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

Yes, Stealth, definitely get rid of the cookery books!

I've been continuing to sort out my bedroom and have actually been through some photos!! (I think this is the first time since being on this thread.)

Today's items:

1 fancy evening bag.
1 empty box.
4 items of paperwork.
1 old bank card.
4 card photo frames.
16 photos (including a wedding where they are now divorced and I never see them anyway).

It doesn't seem like much but it took over an hour due to lots of reminiscing.

I’m envious of your day to yourself, Stealth! I would love to have the house to myself for day.

I’ve got some decluttering success to report. Today I got rid of a breastfeeding support cushion and a box of breast pads. I’d posted them on FB marketplace (for free), and they were collected today.

I feel like I should get extra points as I’ve found it hard to let go of baby things (DD is 6 now!). I couldn’t get BF established and moved to formula quite early on, so they had some sad memories associated with them, which made it easier.

My books went which I am delighted about. Then I found three early Jamie Oliver books to go and dd1s cookbook. All are going Ziffit wants to buy them but I don’t have a box they fit in so I’m not sure what to do.

My magpie and webuybooks boxes were picked up. Slots booked for charity donations on Friday and Saturday. Another charity checked and that doesn’t need a slot but will only take cds. Feels like a step forward in the chaos will happen by this weekend.

Sorting and tidying here. Taking photos of DS's things a few at a time, emaili them to him. All he has to do is decide what he wants and email me back. I put it in a pile to take round to his place. And I decide how to dispose of everything he doesn't want.

Recycled - two cardboard boxes.

Donation pile - three old shirts.

More space is appearing in cupboards, and things that were on the floor are moving into cupboards.

I have just dumped three bags of stuff at a new charity shop (it’s not new just not my favourite). Am I the only one who gets defensive when I donate stuff? The man rummaged through my bags and it was all really nice stuff - mainly books and kitchen stuff - but I stillness felt embarrassed.

None of this count as an out so as it’s been sitting around for months. I have admin and stuff to do but will bag up more stuff for a charity shop run tomorrow.

@ememem84 I love setting a timer. I used to do it for five minutes and get me and my daughter whizzing round one room at a time. Really was fun and got the house sorted quickly.

Day 221:
Strawberry plants, hydrangea, mint plants and seeds all sent to school for gardening week.

Fake grass off cuts picked up via freecycle.
I haven't got fake grass but I bought a square for my tuff tray.

Only day to day decluttering of junk mail, to do list notes etc getting done so far this week.

Have polished my boots ready for putting away until next Autumn so a small space cleared by the back door.

Started a new charity shop bag with some sheets that are surplus to requirements.

@footprintsintheslow timers the way to go. I find I get way more done this way.

I also read the other day (I think on another thread) about picking a room, setting a timer for say an hour and taking an empty laundry basket or similar with you. Then you tidy said room and everything that doesn’t belong you put in the basket. Then ag the end of the timer you leave and move onto the next room. Or just put the stuff in the basket away.

Today I got rid of one of DD’s water bottles that was leaking because the lid had cracked (lid & straw gone in the bin; bottle part to go to plastics recycling).

I’m annoyed with myself as I knew it leaked (I’d dropped it down the stairs sometime last year and the lid cracked), yet I’d put it back in the cupboard behind the other (non-leaking) water bottles. Why??? DH got it out this morning as the other ones were in the wash, and it leaked in DD’s school bag so her planner and reading book need to be dried out.

But it’s gone now. Another decluttering success.

OP How did you manage to get money through Ziffit? I've tried them several times and almost everything seems to get rejected.

@LolaSmiles I have got money for DVDs and books on Ziffit. I think they rejected about one out of 30 DVDs this time but I think it was missing a disc as I'd forgotten to check it. The books were unused cookbooks so pristine. I suppose book condition can be more variable. To be honest the money is a bonus as they would otherwise go to charity in my case.

I must do another pass through cookery books. They were mostly gifts from DH who knows nothing about cooking and so utterly unsuitable.

I'm a fan of timers too, must start doing that again! I did TOMM a few years ago and didn't really get on with it, but a few minutes here and there would be good

Dragged one of the giant boxes of CDs out of the garage at which point DH said he wanted to keep them. All of them. Sigh. I did manage to get rid of some old chargers, a random selection of birthday cards and some manuals for things we no longer own that were also in the box.

