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.

Devlesko totally agree on the it didn’t all accumulate in a day comment. I sometimes get quite despondent and have a whinge about how much stuff has gone and how things look no better. But actually it is starting to look better A lot of it now is stopping the bad habits of leaving stuff out and finding a home for everything.
Next charity bag now has some bedding, some books and a pair of money boxes!

gassy yes, when I actually bother putting everything away, I’m always surprised to see we actually have a home for most things, at least downstairs. Upstairs is a whole other story.

Downstairs isn’t perfect either, but it’s where I can see the most improvement.

It's been a while, but jumping straight back in with an old Tshirt of DD2 and a shredded work notebook.

I agree with the 'didn't accumulate in a day'. By way of example, my latest crate from the shed was evidence of a neatly filed set of tv licences, mortgage papers and house insurance all from 1990-1993! Recycled or shredded. We've moved house since and are several mortgages further on!
Have a dump appointment for this afternoon. Won't be many outs as there are some large items to take, but all moving in the right direction.
Will be encouraging DS to start to plan his return to university as he has a lot of hobby stuff floating about that will need a proper home before he leaves.
1223/2020

Yep, absolutely right that decluttering is a marathon not a sprint. Progress is so slow here it's painful, but hopefully in the not to distant future we'll see some improvement. I'm bummed out today because I finally got my stair gate up, and realised the bathroom door frame obstructs it opening, so I'll have to take it back off and flip it

Agreed that it takes ages for the clutter to build up and that we can't expect to clear it in a day. I've been decluttering for years, slowly chipping away at it (I don't have a hoarder house, just a normal one ). We'll all get there one day!

Outs for today, some old shoes.

The Big Table is now covered with the contents of six large shoeboxes and several freezer bags - pens, pencils, rulers, staplers, etc. So far, I've tried all the felt tips and ballpoints. Thirty dried-out now in bin, along with a broken pen-torch. Next is staplers.

This is just the stuff from the office. There are more shoeboxes on the shelves of the living-room, more suited for children. We have more than we could ever use, and no idea what to do with it.

And my lockdown Flying and Decluttering has made me much more aware of how often I used to buy something rather than organise myself well enough to find what I already had. (Having a wee bit of an existential crisis just now, accompanied by palpitations and panic.)

Right, on with the staplers!

No outs for me today but I did get DD1 to go through some random stuff of hers (old dressing up etc). Said there was no point in keeping stuff for the toddler who is ten years younger!

5 big items to the dump and 3 instruction booklets in our recycling. Happy with that for today. Also got a couple of cardboard boxes from the supermarket to collect some bits for the next charity shop donation. The next shed crate to tackle tomorrow has a variety of vases that I clearly don't need and would be better in a box than a carrier bag.
1231/2020

I gave away five books to my niece and sorted their books. I have a reading pile and I need to stop buying books until I read what I have. I read a lot over the last few months and passed those books on.
I love seeing things leaving the house!

Bits and bobs from a kitchen cabinet, including a leaking water bottle.

Boxes should arrive tomorrow, so hopefully a few more things can go in the loft, so I can organise the cupboard of doom a bit better.

I finally remembered to send the stuff home with SIL on Saturday. She took a picture in a frame, a couple tops and some makeup I just bought thinking it was something else and can't return obviously. MIL took a top as well and some spring decorations. I just added about 3 tops to my yard sale collection.

Today I decluttered a bunch of branches from 2 trees in the front garden. Filled up 2 large bin bags. Thankfully the neighbour said we could use one of her bins instead of filling up the one we have. We get a collection every week, no recycling where I'm living which I hate. I don't understand how people can throw away enough to need 2 bins, or even three! Grass clippings usually take up the majority of the bin though, which we also bag. But we do have a waste disposal in the kitchen sink so don't have to bin any bad leftovers, unless they have bones.

hungryhazeleyes singtothesky thanks I might join you on the fly lady thread although I’m not interested in the cleaning so much but the decluttering so I might lurk for a while. As it’s the kitchen zone I had a look at some cupboards yesterday. I have loads of food dye that can go, I haven’t really baked for years. I assume it goes off or can I keep it? I am also considering getting rid of 4 oval fish pie type dishes. I really loved them when I bought them but just don’t use them very often.

jigolo I like your baking cupboard

times10 I have been wearing blusher over lockdown just to use up my makeup and I quite like it now. My big problem is I have about 15 lipsticks. Personally I don’t believe it does go off as quickly as they say. I have some foundation that has lasted for years, I think I only wear it about 3 times a year.

singtothesky I love those jars. I tend to use Tupperware – most often with a missing lid. I also have lots of bag clips on the items in the open tupperwares. I agree they’re not great, the bags do tend to open too much and leak and you end up with a million sesame seeds every where.

