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

Charity shops sometimes want hangers @LittleTwiglet, might be worth asking your local ones.

I have started wrapping presents for Christmas so a satisfying amount of paper is going out!

@RaspberryBlonde thank you, ill give a ring round and see if any charities near me will take them.

Also you've just reminded me that I really need to make a start on the wrapping 😞

I noticed a charity shop had a sign wanting bubble wrap recently which is good for me- problem is I can't remember which shop it was 🤦🏽‍♀️

I managed to drop a small bag off at the charity shop today - mainly a load of Christmas stockings left over from a craft stall a few years ago that I never got round to donating before. Also some bits of costume jewellery people have given me that I never wear. I did buy some new water glasses on my way home but have used the boxes to pack up the old ones ready to donate tomorrow so I'm counting that as a neutral transaction.

Not much success for me atm but today’s outs:

Very old school photos from the 1930’s (that probably have an ancestor of mine in but no one knows anymore!) posted back to the school for their interest (did check first and they do want them).

Old bell ringing books posted to someone interested in them.

Birthday present dropped at a friends.

£5 that I owed someone!

Too many Ins at the moment with Christmas presents. Hopefully no tat!

littletwiglet I think the second post has a few sites / apps where you could sell clothes. I’ve never sold any myself other than dress up outfits.

@IncessantNameChanger do you not find that identical socks lose their shape? Dd2 had loads of matching school socks but I couldn’t just put a pair together. It took ages. Anyway I am now very minimalist with socks.

@londonmummy1966 thanks for volunteering at the vaccine centre. I really appreciate the people who give up the time to do this.

@ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba I don’t envy you going through all dcs clothes. I spend about two afternoons a week doing it with my two dc and it’s a tedious but necessary job. I find now that both dc have fewer clothes than when I started this four / five years ago. I’m so much better at not buying them clothes now.

@Mommabear20 what great progress.

@stealthninjamum - thank you - it is actually good fun as we are a big centre (the one that's been in all the papers in the last couple of days!) with a brilliant team of volunteers and vaccinators. The GPs also feed us very well and throw great parties!

Decluttered two emptied cardboard boxes, so that I can't use them any more as a dumping-ground.

A sort-of declutter was one unopened toy passed on as a birthday present.

Have recycled 1 chipped drinking glass and have put 4 coffee mugs and 2 wine glasses into the box for the car boot.

Have returned some borrowed fancy dress.

Reminded a friend about some playmobil she keeps promising to collect (I keep trying to deliver but she’s not in and doesn’t have a safe place to leave it)

Passed along 3 bits of too small school uniform.

Put all my orchestra music in one big pile, not exactly Decluttering but a step towards tidying it up after the Christmas concert.

2 x fluffy onesies added to too small clothes bag. Hoping to drop off at a friends tomorrow.

Not done loads recently, I know things are busy in the run up to Christmas but I know I do need to carry on chipping away. Today's out is some rubbish kids paintbrushes. Yesterday I didn't identify anything but passed on some bits in my 'to leave the house' pile. I don't count that though, I count it when the decision is made!

Out - finally the bag of toys I put together at the weekend.

In - one Dc with a suitcase and a cello....

I went through my purse yesterday and chucked a handful of old receipts. I also found three gift cards which I need to check if they have anything on them. I think they don't, so can probably go too.

I'm planning to go through DC clothes over Christmas. I need to move DS into the next size up as while his current still fits its all getting very scruffy! Also need to sit down with DD as she constantly claims she had nothing to wear despite drawers appearing full!

I have totally fallen off the thread.

Yesterday I opened the remainder of my advent calendars. Got rid of the packaging. Aaah. Better.

The kids still have theirs out.

I am slowly losing the plot with stuff. But know that on Christmas the presents will be out of my wardrobe. And I’ll be able to breathe a bit. It’s so overwhelming.

In February we are embarking on a house renovation. Im going to “Stacy Solomon” the shit out of the house. Everything out. 50% back in.

Storage everywhere. We’ve been clever with the kitchen design to maximise storage. The new living room needs max storage too. Im not going to insist the kids have no toys. But they will be packed away. Minimalism on the outside with storage for everything.

