Decluttering Club thread 20(22)!

[Mommabear20]

Let's go!

I’ve been in the attic room for a few hours tonight but only gotten rid of a few things it’s been more unpacking cardboard boxes and packing things into plastic ones and consolidating things and putting things into my storage cupboard . Also getting a stack of bigger clothes out for DD and will declutter not keep the smaller ones so that’ll be something . Granted we’ve decluttered this stuff before moving here so there might not be too much to go . I’ve been doing the easiest things though to get through the boxes I’m
Trying to put the ones that I don’t need to touch to one side so I’ll see the progress and wont be moving things back and forward. We’re thinking about getting shelving . I next have start making decisions about the kids clothes again I find hard . I hate to think about what’s in the storage locker that I want to keep like some memory boxes and a few kids toys and books .

Today, a dictionary has gone, two books and a teething toy that doesn't get used. Trying hard to keep going each day.

Bin day today, both general waste and recycling bins are full and I have another bag of recycling that will go in as soon as it’s emptied! Bin day with full bins feels good, bye bye rubbish that was cluttering up my house.

I signed up for the “Take Your House Back” course which is run by Cas from Clutterbug, Dana from A Slob Comes Clean and Dawn Minimal Mom. It’s been good so far, really motivational, there’s a private FB group and next weekend they’re doing an “All Day Declutter” live - American times so I think would start in afternoon here. Thought I’d share in case it interest others. Paying a bit for this kind of thing really motivates me to get stuff done.

Have just hung DS next aged clothes up and realised he's still got far too many!!! I've found a 'minimal clothes for kids' list so gonna go through both of their clothes and trim down to this list 😁 might try and find one for adults and do my clothes too!

Productive morning here - 3 plates, 6 saucers, 1 bowl, 1 dog bowl, 1 cushion, 2 toys, 1 dog toy, and 1 pair of shoes all bagged up ready to go. I also have a load of laundry on at the moment and that's got 2 blankets in that are being cleaned before going in charity shop bag. I've also sorted out the dogs' dentastix, poo bags etc into a sensible storage box, and unsubscribed to more email mailing lists. Quite pleased with myself today!

15 items of DS clothes in the next size are in a bag to go, and have pulled about 10 items out of his current clothes that are now too small!

I'm back at work today but I have given away a stack of fitness magazines and two books, and sold an item on Vinted which I'll post at lunch.

Managed to get the number of kids clothes going out, up to 40 items! Woop! Aiming to find another 60 items (not necessarily kids clothes or clothes at all) to round it off at 100 and then give myself a couple days break to just focus on cleaning and tidying

That's excellent @Mommabear20 well done!!

separatedmum I’m sorry you feel like that, I feel like that too. Dd1 is academic and find it relatively easy to throw away her school books but dd2 has all kinds of special needs. I have only recently realised exactly how much she struggles and it makes all her half- finished, scruffy books and bits of paper more valuable to me. That’s why the dining room is full of crap from her home schooling and the Room of Doom and playroom have drawers of it too.

Done loads of housework. More socks and clothes with holes in are in rag pile. I have thrown out lots of dc socks recently and not replaced them and we’ve never run out. It’s so much easier when you do t have 15 pairs of school socks!

Total decluttered for the year 25.

Still working on decluttering the Christmas chocolates. Got rid of a part open bottle of alcohol by drinking it last night with a friend and scoffing snacks at the same time.

Today I'm looking at the bathroom again. Going to clear through the cabinet at and drawers.

And I've added an ugly candle ornament to the charity bag.

My problem comes when my dh finds it difficult to part with things that may be useful in the future. He also views use by dates as a vague guideline and always asked where something is that has been thrown away after it has gone a few days past its date. Annoying when I'm trying to sort and tidy.

Thanks for the new thread @Mommabear20 and hello to everyone new and migrating from the old thread. We were away for new year so I'm starting a bit late!

I've started to go through the huge stash of outgrown clothes. All the age 2 to 3 bits now bagged ready for charity, a handful of ruined bits in the ragbag and a couple of bits put aside to keep or sell. Still lots to go though!

Convinced DS to let me put away a few jigsaws that are now too easy in the garage, we will pass on in a few weeks if they are not missed. Doesn't cancel out the Christmas new things but made a bit of space to store them!

Back at work tomorrow so rest of today will be housework and getting all the stuff for school sorted.

It's the 5th and I still haven't started!

I was viewing a potential secondary for my son with SEN today. Lovely school. My son has severe needs and goes to a non maintained speech and language school. So finding him a equivalent secondary nearby is impossible.

