Decluttering Club thread 20(22)!

[Mommabear20]

Let's go!

Got into work to be told there were too many on shift so volunteered to go home. Meant a bonus day which I thought I could spend attacking the front room (was a kids playroom, then became our dining/kitchen during building works, now is currently purposeless with piles of junk everywhere).
Started well, then got distracted by sorting Dd’s Hama beads into colours, she’d started and I’ve just finished! Ridiculous job but she’s happy and I’d have been fed up to use a normal day doing it.

Also several outs

Lava lamp collected
2 x vases to care home
1 mattress cover to charity box
4 x cat toys to bin
Box of old stickers to bin
Pile of old artwork recycled
Craft tshirt into textile recycling.

Think that’s
58 out
9 in

(Counting a pile of papers/stickers as 1 item cos cba to count each piece!)

@LivingInaBuildingSite I love it when that happens-bonus day off! unfortunately it's more the opposite at my current work 🥴

I have found another pile of craft sets and books that I want dc to look through with a view to donating / selling. Dd2 has an activity tonight and tomorrow night so it might have to wait til Thursday.

Don't think I updated yesterday (oops) but it was another middling day. Today has been ok so far. In the 'to go' pile is: 2 bowls, 1 flag, 1 poster, 1 business card holder (I don't even get business cards), some user manuals, some unopened flannels (again we don't use them), a tub of cotton buds and some tester toiletries, a couple of DS' drawings, random bits of rubbish, and I finally emptied and put away the contents of a box that has been sat in the dining room since we moved in 6 months ago! DH is away for the next couple days so I have big plans!

Spent money today. Bought a new couch. It will arrive in 12 weeks. But necessary. So have decluttered bank account. 😂

Am currently wearing a belt which has seen better days so will ditch this when I get home.

Momma bear how did you get on with the tool box? We just have a drawer but there's bits in it that I have no idea what they are for, like something that came with the shower/ washing machine, we don't need it but it's there in case!

Yesterday I didn't do well but did break a cup that fortunately I didn't like very much so I will count that!

Today a pair of socks that aren't comfy have gone and a jumper I don't like much, I have better ones.

I don't know of anyone has come across the 'halve it' idea - so you don't have to get rid of all of whatever item, but consider halving it. Like, could you get rid of half the building blocks? Thought I might apply this to gloves, I think I have 6 pairs. 3 are fine, I like them, don't love them. One I really like... Etc. Will let you know how I do when I get round to it!

Agatha mystery great name!! That's funny about the family not noticing! My OH has noticed when I ask him, I keep telling him I am chipping away. I said I needed some help at the weekend and he did some and spurred me on to keep going.

I'm glad this thread is a chatty one, does help to tell 'someone' what I've been up to.

Wonder if anyone knows the answer to this - the clothing banks, big metal ones in car parks - are they for fabric recycling, so I can put stuff with holes in in them, or do they need to be charity shop quality?
I find it ok dropping off at a charity shop, but fabric recycling currently involved a tip visit which is a faff.

pineappleapple I think they are all different. We have several of those fabric recycling bins in my area and I think some take rags and some don’t. I take my rags to my local charity shop in a bag marked ‘rags’. If I were you I’d try a few charity shops to see if they take rags.

A more productive day today. I dropped off a bag of clothes in the charity bin at TKMaxx and sweet talked the manager at the charity shop into taking a bag of non clothes despite the fact they are saying no donations. Will have to find somewhere else to go for a bit I think.

I also went through 3 more bags of clothes in the airing cupboard and found one jumper to keep, a dress to give to DD2 and split the rest into items to sell on ebay, items to send to Thrift+ and items to go in the TKMaxx bin which are now sitting in a bag in the hall.

Tonight is choir practice (yay) and for the first time ever I was able to lay my hands on a folder for my music quickly and without having to empty it of useless pieces of paper. So happy that things are now starting to find a place.

DD2 turned 18 today - rather bittersweet partly as she is away at school rather than here with me and partly as I miss the cheeky year old I'm sure she was yesterday... although the young lady I now have is really lovely too. I managed to declutter the hall of some envelopes that arrived for her this morning so hopefully she will enjoy opening them later this week.

Ahh happy 18th to her @londonmummy1966
My eldest is 15 and I feel the last 15 years have rushed by. People always say it’ll go quickly but when you’re in the zombie sleep deprived nappy stage it’s hard to believe.

Work didn’t send me home today lol. But it all seems to run smoothly today, maybe I’m getting better or maybe it’s just random luck.
Also, I don’t feel as knackered now, still tired, just not as bad. On week 5 now since I started.

Finished my library book last night and started looking at the pile next to the bed (Tsunduko is a Japanese word for collecting piles of books apparently). Decided I don’t want to read one of them definitely so that’s out.
There’s a few I don’t think I’ll read but I’ll try and see before giving up on them yet.