Managed to fill a plastic basket with a random selection of kitchen things to go with the glasses I decluttered on Thursday and dropped it off at the charity shop. It is getting harder to do a quick whizz around and pick stuff up which has to be a win. The nightmare of sorting my clothes out looms ever nearer - I won't be able to put it off for much longer.

Today’s out is some fortnum and mason chutney that belonged to ex. I don’t like the stuff so it’s in the bin. We’re also having a falafel pizza bought when dd2 was vegan and some bulgur wheat salad from the freezer. They’re the last two old items in the freezer, I think everything else is less than about three months old. The freezer contents spark joy at the moment as it’s full of frozen food for Xmas.

Not exactly Decluttering but I have locked myself away upstairs for a few hours today and wrapped all the kids presents (apart from some still to arrive).

Means I’ve got rid of some packaging and middle rolls of wrapping paper. And reassured myself that DS1 & DD are sorted. Ds2 who’s autistic is near impossible to buy for. I’m going to print out some IOUs for Switch/iPad games as that’s his main interest. Not sure if he understands what an IOU is mind!

Went through one of DD's drawers and identified 2 tshirts to go. This is less than I was hoping but at least means I can not buy her any more tops. Think we'll try to do a drawer a day as it only took 10 minutes. I also got rid of the packaging from an Advent calendar she had opened.

Nice to see you @ememem84. Your house plans sound great! Good you storage sounds like a big plus.

Kids in bed early. So I’ve decluttered the last of a bottle of wine (about half a glass) and a cornetto.

Also done another sweep round the house and picked up random bits of paper and packaging.

@RaspberryBlonde the house plans are stressing me out. Going from “rooms” to open plan was all well and good when it was just at planning stages. Now it’s become real. The thought of the upheaval the mess the dust (although we moving out for the duration). Eeeek.

Oh dear....been very bad recently here...nothing gone out for months...clutter all over kitchen table and vegetable rack....tools, light bulbs, glasses, bit of paper....will purge before xmas !

ememem84 your plans sound lovely (and ambitious!) We have loads of storage, it makes such a difference, just make sure your whole family is on board.

Tears last night til 3am. dd2 got obsessed with a cuddly toy she had willingly thrown away a few weeks ago. I knew that I hadn't yet taken them to a charity shop but had hidden them in the xmas present cupboard in my bedroom. So I couldn't get them out or she'd see the unwrapped presents! She's now been reunited with the toy. She's completely sure she doesn't want the other toys (it was two big bags) but it does worry me she'll change her mind.

Sorting through face masks. We have cotton ones and they don't fit dc anymore so I am going to get rid of a horrible dozen ones with monster faces / minecraft. It'll make me happy not seeing the things going through the wash every week but I now have to find pink masks for dd2, dd1 is happy with black ones.

Is anyone else finding it harder and harder to declutter and tidy the closer it gets to Christmas? Think it's knowing it HAS to get done that's stressful. Have currently got both DC clothes all over my bed as their new hanging rail is due to arrive today and was hoping to get DD wardrobe dismantled this morning so emptied it only to not be able to get into the shed for the tools as DH forgot to put the key back yesterday and has taken it to work in his pocket 🤦‍♀️ will get it done tonight but was really hoping to get it done before he got home.

How is everyone doing?

Well done for still plodding on towards Christmas 😁
I'm abandoning until after the festivities now. Can't even keep the house clean with teenager and husband underfoot never mind declutter! We only get weekends off at work over Christmas and New year so I'm declaring- and chilling.
Dh has finished painting the kitchen and is itching to lay floor tiles in the new year which will inevitably mean pulling everything out of the cupboards so I'll wait till then.
Have a lovely Christmas and New year everyone and I'll see you on the other side!

Another couple of items fished out of DD's drawers. Think I am also on a bit of a wind down to Christmas as realistically anything I pus aside now is not going to leave the house!

Moving out sounds like it will make things a lot less stressful ememem. Sure it will be worth it in the end.

I definitely seem to have lost my tidying mojo today. I have packed up some ebay stuff for the postman to collect tomorrow but not done anything else. The pile of presents that need wrapping is starting to distract me. I may need to press pause until after Boxing Day.