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

@Bottl a good sturdy piece of furniture is a good sturdy piece of furniture. I can't get rid of those, we get much from second hand charity furniture stores because some pieces the modern stuff just isn't made the same.

I need a blanket box looked online but have decided to tramp the second hands first.

Lovely pantry @frozendaisy !

Today I put a worn out tea towel in the textile recycling bag as it had a hole in it. It’s been at the bottom of the drawer of tea towels for years 🙈

I also used the last ‘maternity mat’ from the pack I bought for being in labour/ post-partum (those big mats to put in bed/ on car seats on the way to hospital), which has been at the bottom of my wardrobe for nearly eight years! Our elderly cat was at the vets earlier this week, and has started going to the toilet by the front door since then. I put the mat down overnight a couple of days ago, and it was used, so we’ve now bought a pack of those puppy training mats. She is 16, quite frail, and losing weight, so we are very worried about her 😞

Hmm, I suspect the chest of drawers will remain (not least because there's so much in my room at the moment, I don't think I can move it to get it out anyway!

It's only been a "vague" pantry for X2 days, it's been a "dump it in the cupboard under the stairs and we can deal with it later" space since we moved in a erm, ahem, decade and a half ago!

Ooh, @frozendaisy , I've loads of places like that in my house

I have a room of doom which is a glorified corridor but has deep, fitted cupboards on one wall which stretch the whole length and height of the wall. They're chokka but I can only open 1 of the 6 doors because there is a mountain of stuff piled up outside the other 5 doors. One day that room will be my craft room...one day!!

bottl I'd love some storage cupboards like that.

One magazine read and decluttered. Total is 134.

They should be put to much better use and I hope they'll all be sorted before too long.

Not much happening here on top of normal housework while i’m still pretty ill so Dzh is having to work from home and pick up the slack while I’m mostly in bed . DH went to a couple of DD school things and the window cleaner came DS had his exams and an appointment today . DH did a dump run of mostly boxes and some bags to ragbank etc I was too tired to add to it but I think it was a full car anyway . Hoping he could take a charity shop load tomorrow if I have the energy to get it ready for him . Also am nagging him about listing the various Olio items . On the plus side I’ve nearly decluttered 10lb in weight while ill but now I’m pretty much too tired for anything except sleeping so I am trying to eat more . at least I’m back to be able to drink since my throat is somewhat better .
Just a few bits I’ve put aside or have my eye on :
-8/10 old pillows
-1 ice cube tray DH got I didn’t like
-1 big open sack of dog kibble he won’t eat
-1 large dry dog food bin has been earmarked to go ,I don’t think we need it anymore now that the food in it is going
-remaining pile of senior school prospectuses now that we’ve decided on one
-1 finished book
-3 more old pyjama tops of mine
-1 Christmas biscuit tin
-1 kids finished science kit
-a pile of newspapers and magazines

Frustrating not to be able to get things done but that’s everything atm so I’ll just have to patiently wait to get better from this , I’ve hardly ever been this sick …

I've cleared out two boxes of paperwork from the kitchen, its almost everything off the floor in there now so I can go in and give it all a proper mop.

Hope you start improving @Nordicmom sounds really rough. A storage folder checked through today lots recycled or shredded, realised I haven’t yet touched the shelves in the study so made a small start. Hopefully volume will be reduced and it can fit in cupboards/drawers and shelves can go so furniture can be rearranged to make it feel less cluttered

Is anyone else's partner a borderline hoarder too? There is currently rubbish all behind the door in the office and my god he just will not take it out. Apparently stuff from his desk might have fallen in so he has to go through it all, what a bloody waste of time.

Table mat out which somehow the dc broke. No idea how.

also used up some boxes to make props for ds for book day at school.

livingdeadgirluk I was (still am but separated for many years) married to a man like that. He did improve as the house got noticeably tidier and more organised but if he had a possession that impacted on a family area then I would leave that on his bed to dispose of. That happened with a computer that he spent years saying he’d get rid of but he wanted to remove the memory chips. So in the end I removed the outer casing of the computer and put it on his pillow. It took him less than a minute to remove the chip and I took it to the dump!

with you I would be tempted to put the rubbish on his side of the bed - or does he have a car? - so he has to get rid of it. I’m actually quite angry that so many women have such useless partners and one of the appealing things about dp is he washes up without being asked, takes the rubbish out without being asked etc. I bet Reddit does not have a thread of men decluttering! Rant over.

Anyway I am focusing on toys, organising paperwork (Room of Doom) and dc’s schools. I have shredded more papers and have box files of pension files I ignore. I have made an appointment with a pension advisor in April so that I have to get organised!

