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

DD2s room is finished. A pile of books ready for charity shop. All outgrown clothes gone to clothes bank. Bits of 'artwork' thinned out. Random bits of home school work on her folder. Desk clear ready for morning.

DD1s next. But tomorrow.

I've got some more bits for the out pile today. One thing which feels biggish is my washing-up caddy which is very rusty so needs to go. I almost replaced it automatically but then realised that I can actually keep most of its contents in the under-sink cupboard. I'm especially pleased that I won't have to clean it any more! Next time I need to replace the washing-up brush, I think I might get one that sits neatly in a saucer. The rest can be away.

I feel like I've come full circle. I bought the caddy in an attempt to organise my stuff. But now I've got less stuff, I don't need the extra organisational bits either.

Wow! Reading that back, I'm so glad I've got all of you to waffle on to. No one in 'real life' would be interested that's for sure! Thanks for reading!

lazyakita thanks I’m pleased with the 36 books but I could’ve got rid of them any time in the last two years so I always get angry with myself for not dealing with it earlier. They’re all activity or sticker books and the majority are barely used so it was such a waste of money. I’ll be trying to sell them in bundles. Dc are good at getting rid of stuff because about once or twice a year I give them £10 from the money and I let them buy themselves a toy in Sainsbury’s. Also dd2 likes a tidy bedroom.

sleepingstandingup unfortunately my house used to look fairly tidy because stuff just went in drawers. Now it’s constantly messy yet so much more organised.

nocuttsnobutts i haven’t seen that website before but will add it to the second post and maybe use it myself. I have a big cuddly toy bought by my university boyfriend that dd2 has adopted but it’s big so I’d love it to go.

I have found more things to go in the memory boxes like certificates for when we climbed The Monument in London. These were hidden on a bookshelf.

sandandsea I’m very interested by what you just said because I hope to be like that. I bought lots of storage to organise myself and now I aspire to get rid of the stuff so I can get rid of the storage. In the last year or so I think I’ve got rid of two chests of drawers and a bookcase and the rooms feel so much bigger.

Two pairs of dds trousers and a Tshirt in her outgrown box two vests and a Tshirt I. Ds’ outgrown box. Idea for these is that once full I’ll deal. The boxes live in their wardrobes.

Also ditched some more artwork and the non English instructions for ds’ new car seat.

Accidentally dressed ds Dd the same as Dh today 😂

Think this thread will be good for me too. Today the sofa to dump kettle and toaster as new ones arriving next week. Not sure that counts. Some Xmas cushions. Load of paper receipts & newspapers. Oh and used an old bath bomb up.
Am hopeful

Binned, 1 stained child's top, 1 headless barbie.
Packed up 1 huge box of children's clothes to send to a friend. Also, the box has been hanging about since Christmas so I'm counting that.
Started another charity shop bag, so far has outgrown children's clothes in it.

DD1 asked if she could reorganise her drawers today so I “allowed” her to do her sister’s instead 🤣 About a dozen crappy pairs of socks and a pair of small leggings for the textile bank

Downloaded tossed app. Thanks for tips mumsnetters. Just made a cuppa and as kettle boiling I started the cutlery tray. 8 items cocktail umbrellas plastic kiwi spoon I used to take to college in 90s was amazing at the time! Sellotape can’t find end birthday candles and pins

Does anyone know any place taking good quality armchairs at the min ? Thanks

Day 165:

Listed a bundle of newborn clothes on marketplace and other groups for £20.

Also manna from heaven...a charity bag has been put through with a collection Tuesday!

@EllieQ thanks for the link. I'm going to use some of the advice and roll my eyes at the first comment. I also need to train my husband as we've fallen out today a little bit over how we deal with things. It's putting pressure on us at the moment. We need a good chat tonight.

Hope it helps @footprintsintheslow - I felt a bit upset at the first comment, but I think if things don’t improve, a parenting course might help. I’ve made an effort to ignore complaining and not react, which has helped today. Like you, I need DH to be on board!

2021 day 52 update:

General decluttering: no actual decluttering today, but I went through the Pile of Paperwork and pulled out three years (!) of credit card statements to go through this week.

