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.

Not caught up yet but just wanted to announce the very exciting news that we have received a charity donation bag through the door :o :o :o

Bit gutted that we are only really going to be able to get rid of the extra stuff people donated to us recently but still, it’s helping stuff leave the house!!!

I’m on the look out for a charity bag coming through the door so I understand the excitement @LaneBoy

Can I ask what’s everyone’s plane for toiletries? I have tons. I’m using them up. I’ve put a ban on buying them and I’m using them. Even if I means putting eye cream on my toes.

I used some bath crystals last night so that’s an empty plastic pot to go in the recycling and I’m using some stuff that I don’t like on my feet before bed (when I remember). I’m getting a real high when I finish something and then I chuck the container

Hope everyone finds just one item today to keep up the steady trickle of de-cluttering.
Enjoy filling those charity bags. No chance of one here as we are very rural.
I have just binned a cream, prescribed for DH dry/itchy skin that he no longer uses, as he has moved on to yet another 'wonder cream', with use by date was Jan 2020. This was after I had used it on my slightly dry/red c-section scar (last child 21 this year!) as I glanced at the packaging and noticed the date. So that's today's 'out'.

Lots of paper gone from the jumble of my bedside table lots of dust too so I’ve retreated for a restorative cup of tea. Bags repacked for a charity shop run later in the week.

Cold I feel like I'm often grumpy and tired too.

After a few days of inertia I'm back on it, finally finished the bathroom on what must be the tenth pass over it. It has never been finished before. It's this week's Flylady zone (plus one other room...might tackle the children's rooms next).

Lane Great news on the charity bag. I got stupidly excited when I got on.

A few outgrown clothes in the out bag, and a couple of broken toys.

I still have a few (lots) of areas that are clutter magnets, and I think my next job is going to concentrate on those areas to try and solve why they become the dumping grounds.

Filled up the bag yesterday and reorganised the handmedowns into fabric scraps for acquaintance and items for friend’s DS. Also asked a friend about a couple of books. So psychological outs yesterday and did some recycling and grabbed a few bathroom bits to chuck, but nothing physical today, I’ve been in a bit of a daze.

Obviously, this is the day we should be sorting things ready for the stair rail to be installed and the bathroom to be checked tomorrow. Aaaargh

I've been through one of my boxes again and have more bits of rubbish going out, including:

3 Christmas cards from people I don't see any more.
1 notebook from a job I had almost 20 years ago.
2 notes from an ex.
1 envelope.
1 letter.
1 gift tag.
1 ticket.
1 wrist band from a day out.
1 wedding Order of Service. (The couple are divorced and remarried now.)

I then looked briefly into another memory box and found that it's full of mould!! I think this might be due to a rose that I'd kept in there. I'm going to have to go through that now too.

1 annoying rose.

Ha ha I just typed out a long reply to roxytherexy and jigolo and coldhands and realised it had turned into a rant about husbands. I decided to delete it as it felt a bit mean. It sounds like they're wellmeaning albeit annoying.

Anyway coldheart I hope you have a good few days away.

LaneBoy I am so excited for you! My life must be so sad that I am pleased that strangers are going on holiday and receiving charity donation bags!

roxytherexy I am just using toiletries and not saving them for ‘best’. So about 2 or 3 months ago I put all my little molton brown shower gels into my shower. The shower looked cluttered but I am working my way through them. I am also making more of an effort to use stuff like body lotion and hand cream. And foot cream. My exmil used to buy me foot cream for xmas every year as presumably she didn’t like my feet or me.

I do tend to use things for the wrong purpose so I’ll smear a bit of body lotion or hand cream on my face and neck if that’s what I’m using and with shampoos and conditioners I’d use them to shave my legs. I also read on a mumsnet thread that one of the creams dd1 used for exczma is good for moisturising the face (ie removing wrinkles) and I have a massive tub of it I’m using.

Todays one item has been a top I bought from ebay a year ago and never wore.

I (at last) managed a trip to a recycling site at the weekend. Our local site is still not open but the one at the landfill site 4-5 miles away opened a few weeks ago. I made an appointment for 11.30am on Sunday morning, so spent Saturday afternoon in the garden sorting out things to take. I pulled out more weeds and topped up the partially-filled garden bags that were being stored in the trailer. I de-constructed a chewed wooden rabbit house that had been shoved in the shed, and gathered together more of the bits of rabbit hutch I had dismantled last year. I got DP to cut up some thicker branches into more manageable lengths to add to the wood collection. I also did a sweep round and collected a bag of landfill rubbish from the garden including some cracked flowerpots, a broken birdbath top, and the felting from the rabbit house roof. I also found the top of the previous broken birdbath between the shed and the garage and it looks like it might fit the pedestal of the recently broken one. I had fogotten about that - it should save me having to buy a new one! I also got rid of a pile of around 12 flattened cardboard boxes. Having avoided the initial rush, it was fairly easy to get a free recycling slot at short notice, so we can definitely make plans to clear out the shed and garage sometime soon. The site is still not accepting everything they did before, but more than they did when they first opened again.

Only one of my usual Charity Shops has reopened so far. I have had a look at the web and a few more may open later this month.

Yes to not saving things for best. I bought the matching moisturiser for my perfume for my wedding. 3 years ago. I’m using it!

