The minimalism game Jan 2022

[ImFree2doasiwant]

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!

@ImFree2doasiwant Yes you know you should but if it was easy none of us would be here!

@SuperDiaperBaby indeed! And they're not really cluttering the place up. I'm leaving them for now, there are many more less meaningful objects to remove!

@AgathaMystery - a bit of a mystery there were they outside the shop or in the window?

Finally finished the kids dresses - 9 items gone but 9 decently sized items! Going to try the chest of drawers tomorrow - wish me strength

I didn't manage ten yesterday due to work but have done 13 today:
Twee mindfulness postcards
Wellies - outgrown
6 CDs
A spice jar
A grapefruit knife (I hate grapefruit)
3 pots of fish food (the fish is dead).

Got rid of several papers, magazines and non-masterpiece paintings by my DC, as well as a few other bits today. It didn’t feel quite as productive as previous days but it was something.

[quote SuperDiaperBaby]@AgathaMystery - a bit of a mystery there were they outside the shop or in the window?[/quote]
Outside the shop as part of a display. The shops on our high street all have a really deep pavement (20ish feet) so lots of cafe tables, displays etc. It was just weird to see my actual belongings

We had friends over this evening which was great as before they arrived I managed to ditch a carrier bag of stuff from just wandering about the house clearing up. Also got rid of loads of booze tonight & nibbles that we haven’t got through over Xmas.

Bathroom and living room both looking immaculate - still no one at home has noticed

Day 8:

6 x pairs of pants
1 x old towel

Both in bag, ready to take to textile recycling later

1 x cookbook to charity shop

8 coasters which have been driving me crazy for a year because they stick to glasses with cold drinks! 😡😡 I’ve kept them for way too long until we find some we really like.

Luckily we were given another set for Christmas which although it isn’t necessarily to our taste will make a good stopgap until we can find the right thing.

Total: 36

Didn't manage to get anything out of the house yesterday (and won't today) but have got a bag full of textiles for recycling and a bag of stuff for the charity shop, and put a couple of things on Freecycle, so will list once they are gone from my door! (Otherwise I will forget to actually take them)

Really productive morning here. DD got on board and together we got rid of 18 items of her outgrown clothes and dressing up stuff, ten books and two cuddly toys. Also five old DVDs. I stuck it all in the back of the car with the other stuff I've been storing there to get it out of the house, and drove it all to the charity shop. Also chucked a headband that always tangles my Dd's hair up and a load of her old colouring books, but I did those secretly as she wouldn't have allowed it!

Day 8

1. Will Young CD Friday’s Child
2. Groove Armada CD - Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)

3 Lee Child book Killing Floor 4 Robert Graves book I, Claudius 5 Patricia Locksmith book No one Is Talking About This

1. Worn out PE bag
2. Outgrown football boots
3. Shoebox

The CDs are on Spotify - I did keep them in my car for a while but the music did not spark enough joy when I played them to merit keeping them They went into the charity shop bag.

The books are not ones I will read again or that I enjoyed enough to keep. They have joined the CDs in the charity bag.

My 12 year old DC now has adult size 10.5 feet…I am assuming his feet will stop growing soon! We will put his old boots in the clubhouse boot exchange. The PE bag was threadbare!

Day 8 :

• 3 pairs of DD new too small shoes to charity
• 1 pile of Christmas cards to recycling
• 1 pair of nutcrackers to charity
• 1 old open packet of balloons with only a few left
• 2 half used tissue paper packets

Slow day 8 here.

Another horrible candle
More picture frames (3)
Massive lavender bath set (we do not have a bath)

I'm going to be doing 2 days worth tomorrow I think. I'm at home with both DC, crappy weather so we've been playing and doing stuff not conducive to decluttering.

I did take the stuff I gave away on Olio abd dropped it off so it's gone.

Great progress by everyone else!

Also a slow day 8 here!

DS kindly took out all the Tupperware while I was preparing tea so I took the opportunity to cull a bit.

2 boxes to return to grandma
1 box to return to mum
1 box in the recycling
2 flasks in the bin (both broken in some way 🤷🏼‍♀️ why they were in there still I don't know)
1 dried up highlighter binned
1 box of breast pads gone

Have also listed a few bits on vinted and a FB selling page so hopefully some sales to be made.

Weather not at all helpful - couldn't face doing anything. Tried to start in the kitchen but only managed 5 items - bin (3) charity shop (1) recycling (1) Better progress up in a bedroom where I culled more outgrown clothes for charity shop (10) recycling (7). Added a broken phone charger to my new electrical recycling bag and huge pile of cardboard recycling being stored by one occupant in their bedroom for some reason. Makes 24.

Oooh I’m doing stationery today! Didn’t manage the whole chest of drawers but threw away at least 8 items of old tights/ratty old t shirts/holey leggings

Early success for me this morning DH started bathing the DC so I left him to it.

3 pairs of DCs socks that were threadbare on the bottom.
1 flask with no lid
2 cloth nappies sold on vinted. DD is not going to be long on potty training and DH is fed up with her taking her cloth nappies off 🤦🏼‍♀️
2 random tupperware boxes that the kids decided they were going to play with in the bath a few weeks ago and they've lived with the bath toys ever since.
1 travel sized conditioner used up. Brought it for my hospital bag since I had DD so it's had 18 months of living on the bathroom shelf...

Does burning candles count? Just finished a large Yankee! 12 more to go…

Day 9

1. Out of date over-counter meds
2. Broken towel ring
3. Socks
4. Hyacinth care label
5. Old, watermarked pint pot
6. Cat treats that cat doesn’t like
7. 3D glasses for cinema (Disney Cars!)
8. Mythos by Stephen Fry
9. Packaging from car mats

Day 9:

1. Fresh Start - Tom Kerridge - charity shop

2&3. Men's rugby shirts x 2 - textile recycling bin 4&5. Shampoo and conditioner which I'm reacting to (I'm allergic to a few things and assume one of those things is in my shampoo) - bin

1. A pile of reusable nappy bits for now potty trained ds
2. Junior Cluedo (unwanted gift - I bought it for dd and she hates it) - charity shop

Didn't actually manage to get the things out my door yesterday, so actually getting fully rid of both lots today. Felt I had to give full disclosure for some reason

@TheGirlWhoLived I would absolutely count using a candle up! I used up 1 cleanser, 1 shampoo and a shower gel yesterday, all ones that have been lurking with a few uses left for ages. Off yo light a candle tgat will last an hour maybe.

I am going to finish reading the Sunday papers and then I’m going to do under the bed. I’m totally committed.

@AgathaMystery I'm scrolling mumsnet. Need to crack on!