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Original poster

The minimalism game Jan 2022

363 replies

ImFree2doasiwant · 01/01/2022 08:46

The idea is to get rid of 1 item on the 1st of the month, 2 on the 2nd, 3 on the 3rd etc. I hopped on the way of a thread in December but am here to start afresh if anyone want to join in. I might do this in reverse though, starting with 31 today and working back to 1, only because DC are going to their dad's tomorrow 2 fir days so I will have the time to maje a good start at it.

I aim to post updates daily!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
TheGirlWhoLived · 03/01/2022 10:28

Oooh I need to do the saucepan cupboard. Will
Wait for dh to be around for that one as otherwise ds will be in the cupboard and I’ll lose him

CoffeeChocolateWine · 03/01/2022 10:37

I think I need to do this too…but in reverse! I had a bit of a declutter of my kids’ clothes and my bathroom cabinet yesterday but didn’t count the items. I’m sure it must have been about 30ish. I will aim for 29 (is that right?) items today and go from there! Thank you for the push!

wejammin · 03/01/2022 11:47

Day 3 -
2 old stress balls and a makeup brush

CoffeeChocolateWine · 03/01/2022 12:45

Done 29 things! Although some have gone into a bag to donate to charity rather than expelled from the house yet! More clothes from me and the DC, some books and games and general rubbish left over from Christmas. Feels good. But decluttering with DH is as painful as pulling teeth. He finds excuses to hold onto EVERYTHING!

Eileen101 · 03/01/2022 13:53

I forgot to post yesterday's:

Recipe book in the charity shop bag.
A phone headset thing we won on a raffle - in the charity shop bag.

Today:

  1. An unused hat in the charity shop bag.
  2. A candle that had been partially burnt gone. I never light them now, I forget/have 2 toddlers/don't really care.
  3. Bundle of baby pjs - has a bid on an eBay auction ending today, so I'm counting that because it will sell Grin could also count the envelope, but I won't Grin

Request for advice from fellow declutterers. I have a drawer full of trophies from dancing days as a child. What to do with them?
They have literally been in a drawer since we moved in nearly 4 years ago. And probably in a different drawer before that. I have no desire to display them really. I feel like I'd be throwing out memories. I also don't really want to add to landfill. They're not engraved with anything identifying - most are either blank or something like "highest marks". WWYD?

Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 03/01/2022 16:06

@Eileen101 that's a tough one! I have loads abd loads of rosettes from horse shows. I've been through and discarded the less special ones, but even so, not sure what to do with the remaining ones (still loads). I don't compete any more but it was a huge part of my life. So e are from when I had my old horse (now passed on) and some with a pony I still have, she us very very elderly now . I'm going to leave them til everything else has gone I think!

OP posts:
BeefSupreme · 03/01/2022 16:15

Items decluttered so far are clothes that are too small for dc:
(1-4) jeans

(5) T-shirt
(6) reusable swim nappy that was never used.

wejammin · 03/01/2022 17:28

@Eileen101 if they're not engraved could you see if a school wants them? And then just keep your favourites/first and last/ones with your name on? Or put the not engraved ones on eBay as a bundle? I'm sure someone could use them

SuperDiaperBaby · 03/01/2022 19:33

Changed my mine and decided to take the tree down today as last day before back to work. Decorations are sentimental items for me - lots that hold fond memories of who or where they came from but managed to be ruthless. 18 groups of items for charity (I set these aside on the top of the decorations and added a diary note to take them to the charity shop November this year!) 6 for bin - 24 total. 5 items from the laundry to recycling. Makes 29.
Then did 12 (!!!) empty glasses cases from the side as a bonus in case the decorations for next November were cheating. Infuritating waste but no-one will sell you glasses without the case and never found anyone to take them presumably as too expensive to ship abroad with the glasses for charities.

namechange5575 · 03/01/2022 22:35

A bit late to the party but pleased to be joining you! Discarded 31 items today, all from the kitchen. Mostly from a drawer of doom, and the rest clutter from surfaces.

AgathaMystery · 04/01/2022 00:19

Evening all… annoyingly I haven’t kept count but today managed 2 drawers & chucked another bin bag out. That’s 6 bin bags since the 1st. Also gave away a pram, 6 yrs of National Geographics & a massive gazebo. Oh, & a lamp.

Back to work tomorrow but I’m hoping to clear under our bed so there is nothing under it by tomorrow night.

AgathaMystery · 04/01/2022 09:10

Tidied my bedside table whilst in bed this morning. 5 things gone forever.

