Decluttering one item a day (and having nowhere to put it!) – thread number 16

[stealthninjamum]

Once again this tireless group of mumsnetters are decluttering our houses by getting rid of one item a day. Of course this year I’m just piling the stuff behind the settee because the charity shops are all closed but luckily noone’s allowed to visit me to see my clutter mountain.

This is an accountability and general chatter thread and newbies and old hands are always welcome to join in the conversation while we keep working on our houses making them clearer, organised, and clutter free.

This year some of us are trying to get rid of 2021 items and some of us are working through the Toss app that tells us what to get rid of each day. Then we report back on the thread with an update.

Previous thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4105255-The-countdown-to-Christmas-but-still-decluttering-one-item-a-day-Thread-number-15?pg=1

pollyannaperspective I was hoping to have a gentle competition with you to finish the Room of Doom but because of lockdown it’s slipped right down my priority list. Every day I plan to spend ten minutes in there but I’m always too tired.

Of the pile of books I noticed earlier I think12 more children’s can go but as with most things I’ll check they’re happy with that.

Does anyone else fantasise about their house burning to the ground? Obviously when everyone is out... @threeitchyfeet I see skips and pine after them! I saw this article and thought of the thread, he shredded everything he owned:

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/jan/27/like-witnessing-my-own-funeral-michael-landy-shredding-everything-owned-yba-break-down

Not much progress, I keep forgetting to do the tasks from Toss. I have some things to list on ebay and keep putting it off.

Sleeping Sorry about your house nightmare!

Damn why are skips so expensive!!

Today
Out- ds's old scooter on Facebook
Big bag of old socks and some odd
Socks

Nothing in! But I did just buy some things online so will try and get rid some more stuff tomorrow to make up for the ins on their way 🙈

stealth we may be gently competing for the least time spent making forward progress in said Room of Doom. I am taking a 'how to eat an elephant' approach - one very small bite at a time, time, in my case, being 10 - 15 mins maybe once or twice a week. However, I am trying to be disciplined in that time - so rubbish touched goes straight in the bin bag that is slowly growing and paperwork that has a home is relocated.

While I wait for DH to be able to get upstairs again, my next target is a 2 drawer filing cabinet in the RoD. It is mostly empty and anything that needs keeping can go in the relevant drawer of our filing system. I need to empty it to get it out of the house with help of DC before they head back to university later this month. Main issue will be sorting through all the stuff that rests on top of the cabinet. So I imagine there will be some 'floor piles'.

I’ve done no decluttering but I am setting myself a February challenge which includes tidying one Kallax square (mostly books and games) or trofast bucket (mostly little one’s toys) each day, and also to throw three items away each day (not counting actual rubbish obv)

I really need to get some motivation so I’m hoping this small target will help! Re the shelves/buckets I’m not expecting to sort each one perfectly, as I don’t really have anywhere to put charity shop/selling stuff right now, but hopefully it’ll just neaten things up a bit and give me some momentum.

@threeitchyfeet i definitely fantasise about waving a magic wand and it all being done! Have done my half of the 12 challenge - waiting on husband to finish his half Toss suggested bathroom cabinet so i have binned a couple of small items.
Have also dealt with todays post and read a couple of work journals. A good day today

@threeitchyfeet i definitely fantasise about waving a magic wand and it all being done! We began to drown in stuff once my eldest was born. In large part due to gifts from my in laws at one stage im sure we had one of everything the early learning centre sold
Have done my half of the 12 challenge - waiting on husband to finish his half Toss suggested bathroom cabinet so i have binned a couple of small items.

Excuse the messed up messages my iPad is struggling today for some reason

Ancient stinky fridge is being delivered to the dump! Nothing else today as yet but I will bin yet another pair of socks with massive holes in at the end of the day.

AlexTheLittleCat that's a crazy article!

Evening, everyone!

Out today: a stack of old postcards (I'll count as one item as they didn't take up much space) and five plant pots, taking me to 34 items total. No new things in at all. Really need to up my game a bit as it feels like very slow progress.

I've definitely wondered what it would be like if my house and its contents burned down.:..more than once actually. I think it would be refreshing.

My eldest and I travelled for a summer with just a small rucksack. One that fits as hand luggage. It was wonderful having so little stuff and we actually ditched a few bits on arrival that obviously wouldn't get used. However it's easier to live like that in hot countries.

Day 145:
Photos and emails.
I'm going to take less photos from now on. I'll still take photos of course but not 20 of the same thing.
A few too small baby items in the pit bag.
Also I'm hoping to put an outfit in the charity bag that we were given. I'm not ungrateful but it's truly hideous and very flammable. But it's from H's side so he may want a baby photo in it first but it's months away from fitting.

It was DD's birthday at the weekend so no outs but a few ins although not too much. I have got rid of all the packaging and paper into the recycling.
Our main issue is a lack of space. If we lived in a 3 or 4 bed house it would be fine but a 2 bed flat isn't ideal. Thankfully, as it's a converted house we have understairs storage. I am better at keeping on top of things, I've stopped buying "stuff" and use things up rather than saving them.

