Clutter Clearout - Countdown to Christmas

[chubbachub]

@MNHQ im unsure if there is a more appropriate topic for this, feel free to move if you wish.

There are 135 days until Christmas 2022. Christmas feels like a good goal as I know more things will come into the house so i want to use the time until then to have a good clearout.

My house (and mind) is cluttered with toys/mess. It's not unclean, it's just that 3 kids and summer holidays = mess and it's stressing me out. Luckily they are back to school next week but I'll still have a tornado of a toddler roaming about so there will still be plenty of mess.

Earlier today I was thinking about how the last few Christmases and birthdays we have been more minimal with what we bring in to the house but I know there is tons of stuff and toys the kids have outgrown/don't play with anymore that could be donated or sold or just chucked in the bin if it's broken etc.

Anyway I have decided I am going to go on a clearout journey and address different small areas of my house every day until a Christmas and try and get rid of at least 3-5 things per day. That could be literally putting it in the bin, in a donation bag or listing on Facebook etc.

Would anyone like to join me ?
We still plan on keeping it to a minimum regarding what we bring in to the house so I am just hoping to achieve a calmer space around me. I will be reporting back with what I have cleared out to keep me on track.

Areas that need immediate attention

Kids toys in their bedroom
Soft teddy toys
Big cupboard in kitchen which holds bakeware, pots and pans, blenders and such. Shit tip.
Two storage baskets in the bathroom that are full of products, some of which I know are empty.
Bath toys - some need a good clean or to be binned.
Garden/outdoor toys - we have too many scooters/bikes/skateboards due to outgrowing them
Toy box in garden is full of bits of things
Toddlers wardrobe, need to go through and see what she has grown out of that can be donated or sold on Vinted
Sort kids books and see what can be passed down to the younger ones and what can be donated

I'm sure there will be more things I find along the way.

Feel free to join or add your to do list even just to get it out of your mind and down in black and white.

I've just returned from the tip 😝a whole car load of cardboard gone! Treated myself to a hot chocolate on the way home as a reward!

Keep going everyone, we'll get there eventually 😊

Everyone is doing so well! We bought and assembled a new sideboard and only essential things were put inside it and we've rearranged the living room over the weekend. It's looking very minimalist! We even have a space for the Christmas tree when the time comes to put it up.

I'm still doing this. I've pulled apart the back porch and and am clearing it as I sort it out. It looks like a bombs hit it but it'll be done at the weekend.

@Sitoff Thanks, but i definitely have other areas to work on

@ZimZamZoom I love that feeling of loading up the car!

Filled the car boot this afternoon and dropped it off at the charity shop. Time to start the pile again.

Tip run today with a bench and some never to be fixed items.

I just discovered two Ikea bags of clothes "to grow into" in my childrens' cupboard.
It's always others with us 🙈
That's tomorrow's job though, it's too close to pick up time to start that now.

I did do a whole house tidy today though. Nothing major, just walked around every room with a recycling bag and a rubbish bag and filled both with random clutter.

That should say *clothes (not "others")

Great to see everyone still going. Forgot to update but managed to make more progress. Biggest achievement was tackling another pile of paperwork that had been on the side so long it should have grown roots. Listed some items for sale. Arranged some repairs.

Cleaned both my Hoover's out (massive job in garden, bought new filters for the oldest)
Made big list of things to sell
Started to clean bathroom floor tiles.
Not keeping on top of anything. Progress in a relative's house though. Pretty small progress but I'm ok with it. Things will get done. Eventually.

Forgot I did a fabric donation and a small tip run. That's it.

I am currently working on the playroom - need to do a toy cull. Listed one item for sale and a lady is due to collect tomorrow so hopefully she does. I am hoping to clear and paint the playroom before Christmas - wish me luck!

I'm late but wish to join clutter thread. I have booked a skip for tomorrow. Bought a new bed so old one going in skip. Have DS old toys to go in, lots of cuddly toys, he can keep his teddy and a couple of others but anything broken or scruffy going into skip. Going to go through airing cupboard. Anything old/broken must go. Thin towels and sheets need replacing so must go.

