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

Day 240: Yesterday
3 kids books that are very dull to read

Day 241: today
One lovely baby grow in the too small pile never to be worn by another baby of mine. Bittersweet but mainly phew.

H finished a book he started 5 years ago and has so many pages fallen out and lost it's gone in the paper recycling.

I've taken 'before' pictures of the Clutter Carnage (thanks for the suggestion, stealth). Gassylady, I'm hoping my bribe will work, though I admit it's a bit juvenile.

Today I put a stained towel in the textile recycling and recycled a user manual along with a mini stack of old paperwork (will count paperwork as one and only if it's old gathered stuff rather than day-to-day upkeep). 6/100

I sold a top on eBay and have taken it to the post office.
One cracked mug binned.
Another book in the charity bag (I still don't have enough for Ziffit).
Some paperwork shredded.

I used up a pillow spray from a sleep set - so I've now put the packaging in the recycling, and the remaining items are on the bedside table.

I've sorted out some photos - I've written on the backs and put them in albums. A few have gone in the recycling. Not so much an out as tidying and organising, which was very satisfying.

Not as good a tally as many, but it's progress.

Also earmarked to go out ;

• 2 picture frames with DD nursery pictures are in that are just in the study cupboard

I don’t like but keeping the pictures of course . I’ve got a big set of frames for a wall for the new house maybe and I want any pictures in them black and white and these are colour .

Hi there! Charity shops are open where I am.

I tackled a closet of doom on Saturday and sorted all the children's books I had in there in various bags and boxes. Ended up with four bags and boxes for the charity shop, which I've just returned from.

I put the snow boots into the closet, and moved a nice, short, three-shelf bookcase in too, to store the books I kept.

Decluttered - reduced mending pile by sewing up small gap in seam of school trousers, which child then wore to school without complaint.

Into donation pile - four children's books.

One pair outgrown joggy bottoms.

I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had learnt that the council take biscuit tins in the recycling bag. It's been hard for me to get rid of them because I keep thinking 'what if I need them for storage?'. Part of my problem is that by 'storing' stuff you end up keeping stuff you don't need.

So I have got rid of three biscuit tins!

My local charity shop has an 'open afternoon' session for donations on Saturday. They're opening up the back of the shop to take stuff so I have started to put more things on facebook market place. Anything that doesn't sell will go to the charity shop.

Three bottles of beer had to be thrown out. Dh put them in the freezer to cool on Sunday and I found them yesterday like this. Oops.

Also got rid of a shower puff thing.

More outs from yesterday’s folding pile

• a big bag of old socks and t-shirts and pants to rag bank
• a long sleeved t-shirt of DS to clothing bank

unlimitedchips I never follow my own advice. I keep meaning to take photos but always get involved in a job and then never take photos.

I put six toys on facebook marketplace and had a comment 'what sort of condition is it?'. I asked which one they wanted but commented that all the items had been well loved but were clean and in good condition. I suspect I'll never hear from the lady again. Anyway they can go to the charity shop on Saturday.

My DH has form for doing that with beer ememem. I keep the freezer full now so he can't!

Have about 4 bags of unwanted/outgrown clothes sitting ready to go to various places, all hopefully leaving the house this week except the hand me downs. This has cleared quite a bit of space in the spare room wardrobe.

Also binned two bottles of hand gel which had turned to jelly and wouldn't come out and a used up candle. Now about to set a 10 minute timer and tidy up the playroom stationary drawer!

Today out so far ;

• 3 worn out dog toys
• 3 Just Dance Wii games ( I’ll let DD choose 3 out 6 to keep )
• 2 DVDs

468-9: two parcels sent to iSecondThat. Part of me thinks I should have tried to sell them myself but honestly I don't have the time or inclination. There's about 35 items sent off. Plus I returned a dress I brought from them.

I should have done more today but I napped whilst the babies napped so oops.

Charity shop run tomorrow, we pass one for our hospice on the way to play group so will load up the buggy tomorrow

@ememem84 shame about the beer!

@SleepingStandingUp well done for the nap. Sounds fantastic

Day 242:
Emails deleted
Bath bomb used up instead of keeping it for best 🙄
Going to sift through a few baby clothes now to get rid of some.

Kids toothbrushes binned but replaced.

New wellies for ds in.

Muslin cloth ditched.

Adding to today outs;

• a pair DD new shoes that rub , replaced by a pair of kind of trainers we’ve had before that shouldn’t I don’t mind having things just don’t want useless things hanging around like these bad shoes in the rack just in the way !
• a couple of mixing bowls we never use
• earmarked to go a where’s Wally puzzle once DS has finished it we got it out on the puzzle board from under the sofa where it had been forgotten to ,If we find the box it’ll go to charity if not then recycling. Now wondering if we need the puzzle board since never use it ever kids do puzzles perfectly successfully without it on their room floors never loose pieces either so maybe that’s an out too it was just under the sofa gathering dust so what’s the point !it’s decided 😁out also
• a puzzle board

I then remembered a box of magic sand hidden on top shelf in the study cupboard so DD wouldn’t just take it out and make a mess unsupervised, result was it’s been forgotten about and stayed unused so it’s coming out to be used if it’s ok otherwise going out

Did a bit of sorting but had trouble finding an out. I found a wallet in our boxes of "stuff". It was nicer than my current one that was really worn, so old wallet out and many unnecessary receipts recycled. 7/100

On the living-room floor waiting to be binned - Three broken gamer headsets.

470-6: so the last of the chairty shop stuff that's bagged. Coat-hangers, clothes, toys, memory boxes from eldest.

The next lot to clear is the stuff I currently have to sell, there's been no interest on some stuff for months now so might offer it cheap/free and see if that'll clear them otherwise donate.

About 5 boxes of clothes ages 3-5 from eldest Inc fancy dress that I need to sort through next (need a sunny weekend so I can get it out on the garden) and A box of mixed toys I'm determined to sort into play sets (so a pirate box, a farm box etc) and then chuck the excess.

Big pushchair needs bringing out and photographing / donating.

And that'll be the garage at least as clutter free as possible.

Day 243:
Photos and emails
6 aloe Vera plants potted on and offered and collected via freecycle.

This is my third time trying to post today so is test!

Yay! It’s working. Attempt 3 to type my post.

I decided to declutter one bell, four magazines and four books - not sure where the books will go. Either webuybooks, ziffit or a charity shop.

My settee has two full bags of stuff to go to a charity shop and my aim is to have six or seven by Saturday. This should be hard as I have loads of admin at the moment. Also by Saturday I would have liked to have finished my gloss painting and organising the photos in my bedroom.

In electronic recycling pile - one ipod. Broken beyond repair.

477: have got some of the wrecked plastic from the rear garden into the bin. Not gonna be great for rubbish for the next week and a half mind
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