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

raspberryblonde ooh do you think he’s got you a big present if it has to be hidden in the garage?

I have had a fantastic day. I finally sold my bookcase. My man with the van also turned up and filled his van with stuff that I have been unable to get rid of. This included doors, ‘rustic’ looking fenceposts, random bits of wood, a shelf, tiles, some doors, half a bed.

I also started using some of that awful wrapping paper mentioned by someone else on the thread that is sparkly and selotape doesn’t stick to it. As it’s for dc it just needs to stick together for two days and sit under the tree!

2 bags to charity shop.
(Feeling guilty coz shop will stay closed after 25th, uplifted to T4)

DD has upcycled a lovely solid wood picture frame to be a gift for her boyfriend's mum (framed portrait of the boyfd in it).

3 jigsaws bought so brought home but they are "temporary" household objects.

I think I have more ins than outs right now.
Got rid of plastic bags and packaging at Sainsburys this morning when I went shopping. Got everything I went for but way too many people in the shop especially as we're tier 4!
I had to put two boxes in the car boot as they're in the way and the recycling only went yesterday. Might tackle the living room cupboard between Xmas and NY if I can get DP on board to help.

Def get everything to the charity shop before becoming T4. We're still 3 but can envisage a mid Christmas visit as I'm not expecting it to last. The Corona Cooties are creeping North and were in the Middle

@footprintsintheslow will any of the new tiers affect you and who you can give birth with?

Two candles gone.

Hi everyone,
I'd love to join in if I may? We are a family of three in a three bed semi and whilst we are not drowning in stuff, there is plenty of clutter that I want to get rid of.
I go through peaks and troughs of motivation, so I imagine there will be days where I get rid of quite a lot of stuff, and other days where nothing gets done at all...

@SleepingStandingUp well done for feeding foxes. We do the same.

As for giving birth nothing has changed in Wales since March really. One person allowed in for active labour only. Who knows how it will go, my active labour was 15 minutes last time and we live 30 minutes away from the hospital. It would be awful if I was a first time mum but I feel ok about it this time.

@stealthninjamum thank god van man came.

@MogTheSleepyCat welcome along. This thread had changed my life.

Day 106: not much out
🎄toddler art from bonfire night
🎄lots of various leftovers eaten to empty fridge before H does the food shop tonight.
🎄photos and emails.
🎄iced cake so packaging for that has gone and instead of keeping the leftover icing I'm throwing it as it never gets used.

Also I've just seen on Netflix's there is our signature programme coming in January. It's about getting rid of one thing for a month and it's called Minimalists.

My thought was great...but only a month...lightweights!

Everyone is doing so well! I've slowed to a near halt (just one box and some digital photos out today) but have good intentions for a strong (re)start after the holiday. Happy Christmas!

@UnlimitedChipsAndSalsa still progress!

Welcome MogTheSleepyCat

pollyannaperspective Wow, great progress!

The only thing I have decluttered is Christmas chocolates and some pre-Christmas cleaning. I must do better in 2021. Sand I also still feel like I have too much stuff.

Footprints Good luck with your new baby.

I hope everyone has a great Christmas.

I am so checking out minimalists! Thanks for the netflix tip!

Two rolls of wrapping paper gone. Hurrah!

Hello again everyone. Just been catching up with the thread and I’m impressed with how much everyone has got done. You must feel so pleased to have the garage emptied, Stealth.

Came back from my mum’s house with five boxes of stuff, and a bag of toys. This includes two boxes of paperwork that I’m only keeping until the house is sold, so not as bad as it sounds. All the sentimental/ personal items have been sorted through now, and the remaining furniture/ ornaments/ crockery/ pans etc will go in the house clearance. Just waiting for the completion date for the sale before we can get that organised. It was a busy few days.

Went through one box today and found homes for almost everything. One out today - a tin of shoe polish that had solidified. Lots of ins, including a food delivery, a few parcels with presents, Xmas cards, and Dcat back from the cattery

That would be lovely if it were a giant present Stealth but suspect it's a box of random items as I know he hasn't started wrapping them yet!

Welcome to Mog. Love your username; Mog is a favourite in our house!

That sounds like really good progress with a difficult job EllieQ. It must be a relief for it to be largely done now.

Amazing cake footprints. I have given up on icing ours as only I really eat it and I don't like the icing much (plus I couldn't do anything that looked as good as that!)

Have just spent 15 minutes rifling through the freezer to find the pigs in blankets I bought a few weeks ago. I think a freezer declutter is in order after Christmas!

