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.

I just lost a long post, hate it when that happens. Still using my phone as my bloody laptop / WiFi is playing up.

Anyway I’m still here - not posted because I’m so busy doing homeschooling and beauty treatments for a socially distanced walk with stealthninjaboyfriend. We both had two months of facial hair but thanks to this thread I know the whereabouts of my six tweezers and was able to remove mine.

Anyway a few bits of arts and crafts have left the house in binbags and I have sorted through more toys and found more plastic stuff to get rid of. I’m a bit anxious about leaving the house still so am happy to hang onto them rather than going to a charity shop.

No progress today. All effort on schoolwork again!

Welcome pumpkinbump. I think it takes time to throw out things that ‘may come in handy one day’ and ‘sentimental items’. I have been here since the first thread and very much do an area, move on, do another area, return to the first etc. It’s taken time but I have Kondo’d everything – ie most things belong together to see what I own, it’s then easier to get rid of things when you know exactly what you have. The example I always give (sorry thread regulars) is cookery books. I had loads that I loved and I got rid of a few at a time and have now got rid of more than half of them. I practically never miss anything once it’s gone. I’m used to the extra space and good organisation and I can’t tell you the benefit to my mental health knowing that people can just turn up and my house is generally tidy. (It isn’t at the moment because dc are off school but youknow what I mean).

Welcome busface999. I can identify with people buying you stuff. It’s harder to get rid of when it was a gift so nowadays I tell everyone I love toiletries – which is why I have about 9 shower gels in my shower and lots of soap but I’m using them every day and my bathroom cabinets are half empty.

Well done dudsville it’s good to organise your stuff.

pickled lily I misread your post and thought your ex boyfriend had given you a pair of jeans five sizes too big and was going to say I could see why he was ex! Then I read again and saw it was a ring. My bitchy aunt used to buy me size 18 tops when I was size 12 as a way of hinting I was fat so I thought it was similar. Anyway well done on getting rid of the jeans, you must have so much extra space now.

Welcome nicelegsshameabouttheface. Well done on your amazing weight loss and getting rid of the clothes.

dancingtomusic what an fantastic effort. It must be so nice to have a sofa you can sit on.

sandandsea that’s amazing, you’ll probably do more gardening now you know what you have. I’m waiting to see what jigolo is going to do to win this thread. Jigolo sorry you’re having problems with your neighbour. It’s horrible when can’t relax in your own home.

Stealth - loved you line, it cracked me up!
'We both had two months of facial hair but thanks to this thread I know the whereabouts of my six tweezers and was able to remove mine.'

I love your honesty, as a very slightly downy (hairy) faced person I salute you.

Thanks dancingtomusic I can't remember if it was this thread I wrote on or the dating thread but a year ago I had a lunchtime date and up from nowhere popped this inch long hair on my chin. It wasn't there the day before, just the morning of my hot date. I couldn't find tweezers and started trying to remove it with all manner of implements! Anyway when I decluttered my bathroom about two months ago all my tweezers appeared.

Today's decluttering is going to be in the garden. I've some unruly ivy and weeds that I'm going to attack with dc.

Jigolo sorry about your neighbours, I hope they stop complaining soon. Congratulations on all the decluttering!

Stealth hope you enjoyed your walk. Thanks for the laugh about the facial hair .

Laneboy progress is slow here too. I need to find my motivation!

Sandandsea great work with all the decluttering.

Have dug out a pair of brand new only worn once hiking shoes and stuck them on eBay. I bought them, wore them on one long walk and realised they crippled me (I have a scar on my heel and a lot of shoes rub it and cause pain) they’ve been sitting in the cupboard for probably five years since then. Bonkers. It’s not like I’m ever going to wear them again.

Thanks all!

I've realised that I missed welcoming quite a few new people so welcomes all round! Hope everyone's managing to enjoy these lovely, sunny days.

We've done a huge tip run here which completes the shed extravaganza and feels great!

I've also managed to give away a 'far too large for the room' chair and some gadgets to a worthy charity. (They collected.) We've now swapped round the remaining chairs and have created even more space. (My chairdrobe is going to double as a desk chair, which should encourage me not to stack it with clothes. That's the plan anyway.)

Sadly, a much loved plant has taken a turn for the worst. I've had him for over 20 years so he's like an old friend. I haven't moved him completely out yet but it's clear he's going so I've moved him along instead. (Like he's on his way.) He was large, taking up a big chunk of space in the kitchen, so this will be another big space cleared. (The large pot and saucer will be going into the shed, but that's just between us.)

I am in the midst of making a Big Decision. I’ve been sitting here sorting through toys while on the phone. It was a big box I’d just shoved any wooden toys into for ages - puzzles, stacking toys etc if I didn’t know where all the pieces were. Some of them still aren’t complete, and the really silly thing is that some of them are probably too young for the toddler now. And there’s another box where I’d put “complete” toys like some lovely Grimms stuff I’d got second hand that I thought I’d keep away until some mythical time when everything was tidied. So she’s missed out on those too.

Even though I’ve been more careful this time round (older two are 12 and 10) we’ve still ended up with a lot of toddler toys - charity shops are a weakness - and really she has more than enough, and it’s clearly too much as she’s not getting use out of it in our house. It just makes me feel guilty sitting there incomplete. So that stuff is going.

