Decluttering one item a day thread number 19 – running out of ideas for original titles

[stealthninjamum]

Another ‘one a day’ thread. We’re still here.

This is a group of mumsnetters who are slowly decluttering our spaces and organising our lives, chatting as we go.

We all want to live in a nicer, emptier, clearer more relaxing environment and this is our space to talk and moan about our husbands and children who often do not share our desire for such a peaceful, decluttered haven!

We only aim to get rid of one item a day, when we have time, although often we manage more. Newbies are always welcome to join us.

Previous thread here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4259830-Decluttering-one-item-a-day-thread-number-18-quickly-stashing-our-clutter-in-charity-shops-now-we-can-let-people-back-inside-our-houses?pg=1

Where did you find out about Christmas toy charity @RaspberryBlonde as that would be perfect for some of DCs never played with items?

I didn't identify anything new to go today but DH did drop off the bag of books I packed up on Thursday so they are at least out of the house. I have also identified a couple more items to list on ebay at some point tomorrow.

I’ve taken the Halloween decorations down today. Xmas decorations don’t go up until December as it’s DH’s birthday later in November.

Also did some decluttering today! I went back to DD’s old clothes and made a start on the age 18-24 months clothes after finishing age 2-3 last week. Found it a little harder going back to baby/toddler things, but I have put 8 things in the charity bag.

DD has a birthday party today so that's one of the stash of gift bags gone. I've also dug out an unopened set of toiletries to go to the school collection next week.

The charity I donated to is a local one @londonmummy1966, I think I saw a poster in a local shop. I'm sure that there are similar ones in other places, might be worth a quick search fir toy banks. The Salvation Army used to do Xmas boxes too.

Thanks Raspberry - I'll see what I can find.

I posted a number of things the girls want to sell on a local mums group last night and they seem keen on some of them so hopefully they will make a bit of cash and I'll see a few things leaving the house.

Have had a mega day, sorting, photographing and listing DD stuff.

Have also persuaded her that Boot Sales are a lot of faff for not much reward and filled the car with boxes for the charity shop tomorrow.

Out:
About 5 boxes to the car so far, only really gone once they leave the car though
A huge bag of cuddly toys, also in the car
Lots of rubbish bits found around the place, amazing how much rubbish we seem to keep!
3 x bags of books to a friend who works in a school, plus some science kit stuff and some games.

Have cleared lots of space from DHs office so he’s happy, it was turning into a storage unit.

Everywhere I look now I’m thinking, can that go? Hoping by the time we move into the extension we’ll be minimalists 😂

Well done all of us! We are doing great, one bit of clutter at a time.
Two bags of toys off to the charity shop today. I feel really good about it, not just because it’s great to get it out, but because of the people who will buy the toys for Christmas and the money the charity shop will make. I love the gift aid donation thing where they email you how much they make.
Have a few things selling on eBay today and have some more listings in draft form ready to go active tonight.
Still feels so cluttered though!

I get how everything still feels cluttered but I keep telling myself that if I keep going I should begin to spot a difference by Christmas...

Out today - some revolting fake converse lurking in the bottom of the shoe basket and DCs old school blazers which are in such an awful state (one looks as if its occupant rolled in white paint) they are no good for secondhand. I did cut the school badges off the pocket in case DC want to keep those.

I've also bagged up some more stuff to go to the charity shop - mainly shoes, hats and scarves plus a black coat someone might find useful for a school coat and a load of unused pretty stationary someone might find useful for stocking fillers. I'm out of town tomorrow but I'm hoping DH might take it to the charity shop for me at lunchtime as he's wfh.

Bit annoyed all the local mums asking for stuff haven't got back to say when they'd collect it though....

Hello!
Delurker here🙂
My house isn't too messy as I don't really do ' stuff' however all my stuff is contained and definitely needs sorting.
Cupboard of doom in the kitchen along with the two drawers of hell!
The spare room that has the door closed on it.
The overstuffed shed.
The loft where we put everything out of sight. In the loft is a very large plastic tub, think a metre by half a metre by most of a metre. It's my dds memory box. She's 14. 14 years of crap kept and obviously I'm still adding to it! Paperwork, school stuff, birthday cards,shoes, clothes, hobbies. It's endless.
Any ideas what is the stuff I really should keep. I did toy with scanning anything paper and keeping it on a memory stick but I'm struggling to part with stuff. I've even kept her baby teeth

Am going to do a charity shop run before Christmas and hopefully sort the shed as its full of old toys a 14 yr old wouldn't even look at anymore.

I made the executive decision recently and threw away all the teeth.
3 DC x lots of teeth, not all sorted by child. Too gruesome. In the bin.

I’ve kept their memory boxes to a single plastic crate each, me and DH too. Gone through the stuff with each child and they’ve chosen to get rid of lots as well as me.
Birth congrats cards from DH workmates for eg.
Young birthday cards from playgroup people we don’t know anymore and they don’t remember.
Most artwork has been recycled. Most school books too. Kept the odd sample if it was particularly cute or funny.

Outs over the last week or so:

Jewellery - taking some of it to the jewellers today so I can hopefully sell it. I don’t wear it/it’s broken. So may as well try and get cash for it. If they won’t cash it in I’m going to see if I can have it melted down and made into something else.

Old jewellery box - huge unused and replaced with a travel sized one.

Other costume jewellery. Have some to dsis. Some to charity shop etc.

Three of dds books - all ripped. Binned.

Ds’ summer shoes. In the charity bag

Two books I’ve read - in charity bag

Am up to 79 items off my target 200, DH agreed to FINALLY throw away 8 pairs of ripped boxers which helped and I can finally put his usable boxers away as there is now space in the draw! 🙌
Hoping to reach my half way point today but DS is uncharacteristically clingy so not sure how much I'll achieve.