My out today was a torch from bloody Flying Tiger that my daughter loves. We have 2 and I changed the batteries which is a mission to find the correct screwdriver and then only 1 worked so I binned the broken 1. Little outs

£30 worth of books, CDs and DVDs packed up for ziffit being collected tomorrow. Only trouble is they say it has to be packed in one box and 1. I don’t have a box big enough and 2. If I did, it would be too heavy! (Given most books they pay less than 50p for, £30 is rather a lot of books) so have packed in two boxes and will hope for the best!

I was about to say that must be a lot of books Lilly. How's things going with the move preparations?

Sorry to hear about the mouldy box SandandSea. Hopefully some of it is salvageable (assuming you still want it!)

Only thing out today is two letters for the people who lived here before us. We've been here over 4 years now so it's annoying.

My outs today are: DDs school shoes. Last day today and they don’t fit and our wrecked so they went straight in the bin with a pair of old trainers that have a hole in the heel.

I’ve had a super anxious day. I’ve been wondering around the house looking at things resentfully but not doing anything. I’ve got to keep reminding myself that this is a marathon and little and often is the best way. I can’t do a massive clear out as I don’t have places to take things too. And I don’t have the concentration with 2 kids running around

Thank you for keeping me motivated

Two decent sized bags of clothes out the door!!! One was stuff from the handmedowns the other day, the other was stuff I’d sorted months back specifically with friend’s DS in mind but we never got round to handover before lockdown. There is another bag of nice clothes I’m not sure what to do with yet - not needed by our boys (neither wear jeans) but they’re great condition so it’s a shame to give them to the friend who will cut them up (even if she does make cool stuff!). The clothing donation bag was full (collected this morning so I guess that’s another out!) - I’ll have to see if charity shops locally are accepting donations as I don’t want to carry it to town for nothing. Otherwise I could ask on a local, small charity type FB group I guess, as someone could collect, CBA with general FB selling groups as there seem to always be time wasters especially for free stuff :o

Anyway. At least it is clutter that has left the house. I still need to get the other toddler clothes out of the cupboard they’re buried at the bottom of, and then I can get all that collected by upcycling acquaintance.

No real decluttering done today though TBH

I tidied the baby toys and donated all the small baby stuff. I have presents ready to drop off at the weekend and used gift bags I already have - that will feel like a big out.
The attic clutter is going well and I posted two items for sale so hopefully they sell quickly.

Thanks, Raspberry! I can't even remember who gave me the rose or anything about it. Oh well! It's in the compost now.

I've got some more bits to go out now:

2 magazine cuttings.
8 Christmas/birthday cards.
1 postcard & 1 note from an old boyfriend.
1 letter from another boyfriend.
1 letter from me which I never finished.
10 tickets for special occasions.
Another wedding service booklet. (Again, they're divorced now.)
A map to another wedding.

Plus: 1 pair of jeans which have developed TWO big holes in the crotch which I only discovered after wearing them out today.

I've got to admit that I am struggling to let go of some of the above. The tickets especially represent some really lovely, happy times. Actually, I think I might keep one of the ticket pairs - they're for my first cinema date with an ex. They just feel too special to let go of. It's not about wanting to be with him or anything like that, but very much about my life and memories. It was a special time. Yep! I'm keeping them! I'm happy with that.

I have now also thrown out an old Valentine's card!! This is huge for me; I've never thrown one out before! But this one felt yuk and I've felt bad every time I've looked at it so it's really not worth keeping. I've shredded it now so there's no turning back.

The memory boxes now close.

And, another set of 2 boxes which were overflowing, now fit into 1 box, which also closes.

Another out: a takeaway menu which has been hanging around for a few days.

Randomly, I've also moved an odd £2 out of an unused bank account.

I’ve got so much to do, it’s all a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, today is my last day childminding so from next week I’m down to two days a week working instead of four so hopefully can get in and actually move once eldest finishes school Tuesday lunch time.

roxytherexy I know it can be hard when you want to get stuff out but you’re doing well. I’m in the same boat, although my dc are old enough to play by themselves so I can sometimes spend half an hour on an area (not that I have the energy).

pickledlilly wow! £30 of books must be loads. I had some valued on ziffit but never had a box so didn’t get around to sending them. If only I knew sandandsea in real life – I feel sure she would have a box to lend me! pickledlily when I feel overwhelmed I just write a list and focus my efforts. Would that work with you? Or I sometimes set a timer for 15 minutes and see what I can do in that time.

I also read recently that a good tactic is to take a photo of a room of clutter and look at that as it helps you to 'see' the clutter you normally live with. If anyone tries that let us know how it goes.

SandandSea that sounds like a lot of good ‘outs’. Sentimental items are hard. I have a theatre ticket from 2000 when I just started to date stbexh. It doesn’t take up any room but lives loose in a drawer, I should throw it out along with everything to do with him.

So today has been a paperwork day. I bought dd1 some new jeans yesterday and she didn’t like them but lost the receipt. So I have gone through pockets and bags throwing things out. I also finished another of my little shower gels. I also ran around getting the house tidy. We have an area on the landing that things sit when we don’t have time to tidy them away. This area contained wd40, schoolwork, books, glue, selotape, paint, cleaning products, moisturiser. Anyway, all are homed and the area is clear. I’m also going to tidy my hall in a similar way.

Yes I love a good list, it’s just finding time to DO the things on them that’s foxing me this week. I desperately need to find an open charity shop but all the ones around me still seem to be closed! Will have to keep hunting as I’ve got a heap to take that’s taking up space and I need it gone!