And now I’ve posted it I cannot change my mind!

I gave away two big black sacks of too-small boys clothes today. Definitely not going to buy quite as many clothes in the future - some still had tags on, unworn 😬

Lots of inspiring 'outs' on here! I've been spending a lot of time in my lovely, but mature and hard to maintain, garden with all this sunny weather. Rarely venture into the shed but have decided to sort it out later!

I've already got a few things for the tip so after that I'll have more. Wonder what my local tip is like. It's only been back open a week or two.

I need to go through the clothes too! We’ve had lots of hand me downs throughout the toddler’s life so previous size I’d already been through to reduce it, but she’s outgrown more since. TBH lockdown is making me see just how few clothes she really needs!

While I was sorting the toys I found a couple of bags to get rid of too (not donateable) so I put the toys in the bags.

I cleaned out the corner medicine cupboard - so much out of date stuff. I dumped a small bag of bandages, old packaging and random bits I kept just in case - all gone and have a nice tidy space for now.

I put an old pencil case into the bin, an old lunchbag and box into my charity bag - they are perfect as he outgrew the character quickly.

My lovely plant is no longer with us. I feel pretty guilty and have a sense of loss. But, I'm LOVING the extra space!

Oo! And I've been using up some old vitamins (etc) since sorting them all out, so have put 3 containers in the recycling.

I want to say thank you to this thread as I would have never of thought of actually selling something on gumtree.
I sold my bedside cabinets in one day on gumtree. I am so shocked and so elated they are out of my house. Just so much more space now they are gone.

Moved huge king sized bed and hoovered so much dust my vacuum made tracks on the carpet.

Half of the room lools amazing. The other has piles of stuff, boxes and bags. A big job for tomo. Also I have got a bookcase to chop in half.

Out this week:
Old duvet
4 bags of old clothes
2 x old pedal bins

So glad the recycling centre is open again.

Out yesterday:
☀️ A pair of DC4's swimshorts with an unfortunate hole (also too small)
☀️2 pairs of old school trousers, found while hunting under the bed for other swimwear. All the children's swimwear is now in use, so I'm taking that as some kind of milestone. At some point, I need to go through other children's clothing under there as DC4 can't possibly wear all of it!
☀️ A 3-volume paper copy of the Dictionary of National Biography hasn't been consulted in at least a decade. It's now all online anyway.
☀️ My fb account. I've just had enough of the manipulation and one-upmanship and sheer whingeing, and ashamed that I've done my fair share of all those things. I don't want to see the world through the lens of How Will This Look On FB? I've only deactivated, so I can go back if it doesn't work. It also means I can keep messenger, which is tolerably useful while my DSis refuses to use WhatsApp due to her DH's "safety concerns".
☀️ My twitter app ditto.
☀️ DH has also decommissioned 2 fish tanks, which I will count in my total as he doesn't have one of his own 😁

Today, for the first time, we are back to a full cycle of waste collection including food waste. This is an excellent thing, as I'm pretty sure the rat problem on the field is getting worse and they may be in the roof void of the garage. We have contacted A Man to come and find out.

Dancing, well done on selling the cabinets! We have 3 CD shelves in the garage awaiting collection.

I have to ask, why are you chopping a bookshelf in half? 😁

Anyone else really struggling with charity shops closed and the tips not fully open? Our tip is “open” but it’s the only one in a very big town, and online slots are taken up in seconds. So much stuff waiting to go but nowhere to take it to!

We have a massive pile for the charity shop too *Wavey". I suspect a lot here won't be accepting donations at first too. Unbelievably someone had left a load of stuff on the doorstep of our local one when we passed out the other day.

Also intrigued by the half a bookcase!

Well done on ditching FB Jigolo. I actually have very few friends on it and mostly used for selling groups. I need to stop the idle scrolling though.

Well done on the sale Dancing. I may add hoovering behind the bed to my list for the weekend. Need DH to heel me drag it out though!

I did a bit of clearing of baby stuff yesterday. All the cloth nappies are bagged up and the changing mat had been dispatched to the garage (will keep for now as we still get visitors who need to change nappies.) This means I've emptied a drawer for DS so will have a bit more space for his clothes.

RB- loads of charity tipping going on here too, especially at the ones that have an enclosed porch, looking at the stuff that was dumped there I don’t think the shops would have been able to sell most of it anyway

Morning everyone,
We have a alcove in one of the childrens bedrooms, its right next to the door.
I had a bookcase and put it in the alcove. My children loved putting thier lego creations in it.
Unfortunately, I couldnt put the bed straight as the bookcase was sticking out 12cm from the wall.
So I decided to slice it down the back. I measured and marked it all out. My neighbour kindly used a jig saw and sliced it half from top to the bottom.
We have had the bookcase 4 years. Its finally done. 4 years later. So chuffed.
I will try and add a picture.
My bookcase is now flush with the wall. Yay!

This is a picture of the sliced part that was left over from the main bookcase- my neighbour screwed on the remaining bits of shelves back on.
The sides are abit rough so I need to find edging/veneer tape to iron onto the wood sides that are exposed at the front.

Then I think it can be used to display cars.