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

Also impressed with Footprints ability to continue decluttering with a new baby

2021 day 17 update.

Today was not as productive as yesterday. DD woke at 5, and once she was settled I wasn’t able to go back to sleep, so I’ve been tired all day.

1. General decluttering: Threw away a returns label for a present I ordered online, as it wasn’t needed. I remember putting it aside and thinking I’ll keep it in case DSis doesn’t like the present, but she did.
2. Toss app prompt: Today’s prompt was perfume, and I do have a bottle to throw out - it was a gift, but I never wear any. Not sure whether to empty it down the sink - will the smell linger?
3. Mum’s stuff: nothing today.

Really hope DD sleeps better tonight. She’s obviously unsettled with lockdown and being off school, but it makes life so hard when we’re all tired!

Just checking in. Hope everyone is Ok. I had a complete chill over the weekend- it was such a busy work/home learning week. Have used up the last bit of the Christmas cheese and munched my way through lots of other snacks as I'm joining low carb boot camp from tomorrow! The crisis area prioritised for this week is my clothes. After getting lots of new pyjamas for Christmas I need to remove some older ones so I have enough room in the drawer!

Have a good week.

@IWillWearThatGlitteryWoolly that mirror breaking must've been scary. I had one fall in the living room once and I thought a car had driven in the house.

Bloody impressive list too!

I forgot to say Toss told me to do the silverware...so I've asked the butler to look at that in the east wing. 🙄😂

Mostly tidying here. Unpacked a couple of crafts items that had been stored in bulky packaging. Craft items in tub with other similar. Cardboard and plastic now in recycling.

Rusty scissors and blunt knives from kitchen now out in garage in safe place until tip run.

Four bits of OOD food have been chucked from the cupboards as per the Toss prompt. I thought there’d be more but I’m fairly up to date with the dry stuff. Also a foot pump which came with the blow up beds we got the girls for Christmas as there was one with each bed, plus we have an electric pump, so kept one as a spare and binned the other.

Not really decluttering but I have thrown out my old pillows and put my thin duvet away for summer and am now luxuriating under a 10.5 tog feather duvet and new plumped up pillows. It is blissful, even if I’m currently sharing it with a biscuity wriggling toddler

Also two glass bottles, and scraps of paper.

footprintsintheslow amazon sell baileys? Noooo I don’t need to know that! I don’t usually drink by myself at home but do love a baileys. The only problem is I am trying to declutter the two stone of weight I put on over the last year.

Welcome lifeofbriony. It sounds hard to add something new to your routine but you kind of get used to it. When you put the kettle on you sort through mugs, baking products, when you sort through clothes you become more aware of the old clothes in your wardrobe.

Toss told me to do baking products today. I got rid of five food dyes relatively easily. I have a box of biscuit cutters to sort through and I suppose I should get rid of a blowtorch I have had for twenty years and never used. I’ve always really wanted to, I used to watch lots of ready steady cook and they always used one.

I also found lots of birthday cake candles. I tend to reuse them but we have loads of different colours and heights with bits of cake stuck to the bottom so maybe I should just throw them away? I also found birthday candles in the sideboard last week so at the very least I should put them together.

todays Toss prompt for me is old power cords. i think we have some i can ditch. so will have a look at that later on.

a bag of baby clothes went out with DM this morning - she came to pick up the kids and the bag is for her friends daughter who is due in March.

also out is a hideously ugly galaxy lamp which was a gift from my aunt and uncle for christmas. dm took this for dsis (teacher) she will use for a class project.

Re candles stealth I sorted then into batches that works get used together and then got rid of anything with numbers we wouldn't use or too few in a bundle to be useful

Thanks sleepingstandingup I suspect I have birthday candles in about three or four places and I have never put them together before. I’ll be putting them in the sideboard with all the boxes of matches (also distributed in different drawers).

Hope home schooling is going well for everyone. We’ve had a couple of arguments today, I can’t wait for them to go back.

101: posting a dress today whilst o go out for milk.
102: last bits of Christmas decs from window have gone down, a few baubles haven't survived the process but it does mean it will all be away by tonight!!

