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

incessant I can barely cope with ‘just’ two children so you deserve all my respect. I spend my life fighting for my dc so I think if you have a break for a little while do something for you.

anyway I am focusing a lot of toys and organising my finances at the moment. I finally called an old pension provider today (I sorted decluttered paperwork about 3 years so I’ve been meaning to do it) and have a value. As expected it’s bugger all. I now have another pension company to call. I think I’ve been avoiding it because they were worth so little and it would depress me. I need to stop avoiding this stuff.

Today’s ‘out’ is a quote for house insurance from 2001! I thought I had got rid of all historical paperwork like that but it was with the pension stuff. It’s now shredded.

I've had a good clearout day!

10 pairs of socks (!) and a pair of jeans to a textile recycling
4 tops to charity shop
2 kids hangers and ragged sandals to bin
1 expired tub of germoline
2 hot stone massage stones
Kids print
NHS info leaflet
Plastic sleeve
Filled up notebook

Forgot to say that I also deleted 100+ photos. I'm counting that as one as it took ages! Husband also relented and let go of a "useful" box. We both hoard boxes!!

Total is 185 now

I also hoard boxes!!!

2 eBay sales have been posted today - 1 in a small box and one in a massive box that has lived infront of the washing machine for several weeks so it'll be nice to access the machine without having to move it every time.

I've also taken a pile of tea towels and 4 packs of crayons to a toddler group I run - they've been in my kitchen since the start of half term so I'm glad to see the back of them

Puts today...
Out of date coffee
Unwanted novelty drink
Empty packets once contents distilled

Plus degreased the filter hood

Everyone is doing well. Chipping away at things I am sure is the key. It's been a tricky day here but charity shop bag has gone which is good, didn't do the tip though. Will see what I can do later but have some time tomorrow where I may be able to do a bit

I called my second pension provider and it’s actually accumulated a nice amount in the last 20 years. It’s still not a huge amount but I feel pleased that I’m a lot better informed about my finances. I do have a couple of box files of ‘pension stuff’ thrown in. I am thinking of filing them neatly and removing some of the advertising crap that they send.

I also realised that there’s an empty chest of drawers in the Room of Doom now and I’m tempted to get rid of it. There’s also a tall bookcase that I might be able to get rid of. At one point these were full of paperwork and I’m sure I got rid of about 2/3 of it so I’m realising just how much clutter I’ve got rid of in the last few years.

Absolutely, get rid of excess storage furniture when you can! If you have storage space, it will just keep filling up...

I had another sweep at a junk drawer and the coat closet today and got rid of:

3 passport photo sets
1wedding card
2 kids' school jumpers
Packet of nails
Sheet of stickers
Dried up play-doh
Tarnished necklace (which is sad because I actually loved it)

Best thing was a box of 20 folders! I listed it on freecycle and it was collected 2 hours later!

215 items and feeling v accomplished. Also listed a few more things on freecycle :)

Have managed to declutter more weight but not much else this week . Still feeling sick but have improved a lot . Some admin has gotten done and necessary shopping and all the housework . This weekend hoping for a dump run with the old pillows (plus cardboard boxes and bags to the rag bank) I still need to change into new ones from the attic . Nagging at DH to list stuff on Olio there’s at least 5 lots to go . DD old uniform got taken in for to second hand uniform sale so that’s out of here .
Out:
-old fridge food
-1 extra school term calendar
-1 more unsuitable ice cube tray to charity
-2 pairs of DD tights
-a bunch of Easter cards will be used up from my stash
-old dog treats
-a couple of DD vests
-1 DD broken reading light
-1 of my unused dresses to sell

Need to forge on on all fronts here but just so tired always and getting as ill as I was is going to take me a long time to recover from because of my health issues . Now I should try to get some sleep …

Oven gloves to charity bag. I never use them, always reaching for a tea towel instead. Total is 145

Out:

pile of card dividers for a ring binder recycled

handful of useless hairbands binned

camera case for a camera I no longer own binned

supermarket keyfobs for loyalty cards binned, I only use the main card

pile of outdated sensitive documents shredded

pile of paper recycling

Total is 151

Sorry people 🤔 I don't know why Mumsnet thinks anyone should be so interested in my decluttering as to announce it quite so loudly! ☝

Took one bag of previously sorted stuff to the charity bank this week. Not sure how much decluttering will get done this weekend as DH is feeling ill today, so I’m unlikely to get any free time to declutter if he’s out of commission over the weekend.

