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

Hah , yes I didn’t count the dental impressions into art ! They’re a thing that turned up recently when DS had a new retainer made ,and after saving their actual teeth and lock of hair and about million other things I have to say I’m not saving those 😁!

I binned all the baby teeth last year, they were all muddled up anyway.

dd has started sorting her chaos of a room so loads into the bin/recycling/charity.
her room is such a tip she couldn’t find uniform this morning. It’s better now I’ve spent some time in there but lots more to do.

I’ve even got one of our little dogs baby teeth 😁. When he was teething I found it in his crate mat . It looks like a tiny sharks tooth !

I’ve concluded the only way to keep on top of my kids rooms is to go in every day to tidy / tell them to tidy everything away which is a pain . When ever I leave them alone for a few days it descents into chaos mainly in DD Room . DS 17 is now pretty minimalistic but he needs to dust better . It’s one of his weekly jobs and it doesn’t of course get done that well . He’s busy with the last year of A- levels and doesn’t care . He likes order like me but doesn’t care about cleanliness unlike me .

Todays our: two tubes of prescription skin cream was all I could manage today!

My DC haven't lost teeth yet but can totally see how it would be weird to throw them out straight away (but also why keep them?!)

you'd keep them because they can't find them if the tooth fairy has taken them 🙊 and I find it quite sad to throw them in the bin, an Aussie dentist used to give crowns etc back and say "bury them in the garden" so that's an idea

It felt weird to throw them straight away so I started keeping them.

but often last minute, late at night, after wine, the tooth fairy would shove them somewhere out of sight.
several years later and 3 DC worth of randomly stashed teeth made for a mess!
I had thoughts of laying them out on a table a la Bones programme and making 3 sets. 😂
but some were lost, swallowed, fell out abroad, etc. so binning them made more sense.

@Nordicmom sadly I think you’re right about the DC bedrooms, needs near constant nagging, sigh.

Today's outs: (both with small holes)

👶Baby cardigan
👶Baby coat

@LivingInaBuildingSite you might like these I just freehanded after work 🤣 was too tired to do the rest. funny coz our manager is was on MN today but I don't think she'll be on this and only 1 child so far 🙊

Hi Declutterers! I know I’m late to the party but I would like to join please. I’m intending on little and often declutters from now on as I’m feeling a bit drained and frustrated.
I moved earlier this year and downsized so consequently had to do a massive clear out, now the dust has settled I’m still sorting and decluttering but am finding it so hard to actually dispose of the stuff!

I did a table top sale on Saturday and made £15 😬, and this morning I’ve loaded the car with 4 medium sized boxes and have tried 3 charity shops, all of whom are not accepting donations at the moment, the stuff I am getting rid of is all good quality and even includes a Royal Worcester tea set so am just wondering where I go from here-apart from the tip of course! Help!

Right, I'm back on it, bagged up stuff to go. However still able to actually part with anything.

I sold a few of dd coats on Vinted that she never wears and she had a meltdown. I wonder where she gets thar from? 😅

Nothing from yesterday - had a big work related stress which has taken a lot of my focus!

Today I've binned some old jellies (out of date), Nando's sauces and consolidated some of the herbs and spices! Also leaving the house today two sleeping bags.

Everyone is doing so well! I have been reading regularly, but really need to start posting here again.

Over the summer I have taken advantage of the good weather and got a lot of stuff done in the garden. I have also re-discovered my eBay mojo - however this means that I have not made much progress on other fronts.

I think I have to decide what bit of the house will make the biggest improvement to our lives and concentrate on that for a while. I seem to have a number of empty storage boxes lying around, so if I can just make myself fill them with stuff, not necessarily their final contents for final storage, that would make a big difference to the volume of stuff lying around.

Unpleasant but necessary out today - two bags of flour which I discovered had little tick-bug-weevil type things in them Bag of outgrown toys ready for the charity shop as soon as I find the last Night Garden character from a set which must be in one of the Kallax boxes of doom. I've also noticed a second hand charity bookstall at the station, so must remember to ask the staff who to give donations to - the danger there is not to add to the clutter by buying a whole load of new books!

Out today: 2 bags to the charity shop and 2 pairs of knackered shoes in the shoe retailer bin. Got a pile of "not sure" clothes to try on so no doubt there will be another charity bag.

A couple of maintenance jobs of the list today thankfully ; a replacement part to the water tank by the developer and a new cartridge to the kitchen water filter which is twice a yearly job . Tomorrow aircon yearly service on 2 units and they’ll have try to fix mine that they’ve already looked at once so I’m not very hopeful but you never know . Paving stones and a new part of the patio went in today .a bunch of plants too which I’m not sure of all . I’ll just have to see it finished and then we’ll have to get our new gardener I think I’ve secured now ( first visit week after next when the landscaper has hopefully finished ) change any I don’t like ,there’ll be so many different ones . DS had a video medical appointment today and might need some tests later .he’s had some issues after covid that I’m praying are temporary. I’m still sick after covid myself and ironically just got an invite to a fall booster too late now but I guess it might help me in the future . also got one for the flu vaccine but I’ll have us all take it privately near us except for DD who will get it at school . Also still suffering from uti symptoms with the kidney infection while not yet halfway on my antibiotics so grateful DH spent another week working from home to help with school run and all these people coming around . Yesterday I got a bunch of more admin done thankfully . I’ll soon have to prepare for our next trip on half term I’m not exited about at all while sick . we’ve got 4 w until going now and lots to do with the house and otherwise before it inc entrance exams for uni for poor DS the day before we leave . We got very lucky with the dates since we didn’t realise there could be exams for his chosen subject in the holidays ! Besides normal housework and tidying the house for these people coming to work here I haven’t managed much in the last few days except for those admin tasks that are endless . There’s still work to do in the attic I’ve done most of and the utility stuff in the dining room . I can’t quite decide how to best store them so they’re actually usable back stock in the garage cupboard and not just there hidden away until we move out . Have to also decide which ones and how much I’ll try to store in the utility under sink cupboard . After moving I just had a big full messy storage box of them there with no order . I don’t know when I’ll have time or energy to do that but we need to check if that room needs any painting in the coming sessions by the developer week after next ,and if so I have to get the boxes out of there before that . At least the elliptical is gone , now I need for DH to list a tall cupboard there I don’t want to keep as well even if at a loss ( it’s brand new ) .