11in: costume for DS from the Nappy Fairy for not wearing nappies all month

three bags taken to charity shop and two bedsheets popped in clothing recycling - as charity shop wouldn't take this as they have too many.

now home and have filed (thrown away) ds' artwork from nursery. and two vases of daffs which had seen better days.

feeling smug now.

103: oooh last minute purchase on Vinted of three plush toys so they can also go in the post when I go out.

I didn't know you could put bedding in the clothes recycling! That's next weekend's job sorted.

I've not shifted a huge amount, just trying to get rid of a few bits and bobs each day. Some hideous blue tinsel that dd3 loved when little and some wooden decorations donated to nursery, cleared half-used jars from the fridge and took all glass to the recycling bin, used up a couple of bottles of shower gel and keeping on top of recycling junk mail, envelopes etc. Now that the Christmas tree is down I can see that the sitting room is less cluttered which motivates me to keep going.

In a moment of weakness I picked up two books from a box a neighbour put out for people to help themselves from but I will re-donate them once read!

It does say textiles. So I popped it in. Not all our charity shops are open for donations sadly. Just the “big” one. Which is great but they’re getting a bit overwhelmed with stuff.

I have a day off on Thursday and also next Monday some much needed annual leave and am going to spend one day vegging and the other decluttterjng.

Got through a fair amount of paperwork today which either got filed, recycled, or shredded (to be recycled later).

@Iwillwearthatglitterywoolly I would love to hear more about your window spray (how to make/use it)

Thank you for the welcome.

It's bin/recycling day tomorrow so I have got rid of some leftovers from the fridge. I've just noticed a box of chocolates which just has a few left that nobody likes - they can go in the food waste bin then the packaging in the recycling.

More slow tidying is needed, unfortunately.

I realise I need to get into the habit of doing some decluttering/sorting every day, so it does become a habit.

I would also like to know about vinegar/tea tree cleaner Woolly! Is it preventative or does it get rid of black bits that are already there? Really want to cut down our use of bleach (not least because DH has ruined several towels with it!)

I found a big pile of receipts from my Christmas shopping so those have now gone except for a couple of things that have warranties attached.

Welcome to @LifeOfBriony. Definitely about the slow tidying in this house too!

I've just noticed a box of chocolates which just has a few left that nobody likes I don't understand this sentence. It seems to be in a strange language from a strange place where there are chocolate people dislike 😂😂

I think it becomes addictive once you start @LifeOfBriony you need a few good wins

Regarding bedding in clothes recycling - I always check on the web or on the bin itself before putting in. They usually take sheets and pillowcases but not pillows or duvets. The Salvation Army clothing bank takes linen, and so does the one at our local council recycling site, although that one is not operating at the moment, as they have spaced out the collection areas a bit more and cut down the number of things they currently take.

In fact, I should make a permanent note of what local places like recycling and charity shops take. When I haven’t been for a while, I always end up taking a quick tour round my usual shops just to remind myself which places take things like kids clothes and bedding that not all charity shops do.

@SleepingStandingUp

I've just noticed a box of chocolates which just has a few left that nobody likes I don't understand this sentence. It seems to be in a strange language from a strange place where there are chocolate people dislike 😂😂

I think it becomes addictive once you start @LifeOfBriony you need a few good wins

I know, that was a difficult sentence to write. The box would not have lasted if there were any nice chocolates left. In case you are doubting my chocolate-eating credentials, DS and I did finish a bag of chocolate buttons and threw the empty packet in the kitchen bin.

I'm looking round the room and can see things that need to be moved to other rooms and put away - but nothing to be got rid of.

@SleepingStandingUp

I've just noticed a box of chocolates which just has a few left that nobody likes I don't understand this sentence. It seems to be in a strange language from a strange place where there are chocolate people dislike 😂😂

I think it becomes addictive once you start @LifeOfBriony you need a few good wins

Coffee creams maybe? I bloody hate those.

Alternative uses for/places to take things like bedding:

• duvets (the actual duvets not just the covers - animal rescues - dog beds.
• bedding - refuges and shelters (as above duvets)
• towels - as above refuges shelters and also animal rescues - I also take any old towels to the stables where I ride.