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

cletter I’m doing them kondo style too, slowly grouping things together. We have got chargers for Siemens, Sony, apple, Nokia, blackberry phones and a random payg I bought when I was online dating and so many camera wires and wires with no known use. It doesn’t sound like it but I have chucked out quite a lot over the last couple of years. I just emptied a drawer in the bedroom of wires and the same drawer had become a repository of school photos and play programmes so I started a memory box for dd2. I talked about this before Xmas. There is a pile of stuff in the Room of Doom so I might spend ten minutes in there tomorrow. I love how tidying one area leads to another. I feel like I’m making really good progress despite only spending ten minutes here and there.

Just caught up wirh the thread and OMG I NEED CHOCOLATE!

Welcome to all the new declutterers!

I didn't manage to devote a decent amount of time to declutter lately because i'm working like there's no tomorrow. Vaccination for COVID's just started where i work and people are crazy busy.

Yesterday i got rid of some medicine DP had to take before a surgery she's undergone last year and has obviously not taken as the box was closed so i guess that ship has sailed. I also got an unexpected gift from a friend (very cool water bottle that i actually needed). So, one in and one out. Meh.

Out: 24
In: 15

I'll really really try to find something to declutter today.

Skip arrived.
109: from the broken drawer under DSs bed
110: broken lid off dressing up box
Ton more to go but it's raining 😂

Busy selling day so will do Hermes whilst I buy bread.

111: corset too tight for my post baby boobs
112: set of Jasper Fforde books
113: snow suit. Nearly some 2 but I'm too nice
114: two skirts too short for my fat legs 😂
115: two Christmas shirts of the baby's

I tend to sell cheap so I'll never get rich but it's good to see items go

DD has sorted out her pinboard so we got rid of various bits of paper off there!

I tend to sell cheap so I'll never get rich but it's good to see items go

that's tends to be what i do. I have a load of listings on eBay currently (and a box of stuff which is waiting to be sold). i've offed free postage for everything, and just want it gone.

Bit jealous of everyone's long lists!

Day 134:
H has given away a bag of climbing kit so he's saved the day as otherwise there would be no outs.

@ememem84

Ooh recycling went out today. Cardboard. Which was overflowing because we missed the run a couple of weeks ago. Sigh.

@LifeOfBriony where do you stand on Turkish delight? I love the stuff. But dh hates it. He also hates the strawberry cream type chocs.

Another eBay thing sold. So that’s £12.50 in. Just have to post the things now.

I don't like Turkish Delight - the type you get in boxes of chocolates, or the Fry's (?) bar. I do like the Turkish Delight colleagues used to bring back from holidays in Turkey or wherever in the good old days when I went out to work.

DH likes Turkish Delight in boxes of chocs so it does get eaten.

Ooh I like all of the Turkish delight. Both the chocolate stuff and the Turkish stuff. I ate an entire box of the Turkish stuff on the plane back from Turkey. Delish.

OK, a little progress has been made on the decluttering. I went through a pile of paperwork - some will need putting away (that's for another day) but I've put in the recycling one magazine, one holiday brochure, and one catalogue. The pile doesn't look much smaller, tbh, but it's a start.

I used up a pen which has gone in the bin (can the parts of biros be recycled?). I've also put a book that I've read in a carrier bag of books to be taken to the charity shop when they are open again - I missed the window of opportunity in December. I've also decided to read a book that I will add to the bag in due course.

I ate one of the unpleasant chocolates then rewarded myself with a toffee penny.

I'm impressed with the progress others are making.

Hahah love that you took one for the declutter team Briony

Hello I would like to join. I’ve lurked on some for the other threads. I really need to get out house sorted. I tried to tied up before Christmas but did t manage it. Having a 5 month old puppy doesn’t help.
Many way yesterday I finished 1 of the many body lotions I have. My aim is to use as many as possible before my birthday in July so I can then get a body shop one I want to try.

Today I took the dog create back to my dsis so that’s not cluttering up the hall anymore.

I packed away ds paw patrol toys a the beginning of the first lockdown. He has t mentioned them so I think I may get on and try nhs sell them on fb.

Where I have been sorting out other areas a lot of stuff has ended up piled high on the spare bed (have to keep it off the floor due to dog) so hoping to chip at away at that too although a lot just needs to be put away rather than binned.

lifeofbriony apparently pens can be recycled at Ryman’s. I have a bag of them but might go mad and throw them away before the end of lockdown.

Welcome toomanyhobbies

I am going to leave now and ignore all mention of chocolate.

Out today went a bag of broken or tatty Christmas bits and bobs and some packaging from Christmas presents that I kept in case anything needed to be returned.

Cables and wires is a good one. I have loads plus a few sets of defunct Christmas tree lights. Are they recyclable or do you bin them?

It is a relief to see that I’m not the only one with a husband/ partner who would keep things for no reason! I don’t mind his piles of paperwork and stuff we need to keep (as I have a few of these too), but something so pointless as sweet wrappers is my limit. Haven’t asked him why yet...

