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Housekeeping

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Original poster

I’m doing the 31 Day declutter challenge

526 replies

Sallygoroundtheroses · 01/01/2023 12:13

I’ve done it before but not for a while. Despite a huge effort to declutter last year, the house is looking a bit chaotic again. So 1 item on day 1, 2 on day 2 etc.

I’m off to find an item…

OP posts:
Thread gallery
13
Workyticket · 06/01/2023 23:22

Ds has bought in and got rid of loads of stuff today. I've not counted but this was the scene earlier

Does anyone else find that clearing out causes sooooo much mess??!

I’m doing the 31 Day declutter challenge
chloechloe · 07/01/2023 07:16

10 more yesterday. Two cosmetics used up, then I put a box in front of the house with old kids’ wellies and winter boots which disappeared straight away. I wonder if somebody took the lot (incl. the box) to sell it on themselves.

Im often wondering whether to try and sell stuff on EBay rather than giving it away but it takes so much time and just ends up lingering round the house longer.

Total 73/500.

chloechloe · 07/01/2023 07:17

That should have been 78/500!

Bemyclementine · 07/01/2023 08:52

@Workyticket if I'm doing a "big tidy/declutter" it definitely gets worse before it gets better.

@chloechloe one of the reasons I have so much to get rid of, is that I've hung on to stuff to sell. Financially, every little helps, but not if it doesn't bloody sell!! It's so time consuming too.

fourmonthstogo · 07/01/2023 09:45

I'm on 2 already and I'm not even dressed! If they rain lets up I'm hoping to do a charity shop run tomorrow to cover the rest of today and tomorrow so I'll need 13 things.

noproblemifnot · 07/01/2023 10:12

@Theimpossiblegirl thanks for encouragement- much better day yesterday. Parcels gone and cleared out the basket of crap and surrounding area by front door. Plus some random bits i spotted around house such as old travel stairgate into charity bag.

Definitely more than 8 things gone so that was yesterday plus the two catch up items. Trying to get the right balance between momentum (finding random.crap to clear) and focus (properly cleaning an area which may end up not throwing much out but putting back i right place etc)

I know I'll be busy first part of this week so an gonna aim for at least 34 items this weekend so it takes me up to Tuesday

SirSamVimesCityWatch · 07/01/2023 10:33

Made a start, got the bottle of sloe gin that I tipped yesterday on my list for today as I was one over total yesterday (lost count!). Today one of the kids has volunteered a bag for the charity shop box.

So that's two down, five to go. Writing it down here so I don't forget!

Need to take the charity shop box actually to the charity on Monday, it's full now and I feel a bit like I'm cheating as I've counted all the items in it in my total even though they've not left the house.

I haven't got round to anything that might be worth selling yet.

BrewandBiscuit · 07/01/2023 10:49

I’ve had a good morning on this wet day!

89 items from the kitchen including out of date food from the fridge/freezer and larder, pots and pans I don’t use, a broken aerochino I for some reason kept. A massive water bottle I dont use as it’s too big to drink from, a glass that is so narrow it falls over and lots of other random bits and pieces. It felt good!!

Total for Jan 182/500

Mommabear20 · 07/01/2023 10:49

Have found 15 more Christmas gift bags/ boxes that I'm never going to use that have gone! Just tipping my total over my 100 target for the first week! 🙌 making my overall total to 102/500 for the month!

WhereIsMyRollingPin · 07/01/2023 11:54

25 things, mostly crockery and books, to the charity shop.

5 things in recycling.

3 things in the bin.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 07/01/2023 12:18

Been (rather half heartedly) thinning out the library over the last week. 36 books to the charity shop, 4 books, (too far gone for the charity shop) into recycling, plus 5 christmas cards also recycled to get to 45 items. Takes me up to the 9th, so I'm slightly ahead at present.
I don't really like getting rid of books, but I can't imagine me ever needing (for example) a 1986 Cobol manual again 🤣.

