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

fatladysang I didn’t know you were a singer, I’m glad things are picking up for you. I really miss seeing shows and bands but hopefully it won’t be long til we can go back to doing those things.

I opened up some old paint and it had gone all manky so I suppose that will be an out. In my area the tip won’t take paint so I’m not sure how to get rid of it. It was a massive tub of dulux white so will leave a big empty space in the utility room.

Signing in! Thanks for the new thread. I’ve slowed down a bit on the decluttering front for the last few days but have been spending time keeping the new computer (plus the OneDrive and the account email inbox) clutter free and organised - starting as I mean to go on, hopefully the novelty won’t wear off too soon...

EllieQ I am slowly decluttering a lever arch file of DP’s which I had always assumed contained old bank statements (still don’t need to be kept but thought we’d need to dispose of them more securely because of financial info etc). Turns out it’s a bunch of ancient email receipts from Amazon and Play.com from 2007/98/09 etc 🙄 which I have just been chucking into the recycling when I have a moment. He would probably still want to keep them “just in case” 😬

I did manage to donate a buggy via a charity but often they have limited storage space. Maybe there’s one with a waiting list that you could add your stuff to and they’ll collect it when they get a matching request, which is the way I did it? Annoying that it still hangs around but you know it’s going eventually.

Not much decluttering here except a bag to the charity shop as we’re on a Peppa Pig World mini break (groan). Although on the plus side I cracked an old Tupperware box which was in my backpack when it got squashed on a ride, so every cloud...

Decluttering slowly here, more moving stuff around. I have managed to put together a huge box of papers for the County Archive that I was holding for a friend's Mum - the Archive can take them again now, and DHL are picking up the box today!

DH also rearranged the living room last night after I'd gone to bed, so now we have three Benno storage units to dispose of.

ellieq I managed to sell my travel cot on facebook about this time of year 3 or 4 years ago, it's a good time to offload them as people start to think about holidays / staycations. I was lucky enough for my cot to go to a charity straight away but if you're desperate to get rid of it I would be inclined to try freecycle. I know that a cot is a big item and it's great to get rid of it.

Today I'm just catching up on admin and my big to do list. I've done about half the things on it, but not spent enough time decluttering the Room of Doom. Today I have decided to throw away a broken doll's bed from my childhood that was in the R of D.

@SydneyCarton I’m glad I’m not the only one with a folder of old online receipts/ emails

Good point about people looking for travel cots at the moment Stealth. I wanted it to go to charity as it was given to us by family friends, so selling it didn’t feel right, but I might try posting it on Freecycle etc as I really want it to be gone.

Today’s out: A 3/4 length sleeve top that I never wear because I don’t like 3/4 length sleeves! Now in the charity bag.

Managed to persuade DH to go through his TShirts , I'd bought him 3 new ones and he bought 2 more so it's not as though he needed to hang onto them.
And some are pretty well past decency .

Tomorrow I will go through the toiletry stash and sort some out to go in the bathroom.

ellieq a couple of years ago I struggled to get rid of my travel system / carry cot. It was expensive but not a famous brand and I tried to sell it. Then I tried to give it to a charity. But noone wanted it. Eventually I gave away on freecycle to a weird guy who had a toddler who would've been far too big for the carry cot part. I never knew if he was intending to sell it on (good luck to him!) or just didn't know it wasn't suitable for his baby. By that point I was glad to get rid of it. It's lovely to feel that something has a good home but sometimes you have to get rid of it and put the effort into something else.

I've just put into recycling two containers that had hair bands and clips in them. I just put the bands and clips into a third container. We lose loads of them so that clears away two containers. I also threw out some disgusting old, dirty, missing-toothed combs (I have no idea what dd1 does with them).

I think it's going to be a hot weekend so we'll be decluttering ice pops and ice cream.

Steady daily progress here. Quite glad the big items of early parenthood are behind us.
Outs - two large delivery boxes and 8 card files in the recycling.
Have devised a plan to bring together lots of DCs items they want to keep as memories but not have out or in their rooms. 2 plastic boxes will be needed but then the various loose items, mostly floating around the RofD can go in and up in to the loft.
Will also be enjoying sunny weather.