Ooh @caringcarer , I love a skip 😄good luck with it all.
I've fallen off the decluttering wagon a little recently but I'll clamber back on at the weekend when my children sleep over at my mum's place.

I’ve had a few hours to myself today and just feel unmotivated and overwhelmed. Haven’t achieved much. 😔

I know that feeling @BrutusMcDogface I spend a lot of time thinking and trying to plan what to do first but seem to talk myself out of starting things. There's a lit of thoughts of I can't do xyz because I really should do abc first! The end result is I do nothing.
I need to get on with it though we have BIL coming to stay for Christmas. Maybe I'll start with writing a list. Always top of the list I put ...1. Write a list. Least that way I achieve one job😅

*lot

Can I jump in and join you? I have started decluttering... I fed up of my house bursting at the seams with things we just don't use or need. I have decluttered 2 of my kitchen drawers today and got rid of 2 bin bags of junk. I am also half way through emptying my understairs cupboard..my boot is loaded ready for the tip this afternoon.

I need to search the garage and wardrobes to see what clothes I have in the next size up for my youngest so I can donate all of the stuff he is outgrowing to charity.

How's everyone getting on?

I did a mini cull in the playroom this week after realising it's my son's birthday this weekend and we'll probably have a pile of new stuff to find homes for 🙈
It is much tidier in there, for now!

I've got a box of clothes in back seat of my car. Many jackets, will all be useful to others. I have no time to sell them, looking forward to donating.

I've really plateaued tbh. We want to move next year so it would be so helpful to get this done!!

Still going on my 100 day challenge.... Cleared some rooms but lots left to do although I am starting to see improvements. Some to eBay and free cycle as well as rubbish. I have given furniture a new life by moving things around and found someone to recover a chair. I am hoping less "stuff" will make it easier to keep nice.
@MercuryRising the kitchen always yields the highest returns for me.

OK this weekend I made a mistake - I walked into my upstairs study (the boxroom). It currently stores the technical book collection relating to my main hobby, all other fiction books I believe I will read in the next 2-3 centuries, spare clothing I believe I can sell for a few pounds, and papers. I was bringing in yet more technical books.

It was kerb recycling collection on Monday including papers & card.

So I sorted out several folders of papers. I am not sure why I ever believed that keeping training course material from 20 years ago might be helpful. So pretty much all of that went. I then moved onto my DC's primary school files. They had to leave that school in y5 - they are now on a college course. I had kept them in case I had to ever prove the level of SEN. (It's fairly obvious so much of this wont be necessary). I kept a few bits - mostly to show DC that I did care about their (crappy) art work from Y5! I carried on - tired and exhausted. Moved onto my prior employment files - hysterical reading my appraisals and really seeing how much they hated me. It was a shit firm! All gone. Just wondering what to do with all the booklets that you buy when you visit a stately home. I dont even remember visiting some of them - so it is that long ago. I might have edition 5, probably up to edition 200 now!

I then cleared out the baskets (sorry more than 1 - I love stationery!) of cards, gift tags, thank you notes etc. Obviously panicked at some point about not having enough "male" cards - I have enough to open the Male Specialist Card Shop but am NOT putting that on social media. I found enough unopened packs of general and thank you cards to have a nice little pile for the charity shop so pleased with that.

I filled the entire green box. It was heavy! Bumped into neighbours as I was manhandling this box through the door, kicking the cat back in (indoor, they are not allowed out at all, but desparate to escape. They Garfield my door!). Feels better.

Have also listed a few bits for sale. No takers yet but who knows!

Thanks @Tilda77
I think the thing I struggle with most, is feeling pride and accomplishment for achieving one small corner (thoroughly cleaned my hob, splash back and hood, as well as decluttering the cereal/breakfast stuff cupboard) then turning round and seeing the rest of the destruction and feeling like my efforts were completely futile! I’m my own worst enemy.

I stumbled across a YouTube video explaining the flylady cleaning routine. I'm willing to give anything a try at the moment. My get up and go has got up and left! Today is day one. DH printed me some checklists which I have stuck on the cupboard to hopefully help. So far so good I'm feeling quite enthusiastic about it ...long may it continue!