Decluttering Club thread 2 2022 - trying to reduce stuff a little at a time.

[londonmummy1966]

New thread for those wanting to declutter

Old thread here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/housekeeping/4441273-decluttering-club-thread-20-22?pg=1

I'm still here and enjoying reading all your posts. Not much to say myself but I'm so excited as planning to get rid of my big ugly filing cabinet, after reading a thread about how to organise papers etc.

Hi all, please may I join in? I've read the full thread and have been impressed by the progress all of you are making. It inspired me to finally tackle my kitchen cupboards!

I managed to clear out some old appliances I never use because they're broken (tip) a set of crockery and some wine glasses (neighbour took those) and other junk that had been cluttering up my cupboards for years. I can now fit everything I use neatly without having to move everything to get the thing I need!

I also framed and hung some pieces of embroidery I did during lockdown (March 2020) and they're brightening up my entryway.

just tried to get into loft with eldest to start clearing it out, couldn't safely do this, cried a lot a bit, now will have to spend at least £132 on ladder what we've had 3 birthdays in a row and get STBXH involved which I didn't want to do 🥺 also think I was hasty throwing out capris I could use for jubilee running 😕

So talented!
I have no creativity whatsoever.

@seperatedmum Cant remember what I last wrote, and cant be bothered to go back and look. I am doing loft/old toys too.
Our loft ladder too is showing signs of wear.
Making good headway in the toy cupboard. Some of it is just taking things out that really shouldnt be in there.
I have grandkids now, and I need the older[i was going to write older younger ]hmm] toys in there]. I mean i need to rearrange the board games for someone who is 15, and reput back in the old toys suitable for babies and upwards, which have been in the loft for many years.

Accumulating quite a pile of things that my kids[in their 30s] can take to their own house or discard.
They are all quite minimalist, so not sure what they will take. Past caring really, as long as the things are gone.
As an aside, I have realised that other people can be quite minimalist, as long as there is someone else "storing" their stuff.
Well it is my turn now to have a clearout!
Not really moaning, but I dont think any of them have really realised this point either!

@MonkeyMonkeyUnderpants wow they are beautiful. I have visions of one day of each kid having a quilt I made for each of them on the bed. Only one childs left to make.

I have emptied two bottles into recycling. A fair few packs of out of date food too. Definitely going to do my wardrobe again next week for the school rag bags but also cancer research.

I cant seem to part with my old trainers. Got them back out from the charity bag and walked six miles around Portsmouth seafront in them yesterday. They are wrecked but oh so comfy. I might keep them I love them but the heels inside shred my socks. I found some new with tags trainers in a charity shop but I'm having a internalised hissy fit about parting with the old ones. I think they need to implode before we part ways.

Making very little headway on schools but my minds ready to declutter I think now. I will do a life purge once ds secondary is named but that's possibly next year and I must tick over so that's got to happen. I think a sizeable amount from my wardrobe is needed. I will do before and after pics.

I haven’t yet had a look at those utility room boxes from the garage and I have an appointment this afternoon but tomorrow I’ll do it latest . I think I have about 8 of them so there must be things we don’t need in them ! A few other things I’ve come across that can go in the meantime
-4 pairs of DD too small thick tights to rags
-4 pairs of DD too small thin tights to rags
-1 DD old watch strap to bin
-1 plastic basket from garage boxes
-1 pair of my pants to rags

I have finally finished decorating my summerhouse. But I like it empty and there is so much to go in there. I think I may procrastinate by drawing a plan and making little cut outs of all the possible furniture. Could take days if I colour them in.
Hello, @MonkeyMonkeyUnderpants . I did my kitchen cupboards recently. Clean empty worktops and everything accessible in the cupboards. They scoffed and said it wouldnt last , but it’s been a couple of months now. I love it.

Like your thinking @Zebracat

I am able to make good progress[eventually] on all aspects of the house, except for..paperwork.
I have a backlog of years.
I have finally decided that I think I am going to have to do it slow. 5 pages daily. Better than no progress at all, which is what it has more or less been, lately.

I’ve only just started on the garage cupboard boxes and lots going out already ;
-1 old dust sheet
-2 engineering boxes used up by DD
-2 old dog medicines
-1 broken dog car transport box
-2 boxes of unopened surgical masks to Olio
-some loose ones
-2 motorcycle under layer jackets to rag bank
-1 pair of waterproof motorcycle trousers to rag bank
-1 snood to rag bank
-2 pairs of motorcycle gloves
-1 motorcycle jacket
-1 helmet bag to rag bank
-Old dusting rags
-2 old magic sponges
-2 new packets of shower e-cloths to Olio
-1 pair of old motorcycle jeans
-1 old iron to electrical collection
-1 water cup for old iron

I’m tired but this is very satisfying and I want to finish this cupboard this weekend ! Will probably have to continue tomorrow there’s lots more to look through . I had decluttered before moving here in September but when ever we do this I find so much that can just go after all …

My DSis is visiting so decluttering unneeded school uniform and other clothes, some electrical stuff - feels good to have a pile of things by the door that are going !

Still have piles of DC stuff to wade through - and of course when you pull it out to go they are insistent it’s the best thing ever that they can’t possibly part from

A few more outs tonight ;
-wood burning stove cleaner
-old stain remover
-pocket tissue packets to food bank
-2 tissue boxes to food bank
-Old hand gel
-2 packets of vanish powder maybe to Olio
-old rubber gloves
-another packet of indoor plant soil
-2 packets of kitchen rags to olio
-2 packets of dried up wipes to bin
I think I’m done for the day , more tomorrow but quite pleased about what’s going out from that one cupboard so far !