Out just a few things :
-4 kids books DD has finished or didn’t like ,one came with her riding magazine , to charity
-1 old pareo in a fabric bag to charity
-1 chipped glass
-1 wooden spoon to bin
-1 old aero press coffee maker that was going manky to bin

Oh and we’ve taken a bag of old uniform to school too when it started but I’ve listed it before .
soon DH will order his sheds for the garden since the foundations have been made and then we can finally move the mowers etc garden stuff and the many bikes out of the garage so it should look much better for at least a while before DH kit car parts will start arriving . He’s been pretty good about tidying and organising there into the many cupboards and drawers and the big shelf and some smaller ones we we put in but I’m just itching to go there to make sure the surfaces ; tops of cupboards etc will get cleared and stuff put away he’s so hopeless about it !!! Also I want the three different bigger cupboards actually properly organised . One we emptied already but two he has to show me what exactly is in them and I want it all in order and in labelled containers ! Similar has to be done in his study cupboard . He’s got them in pretty good order but it’s never quite there with him . There’s labeled boxes but then all this loose crap too . He never has any time and will just tell me to stop nagging and to get out of his study but it’s not just for his stuff and I don’t have my own study so I do I want to interfere . It’s much better than before in the previous houses and generally looks spotless if I just sweep the couple of loose items into a drawer from his desk but it bothers me . Theres some stuff to declutter probably also . I’ll just have to get him to do it with me one day then it’s done … I so want time and energy for all this but it’s hard being so unwell for one and with kids and a dog there’ll always be other stuff to do . I don’t understand when I’ll have time for my own new medical appointments now that DS has another problem again . DH also has had some left over issues after his summer covid so he might go see someone too . I should go to bed but need to check house is ok for the next repair men in the morning grrr . I will read my new book for a bit too though .

Yeah , they did manage to fix my aircon unit by changing the pump that had broken and serviced the two others . Service should be just once a year , I hope so! Was tricky apparently since they were in our house for 5 h . Praying it won’t just break again . Also progress on the garden ,it might be finished on Monday ahead of schedule . The water feature arrived , actually two of it because of a mixup so we’re having to store the extra one over the weekend . DS got a senior school scholarship although he said all his friends seemed to have so he wasn’t as impressed but I was happy for him .
Tomorrow we’ve got a prospective senior school open morning for DD .DH will go with her I’m not up to anything like that yet . He will do a dump trip and a food shop so we will be decluttering the fridge tomorrow . Might also look at the stained laundry pile and try to wash through it and which ever doesn’t come off goes to rag bank . He needs to order his sheds and we’ll need to make our own notes about cracks around the house that will need painting for the developer and maybe I’ll manage to put away some of the utility room stuff from the dining room . Today just one thing going :
-1 electronic drum kit control panel thing that’s broken to electronics collection at the dump

Just checking in no major outs but ticking over with getting rid of outgrown kids stuff at each washing load. Have another pile of books for either music magpie or charity shop. A few board games that could probable go after consultation with the kids too

Quick update from last weekend:

DD’s clothes (everyday decluttering): two pairs of PJs and three long sleeved tops in the charity bag (though replaced by 2 new pairs of PJs and five long sleeved tops, so not an overall reduction).

Longer-term decluttering: Finally went through the pile of plastic delivery bags in the corner of my bedroom and pulled out all the plastic wrappers that can be recycled. These are delivery bags from Next, Tu, Nutmeg etc and some of them date back to the first lockdown 😳I’m not sure if the rest can be recycled anywhere, but some can be reused as bin liners.

Not sure what I’ll get done this weekend, but school have asked for donations of uniform, and I already have a bag ready to go tomorrow.

Forgot that we sent a bag of uniform items in after school appealed for spares. So last years outgrown jumper, three pairs of trousers and four shirts. Two pairs of shoes to the Salvation Army collection point too. Think there is some old sports kit from before change in colours lurking in a cupboard too that can go in the rag bag must hunt that out today.
I have annual leave this coming week so must try and get some decluttering done as well as some of the other million things on the to do list 😆and of course start to think about Christmas as well

@EllieQ I'm really bad with things like your pile of bags sometimes just silly things which take valuable space and then I think "why did I leave it so long?" 🤔

@EllieQ I’m currently sat in the kitchen next to a storage box full of overflowing with packaging ready to be reused for eBay postage 😂reduce reuse recycle after all

I will definitely give back a pair of borrowed sailing boots today, I have zero excuse not to. Hopefully by putting it here it’ll happen!

and I’ve emptied out the pot we keep umbrellas in as other tut has started gathering there, that should force me to sort through it. I know there’s an old curtain pole in there that I think I can give to charity?

Today's out:

🌷 A pair of pyjamas, the top stained and the hem falling down, the bottoms with weak elastic waistband and fabric going bobbly. I have plenty of others.
🌷 One book in mint condition for the donations pile.