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

Very little progress this week. Took another bag of bread wrappers/ plastic bags to be recycled, which I had discovered lurking in the understairs cupboard - it had clearly been shoved in there during a tidying session 🤦‍♀️

I made a start on reorganising the big cupboard in the living room to make more space for toys/ games, but did not get very far. Got rid of two dried-up bottles of bubble mixture, two tins of low-alcohol lager with a best before date of 2014 (bought for use in a slug trap), and found a box of chocolates that I’d won in a raffle the weekend before we went on holiday, so they’d been put away in the cupboard and forgotten about, so I’m working my way through them now.

I’ve also been trying to stop clutter building up on the usual hot spots, so have been dealing with post when it comes in and shredding/ recycling/ filing as required.

Another damaged DVD binned. My total items out is 15 now.

I’d love to join this thread. Our house feels a little overwhelming after Christmas. Most drawers or cupboards are a jumble.

1 bag of paper recycling out
1 pile of shredding generated
1 appointment attended
1 appointment followed up no answer

gone through DS2’s wardrobe and the drawer of his ‘too big’ clothes, 39 items into charity bag/fabric recycking

DH tidying in his office, looked on top of the shelves and found
4 x curtain poles from old extension - builders rubbish pile
1 dead long light bulb - tip box
old garden plans & cardboard tube (from 2005!) when we toyed with the idea of a garden designer person- recycling

92 + 32 = 124/2023

passed the 100 mark!

and haven’t even looked in DS1’s room yet…

nordicmom well done on dd. I remember that feeling last year, dd2 eventually got all the offers we applied for but it was so stressful.

I have done lots of tidying but very little decluttering. I have put three large craft sets in the charity shop pile today. So my total is 45.

I have a pile of 28 books that I scanned in with ziffit before Xmas, I’m going to scan more books in a minute and find some new ones to go.

livinginabuildingsite well done on 100. I am at 45 but they’ve been quite big so must’ve made a difference- not that it’s too obvious.

I’ve emptied one bedside drawer,
Sorted Pen pot
Donated a Bathroom bin
13 children’s clothing passed on
Multiple Pens and envelopes from study drawer
2 old nail varnishes
Old eyelash set
Old lash dyeing kit (didn’t work!)
Handbag
Top
Elf door
Whisky advent calendar

I’ve taken one bag to the charity shop and have just started another.

64/1000

It feels great but I think I have much more than 1000 things to go!

Some of mine have been very small like an odd holey sock, but it all adds to the disorder in this house! So like Tesco, every little helps 😄

have started in DS1’s room, needs a full day I feel, have at least emptied the clean washing baskets on his floor and gone through his wardrobe. He’s right, he does need some more clothes!

out:
old alarm clock that doesn’t work
baggy tshirt
various holey socks
old saggy fluffy socks

124+8=132/2023

Welcome God Save The Clean most of us have a gradual approach on this thread, one day you’ll realise you’ve got clear drawers and spaces, it’s wonderful.

I am up to 63 items to go. I found an ice cube tray, key ring and wooden box and loads of books.

I scanned the books in webuybooks and ziffit apps as usually happens ziffit takes more books but we buy books is more likely to take old ones like university text books but for peanuts. I think webuybooks has a minimum order of £5 and I’m only up to about £1 with 8 books. I’d give them away free I just like having someone collecting them from my house!

Got rid of a lovely and little used jacket to the charity bag. It was just a fraction too small and I have plenty of others that'll actually do up

Old holey dance tights of DD

133/2023

also decluttered a massage voucher that I’ve had for nearly a year ✅

I haven’t updated on here for a good few days but I’ve been keeping a log on my phone and I’ve decluttered 69 more things!

Returned a kids jumper that’s been hanging around for months to it’s rightful owner
2 straws from water bottles we don’t own anymore
3x calpol syringes
6x expired medicines
3 tops from my wardrobe
44 items from my sewing box. I hardly ever sew anything so I’m not sure why I had so much sewing stuff.
Bar of soap used up (from a hotel - I don’t count our usual consumables!)
Lipliner
Half roll of ribbon
4 books
2 bags of pumpkin that had been languishing at the back of the freezer since October 2021.
A broken kids snap band

which brings me up to 228/2023

Does anyone else wonder where all the clutter comes from? I don’t think our house looks cluttered (but maybe I’m deluded!), yet we still seem to have loads of superfluous crap hanging around…

Both kids firmly established in secondary so recycling their primary school work books
They take up a lot of space.

January clearing of kids wardrobes.

Same with board games x4 and counting ready for charity.

hamper basket dropped off to a friend
plus a nearly dead plant I was gifted as she’s good with plants and I’m not!

2 x gift cards used up food shopping

133+4=137/2023

hoping for enough energy later to go back into DS1’s room, lunch first

Two bags of textiles for recycling to the charity bank yesterday. It was all old clothes that I’d decluttered over the past year or two, but now it’s out of the house instead of sitting on top of the shoe rack in our bedroom!

That is the tricky step Ellie, getting it out once bagged up ready to leave!

changed Ds’s bed and collected rubbish, really need him here with time to spare to assess all his ‘treasures’ for what can go.

out
1 empty shoe box
old tatty cleaning sponge
Another too small tshirt of ds2’s

137+3=140/2023

Donated;

2 tea towels
1 Pair trainers

Whisky set
1 Sweet scoops
Blind dusters
Sweet jar
5 x birthday candles

Toy train
2 x vases
1 x birthday sash
Large cake box

Recycled;

6 x old tea towels

2 x empty cleaning bottles
1 x empty juice bottle

Rubbished;

Old cake tin with no lid
Assorted wrappers and rubbish under the kitchen sink

27 items (not including assorted rubbish!)

I have one organised kitchen cupboard - hurrah!

Second bag is full so another drop off tomorrow.

91/1000

Donated a large hand sanitiser to the church where we practice for orchestra - they seem to still be using it and it’s been sat on the side for ages.

141/2023

Recycled one 2yr old newspaper that I finally got round to reading! Think I need to never buy a newspaper again 😆

I get the local paper everyday, mostly for the puzzles if I’m honest, but I do try and flick through it - sometimes I manage, others I don’t. I gave up on big papers years ago though.

charity shop trip with the clothes from ds2 that I’d already counted but now they’re out of the house.
Plus 20 books from him and Dd I can add to the total.
plus an empty sweet tub to recycling

141+21=162/2023

think it’s 168 a month to make the 2023 target so nearly there, although it’ll probably get harder to find stuff going forward.

Recycled:

5 bottles of shampoo/conditioner that were duplicates I could decant

Donated:

1 bottle self tanner than doesn’t work for me
1 bottle hair treatment, as above

2 children’s pool toys

Sparkly pink top
Canvas butchers bag
2 x puzzles

Rubbished;
Pair of ripped tights

104/1000

Hi, would it be ok if I joined in please?

I’m hoping to declutter my home and it would be great to share progress and hear how other people are getting on.

Is there a format or method that the thread is based on? I’ve been listening to one of the Clutterbug books and have found it really helpful- so I thought I might loosely base my efforts around that…..

Everyone welcome freckles. Do it however you like. Some are counting how many. Some trying to do one thing per day. Some do it all in a big lot. Whatever suits. I'm at the use-it-up stage so no major decluttering goes on here now. Things go out when they're done with and don't get replaced. I'm counting this year to help track my progress, my total is 15 outs so far.

Thank you @IndianSummer78, that's great.

Oh to be at the 'use it up stage' ! That's a huge achievement.