Bagged up to go:

Jewellry

Couple of books (nice ones)
They can get dropped off at the Charity Shop on Monday

I've got a bag for a kerbside pick up but the last one I put out sat all day till late , not collected , so I;m a bit dubious ( I put it out before 7am too)

Had my quickest ever Olio pickup yesterday; listed some packets of dried noodles (which DP bought from the Chinese supermarket cheaply as the BBE date was near, and then realised that no one really liked them and we’d never get through them …) and they were collected just over an hour later! Still have two boxes 🙄 left and waiting on a reply from the food bank as to whether they want them (not sure what the policy is with expired BBE dates).

We did do a couple of hours of work yesterday but I’m not sure if we actually got rid of much stuff or just shifted it around a bit 🤷‍♀️. I opened some drawer dividers which have been sitting in the hallway for months and used them to organise my socks and underwear drawers, and binned a handful of worn out bits, and DP put some trainers and holey old shorts in the textile recycling so there’s a bag ready to go.

Yesterday an old TV unit went to our neighbours (who wanted it for their daughter who is a student) and a chair to someone from freecycle. Have a couple of bedside tables which should be getting picked up tonight (fingers crossed).

Think we’ve broken the back of the stuff that’s been left in the new house so it should be ready for the cleaning company to go in next week.

Having an argument with DH who says we have too much stuff but all of his stuff is too important to get chucked it has to be all mine and the kids stuff that goes.
Then he starts stomping around. He just rearranges clutter instead of getting rid. It is doing my head in!

@ItisallPooh
Do you have more stuff than him? I did.
Also, I do find if I tidy, then afterwards, DH looks at his stuff and gets it at the same level of tidiness as mine!

@pitterpatterrain
I used to find that with my kids too! But I thought of it as a bonus. They had "found" new things/toys, which were "free" and kept them happily occupied for sometimes, ages.

Not been on in a while.

out:

• passed on the marble run set to my brother for his DS (1)


• pile of old tights and winter uniform socks from DD (6)

sure there was something else but I’ve forgotten.

finally took a box of stuff down to the shed after months of waiting. Hoping to have a massive clearout of the shed once the side extension storage bit is finished. The old shed is rotten and needs to come down. Sure there’s lots we might be able to get rid of.

in though is our new sky glass tv, very nice. Is a bit large though! Once I get the wall mount sorted it’ll look less huge on the wall. I hope.

249+7=256

Bin bag full of clothes for the charity shop and sold 3 things on eBay!

Also cleared out a snack drawer on the kitchen this week.

Next step is getting out what we need for our summer holidays. I'm sure we have enough shorts and t shirts but need to check that we have swimwear that fits the DC and swim shoes, sun hats, sunglasses etc. before I go and buy it all and then finding stuff when we get back.

Also going to clear some cubby holes in the Kaplan in the downstairs office so that the hall table isn't cluttered with post and paperwork.

@lightand I don't have more than him. The children do but I'm working on that. Dh did the garden today and I did a bit more in dd2's room. The big cupboards in her room had become a dumping ground. Apparently we desperately need to keep an old sky box and an old Xbox that are in there. I'm not sure why though!
Another 3 black bags today though! That will be most of the old toys done and all the clothes in the kids wardrobes are ones that fit!

@ItisallPooh Yep, we apparently desperately need to keep an old router despite being on a different network…. We had to get a new sky box a couple of years ago and the engineer came out to fit it and said he could take the old one away with him. I’d practically stuffed it in his bag before he stopped talking 🤣

I didn’t do more decluttering if the utility stuff today we went out for my birthday that’s coming soon so just normal housework and laundry but a few things out anyway and DH took another load to dump like yesterday .
-1 old bottle brush to bin
-2 pairs of DS old pants
-4 DD books I had tasked her to find for me since she’s gotten 4 new ones from school book fair(2) , me and then one with her engineering kit box yesterday.
I’ve really gotten into my new book ( even though I didn’t yet finish my last one ) so I expect I’ve read that soon in no time ditto the other I’m in the middle off then they’ll go to charity unless DH wants to read the new one . I try to buy books on kindle but I am so enjoy holding and reading a physical book same with magazines and newspapers so I still get them say half the time which I think is an ok compromise.
Good work everyone !!!! I’m seeing the difference in our house , it’s great so all this toil is worth it ! Just keep going !!!!

No decluttering here this weekend as we were away visiting friends in the NW - on the way home stayed with my sister and it has definitely motivated me to keep going! Her house is cluttered with stuff going back decades (I think we have both picked up on our mum's attitude of never throwing things out if someone ever spent money on them - which is pretty much everything of course) and she spends ages sorting / cleaning / organising. I am also the same but with the realisation that I would probably half this time if I just had less stuff!

I have restarted! 17 items of clothing going to school rag bag collection today.

1 bin bag of junk from the toy pile.

Some cardboard boxes and shoes going to the dump tomorrow.

Annoyingly I cant get my car round the back during the day due to builders parking outside our house but I will load it up tonight ready to go to the tip straight after the school run

Done 15 pages today so that is 3 days worth.

Feel I am writing boring stuff, but I do think this thread helps ourselves. And others. So, all to the good. I think!