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

@Gassylady i can't believe they declined that box!

@seperatedmum it's hard when it feels like that. I've certainly felt that there's no point, or sometimes have a day off and end up going out instead as don't want to deal with the house! Remember small steps are still achievements, corner of a room for example.

I'm trying to sort through my piles I've sorted 🙈 sold a book on Vinted! So another out.

Thanks to the bargain Christmas shopping thread I've made a wee start on presents for birthdays and Christmas... So it's more ins 🙈 but... I've got them contained in the storage under my bed so that doesn't count as ins/clutter, does it? 😂

If you're overcrowded Separated Mum isn't that all the more reason to be minimalist? Plus presumably you'll be moving at some point in the future, even if ages away with no concrete plans, so you'd have less to move if you decluttered now. With it being summer can you ban them all from the house for a few hours so you can have a chance to tackle it in peace? Or even just ban them from a particular room for half hour. I'm sure if you look back on your decluttering journey you'll see you've already made significant progress.

I'm finding my slow progress frustrating at times now that I've done all the easy wins and I'm onto using things up to get rid which obviously takes a lot longer. My main problem is buying. I use one thing up then buy two to replace it. It needs to be the other way round if I want to have less stuff. But I like shopping!

I have an "office" but really it is a room of doom/storage area. DH has to work from it next week for 3 weeks so I need to clear it. I am aiming to remove 25 items today and find them homes/bin/charity bag. We just have too many things and I need to get ruthless.

@DitzyBluebells I've been trying that, eldest was on ' study' leave so is try to do everything but his room and while he was asleep, I'd manage some as you see downthread but then he'd wake up,food everywhere, rake through clothes, wet towels etc I just never get anywhere. and STBXH had a go at me for making so much effort to get rid of the bike instead of other stuff and I can sort of see his point tho cruelly made

*so I'd try

@Elenorrigbywoes sometimes having to do it for a reason makes it easier as you can't procrastinate! Good luck.

I got rid of the playpen which I think is the last large bulky bit of baby stuff I had in the garage. Also sold 3 cosmetic items on vinted which I just posted.

@DreamloverTealover thanks for joinngmme in my outrage 😂Have had a further cull of books today and will have a quick check later as i may have enough to make a trade on we buy books or music magpie

Got rid of a small bin that's seen better days into the recycling today. I bought the replacement about 6yrs ago but had been holding on to the old one because it's not totally broken. Today I decided that was ridiculous

Another week of no decluttering. DD has been ill this week so has been off school, meaning we’ve been juggling wfh to look after her between us. This meant she didn’t go to her weekend activity, which is usually the time I use for actual decluttering.

She should be back at school today, hopefully.

I feel so discouraged with myself that even something straightforward like taking a bag of old clothes for recycling in one of the charity banks on the way to school - something I could easily do on the school run - is such an effort. Once I’m in ‘work mode’ on my wfh days I struggle to focus on anything domestic, until the five minutes between finishing work and leaving for the school run, when I don’t have the time!

@seperatedmum it is really hard with the kids u Dr your feet. Theres six of us in a three bed house! Plus dont talk to me about useless teens! My 18 year old has finished a levels now so I'm waiting for him to find a job but I do understand if he wants to wait until September.

Omg I'm doing my dd clothes. What a bloody mess! The more I thin out the more I find 😫 this is all outgrown! It's two bin bags! I'm going to sort to sell it / donate another day. I'm just sorting and reorganizing today

Here is todays thining of outgrown dd clothes 😱

@IncessantNameChanger yes there was 6 of us in a 3 bed house (craply converted from 2 bed) until STBXH went now 5 of us. it's so hard with the children I was brought up helping so much and I'll never be ok with them not. I had a swim yesterday and have just ran so feel a bit better now

@seperatedmum I'm trying to train mine up. It's never too late. Ideally the eldest two would cook once a week. I've been avoiding upsetting the eldest during his A levels but give it a week or so he can have some home truths 😂

I'm rearranging my dds room but it's just a partitioned off dining room so just her clothes and no bed right now.

This is a rented house but we do own a house but it's in a different county and my boys EHCPs are in this county even though its ten miles away it doesn't really work. We need to sell up and buy more locally

Well done - it must feel good to have gone through all that and cleared some space!

£40 in and 6 food storage canisters out. Win.

I could with thinking out more really. It's nice to think that this time next year theres nothing left stashed to grow into. I have been alful for that in the past. But never again. It was useful at nursery age but of course they dont need so much at school age. If I could bear to part with more I'd just get her a capsule wardrobe. Still struggling a bit with her being my last baby but shes 8 in August!

