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

Yeah you deserve a rest em

I'm on the port. Got 6 loads of washing arranged between DM, DMIL and DSis

I'm scared to touch anything 😂

Redken all soft argan oil for my hair has been used up. Wahooo. Love this stuff. Will get more but only when I’ve finished every other hair product I own.

The goal is to have one of each thing on the go with another spare stashed away.

196-198: 3 parcels of baby clothes to take it the shop later, about 20 items all together.

Washing machine will hopefully be replaced within a week 😒

sleeping you set the roof on fire? I think you should lay on the settee – and never move!

katef threeitchyfeet I was on the first ‘declutter one thing a day' thread so I’m fairly certain I’ll still be here in a year’s time! It might take time but I promise you will see the results.

I had lots of big intentions to declutter last night but dc wanted to make cookies so we did baking instead. I am going to run around later tidying.

I have two outs which are the wire racks that go in dual microwaves that also cook and grill. I had one of these and it died about 9 years ago. I kept the racks but they just get in the way in the cupboard so they’re going. I have no idea why I put up with them for so long.

Toss suggested CDs/ DVDs yesterday but I didn’t get round to it. I’ve got rid of loads in the last few weeks anyway so I’m going to scroll on to see if it suggests something else.

I have put two recipe books in the box for donation. There are a few recipes that I might possibly make, so I took a picture of those pages and emailed it to myself (they are probably on the internet but this way I definitely have them handy).

I went through the blog list I linked to above and made a note of either next steps (gather items together and discard least favourites) or actual items to go and found that was q helpful. Some of the categories are way too broad to be useful, but I might break it down further myself.

Fingers crossed the washing machine turns up quickly @SleepingStandingUp - what a rotten run of bad luck, you’re definitely due some piece of good news to balance it out.

sleeping you set the roof on fire? I think you should lay on the settee – and never move!that bit was in my dream, sorry. I dreamt that then had this run of bad luck. Honestly I feel like the only thing that could top this is pregnancy 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@SleepingStandingUp don't joke about pregnancy! I did and now I have 7 weeks to go! Thankfully a happy surprise but I am going to be very careful what I joke about to the universe now!

I good I rescind all comments!!
The twins are 13 months, big one is 5, we live in a small 3 bed. No.

@SleepingStandingUp ha ha ha!

@Miaowse that list is great thank you. I have been working through on an area/shelf/drawer basis but mixing it up into types for a bit sounds like a good plan. I also liked the idea of the 12 12 12 challenge. 12 items each to donate, recycle/bin or put in the right place going to give that a go tomorrow

Almost forgot more magazines and catalogues today, more holed socks for the rage bag. Now we have three waiting to go on a tip run

Day 144:
2 cds
H listed a small dehumidifier for sale
2 clothing items for attic for next child.
Photos and emails

I'm pretty quiet on here and not really chit chatting but I'm enjoying reading everyone's updates whilst being so tired I'm like a zombie.

We forgive you foot hope you and baby are well

Well the toaster is out for the tat man and the washing basket, latest victim of the flood, is in the skip. Both will be replaced Tues though.

199: another small toy that's got rusty from storage, now in the skip. I'll miss it 🤣. The skip, not the toy. It goes Tuesday

200: a children's book that also hasn't recovered from the flood now in the skip

Evening all!

Today I tossed a sewing box that has had every corner chewed to death by my puppy. It had taken me weeks to get round to digging out a pouch to put my bits and pieces of needles etc in before doing so.

Also got rid of 3 pairs of old shoes that are beyond repair. And one slipper (the other one has been hidden my aforementioned dog - so once found will also be chucked).

I also, regretably, threw half a tin of christmas chocolates - i don’t like them (so WHY do i buy them every year) and noone in my near family who I could doorstep drop them to wants them. I couldn’t donate and open tin so in the bin they went.

I also put one extra plant pot in the charity bag from one of the dead plants yesterday.

Six outs today (4 old make up or medicine items, 2 items of kids’ clothes)

Hardly anything in at all this month except an oven, fridge, microwave and kitchen bin. BIL is doing a kitchen reno and passing his old things onto us, so we’ll be passing our old ones along in due course.

Ah footprints I still remember that zombified state of tiredness and my youngest is 16! It sounds as though you're doing amazingly and I hope minifootprints is thriving. Before you know it she'll be asking for a tenner and a lift into town!

I've managed to combine two of the bin bags and squashed it into the wheelie bin for collection tomorrow. Found a pair of trainers and a pair of boots that nobody's claiming so started a new bag for the charity bin. Threw out an empty mouthwash bottle and spray tan bottle ( not mine!!) from the bathroom.

@footprintsintheslow hope you can get some catch up rest soon. The early days can be so hard.
Had a quiet weekend here and mainly focused on home learning catch up as my 5 yo had discovered her stubborn side!
Outs:
1 bottle of ribena- tasted yucky not like how I remember
5 paint charts that the company sent too many times
3 spools of cotton in colours I will not use
Some sewing machine accessories that I have never used.
13 hand sewing needles because I really do not need 18 in total
Some fabric left over from a project that is too small to be useful.