Orchestra restarting for me tonight - I organise all the music so lots of folders and music piles going out tonight but it’s not really included somehow. I’ll also get a load of Christmas music back from the people who forgot to hand it in after the concert 🙄
I’m keeping the music at my DH’s office which isn’t far away but does mean a more organised trip to file it or collect it. Only normally twice a year though.

So out:
59

In
9 + a weird dragon thing Ds1 is promising to give to a friend as a last present but currently sat in the kitchen in a box….

Today I have posted 2 more items sold on Vinted, given away an appliance we replaced, and thrown away a couple of empty bottles from under the sink.

Could I ask if you get any kind of meaningful return from Thrift+?

Some cards that have decorated my desk and mantlepiece for months (and years) - re read them all and only kept my favourite few. Plus various files and and other unwanted items from my desk.
@LivingDeadGirlUK I've had a google of Thrift+ - not sure my items would be good enough to sell but seen things I would buy!

@Pineappleapple I haven't even started 😂 I had my first short day back at work today from my maternity leave and spent all day yesterday cuddling DC and crying that I didn't want to leave them!

Am hoping to tackle the tool box with DH at the weekend as he's got a few days off and we have no plans so he's got no excuse to not help! (I'm sure he'll think of something though!)

@Pineappleapple I feel like you about the thread, it's nice to have somewhere to record our achievements & read about others doing the same 🙂

I went through all the clothes that came out of the drawers of the double divan I sold & have another bin bag ready to go to charity. I organised what's staying into the drawers of my own super king divan with space left over.

My filing cabinet arrived finally but I need separators, I'll buy those on Thurs then I can move my files from the sideboard, which will free up space in there for things like candles which are currently languishing in the bottom of a wardrobe!

I re-organised the storage space I've made in the bedrooms & suddenly there's room for everything & nothing seems crammed in, which is great.

I listed three things for sale, one went immediately (in fact there was a bit of a battle over who got it 😀) & there is interest in the others.

I thought I'd had a really unproductive day but reading this back I haven't done too badly 🙂

Hello! Can I join you? I'll bring wine and other clutter free gifts! I'm moving soon and so need to kick my belongings into touch. Hoping that some support and inspiration will help me get my arse into gear!

Ive listed about 50 items on vinted and made a rag bag for the charity shop of stuff thats not good enough to pass on. Thursday is charity shop day so nothing out today technically but 2 bags awaiting their destiny.

@LivingInaBuildingSite - hope orchestra went well - choir was really hard work as the music is tough this term.. Great to be singing though after this time last year!

@LivingDeadGirlUK - my first Thrift+ bag is on sale at the moment and I think that they are getting sales at quite a bit more than I would charge if I were to list on ebay so I'm happy but I tend to be quite low on my ebay pricing. You can only have the money out as Thrift credits or a John Lewis voucher - fine for me nut may not suit everyone. The really good thing is that you can choose pretty well any UK charity for the charitable 1/3 which meant i could choose one I really like (Felix Project) that nowhere else would let me donate to in the same way. I am quite selective about what I send to them though.

had a terrible day all round & I honestly didn't send anything out yesterday but a tub I'd bagged to return to owner has disappeared overnight so I'll count that to keep it going for myself 😋

oh and my keys disappeared in the nightmare yesterday so that's an out 😱

@seperatedmum I feel your pain with the lost keys - mine have been missing for over a week now, I know they're hear somewhere just don't know where. Been having to use the back door key for the meantime, which is a pain with the double buggy!

@LittleTwiglet oh dear. findy key vibes to us both 🤞🏽

Car loaded back up with clothes to go to our local cash for clothes! Can't wait to be rid of them! Also 2 more bags of random craft bits to go to our local brownie unit! Having a family day out somewhere tomorrow and then spending a few hours at the garage to pack ALOT of stuff into bags to be collected for the charity shop!

I'm interested to know, what is everyone's charity shop of choice? Personally like to send things to the rspca or British heart foundation as they've both helped family members in the past.

Very slow progress here - just finding the odd thing to get rid of here and there, no easy wins. Finally painted the little wooden chest of drawers this week so set the older kids to sorting the pens and pencils etc that will go in them. It’s worrying how many there are considering I decluttered them at the start of lockdown?!

Hello to new and returning posters.
Still making steady 'one a day' progress which is OK for me. Although I am closing the door on the Room of Doom too often and really should get back in there to make some more progress.
Today's target was our bathroom cabinet - lots of OOD eye drops out and used up the dregs of a shower gel from guest bathroom. Also found a spare cream DH uses that I now don't need to buy. That room is now fully decluttered.
Have also emptied DC bedroom bins as they are all returned to their uni/home following Christmas visits. At least they had tidied detritus in to their bins unlike their teenage years!