Still throwing an item away a day – part 13

[StealthNinjaMum]

One of mumsnet's friendliest corners this is the 13th 'one item a day' thread to inspire and motivate a group of mumsnetters to declutter their houses, gardens and lives bit by bit, one step at a time.

Each day we get rid of just one item and report back. We’ve all got different challenges and problems and it keeps us going to discuss them and work through them together.

Newbies are welcome. It’s not just decluttering, join us in the chat about recycling, organisation, grumbles about hoarding family members and obviously our many successes.

Previous thread here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/3913755-The-decluttering-one-thing-a-day-thread-part-12?msgid=99387987

And for 2020 some of us are also aiming to get rid of 2020 items!

Working all weekend so no real outs to report. I have arranged with a friend to piggy back on her charity shop pick up for some electricals. Hopefully next couple of weeks.
Chin up EllieQ sounds like a frustrating day, my husband has a sore elbow last week it was his shoulder and before that his knee! 🙄🙄 I’m too busy for aches and pains

@EllieQ that sounds like a rough day! I hate it when the kids ruin something nice that you're trying to do for them.

I've been continuing to get rid of something each day, I just haven't had a chance to get online. I did a couple of food cupboards the other day and found things from 2011 which is gross because we moved to this house in 2014!

Today I sold a couple of things on ebay, gave some hand-me-down uniform to a friend, put a dress, baby blanket and hat in the charity bag and threw away: some jigsaw pieces from a jigsaw we no longer own, shower door handles we replaced with nicer ones, part of a tap that wasn't needed, a plastic ceiling rose and electric cable that we replaced.

Welcome crosshatching it’s helpful to declutter before you move, I wish I’d done it. That’s a good tip with feather pillows, I wonder if it works with feather duvets as I know they’re quite hard to get rid of.

Oh ellieq I’m so sorry you had such a bad day. It’s so awful when you are really looking forward to an activity with dc and they play up. At least she will have got something out of the scarecrows and will have got some fresh air. As for your dh yes I can see why that’s annoying.

pickledlily I am seriously impressed with your lack of clutter. I have a long way to go before I am at your level of minimalism. I probably won’t get there but I’m more organised these days which is good.

I still haven't done anything to my photos as I decided to use my big, lidded box to better store some box files. Previously, they were spilling out of a smaller box. So, I've now freed up the smaller plastic box. I'm re-jigging things at the moment. In truth, the box files need to be gone through, in which case, I might not need such a big box. This sort of thing makes it hard to decide what to get rid of.

Out: mouldy, redcurrant jelly.

Sorry to hear you had such a bad day @EllieQ. I've been there and you think why not just let them sit at home, it's less trouble.

Good news for me, my cat has come home! Very thin but otherwise seems fine. Such a relief!

Oh Minerals what a lovely update, I'm so happy for you!

That’s great news Minerals, so pleased for you

Thank you for your kind words everyone, and I’m sorry for such a long and ranty update Yesterday! Today should be better.

That's really lovely news theyareminerals, I'm so pleased.

ellieq rant anytime, we all have days where we need to get things off our chest.

I've spent a lovely morning doing a start of week tidy. It was really quick as I'd put most of the washing away yesterday. I also procastinated on amazon looking for photo scanners.

I also sorted through a chest of drawers which was empty other than some kits for activities that dc have given up and a pile of old sock and unwrapped presents on top so I'm thinking of posting it for sale. It's funny, you just get used to living with clutter, it hadn't really occurred to me that it was almost empty. It's a big square chest of drawers that will leave a huge space. I'm now about to spend a bit more time on some of the toys / dress up outfits I was going through at the end of last week.

I made an early start today, I've got a wooden draws unit on my kitchen counter now (which doubles as a bookend for my recipe books) and 3 draws are for the DC's pens and pencils and 3 draws are for me. One has my pens, one has sewing stuff and one has my jewellery making stuff. A few bits thrown out from those and my sewing basket is in the charity bag, along with the box the jewellery stuff was in. I also found a few clothes to go out, so very productive day.
Minerals great news about your cat

Yay! So pleased the cat showed up!

theyareminerals how lovely that your cat has returned. Going to tackle more old tax folders this afternoon and try and list a few bits on eBay. Also going to sit in the sun on the patio with a book at some point

Great news on lost cat's return.
Just keeping up with one a day out over the weekend and have concluded that my role is the 'user upper' of ends of bathroom supplies. Have finished off a travel size toothpaste unearthed when we did the bathroom cabinet, working on the end of a bar of soap and the last of the conditioner that remains in the bottle but, because it takes a bit of effort to extract, is designated 'finished' by DH.
Expecting a new bedframe in the morning - possibly as early as 6.30 am! Hoping that that 'in' will be balanced next week with two single beds out.