Cleared out the snack box in the kitchen yesterday and threw away a few things that were out of date, including a packet of raisins with a best before date of September 2021 🙈

After DH brought the charity box down I realised it’s not really enough for a load yet since shop is not exactly next door . Am convinced there’s more I’ve sent up recently to be put into it that’s gotten miss placed but I’ll have to go up myself at some point when not this ill. The boys did last take a load a couple of weeks ago so I guess that explains it . I did just remember the box of crockery waiting in the dining room but might stick that on olio or wait to gather up more clothes etc for a bigger load DH can take in a week or two to make the trip more worthwhile .
Will be folding the clean laundry so maybe a few outs from that otherwise not much progress , we did throw away some old Halloween candy that had been hidden away from DD , I said the rest she can have before Easter then it’s going .
out so far :
-old Halloween candy

And thanks @Gassylady , I am slowly getting better I think and soon done with my antibiotics. Also have decluttered 11lb now in 2 w so happy about that !

Omg solidarity fist bump he has not one but three computers that he 'just has to remove the hard disks' in the office!

There was a massive pile of stuff on a armchair in there, I say was because it all just came crashing down on me while I was trying to vacuum. I've left it on the floor to see what happens.

I've chucked out a carrier bag of rubbish and paperwork from around and under my desk, my side of the office is looking fab!

Hello again. I have been in bad way recently with stress of finding a secondary for my son with severe SEN but I glad to say the LA named my first choice with no arguments! It's a good 20 miles away via taxi and independent so I'm gobsmacked honestly.

Also dh has been gambling again and wracked up more debt which just about finished me off on the MH front. He is getting therapy and needs to look into weather he has adhd. I have been offered a MH socail worker as my child's disability sw isn't really of much support. "Only you can sort the school out, only you can tidy the house, only you... blah blah blah.' She sent me some details on professional declutters but said I would need to pay. That I couldn't have any therapy ( like cbt) as I don't have any history of MH issues. But I was overwhelmed! 4 kids, three with SEN. The eldest now thinks he has sen so four kids to "fix" problems then dh gambling to fix and manage. Whilst being told we cope amazingly. We don't cope. We survive. Anyway adult mh socail services said they will get me a declutter in yo help me for free. I literally have clothes I have kept from age 4-19 do let's see if this can help.

I'm still here reading. I have sorted and got rid of hundreds of things this year, but it's not making much of a dent. Clothes are my main vice. I'm no longer buying anything

@IncessantNameChanger hugs for you sounds tough, I have one ds with Sen and he’s is enough to deal with. Hope the declutterer can help.

you’re all doing really well, every little helps 💐

I haven’t done much as exhausted from my new job training course. But both brothers came for the weekend and took some stuff away. One for his Ds who is 3, I try not to palm off too much tat onto them but they had approved todays pile before coming.

Box of minion toys (approx 20)
set of Thomas mini trains and case (25)
2 trains and set of track (3)
pile of books (15)
box of audio books on cd (1)
Card holders for little hands (1)

other brother took away his suitcase full of clothes that he’d left here months ago as was travelling light (1)

583+66=649/2023

After folding laundry I can add to go
-20 pairs of old socks
-1 pair of DD old sweatpants
-1 DD sweatshirt
-5 T shirts
-4 pairs of pants
-5 more my old pyjama shirts
-1 double mattress of DHs earmarked to go ,although might be in a while , since he has made a dent in it despite it being quite new and not cheap grrrr
Wishing you strength @IncessantChangerOfName !

Two water bottles out. Yay.

Plastic water bottle that has some mouldy spots inside into recycling. Three outgrown pairs kids joggers into fabric recycling -too tatty for the charity shop.
Some old paperwork can be shredded but machine needs cleaning and oiling first.

@LivingDeadGirlUK STBXH was very strange with ' storing things' as I found out when he finally left phew 😮‍💨 finances an absolute mess he's a finance man important paperwork any old where, hides important correspondence in nooks and crannies there's no other word, and things I'd asked him to store in loft were throw together and not even protected plus his personal things shoved in mixed random boxes including rubbish like old DIY bits like......yannow.... a hoarding program 😳

A crappy old pillow
A pair of boots I haven't worn in ages
An old tea towel
DD1's cracked lunch box - DD2 has an identical one which she won't need until September, and in fact they're all going to be on free school meals for a year anyway (cheers Sadiq!) so I've just given DD1 the other one which means no ins
A pile of receipts from DP's windowsill of crap in the bedroom

I feel like there's more but can't remember right now

202/2023