Decluttering one item a day thread number 18 – quickly stashing our clutter in charity shops now we can let people back inside our houses

[stealthninjamum]

Here we are again, still decluttering and still chatting and sometimes getting rid of some clutter.

This is a group of mumsnetters who aspire to live in a lovely clutterfree environment, usually scuppered by husbands, children, dogs and in my house ‘valuable’ bits of twig and stone or origami versions of aardvarks and komodo dragons.

We are slowly decluttering our houses, chatting and updating each other on our slow progress as we go. We only aim to get rid of one a day but often manage more. Newbies are welcome to join us.

Since the last thread charity shops reopened and things got closer to normal. I’ve now invited friends over for the end of June so have a month to get the house ‘guest ready’.

Previous thread here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4183135-Decluttering-one-item-a-day-and-counting-down-til-the-opening-of-charity-shops-thread-number-17?pg=38

Oops - yesterday was the kitchen!

@AColdDuncanGoodhew

welcome!
sounds like you have a plan.

Helped DS2 sort out his room, so a load of recycling out and a small mountain of clothes to go. Some are in the charity bag, some in the rag bag for recycling and a few are in the EBay box. I’ve listed 4 items so far.

it looks like a Mothercare car seat sale has threw up outside our house
🤣
they've been there since Tuesday and I'm getting a bit twitchy about them taking up part of the pavement.
DH says apparently someone is interested in maybe picking them up tomorrow (I think zero chance, nobody wants used carseats!) so the ultimatum is that if they are not gone by Tuesday morning they are heading for the skip.

and here we have 2 old armchairs in the boot already.
they were just rotting away in the shed.

@AColdDuncanGoodhew cannot imagine how much stuff you have with twins! At least if they were different ages they could pass stuff to each other but imagine you need two of lots of stuff. Sounds like you are working hard!

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba sounds good to have a deadline, think unfortunately you are probably right about used car seats

[quote ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba]@AColdDuncanGoodhew

welcome!
sounds like you have a plan.[/quote]
Thank you!

[quote Pineappleapple]@AColdDuncanGoodhew cannot imagine how much stuff you have with twins! At least if they were different ages they could pass stuff to each other but imagine you need two of lots of stuff. Sounds like you are working hard!

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba sounds good to have a deadline, think unfortunately you are probably right about used car seats[/quote]
The amount of stuff is suffocating at times and I declutter at least once a month. Yesterday I opened a kitchen cupboard and all their nursery drawings fell out. I kept one each (handprints they done for Mothers Day) and the rest I put in recycling.

@Pineappleapple

Thanks *@RaspberryBlonde and @ememem84*. Maybe I pay with a few each time!

Ah just take the lot in and feed the machine!!!!!

Glass to glass recycling
Under stairs cupboard tidied up and a whole load of cat stuff ditched - Felliway diffusers, old collars, etc.
Planted some cat grass - cat face loves it.

Inclined to agree on the car seats Zing, I put our virtually unused spare baby car seat on Facebook last week, no interest at all. My pile of cars eats is not quite as large as yours though! They will just have to go in the skip DH keeps promising to order!

Spent half an hour sorting through the outgrown clothes mountain earlier, made a decision to get rid of all the socks and pants. Sorted out a pile of things which might do to be passed on.

Going to tackle the teetering pile on the kids table after bedtime!

We got lucky with car seats and we gave ours to a friend. They loaned us their “bucket” seat for ds and dd. We bought ones for the dc to use at 6m or so.

Ds has now outgrown this and is in a new one. So friend has taken the old one.

At some point we’ll have 4 seats to get rid of. Two in our car and two in dparents. Where we are (jersey) I don’t believe there are any shops that actually sell car seats. So they have to be ordered online (with additional delivery costs and taxes to pay on anything over £135). So actually selling them on is viable here.

Outs today:

my old gilet - its seen better days, then lining is all ripped and stuffings coming out of it. i wear it a lot for riding, and will buy a new one at some point.
pair of dd's shoes in the charity bag,
pair of dh's shoes in the charity bag;

@ememem84

we lent them to family & friends regularly or for long periods because they were never in an accident.
we had so much use out of them with our kids too that I'm not sad to see them go.

they are all still outside...such an eyesore.
I don't think I'll wait until the morning to pack them in the boot!

and great decluttering!

last night I FINALLY finished sewing pillow case for DD (she asked last July!) and assembled the 2 mini blankets I was supposed to make when I was expecting her (she's 9) and DS6 (now 7).
🙈🤣🤣
better late than never, eh?

Which means that after sorting offcuts for patchwork I can start on the mending & altering sewing projects - of which I have 2 masses boxes clogging up space!

