Decluttering one item a day (and counting down til the opening of charity shops!) – thread number 17

[stealthninjamum]

This is an accountability and chat thread for mumsnetters who dream of living in an uncluttered haven of calm and tidiness.

Bit by bit we are slowly decluttering our houses and keeping our fingers crossed that charity shops will open on 12th April – although we’re also adding to the list of places in the second post that will also take our clutter.

The aim of this thread is to help us get rid of just one item a day or 365 a year. We just report back on our progress and then chat about anything and everything. The thread is for anyone so newbies are always welcome.

Previous thread here.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4144854-Decluttering-one-item-a-day-and-having-nowhere-to-put-it-thread-number-16?msgid=105205665

You’re so right @Gassylady they’re breeding! The funny thing is I’ve been lucky, dc are never ill and I think have only ever taken calpol twice in 12 years. Yet we have loads of calpol syringes.

Is anyone doing anything for Easter? I will probably be giving dc a bucket and doing a mini egg hunt then it’ll probably be home made pizza because dc don’t want a big roast.

I sold some beach shoes today...
I have a lot of books I should read & discard but am finding other things to do. Decluttering overdue chores I suppose.

407: parcel with some twins sets of t-shirts, 9 items individually
408: package of a pair of jeans
409: parcel of two baby sleeping bags
410: all posted in recycled packaging

Roast tomorrow and I’ve found a TV programme on Monday for inspiration. 3000 toys dread to think how many we’ve had over the years 🤣🤣

@Gassylady oh, I love watching others decluttering (you should see my YouTube history) so will definitely try and catch that!

Declutterers on you tube?! How did I not know that - that’s my procrastination sorted for the long weekend

Oo yes! I love watching other people decluttering. It's always inspiring.

Well, my wardrobe is now a thing of beauty. I keep doing that thing of admiring it. Getting rid of all those 'meh' items has made such a difference! I feel so much better about what I'm wearing too.

My only question at the moment is to do with my cardigans. They should probably all go, but... at least one might be useful to keep for a while. (I'm working on it.)

Today's outs:
Another 2 dresses, a plastic thing and a bag of hangers.

Day 203: yesterday
Four kids books in the bursting charity bag
Tall candelabra posted on marketplace to sell.

Day 204: today
Posted some game pieces and paper hole punches on freecycle.

H is sorting my craft boxes and some tatty bits have gone too.

gassylady ooh I like the look of that programme, I wonder if I'll get a moment to myself to watch it.

sandandsea how many cardigans do you own? I find them useful but have culled mine a lot. I don't have a summer / winter wardrobe really, I do tend to wear a lot of tops with a cardigan on top but only have a couple of jumpers so they help me declutter that way.

I have found another dirty towel that won't clean (I found and decluttered one with clay like orange on it about a month ago). This one has white like bleach on it. It's going in the rag pile. I have enough towels that I won't miss it.

Out: couple of bags of outgrown clothes + another bag for the clothes recycling bank.

There seems to be less ‘problem’ areas in the house, but there’s definitely still same stubborn places that still don’t work. I guess it’s a sign we need to get rid of even more.

Stealth - I've got 3. The one which suits me best looks a bit worn now. The others look new but don't suit me so well, but are handy to wear round the house. My plan is to wait until they're all out of the wash, then have a trying on sesh. I'll take it from there.

I’m still here and still decluttering. Yesterday I took a large under bed storage box out to the tip. DH spotted in my car as I was reversing out (he never bins anything) and asked why I was taking it to the tip. I replied that we no have an ottoman bed so we didn’t need it anymore.

It’s much easier to declutter whilst I’m wfh. DH never throws anything away so normally I have to sneak it out the house otherwise I get 483638 questions about what I’m taking to the tip and why. He’s been known to rummage through bags to try to retrieve holey pants or cheap broken items, etc!

