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

I also tossed Toss. It was annoying me as kept giving me the same tasks.

SleepingStandingUp We have had a Merry Christmas banner up on our living room wall for two and a half years .

Some ins yesterday as I bought new clothes for the children, nothing essential except for larger sleep suits for DS (which are actually a little big still and he is running around hitching up the back over his nappy ), but I’ve got rid of an equal amount of outgrown clothes so it balances out. I’ve also put away some summer shorts and T-shirts so there’s more space in the drawers.

Toss told me to get rid of jackets. I have a raincoat that can go. I also have a coat which I love but the zip is broken and it’s a bit scruffy now so I suppose that can go too.

I’m keen to see how long Toss goes on for, how much of my house will be decluttered over lockdown.

When toss tells me to do something I have already done or don't have I just press 'done' and then '0 items'. It then celebrates my zero items!

Yes footptints I discovered this morning I could do 0 items! It’s awesome because if I can’t do a task one day I can go back to it a few days later. I do find that I have been returning to areas I did - the classic example is the sideboard where I think I ended up getting rid of 52 items. I’m curious to see how many areas toss has before we start adding our own / recycling.

Today dd1 has art so I’ve been going through our art stuff and found a few bits to go - half completed peppy pig colouring sets, lots of half completed pencils and pens so I might see if people want them on freecycle.

85: pair of socks which are easy to get on but awkward to get off

We've agreed to get another skip and deconstruct the bookcase which is beyond saving. It'll need replacing but I'll have to filter the books and all the accumulated junk. DH think we wait until r have enough rubbish for one, I think we get one whilst we can half fill it and then work on filling it over the week.

glitterywooly unfortunately I can barely sew on a button. I did think about paying someone to do a zip, maybe I should get a quote?

sleeping I would get a skip first, half fill it and then fill it over a week. I think you would have such a productive week knowing it was there. alternatively it could take weeks or months to find stuff to mentally put in it.

Ooh, we’ve had a clothing donation bag through the door for cancer research. We definitely do have a load of toddler clothes in cupboards, already bagged up with anything useless removed... but can I be bothered to dig them out this week? They are definitely buried under other stuff 😳

@stealthninjamum

glitterywooly unfortunately I can barely sew on a button. I did think about paying someone to do a zip, maybe I should get a quote?

sleeping I would get a skip first, half fill it and then fill it over a week. I think you would have such a productive week knowing it was there. alternatively it could take weeks or months to find stuff to mentally put in it.

Exactly!! Nothing will motivate us to sort the bookcase like a skip sitting on the drive. And we live on an area where people don't use other people's skips so no worries about it getting filled randomly if we have it for a week.

Were also struggling with bin rubbish frankly with 2 adults, 3 kids all in nappies plus general decluttering so it would help with that for a few weeks of we time it. Eldest is nearly day dry so that'll cut the rubbish.

During lockdown we need extra bin collections

One random vest out that's an odd size, so assumed TS got caught up with something else.

Tin of biscuits in as I need an air tight tin for all our as biscuits

86:8

@SingToTheSky

Ooh, we’ve had a clothing donation bag through the door for cancer research. We definitely do have a load of toddler clothes in cupboards, already bagged up with anything useless removed... but can I be bothered to dig them out this week? They are definitely buried under other stuff 😳

Do it, it'll be one less thing to try and donate when the apocalypse ends and will be a massive weekly win

sing do it!!!!

I’m counting a bar of chocolate.

I do like the apocalypse argument 🤔😂

A few bits and pieces every day from the pile of arts and crafts. The occasional useless pen, or a pencil that splinters instead of sharpening.

A pair of holey socks.

singtothesky you lucky thing. Getting a charity bag would be the highlight of lockdown for me.

sleeping I can remember the amount of rubbish produced when I had two dc in nappies, poor you.

I googled a few dry cleaners / sewing type places and one had a price list of from£45 to sew a zip on my coat. I might see if I can find a local seamstress to do it as I would hope that would be cheaper than someone with big premises and it would feel good to give work to someone who’s presumably suffering with lockdown (lack of weddings etc).

I have found an opened plum and hoisin sauce bb 2019 so I should probably chuck that out.

Chucked a lot of dds trousers. Holes in the bum. So off they went to the bin.

2021 day 13 update:

1. General decluttering: Shredded more work paperwork, and put a book in the charity shop bag. It’s a collection of short stories with a fairytale theme, but the ones I’ve read so far have been quite dark and more like horror stories, and I’m not enjoying them
2. Toss app prompt: Nothing today as I skipped all the prompts - I’d already done them or they didn’t apply.
3. Mum’s stuff: Nothing today. Still trying to decide on nice storage boxes. I’m setting myself a deadline to get this done by the weekend as the boxes we brought back are taking up too much space in our small dining room!

Homemade high chair cover to the rag bag. DH did a big fridge clear out of old condiments, so loads of glass out (gotta use his work to pad my numbers ).

@SingToTheSky

I do like the apocalypse argument 🤔😂

Did you do it??

86:8

87: some slimming world books / journals
I'm still fat, it does work but dot during the apocalypse
88: some more toys
89: random vest I'm not sure where found from
90: print out of the 12 month baby assessment, some packaging and post rubbish

Day 127:

💤Baby boys hat in charity bag that we will now never need.
💤Emails deleted

I am very proud: I sorted the sock drawer today! ( 3 girls in our house, me and DTDs 11. All socks in one drawer in the hall so none of us have to go upstairs to get s socks to leave the house or we would never leave). Chucked about 12 pairs that didn't fit anyone or had holes, loads of odd ones, returned 6 pairs to my sister and paired up about 10. Now can see what we have, everything fits and is in good condition. All my new ones will be stolen immediately, but hopefully leaving the house will be easier. Now we just need to be allowed to leave the house!
Also recycled advent calendars and packed away Christmas crockery.
New washing machine arrived 😀

That's such a good idea MrsF I'll have to remember that for when mine are bigger (all boys) and when we have a hallway big enough for such planning!

1stmrsf what a good day for you. There are three girls in my house (including me😃) and I loathe sorting out socks. They all look so similar. I have lost count of the times we left the house and I looked down and in daylight realised dd2 was going to school with slightly different socks on because I’d paired the wrong ones together.

Toss wants me to get rid of shirts and tops and I can’t sleep so I’m going to have a look for some now.