Original poster
Sallygoroundtheroses · 07/01/2023 13:41

8 items from the bathroom cabinet today.

OP posts:
Theimpossiblegirl · 07/01/2023 14:11

If I count things individually I'm in the hundreds today!
A lot of old earrings, gift bags, cards, belts, general drawer crap gone!

I've got all the old bedding to sort next. I'm keeping 3 sets for guests and one spare each for washing and that's it. The rest will go to an animal rescue. That's tomorrow though.

Hooveslikejagger · 07/01/2023 14:18

Ohhh, I’m in. I’ve done 6 items yesterday and 20 today. I am just going to count and try and hit the total target as I don’t have time to do it every day.

Fourfrosties · 07/01/2023 14:25

Feel like I've had a very prodcutive declutter today. DH has been dispatched to the tip with 10 x big boxes which have been the loft "just in case", 1 x dodgy lamp, a broken keyboard and 4 x random computer cables. Also got rid of 3 x random bits of non matching tupperware, recycled 2 magazines and chucked a bit of a steam cleaner from our old broken we were keeping that doesnt in fact fit the replacement. Also listed the lampshade on the local freebay site.

Have hit 100 items, feels so good! Running total 107/310.

BrewandBiscuit · 07/01/2023 14:51

So I’ve done the car this afternoon. Probably did about 50 things but lots of it was general rubbish that shouldn’t have been there, so going to call it 20 things, taking my total to:

202/500

Cantseethewindows · 07/01/2023 16:57

I had a go at one of the junk drawers. Papers and old bank cards etc count as 2, and I used up a phone cleaning wipe. Also found our marriage certificate and DC1's birth certificate, which will be useful when doing his school application 😅

I had quite a list of things to junk today but DC1 isn't well so it'll have to wait until tomorrow.

32/28

fourmonthstogo · 07/01/2023 17:23

Sigh. I took 14 things to the charity shop and came away with a new book....

SirSamVimesCityWatch · 07/01/2023 17:39

+3 bath scrunchie things
+2 out of date hundreds and thousands/ cake decorations

That's my 7, with the ones from earlier too.

Sitoff · 07/01/2023 17:55

7 - gift items returned to shops for refunds

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 07/01/2023 18:00

2 large bags to charity shop yesterday

Today - broken loo seat (but replaced so it's a 1-in-1-out)

Next week will be crockery sort out ( mugs ) and the food storage , make sure they all have lids

BadgerLovesMash · 07/01/2023 18:42

Another whirlwind declutter here of the food drawer, art drawer and my bedroom. Another 2 bin liners, 3 big boxes of recycling and a small charity bag.

Including 6 out of date coffee syrups (2018 was the oldest!), old flours, screwed up scrap paper, empty packaging, old stained mattress protector from toddler years (dds are 14 and 10!).

Still working our way through the christmas food so minimal food shop needed this week.

I want to sort the loft on my next free weekend but will be buying some plastic storage to put anything we are keeping in. Currently it's in cardboard boxes and I worry that if there was a leak it would all get damaged. (Lots of sentimental ornaments etc but in this house we aren't allowed to put shelves up to display them)

CantStandMeow · 07/01/2023 18:43

Day 6 - 1 energy monitor that doesn't monitor energy!

Day 7 - local charity shop put out a plea for books. 70 dropped off today. 1 parcel of returns finally off my desk (since November!)

162/496

Hooveslikejagger · 07/01/2023 19:04

60/496 as of end of today. Dropped off at charity shop and I did buy 2 items from said charity shop, so I suppose that’s not quite so great. On the upside, they ARE useful.

CantStandMeow · 07/01/2023 19:08

CantStandMeow · 07/01/2023 18:43

Day 6 - 1 energy monitor that doesn't monitor energy!

Day 7 - local charity shop put out a plea for books. 70 dropped off today. 1 parcel of returns finally off my desk (since November!)

162/496

Nearly forgot

16 used colouring books etc in the recycling.

1 squishmallow and a storage box

180/496