Back to work tomorrow, and back to homeschooling

Thanks, Stealth! I think everyone who knows me is probably bored of me talking about it all and also scared of what I might try to get them to get rid of.

purpl that sounds like a great start. It’s amazing how much stuff you can get rid of while you wait for the kettle / toaster. In my area we have a local charity that picks up furniture, also I believe British Heart Foundation will pick up armchairs if they are fire proof etc. Or you could do freecycle/ Facebook.

ellieq I read a page of your thread and was quite upset by the first comment but it had some good ideas and thought I’d go back to it and make notes. I think I got in the habit of spoiling dd2 too much when stbexh left because I was too tired to deal with her. I’ll put some thought into it and buy the books I saw mentioned.

ellieq going through a Pile of Paperwork to pull our credit card bills is a massive achievement. Each time you remove something and deal with it the pile gets smaller.

sandandsea I’m too embarrassed to tell people how much stuff we had and how I spent years not dealing with it.

Another school day. I’m not sure what I’m going to declutter today.

Out
Just been picked up a wooden train set and. Building blocks I sold on fb
Loads of out of date baking ingredients cleaning out the baking cupboard today
In hopefully nothing!

Nothing out yet today but I double checked with nursery that they still want clothes, and they said “we always need spares!” :o so I will stick them through the wash today (they were sitting in cupboards for months) and take them tomorrow.

@stealthninjamum I've decluttered a bit more of my sanity to homeschooling already today.

I’m half pleased about the return to routine (I temporarily decluttered the 3yo to nursery for the first time in 3 weeks! :o) and half dreading it. Eldest has some work still to catch up on too so we will have to be quite strict about phones and games during the day again.

I’m also going to try and declutter some old toys by using them first, and setting up her tuff tray in the afternoons to try and keep her entertained while the older two get some work done. I’m trying to do this in a sensible way that also declutters - for example there is a some pieces from wooden puzzle I got DS years ago that is made of different hexagon blocks, but TBH they are glued a bit unevenly which is annoying. So I thought rather than just chucking them I’d put them on the tray today to build with, then another day this week I’ll put them with some paint so she can print with them, then they can be chucked. We have a few different old toys that could be used in a similar way before going in the bin!

aroundtheworldin80moves as well as my sanity I have decluttered half the fridge. Dd2 has had cereal for breakfast, toast in a lesson, and will be wanting her ‘snack’for break at 10.45, then lunch, snack and dinner. I am running out of food. Her snacks are bread, oatcakes, rice cakes, apples, carrot sticks, freshly cut melon and I’m wondering what will actually fill her up.

Three pencils sharpened and sharpened, the lead kept braking so now they’re in the bin. I used up some of our embarrassingly big pile of takeaway napkins to clear a water spill rather than kitchen towels. I realised a drawer wouldn’t close because it had so many takeaway napkins. Oops, too many cheeky Nando’s!

No such thing as too many Nando’s! (Nandoes? Nando’ses?! 🤔😂)

I hate the pencils that never actually work because the lead snaps or falls out 🤬 I will go through ours soon, I’ve been gathering them. I swear I sorted loads sometime last year, I really don’t know where they keep coming from! Some might be DD1’s art stuff, I’ve been pretty strict about my current supplies except somehow managed to lose one of my fineliners 😭

I have cleared all my credit card debt! Can that count?
Put a box in the recycling; DP was keeping it "just in case". It's been on top of the wardrobe a few weeks now so time to go.
I'm counting down until school goes back, it is so draining. I'm just hoping the announcement tonight is what the news is reporting!

Well done @Vinorosso74. Great bit of decluttering.

Three books in the charity pile and some more of ds’ vests in the outgrown box. Some of his stuff will hand down to Dd.

But dds stuff will go out. Either charity or nursery.

I too have cleared credit card debt. Wahooo.

Oh and a peg.

@stealthninjamum I'm jealous of your playroom AS WELL AS your storage lol

That's such a good idea @SingToTheSky to use up the random bits like that. I've brought tuff trays but I'll be honest, o think it's one for once schools are back. They're big but they won't do twins who fight over everything and Sonic the Hedgehog doing poses in it whilst demanding I film him 🤣

I've at a bit of an impasse. I need to tidy stuff but the twins are sleeping horrifically ATM and because I'm home with DS I can't even sleep whilst they nap so I'm just too tired. I have a long to do list (decided against the bullet notebook but have a few pages in similar format so lists of our TV shows, list of things to declutter etc) but no energy to do