The blankets need the bindings finished by hand (perfect for relaxing) but I'm so happy with progress!

finished two candles in the last couple of days. i have a habit of lighting them they getting bored of them. so have worked on one then the other hoorah .

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba i have so many projects to finish. out door cushions...and a cross stitch. and pictures to be framed and put up

Have cleaned downstairs thoroughly and folded the clean laundry mountain yesterday . Today getting some admin done and ordering stuff for the new house . DS will clean in the topfloor and do my dusting for me in the first . I’m too crippled and busy after yesterday’s scrubbing . I booked the dog’s neutering for the third time now for next week . His neck has healed finally . The shutter samples arrived think I’ve chosen the best white out of them . Meant to be having a virtual consultation on thu and hoping to find out how long approximately they’ll take to order. My friend said 6-8 w for them but hers might have come from abroad and this is a English company . Not holding my breath I expect a long wait which Isn’t ideal since we want to move fairly soon . I just counted from the floor plans that there’s 23 windows we want shutters on inc the doors to the garden . I am dreading the cost I have no idea so hoping to find that out soon too . Managed to order DS a suit in the sale and some other clothes that are “smart office wear “ as per school uniform rules for a- levels when they can start wearing their own clothes but still need several bits so waiting for them to arrive later this week . Praying they’ll all be good and then we can get on and order the rest .dH needs to find out if our insurance covers the doctor I want my DD to see about hair loss that started last year and has now gotten worse then still need the referral but we have an insurance covered private Gp app that does consults so shouldn’t be a problem . We aren’t travelling on any holidays this summer since we got no boarding for our puppy and he’s been unwell twice anyway and needs to be neutered also we have this move coming so tome really but DH was going to book a little day trip to the artificial surfing wave place near Bristol so need to slot that in somewhere. We booked theme park tickets with fast track for a weekend soon we’d promised the kids since didn’t go last summer at all . We went bowling and a lunch out with DD while DS was at MIL all last week we hadn’t been to any indoor activities with either kid except to the Harry Potter studio tour last y for her birthday outing for a y and a half and I enjoyed seeing her having fun but I didn’t feel well at all once I started and just couldn’t stop sweating until a long time afterwards in the restaurant so definitely still not well after first got the cold a month ago . Needless to say not much decluttering recently been getting other jobs done this week hoping to finish name labelling DD new school uniform rest coming tomorrow as is the kids room furniture sample of a night table I’m praying is a good colour so we can put that order in . We get the keys on the 2.9. So can then have it all delivered at the new house even if moving in there later . Another bit jf furniture coming on thu for same purposes I need to see the colour properly before getting several big items . A few beds and things take 8-12 w to order but they should have most available .
Kids clothes boxes are in my room staring at me I’ll try to open the next one after cracking open the first to fish out a few items for charity shop recently . Was all emotional so I guess I’m putting it off but I want them out of my room and back to storage until we move so I’ll do it soon . Also the stuff DH pulled out of the storage cupboard upstairs is still on that landing but it’s apparently mainly suitcases abd bedding so don’t take too long to look through and box up neatly ready to go .
Out recently

• some kids clothes to charity and rags from clean clothes pile yesterday
• DD scratched water bottle to recycling
• earmarked to go DS phone ,we’ve gotten him a surprise new iPhone ( he’s never had a new one yet at 16 y of age we are quite “ mean “I guess but these GCSEs hard work deserve a big celebration ! ) I’ll pack it in a big box to fool him and there’s a few other present like a book and chocolates and clothes to distract him too I’m hoping he’ll be suitably exited 😊.
• earmarked to go more dog toys that have been properly chewed I need to go through them all again
• earmarked to go more DS clothes once I get into his wardrobe I’ll see how full his drawers are there’s some more worn out T-shirt’s etc I’ll put away before moving
• earmarked to go some outboard motors that DH has been getting ready for sale after the recent success with the small sailboat 😀

And earmarked to go soon in our move are a whole lot of big old furniture like kitchen table although they will be replaced but I’m still counting it since I’ve been waiting to get rid of them for a few y now !

I’m exited ,they’ve started to vaccinate 16+ in our area so DH will try to take DS to a walking clinic tonight if it doesn’t work out due to too busy there’s tomorrow at another location . Due to me being more vulnerable because of being on steroids I want him done ASAP so this is great news!

No long queue at the hospital and now DS 16 has had his first dose of Phizer so I’m very happy about that

Testing

Decluttered - Seven polo shirts now bagged up to go to MrTH's work. Three scruffy for mucky jobs, four brand-new that DS changed his mind about and smart enough for office/client environment.

Bonus - a tiny bit more space in my wardrobe!

Three mouldy minging bath toys out along with a few bits from the junk drawer.