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!

Today’s update I have found homes for a few things I brought back from mum’s:

• a few Xmas decorations have been put in the Xmas decorations box under our bed.
• One blanket has been put away in the bedding drawer, while the other has gone on our bed as it’s getting chilly at night.
• Some letters and newsletters from my secondary school have gone in a folder of secondary school stuff - to be reviewed at a later date.

But I’m stuck on a box of blank Xmas cards that I found in my old wardrobe. It’s a half-full box that I probably bought as a teenager, and the designs all look quite dated. So I don’t want to use them and d I could just put them in the recycling. However, I’ve now thought that they could be given to school for crafting, but I’m not sure if the school will accept stuff from home now, and I’d need to keep them until closer to December. But it feels like a waste to recycle them if they could be used in some way...

This is why I struggle to get rid of things! Any advice?

@EllieQ recycle them. I know it's hard to let go of the idea that something might be useful to someone or might come in handy, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. Put you first, not the stuff. Do you want the space? If so get rid.

I'm feeling annoyed at gumtree tonight. Last week I listed a baby bouncer (jumperoo style). So far three people have asked if it's available, then blanked me after I said it was. Today I listed some craft bits, almost immediately someone said they'd come tonight after 6. Fine I said, but not too late please because I have small kids. No reply, and now it's looking like a no show. I've got 5 odd other people interested but annoyed that a day has been wasted because someone couldn't say actually no thanks.

Sounds very frustrating Glumy why can’t people treat you the way they would like to be treated with consideration. ElllieQ another voice saying recycle if you think they are dated it’s unlikely school would want them either. You could always use them for shopping lists (or lists of next areas to declutter ) before recycling then they have been useful if that makes it easier to part with them

Took a wicker basket and a bag of baby grows to nursery for their spares.

Day 2 for me. I sorted though the kid's pens and pencils and put the used ones aside for recycling. I'm going to give myself a month to find the time to get to Rymans to recycle them. I also sorted through my makeup and got rid of about a 1/3. Plus I took a bag of hand me downs to a friend's and got my husband to take the Dyson to the repair shop (if it can't be fixed we'll just get rid, but it's been sitting in the under stairs cupboard for about 2 years not being used) and return a dishwasher part he bought but we didn't need. Baby steps!

EllieQ I'd recycle them too. Glumy It's a pain about gumtree, I hope they show up.

Welcome to everyone new, everyone is doing so well. Frogslegs You are doing so well!

I've thrown a few bits of paperwork out and that is it for the day.

She's messaged me now asking if she can come tomorrow. I've asked what time, and if she says evening again I might move on.

Glumy I hate people messing me about on Gumtree/Freecycle too! I find the genuinely interested ones are quick at replying to you. If you use Nextdoor I have found people on there are better at not time wasting but it is a smaller audience.

Ooh, I didn’t know you could drop pens to Ryman’s for recycling - thanks for the tip @FrogsLegs14

I was feeling really tired and nearly decided to skip today, but I made myself look in a food cupboard and found quite a few out of date items that I can’t see me using including a value bottle of fizzy water that had a BB date in 2018. When I poured it down the sink it was totally flat!

Welcome to all the new decluttering enthusiasts.
I am just about managing one item out a day. Yesterday was the remains of a bar of soap - I finish them off once DH decides they are too small to not stay in the shower basket. Today was DH's contributiton to the daily item - a finished magazine for his hobby. The pile continues to reduce, if slowly.
Return to school/university is taking my attention. However, I have a dump slot booked for late next week, so need to gather items together.
DC has done a bedroom declutter and I have a bag for the charity shop that I will add to my count once dropped in.
Hope those waiting for people to collect items get to hand them over.

EllieQ I would recycle too - I used to hang on to items that I thought could be useful for someone/something/for the future. I'm slowly getting out of this habit but it does take time and practise.

I sold a bag of baby clothes today so that feels like a big out. It was a no hassle Facebook sale and she showed up on time! I was unsure about selling at the beginning but I've had mostly positive experiences so far.

Welcome theyareminerals it will get better! It sounds like you made a fantastic start. What room will your attic be? You can always put some of your stuff there when it’s done.

Welcome frogslegs14 you’re definitely doing the right thing, my house is so much more efficient these days. Ive still got a long way to go but I think lockdown exhausted me and I want a clutter free house by Xmas now. I tend not to sell on eBay but I do put things on Facebook and ‘bump’ them everyday and if they haven’t sold by a certain date then I take them to the charity shop.