I am working my through jobs of sorting and putting away slowly. I need to do a toy cull before Christmas

Am going to deliver DDs dolls school house and accessories with her later to the buyer who can give her the cash, she’ll be so excited as it’s a big chunk towards her laptop goal. And I’m happy as the school is a bit plastic thing that will be leaving, yey!

Sorting and photographing DC’s playmobil today to list on FB. Again, I’d happily give it away but they want me to try and sell it and divide out the money.

The plastic level in my house is dropping every day, hooray. As well as the toy level, which is kind of sad as the kids grow up but I guess it inevitable.

No idea what I’ll get them for Christmas 🤷‍♀️

Have listed the dcs toot toot toys for sale on fb. They don’t play with them any more so they’re going.

Not entirely prepared for the crazies. But. We shall see how we get on.

welcome rowgtfc72. Your house sounds a lot like mine did. Every cupboard / wardrobe was full of clutter yet superficially the house was reasonably tidy (given I had small children!) I try not to put things away these days unless it's in the right place so I go through phases where it looks awful but it doesn't take that long to tidy.

We each have a memory box that's the size of a box file with school play programmes, certificates, letters to Santa / Tooth fairies. In terms of school work I haven't chucked any out for about 3 years but before that I used to go through the school books and throw out things that weren't creative so the spelling test books went and the creative writing books were kept. I think I'd go through all the books and I can remember something about 'our family' in the Religious Studies book so kept that and anything else that was personal.

mommabear that's fantastic work! Why do men keep their boxers til they're falling apart? The ninjaboyfriend does this.

So my update, I've spent the morning tidying and doing washing. The clothes are nearly all put away and the Christmas decorations are nearly all up. Another three pairs of tiny socks have been put in the rags bag with a tea towel which had a stain. I've also thrown out a couple of damaged decorations. I'm pleased with myself. I know it's early for xmas but I hate that last minute rush in December.

@stealthninjamum it's insane isn't it??!! He asked me to pick him up some new ones as his all had holes in, so I got them 2 weeks ago and they've sat on his draw unit since so last night I sent him upstairs to sort them out like a naughty kid 😂

mommabear in the olden days my grandma used to use granddads old y-fronts as dusters! But they were in a damn site better condition than the ninja boyfriend's that are more holes than material!

Made it to the charity shop, third one I tried in the end. One was shut, one was too full, the third was very grateful.

I’m grateful as my car is now empty and that’s loads of items gone!

Now loading the car with doll stuff to go and deliver. My house should be feeling empty soon 😂

I have no idea what the ragged boxers thing is all about either! Apparently they are good for "relaxing at home" in .

Outs: bag of stuff to the textile recycling bank, and a bottle of cheap conditioner I bought to tackle some headlice, so it won't be replaced (hopefully), some random bits of paper including the 756th accident form DD2 has come home with since starting Y1 . Head and knees seem to come in for a lot of bashing!

Today's plan to have a day in the country didn't happen so I managed to shift some more stuff

Out: the bag I packed for the charity shop yesterday
The last bagful of old teaching materials to local music centre
A bag of children's reference books to local primary school for their library
A bag I sold on ebay

The good thing is that the reference books were the last things to go on a bookshelf in the old playroom - now I can move DCs stuff out of the cupboards and onto the shelves and comandeer the cupboard for my sewing stash - its been nearly 20 years since I had a sewing space so can't wait!!!

Have a pair of boots and a couple of DCs things being picked up tomorrow

Today:
Three bags of clothes out of the house to the clothing bank.
Three things sold on eBay, wrapped up and ready to take to the post office tomorrow.
Hooray!

Three bags and an extendable shower curtain rail! dropped to the charity shop. Immediately noticed a duplicate game that could have been in there 🙄 MIL gave us a bag of games to sort through last week but I had forgot about it til I arrived back.

Nuffaluff - did you make it to the PO? I always have good intentions then don’t make it for days.
So that’s why I’ve mostly switched to FB marketplace for local collection.

Have a lady who messaged about one playmobil set and asked if I had any others, haha. Sent her photos of everything I hadn’t got round to listing and she’s having it all. Coming this eve to collect. Saved me a job listing them all too.

Found an old Thomas rug under our bed (hidden from DS2 I think), that is the start of my next charity pile.
Also 3 crappy old framed photos of me that I don’t like, one has gone already, dithering over what to do with the others.
An old material belt into the fabric recycling.

@LivingInABuildingSite if you sell stuff on ebay you can get the post office to collect from your door for 30p an item until 14th and 70p after that. I got them to collect quite a bulky parcel (pair of boots) today and it took 30seconds for them to scan and take it away - brilliant service. Once you've bought the postage label on ebay there's a button to click to go to the royal mail website and order the collection.

So far today

Out
said pair of boots
music stand
bag full of ring binders one of my neighbours is picking up
bag full of unused stationary to the charity shop
box full of DCs old revision notes and exercise books into recycling bin

I've also sorted out some school uniform to go to old school for their secondhand sale - still more to go - and got a bag of unreturned text books (interestingly not the ones they fined us for....)

The great thing is that I now have an empty cupboard to put my sewing stash in - joy of joys!

You’re all doing so well, I think I am having a sloth like phase of laying in bed watching Netflix, Mumsnetting and not decluttering.

The only things I have got rid of today have been bits of post and I don’t really feel like they’re clutter. I still haven’t driven the three bags to the charity shop that have been sitting around for weeks. Maybe tomorrow.