Binned a pair of ds’ trousers which he’d ripped.

put two coats of mine in charity bag.

This weekend I will try to get more stuff out , DH will do the dump run with rag bank bags and boxes and hopefully old pillows once I’ve changed them . Also putting more on Olio .I have made some decisions about my own clothes so hopefully can add to the pile to sell and to charity . I have a box in mind in the attic I need DH to find . I think I already decluttered some of it last time I was working there but not all . DD might be able to let go of some books and her knex she never touches is finally going ( I’ve warned her a while ago ) . I’m thinking of having a final use of a shampoo set I don’t think suits me and then those 4 bottles are going . Itching to go to the attic but I’m not sure if I’m well enough for that !
So far:
-4 plastic hangers
-4 old dog toys now that he’s gotten his monthly subscription recently
-1 brand new designer coat of mine to sell
-1 brand new dress to charity
-4 bottle shampoo and conditioner set I don’t think suits my hair
-1 box of DD Knex
-1 hand cream used up
-DD school primary dictionary and thesaurus now that she’s moving up soon

hopefully I can add to this !!!!

Also a handbag in the charity bag. It’s a small backpack. I don’t use it. So off it goes

Have managed to go through the kids toiletry back stock box , a few of DD puzzles and she found a set of 10 books she doesn’t want after trying the first one .
Also found some more of my clothes to go , next I’ll see what pillows we had in the attic since the old ones need to go tomorrow . Hopefully not needing to buy many . Then there’s the clean laundry to fold but I’ll do that tomorrow . There might be some finds from there too . DH has listed the first of many items on Olio and it should be picked up tomorrow .He’s listing more tomorrow . I think there’ll be a charity load ready for next weekend since last week there was one big box and I’ve been adding to it quite a bit now . Feeling better about general progress now that I also got a bunch of admin done and appointments and another maintenance job booked earlier this week . All the while I’m still a bit sick and i’ve been loosing weight as well . Pat on my own back needed for motivation to keep going ! Well done to others too!!!

More things out today :
-10 kids book set to charity
-4 DD puzzles ( 1 to charity, 1 to recycling since missing pieces, 2 to grandma’s)
-5 old kids toiletries
-1 spare toothbrush
-1 new skirt of mine to sell
-1 new biniki set to sell
-1 hoody
-1 pair of new sweatpants
-1 dress all to charity
-dd school shoes
-dd school trainers
-1 school skirt at least
-6+ pairs of school socks all earmarked to go soon as she charges uniform

Had a go at some craft supplies today. Got rid of quite a lot. Looking much tidier now.

• A pile of crumpled card recycled
• Unboxed 3 sets and recycled the packaging

pigtailsandall you’re right. I’ll get rid of the chest of drawers next week. I’ll hold onto the bookcase for a few weeks (months) because I’m still moving papers around and it’ll be useful to temporarily put things while I organise them with the ultimate aim of getting rid of even more papers and stuff. The wardrobe in the Room of Doom is my Cupboard of Chaos. It’s a double wardrobe full of toys, artwork, school books, presents i didn’t give away, love letters and the awful letter my first boyfriend dumped me with, letters from friends. I think this is the most sentimental part of my home. My plan is to tackle my financial papers in the R of D and then tackle the Cupboard of chaos - while still doing toys in the playroom.