Pleased to hear cat is home! They are a worry.
Not the most successful couple of days. DP finished the last of a bottle of whisky last night. I've got a bag of books ready for charity shop drop off.
Kitchen cupboards seem to be as decluttered as they can be. I'm slightly paranoid about letting stocks run too low in case of a need to isolate!

I agree with you @Vinorosso74, I'm not trying to declutter the kitchen in case there's a need to isolate. Can't wait to have a bigger freezer so I can feel a bit better stocked!

Two bags of clothes sent to the Salvation Army today - v pleased

Welcome home MineralCat! What good news!

Know what you mean about being chief user upper pollyanna. DH has an annoying habit of replacing not quite finished toilet rolls. I opened the bathroom cabinet the other day and found about 10 neatly stacked in there, all with about a dozen sheets left on them!

Hope today was better for you EllieQ.

Out today, a homework notebook from when I was studying A levels. You would be right in thinking it is some years old!

Yay to mineralcat!

My outs were some of the "schoolwork" (in the loosest sense) that the DC created during lockdown. And an enormous cardboard box that I didn't know was behind the sofa - I pulled them out to clean as I've started following Team Tomm (again).

Glad MineralCat has come home! EllieQ, don't worry about having a bad day, it's a long process and everything counts, you will get there in the end. Nanalisa We also tidied the shed again yesterday before the autumn comes and it's too wet/cold for decluttering to be easily done. I'm trying to make the house nice in case we get stuck inside again for the winter with another lockdown.

Such good news about the cat!

We've got carpets going down tomorrow so downstairs is like we're moving out and upstairs is like a jumble sale with every movable item in our bedroom - but it will hopefully be a lot warmer once they're in. Definitely couldn't cope with a winter lockdown in our draughty house otherwise.

I made a point to throw some small bits away today. Posted: 5 ebay sales, packaged up another 2 to post tomorrow. Put aside to sell: 1 cardigan. Put aside to give away: some jeggings I look awful in but wear because they fit. Thrown away: some random knotted wool, a dolls head with no body, some half eaten sweets no one likes, some rags that are past their use.

My attic is nearly finished so i took another stab at the remaining boxes cluttering the living room. I sorted out some school supplies, a box of dominoes, two toys for babies, a mini-loom and some mini terracotta pots and posted them on a FB giveaway group. Had some takers already. Was also contacted by someone who wants some ancient PC games (I'm talking 12 diskettes you have to load before you can play ). he wants me to send them through the post and has offered to reimburse me. Might be a lot of hassle but nobody else on Earth is interested!

I've sold our piano, should be moved out next week.

I put a poster I bought in Barcelona in 2000 ( ) into a frame and it looks fantastic! thrwe away many old unintersting posters I've been dragging around for years but kept another two that I'll put up in the Living room. Can finally afford to have them properly framed!

I feel as though I've been in some sort of limbo, weighted down by all this STUFF in the attic that I had no use for but was too good to get rid of and that I was going to do something with at some point. I think I'm making a break from time of my son's childhood and embarking on something new.

Good luck to all declutters!

Lovely to hear Mineralcat is back!

Thanks everyone for your kind words about the cat!

My day 14 update:

It’s been a much better day today with no tantrums from DD, and DH has said his knee is ‘much better’ which is a relief (for him and for me having to listen to the complaints). Thank you everyone for bring so supportive - it made me feel much better!

DH took DD to the park after school, so when I finished work I was able to go through the last two files of A Level notes - I’m happy to say that the box is now empty and will be recycled, most of the notes are in the recycling box, and I’ve just kept a couple of pages as a memento, including one with a lovely comment from my teacher. This is the first box I’ve emptied since we brought several boxes and bags back from my mum’s house a couple of weeks ago. I’m very pleased.

I also put a blanket that I’d crocheted as a teenager (a basic granny square pattern) away in the linen cupboard - I might not keep it, but I don’t want to get rid of it yet.

frogslegs I’m jealous of your new carpet, I think it’ll be such a good incentive to keep going with the decluttering.

theyareminerals how lovely to have got rid of all that stuff and to make use of posters. I can imagine it’s very satisfying to have emptied your loft.

I have emptied the chest of drawers I mentioned yesterday and added it on Freecycle. That’s a huge load of space I will have in my spare room. I have also gone round getting rid of coat hangers. We have about 20 of a specific type of plastic one and I can’t remember buying them (but Obviously i must’ve). They don’t fit in the coat hanger tidies I bought for dd2 so I’m going to donate them to a charity shop. I’m also still sorting through toys and dress up outfits but it’s such a hot day I’m working at a snails pace.

I don’t think I posted yesterday, but a pair of holey pyjamas and a pair of holey pants made it into the rag bag. I’ve just recycled an old empty shoe box. I think I was hanging onto it as it look like it would be a useful size for re-using but it’s been sitting empty on the windowsill for months (maybe even years) so into the blue bin it goes.

Wonderful news about the return of the cat @TheyAreMinerals

@EllieQ you seem to be making really good progress, well done!