Getting rid of one item a day thread number 14 – where we extract precious autumn leaves, rocks and twigs from our children

[stealthninjamummy]

Well I never thought I’d still be here, on the 14th thread where a bunch of mumsnetters get rid of one item a day while we slowly declutter and reorganise our houses.

It’s autumn and some of us have commented on our children’s beloved treasures that are coming in like conkers and precious twigs that have been named. This is the thread where we focus on sneaking these things out and getting the house ready for Christmas even if we don’t know what Christmas will be like this year.

New joiners are always welcome, just get rid of one item and let us know. We’ve all different issues and challenges and it’s nice to have a friendly chat with a fellow mumsnetter.

Previous thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4003927-Still-throwing-an-item-away-a-day-part-13?pg=1

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

Mwahahahah

So my sister just brought some clothes down for the next size up so 6 months or so of me storing them.
I sent HER home with a bag of cables, two books for her son, a bay monitor, a train toy and an Easter colouring book.
I win.

@Weneedmusicandtheatre

I’ve spent a good while this afternoon deleting 2.5k duplicate photos on my laptop and that’s just from one year (and not yet finished). Will finish that year tomorrow and then actually look at what pictures I have and get them sorted into photo books so we can actually look at them.

Wow, well done

Stealth - You get it! The weird thing is, the 'nice set' of gadgets is also kind of soul-less to me. Prior to being given them, I had 2 cheap old things which worked and reminded me of setting up home - they feel like home somehow. The current gadget situation is that the 'nice matching' one which doesn't work properly is definitely going. Another (cheap, well-used) one is on the out pile and, its nice (but soul-less) counterpart is in the cupboard. They might be swapped around or, I might even get rid of both. We shall see. Well done on the RoD! I think you're wise not to do the box thing - that's what I did years ago and I'm still talking about those darn boxes!

Strange - I'm impressed with you getting rid of things like that. I hope to get there one day. Sentimental cards etc are one of my problem areas.

Confused - That sounds pretty annoying. I don't deliver things these days as I've found buyers too flakey.

Footprints - Your photo collection sounds like mine! Well done on all that lot! I've still got to do mine; I've been putting it off.

Anyway, my list for today is a whole load of half-jobs! Not many new outs but lots of movement in the right direction!

• 1 carrier bag of worn out clothes to the rag bin.
• 1 item packed up, ready for return to a (bad) eBay seller.
• 1 ad placed on freecycle but no bites so far.
• I cleaned out my travel toiletries bag. There was nothing to go out but 4 little bottles are now in the bathroom to be used up and 1 hand & body cream is in the kitchen for handcream.
• Having got rid of quite a few kitchen items recently, I've now got room in the cupboards for things which have been littering up the sides. So, I've been putting things away and clearing the sides.
• I half-cleaned the toaster - lots of breadcrumbs have gone out but there are so many more rattling around in there!
• I've washed the main sofa throw so it'll be all nice in time for Christmas. It's really big and heavy so can take ages to dry, especially with bad weather and the laundrette closed.
• I did a bit more descaling in the bathroom.
• 3 small notes out. (Woo-hoo!)

@SleepingStandingUp that was a very good exchange! Gold star ⭐️ for you.

@SandAndSea I agree I have a posh blender and £5 hand held one and the cheap one gets used the most. The big one does get used sometimes but not often at all. Enough to keep though. 😬

Your list sounds excellent. I loves a list!!!

Thanks, footprints! I love a list too!

Lots of success reported and only 8.30 am here. I am encouraged to keep going.
This morning's cull of 11 e-mails, some going back to pre Lockdown 1 but now resolved.
In cooking last night I threw out the end of a jar of Turmeric - had a replacement - and glanced at the use by date - April 2017!! I thought I had been through the kitchen, but clearly still more to do.
1913/2020

I’m going to catch up with housework today so the only decluttering I’m going to do is
the post on the post table and that’ll be it.

I've put up the lights in the window and hard unfolded the felt Christmas tree so it can go on the door, so whilst no decluttering because I've frankly run out of room (please God let the charity shops reopen Dec 2nd) at least it's stuff being put on the right place

@SleepingStandingUp It's a lovely age. They are still little! They will be so cute together as they grow up. I have a little toddler and they are still little, cuddly and lovely. They are also a house destroyer .

It was a pain about the duvet covers but one of those things, I guess. She did contact me to suggest I should have inboxed her when I couldn't find it - obviously not practical whilst driving on dark & winding country roads Anyway, I sold one of the covers today, so that's good.

