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!

I have emptied our utility room cupboards and come up with all kinds of weird things - leads that I don’t know what they’re for, nuts / bolts, plastic things, tools, decoating things, paint, gardening things. The tools can be separated between mine and stbexhs but everything else is a nightmare. I think it’s my eco ness that always stops me throwing things away rather than sentimentality so have dozens of screws and it feels like I should recycle them but I know that most people just throw things away and my decluttering would be finished now if I wasn’t so bloody green! Paint really frustrates me because you aren’t supposed to take it to the dump anymore yet the council don’t really have an alternative green way of disposing of it so it’s taking up a cupboard. Anyway I suppose I am going to have to throw loads of stuff away even though it feels wrong.

Em8725 loving the fact your desk drawer is your booze cabinet.
Well posting on here gave me a nudge to find something to declutter and listed an item on Freecycle. I find if I keep coming back it does keep me motivated! I've put some old takeaway menus in the recycling.

Sorted through my 'pending' correspondence file and found 7 items that are now resolved so paperwork can go - shredded/recycled. Took 3 unfinished prescription medicines to the pharmacy for disposal. Decided after washing that the single bed matress protector was never going to be white all over again so decided to bin.
So 11 items out, rather unexpectedly as today has been very busy otherwise on family commitments.
1607/2020 - last 25% to go.

Just gave away a load of terracotta pots that I now understand are too small to actually grow anything in!

Wanted to get into my son's room while waiting for the pickup but the builders have put all their painting equipment in front of the door and I'm afraid to move it.

An unexpected out, DP went into the garden and chopped back a load of climbing plants that were really out of control. We’ve been here 2 years and the previous occupants were retired, and spent all day in the garden. We both work full time so it’s a little overgrown 😂.

@Vinorosso74 it sounds awful really haha. It’s just a convenient and rare place that the kids can’t get into to smash everything

Hi all, I need to add booze to my desk drawer

My outs are a handful of odd socks added to my rag bag. Don't know when this will leave the house, but they're going in the right direction!

Hangers. So many hangers in a bag for charity shop. Mostly kids ones.

I bought the dc matching hangers a while ago. Slowly replacing.

Bag for charity shop contains a few pairs of ds’ outgrown shoes, a pair of shoes which no longer fit me, a couple of the dcs sleeping bags, some swim costumes. Will take it tomorrow.

I stupidly watched some of that Home Edit show and am now obsessed with the idea of getting more fridge bins. Consequently, I've been in the fridge again and have more ood foods and corresponding jars going out. I forgot to count so I'm going to say I've got 5 outs today.

@Em8725 My garden is starting to look like a forest . It has well established shrubs which I have no idea what to replace with, they need pruning.

No outs but more DIY. I am getting very fed up with it but it needs to be done as we have painting to do whilst it is still warm enough to open the windows all day to air the house of paint fumes.

Sand I think I need fridge bins too!

@SandAndSea I am obsessed with that programme. It’s making me ruthless with getting rid though, so I can have pretty and organised storage.

@AlexTheLittleCat we took out an old shed in April, and behind it found a stalk. We left it to grow and I’m not joking, it’s a tree with a really thick trunk 😂. I do love having plants in the garden but I really can see why people enjoy having all turf and a small patio. The plants I have are far too needy!

My day 18 update:

No sorting through boxes today, but I did throw out a half-used bottle of frizz-ease that was a few years old - I was never going to use the rest of it! Hoping to get a couple of hours to myself to do more sorting/ organising tomorrow.

Alex & Em - I'm glad I'm not the only one! I've been trying to find some affordable clear bins but so far, I'm having to make do with white ones. Please let me know if you find any bargainous clear ones.

Oh the home edit! I love that show. Storage baskets bins are my new obsession. Plus matching hangers.

I’ve emailed local charity shop to come and collect our tv cabinet. Dh is a bit annoyed because “we were going to list it for sale on Facebook”

I’ve asked him to list it himself. He apparently never uses Facebook lies
I’ve said I’ll do it but put his mobile number for contact. Nope that’s not an option.
I’ve said I’ll do it and he can wait around for someone to collect. Nope not an option.

Then I’ve explained to him that this is why I’ve emailed for collection.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07JJ3DG6N?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I got these hangers a while ago, because I had my first fitted wardrobe and wanted it to look nice. Nothing falls off them because they’re velvet, so no more clothes at the bottom of the wardrobe.

Clear bins though, I’ve not had much luck with. I was going to try home bargains, B and M etc. Will let you know if I have any success.

Someone is coming to collect the stupid units soon so I can crack on with my rearranging of the lounge today.

5 bottles of alcohol ready to go to my mum, 2 to my mother in law. Hopefully they’ll go by Monday.

I put up a load of kids toys for free and now someone wants them, I’m unsure whether I should have sold them instead. Oh well!

I've seen this thread pop up so many times so thought I'd dip in and see what it's all about.

Do you all literally get rid of one item a day? ( I haven't read all 13 parts).

Welcome footprintsintheslow Yep, that's basically the aim. Obviously, some days you may get rid of more. The idea is to not make decluttering seem such a mammoth task but a small ongoing process.

I dumped an old toy bus that was outside and well used, a plastic container, two tops for recycling and I gave a bag of baby bits to my SIL.
I bought two things for Christmas this week and put them into the attic. I'm hoping to be organised for Christmas thus year - I'm always last minute.

Well today I sorted out my underwear drawer in preparation from autumn. I've checked all my tights and got rid of any with snags or ladders.

I'm also giving away my anti sickness bands that I used in early pregnancy and some very random expensive nail art stickers I felt obliged to buy at one of 'those' parties.

Some of us do. Some don’t. I tend to do it in job lots for charity shop so I purge one room at a time.

I like to keep a bag hung up in my hallway (which is clutter in itself) to throw odd items in as I come across them in for the charity shop.

Hi footprints
Tbh I'd find it impossible to actually remove one thing per day, so I do it by intention. If something has gone in the charity bag then that counts for me. Also a general make some sort of progress towards my house sorting goals per day.
Not much progress for me today yet, I'm still building my shelf unit for the box room, waiting until that's finished then I'll start on all the personal clutter which will go into it, including photos which is a tough one. I am also still hiding from my banking paperwork, as I've not yet recovered from my filing burn out.

Small outs today, DH has been through his paperwork 'Drawer of doom' and half filled a large box to burn. I have been through the remnants of our homeschool efforts and recycled a lot of paper.

There’s lots of lovely Sharpie all over my walls thanks to DC2, and whilst I’m cleaning that off I’m wondering if it would be a bit vain to put up pictures of my graduation? I’ve also got a picture of DP at Buckingham palace (dressed smartly, not a tourist pic!) that I’d like to put up with it, do you think this would be ok? Eventually I’d love a gallery wall but I’ve got too much to do to start another project!

Em put up whatever you like, it's your house. I don't have photos on walls but my friends have pics everywhere and I don't think it's vain of them or anything.