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

Miaowse - I love how clear it is and how happy she seems. It's nice to see.

218: a fabric heart that's come apart. I collect them but there no particular sentimentality attached to this one
219; a book of post it notes with questionable stickiness - not v sticky and don't peel properly so I've binned it all

@EllieQ

2021 day 36 update

General decluttering: Shredded the last of the paperwork from last weekend. Didn’t have the energy after work to do the next shelf in the wardrobe.

DD had a tantrum this evening after I told her she had to go to the toilet before bed (hadn’t been since lunchtime), and ended up screaming and shouting in her room for about ten minutes before she started to calm down. Dread to think what the neighbours think. I am so frustrated and angry with the way she just kicks off when asked to do something perfectly normal

Do you do much YouTube? Massive fan here of "My Wallaby has no words" - wallaby just screams but then no one can understand him so he learns to take a deep breath. We also have a few "elephant has a tantrum" type books which we read a LOT. He's got much better at taking a breath and then using his big words. Still does it to start with mind...

Ooh I've just booked a collection with collectclothes, will see if they come round here. Would be great to just clear some excess bits
Still tons for our charity shops

I like the sound of this I collect clothes thing. Will have a look!

I'm having a wobble about giving away some kid toy things.

It could be 15 years before I have grandchildren & those imaginary D-GC may not like these toys. I could replace or buy new for inexpensive price.

Any one want to encourage me to let go (!!)??

@lljkk my comment would be that things degrade over time especially if they are in storage and can absorb smells etc. I’ve kept items for years and then discovered they are not fit for re-use /donation because they smell funny or just look old and tired after being in storage for so long.

If you donate them/sell them now someone will hopefully get more joy out of playing with them, where as if you hang onto them for another 15years they might be only fit for the bin/recycling.

I do struggle putting this into practice though!!

PS could you ask your children if there are any favourites they would like you to hang onto? Or are they likely to want you to keep it all?

@lljkk I think it depends what they are and how much space they take up.

Once the charity shops open they will get deluged! Currently piling up stuff in my car boot as am not driving due to lockdown.

We usually do a free-table day in my village once a month which has proved a very good way of getting rid of stuff. (It should be happening today but it's forecast to rain most of the day so can't rid that way, alas...)

@lljkk

I'm having a wobble about giving away some kid toy things.

It could be 15 years before I have grandchildren & those imaginary D-GC may not like these toys. I could replace or buy new for inexpensive price.

Any one want to encourage me to let go (!!)??

Are you thinking charity shop? Think about the kids who can play with them now, who have maybe spent lockdown hoping for some be toys but Mommy and Daddy only get them from the special shop because they're too expensive online. So they've saved up all their 10s pocket money for months now so they can go to the charity shop and buy one of your toys

Wow just checking in to admire (and hopefully get inspired by ) everyone’s progress. Bit of a lull here just keeping up with post in etc. Next thing that needs a home so I can put it back where it belongs is sewing stuff. Tend to sew on dining table but stuff is scattered in three or four places when not in use. May try and make space in bottom of a bedroom cupboard.
@lljkk I think @SleepingStandingUp has it for the win! A great way of looking at it. I have only kept wooden railway as that gave so many hours of fun and is timeless I think.

Odds and ends of out date museli, nuts, and seeds turned into fat balls, along with broken fat balls. Hopefully the birds will enjoy them.

My parents kept loads of children's books as well as loads of Lego. The Lego has been great... Except the power box, unfortunately a battery was left in. It's all corroded. The books however on the main did not age well. It would have been better if they kept the primary aged books rather than picture books and 'learning to read books'.

Our wooden railway recently went to our Godson, and it's lovely seeing it played with rather than in a box. Books have previously been donated to nursery/school.

