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

Load of junk mail straight into recycling rather than left to clutter the hall for ages. Have a few toys listed for sale and a couple of threadbare face cloths put into rag bag.

Just 1 worn bath towel for me today.

Making slow progress here, I have sold a few books and toys as people are actually turning up and taking them away.

I also broke a side plate which really upset me as I love my plates and now I have 8 main plates, 7 side plates and 8 bowls. Obviously they're now unavailable so I can't buy more. Ebay has none.

I've also been going through my emails / texts and my diary is starting to have events in it like small outdoor parties and clubs and hobbies.

And absolutely no new decluttering or painting has been done. Will do some this afternoon before pickup.

Two bags to the charity shop. Wahooo

Ridiculously excited at getting DS's clothes sorted, and freeing up all that cupboard space. I took him the five shirts and teeshirts yesterday that he had requested. This weekend should see an end to the shirts and teeshirts. Then it's on to jerseys and sweatshirts.

Into Donation Pile - outgrown school uniform. This is a weekly occurrence atm. Trying not to replace anything before end of term.

Old shed, old dining chair (been using for resting Washing on when hanging up but will just use my wash basket!), rotten piece of dolls house that has been in my garden for ages! All collected by rubbish clearance today. So £65 lighter too!

Some clothes been picked up on olio, a bag full of art stuff taken into work and stack of children's magazines into work too for arts and crafts/cutting up! Dh 2 pairs of boots he doesn't wear to list on olio. (This weeks effort!)

Ins a new bedding set (will choose one of our raggedy ones to go!), saucepans set.

Charity bag ready to take tomorrow and 2 ebay parcels to post.

Some tatty tea towels into the rag bag along with yet more socks, feet seem to be made of wire wool in this house 🙄 Have replaced four tea towels so neutral I guess. Living room surfaces seem to be collecting paper again so will sort that tomorrow - not tonight because

Day 229: Wednesday
Listed a dress to sell
Photos and emails

Day 230: Thursday
Unwanted Present given on
Photos and emails

Day 231: Friday
Loads of baby things put into too small bag for friend.
One vest cut for rags
Stained bibs thrown out

@SydneyCarton maybe a school would have the casserole pot and lid for a mud kitchen?

@footprintsintheslow I hadn’t thought of that, although it’s earthenware and relatively heavy for a child so would break if it was dropped (hence the chip!). I don’t know if they would want metal or wooden utensils that are a bit more robust. The school have got a summer fair planned (Covid willing) so maybe a crockery smash stall if such things still exist

Im back.

Took a leave of absence due to relative moving an unholy amount of stuff into my spare room that has now finally left.

This week I have:

Sold a rare box set on ebay (3 left to go)
Got rid of a few ebay boxes that i had too many of
A bunch of receipts were thrown

I have got a bag of old sheets, an old toaster and kettle and a couple of glass items to take to the recycling point, plus four parcels to return. And a small bag of food from my excessive pantry to go to the food bank tomorrow.

I have given away some books for free which will save a trip to the charity shop.

I also tried advertising some books on freecycle and a man just replied with ‘Post Code?’ (sic). How can people be so rude? I would burn them or use them as toilet paper rather than give them to him.

Binned - one solidified tube of sunscreen that had been sitting on the kitchen worktop for two years.

A bad day! Took dd2 to buy trainers for school - the old ones will be recycled next week. Sadly dd2 took the trainer box before I could put it in recycling. I fear this is going to become a precious spider house / fairy den or home to a collection of —crap— twigs and stones.

Day 232:
Some baby clothes in the give away bag to be delivered this week.
Photos and emails
Another stained vest cut for rags.

Oooh forgot to say in John Lewis there is a beauty event where you take in 5 make up items to be recycled (any brand and not necessarily from there) and they give you a £10 voucher.
I don't know any more details but someone told me earlier today.

footprints that’s interesting. I think JL recycle makeup anyway (it’s on the second post but I can’t remember the details) but a voucher would be good. It reminds me I was doing my nails yesterday and I wondered if I could dispose of the nail varnish bottle in a green way and googled it but sadly there isn’t a way. I probably have a dozen bottles of nail varnish, maybe I’ll take some to John Lewis. I also have some lipsticks I’ve nearly finished.

Good news, I had an unexpected text from my mum. We’re kind of no contact but she was in the area and wanted to drop the xmas presents off. I had 5 big bags of family Xmas and birthday presents to give her and fortunately she had got dc books and vouchers so more went out than in.

Binned some bunting today after no joy with gifting it. 5 books and some dressing up clothes going to someone on freecycle if they show up tomorrow.

I feel your pain on the shoeboxes Stealth. In recent weeks DD has made an 'Easter surprise' box and a make up storage box out of boxes I didn't recycle fast enough!

DH passed local charity shop yesterday and said they were accepting donations but with many exceptions so I need to check what's in the bags.

Three big bags of outgrown clothes going back to the person who leant them today, I've been holding on to them for a year so pleased to get them out.

Small Room of Doom progress report...

We have lots of leaflets, maps, cards etc from holidays past (earliest in this haul dated 1997!) in a cupboard I need to empty to move out to the shed. After biding my time, this morning I deemed DH in the right headspace/wellness to have a sort. These are all items he would have collected and kept for future reference. So 2 plastic maps binned, 3 guide books kept and 75 paper items in the recycling. Took 15 mins.

I will now extract the next bundle of 'stuff' and await my next opportunity. But this is all forward progress.

Never ending garage of doon
459: lots of paperwork l, old school reports etc.
460: two picture frames broken or mouldy
461: bits and pieces from old ornaments into charity box
462: later there will be more cards in the bin
463: general rubbish and bits binned

Upstairs:
464: more bits of costume jewellery
465: sorted eldests medical memory boxes, binned 10 hospital name tags, countless sats probes etc.
466: consequently emptied two memory boxes for the charity shop

467: couple of kids toys sorted for charity shop

Day 233:
Dull child's book in charity bag
One pair of herb scissors gone via freecycle
Baby clothes in bag for friend.

Binned - one broken light-fitting.

Several holey plastic bags found in kitchen drawer.

468-9: So just gone through the huge box of cards and accessories, sorted them into each of our own memory boxes and threw away two boxes worth of cards and a small bin worth of non recyclable bits.

Garage is looking emptier and emptier. Only problem is lots of plastic storage boxes which have got broken and no idea how to dispose of them bar breaking them up and putting in (MILs) recycling bin. We never have any space in ours and I've just filled it!!

@pollyannaperspective that is good progress. Esp for so little time. Short and sharp!

@RaspberryBlonde oh that's a nightmare that they're being fussy, altho I understand why of they get alot of stuff. There's so many charity shops here that they all tend to take anything. Feels odd going in and seeing my stuff for sale 🤣