Glad you found it useful too @gassylady

A few more outs for me: a jug shaped plant pot/vase into the donation box, a dead plant (that was in the aforementioned jug) into the bin, another small plant pot (bin), two pairs of slipper socks (rag bag), a pair of earphones and an old electric toothbrush (but I haven’t found the charger yet, so that is still hanging around somewhere). The electricals need to go to the dump I think.

I also sorted through my clothes drawers (again) and took out 6 tops I like in theory, but never actually wear. I’m not donating them just yet, but will if I don’t miss them over the next few months. My drawers are once again all beautifully folded and organised by colour.

Lastly I used some OOD digestive biscuits to make a fridge cake, which also made a dent in my chocolate stash.

Thanks for that list @Miaowse, that’s really helpful.

2021 day 31 update:

1. General decluttering: Shredded some of the paperwork I sorted through yesterday; decided to use a ‘nice’ jam jar to hold cotton buds instead of the bag they came in (thought it would look nice, but I’m not sure now); and decided to use a small cloth purse to hold DD’s nail clippers etc - it was a gift a couple of years ago that I’ve never used. So no outs, but a couple of things are tidier.

I was planning to move the books I brought home for DD into her room after deciding where they should go, which requires some stuff to be moved into another spot, but I didn’t manage to get it done today. It would have only taken ten minutes, so it’s really frustrating that I couldn’t get that time to do it I’ll try to do it tomorrow, but it’s always more difficult on work days!

Two bags of nappy bags to Dm. She uses huge bin bags for the dc so I gave her loads of our stash. Making it easier for me to store what we have neatly. And actually we hardly use them now because lockdown....and we have a nappy bin.

Lots of success being shared.
Sleeping hope your domestic 'disasters' are now behind you and washing machine arrives swiftly.
Mainly keeping up with at least one item a day out but not keeping a tally this year.
Room of Doom is a slow and steady project. Have sorted the mini video cassettes into some storage boxes so they can be moved easily. Filed some of the paperwork I keep moving from surface to surface and sorted some of DH's memorabilia into some sort of order and located to final storage position. Will need his input on some items in the desk once he can get back upstairs - stairlift being installed as I type!

We had my in-laws car at the weekend after taking DD2 to the dentist (we don’t have our own so we borrow theirs as and when), so DP did a tip run! Got rid of a crappy plastic toy shop thing which they never played with much and was very flimsy and kept breaking apart, a couple of baby toys, a playmobil house that again doesn’t get played with, a set of toy plastic golf clubs that DS just uses to wreak havoc with and some bits of large packaging.

I feel a bit eco-guilty that we didn’t try to sell or give them away on FB or Olio but it’s one more thing to have to do and then there’s the waiting to see if anyone’s interested or actually turns up and on and on. Plus I’m not sure about contributing to extra journeys in lockdown so probably better one dump run than multiple people travelling to pick stuff up.

Skipped all of Toss yesterday as I couldn’t be arsed. Today it’s given me plates and bowls and I know there’s old baby crockery etc that can go, some chipped ramekins etc

miaowse I agree that’s a good list. I am a bit fed up with Toss as it keeps asking me to do jobs that are just a bit too big for the time I have. Yesterday was Tupperwares and I have loads and I just don’t have time to empty them all out. Same with things like sheets, bedding although I’m fairly minimal and organised with those sorts of things anyway.

A list which really helped me two or three years ago was the clutterbug homeless clutter. I worked through it and might do it again. I would add facemasks to the list as I’m sure some get washed every week even though I haven’t worn them and some sit in my handbag!

clutterbug.me/2018/03/get-organized-and-declutter-with-the-homeless-clutter-challenge.html

I have spent this morning catching up on admin and meal planning/ food ordering while observing dc’s lessons. A pile of children’s books has appeared on the spare room floor (it’s possible they have been there a while and I didn’t notice them) so I am aiming to either find homes for the books elsewhere in the house or put it in the charity shop pile. I am currently trying to persuade dd2 that she no longer needs 80 rainbow fairy books but if she does agree to them going we’ll have an empty shelf on the bookcase but two or three bags behind the settee!

just emptied about a quarter of a bottle of scent boosters into the towel wash - i don't like the scent, but am just using things up.

if i find some in lavender sent then i'm buying loads. i have boss lavender and camomile washing powder which i use for bedding and towels. only bedding and towels. everything else gets amazon brand washing powder.

I cleaned out a cupboard in my sideboard - I have way too many candles so now reorganised in order to use them up properly and have two little votives on the go.

Out of the cupboard I pulled out a hand blender I have used once. Going to dust it off and check the plug before putting it on ebay.

Pulled out a cookbook that my sibling will have - I will post this with their birthday present at the end of the week.

Also got yet another vase to the charity shop bag. I plan to take a firm look at my books this evening as there are so many I have yet to read and won’t - that will be my Toss task of the day.