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

@SleepingStandingUp yes I'd never thought of that. I've got three weeks left and I've been very focused on getting anything I can done. Today I actually sat down and watched a Christmas film with the toddler which is quite unlike me but it felt good. Same again tomorrow I think. Some cleaning in the morning and relax in the afternoon as a reward.

Also enjoy these last few weeks alone with toddler x

footprints That's an impressive list! Relaxing also definitely needs to go on the To Do list. How exciting that you're just a few weeks away!

Wow, sounds like everyone is being very efficient and decisive.

I did a bit of organising in my kitchen and hallway and threw away lots of small bits and bobs including a pack of sticky page markers that came with a magazine, a few odd socks, a pair of pants, ancient receipts, lots of rubber bands and I used up a pack of baby wipes (and swept/wiped up a lot of dust bunnies).

We had some ins from FIL on Sunday. He always buys us some things from Costco at Xmas. We have a huge bag of pancake mix, a huge maple syrup, a panettone in a tin and a box of beers. It's all edible but we currently have nowhere to put it all.....
DP did sort out the packaging from his online shopping yesterday so that's all gone out.
Spent yesterday tidying, cleaning and doing some craft bits DD was sent from Guides so stuff was used up/binned.

Just had a quick go through my cupboard. Two boxes of stuffing (early 2020 and mod 2019) as well as open jars of sauces where you only use a smidgen each time but which all expired early this year and some lemon juice from last year. I can now for all my stuff in that cupboard.

todays outs:

• biscuits...
• a couple of sachets of face cream dm gave me

-cardboard recycling.

there may be more later as once it hits 5pm, i'm outta here (metaphorically) and will be in the garage organising the freezer. i think we have loads of room in there. dh says no. but he just shoves things in. if its organised properly however....

Not much going out here. I’ve shredded some Xmas card envelopes but feel they don’t really count and I have thrown away some dead flowers. I’ve mainly been doing hoovering and housework. Anyway I have attempted to clean the vase the flowers were in with a mixture of gone off bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Will see if it makes a difference.

Footprints enjoy the last few weeks before your baby arrives. Thanks for asking about my shopping trip. Arrived at 6.30 am and store was not too busy, did my full shop and didn't have to queue for a till. Went on to small food only M&S for just a few bits, also not too busy. Was back for 8.30 am and ready for the working day.

Sorted my folder for Trustee role that has just ended while waiting outside hospital for DH who had an appointment. Will keep some mementoes of the events, inch of papers to shred and 18 items to recycling. DH had a good appointment too.
So, drum roll,
2027/2020 !!!!
I have now passed the 2020 items out, beyond a daily item, for 2020.
I am now committing to some time each day in the Room of Doom, starting 1 January if not before.

Woohoo! Well done @pollyannaperspective, you must feel fantastic to have reached your target. Does your house feel/look noticeably different?

I had a few unexpected ins yesterday as I was given an early Christmas present of some posh skincare stuff and I’m determined to use it rather than save it.

My Christmas groceries delivery arrived this morning (without the turkey!).

I haven’t done much today, but the kitchen is tidier than usual so I’m hoping to maintain this.

Miaowse - no turkey, is that a problem for you?

Our house is generally tidy, apart from the Room of Doom. DCs are now on the cusp of leaving home so we have refurbished their rooms to more adult/visiting bedrooms, which produced much that could be recycled. I have also targetted the various storage spaces to thin out all the paperwork and accumulated stuff that we no longer need or use. It does feel 'lighter'.

I probably will see if I can pick up a turkey from somewhere else, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t manage it. They subbed with a cheaper ham - I guess the bigger turkeys would have been more expensive and they give you a voucher for the difference.

@pollyannaperspective well done! Although I have already started decluttering you have given me a push to get rid of 2021 items next year.

Outs today of packaging and the most recent cardboard box (massive) which had been functioning as a den for toddler but has been mostly ignored for the last fortnight. Lounge looks massive without it!

Lots of ins as the Christmas food shop arrived. All edible though so will be gone in good time.

Wrapped all the Christmas presents so ready to go now. Trying to stop myself cutting into the Christmas cake now...

@pollyannaperspective well done what an achievement! No idea how much has gone out here but definitely more than has come in
Few more bits into rag bag after latest round of washing. Posted two eBay items (playmobil!) then ‘D’H announced he wanted to sort out Lego - now the living room is totally covered in the stuff. Grrr it could surely have waited until after Xmas. Anyway kids have picked out some sets they are happy to get rid of - so sorting those will keep us busy for a while in the holidays. Couple of half bags of very out of date pinenuts found and discarded from kitchen cupboard

@pollyannaperspective well done you, so great t to have and reach a target! ⭐️

Day 105:
🎄Calpol syringe. I blindly put it in the drawer with the others and then thought MY GOD WHAT AM I DOING?
🎄2 boxes that were junk modelling snowmen
🎄wrapping paper wasn't picked up on freecycle so next person is coming in 5 minutes. He bit my hand off for it!
🎄salt lamp put away to be a recycled gift for son in laws January birthday.
🎄changed battery on clock. Not an out but why have I lived with a stopped clock for 8 months. Took me two seconds to change it!

