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

@footprintsintheslow

Day 158: Champagne magnum bottle from the garden that I've had for over 15 years with a candle in. I've kept it after drinking it celebrating a huge football win for my little team. But thinking about it, I was with a horrible ex and I threw the champagne back up. So it's time it went.

Time to get a new magnum of champagne and drink it (as soon as you can, obv. Do they do magnums of Nosecco?)

@SingToTheSky

Oh that’s interesting thank you. So that probably means it is going to be Tuesday?! Although the website did also say about covid delays etc so maybe it won’t even be then.

I’m so so tired but I should probably sort them now anyway just in case. The flooring is supposedly arriving tomorrow so I don’t want to end up distracted and not sorting it.

Yeah I got an email the night before too. Also don't worry too much about packaging, they're not fussy as long as it's secure enough to load

That sounds really hard @EllieQ. How old is your DD? Think you said Year 1 earlier? It's not much help I know but my DD who has just turned 7 sounds similar and I have also resorted to the shouting and walking away. Lots of tears and tantrums and walks were a battleground for ages. Lots of mud and icy puddles have helped with walks recently but generally she is challenging. I don't think it is us so much as the situation. Feel free to rant here if it helps.

Found a shoebox full of old birthday cards yesterday so will have a sort through for any special ones but most can probably go.

@EllieQ that sounds like a very frustrating phase indeed. I’m currently finding my youngest talks all day long at me if I’m not in work so I can’t settle to anything. Realistically I know it’s because he can’t tell his mates all this stuff but still ☹️
Did sort some toiletries to donate about 12 in total and dropped them off on friends doorstep and had a quick chat stood in the rain 😂😇
Now I just need to clean the shoes and find a box for them.

lifeofbriony I think dust going out can count. I know its hard to work, parent and declutter, especially whenever it’s hard to get stuff out, but it will get easier.

ellieq that sounds so difficult. You did the right thing walking away and staying away from dd. I used to bellow at dd2 but it just used to escalate the situation so I stopped but I feel like an awful mother for how I used to be and hope dd doesn’t remember. So you’re doing well.

I don’t think I decluttered anything yesterday but I will work harder today.

i have a feeling today will be an in more of an out day.

although i have taken a pot of eye pads to parents with me so they can pass onto dsis when they see her in the week.

(she has no parking at her flat other than on street and they fine you for staying too long and i', at work all week...)

ins today should be the storage for my make up palettes so i can put them on display and remember to use them. so another thing in but it will reduce clutter as they will all be in the same place at least.

Been a busy weekend of decluttering here. I pulled everything out of my cupboard of doom (where ebaying, random crap and everything else gets stored) its in my lounge to either find homes or get rid.

So freecycled like mad, a whole massive ikea box (the biggest plastic roll along you can get) full went on the free sites. There was magazines, clothes, toys, homewear allsorts.

Listed loads up for sale on facebook, bits I had bought for parties (which didn't happen!), outgrown toys and clothes. Sold loads already so am £150 up!!

Its been quite motivating and I'm still going today, may as well make the most of the half term im off work!! Listed 1 item for sale this morning and some outgrown clothes on the free site (which I think have been commented on!)

I'm making a tea and going to have a read through the thread. 😁

@EllieQ my dd is 8 and sounds very similar. She doesn't leave my side, to the point she follows me to the toilet and when I got stuck up tesco and wasn't home in time for her bedtime she screamed at DH for an hour and wouldn't sleep until I got back. She was clingy as a baby/toddler but this is so much harder! She will whine and scream (full blown screaming not even words) if she can't get her own way or even just the slightest thing can set her off. DH said something silly she would usually laugh at and it set her off. I think the pressure of lockdown is contributing to her behaviour, shes quite sociable and loves to be doing stuff. She misses her friends, the routine of school and just going out to parks/cafes or mooching around shops. I try and and sympathise but after the millionth time she's spoken to me badly or screamed about something silly or just won't give me 5 minutes peace it gets too much.

oooh i chucked a magazine of ds' this morning. and we brought some books to parents which can hopefully stay here.

nocutsnobuts sounds like an awesome day.

I have realised that I chucked out another pen yesterday so I have managed something every day this year so far.

I have just emptied my fridge and found some paneer cheese that went off in November so that’s going. I had ordered feta, Sainsbury’s substituted it for paneer, and I never got round to cooking it.

@EllieQ another voice to say it's not just you / her. DS is the same age and doesn't want to do anything but play / talk at me. I've just decluttered him overnight as hospice have restarted respite and he can go be a crazy thing there and talk incessantly at them. I know I've v "lucky" but space is Def a good idea, however you get it.

Lots of YouTube videos on feelings and emotions and taking a deep breath etc (for her) might help?