2021 day 20 update:

1. General decluttering: shredded more work paperwork. Also used a birthday card from my card stash for a cousin's birthday - that counts as decluttering, right?
2. Toss app prompt: Today was bathroom cabinet (again) and I threw out a half-used tube of moisturiser that I stopped using as I didn’t like it. It felt very wasteful, and I had to remind myself that I need the space more than I need something I won’t use.
3. Mum’s stuff: Nothing (I can really only tackle this at weekends when I have more than ten minutes free).

Lots of rain here tonight. Hope it doesn’t keep us or DD awake.

Toss has suggested glassware. I have done this before So this morning I only have one glass to get rid of. I now wash glasses up rather than put them in the dishwasher so they don’t get cloudy as that was a problem before.

I also created a memory box for dd1 and put the crap from my bedroom in there. I’ll do another one for dd2. I have found papers that need to be shredded and If I have time later I’ll do that.

Hello everyone! You are all doing so well, I haven't posted for a few days but the decluttering effort is continuing.
Organised our small shed over the course of two days as we had a break in the bad weather thankfully. Got rid of some wood off cuts that we were saving for a project that will never be started let alone finished! Also some huge plastic flower pots that were not to my taste at all (were given by MIL). Also found a bucket worth of rubble left over from when we had our fences replaced in November. Indoors we have declutter some socks that were too small, some baby grows, some clothes that are no good for handing down and also some of pesky individual mega blocks that just get thrown out the bag and rarely played with. I estimate about 50 of them have gone.

Yesterday

1. A beach dress that was never going to fit me again.

Today... still a mystery.

I’ve just started a tally for both incoming and outgoing items in my Tally app. Might help fix the problem upstream a little.

I feel that Toss has opened my eyes a bit. Today I found another load of leads in a bedroom drawer and another phone. In grouping them together I managed to chuck out three leads.

I also created a second memory box and threw away about twelve pieces of origami dd2 made that are in a drawer.

Today has been quite productive and managed to fit in decluttering around breaks in home learning. Today's outs are:
2x CDs
30x CD wallets
1x childs 'artistic ' creation
1x mouthwash- my dentist told me that it doesn't make a real difference so will not be replaced.
1x home learning spelling book completed.
1x kids book
1 pack of 30 travel potty liners. (Husband went overboard and ordered 2 packs a couple of years ago, we have never used any but will keep 1 pack just in case we are caught short with one of the three terrors)
1 box of screen cleaner and dry wipes
3 x batteries that expired 10 years ago.
1 elastic band ball that is perishing.
1 weird 'ornament ' which looks like a woodpecker and you pull its head back and it whacks its head all the way down a metal stick. Tbh I thought I got rid of this years ago!
1 x material used as a super hero Cape for youngest DD. She is thrilled and the too small one has been put into fabric recycling.
Everything that could be charity shopped or recycled has been put in appropriate place.

I asked for chocolate and the universe sent me some! Got a lovely bag with assorted chocolates from a brand i really like from a patient as a gift. I ate some cherry liqueur filled chocolate that came inside an articial rose and a big chunk of a bar. Shared the rest with my lovely friend who gave me the cool water bottle the other day. Got rid of the artificial rose as i have no use for it. So the same thing that was an in is also today's out!

Out: 25
In: 16

@threeitchyfeet I am also counting my incoming and outgoing items and it really helps. I've already paired down my posessions but stuff has a way of creeping back in and i want to avoid it while also decluttering a bit more.

@Iceisnice excellent list there!

@toomanyhobbies welcome along bus your username a clue as to why you are here?!

Day 135: h taking the lead here
☔️ he's culled a bit of paperwork and receipts from the files...made mention that we need a separate section for John Lewis receipts!

☔️ h listed a pram system to sell as the lovely lie flat car seat doesn't fit in our car now we need two seats.

☔️h listed three barrels on freecycle that someone wants. They were to be a project for water storage at my dads land but it's not going to happen.

☔️ I've taken everything out of my wardrobe that isn't breastfeeding friendly. That may as well go in the attic for a couple of years now. Bye bye style!

☔️2 baby items in the too small pile.

@footprintsintheslow your right the user name is a bit of a give away. I like crafty hobbies but I’m not very good at finishing things. The house wasn’t too bad then the end of last year we got a puppy and nothing was safe on the floor plus all the bits that come along with a dog the house got in more of mess. Then we had all the Christmas bits and ds birthday it feels like we are drowning.

Dh also has a habit of needing to collect everything of something. Think lots of blind bags for ds as dh wants the whole collection (not sure if it’s for him or son 😂).

Today I have got rid of some instructions and boxes from Christmas presents and cleared the chair in the living room so at least that’s usable again now.

I like the idea of keeping a tally of ins & outs. Dh arranged for the builder to come round so we see about getting an extension (more space for clutter!)

Decluttered a battery-operated bathroom clock that is now rusted up.

Only minor outs today-an old bamboo toothbrush and the packet from the new one into the compost and a few out of date bits from a kitchen cupboard. Still, this is the longest I've kept up with decluttering, thanks to this thread.