There was other parents asking about gcses and a levels and I dont know why I burst into tears to the deputy head showing me around. It was a school for kids that will sit a bloody A level in all probability. I think it keeps hitting me that I should be thinking what will get on into uni but that just isnt our path and it's so unfair. I want to hide away from life. In my hoard. But that's not the answer. I'm going to thin the youngestvtwos clothes tonight.

They need a capsule wardrobe too!

Also I hate thinking about them growing up and moving out so hate getting rid of their clothes. Buy the youngest is only 7!

Two bags of kids clothes ready to go to charity or recycling depending on how scruffy they are, Christmas tree down (but slumped drunkenly on our balcony, so not actually out yet) and decorations put away. I tidied the living/dining room on Monday and it still looks ok, but I am itching to go through the Kallax units and get rid of some toys to make room for the new Christmas presents. We still have some stuff which is really for babies/toddlers (shape sorters, cloth books, rattly things etc) and my youngest is starting school in September and isn't playing with them anymore.

DS appears to have finally bitten the bullet on potty training (and not before time ), so hopefully that will mean less packs of nappies and wipes hanging around, although he and DD2 still wear them at night.

I dropped off some clothes and towels at rhe recycling bank today. Also gave some educational flash cards for very little children to a friend. Mine are too old for those now.

Well I didn't manage any more decluttering done as DC were not so cooperative 🤦‍♀️ they're at their grandparents tomorrow though so I'll have a few hours child free too try and tackle some of the harder to do jobs!

.lemonviolet that course sounds amazing.will you be spending all day decluttering?

I’m sorry incessant that sounds hard. Sending hugs.

I found 12 jewellery craft sets, some weren’t even opened. At the weekend I’m going to get dds to go through them to see if they want to keep any.

Went through a small dvd shelf today and found 2 sets of the same box set! That'll go to the charity shop. I also have a full series of another set my sister gave to me (when she found she had 2 sets!) but I don't think I'll watch them so I'll send them too.

I need the teen and young adult dds to go through their DVD on the shelf in the alcove in the hallway to say what they don't want to watch again, then I can ditch a lot more to a charity shop.

Please can I join? We've sold our house (can't find anywhere to buy but that's a different thread!) and I need to declutter for when we finally do move! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. At the moment I'm going through one drawer or cupboard each lunchtime and binning/recycling/donating anything we don't need or use.

@Someaddedsugar welcome and congratulations on the house purchase! 🎉

Another productive afternoon here, the 2 blankets made it into the charity shop bag, and another found its way to the bin. I added a make up bag, puddle suit, 30 cocktail stirrers and a couple other random things to the 'to go' pile too. I also organised DS' wardrobe so it's all clearly sorted by garment, for some reason I do my own like that, but had never done his before! So much easier now it is categorised.

@IncessantNameChanger - that is tough and I can relate. Ds2 who’s nearly 14 has SEN (autism, developmental delay, etc). He’s in a SEN stream of a mainstream secondary and on the surface is succeeding but there are many things he won’t do/aim for like GCSEs.
I’m sure you’ve read the Holland poem but it does ring true and there are significant milestone moments that bring it home.

Not planning on getting anything out today but by accident have managed:
Pair of trousers too small for DS - charity box
White tshirt & hankie both stained - textile recycling
2 x vases for the care home as we have too many and need to find homes in the new kitchen for the ones we actually like.

+5

Out
27
In
Nothing of note (not including bits of new kitchen the builders have put in)

The all day live decluttering is on a Saturday, American time so would start around 2pm for us, however unfortunately I am working an odd shift that day so will have to watch it and pretend it’s live later!!! When you buy the course you have access to all the previous livestreams as well, they’ve done this all day thing twice before, I think it’s basically all day 45 min sessions of live one of them on video coaching everyone though decluttering a particular space etc. sounds like a great idea I’m annoyed it’s fallen on my work weekend so I can’t actually join live!

Today I decluttered some kitchen and laundry things to work that can be used there, that felt good. However I also got delivered a few new plates and things (I have a plate collecting habit, obsessed with Le creuset!!) however I don’t consider them clutter, they have a place to live and are useful and beautiful, I have no aspirations to be a minimalist!!!

unintentionally sent 3 battered bags 'out' ready for next recycling bag whilst accessing paperwork file. glad to keep it going

@seperatedmum

unintentionally sent 3 battered bags 'out' ready for next recycling bag whilst accessing paperwork file. glad to keep it going

had an in of free out of date mouthwash 🙊the dentist cleared it for use