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!

Worn and then binned instead of Mindlessly put in the wash basket. Even when you live in a tiny house, there are still things to declutter!

All used batteries have been dropped off at the recycling spot in the supermarket today. We also have a temporary addition to the house though, we're pet sitting for a friend's Guinea pigs, so they arrived this morning with a mountain of stuff. They're very cute though, so I'll forgive them for taking up space in my living room.

The boxes are gone! Well, three out of five anyway. Never thought I'd be so happy to see my cherished book collection leaving.
Pickled I always end up throwing out clean socks because I am incapable of not putting them in the wash after wearing, lol. Well done for breaking the cycle.
MsAwesome I love Guinea pigs, we had 7 when I was kid and yeah they take up quite a bit of room. Soooooo cute though

Yesterday I went back to the papers and magazines that had defeated me earlier, and found it far less triggering. Not much removed in terms of volume, but some stuff now in paper bin instead of collecting dust. Got a weird feeling of wanting to preserve my private world on a couple of shelves, not just render myyself purely functional. It turned into more of a tidy and sort, ratherthan a declutter.

The boxes are out! 1 to bin, 1 to donate and 1 to sell! (And another or crap that needs putting away! 😂) nothing in them yet but it's my motivation!

glumygloomer yay! It’s sad to see books go but it must be great having the space.

mrstidyhouse it’s impossible to be completely clutter free, but if things are tidy and organised and you know what / where they are then maybe that's 'finished' for you. (not that this ever really finishes).

Yesterday I cleared my bedroom surfaces. I didn’t find homes for everything so I’ll carry on with that today. I also ordered shelves for the garage. I thought I’d put some of stbexh’s things in there when dc go back to school. Someone’s hopefully also coming to pick up some books I’m selling.

Thanks Stealth for the new thread! I need to catch up, I've fallen off the decluttering wagon again , been doing DIY and a bit of tidying. I'm trying to clear the other type of clutter - unfinished tasks that steal all your headspace.

Hi lovelies! What a nice thread to join. I'm having a better late than never lockdown major clear out and overhaul. Today I sold a briefcase to a man who will make it into a James bond prop 🤣 and I missed out on maybe selling some dresses to a lady who wants to come and have a look and maybe decide (um, no. Cos Covid.) .

I've given myself an end of August deadline to shift the lot - after that everything goes to a charity shop.

I've already done two loads of books to webuybooks.com, various books to various friends and several runs to the tip with recycling/waste.

The housework is majorly suffering but I figure better to have a deep declutter in one hit first which I have put off in favour of light housework for years

My goal is to clear out enough space so I can be in the right space mentally to meet someone and eventually have a second child. I feel it is all related to how we feel inside. Am going to sell loads on ebay when LO starts nursery in September (also to help pay for nursery!) and see what I can find today which can go straight in the bin or a charity shop bag!

Welcome permastress and welikebeingcosy.

permastress is this the new film? That's so exciting, you are the former owner of a soon to be famous suitcase. My housework always suffers when I go into full on declutter mode but it's worth it.

welikebeingcosy that makes complete sense, there's nothing like a tidy, organised space to help with your mental health. I've just cleared away the surface clutter from my bedroom and it feels so much better to be in there.

Update: I sold about a dozen books and put away a few things in the bags from the bedroom. I also found 17 pairs of child's socks that are now going as rags.

My housework always suffers too and I end up spending loads of money in take away during a clearout because I dont want to stop to cook, but I figured the more I get rid of, the quicker I break the cycle of cluttering and will have more space to be more productive in general.
Today is going quite well. My house still feels full of clutter because of the lack of tidying up but I got rid of dozens of plastic bags I was saving for bin bags but were just accumulating quicker than I was using them, I took medicine out of boxes and threw the boxes away to make space, have cleared out all of 15 month old DD's baby clothes ready for selling or charity and threw away the really cacky ones. I recycled random stuff I had held onto since her birth thinking i might need it again for future babies, but realising i was just holding on because of how unsafe i felt as a new mother. I got rid of cotton wool which my mum sent me when I was pregnant and never used and probably never will and some brand new toothbrushes that got given to me when I was in temporary accomodation as I have too many. Now I'm going to tidy up and then pull out a few bits from the cupboards to go.

I had a productive day today and got a lot of cleaning done. I've nearly sorted all of the items that came down from the attic and they keep items need to be put back up there.
I recycled a lot of old clothes so will bring that bag to the clothes bank tomorrow hopefully. I found a box with baby bottles so recycled them.
I sorted their pencils cases and labelled their items. So that's another job done.
Still loads to do but a productive day overall! I'm getting much better at getting the items to their end destination wherever that is - recycling, charity, bin or place in the house and less items are hanging around. I hope this continues as it is a good habit for me.

An old top of DD's put in textile recycling bag today (ok not officially out but will be).
It is hard to keep on top of housework whilst decluttering as there isn't time to do it all which is why I quite like the one item a day target. I am determined to get the bigger items out by the end of September.