I might try again with Ziffit then. Last time I tried, the app said they wouldn't accept 90% of the dozen books I tried to scan as a test so I gave up.

Mine will be going to charity if the next attempt doesn't work as they need to leave the house rather than sitting there.

@LolaSmiles I haven't got the money yet but in the past I have scanned in loads of books and they've either been rejected or I've been offered a few pence so I never bothered to send the books before. This time I probably scanned a couple of hundred books on both the ziffit and webuybooks apps to get money on 35 items. I'm at a point where I don't care what the money is, it is three heavy boxes of books that are taken away from me.

Annoyingly they change what they want so books I scanned in a couple of weeks ago weren't wanted when I did it again or I got offered less money.

Today I'm doing my weekly to do list a couple of days late. I must go back to yesterday's list of priorities because I'm struggling a bit to motivate myself.

Day 222:

Listed a pair of maternity shorts on marketplace.

My house is still in a dreadful muddle with stuff everywhere from too many unfinished projects. So, I've decided to give up trying to sell my good clothes and will be donating them instead. It's quite a pile so it'll be great to get rid of it all.

Today's new additions to the out pile so far:

13 more hangers.
1 pair of trousers which don't feel good.
1 broken charger.

sandandsea mine is a mess too with unfinished projects. I bagged up another two bags of old clutter and put them in the car to take a charity shop. It had a few things in it that I was intending to sell but I don’t think I’ll bother. I already tried selling them over lockdown. I also picked a few more books to sell with ziffit / webuybooks. Unbelievably I had a flimsy Gojetters book (think that’s the name of the CBeebies series) and ziffit offered me £5.20. I think that is more than I paid for it although it’s rep is £5.99.

Wow @stealthninjamum I think I got about that for the last boxful I sold but at least they are not here anymore. Just when I have found a big bag of paperbacks and thought they wouldn’t be worth scanning - now you have me tempted
Still just ticking along here few more old toys and outgrown kids clothes for the charity bags and some shoes of mine too.

Glad I'm not the only one, Stealth.

I've been ploughing on and, after much trying on and debating, I've finally decided to get rid of 2 of my 3 imperfect cardigans. I've hardly worn them so it's a bit jarring but, the money's been spent and I really don't feel good in them. My bedroom drawers are now about half empty which I'm very pleased about.

Other outs:

More bedding.
A lovely, almost new, bag - just not my taste.
6 travel sweets which were in danger of going off.

gassylady I just looked and the book that I’m getting £5.25 for is only £4.79 on Amazon 🤪

I have just popped to Sainsbury’s to get more cardboard boxes as my Jamie Oliver’s won’t fit in the old wine boxes I have been using. I want to get these books out quickly before ziffit and webuybooks change their mind. So that’s a job for tomorrow to package them and arrange a courier.

I think I have got rid of about a hundred books this week - most went to a charity shop so I am making progress but it’s very slow.

🤣🤣🤣 good for you stealth

10x takeaway boxes went to dparents the other day - totally forgot this. Dm was desperate for them and we have loads.

Today’s outs. An eye mask. But it wasn’t taking up a huge amount of room.

Still. Another one bites the dust.

100 books is amazing, Stealth! Really well done!

100 books in a week is great progress, Stealth.

No actual decluttering today, but I did rearrange stuff in a kitchen cupboard to make more space. I had a tall, thin, Tupperware container with the remains of a bag of OOD lentils in, and next to it I had a few bags of dried fruit used in baking. The lentils are now in the bin, and all the dried fruit is in the box, and my cupboard looks better!

The house is getting messy again and I’m struggling to clear stuff. One problem is that if I want to put something away, I often have to move other stuff to get to it’s home. So if I want to put X away, I need to move Y and find a home for Z, and the extra effort needed (especially in the few minutes I have to do something), just puts me off. But I then feel miserable that the house is a mess

I might start a thread in chat asking for advice on getting more free time. I’m f we’re really inefficient

Posted too soon!

*I feel that we’re really inefficient with household/ general life stuff, and seem to have less time free compared to other people, and I don’t know what we’re doing wrong!