Today’s outs - three jars from the fridge
Sorted a tub of animals/play scenes, so nothing out there but the box/toys were cleaned and put away properly.

2021 day 32 update:

General decluttering: Shredded some of the paperwork I sorted through at the weekend.

I also had the time to move my old books from my mum’s house into DD’s room, so she can read them when she’s a bit older. Only took me a couple of minutes to shuffle stuff around to make space, and now our bookshelves are slightly less cluttered.

Need to decide what to do to replace the Toss app. At the weekend, I wrote a list of everything in the house that needs to be sorted and decluttered, room by room. It pretty much lists everywhere in the house A daunting task. I found the app useful for those little jobs in between the big ones, and made me feel that I was accomplishing something! Everything seems to take twice as much effort at the moment.

So far I’ve managed to use up some slightly manky old veg in a stir fry and recycled another cardboard box that has been sitting on the side since Christmas. I also put an event t shirt in the donation bag. It’s big and baggy so I’ve been using it as a sleep t shirt, but it’s very rough and I have plenty of comfy softer cotton PJs so I will pass this on.

I found the charger for the electric toothbrush, hooray. I’m taking a chance and putting the earphones & toothbrush out with the recycling this week (we have a small electrical collection) plus my bag of dead batteries (already counted). The worst that can happen is they don’t take them and then I’ll just bring them back inside til I can do a dump run.

Great job on the progress, everyone! Welcome, new people, and sorry to hear about your flooding trouble sleeping.

I've been reading this and the past thread faithfully but not keeping up with one item a day. So I'm trying to recommit and stick to one a day for the entire month of February (yes, I chose the shortest month). There is PLENTY in this house to get rid of.

Today's out: a pair of pants whose elastic had given out

I found the time to go through my underwear drawer and tried on the bras at the back of the drawer. As a result, 4 will go in the charity shop bag once they've been washed and dried. The drawer will now close properly without being overstuffed.

Sorry you're struggling @EllieQ

Thanks for the sympathy 🙂 alas still no progress with the washer, he's ordering parts and they're not in stock so still no date. Howevery kitchen looks great. No washing basket (new one comes tomorrow) and all washing at other people's houses 🤣

201: jigsaw puzzle book the babies trashed / ate and the flood finished off. Actually went last night.

Nothing that as I had to do the pharmacy run and it's on the opposite direction to the parcel shop. Actually contemplating cancelling it and refunding, were VERY close to one of those areas where they're doing door to door swabs for the new African variant.

Yikes @SleepingStandingUp, it seems like one step forward and half a step back at the minute with this pesky virus. I would be thinking the same re the parcel.
Yesterdays outs are:
1 blow family heater DH took to work as there heating has packed up.
4x sauce packets
1 card
1x face cream used up
1 x box of OOD oxo cubes
1x pair of DH joggers that are too small.

Hope everyone is well and Keeping up with the good fight!

sleeingstandingup yikes, I would be staying in if I was near the new variant. When we were tier 4 I don’t think we left the house.

Last night was productive, I sorted through some papers and threw a load away, threw some cardboard packaging away and put two of my books on the to go pile and I found a jigsaw puzzles in the Room of Doom that can go.

I didn’t do Tupperware as requested by Toss yesterday although I put a 0 to move on and will try to find one this week. Today is silverware. I do have a couple of odd knives and forks that don’t fit on with the set so they can go but I’m wondering if I can get rid of the toddler cutlery. Youngest dc is ten.

I didn’t do the books last night, but will be today as I’ve organised a donation to a hospital in need - it will likely be around 10 books and 20 DVDs (that I will pluck from the charity bags I have built up) and also hopefully a jigsaw I will never get around to doing.

sing im a believer in if things are neat and tidy it’s less cluttered. Even if nothing has been ditched. One of my top pet hates currently are the dcs bookshelves. They are always such a mess. But once things are straightened up it’s always much easier to deal with. Even if I haven’t got rid of anything.

Same with the kitchen. Dh has a habit of throwning used dishes in the sink. Another pet hate of mine. If they get put in the dishwasher then instant declutter!!!!!

Am in office currently. Have been through in trays and have decluttered it. Also my drawer and have brought home a porridge tub and my emergencies bag so I can use up the things in it.

Have shredded 8 notebooks.

I’m in the habit of keeping a to do book with a monthly list and another notebook for meeting notes and daily scribbles. All meeting notes are typed up within a day of said meeting (otherwise I forget things.....) and so I was happy to shred. Yay!

I'll need to go out as we're always running out of milk and bread out of sync with deliveries so might just check if she's ok waiting a few days and do it then. The shop isn't in the infection zone thankfully altho they have closed our primary school totally today 😒

Messy surfaces always make the place look more cluttered. We seem to have several of those today! Some of this week's school work is an ongoing art task for the week....
Went to Sainsburys this morning so ins of food. Got rid of more plastic bags/packaging whilst there.
Three vest tops in the textile recycling bag.