Decluttering Club thread 20(22)!

[Mommabear20]

Let's go!

Christmas decorations now all tidied away.

Do kids clothes ever go for more on Vinted @Namechangesagain? I have a few bits of Frugi but it's not worth the effort for me at that price, so if so I'll just donate them.

DH presented me with a big pile of old socks to go earlier which is a win as I'm always nagging him about how many he has (mostly odd, it seems!)

@LivingDeadGirlUK @Namechangesagain Thanks for that info 👍🏻

I've cleared out about 15 more books. Many of them seem quite rare & the odd copies that are available are listed around £14-50 on Amazon/eBay, but I suspect I'd have to wait a long time to find someone who wanted them on the off chance, they're mainly dated academic books.

That's half my problem - hanging onto things that I tell myself I must get on with listing just in case at some point they sell - years later I still have a house full of clutter that no-one readily wants! We have an Oxfam Books locally so I will donate them there.

Wiled away a boring work meeting sorting through my birthday card stash, matching cards and envelopes. Put aside about 30 cards too babyish now for anyone we know, put them for offer on FB and they were collected within the hour.

Listed 11 unwanted items on freecycle and have 6 already requested. They had been sitting in a box since November.....long enough to count as sentimental.

Thanks @LivingDeadGirlUK that's really useful info re. Postage! I'm excited to give it a go. I've got a post office just along the road from me so no excuses!!

@RaspberryBlonde yes branded clothes go for more. When listing the item it gives a suggested price based on other sold items but you can price it at whatever you want. People may make offers which you can accept, decline or make a counter offer

All my children's clothes are supermarket and high street hence the low price point! They're too feral for nice clothes 😂

@8stone13 @TruffleNoir I listed my first item on Vinted this week - asked for £5 took an offer of £3 plus the postage set by Vinted (which was 16p too much so I stuck that in the charity box). It was easy and quicker than eBay.
I often have piles of items to go out the door and can not decide whether to freecycle, donate or sell. And so there it stays! This week I have just committed - couple of unwanted good electrical items I sold on eBay as not accepted at charity shop, the saleable stuff to the charity and the rest freecycle - I love freecycle because you can find a home for almost anything!

Cleared out socks and pjs today.

Trying to do a bit everyday and it's so much easier than feeling the need to do everything together.

Blu rays start tomorrow old knickers thrown out as well.

I am sending lots of hugs to all of you with SN kids. For many years I thought DD's only superpower was her smile but then found out that she was exceptionally musical to the detriment of everything else. I'm sure your DC will all find their unusual way too.

For those asking about Vinted I am a convert having only used it for a couple of days and sold something at asking price each day! (Plus an offer on something else that was rather cheeky. It's a lot easier than ebay TBH).

Today was a bit of an odd one as most of the family decamped to inter DH aunt's ashes but I stayed at home with my youngest, she was a bit low so all I've actually done is declutter my desk which mainly yielded a lot of paper. There were a few other odd things which I was pleased to know I'd now got homes for. Instead of just putting them back or binning them I spent 5 minutes putting them where they should be. This decluttering is definitely getting easier for now having homes for things.

As well as the desk I threw out a couple of hurricane lamps that had a lot of old candle wax in them. They were too big to go in the microwave to melt the wax and clean them up. It did feel like a bit of a waste though. I do still need to learn to overcome those feelings.

Plans to sort through the garage today have had to be cancelled as it's decided to snow! Loving the snow but not about having to delay making a start on it!

So many observations on this thread have rung bells, I feel like I'm becoming a campanologist 🔔

@SuperDiaperBaby I laughed in empathy at the thought of things earning the title of sentimental because it takes so long to clear them out 😀 I do exactly the same re: selling. I'm desperately trying to break that cycle & just get on with it...

@londonmummy1966 Your words about overcoming feelings of waste - that's exactly it. I was born into poverty & although I am financially secure now I don't think the fear will ever leave me. It leads to me really struggling to throw anything that may have exchangeable value away. I keep hold of things that will in total take in hour to list on eBay that will make no more than a tenner, but I struggle to get past the idea that by not doing that I'm basically burning a £10 note. This thread has really made me reflect on all this 🤔

@VikingNorthUtsire Fantastic name 🙂 I recently found a card that said: Happy birthday now you are 2." My youngest is 9 & I don't expect to know a 2 year old until I'm a grandma 😀 It's a good example of how I cling onto things 'just in case'

On that note, I'm off to put my one thing a day up for sale 😀

@VikingNorthUtsire I'm also saying great name, I grew up with radio 4 and the shipping forecast, I used to mutter "England Ireland Scotland Wales Dogger Fisher German Bight" to myself and my dad navy has a shipping map which I love

Re Vinted: I’ve switched off the Royal Mail options. The Hermes options are cheaper and people seem to prefe rit - its based on size of your item so I have something over estimated size to cover it.

I do think a printer is essential though - Vinted doesn’t offer an option to print at the pick up spot.

