Decluttering at the speed of life

[Sallygoroundtheroses]

The follow on from www.mumsnet.com/talk/housekeeping/4709904-im-doing-the-31-day-declutter-challenge?page=21&reply=123534967 as we go into February and maybe beyond. We are no longer doing the numbers challenge but chucking, recycling, regifting and reselling the clutter in our life.

*The title is a nod to Dana K White, someone who has helped me declutter.

I have been crocheting for the first time in ages and so have used up some wool that survived the last great purging.

I then stupidly bought more wool!

DD wanted some and it was just too tempting so I now have to commit to more projects to keep the hoard at a manageable level.

I have a bag of wellies ready to donate and a huge blanket DM gave me that I will never use and that she has agreed to let go of.

And I've rather impressively ditched a black velvet jacket which I originally bought from a charity shop, which was great quality, the right size, in theory exactly the kind of jacket I would wear, but in practice I never actually wore it because the propositions were wrong. Back in the charity shop bag it goes (I walk past the charity shops on the high street all the time so it won't be hanging round for long).

@QuietlyConfident I need to do this - I have lots of clothes where I think 'but I love it', but it never actually gets worn. So clearly I don't love it that much!

I'm still plugging away - took 2 bags of books to the charity shop yesterday (and got a workout because I walked there). The shelves are finally starting to look less hectic, but only in the sense that there is less double shelving or things stacked horizontally along the top... long way to go!

Joining back in after being absent a while. I took a boot load (large estate car boot!) To charity at the end of last month. Found a cats protection league shop that I can drive right up to, takes all sorts , and also takes old towels etc for the cpl shelter

I have 2 more stuffedxbags to take today, sbd last night spent an hour "tidyibg* which involved 3 piles of papers so lots in the recycle and 1 smaller pile left to put away properly.

I'm switching rooms with DC so will have a normal large double sized room instead of a massive room which I fill. So I really need to get rid of sone stuff

Oh I just realised my last post a few days ago didn’t work. Anyway small wins here. A kitchen drawer decluttered and clothes in a bag for the charity shop, though not out the house so kinda breaking my own rule that this is not actual decluttering due to previous bags staying for months in situ.

Woke up very early so I’ve done some photo deleting. It’s a shame I couldn’t of done something more
constructive but the house is too small to declutter and not wake everyone.

Yesterday I optimistically swapped the winter hats and gloves for the summer hats and had a sort through so now there's half a bag to go to the charity shop and I chucked a broken umbrella.

I also realised DS has had a massive growth spurt as he wore a disturbingly skin tight onesie. I sorted through his things and washed anything grubby so now there are 2 onesies, a winter coat, a hoodie, joggers and a small backpack also for the charity shop.

I have to go into town early next Saturday so the plan is to take everything then. Hopefully I'll remember this time!

not done much decluttering about 17 items this month but only two additions 1 pair of blue jeans ( my others had ripped in a decidely untrendy way just genuinely worn out way) and a mint velvet jumper second hand so overall pleased

May I join please! Ive had this on my watchlist for a while, but I need to some some major decluttering in prep for a new job (fingers crossed) and some work being undertaken on our house.

I thought typing it would make me more accountable, so the plan is to start with my wardrobe, clothes and shoes, and ruthlessly sort out.

How do you all decide what is clutter and what is not?

I want to get rid of so much stuff but it just overwhelms me (ADHD).

SquirrelSoShiny
I'm ND so can't speak for others but to me clutter is anything that isn't serving me a purpose. If I've not used it in 3 months and am unlikely to use it in the next 3 months then it needs to go.

That's easier said than done but I found it helpful to target easy spaces first like the bathroom, utility room and kitchen.

Thanks @LolaSmiles that's probably a decent starting principle. I just get overwhelmed so easily and have autoimmune disease so fatigue is unfortunately an issue too.

SquirrelSoShiny
I find that some categories are harder to do than others and learning more about why they're harder for me was useful. It took time.