Lots of tidying and decluttering today but unable to find something important that seems to have gone missing! 😬 Absolutely hate when this happens I get so anxious and feel like a failure.

One carrier bag of plastic tat out. Also a potty gifted on freecycle.

118 + 15 = 123 out.

not too bad an effort today in the end. 1 pair of shoes sold on Vinted, 2 boxes I was saving for an unknown purpose binned and 12 items to rags. I put the two bin bags of out grown stuff on the top of dds wardrobe to sort through another day. Some things I want to keep, some to sell but I can’t face with parting with it today. That’s fine as it’s sorted and out of the way. Dd room and the boys room both just need some areas of attention and they are done. Again. For how long I’m not sure but as I’m not buying new things there’s no excuses.

bonus is that I found some trainers I had bought from Tkmax ages ago so I’m wearing those two now

We went away for my birthday in the weekend and the kids and dog to MIL . DS also did his first uni open day on Fri . It was far so took him all day and he changed the trains a lot going there and then coming back went straight to grandmas after but he did it all by himself and was organised so I’m proud of him being independent and responsible. He’s getting expected A-level grades tomorrow so I’m nervous for him ! He already got full marks on his EPQ and now 3 A and 1A in these exams . We’re waiting to find out if the subject he got a A in this exam will be a A grade because of earlier exam that he did better in . FX !
I had cleaned and made DH do jobs before we went away on fri too so it was relatively tidy and clean when we came back on sun but it was straight into having to do a hundred things as usual . Today we’ve had yet another medical app for DS and DH went to meet the new dog carers for when we go see my family in the holidays . Thankfully they seemed nice . Tomorrow DS has to go to his orthodontist to pick up a new retainer and his car needs an MOT DH will deal with that . More in the similar vein all week plus a senior school open day for, DS driving lesson and his theory test . I’ve heard of people failing the newer sections so I’m worried about him failing then waiting for the next one for months again ggrrrrr . Maybe he’ll get lucky though and pass ! We need to book flights to see my family but worry about the cancellations so haven’t yet . Need to decide on the garden or we’ll loose the chance of doing it during this summer . Have to go do something about my own health problems . Next few weeks look crazy in the diary . I have zero energy for anything and no further decluttering is happening for now except a few clothes . I haven’t yet unpacked my stuff from the weekend or put away the kids . Need to fold the clean laundry mountain , change a few beds and the towels , food order coming today so need to clean the fridge , get DS to do the dusting everywhere and I have my weekly cleaning jobs too . I tried to take last sat off at the place we went to with DH but of course we also talked about stuff that needs doing and the kids . Was nice to not be cleaning ,cooking and doing laundry and to be alone for a bit we never do that . This was the first time in about 16 y we’ve gone away in this country without the kids . We have gone abroad by ourselves several times but no weekend breaks here ever .
out recently :
DD small jeggins
small pants
small crop top
5 pairs of old socks all to rag bank

I’m also hoping DH will let me throw away his worn out old belt and a pair of trousers but we’ll see …

Again not meaning to highlight text but to write A *

So some books acceptable to music magpie some to we buy books so trying to weigh up if its worth packaging in two seperate boxes and arranging pick ups to earn around £15 versus just dropping at a charity shop. As I’m typing it I’m thinking charity shop 😂@IncessantNameChanger do you mind me asking why you want/need to keep clothes your daughter has outgrown? Obviously she will not be wearing them again and chances of them being something her daughter could wear are quite small. I’m speaking as someone who discovered two childhood favourite tshirts when clearing my mums house after her death. In the very many years since I’d worn them she had never mentioned them. I remembered them fondly anyway actually being able to touch them did nothing to enhance my memory. I have pictures of me wearing them so didnt even take pictures of the items.

DP started a new bag of textile recycling with an ancient t shirt of his. He usually insists on keeping them forever so that's a positive!
Bit disappointed I've not been able to sell an outgrown dress of DD.
I decluttered several weeds from the garden yesterday so it looks tidier.

I spent an hour in the office of doom on Sunday. I started in a corner and cleared a pathway to the desk. Items are gone to the attic, bin and charity shop. I keep a lot of items in case they will be useful - it is a habit I need to break. The office is usable but I need to do a lot more as he will be on Zoom so need to make it more presentable. The desk is usable and I have cleared some good floor space. I hope to spend another hour there this week and hope it will make a difference.