Decluttering Thread 3 - Decluttering on bit at a time

[LivingInaBuildingSite]

Just realised we filled up Thread 2 without a way to link to this one, can’t see that anyone else has started one?

I did drop back the borrowed boots, go me!

didn’t tackle the umbrella pot/dumping ground though

That’s a problem that seems to come up often on this thread, deciding something can go but then loitering about the hallway or somewhere waiting to go to the ‘right place’ I’m guilty of it too.
I hate waste, so always want to pass things along so they can be used and charity shops won’t take everything. Valuable or at least ‘worth-something’ stuff is tricky too.

2 x old trainers into trainers recycling at the running shop.

DH bought 2 new pairs though, but I told him I can’t count ins as well, it’s still going to be 2023 fewer things in the house and we’re all trying to buy less and only what we need.

58/2023

Yes, much of my recent decluttering has involved putting everything I don't want in a heap in the conservatory. I've reduced that by half this week with trips to the tip and the charity shop but its still lurking!

114/1000 out so far This year but I start a new job next week so progress is bound to slow.

I used to have a huge Facebook sales pile but now if it doesn’t go in a week it goes in a charity shop. Having said that my car is like a dump at the moment, I have had four bags of stuff in the boot for about a week and a charity shop I took them to weren’t taking stock so I need to find another.

just one out for me today. I had an electronic backgammon game. I hunted around, found it’s box, checked it worked and got a free backgammon app for my phone.

I think I need to move my FB sales pile to the charity pile, I don’t know why I bother when it’s only little amounts and the DC don’t really care if they make a few pounds or not - well DD would care as she loves spending money lol.

christmas jigsaw finished and put in charity pile.

59/2023

maybe tomorrow is charity shop day.

livinginabuildingsite at one point I sold so much on Facebook, even things like potties, but it just seems harder to sell things these days. I do tend to give the money to dc which is the only reason I do it.

Why don’t you get a couple of bags ready now to put in the boot of the car?

@stealthninjamum I’ve found the same recently. No one is buying anything on Facebook around here. I guess everyone’s so hard up that they’re not buying much, new or second hand. I’ve ended up giving a lot of my ‘to sell’ pile to charity as I’d rather that than have it clutter up the house.

I’ve fallen a bit behind this week but managed to find 18 ‘outs’ today:

An expired membership card to a local attraction
A pair of boots I rarely wear
2 dresses that were listed on vinted but weren’t selling
3x vinted items sold and posted
Kids gilet
Pair of pants
9 random bits of crap

Total 159/2023

Also finally took the four bags that had been cluttering up the laundry room to the charity shop.

@LivingInaBuildingSite just popping into say so grateful for your post about going easy on yourself about decluttering when kids are small. It just hit a nerve. I've not managed much with a hg pregnancy and 1 year old and normally I'm great at decluttering. I'll try and do small bits when I can... but for now getting kids fed, dressed and washed is important!

DD had the last of her 11+ exam days and I’m so glad about that . Now we wait to hear from these 3 schools , first one could be soon .
DS is getting more and more nervous about his remaining Uni offers . His practical driving test is also in a week and a bit now . Just want to get past this bit of far too much going on at once . Today I did what seemed like a hundred admin things and some online shopping for random things we all needed . Jobs are being ticked off at a steady rate but there’s so much more to do . DS little car was serviced and ready to do his test in , DH ordered and then changed the downstairs stained loo seat to an identical one after recently doing the same to the broken kitchen bin and the fridge fruitdrawer front . Thank god for the internet for helping us find these spare parts ! gardeners coming tomorrow ,last time was a month ago . Theres not much to do but it’ll end up neater like always anyway . Window cleaner is coming next week . Got kid’s Christmas present thank you cards finally done so that’s off my list . Need to do a bunch of medical stuff and book our halfterm trip away to go celebrate DS 18 th .thankfully MIL will take the dog this time so no need to organise boarding . I haven’t had time to actively declutter but a collection of items gathered up for eviction again . Some not right away . Might try a few things on olio again .
Out :
-a stained toilet seat ( not sure if I’ve counted it already )to dump
-a telescope stand I’ll try on olio probably
-unused dog agility kit
-unused dog towel thing both also maybe on Olio
-2 DD old small hoodies
-2 DD old T-shirts
-8 pairs of old socks
-4 pairs of old pants
-2 old dog toys after he received his monthly box
-2 Christmas biscuits tins to recycling
-1 broken label maker to dump
-1 last face sheet mask used up from the previous Christmas’s present set of them now I’ll use up my ones in jars next
-2 books going from the bookshelf
-1 set of metal measuring cup to charity shop

@heartbroken22 you’re welcome!! Each day can seem long but those years do fly by so just cuddle them and enjoy!

@stealthninjamum - I did it, made it to the charity shop, go me! 👏 had already counted those items so no numbers to add but a pile of a big box and a big bag out of the house and the car!

have just got a new height chart thing that I want to write all the DC birthday heights on - we used to use a panel of the kitchen which we kept when the kitchen got ripped out, a massive piece of wood. I had vague plans about drawing them onto a piece of paper…but hadn’t done anything.

so this afternoon I am going to mark out their birthday heights on the small roll up-able chart and the massive piece of wood can join the builders pile of crap to go.