I can’t remember what I last updated but I have slowly been selling about one toy a day. I have also got a sock bag of dirty, too small and socks that are missing a partner. Some went to the charity shop but I have a few more now. I have bought dc new socks for school. I have also taken the post to the Room of Doom. I need to file it or shred it and not keep it there forever unsorted. I have also started to empty the utility room sorting out my stuff and stbexhs to go in the garage.

So I feel like I am seeing outs and making progress but I’m never very good at finishing jobs. The bits of the house people see are tidiest and clearest they have been since lockdown but there is still loads of hidden away stuff!

I've moved all the stuff that adult DS has stored in the garage, and gathered it all in one spot. The garage has become damper over the past year, and there is some damage with mildew. I'll clean what can be cleaned, and bring it into the house to prevent further problems.

For some weird reason, my brain then wandered to the boxes of music on shelves in the sitting-room. Earlier this week, I was sorting through cassetts tapes. Maybe that's why I thought of the laundry boxes with masking-tape labels according to what instrument the DC played at school. Whatever. I sorted through almost all the boxes, and found that much of it was out of place.

Not sure what to do with the music. Knowing that it's now all neatly stored and labelled correctly, I'll probably leave it as it is, until it becomes clearer what to do. The oldest piano music is from my granny's teaching days. Takes up very little space.

ellieq do you have a local Facebook group? I have advertised old craft bits and had teachers and pre school assistants take them. It’s an idea in case your school doesn’t want them.

glumygloomer that’s so frustrating when people don’t turn up, I tend to have bursts with Facebook / Freecycle where I advertise loads of stuff and stay in so if one person doesn’t turn up it doesn’t bother me so much - although I appreciate a jumperoos a big item to have hanging around.

I meant to ask glumy did you get rid of everything to do with your old flat? I have two ring binders to do with my purchase and sale of a flat in about 2000. For some reason I feel I need to keep mortgage documents and land registry copies. Can you tell me that I’m being stupid?

frogslegs that’s a great tip about Ryman’s, we get through loads of pens here. I’ll add it to the second post.

Ha ha, sorry Stealth I still have all the buying and selling paperwork, even though logically I probably don't need any of the stuff before the current house. I've finished the macro sort of the paperwork, so all that stuff is in one wallet at least.
Next I need to go through each category and order, file, decide what can be burned. Not sure if I should get the epic ones like banking out of the way, or start with a small victory type like health.
After getting no response to my when today question I fired the last gumtree customer and am waiting on the next one now. Fingers crossed...

Really good day here, small billy bookcase moved from the office into a kids room. They have filled it with books and Lego models. All the stuff that was in it has been sorted, lots of old paperwork scanned and shredded. Chargers for tech and a battery charger all gathered up and put in another cupboard in the office. Thanks for the tip about pen recycling - quite a trip to our nearest Ryman store but I can easily find a spot to keep them until they are ready to go

I've just googled jumperoo and it doesn't look anything like I thought, lol. I've got a doorway bouncer, it's quite small, I can fit it under the buggy to take it too a charity shop if needs be. Glad I didn't use the term jumperoo in my listing.

All the stuff for the dump has gone which is good.

My attic will be a sewing room for me and a place for DH to play with his trains. I'm determined not to let it become the dumping ground it's been for the past ten years. There are plenty of cupboards under the eaves but I wont put anything there unless I know I'll use it at some point.

A lady just came to pick up a bag of baby clothes. My son is 26!

The house is getting better. One problem is that I gave away most of my old bookcases. Want to buy something nice. In the meantime the books are piled everywhere!

Probably time to get rid of half the books as well!

theyareminerals that sounds like the perfect use of an attic and it sounds like you’re well overdue for a declutter. I laughed at getting rid of the very old babyclothes - we all have stuff that’s been sitting around for decades.

So to add to my habit of never finishing a job I ended up emptying out the cupboard under the stairs. I have bagged up some children’s summer hats and 3 pairs of children’s sandals. I’m aiming to go throw the winter accessories with dc. I did this last year so this year should be quick.

Day 4 update: Thanks to everyone’s encouragement, I’ve put the old Xmas cards in the recycling today - @GlumyGloomer your comment about whether I needed the space more really helped, thank you.

I’ve also put away a jumper and scarf that belonged to my mum. She knitted the jumper herself, and while I might not wear it, I can’t get rid of it yet, so it’s in my jumper drawer. The scarf is with my other scarves and will go nicely with my autumn coat

Third person lucky on my gumtree exploits, so that's done at least. I also finally threw out my knackered trainers. The inside heels had holes with bits of plastic starting to poke through.

Just a small out today - a baby jacket went in the charity shop bag.