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas

Thank you for the welcome!

We are in Tier 4, not far outside of London. I think getting stuff out of the house might be quite tricky as charity shops are closed. I will only take stuff to the tip if it is genuinely rubbish, so don't want to take perfectly good, reusable things there.

I think I will make a start on things that can be recycled - paper, card and junk mail etc. I like @RaspberryBlonde 's suggestion of decluttering the freezer - lots lurking in there that can go in the kitchen scraps bin. Ditto for kitchen store cupboards.

I will be back later with an update.

Welcome mogthesleepycat I’m like you my motivation to declutter goes up and down. At the moment I’m really motivated but just can’t get stuff out the house.

Thanks ellieq the garage isn’t finished but the stuff that I couldn’t physically lift has gone so now I can get to the back wall and start organising the stuff that is there. I wish I’d taken a ‘before’ photo because a couple of years ago it was full of junk.

I’m guessing you had an emotional few days ellieq and I hope you can relax now and have a good, if somewhat different to normal, Christmas.

footprints that cake is amazing. Your white icing is so perfect. Whenever I have tried to do - is it fondant icing - it goes wrinkled in places and transparent in others. I’m sure that will be decluttered very quickly.

Anyway I think I have done everything for Christmas I am going to try to get dc to spend some time with m. IF I don’t come back before then wishing you all a merry Christmas!

Everyone has been doing so well... except me! I have been keeping up with the thread, and doing the barest minimum, however, I am on holiday now until the 5th Jan, so intend to get back to it. We have a recycling centre slot booked for mid-afternoon today, so I am currently sorting out stuff to take. The mountain of cardboard in the porch will go, and I hope to add some more flattened boxes to that. Am trying decide whether to do some gardening today, and get rid of some bush prunings as well, but motivation is sorely lacking in that department.

I hope everyone has a good Christmas (with not too many large new items to find homes for!).

All the wrapping paper is gone. I just about judged it right this year. Just. Some presents have been patched...but they’re for the dc who are only little and won’t care anyway.

All gift bags have also been used. Wahooooo

Well today was more productive than anticipated.
Went through the blanket basket and thinned that - few blankets and Muslims out.
Sorted the washing and pulled out the baby blankets they no longer for in for my friend plus some clothes that already come a bit tight.
Did the snack box and fridge box and chucked we squished cakes and some out of date Maccies sauces.
Retaped the broken cutlery drawer and thinned the cutlery and a few other bits and bobs.
Found some dry clean only fluffy cushions so chucked them bit out the cushion insides on the charity bag.
Most of my wrapping paper is gone and I'm using all the oversized gift bags for rubbish tomorrow so MIL can take it back with her (out bin will explode at the mere thought!!)

AND I've got all the clothes washing done so just bedding to do Boxing Day. Last load in washer so two loads to fold and put away.

Any socks without a life partner at midnight are going in the bin.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas however it's going to be celebrated. Here's to even less stuff in 2021

Haven't caught on reading but must do my post for the day and planning on doing one tomorrow!

Day 107:
🎄Three January birthday pressies out.
🎄 last minute card and pressies out.
🎄my most precious leggings that are not holes than fabric now. Time to go but gutted.
🎄holy socks.

Tomorrow I'm going to have a little secret bag hung up by the door for anything that comes in that I know won't have a place here. Sounds harsh but I'm not undoing all my good work in one day. Someone will love those gifts somewhere but not necessarily here.
Merry Christmas to everyone. Have a great day or at the very least survive. Xxx

Thanks, footprints! I have to remember to keep moving forward.

Sleepingstandingup , way to be strict with the socks! Single socks are definitely something I hang onto for top long.

Finished off a roll of wrapping paper today and got some Christmas cards out to the neighbours.

Last of the presents to be delivered went this morning.
Finished my family wrapping before breakfast. A real feat for me as it is usually midnight on Christmas Eve.
Much cardboard packaging in the recycling bin.
Merry Christmas to all. May we all have a peaceful, healthy and happy New Year.

I think the next couple of days will be decluttering food and drink into our bellies!
Wishing you all a happy Christmas

@UnlimitedChipsAndSalsa

Thanks, footprints! I have to remember to keep moving forward.

Sleepingstandingup , way to be strict with the socks! Single socks are definitely something I hang onto for top long.

Finished off a roll of wrapping paper today and got some Christmas cards out to the neighbours.

They live on the dresser in the hallway until o find their mate so it's harder to forget about them. Their loneliness is she'd in public 😂