Sorted through and binned most of my old school and dancing certificates. Why on earth did I keep things like my Cycling Proficiency certificate? No-one cares (apart from me) that I achieved the Cha-Cha-Cha dance exam at the age of 9 😂!

Also binned some essays I wrote for my degree. It’s hard to let go but it’s all out of date now anyway.

WeBuyBooks box collected.
Unsold eBay item in box for dump

Hello!

I’ve been reading along for ages but have decided to join in to see if it helps keep me on track.

I’ve been on a bit of a decluttering frenzy in recent weeks but really need to keep at it as it’s barely made a dent in the chaos of stuff. I don’t want to burn out, so aiming for a minimum of 1 thing should ensure I keep up the momentum.

Yesterday - many baby clothes and lots of school branded polos /jumpers from DS’s previous school. I washed it all as I was planning to donate/send in to school but it all smells a bit weird despite washing so I will mark it up as rags.

Today - went through a tin box of sentimental baby stuff. I’d kept all the cards I received in pregnancy and after having the baby etc, plus my positive pregnancy test I feel ready to let this all go now. The tin is rather nice, so I’m going to wipe it out and add it to the charity shop bag.

@Wildernesstips, I recently get rid of all my old uni notes - I’ve been carting those around for 20+ years and goodness knows how many house moves. I admit I kept a few of the essays from favourite courses though...

@Miaowse that was the thing - it was the course I liked least! In my head I think I wanted my DS to read them and think how clever I was 😳. But they don’t need that, and nor do I.

Welcome, by the way. The sentimental things are the hardest.

Only actual rubbish and recycling out today. Not sure if that counts but my kitchen is less cluttered for it so I'm calling that a win.
Mostly cleaning today but I'll try to get back to my cupboard under the stairs tomorrow.
Welcome to all the newcomers

Hello! I’m popping back in if that’s ok.

Today I’ve done a lot. I cleared out our garage. Got rid of a lot of stuff.

I also brought in some more storage boxes for under stairs cupboard.

Tomorrow I’m doing the kids toys and clothes. There are a lot.

Hello all!
I’ve been AWOL from here pretty much since the start of lockdown (or possibly earlier as DS2 was born in Feb so not sure I did much after he arrived!), as 3 kids under 5 all at home 24/7 has left zero time for decluttering. But now there’s only 2 weeks left until the older two go to school and nursery so I’m back in the game! We’re also hoping to move house within the next year or two so I’m determined to keep on top of things and not have to move anything unnecessarily.
I like to think I’m a bit of a Decluttering pro - I could once have probably even been described as minimalist - but things have gone by the wayside in recent months. I decluttered the herbs and spices drawer last week and I’m ashamed to say there were some things in there that went off before DD was born, and she will be 5 in a few weeks. What’s worse is that we’ve moved house TWICE since then, so they’ve come with us on both moves before finally being evicted from the house.
I’ve made a fair (re)start over the past couple of days but I have a fair few projects I need to tackle over the coming weeks:

• Summer clothes. Once autumn arrives I can go through the outgrown bits and see what’s worth keeping for younger siblings and what’s only fit for the rag bag.
• Toys. Once the kids are out of the house I intend to do a proper sort out and sell on a few seldom played-with things.
• The kitchen. I thought I had done the kitchen thoroughly but the spices debacle has made me suspect I may have more unused and redundant things lurking in the cupboards.
• The cupboard under the stairs. It needs a cull and better organisation. I seem to be forever tidying it so I conclude either it’s full of stuff that shouldn’t be there, or it needs a better system to stay organised. I suspect it may be both.

Well done to everyone who has kept up with the decluttering over lockdown, and welcome to the newbies!

Rediscovering myself among the ancient junk that I keep unearthing. This evening I came across cassettes that I had forgotten about, and had a blast from the past on my ancient ghettoblaster.

Some old battered ring binders of parts from school dramas and musicals wil be recycled soon, after a wander down memory lane. Will keep the posters and programmes as mementoes.

Hello everyone. We have come to the conclusion that the house needs to be sold, so have various estate agents coming for valuations in the next weeks. Need to move a load of stuff temporarily for photos. And declutter lots more that doesn't need moving! I've loaded the car and am taking 9 bags of children's clothes and 1 big toy to women's s refuge tomorrow. A neighbour is collecting another big toy. Will be glad not to be falling over them anymore!

Welcome newbies and welcome back to those of you who went AWOL! I have forgotten names, I apologise.

I do still have the bag of clothes in the jeep ready to go to the charity shop, I really do need to drop that off tomorrow. I added a decorative candle to it today from my bedside table. It was a gift several years ago and have wanted to get rid of it for a while now but felt guilty. I need to remember the purpose of it was it being a gift, it has served its purpose.
I did throw away a couple food items from my pantry that were past their best by date, we are running out of room in our wheelie bin as I didn't take it out last week (barely had anything in it).

Keiki good luck on selling your house!
Tidy it sounds like you are doing really well and getting your house the way you want it.