Also started a new soap in the bathroom, so that's a small out - we are using up all the little hotel soaps, I have a drawer of them! Also sold 2 nice children's tops online & need to post those & should have somebody coming tomorrow for a little football goal. All good money in as well, although I sell things very cheaply otherwise they don't go.

@Weneedmusicandtheatre that is really good going! Satisfying too, I bet.

@SandAndSea that sounds like a good day's work!

@SleepingStandingUp sounds like you & your sister have a good reciprocal arrangement there.

sleepingstandingup I am also tripping over charity shop stuff. I reckon I must have about 12 bags full. I put most of it for sale on Facebook and got lots of initial interest but only sold two items in the end.

SleepingStandingUp sounds like you & your sister have a good reciprocal arrangement there. Clothes tend to the circles in our family so hard giving e back stuff I offloaded in her 3 years ago 😂

Hoping to pass on one of those inflatable baby rings but it's Def being washed and packed down so that's like 1/3rd an out for today. There's some more 12-18 clothes coming through the wash too so will sort those.
Did a desperate vinegar and baking powder wash on a load of stained baby clothes yesterday and really impressed I've saved stuff from the bin!

@SleepingStandingUp how do you do a vinegar and baking soda wash. Sounds wonderful.

Honestly no idea of o did it right lol.

I dabbed some white vinegar on the stained bits. Then o made some baking powder and water slush and pasted that on the stained bit then bunged it all in the washer on a 30 minute wash without washing liquid then a 30 minute wash with. No idea if my methodology is sound lol but if you hope home remedies for washed in stains you'll find the right thing.

I actually had some outs.
Went through DSs learning to read reading books and cleared out some lockdown workbooks he'd done, a couple of really early readers that I can't bear to go through again and my 2020 diary that I haven't used since lockdown pretty much. O have an academic one for uni now.
Also realised the batteries in DSs old play table have corroded a step too far and there's no way it'll work as a recycled present for the twins so that's waiting for space on the bin. Also went through my childhood / subsequently brought toys, machine washed everything. One electronic cow that doesn't bop in the bin and I'm going to let the kids play with any toys under 30 years of age.

Not a lot of progress this weekend as bins are full until tomorrow and I was landed with some online training and a book to read for work. Managed to get rid of a selection of odd or broken earrings and a few plastic tubs. DD has agreed to a cull of her vast shoe collection and given me a few pairs for the charity bin.

Those twins sound scrummy. I work in a baby room and love it unless it's one of those days when they're all teething and grumpy. Usually it's great fun and lots of cuddles.

Day 75:
Photos and emails as standard now thanks to this thread.
Used up shampoo and conditioner and face wash. I'm usually terrible at leaving bits in the bottom of bottles before starting the next one. Not any more!

I threw out 5 disposable nappies today. Fairly rubbish showing for a weekend, isn’t it, but I seem to have lost momentum again.

I also put a fair bit of manky veg into the food bin, clearing space in the bottom of the fridge, and then used some of the still-a-bit-manky-but-edible veg in a stir fry.

Not decluttering, but my laundry is (mostly) done and 95% of the clean dry laundry has actually been put away

Ooh, reading the update from @footprintsintheslow reminds me that I also used up the last bit of a giant tub of conditioner today.

Not decluttering, but my laundry is (mostly) done and 95% of the clean dry laundry has actually been put away shock
Hey, I'm impressed by that!

@KateF I've put you down for babysitting. They are scrummy but they refused to go to sleep tonight so they're in my head books lol. Coping ok with teething, 6 each so far. Cute til C kisses and bites!

Today's outs:

3 books. (All kept for years and only ever flicked through.)
2 flyers, 1 invoice & 3 envelopes.
4 loyalty cards for a cafe that's closing.
1 note.

I'm making a mental list of things I know can go when I get in the attic. Itching to get up there now!

Victory! Dd2 has decreed that’s UglyDollWirhEvilEyes can go however dd2 did make a comment that UglyDollWithEvilEyes’ hair looks a ‘bit messy’ and asked if I could make her ‘beautiful again’ for her next owner. Pah! That’s not going to happen! Anyway I will be seeing if a comb and conditioner restores her flowing locks while avoiding the EvilEyes as they might turn me to stone or something.

😂😂😂😂👿

stealth thanks for the thought about the scart socket, but I'm sure there are at least three or four somewhere in a drawer thst's blocked by bags for the charity shop. Which in turn are blocked by three electonic keyboards. Sigh...

Tidied snd sorted all weekend. Decluttered......one large cardboard box.