The countdown to Christmas - but still decluttering one item a day. Thread number 15

[stealthninjamum]

Thread number 15 of the ‘declutter one item a day thread’ and this bunch of mumsnetters are still decluttering our houses slowly by getting rid of one item a day.

It’s always challenging at Christmas for declutterers, as we fill our house with more presents, food and children’s toys. This thread should give us a bit more accountability as we keep plugging away slowly while we making our homes more organised and decluttered.

Obviously Christmas won’t be the same this year and the stealthninjahousehold won’t be having any visitors but I’m still keen to spend the last couple of weeks making my house a nicer space to spend time in.

Newbies are always welcome. We just get rid of one item each day and report back on the thread.

Previous thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4053749-Getting-rid-of-one-item-a-day-thread-number-14-where-we-extract-precious-autumn-leaves-rocks-and-twigs-from-our-children?pg=1

The Big Cleanup turned into a medium cleanup today, but DH and I still got a lot done, though not much decluttering other than dust. Outs today: shredded quite a bit of paperwork and sent a pair of ripped trousers to the sewing bag.

Due to moving, renovations, and holding onto quite a bit from relatives' estates, we are dealing with an Upstairs of Doom (and living downstairs). Sigh.

Good luck for tomorrow @footprintsintheslow!

2021 day 10 update:

1. General decluttering: I made a start on the mountain of paperwork, and filed 18 months of bank statements. The envelopes and any leaflets have gone into the recycling, and while going through the pile I found a few other things that could go straight into recycling. Also found my P60 from last April, which has also been filed.
2. Toss app prompt: Today’s prompt was ‘shirt drawer’ and I have put one t-shirt into the charity bag.
3. Mum’s stuff: Made space for one book on our (crowded) bookshelves, and hung one picture that I brought back with me.

I also put away the Xmas wrapping paper, and hoovered upstairs, so felt like I’d been productive!

I threw out two random mismatched socks belonging to DS . I always put odd socks on a peg hangie thingie for a week or so hoping their partners will turn up.

Of course when I loked in the little turds clothes drawer , there were the two singleton odd socks from the chucked out pair

Not got much done over the weekend, although I did go through my jewellery and found a broken cheapo watch to chuck.
Not bring able to get stuff out of the house is deeply frustrating, as I don't have a good space for collecting this stuff (which is the whole point).

Good luck with the induction @footprintsintheslow
My first was induced, took about 24 hours all together.

I skipped too many tasks and Toss hasn’t given me any. It asked me to do receipts, car trunk and bedding and all are decluttered already. I might look for some receipts, there are bound to be a couple in old shopping bags but I’m not too fussed about decluttering today. I got very little sleep last night so I’m having a lazy day. I joined a diet thread just now and so I might turn all my old vegetables into soup.

Hmmm - not sure I am going to bother downloading Toss. I am not short of ideas for areas to declutter, and I really don't want to feel guilty for yet another thing I am not doing!

Praying the woman comes to collect my Perfect Prep, I've just made DH get it into the kitchen so it's say staring at me now 🤣.

I'd declutter e tiredness and get a nap stealth

I like Toss because I can usually find one thing. I’m actually proud that today it sent me to do areas that I’ve largely done. In fact I did my bedding about 3 years ago and have kept up so it makes me feel really good about my progress.

I am struggling because dd2 is making weird noises and dd1 is shouting at her. Today dd2 needs to make noises to concentrate but it is so annoying.

I am determined to find something to get rid of today. Hopefully not a child.

I have found a child’s book to put in the pile. I was determined to find something.

74 i CHUCKED TH LONELY SOCKS then today found some of their now ex partners . bugger.

75. chucked away a couple of sensory toys i made that the kids are indifferent too and reduced our maraca pile

76. found two ood inhalers and two packets of ood antihistamines upstairs

there will be a 1 year old decluttered into the bin if he keeps climbing

i threw away a calpol syringe - this seems to be a classic "i've got nothing so will fall onto this as a back up" trick on here

i have taken delivery though of more packing cubes and a new planner from @beaverandmole it is gorgeous. very pleased with it.

did i need new stationary? no. but so lovely.

