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.

Just checking bag in to try and keep motivated through the summer holidays. I’ve got to keep focused on moving. Thought realistically it won’t even be this year but anything I can do now will help right?

I’ve had some ins. My friend was giving away some camp beds and I said ‘Yes please’.

Though I have sold a box of heated rollers and I keep sorting through the boxes of tat. Even if just 1 thing goes in the bin it’s fine right?

Hi nomore good luck. I completely relate to the horrifying speed at which clutter and mess creep back in! It’s so demotivating isn’t it?

Is there a particular reason you’re doing the attic so soon? I just wondered if maybe it would be better to focus on the visible bits while in the viewings phase - I know how easily decluttering gets interrupted and if you’ve brought stuff out to sort it may end up messier IYSWIM? That said maybe it would be better, if you get rid of lots and then have space to do emergency stashes for viewings.

We’ve had a random burst of family energy and we are actually getting rid of some bits and pieces, collecting rubbish and putting scattered toys away. Much better than a usual tidying session in which things just get moved around. Outs include some old tatty cars (some of which were mine! But I don’t feel any attachment to them anymore and only kept what was in good condition, regardless of age), a couple of games with missing or broken parts, some random keepsakes and too-young toys.

I really need to put a wash on (yesterday was bedding so didn’t do any clothes or towels) and then I’m getting various travel cups out to photograph and send to DSD - I’m sure some of them were hers so I don’t want to throw them mistakenly. I might get the older two to look through all the top trumps sets too, I had a long phase of getting them a set every Christmas in their stockings, but they don’t play them anymore as they’ve been hidden on a shelf, so either this will renew their love of them or I can get rid!

DH is getting a massive box today so I can stash all of the items for the toddler’s sensory/activity tray, not ideal to just bung them all in but it’s what needs to be done for now, I can organise it later (it’s been a bit of a hobby finding things, some repurposed and a few bought). Regular toy storage will be better though as she can access all of that without risking getting into the smaller bits and pieces.

Thank you.

I see reference to textile recycling - where do you take that? Is it with the recycling banks at the supermarkets or local tip usually?

Not sure about currently, but charity shops can often take fabric, BHF for example used to get a set amount per kilo. If you donate there you could put a label on the bag that it’s for recycling so they don’t waste time sorting it :)

Only six top trumps to get rid of surprisingly. Should be sellable to local home ed friends though. Some travel cup stuff going, with a couple of bits to save for DSD.

I’m not sure how many utensils we have. Two pots but a few others in the drawer and some duplicates for sure. Need to gather and sort.

I love the idea of coloured glass jars. That’s going on my cosy house list! The kitchen was decorated in grey, so it would brighten things up :o

Wash is finally on and I’m now relaxing as the others have gone out on errands, so it’s just the toddler and peppa for company

We have a lot of kitchen utensils but when I went through them realised they do all get used.
I really don't feel like I'm getting anywhere! I have a bag ready to drop into BHF shop tomorrow when I go out. Today's out is a broken Etch a Sketch.
We also finally got round to tie dying some t shirts with a Tybo set DD got for Christmas.

Small bag out to the charity shop. A few kids toys in from the same charity shop. Oops.

Ah well you’re helping the charity at least! And if they were cheap maybe it’ll feel easier to redonate in future.

PickledLilly Congratulations on moving! Plants are a lovely thing to have, don't feel bad about the new additions.

Lane I have lost the motivation too, will try and get back to it tomorrow. It looks like you are doing well today!

Nomorewineever good luck with the clearing. Only time our old house looked perfect was when we were moving...but it is very hard work. Friend also hid her things in her car when moving. Keiki we also had lots of kids things.

NanaLisa Wise advice as always

Aaaahhhh....The Burning was very satisfying. Much better than the new shredder. So that's a lot of paper out.

Continued with paperwork this morning, culling as much as possible. Moved half a dozen shoeboxes of pens, pencils, etc, out of the office where nobody thinks of looking for them. Consequently, we would buy new stuff when we needed something, instead of looking for the stuff we already have. Especially when it's so easy to pick up stationery from the supermarket nowadays.

Some of this goes back to my dad's apprentice engineeringj days, and old school jotters that are as much as ninety years old. Not throwing that out, though. It's kinda cool, and the DGC like that sort of thing.

Well, that's my excuse!

