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

Not much decluttering over the past few days. I had my first vaccination last Friday, and didn’t feel great over the next couple of days - spent most of the weekend in bed! This meant I spent Monday evening rescuing the house from the low-level chaos that seems to descend whenever I’m out of action for a couple of days

The recycling was collected today, so I’ve put another stack of A Level notes in the empty recycling box for the next collection. Nothing else to report.

A bit of sorting today but could only find some expired vitamins as an out. 8/100

Binned some fridge leftovers.

Two out of date food items binned.
Hope I may do more later.

A couple of bags of shoes and clothes to the textile recycling. Did have some ins in the form of new knickers for the girls, but will get rid of the existing pairs which are too small.

Think today is time to take down DD1's birthday balloons and banners, it has been three weeks since her birthday

Day 244:
10 items in too small bag for friend.
4 items so stained and cut for rags

Progress. I have finished the photos on the bedroom floor meaning I have organised the photos, labelled them on the back, thrown out loads of crap ones, attempted to file the negatives chronologically. It has been a boring job so I'll do the photos in the Room of Doom at a later date and enjoy looking at the carpet in my bedroom again

One annoying thing is I found an old 35mm camera with 32 photos taken. I thought I'd take 4 and develop the film but the battery acid had eroded the inside. I managed to remove the batteries only to break the camera anyway. I am wondering if there is an old fashioned camera shop somewhere that can get the film out of the camera as I'm now looking at it wondering what's on the film! I bet it'll cost a lot of money probably to get some crap photos from 2001.

Anyway so outs today include 3 photos. Also another 3 books. I now have 4 carrier bags of charity shop stuff on the settee as I added a picture frame and baby carrier that I found over lockdown. Admittedly 2 of the bags are only half full.

Nothing to officially count as outs today, though I did get a bit of garden taming done and shredded and/or recycled about an inch of paperwork. 8/100(still)

Another out. I counted and realised I have 15 metal oven trays. Most were gifts - for some reason stbexh kept buying them for me. And one year he suggested to my mum I wanted some for Xmas too! Anyway one rusty non stick tray Is definitely going and maybe I’ll get rid of another couple tomorrow.

Having done vast amounts of charity shopping, eBaying, and digital photos deleting I would say I'm approaching close to a level that is good, and can be maintained! It'll always be a one in, one out battle.

Reading all your updates has inspired me to have a look under the bed where I know there are still things..

This week I havent done much as had paperwork to do for work. Gone on olio,
7 bottles of contact lenses solution (I get way more than I need with my subscription)
3 bath mats.
7 cuddly toys from dd2 bedroom (she wanted more space in her bed, each time she changes her bedding a few more go!)
Bag of empty shopkins pots.
Bag full of random small toys from dd2 room.
5 packets of noodles/microwave rice.
Pack of stuffing (bought one that wasn't gf by mistake).
Shampoo and conditioner we don't like.
Bag of leggings/jeans i dont wear.

I also took a stack of old magazines, out of date lasagne sheets, porridge oats and a bag full of art supplies into work.

I much prefer olio for getting rid of things as people actually turn up and it goes really fast!!

478-9: two parcels to post, a coat of mine and sleeping bags of the babies

480: nursery forms completed and in for January 2023!!

1990s that’s impressive, I’ve been doing this for years and I wonder if I’ll ever get to your level. Especially when I mess around like today and never finish a job.

I’m really close to finishing the landing but I started to polyfilla this week - just a few holes in the skirting board and a doorframe where stbexh once bumped his head. So I stupidly started to polyfilla and sand other holes in the house. In conclusion I have started to paint the main bathroom and haven’t yet finished the landing. I also removed a broken door hook that had been bothering me for years.... but now now have a hole in the bathroom door so I will have to stick another hook in the same place.

I haven’t done much decluttering, just two more biscuit tins.

Day 245:
A bag of gone hard very ancient Fimo in bin
Emails deleted

Thanks stealth, I do only have a small flat and no children I did get rid of a load of stuff from my Mum and Dads that was mine from teenage/uni years too.

I find it makes a huge difference to my mental health to be in an uncluttered space, so that keeps me going.

I've been doing emails and digital photos at lot recently. Nowhere near the end of them!

With the emails I have been wondering if should just wholesale get rid of a lot, is it interesting to see what I bought online 5 years ago....? Will I really read or need that...?

I've also stalled on clothes decluttering until
I can declutter some weight...