Snow1n · 04/01/2022 09:49

Is it too late to join? Although I may end up getting carried away and trying to do it all in the next few days then running out of oomph and giving up!

CoffeeChocolateWine · 04/01/2022 11:44

I have sorted through the kids’ art and craft drawers this morning. Goodbye to lots of dried up playdoh, empty pots, pens that have run out, twisted up pipe cleaners, empty paint bottles, along with bits that don’t get used anymore! Easily 30-odd things out of my house and out of my life!

wejammin · 04/01/2022 12:50

Day 4
1 - old Fitbit strap 1
2 - Fitbit strap 2
3- broken hair bobble
4- broken nutcracker

Nordicmom · 04/01/2022 13:26

Day 4:

  • 2 Christmas present books we already had to charity
-2 new unwanted Christmas ornaments to charity as well
Nordicmom · 04/01/2022 13:36

I’m now about 115 items ahead but I will try to go up to the attic room to declutter / organise it more now that my storage boxes arrived today , I have more name tape too . Have yet another headache and everything else hurts as well but I have to do it or it wont ever get done . Dh is back to working but at home this week at least so will do the school runs for me wed-fri when DD is back to school . We bought another smaller car yesterday for DS to learn to drive ,he turns 17 soon , so DH will have to go collect that at some point too . DH took the 3 full charity shop boxes away yesterday so I’ve got space for more now again . Foodbank collection spot is back at Waitrose too , a load going there next time DH goes in . Been doing admin but I know more physical work needs doing so I’m trying to motivate myself with all the clear empty areas we now have in the house and with the fact that the storage locker items we won’t declutter have to soon fit there as well . A lot of sentimental stuff there so it’ll be hard to reduce that .

AgathaMystery · 04/01/2022 13:44

Hi all, I’ve cleaned out my office whilst I worked this morning. One huge bin bag into the skip, 2 boxes of books (just over 100 paperbacks) and 2 big IKEA bags going to the charity shop - toys, clothes, trinkets, old Xmas decs with no sentimental value). I’ve also cleared out our old old luggage (why did we still have it?!) & a huge tub of emergency birthday/Xmas gifts that are now too young for all the children we know. So I’d estimate maybe 300-400 items? It’s mental.

Re: rosettes and trophies. They aren’t the memories. They are just the things. I would thank them for the good times and let them go. Honestly

Snow1n · 04/01/2022 17:20

Ive done a load of clearing random junk that had collected over the holidays and got it out into the bins before they were collected but I forgot to count. It was pretty impressive though so I think I'll do it backwards as well.

LadyMacnet · 04/01/2022 18:26

Day 4

1 leaking water bottle
3 x tall, slim, oversized and annoying to wash glasses that we never use

CherryAndAlmond · 04/01/2022 18:45

Can I join? Though I might do ten items every day as that feels more manageable for me.

I take photos of things like certificates, or items with sentimental value, and put them in a folder in the cloud.

SuperDiaperBaby · 04/01/2022 18:56

Not at home long today so much harder - did a sweep of some obvious areas and made it to 28 items (11 to charity, 8 to recycling, 9 to bin). Pleased to stay on target and delighted so many others are doing well. Made my first tiny sale on Vinted and off to set up Olio before I get to the kitchen.

Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 04/01/2022 18:57

@Snow1n not too late,maybe do it in reverselike i am counting down fro. 31 instead of up from 1?

@Nordicmom sounds like you're doing well, it's great to get stuff out if the house too.

@CherryAndAlmond welcome! I did 10 a day for several months last year,often many more, got rid of over 3000 items!

I took a bag to the charity shop today, items already counted, but put ut in the car and took it in my lunch hour. I'm done up tul tomorrow I think, and have sone of Thursday's done

Got a Christmas present from work today, wil be immeduately regifting/charity shop. Honestly don't know why they bother (sounds ungrateful I know)

OP posts:
Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 04/01/2022 18:59

Also, exH took several leads of belongings away! Woop!

OP posts:
Eileen101 · 04/01/2022 21:19

Day 4 here, I have decluttered:

  1. Another candle that's been lying around the place for years.
  2. A bundle of necklaces that I've had no luck selling on eBay or vinted, that have been making my chest of drawers look untidy. In the charity bag they have gone.
  3. 3 pairs of youngest DCs pjs that I've sold on eBay. They'll be posted out tomorrow, but to my mind they've been decluttered as they're say with an address label Grin
  4. A piece of Christmas cake. That counts, right? It was in the freezer, it's now not.