I’ve sorted through a big box of toys in the Room of Doom. It’s a box I have gone through loads of times but never quite get rid of things because it’s incomplete or cheap plastic McDonald’s toys.

I am going to donate half of it to the charity shop where it is still good to play with so we have incomplete happyland sets ( for example an ambulance with driver that is missing the firefighter and fire engine and doctor and car) and a music box that still works, some clockwork toys, an unopened pack of cards, lots of dolls combs that I’m tempted to chuck out, a dog bath (with no dog), a boot that used to belong to an Anna (Frozen) doll that I have probably already got rid of.

I think half can go to charity, some will be binned, some might go back into the playroom and maybe next week I’ll sort through.

I feel great, this box has been lurking for years. I will throw away the box to save space and the bits left over can go in a small bag.

Today is Lego sorting day (again). Bionicles and Star Wars going on Ebay once I've sorted and photographed them.

Lego instructions for sets we no longer have are going in the recycling, which feels a bit wrong but I can't think what else to do with them. No bricks to go with them and although t'internet insists there's a market for such things, everything on Ebay is listed at 99p and sitting there forever.

Oh oh oh willow if you happen to be able to bung the instructions our way I’d gladly pay for them, DS literally reads Lego instructions instead of bedtime stories

After last weekend’s cleaning bonanza have been just mainly having a few appointments, doing endless laundry and admin plus trying to stay on top of the everyday cleaning this week and spend a bit of time with the kids too . not much decluttering done except have put away a few things as I came across them . Been waiting for my new storage boxes to arrive so I can finish organising the under stairs cupboard .they of course sent me the wrong ones I then had to arrange a collection for and reorder by which time what I wanted was out of stock so hopefully the slightly smaller ones will work .
I have written the latest to do list and it’s got about 30 things on it that are more or less urgent . Am ticking a bunch of things off this weekend though so that’s something . Have to think about all the calls etc I’ve made this week and realise that I’ve actually gotten quite a bit done although it doesn’t feel like it since lots to do left . We did get the latest charity shop bags dropped off today so happy about that . Out recently what I can remember;

• an old nail polish
• DD old trainers that got soaked on PGL and then at another day trip pond dipping and were knackered anyway
• a dog feeder toy our puppy has chewed it so the plastic comes off it’s the second one I’ve got to believe he bites too hard for it now . We give him braided lamb that takes him hours to chew I guess he’s still teething
• a few bits of clothing to rags and clothing collection
• 4 crate mats that were past their best having been washed a million times I found more new ones in the cupboard and have ordered another bed now that he’s older and making less mess and we don’t use crates anymore just a pen when we need to
• a manky front door mat which I replaced with a same kind of one
• opened dog kibble that puppy just doesn’t like it’s too big for him and he won’t grow much anymore
• earmarked to go the other living room lamp once the new one arrives
• DD old football since the new one arrived

There might be more outs in the cupboard we’ll see tomorrow when hopefully going through it while packing the boxes . Have to admit I took back a pair of unused silver girls pool slides from the charity shop bags when I realised they might actually still fit DD since you wear them on bare feet and they do but the other new kids shoes went . Btw I got my biopsy result on tue and they were clear now need another after 6 more months and if it’s clear too they’ll declare me cured ( at least for now ) . This is a relief and just in time for my birthday which is next Monday ! We have a few meals out planned so am not expecting to get much more work done here but I’ll get back to it the following week . Also our puppy started at the doggy daycare on fri and we all survived the first full day . He’ll do 2 days a week in the countryside near where we’ll move to in the fall .

nordicmom it’s great news about your biopsy result.

After my earlier post I sorted through the ‘Easter’ cupboard and either threw out decoratIons or put them in the charity shop bag. We had two Easter bonnets, I removed their decorations and now they’re lovely straw hats that have gone in the charity shop pile. All in all I filled two carrier bags for charity shops so I’ve now got three bags ready to go. I’m delighted as this is mainly new stuff rather than stuff I sorted through during lockdown.