Busy day here. I've been trying to finish painting some furniture in time for Christmas, but finally, had to give it up and put everything away in order to reclaim the kitchen. Apart from that, I've done a lot of cleaning and laundry today. It's not all away yet but it will be tonight. Anyway...

Outs:
3 old, frayed dog towels.
1 old jacket.
Some old underwear & socks.
1 gifted perfume - finally finished after being used as a bathroom spray for far too long.
1 old foot cream used up.
1 set of course notes, booklet and CDs. This was a course I did over 15 years ago. I fished them out of a cupboard earlier this year, thinking I would read them, but I haven't - they just became something else I had to dust.
1 box full of polystyrene packaging and a wad of paper packaging, which I was keeping just in case

Preparing for Christmas this year has really made me feel like I've still got far too much stuff. I know I've said this before but I think I need to be even more brutal. I've been watching more minimalism videos on yt. I found a woman who's got 5 children - 7 people in a relatively small but immaculate flat. I find that so inspiring.

In case I don't get back on here before the big day, Happy Christmas everyone!! Hope you all have a really happy time. xx

Hi everyone, I totally fell off the last thread but I'm going to get back on it!

My outs over the past few weeks include these that were picked up by the council bulky waste department:

Settee and chair
An old desk/table that we bought a few years ago as an emergency Christmas dinner table
65" tv (very heavy!)
An old fridge freezer
A bedside table

Normal bin/recycling/tip:

2x Knickers
Toothbrush
Receipts - bag cleared out
3x underpants
Shoe cupboard
Birthday balloons
Plug extension

I also have a deep fat fryer that we used years ago to cook some wedges in and hasn't been used since and although the oil is clean it's turned very thick so I'm going to try and find a container for the oil and take them both to the tip.

I'm in the middle of cleaning the kitchen but have spent longer sitting here procrastinating rather than doing so it's taking forever!

Shall I just have 5 more minutes to catch up on the thread?!

Outs from the freezer were a bag of sloes - dh mistook these for blueberries the other day and apparently they don’t make good eating!! I stopped him before he ate them as I think they’re poisonous. Although ok for gin....

Some frosting from dds birthday cake which I froze but realistically am not going to use again. Multiple bread bags which were empty or just had the end slice in - gathered these all up and in one bag and will make breadcrumbs later.
Half boxes of fish fingers all contained in one box and same with chips and peas. So many open bags of the same thing! I also made ice.

Well done polyannaperspective that's a massive achievement.

Well my decluttering seems to have stopped. Two people have now failed to turn up to collect my bookcase that used to contain DVDs and the man in the van couldn't squeeze us in yesterday to help empty the garage. I'm hoping he'll be here today. All this stuff has been hanging around for years but once I decide I want something out it has to go immediately.

Anyway my main task today is to finish wrapping presents and tidy the stuff removed from the Room of Doom. Every room in the house has crap now. I'm feeling so frustrated because I have done an incredible amount of decluttering and thanks to homeschooling and lockdown so little of it has left the house. I'm determined not to put it back in the Room of Doom because then it will just stay for another few years!

Good miracle Glittery, that change in thoughts is a big step isn't it.

Last night's out was two frozen chicken carcasses for my Mom's foxes lol.

More presents in. Including the rule of candle I've just cleared out because I don't use them ...

Good luck to all those preparing for the next few days. I still have the wrapping to do today for the three of us here so there should be some packaging out later.
Waiting for things to actually leave the premises is very frustrating.

Outs this morning, one holey black sock, shredded papers and delivery notes for items now received. Oh, and one broken bauble from decorating the tree yesterday.

Outs today:

• loreal revitalift sachet used up;
• body shop winter jasmine hand cream (30ml) finished
• used up the flora (have two of these) and have now a nice space in the fridge
• also had a tea from my tea advent calendar - green tea matcha. I have 2 left now. yay
• emptied my advent calendar.

must must start the wrapping tonight. estimate i'll get through three rolls of paper.

Great achievement pollyanna, well done! I'm as impressed that you managed to keep count as well as actually getting rid of the stuff!

So far today I have broken my laundry powder scoop and a small padlock so they are both binned. The padlock was on the shed but we only keep the DC garden toys like footballs in there so to be honest I probably won't replace it. Bikes and things are locked in the garage.

Am finally done with wrapping apart from one thing for DS which is in the garage and that DH keeps forgetting to bring out. He won't let me look for it as think he's hiding my gifts in there!

Job for rest of the day is a bit of cleaning upstairs but hopefully will find a few more outs.