I’ve had a good run on there lately £140 for about 8/9 items. One was a pair of DMs though, and they have great resale value. I find plus size clothes go well, as do known brands. My sister finds her children’s clothes do well if she does bundles of say 5 girls outfits in the same size and she tries to group in colour scheme OR brand.

I agree with the poster about pricing cheap, but at least on Vinted if you list for £2, you get the whole £2. Personally I prefer Vinted for clothes, shoes and accessories, plus some new in box higher end beauty items. Ebay is my preference for electricals and media stuff.

Last night I decluttered two halloween decor items, one pot for the charity pile and one battery operated lamp in the shape of a pineapple.

Tomorrow I’m meeting a friend for brunch so hoping to drop off a bag or two to the charity shop on the way. I can’t carry it all as I cannot drive up to the location but if I can take on the bigger bags I will be happy.

Have chucked out the insert for a fancy bottle bag that we never use and DD uses as a ‘handbag’, the inserts have been in the hallway for months/years?!

In - a pack of 10 glasses string things as an experiment for work as I keep dropping my glasses. Didn’t need 10 though but they came as a pack and were cheap. May try offering a few to random people! But have to admit I now have 9 items I don’t need in the house. 🙄

Couple of bits of DDs clothes put aside as I think they’re too small, need her here to confirm though.

Out
44

In
9

For those of you that use Vinted, what do you use to pack your items? I think I need to give it a serious go, but have never posted anything to people before other than letters.
And do you have to have a printer, or can I just wrote the address on?

@LittleTwiglet i use mailing bags, the grey water resistant kind. i buy 100 for about £7 on amazon( 12 x16 inch). If they are too small for an item which is rare, i usually cut them open and wrap my item like a present with wrapping paper. I prefer to do this as it ensures the items stay dry.

Ive received items in taped up carrier bags before now, so think anything goes.

Also, if you are using hermes as your shipping option you must print a label, you cannot do it at the drop off site. If you use Royal Nail, you can handwrite and buy postage at the post office.

I prefer Hermes option because its cheaper and tracked. Royal Mail’s tracked 2nd class is around £4.20 which can price out some folks. I won’t use untracked.

@LittleTwiglet and @Bigoldhag - if you have a printer you can print out a barcoded Royal Mail label and get the post office to collect the parcel from you (this is free if you buy your label from ebay - 70p otherwise). When the postman collects it he scans the barcode and it is then tracked through to delivery so you don't need to send recorded.

I also use mailing bags from Poundland or Wilco - they are 8 in a pack for A4 size and 3 in a pack for the larger size. I factor in the cost in the price rather than adding to the P&P charge as ebayers get really stroppy if you charge more than the actual postage.

Not so much done last couple of days but 2 mugs out today, and lots of packaging cleared out my 'present drawer' now Christmas is over and I don't need to hide evidence/ return stuff! Also some paper bags gone and some random bits of plastic from the bottom of a cupboard. Oh and a book and some summery scarves - realised I didn't wear them this summer or last. Still have a few left, got rid of the easy ones. Charity shop bag full - I drop off on foot so drop off one large bag at a time. Did more than I thought now I write it down!
Not caught up on the thread yet, going to read back now

@londonmummy1966 thank you for the tip!!

Lunchtime, I discovered a charity shop that does drive thru drop off, so doing that first thing tomorrow, will be loading the car up tonight and looking for any last minute wins to declutter! I don’t think I’ve been without a box for the chazza on the go for years!

Lunch time i also did:

I decluttered some paperwork i’ve kept for 18 years!! Just sentimental, but its time to go :)

Uploaded unused iphone 6 to ebay as a parts only listing.
Decluttered some papers hanging by the front door.
Checked in with a friend that she still wants a small piece of furniture ive kept by for her - she does and its going to her tomorrow when i get the chairty shop stuff run out! Woohoo!
Decluttered into the recycling the box and packaging for a piece of kitchen equipment that is up and running.

Still ticking over todays post dealt with, one job to do as a result and then that sheet of paper will also go out. Need to dust the bedside table then that will be finished (wonder how long until i reclutter it Inspired by some comments upthread to make pants drawer the next area to tackle

@Bigoldhag you get a tracking number when you post small parcel now, so thats a more reasonable £3.20.

All I've managed today is getting rid of one set of bedding, but at least its something!

I am going to do my dd clothes to tonight. I dont normally do anything in the evening but I'm ready and in the mood.

I want the little two 7&9 to have something closer to a capsule wardrobe. So I'm thinking what's the right numbers?
14 max bottoms
10 long sleeve tops
7 jumpers
14 t shirts
7 pjs.

We do like going away a lot but it's very rare to be for more than a week due to covid. I do wash on some holidays but I don't want to be in the situation where I have to wash clothes on holiday. So with stuff in the wash when we go and clean stuff ready for return how much do you think?

Ideas welcome. Dd only needs a handful of party things too. She has way too much. Plus too many shoes.