• another Harry Potter puzzle DS has finished earmarked to go once we either find the missing piece to charity or if not then to recycling
• a too small dog harness
• an old scratched glass oven dish we don’t need anymore ( really need to get into these kitchen cupboards and do a proper declutter !!!! It’s just hard with my pain I’ll either have to sit on the floor and I don’t know if I’ll be able to get up or I’ll have to ask DH to pull it all out for me to look at on a high surface I guess I’ll do that)
• the remaining large dog crate we have decided can go since our puppy’s happy to sleep on a bed or a crate mat in the pens we will keep for a good while longer I’m sure so we have somewhere to put him safely while all out and at night
• a pair of Ugg Australia platform sandals that are completely unused but a few y old I just never ever wear them I think can go too . I’ve left them out for a few days to look at and I don’t think I’d miss them .

I’ve done lots of cleaning , laundry and admin this week and have been meaning to go sort out the utility or kitchen all week but been in such a funk and in endless pain I’ve just been sleeping in the day a lot . I will try to get something done in the weekend . We have kids 6 monthly dentist tomorrow so getting that done at least ...

• a bag of wrong dog food to food bank bag
• an old Cannondale bike of DH Dads sold on Ebay for a few hundred so now he’s moving onto trying to get rid of various old boats . He’s cleaned the first one apparently

I’m intrigued by the fact you have several old boats to get rid of, @Nordicmom! Sounds like you’re doing really well with decluttering.

I haven’t done anything this week Every time I think that I’ve got some free time to tackle something, even just 30 minutes, it gets swallowed up by something more urgent (usually housework/ laundry). It’s so frustrating, but I can’t figure out how to make more time. Hoping to get something done this weekend.

So impressed by how much you get done Nordicmom.

I know you've been consistently chipping as well EllieQ, don't be too hard on yourself.

I deleted all the online email receipts. They seemed pointless once I thought about it.

Well DH dad was into boats and sailing so accumulated many mainly sailing boats of different sizes . They have always lived by the water . Now there are several in the boat house that aren’t been used so DH is helping his mom get rid of them before she one day inevitably wants to downsize from the big house . Generally she started to go through her house and to declutter old objects that she doesn’t need once he passed 2 y 1/2 y ago . He had a lot of boats , bikes , cameras etc and they had things that were inherited too that DH didn’t want to keep either that have gone through auction houses.
Very kind of you to say I’m getting lots done when I’ve been so poorly for ages that I feel like I get absolutely nothing done a lot of the time , I’ve spent a large part of the past year in my bed now that DH has been working from home so has been able to do all school runs , shopping , errands and kids appointments etc (while my main job has been to try not get this virus on top of my existing health problems so I have been hiding at home mostly ) I would have done in the past . I have dealt with a couple of health issues during the pandemic but I have a long list of specialist I’d need to go see to try to sort out rest off them . I have no option but to continue ,we are moving in the fall Sep/ Oct probably when our house is ready being built and i have sworn I am not taking anything extra unnecessary or unorganised with me to my nice new house ! Lucky I have quite a lot of time left and not that much stuff really after going through it all before moving here a year ago . What’s in a storage locker is organised into labeled boxes already and I can go through and reduce that when we have moved we will have a whole extra attic room to put it in if we want and a double garage we will have built in storage put in but we will also house DH work benches, a motorcycle etc in it I’m not filling that with clutter . If I had more time / energy I’d also go through the boxes in storage full of kids school work books and art etc but I am aware of my limitations ...

And we’ll done to everyone for your efforts ! Together we can get there !!!

ellieq we all have off weeks try not to get down about it. Now that things are opening up could you get your dh to take dd out for an hour so you can actually declutter? Sometimes I just ignore housework for decluttering and live in a mess for a bit.

nordicmom it always does sound like you get lots done. I think like most of us you're too hard on yourself.

My aim to get to the big charity shop today with so many bags (I can't even remember what target I set myself) isn't going to happen. I got up early and did some painting and polyfillaing and I think I'm going to have a long bath and take dc to a pub garden and just relax.

Well done to everyone on whatever you have managed to declutter.

Today's haul - various bits of paperwork processed and filed, deleted lots of e-mails and downloaded docs no longer needed and, less glamorous still, 3 part used tubes of haemorrhoid cream that DH (his piles) has replaced with a brand new tube!

Day 246:
Bag to charity shop already accounted for on here but OUT OUT.

Posted a returned item.