OMG I’m soo excited a charity collection bag has come through the door 👏👏👏 for Wednesday. Have just had to buy a load of kids stuff (thanks sudden growth spurts) so the outgrown can go. It’s a bit like “icollectclothes” in that they pay the charity a certain amount per tonne but it’s supporting a kids cancer charity so all good. Can’t believe that this has made my day

@gassylady that would make me so happy if I got a charity bag ive got 2 bags i keep meaning to take to the clothes bank. I would love to just put it outside my door instead 😂

2 old Nintendo ds consoles charged, tested and listed on ebay. Plus 2 pokemon toys batteries changed, tested and listed on ebay.

Found an old vtech camera which has kept dd2 busy for a few hours and I've been able to get on! Shes 8 and the photos on there were of her as a baby when dd1 had it so that shows how long its been in my meant to sort out and ebay pile 😱

our local supermarket has bags for local hospice charity shop. you take a bag, fill it, and then call the number/email and they come and collect.

The flooring arrived!!! Glad I sorted more of the cupboard this morning as it’s now inaccessible 😂 so lots of toys are now out of bounds for a bit. Toy rotation. Yay. Threw a few things out too and DS asked if we can get rid of the knex.

No news from icollectclothes yet but the stuff is all bagged and labelled (3 bin bags).

good work sing and yay for flooring arriving!

am in the "office" at parents aka my old box room bedroom and am looking at the bookshelf in here. so many books dparents could get rid of....

I’ve just got rid of four bags of shoes and clothes. My big Sainsbury’s has a clothes and shoe recycling bank that’s usually overflowing so I don’t use it. I put some bags in my car when I did a shop today ‘just in case’ and there was room. I’m quite surprised I had that much, I still have about 3 bags of rags and school uniform to go but that can wait.

Got rid of a bag of nappies no longer needed
I've also decided to wait until my son is back at school to list stuff on eBay because paying 70p ish to send a parcel from home soon adds up when you're sending 5/10 things in one go

I also plan on going through the cleaning cupboard tomorrow which I barely touch 🙈 so I reckon there will be ALOT of outs from that!

Some information on getting rid of items that have been asked about on previous threads.

stealthninjamum that is a truly awesome list. I’ve always given away/ recycled anything I could, but your list gives me lots more possibilities.

My biggest problem is being sentimentally attached to things from the past or from anyone I love. The second biggest problem is wanting everything to go to a good home and be reused. So stupid when it just means our house is functioning as landfill!

Hi lang I think for me the barrier is worrying that I’ll need something, and feeling guilty about getting rid of something I didn’t use - like it’s a failure on my part IYSWIM. Good to recognise what we struggle with I guess though sometimes I’m not convinced it makes it any easier!

Clothing is being collected feb 25th. The bags can stay out of the way till then, all good. I mentioned it to mum and now she’s booked one!

I've thrown out a pile of single socks and a pair of broken shoes. We've decided to do a charity box for lent that we put one thing a day into.

@SleepingStandingUp Mine puts himself to sleep, but if you put him in the cot without him having the milk, he won't go to sleep. Have you tried moving up to the next size of nappies before they reach the weight bracket? I find they leak if you use the right nappy for their weight. I'm buying size 6 Pampers for around 24lbs.

Over the weekend, I've had a big clear out of toys and kids things, and a sort out of the room of doom where I got rid of lots of old things like oven tray, light, DH helped with his random rubbish. It was unplanned, that seems to work better for me. When I plan it, it doesn't happen.

@EllieQ Mine is the same, lots of tantrums and shouting. It is hard and very draining. Hope this week is better.

@SingToTheSky Decisions are hard to make, can you pick the easiest items to declutter first?

Thanks thinkingaboutlangclsg let me know if i can add to the list.

I’m the same as you, I never throw things out to landfill if I can help it, which slows me down as I obsessively do all jigsaw puzzles, ensure toy sets are complete before I get rid of them.

In terms of sentimental items I have found the following.
1.doing multiple small declutters of every area meant over time I have chipped away at everything and it seems less painful than tying to ‘kondo’ a whole area in one go.

1. Grouping things together gradually means I can see I have lots of the same things together so really don’t need to keep all the schoolbooks or art pictures for example. I’m lucky that I have had no close deaths as I would find it hard to declutter a loved ones possessions.

singtothesky that’s my fear too that I will regret getting rid of something but I must’ve got rid of 1200 or 1300 carrier bags of stuff now (I stopped logging them at 1000) and I can’t actually think of anything I regret getting rid of. That even includes items I liked / loved but felt they needed an owner that would use them more.

Thanks everyone, reassuring to know I’m not the only one dealing with tantrums. DD is nearly 6, so I find it frustrating when she has to be coerced/ persuaded into doing basic stuff like coming to the table to eat, getting dressed, going to the toilet - I often wonder why she won’t just do as she’s asked! Then her volatility means she can kick off completely over being asked to do something/ told no.

But I think she realised how very angry I was yesterday and has been cooperative today. So far! DH is doing bedtime, so I’ll try to get some decluttering done tonight.