Audio declutter this week I can't remember the last time anyone put a CD into a player. We stream everything nowadays and listen to radio loads so x4 bags to separate charity shops ready to go and X2 shoe boxes off to musicmagpie.

It's old university text books next!

Good day today as a tip run was done. Various boxes, 2 bags of rubbish and old balance bike and a broken chair gone.

Major decluttering today.

• packaging from two sets of paintbrushes (all are in a tin now) binned
• 4 pieces of artwork binned
• 2 cards recycled
• an envelope, a leaflet and a newsletter recycled
• 2 scraps of fabric binned
• children's story book recycled
• 4 hair scrunchies to donation bag
• 4 ankle bracelets to donation bag
• 2 bits of packaging from jewellery I've never worn binned and the jewellery put with the rest

Total is 179

What do you all do with sentimental items? I've got all the birthday cards DP has ever bought me. I love them. They're in a box though and I rarely take them out to look at them, usually only when I'm adding another to the box. He always writes messages in them and it's not often anyone buys me something nice so I don't really want to bin them. Am I being unrealistic though with trying to keep all of them? I want to keep them but feel like I shouldn't, which is strange considering I have no problems keeping an excess of far less precious or useful items. The problem is the first box is now full. Do I get a second box or create space by going through them and only keeping my favourites? WWYD?

I have a big box of cards like birth congratulations ones for both child, first birthday , wedding , anniversary, birthday etc also from a few close relatives that some have passed and few close friends. I did weed through them and get rid of maybe 45 a while ago . I’ve got several memory boxes too . I’ve gone through nearly all kids art and school work , younger kids toys and books and clothes are up to date and mostly recycled or donated but I’ve kept a bunch of stuff I’m not throwing it all away if it’s got meaning to me . Later on I’m able to let go more always . We do have a big attic room now though so I can keep things like this . It took me years to be ready to go through the kids clothes especially the baby ones since we had such a tough time having no 2 and I did want another for years . When I did it I had to do it in batches it was hard emotionally but I was ready to let go and move on . Getting our little fur baby a puppy helped and getting older . I’m definitely past it at 47! Do what feels right . It’s ok to keep some things just as long as it’s not everything ! Get another box or a bigger one if you feel like you need to but maybe you can look through them quickly to make sure you still want all of them . I find that when ever any of us go through something something we always find things that can go like yesterday when I looked at kids box of extra toiletries there ended up being several old things and 8 bottles left the house even though I thought I had recently looked into the box and removed other stuff . We ended up not doing the dump today , recycling is going tomorrow anyway and I haven’t yet changed the pillows . I was sorting out clean laundry then we had a power cut for a few hours so that kind of threw us off . A few bits to rags from the laundry though and 2 lots were listed on Olio ( crockery and a pet food bin ) and collected this weekend so happy about that . Still have more to list but generally everything we’ve listed has gone quick and on the first try .
Out:
-2pairs of old socks
-1 DD crop top
-8 pairs of DD old small pants
-1 bottle of old keratin for nails suddenly realised I’ve had it for years
-3 more old bottles of kids toiletries
-1 tube of mud mask finished finally

More another day . Unusually I’m doing the rest of the clean laundry folding another day I’m so tired and will take time off !

I would keep the birthday cards @IndianSummer78 but I have kept all the birthday cards I’ve been given over the years, so I’m not the best person to give advice!

As predicted, didn’t get any new decluttering done over the weekend as I didn’t have time to myself. One thing out yesterday as I’d put a vase from the cupboard clear out a few weeks ago on a FB freecycle group, and it was collected today. I also emptied and cleaned one of the kitchen windowsills so got rid of some old elastic bands, but there’s still some random stuff of DH’s on there, but now it’s in a plastic takeaway tub instead of just dumped there, so it looks tidier at least.

I really needed to hoover upstairs but didn’t get a chance over the weekend and know that I won’t have the energy after work during the week. It’s so frustrating.