No outs yet, but I’ve been looking for inspiration on Pinterest recently and have found out that although I’m trying to become more minimalist, the style I really like (on photos at least) are the maximalist photos. I think I’m trying to get rid of all the stuff that’s just bleh so I can then start thinking about the things I’d really like... although it might never work in this house, as DH is definitely more minimalist than maximalist!

My update. I've spent 20 minutes in the kitchen throwing out food dyes and nasty hot chocolate powder (that was a xmas present) and putting more stuff in the charity shop bag (one of my two much loved but never used mortar and pestles).

I have now finished decluttering my pans and cooking equipment and my baking cupboard but I'm tempted to buy things to make the baking cupboard more organised. The food cupboards are always full on purpose (I sort of do prepping) but could be better organised and my sort of pantry has flour which could be moved to my baking cupboard now.

Problems now are that I'm running out of carrier bags and my favourite charity shop always has queues of people waiting to donate stuff so I guess it'll go in the Room of Doom again for another year

Today had a surprise win when a guy actually turned up to collect the old baby clothes, so that's a big bag out of the kitchen. I had my doubts about the online booking as no confirmation email but it worked fine.
Nothing else out today, or much archived at all as the kids are suffering in the heat and needed a lot of attention.

Bought one of those dvd folder things and chucked out all these dvd boxes. About five minutes work and some precious shelf space regained. Which I will almost certainly instantly fill with books

Ysesterday. Continued the stationery boxes. Put together a small amount of office stationery for my desk, and boxed up everything else that still functions. Labelled the boxes, and they now fit on the shelves in the cupboard with notebooks, etc, instead of cluttering up office shelves.

Decluttered mostly broken stuff - dried-out Tippex, glue stick, more felt tips and pens, broken elastic bands, ring reinforcements.

Two staplers appear to be jammed, awaiting further investigation. Other bits and pieces are destined for children's shelves in living-room, in anticiption of future toy declutter and sorting out the arts and crafts.

Tuesday, will clear Big Table

Should add that I found some literacy and numeracy workbooks in the cupboard that should help to bring LOs up to speed. Now on the living-room shelves, so that it a sort-of declutter out of the wrong cupboard into the correct room.

You can come around here Stealth, I have a serious carrier bag oversupply, especially now the supermarket delivery people won't take them away any more.

Too hot here to motivate myself to declutter much. Heat is also making the DC screech at each other every time I turn my back!

Drowning in carrier bags here too, hate to just bin them but not sure what else I can do it they don't start taking them back soon.

Another early manga scanning session before the kids got up. I've sold 126 volumes so far, for £108.77. Not bad, as long as you don't think about the time spent scanning or the amount I spent on them to begin with, lol. Still, it's more boxes out. It's getting hard now though. Last two boxes I opened I want to keep all of them. Hopefully the next box goes better.

Sounds like a very good days work MrsTidy and you remind me that i should gather up all our felts and pencils and do the same, may set the youngest on it next time they say theyre bored! Another willing carrier bag donor here Stealth delivery now comes in a ridiculous number each week and no way to recycle them currently as theyve closed the recycling point in the supermarket car park. Meg the baking cupboard looks lovely ours is used a lot so I’m confident nothing out of date lurks but I am now coveting some nice jars as Sing has linked rather than the assortment of mismatched tupperware pots mine contains.
Will try and drop another two bags of books and DVDs at the charity shop today as they are annoying me at the bottom of my bed!

raspberryblonde I wish I was near you! Round here our food deliveries come in such flimsy bag I have to bin them and they can’t be recycled which I hate. So when I go shopping I buy bags rather than use bags for life just so I can put charity shop things in them.

Yesterday turned out to be really good. I’m still following flylady’s instructions to do the kitchens. I think it’s good to be compelled to do something because I had assumed the kitchen was ‘finished’ but I have got rid of about two bags of stuff that I overlooked the last time I did the kitchen - which was probably when exh left 18 months ago.

So far today I have got rid of a chipped mug that had sentimental value but people keep buying dc mugs so the cupboard has filled again even after I gave my ex about a dozen mugs. I have also got rid of some disposable plastic coffee mugs (the type you’d get Costa to fill) and put two by the front door to go in the car for next time I’m out and I fancy a cappuccino.

I’m also looking at 6 or 7 silicon baking trays. They have a stickiness that won’t wash off, I’ve been watching YouTube videos on how to clean them. Does anyone have any tips on this? I’ve seen suggestions that I just use washing up liquid, or bicarbonate or lemon juice or vinegar? Or maybe it’s ok to use them still? (I usually do!)