There's some nice things online that suggest easy wins (eg.collect all your tupperware in one place and bin any that don't have both the lid and container, go through your bathroom and bin any toiletries or products that you've started and didn't like, collect all the magazines around the house and put them in the recycling unless it's the most up to date issue, take a rubbish bag and with 10 mins on the clock fill it with as much stuff that gut instinct says you don't need it/it doesn't have a home/you don't know why you have it).

Sorry all, I abandoned my own thread! Glad to see it’s going along still. I’ve not had a chance to read through all the posts.

It’s been a tricky few months with life throwing curveballs at work and home. Today was the first time I got to clearing somethings out. I must have had about 15 costs for children in the cupboard, all hand me down gifts. I have a mix of boys and girls and ages so was keeping lots. Really I just needed a winter and summer jacket each for their respective ages. I was keeping them for all the variants of weather we have here but it’s just unnecessary, I’d never buy that many, so why keep them just in case? So off they go and now I can actually find the ones I need.

@SquirrelSoShiny my journey has been long.
I realised what’s ago that we never got to the bottom of the washing pile because we had too many towels! Every time we needed one a new one was used. So I reduced it down to maybe two per email it member. So that was my kind of clutter, not necessarily obvious stuff.

Next I did books because I have a million but also use the library so can get almost any boom I want.

Then I stated listening to A slob comes clean who resonated with me as I was always waiting for the miracle day when I have time to declutter. It never came! I also read Marie Kondo who helped me get over keeping sentimental
stuff.

Every so often I do the 30 day challenge to get rid of one thing on day one, 2 on day two and on. That helps kick start me when I feel overwhelmed.

I still need to work on not being stuff in and also accept that whilst my children are young there’s some things I can’t control.

Wow, loads of typos but I’m I’ll and tired so nevermind!

Hello everyone, may I join please?

I've read lots of the books, and I sometimes declutter 😄.

I'm feeling very proud of myself as this week I've chipped away at my massive pile of magazines and read/recycled everything so that there are now only 2 copies of the most recent issues. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal but there's been a pile of magazines around at all times for literally years, and it feels so lovely to be done with them!

Next up are a bunch of vacuum packed bags of clothes that are too small... I think it's time to bite the bullet and get rid of 99% of them.

I know this is an old thread but I'm decluttering and need somewhere to be accountable.

My main stumbling block at the moment is getting around to doing returns for stuff I've bought online and isn't suitable. I just really need to get on with it. I probably have about £450 worth of returns but even that isn't motivating me. I know that once I start I'll feel so pleased with myself that I'll carry on, but somehow I can't start...

Hi @BerfyTigot 🙂. It's funny what you said - I also have a pile of things upstairs from the last few days that need to be returned etc. I sometimes get DH to help me with them, as something about the whole process just makes me incapable of making progress sometimes. So, usually I pack, and he sorts out the computer side / labels etc. Could you do something like that? £450 is a huge amount of money, maybe you could think of it as being paid to do the returns?

I've actually decluttered a lot recently - heaps has gone to charity, and some for recycling. I've even passed on some shelves etc. that I originally bought to try to solve my too much stuff problem 😄🙈. So, now I'm getting rid of the stuff and the extra storage.

Will we be accountability buddies for our returns?

@LuckOfTheDrawer
Great idea to be accountability buddies. Think our post office is shut now but I can definitely package up things for tomorrow and sort them into PO, DPD etc.

I know it's a huge amount of money!! That's why I can't understand why I'm procrastinating. But I'm going to do the things that are most expensive first.

Good idea about getting help. My son is off work tomorrow so I'm going to ask him to help. Although he doesn't know it yet...

Right, I've packaged up my returns etc. - there must be about £75 of refunds there I think. DH will drop them off at the Post Office and parcel shop tomorrow.

I suppose decluttering should continue tomorrow as well 😕...

@LuckOfTheDrawer Oh well done!!
I am just starting now. Have put some trash on the TV to distract me a bit!

Well done on getting started!

Yes, decluttering should continue tomorrow but don't feel bad if life gets in the way and you end up doing it the day after.

Yay! I've done 5 out of my 7 returns!
Thanks for the kind words which got me started. Still have 2 to go but needed to get packing materials as I'd thrown the originals.
They can keep til tomorrow 😁

Well done Berfy