pile to take to the tip at some point and we discovered a box of books that hasn't been emptied since our move 4 years ago so planning to go through those third week.

Vinorosso I've been going through my recipes for as well. Huge lever file going back over a decade. I'm chucking all the stuff I'm never going to make... I've given it a good go but I'm never going to like tofu! Plus all the ones where I have multiple recipes for the sand thing. After that need to sort out a few to try as lock down has shown up my slightly boring repertoire!

Have binned a couple of tins of paint which were almost empty.
Put some things on the front wall for people to take if they want them. Two light bulbs have gone.

Please may I join this thread?

Today I went through:

• my t-shirt drawer
• my jumper drawer
• my work tops (in the wardrobe)

The last few times that I've done this, I've got everything out and put it all back, convincing myself that things will come in handy. I wouldn't mind if the drawers/wardrobe were bare but they're full!

I filled two large carrier bags with my size 16/18 tops — I've lost over six stones and I've been a size 8 for a good year — and took them to the clothes bank before I wavered. YAAAY for me: am decluttering guru

It feels rather liberating, which I guess is logical. I've only just experienced it as I've never quite been able to let go before.

I'll look at dresses tomorrow

Welcome, NiceLegs! That sounds like an excellent way to start, and well done on your fantastic decluttering of excess weight too 🥂.

Today, we have done Garden Decluttering - weeds, aphids and next door's honeysuckle which was trying to strangle the apple tree, and moving the gnomes around to confuse people 😈.

We've also taken down the climbing frame / swings / fort / slide combo. They were 8 years old and very creaky. I got DH to tighten all the bolts on Saturday morning, but by Sunday they had all loosened again to a point where, were it a public playground, I'd not let DS3 on it.

So, it's down (although not tipped yet) and so is the random extra gate attached to the garage that went nowhere and did nothing! The garden feels much bigger, although we have a single swing arriving soon as DS3 still swings daily.

On the plus side, we appear to have a robin's nest in the garage. Now that it is tidy in there, we can take extra care not to disturb it.

A friend was looking for some dvds so I dropped 8 dvds to her door that were on a shelf - result now I have a clear shelf!

I put another five tops into my charity bag that I won't wear again.

I'm finding it easier to clean at the moment as there is a lot less items coming in at the moment. I hope I can keep this up after Lockdown.

Hi nicelegs

Did some proper decluttering today, not a huge amount but went through some bags of randomness and chucked some. A lot of it is now on the bed needing to be put away though. Argh

DH decluttered the smaller holly tree from the garden today, now that we have a proper, solid fence and need holly less as a deterrent.

Thanks Stealth

Welcome to everyone new. Nicelegs congratulations on the weight loss.

I've decluttered some biscuits, it's a shame as I need to declutter ten pounds of baby weight before the baby ceases to be a baby anymore .

Also out: some baby things to ebay, found a missing charger.

Ashamed but not surprised to say I ended up putting some of the stuff back in the box. I am knackered and just couldn’t think what to do with it. Note to self: next time I do a workout wait until you’ve finished the current decluttering! 😳

Hi everyone, hi nice legs. I have finally managed to catch up on this thread. Thank you for all your suggestions for the sofa of doom.
I did manage to clear most of it, bit by bit. My family have stopped putting things on it as they can see I have cleared most of it and it looks nice.
There is a washing basket of random stuff that I dont know what to do with. But I can see half of the sofa and we have been sitting on it! I will try and post a picture of it tomorrow. Its just so nice to able to see the sofa.
I have been away decluttering my hallway and downstairs wc as well. It has been hard work but worth every minute as I can see the tiled floor now .

I am half way through empting a large bedroom. Today I
emptied two bedside cabinets that need to go to charity.
cleaned out a bookcase.
bag full of clothes for recycling.
recycled bag of old paperwork.

Laneboy I know what you mean, when you just don't know what to do with the stuff. I left mine for another day. You will see mine tomorrow in the photo, a broken washing basket, with a box inside, filled with random junk.
Its really good you did a workout. Its really good self care. I need to start as I would like to be a healthier.

Welcome, Nicelegs! And well done everyone else!! It sounds like there's loads of good work going on atm.

My news is that DP and I cleared out the shed today. This is NEWS! (Yes, capitals, shouting, the lot!) I hardly ever venture down there and discovered that it's bigger than I remembered and held a LOT of clutter.

Outs include:

Loads of plant pots - about 50 plastic pots, 10+ seed trays and 5 large pots.
2 bricks.
2 old blankets.
2 washing lines.
A boiler part.
An extension lead.
3 garden tools.
Loads of plastic bags and sacks.
A bird feeder.
A cupboard.
Loads of old tins of paint and chemical things (mostly left by the previous owner). We've lived here over a decade!
Some things DP was building once and forgot about.
Some rotten roofing felt.
2 rotten cardboard boxes.
A dead plant.
About 30 canes.
Some wooden bits - spare shed slats, an old spatula etc.
Approx 3-4 sacks of garden waste.
5 gardening gloves.
A pouch thing for secateurs.
A really nice garden recliner which I bought many years ago, kept for my new house (?) and then forgot about. It's now rusty, filthy and disintegrating. (Lessons have definitely been learnt.)
A ruined bench cushion.
Some spare bathroom tiles and tiling bits (also left by the previous owner).
About 10 plant labels. (Why??)
Packaging for a cat harness. (Also, why?!)
Probably more stuff which I can't remember.

I've kept far too many terracotta pots. (I love them.) And tools. And paints. (Just in case.)

Some of it's already been collected (freecycle) or composted or put in the recycling. The rest will be going to the tip.

The garden's looking lovely now! We've got flowering plants in flower and birds singing; the lawn is freshly mowed and we can now enter the shed and find what we need!!

Sand, it's lovely when you find a space like that, isn't it! We still stand in the newly-clear garage going "ohhhhh" at the space. I think you're challenging me for Winning The Decluttering on this thread, I'll have to chuck more stuff out. So pleased you can now enjoy your garden.

I'm feeling a bit oppressed in mine atm as I met Mrs Next Door a couple of days ago and they are Worried About Noise. The building site behind us is problematic, the new skate park will have noisy skateboards, they don't like the new swings being this side of the tree, and why is MegaHound so noisy in the night? Actually, he isn't, it's foxes barking on the field, but blame next door, it's easier. And I accept he is yappy at pigeons, but we are working enormously hard to break that habit. Then I remembered that a couple of years ago they didn't like us playing football in the garden in the evenings, as a family, to much cheering and laughing, and I just want to hide... Or put the kitchen speaker in the garden and really show them what noise is.

Dancing, brilliant job in finding enough sofa to sit on! I have a rolling problem with the kitchen sofa, which silts up with crap that is the apparently invisible to the rest of the family. And there is always a box of random crap I'm not sure what to do with somewhere in my house.

Sounds like one of those neighbours who will never be happy Jigolo! Annoying being blamed for noise that is not your fault though. We have noisy owls at night here at the moment, wonder how they would take that?!

Sand that sounds great! We replaced our shed last year so were forced to cheat it and it has been great being able to find everything. By some miracle it's stayed pretty clear though.

I went through a bit more of the recipe file yesterday. I'm also (with a heavy heart) about to bin some attachments for a kitchen gadget that my grandad gave me. Having sorted through it all there are pieces missing and the plastic bits are going brittle so it's a silly thing to be sentimental about!