I tidied away some CDs that were in a drawer in the sideboard that weren’t in boxes so I tried to find their correct homes. I found a box set of David Walliams story CDs (I know we all hate him!) that can go and I decided to get rid of two CDs. Given I never listen to any of my 140 ish CDs I don’t know why I can’t throw them all out.

@stealthninjamum I keep all my CDs/ DVDs as I like to have a physical copy and not be reliant on digital downloads. I remember when CDs were the exciting new technology!

Day 125:

Managed to chuck a skanky pillow this morning and my new slippers arrived just in time to save me from taking these desperate things to hospital.

No news at the hospital yet.

@footprintsintheslow

Day 125:

Managed to chuck a skanky pillow this morning and my new slippers arrived just in time to save me from taking these desperate things to hospital.

No news at the hospital yet.

Were you waiting to be called in?

77-78 Perfect Prep ladies mom came so one prep machine and two filters out, £35 in

Got some more shredding done and went hunting for (and found) some recycling beyond the everyday stuff. Hoping for something a little more impressive tomorrow.

2021 day 11 update:

1. General decluttering: Shredded more work paperwork in between doing actual work today.
2. Toss app prompt: Today was ‘towels’ and I’ve added one threadbare hand towel to the textile recycling pile. Replaced by the hand towels from my matching towel set (still bringing me joy).
3. Mum’s stuff: Two blue glass bottles (Harvey’s Bristol Cream sherry) have gone into the recycling. I had three of these as candle holders when I was a teenager, and they were still in my old room. I brought them all home, but decided I’ll just keep one. They are a beautiful colour

Homeschooling went fairly well today, thankfully.

EllieQ I love the colour of Bristol Cream bottles (the contents aren’t bad either!). I usually buy a bottle at Christmas (for Santa ) but my mum treated me to another one last week as well. I need to not hang onto it when it’s finished as I will never find a real use for it.

Treated myself to a new feather duvet as my current one is only 4.5 tog and I am freezing 🥶. Also new pillows. I’ll keep the old duvet for summer but my old pillows will get chucked, I don’t think you can recycle them except for animal bedding and I can’t get them to any vets or shelters at the moment.

Today’s outs; finished my bottle of shampoo and now onto the bar of solid stuff, plus some mouthwash DP bought in a fit of enthusiasm for oral hygiene and then promptly forgot about, so I have been using it up. The dentist didn’t seem too fussed about us using it so I won’t replace it.

Chucked 2 sippy cups when the DCs weren't looking Because they always protest when I try to do it in front of them. They are 11yo!! Have bought new lock & lock containers to replace old sad looking rip off versions. Need to spend a bit more time on that plastic drawer but it's a start. Unfortunately the washing machine has decided to completely die so that'll be an expensive in...

@stealthninjamum

I have given up trying to get rid of stuff, I have a mountain of stuff bagged up in front of the patio doors. I am trying to be positive that the rest of the house is clearer and it’s evidence of how hard I’ve worked but it does annoy me.

I put 3 games aside and a pack of cards. We had two draughts, two packs of cards, two jengas so it was easy.

Is it stuff you could advertise for free if collected?

79: decs down and some broken ornaments and murdered tinsel out
80: also chucked some boxes that I've previously used for storage and instead used up a plastic one that's floating around unused

I forgot to do ins, brought big one some socks (replace ones I binned), pants (ditto) and PJ's (reward for doing so well on toilet training but also replaced ones I chucked) and the babies matching PJ's because.... They match their brothers so I guess that's 7 ins

Day 11: Threw away a small bag of disposable masks that are poor quality and don't protect in an eficient way. We used some back in march and there were only a few left. No way i'm risking our health to save some money!

Out: 18
In: 12

Day 126:
👣Baby girl decluttered at 00:30.
👣8lb 12oz