That took so much less time than I thought! All DC birthday heights now on the same chart. Might add me and DH too.
so huge piece of wood outside ready for the builders to take away whenever they come to do their tidy up.

piece of wood
old pair of socks

61/2023

@heartbroken22 weve all been there, just try and keep chipping away. Our rather dark version of that saying was everybody fed, nobody dead! I have been that parent that took littlest to nursey in PJs and wellies rather than have the big fight that would make me late to work 🤣😳 I think youngest was 8 when the last of the “baby” items finally left the house!
The usual socks, pants and a couple of hats into rag bag. Some impossible to fly without crashing remote control planes in pile for the small electrical skip along with several cables for items that have already gone to elctronic recycling heaven.
Eldest due to be decluttered back to uni this week too

Busy week and not much time to focus on decluttering. Now we've run down food in the cupboards and freezer, I did sort the food cupboards out yesterday and binned: some very faded Halloween sprinkles, a small amount of solid roll out icing, condensed two tubes of identical sprinkles into one and all crackers are now in one container.

Had a blitz of the laundry pile and got rid of a bunch of too-small pyjamas, old pants and socks and a coat of DS’s into the ragbag. The coat could probably have gone to charity but I didn’t want to start a separate bag and the people who collect the textiles will do a triage so it can get taken off then. 36/2023

Especially if it’s only one thing making a new pile or bag it is easier to just pile it in together. Most things do get sorted through for anything good I think.

DD finally let me in to see the progress in her room and it is much better!
had a hoover, finally put up 4 pictures and took out her reject pile.

approx 30 items into bin/recycling/charity pile

91/2023

Yeah , DD got another school offer today to her academically highest rated school actually . So proud of her ! Hope she starts to believe in herself more , she’s got such a low opinion of herself …
This weekend we’ll try to move more gardening stuff into the shed for them ,then put some of my garage cupboard stuff into one of the cupboards in the garage from the dining room finally . The gardening cupboard in the garage was emptied and DH is now storing some of his materials there instead and it’s still half empty . Another tall cupboard will also be at least half emptied ,rest is car stuff ,when DH has received his extra shelves that he’s getting for the bicycle shed . Then we can store something else in it instead . I’m loving it all coming together bit by bit even if we’ve already been here a year and a half soon and it feels like everything takes for ever to happen . Hoping to reduce stuff further as we do all this . When the car is built all the sports gear and a big new cooler box can go back into the garage racking from the attic too which will then be emptier . I have quite a bit of unpacking and repacking and decluttering
still to do ,I’ll just have to force myself up there again soon . first the damn dining room which is now got also the telescope in it , seems to be DH new hobby he’s getting more gear for . I’m fine with it as long as the things will go elsewhere from my dining room once I get my new table I still have to order .

A few things being gathered up hopefully more once I’ll organise the cleaning etc stuff in my cupboard:

-3 suitcases earmarked to be decluttered soon maybe on olio

-old secateurs to dump

-a pile of magazines from DH bedroom I’m glad he’s letting go finally added to some newspapers all to recycling

-1 DD engineering kit used up

-a few last 11+ papers and books I found now that the last exam was done this week I’m so happy to see the back of them 2 more schools to hear from aaaarghhh

One damaged DVD in the bin

Well done to your Dd @Nordicmom !

one old ink stamp that doesn’t work into the bin

92/2023

Thanks @LivingInaBuildingSite !
We did it ! We got the dining room emptied of all the garage etc stuff just the telescope and an Olio pile to one side but it’ll go soon if not on Olio then dump . I have more to sort out in the attic . Next we’ll need to move the display cabinet and get an electrician to put in the ceiling lamp . Then I still need to find a table I like . This stuff was there for months though so I’m happy we got it all done last night .

Some more stuff out :
-old dog brush
-dog comb
-old dog toothbrush
-unopened “dog rocks “
-old dog antiseptic wipes
-a spare spay mop bottle
-a bunch of loose disposable gloves , we have more in boxes
-9 old cleaning products some leaky
-1 plastic storage box that was leaked on
-motorcycle visor cleaner ( no more motorcycle)
-a suction cup towel holder
-a packet of dried up screen wipes
-2 packets of appliance descaler powder
-6 packets of Brabantia bin bags we have no bin for anymore
-2 tiny floor cleaner samples
-2 rags
-1 old grout brush
-a glass cleaner consolidated and bottle recycled

Also thinking about listing a planter , some wall art , wire baskets I’m not using in the garage cupboards now and maybe some plastic storage boxes since I have more in the attic …

Here’s the nice empty dining room just need a table and the lamp hung up !

@Nordicmom that floor!!! Beautiful.

I’ve ditched my running trainers today. And a pair of tomms. They have seen better days. We fly to Aussie tomorrow and I’m not taking them with me. Also gone are a pair of ds’ shorts which he’s worn a hole in.

oh and my patience with mil. That’s gone too.

have gained a bottle of locally distilled vodka though. D cousin made it. So I’m taking that home with me.

I love your flooring Nordic and that empty room!

Thanks guys ! i like this wooden floor too that we chose for two downstairs rooms on both sides of the entrance hall . Besides in this dining room it’s also in the tv room . The other areas are done with large very light grey tile that is a bit of a pain to keep clean with the dog and the kids but more practical since more hard wearing . On the stairs and the two top floors we have carpet . When we were choosing things for the house they oddly didn’t have floor samples to show us so we had to choose from pictures and had to just hope that the real thing would look nice . I knew I didn’t want light but not the very dark either just something between them . Thankfully it turned out to be good !
Im feeling my yesterdays efforts and have been sleeping all morning . I think today I’ll have to take a day off decluttering and just do admin etc . It’s also our 19th wedding anniversary and we’re going out to dinner tonight without the kids !

Happy anniversary! It’s our 19th this year too, not until May.

one painted rock from DDs room put by a tree in a park

92/2023

tomorrow I hope to donate a picnic hamper and a nearly dead plant to a friend who’s good with plants 😂
and declutter a massage voucher I’ve had for nearly a year, oops

2 sets of instructions for things we no longer have
4 bits of random plastic crap
42/2023