Earlier today I sorted through my jewellery box, as lots of things were tangled together, and I have found a necklace and matching bracelet that can go in the charity bag - they were a present several years ago, but I never wore them much as they’re not my style. Tentative stepping back into the decluttering zone...!

Some clothes have been waved on their merry way this week and in what I am choosing to see as positive decluttering karma I’ve found a cheque I failed to pay in when going through paperwork! I want to get a couple of shoes reheeled and a zip replaced so earmarking it for that, much as I want to buy a fancy candle instead.

@EllieQ ugggh I need to face the jewellery box at some point but it’s something I get very sentimental about so I’m dreading it!

Having a break for Easter today although have got rid of a pair of socks (hole) and a glass (shattered in my hand when going in the dishwasher).

I should do my jewellery, do charity shops take things? I have loads I don't wear but mostly earrings so hard to pass on or bought by DH who would be hurt if I got rid of it.

Weather looks grim tomorrow so may pick a drawer and just go through it!

Day 205:

H threw out a tshirt.

If you're sorting out jewellery, be aware that there's a lot of talk online about the price of silver. I'm not an expert myself but it seems many people think it's going to go up significantly. So, you might want to look into this before getting rid of it completely.

Today, I managed to get a bag of bits actually out of the house!

One of my ads is doing surprisingly well too. People have been offering far higher than I expected, which makes a nice change.

Out: big bag of soft toys

And a bag of clothes to store from DC1 to DC2.

I've just heard from Amazon that I've received a full refund for something so that's going out today.

My ad is still generating interest with offers flying in - I'm hoping to get that out today too.

Today I cleaned upstairs, after a huge sort out last week I didn't think I had anything left to go but today I got 10 items of kids clothes, 1 board game, 12 magazines, some oddments of paper. Also the 2 bags I had been saving for the charity shop I am now putting in a charity bin collection point today. I've still for a box of games/books ready for when the charity shop does open though. So quite a bit out.

So on Friday, I got rid of at least one recycling bag of clothes, fit for either recycling or charity shop. About 3/4 items have gone into the selling pile.

I’ve also decided I need to get rid of my wooden hangers - I have about 50 and they are so bulky!! Will replace with velvet and am going to recoup some of the cost by selling them in batches on FB marketplace, they seem to sell well. But this new pared down closet is making me realise the wardrobe is far too big (its a 1.5 size wardrobe) Need to figure out maybe putting other stuff in there.

I’ve not had a chance since Friday to do much else, but will be doing more tidying and cleaningz

I’ve decluttered some chocolate but also tidied up my sanitary products. They used to be scattered in half a dozen drawers / bags. Then last year I put them in my en-suite cupboard. This morning I’ve moved them into my bedside chest of drawers and they’re nicely organised. They’re one of those things I used to randomly pick up in the supermarket whether I needed them or not and actually, given I’m menopausal, I have a feeling I won’t get through the stocks I have. Anyway it’s always a nice feeling to have another organised area in the house even if no one but me will ever see it.

I watched ‘Sort your life out’ last night. Did anyone else get to see it? It was interesting to see how attached to everything the mum was. I realised how my multiple rounds of decluttering have made me much pragmatic about stuff these days. I said to DH it was obvious that they’d never really decluttered before, as they had all the same reactions I did when I first started all those years ago (you’d think we lived in a minimalist home by now, but no.

times10 I meant to watch it but got caught up in dinner/ bath / bedtime routine. I do intend to see it tonight.

I feel my house has reached rock bottom in terms of mess. I have about four piles of washing that need to go in the machine and there are loads of dry washing that needs to be put away. I still have piles of photos taking up my bedroom floor and the landing has stacks of newspaper, paint, brushes, polyfilla etc. The playroom floor has about 300 books that dc have been looking through and the kitchen / dining room are a mess because did lots of cooking. The sitting room has a den made of sheets and duvets. So I’m going to start with the kitchen I think and see if I can deal with it all.