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

Decluttered lots of moisturising creams. We keep buying them/getting them as gifts. I keep opening them thinking this will be the time I start moisturising, then realising pretty quickly that nope, we don’t use them and they’re now out of date.

sold chess set and board 1 silver necklace and a bookstand
recycling bin some old magazines and old jam jars, binned some old underwear quite sucessful day but had done nothing all week

Will catch up properly later.

344: empty biscuit tin I've been keeping
345: shrunken potato bag I don't use
346: miscellaneous syringes
347: ood chocolate
348: load of tapes / patches DS doesn't use
I feel bad, I should advertise and pass them on but it can take months and I have no space
349: some ice tea sachets ood
350: some kids vitamins they didn't like
351: Xmas cup and some tippy cups in charity bag
352: medicine spoons and more syringes
353: random straws
354: a small green tray on charity bag before I find a use for it and fill it with junk.

355: some parts of a fish pump I gave away
356: half a box of steralising tablets which I'll pass on to my friend along with some other bits I put aside
357: toastie maker. It works but is a nightmare to clean, we've used it once in YEARS and frankly it's taking up space.

@LifeOfBriony do you need them all? Is it worth scanning them on ziffit and seeing of you can get rid of a bundle?

@SandAndSea do you mean you've completed your decluttering now?

@ememem84 thanks for the link, I've popped one in my basket.

@CaliRanch welcome and congratulations. When are you due? I have a 7 week old.

Day 179: not much decluttered here other than receipts and photos and emails.
Oh and one more reusable nappy gone in the bin at the end of its long life.

@AlexTheLittleCat

I'm mostly cleaning this weekend too hagqueen. How do children make so much mess? I need to follow them around the house with a hoover . Welcome caliranch, when is your new baby due?

How old are your kids? Mine are 3 and 18m. The mess. They’re like a hurricane.

I just tidied the kitchen and got rid of a cook book stand we never use. And came into the living room and toys are everywhere. Retreated upstairs and all of ds’ books are on the floor. Sigh.

I've been a bad declutterer this week as I've devoted most of my time to the garden. However, I'm trying to make up for it now!

Out:
6 large reusable bags
A candlestick
2 CDs

My total is now at 403 things out.

After the incident of receiving all the gifts, I've kept a face wash and four makeup items, so that is 5 things in for a total of 27. Wow, it's hard not bringing new things into the house.

Two pairs of dds trousers for the “outgrown” box.

Toddler artwork in the “big green filing cabinet”

@SleepingStandingUp All the fiction paperbacks I have weren't of interest to the two book recycling sites I tried. The books from the bookcase are largely non-fiction or picture/coffee table type=books; such as encyclopaedia of gardening/plants, local pictures/local history etc. I'm not sure whether ziffit would take these? I thinned them out a few years ago but we have acquired some as gifts, inherited some when we cleared fil's house, etc. I need to develop a ruthlessness.

Loreal dream lengths cream has finished. Yay. So on to the next hair product for me!

Argh, been utterly rubbish at decluttering recently and even worse at posting. Today I recycled three aspirational gardening catalogues, an empty shoe box, lots of junkmail that has been cluttering up my entryway for an embarrassingly long time.

I expect there may be some outgrown uniform to donate this week. Our school’s taking a flexible approach to uniform so it won’t need to be replaced just yet.

@footprintsintheslow 7weeks already

@Hagqueen super impressed by your organisation skills, buying your cards in advance etc. Also - getting rid of the egg tray from the fridge, what a good idea. Thank you!

@nocutsnobuttsnococonuts fingers crossed you win the Facebook competition.

Did a bit more.

• 8 dried up paint sample pots
• the draining rack for the sink, it was all rusty and grotty and never gets used

412 things gone.

Footprints - Thanks for the vote of confidence, but sadly no, I meant I was finished for the day. How lovely it would be to be finished though! I'm going to imagine that now.

Ememem - Thanks for that.

I've been through, cleaned & tidied about half of my main food cupboard today.

Outs are:

Some very old, dried fruit.
2 used vinegar bottles.
2 ood herbs/spices.
2 empty jars removed and put away properly.

My bedrooms are a bit of a disaster atm. I've ordered some new bedding which I'm hoping is going to trigger me into sorting it all out. That's the plan anyway.

Welcome CaliRanch and congratulations. I'm always full of admiration for people who can declutter when they're pregnant/ have babies/ toddlers. When I was at that stage I think I basically spent about 5 years without doing housework - hence the need for this thread now!

THEY'RE BACK! Dc are back at school although I have to collect the older one who's gone for a covid test and then will homeschool later. I have had a coffee in peace. And I have had booming music while I emptied the dishwasher. I am now going to Make A Big List. I have so much housework and decluttering to do I don't know where to start. Ages ago (November I think before I had to homeschool dd1) I had a list in a Word document that I updated every week so I'm going to see if the jobs on that have still not been done, I think that's highly likely.

Glad that the children are getting back to school and parents have some time to think.
DH not well so may have to hold off on the cable drawers inquisition today. Nevertheless am pleased to post the de-cluttering of the shower and drain (yuk). Once again I will promise myself I will do this more regularly!

Guess how many bin bags of rubbish we threw out yesterday - from one corner of the bedroom (plus our shredding bin)... (no prizes I’m afraid).

3 , Liquorish? I mean, 3 full size bags from corner of one room is a LOT of stuff.

Nothing to update here. I can't really do 1/day but like to read about those who can; I'm a weekend blitzer.

3 I wish! 5. 5 bin bags of crap!

I binned 4 bras and worn out pair of pj's today
I've got 3 big bags off stuff waiting
I'd fallen off the wagon a bit with all charity shops shut
I think I'm going to wait for a bit though before going through my clothes again - I've only worn a couple of outfits this year (excluding summer dresses) and will need to get more back to normal to determine what I can throw out
Nice with DD back to school though. A fresh start and a day on my own tomorrow

Re: egg holder chat.
We use ours as a paint pallet for crafts.

liquorish 5 bags? Excellent work. I hope you feel good about your achievement.

I have made a big list, far too big to be done in one week but I think I’ll aim to do it before dc break up for Easter on 1st April. The two big projects are finishing decluttering the Room of Doom and painting the landing wooden bits. Might do an hour of each every day.

Today I have done a tidy including three washing loads - so far, dishwasher, hoovering, putting clothes away and some admin. Dd1 found a dozen pairs of socks that don’t fit and a ‘white’ stained schoolshirt which is a rag. I bought 5 replacement socks so more is going out than coming in.

hahaha - I still have another million to go! We will be having the builders in soon and I need to have a good old clear out. DSs room looks like Steptoe's yard. I have threatened to get a skip (he looked quite pleased until he realised I was joking).

I have warned the family that we are just a few steps way from the hoarders you see on tv who keep bags of their own poo...

I had a relaxing day since I was all alone, after a weekend 'off'.
I did chuck a pair of my shoes since there was a hole in the sole and they gave me a blister yesterday.

Spent most of today cleaning. I've made sure everything for recycling has gone out including some more papers from home schooling.
I need to make a list of the things I want to sell/give away free and get them advertised.
Dinner is chilli out the freezer so continuing to clear space. I have found 3 lots of chicken stock which DP has made (I'm a veggie so no good for me). Binned an ice lolly which had been in there for ages.