Weather forecast is for twelve solid hours of rain tomorrow. A good chance for more paperwork decluttering and netflix.

Hi, can I join?
1 thing a day is quite a challenge, as I hate just putting things in the bin. I'm going to do my best though! Today I threw out a bottle of cologne Dh was given years ago and doesn't like.
Bit of background, we moved house almost a year ago, including taking all the stuff from my parents garage, so slowly wading through all that. It's taking an age though with 2 small children.

@MrsTidyHouse I've been putting off sorting the paperwork boxes of doom for months, I would literally rather do anything else! Any tips?

We've made a reasonable amount of progress here on paperwork, I find volume is the issue for us, there is less deliberation about whether its should be kept! Agree on the macro solution that Jigolo mentioned. I have filed of related papers. It's then roughly chronological. I use dividers so it's a bit easier to find things. My paperwork is largely OK now, just need to get DH to sort his!

I would lose hours to old jotters like that MrsTudy, what a lovely find!

Another craft kit out. Stuck with the item made, but at least it's smaller!

DD returnng to her work location this weekend, so some sorting of redundant paperwork yesterday - 11 items recycled/shredded.

Shredded some Out of Date Car Insurance papers (exp May so no point keeping )

I have a new clothes bag for Charity Shop

Glass to recycle

DH emptied a no longer owned car info file, so 12 sets of papers in the bin. File re-purposed for another current project, so loose paperwork now away and off the kitchen worktop.
1020/2020

Out, some placemats and table runners that we’ve never used.

Out this morning - a few things festering at the back of the fridge.

Already really hot here so think it will be a fairly lazy day. Hoping to sort a few things in the bedrooms though.

Gradually working my way through the piles in the office. Chatting with DH, and we decided I can file everything up to March 2019. I got all of that in a pile to be hole-punched and filed away. Found more junk mail and out-of-date for the paper bin.

Put netflix on, dug through piles in the bedroom, found more for paper bin.

Also one holey sock decluttered.

Tidy I totally agree that notebooks that old are cool! I also deeply empathise with the whole “can’t find stationery item. Buy new one” thing. OMG. It’s insane. I’m happy to say though that having gathered loads of stuff earlier in lockdown, I know more about what we need. We’ve had loads of broken pens lately so DH bought some cheap biros, and I also had no guilt buying a cheap notebook for my Latin work the other day because I knew I had collected the old notebooks for the toddler and used any other notebooks for particular things myself (I’m doing a load of courses online ATM and most are very short so it made sense to just use one big notebook for those and write the relevant course heading on each page) so I didn’t have any lurking that were usable.

I still need to sort stationery storage though - honestly not sure how to store it in the best way for us and I’m so nervous from past experiences of buying something that doesn’t work for us! I’m thinking of a caddy thing but I’d also like something that looks nice and enticing IYSWIM. Hobbycraft have an art sale so they might have something, and we have a new Dunelm and a Range I could possibly browse at some point.

I’m also stuck on the Trofast we have on that landing. It’s maybe a bit above waist height, four individual units in a row, 3/4 toys and 1/4 Cagletini’s clothes. Until we had the social care people round to measure the bathrooms they were absolutely heaving with random crap. Having cleared that I do feel I can keep it clear from random crap building up again, but I’m also aware it is a nice space to use considering the amount of stuff we have in other rooms. I’m just not sure what is the best use of the space and again I don’t want to rush into it.

DH is ‘tidying up’ the (admittedly very untidy and cluttered ) living room.
I can hear little things disappearing up the Hoover.
I’m going to go out.

Oh yes, the hoover rattle of doom Coldhands! Happens here a lot.

I have sorted out my purse and ditched some receipts and coffee loyalty cards with only a few stamps on. I'm probably WFH for the rest of the year so won't be using them.

Stationary storage is a bit of a challenge for us to Sing. We have a cheap set of drawers by a desk with most bits in but DD's stuff covers half the house. She has a couple of drawers too but just mixes everything up looking for stuff so it's not working. Latin sounds fun, how is it going?

Dying from sleep deprivation today, and the stress of supervising small kids in the paddling pool, but not wanting to flake on my second day I binned my old unreliable kitchen scales. It's a drop in the ocean but it's so hard to make progress with small kids. I have stacks of books to sell, but no time to do it. It's really frustrating.