Ah yes I’d forgotten Lego. Some sets are currently being sorted for sale. That will be kept too but is currently being used everyday is continuously strewn across the floor to cripple the unwary

@gassylady I am working on sewing stuff at the moment. I am amalgamating supplies that came from my mum’s house with my own, and moving things upstairs to drawers in the spare room. I also sew in the dining room. A lot of my stuff was in drawers in there, but I have decided I am only keeping things like thread, pins and needles downstairs going forward. I am unlikely to have an emergency where I will need Velcro, zips, lace or buttons with 30 seconds notice!

I always get some motivation from these types of threads.
I am slowly slowly working my way through the house.
Last to get to I can see, will be photos and the dreaded loft.
When I have tried the [ spacious, which probably hasnt helped] loft in the past, I always end up feeling like I am just moving furniture around in the titanic. So I am leaving that job until last.
It hasnt helped that people know we have a large loft, so we have said yes, several times, to other people putting some of their stuff in it too!

There aren't any charity shops open here.
It's ok, toys given away & collected already (!!)
Didn't realise I had such fond memories of DC enjoying those items until I was about give away. Is a staple typical preschooler set of items.

If I kept this there would be heaps of things I'd keep never knowing if I actually use it. My aunt has 3 adult DDs who seem like they'll never have kids; that could become me. I am sort of allowing myself a couple shoe boxes worth, no more(!)

I agree with what was said about even plastic degrades over time. I've been ok giving or selling away most nice things easily, like Wooden brio, Duplo, dolls house, soft toys... . Funny what I did get emotional over!

I also tackled the Kitchen Drawer of Doom yesterday. Depends how you count bits of twist ties & string for decluttering, I must have chucked about 50 little such items. 7 week backlog on 'one a day' target now cleared (!)

Ah twist ties and string would be 2 on my count, if you're lucky. Possibly 1 if they're all mixed together 🤣

I decided with my DD toys that a suitable amount to keep is one box with a proper lid, my guess is it is about a 15" cube. I'm keeping no soft toys as the ones she really likes are still in her room, don't keep anything that needs batteries. When we used to go to my parents when DD was little 1 box ( that my mother had kept for 35 years) was plenty for the week we were there, with a few favourites from home . The lego from our childhoods was all fine, I think it is a good thing to keep wooden bricks as haven't changed much in 100 years. But you need to decide what size container you can reasonably store long term

This thread is going to quickly for me to keep up.

Welcome newbies.

Thanks for feedback on icollectclothes I just had a look and my bags of materials are mainly socks (I bag), school uniform (which goes back to schools), towels / teatowels, my tops (1 bag) and ‘rags’ ie children’s clothes with holes or stains so I don’t think anyone would want them. I might take them to the fabric bank near the supermarket (apart from school uniform) as I think that takes everything.

Today’s out is a pair of trousers that dd2 got a hole in. I also have a few scraps of paper that might go. Toss suggested areas I’ve done so isn’t being helpful.

@lljkk Sentimental items like toys can be so difficult to part with, so well done for giving them a new lease of life!

I just decluttered my bathroom and got rid of 55 items! It was mostly make up that was well past being useful (or safe to use!) Plus some random perfume samples and out of date medicine. So I'm up to 120 items out so far, and the bathroom cupboards look much tidier. It also made me give that room a good clean.

I got sidetracked and now....

220: couple of belts for the bin and 1 for charity bag
221: couple of small bags to charity
222: a load of "jewellery" to charity - top shop style necklaces, big funky hand made things, intricate things of beads etc. Didn't count but must be about 20 isn't
223: some broken bits of jewellery etc in the bin

Managed to toss out a few bits that needed to go - some paperwork from previous jobs, the bulky box some graduation photos were in etc, nice carrier bag full!

I put a few craft items in the charity bag and I have listed some knitting magazines and one pattern book on ebay. I’m glad I checked - they seem to sell steadily!

I've done some tidying up today and put a few things away - a few small wins.

Outs: cracked lid from a tub that Chinese food came in (I need to sort through those tubs - we have far too many - perhaps tomorrow) Various packaging from Christmas presents bought by mail order, which I had kept in case I had to post items to non-local family members.

I thought I'd done better than that, but the tidying and putting away has made the house look better.