Tomorrow I’m not intending to do any decluttering, I think I’ll just do a load of washing and maybe some weeding or oiling my wooden chairs. The ninjaboyfriend is here and he likes doing that sort of stuff too.

Well done, everyone! And, welcome back, Willow!

I'm quite pleased with myself tonight after a surprisingly productive afternoon. (You know when you don't feel like doing anything but then you do quite a bit?) I've managed to let go of several 'big ticket' items - bulky blankets which have been in my family for 30-50 years, that kind of thing.

I've also got rid of a huge box (think furniture) which we were keeping to store something in, but have decided to buy a proper container instead. It's been propped up, in limbo, in the dining room for several weeks, so it's great to have got rid of it.

I've filled a big sack and a carrier bag.

And now I found that DH who took a full smaller box of charity shop stuff away has left two bigger ones on the topfloor landing ggggrrrrr. I did ask him if that was really it and he claimed repeatedly that it was . I then later remembered DD old roller skates etc and DD discovered the boxes DH didn’t realise we’re going I guess . Tomorrow was meant to be gardening , cleaning and organising jobs but now I’ll need him to back to the charity shops too since I need the space so I hope he agrees . He’s own fault though

Hi @SandAndSea it's good to be back! DH has found four suits to dispose of - two to a charity shop (if we can find one accepting donations) and two have gone on Ebay.

I'm going to spend tomorrow decluttering the end of a tin of white emulsion, thinned down, onto bare plaster.

Hadn’t even registered this wasn’t the fledgling thread when i did the previous post 🤣

I have got rid of quite a lot recently. Lots of clothes (some handmedowns but still, better than holding on to everything, I’ve been going through it all straight away). Must book an icollectclothes collection still.

Some sheets went and I’ve got rid of a few games and books that aren’t worth selling or donating.

I haven’t decluttered anything today, but DH sorted through his underwear and socks and filled a plastic bag with worn-out stuff for textile recycling. All without me asking him to do it - I was amazed

Wow unexpectedly super day!
DD1 came home for the first time in months and most of her remaining wardrobe here gone!! Some to charity, some for DD2 to sell, some packed for rag
At least 30 items 🎉🎉
On a streak, DD2 went through part of my wardrobe and another 5 items out
AND bags taken to charity shop too

Lovely news, Nordic and well done on that big list!

Decluttered two more outgrown school polos into bags to go to donation centre later. Also one pair of school shoes.

Passed new socks on to LG. Never worn as too tight for my ankles.

singtothesky are you still doing fly lady? That’s really impressive, I have never managed to do it for more than about 3 weeks.

nordicmom that’s annoying about your dh not taking the bags to the charity shop but I would just put the charity shop bags in the car for another time and carry on with today’s jobs.

It’s great that relatives are helping ellieq withiceplease greenwillow our decluttering efforts are clearly having an influence. Dd1 let me get rid of 5 of her books last night and then suggested that she no longer wanted her Furbie. I feel a little bit sad about that but i have friends who might want it for their preschool kids.

Tbh stealth I’m more there for the chat than the housework :o it’s such a long running thread (but newbies always welcome) and very supportive. I am much better with housework generally these days (thanks to medication :o) but I’m building up my own routines really, rather than particularly sticking to flylady.

The main thing is though that as I get rid of more stuff and gradually find homes for things we do need, I’m definitely finding it easier to maintain a vaguely decent home. Quite a way to go though!

Today where I live have an organised stick everything you don't want out the front of your house day. So everything is going out, fingers crossed some takers.

We sorted games yesterday - only 5 outs but the rest sorted into zippered bags. So I filled my recycling bin with boxes. Good news is they take up much less space and easier to access. Ive cut out the logos so just need to laminate and thread them on the zips with ribbon.

I tidied my room a bit a few pairs of tights, several storage boxes ready to go. Is it just me, I tidy the whole house, make sure the girls rooms are lovely (spend time with them organising storage and toys) but my room is a total tip and dumping ground!