Decluttering thread 4 - progress rather than perfection

[Pigtailsandall]

Thread 3 got filled up so decided to start a new one - hope everyone can find it!!

DH little sailing boat is now looking cleaner and the next job is to find someone to repair a small area on it then we can hopefully sell it for a few thousand which would be better than it rotting there completely unused atm !
I was out for much of the day but have gathered a couple of things I’ve run into ,and DH also weeded and tidied in the garden ( and put up some shelves up in the new garden shed for outdoor sofa cushions ) and took that waste and the recycling etc to the dump . From next week the gardener will be coming twice a month so then they should be dealing with the weeds .

Out today :
-1 mouldy life vest
-1 pair of old pants
-3 nearly used up old cleaning products (bottles to recycling )
-1 old bottle brush
-1 extra dishwasher salt funnel
-1 broken ceramic tooth brush holder

Some tiny bits of progress after a bout of illness which meant losing my umph for a bit!

Got some more stuff listed on Olio and FB Marketplace and first thing has even gone! Olio now has a 'sell' option so I'm trying that out.

RealFastFoodie I don't have any decluttering rules I follow, I'm grabbing things from all over and making the decision to put away or get rid pretty randomly. Organising as I go, which helps with seeing how much of each thing I have and deciding to reduce the amount. I'm amazed how much I've managed to let go of. I've been counting my outs since the beginning of this year, pure curiosity, I don't have any particular goal in mind.

Today I weeded another file of paperwork and got rid of 16 unnecessary things plus one magazine I'd finished reading. Total is 630

That’s pretty impressive @IndianSummer78. I think I like idea of just grabbing bits rather than trying to “finish” one spot. I was watching a few videos on decluttering tips and several of them mentioned not getting distracted by tidying or other jobs, just focussing on removing items. That kind of made sense!

@Realfastfoodie Welcome! I think we all have a slightly different style. I did a big declutter over 2018-2020 and its mainly maintenance for me. Having a small child means stuff just creeps in, so I like to evaluate stuff as I go along. Today we got out some garden items and toys from a garden storage box (effectively a tiny shed) and stuff we didn't want/need I just gathered up in a donation box. I also cleaned the kitchen and living room and found some stuff to donate. Outs are:

Wooden spoon
Photograph
Pen
Highlighter
String of easter decorations
2 old work lanyards
Lavender hand cream
Outgrown kids sandals
Outgrown kids trainers
Packet of sunflower seeds
4 F&B paint samples
4 flower pots
Glass jar
Metal garden decoration
Wooden vegetable growing lattice thingy
Tape measure
Bottle of wood rot hardener
Broken led light
3 Christmas cards (I know, where havethey been hiding?)
Pin badge
4 empty raw CDs
Old laptop bag
Baby blanket

So it's nothing huge, just stuff I come across on daily basis that's not serving us anymore and we can give away. But it does all add up.

Oops forgot to add - 750.

I'm only counting put of interest to see if I can get to 2023 this year. Tbh probably about half are things that I have a replacement for (like the kids trainers and sandals, but it does keep the clutter down). Other half is just stuff thats beelurking in the corners, like the paint samples or raw CDs which no one uses anymore.

RealFastFoodie the main thing is to just start. I didn't count items last year and felt I'd not achieved much, but seeing the numbers go up is proof that I am. I started on this thread by thinking I'd a bit too much stuff, needed to get more organised but couldn't think of much that I wanted to declutter. Now here I am in April 630 items down - and that's just this year. The more I do it the more I want to do it, I can see real progress with my home now. Despite being a shopaholic and constantly bringing things in the place is looking clearer and tidier. I recommend not creating piles that only get shifted around and never actually disposed of. I don't sell, it slows me up getting rid, my aim is not to make money but to have a clear and tidy home. If you go to put something away and can't because the place it belongs is rammed full, go through that place. As the thread title says - progress not perfection - I've been through the same "finished" places multiple times, getting rid of something each time. I try to do a little each day but if I'm not in the mindset it's fine, I'm doing this to improve my home and life not to beat myself up

Very inspiring both @Pigtailsandall and @IndianSummer78! Yes, the small one is definitely the cause of much of the influx, and it’s hard to keep on top of what might be outgrown (toys etc) and what might come back into favour!

I think we survive mainly by not buying much, so the numbers of things coming in stay low. But the problem is my bargain hunting side, a sale or something good second hand, so I’m putting clothes by for next year or even the year after!

Oooh, the piles of things which don’t get shifted really resonates
@IndianSummer78. Because I’m very into low waste, reduce, reuse, recycle etc, I have trouble with just putting things in the bin, until I’ve exhausted all options, so I have a pile of stuff that needs a good sort and sending to donate, specialist recycling etc.

I think I’m starting to see my problem! 🤣

I’m going to start counting! But only when they are properly out of the door! 👍

No motivation left here but
-2 of my books ( I read and didn’t like the first so the other one from the same series is going too ,and unfortunately I’ve also preordered the next which I now won’t read either )
-3 pairs of old stained socks
-1 random tennis ball
-1 DD small winter coat I’d earmarked to go earlier since it’s so warm
-1 DD stained T-shirt
-a few hair bands
-1 DD used up baking kit

A few more bits identified. Some shampoo and conditioner bottles used up - all had just a bit left in so Ive mixed and matched! Few more gardening and cookery books into a charity bag along with some kids DVDs. The charity shop I ususally use for books and clothes made £164 from my stuff last year so I find that quite motivating too. Realise there a quite a few games/puzzles that could go when I go through the storage unit next. Again they are fitting in there so not a priority. However there are definitely three areas that I keep avoiding - not sure how to overcome my reluctance to get going

Trip to the rag bin at the tip, 28 things (mostly holey socks) and 14 lots of PJs in the charity box. Not convinced they'll resell them but felt better than sending them straight to rags.

Also 8 biros used up and thrown straight out in the last week! Must have bought them all at once and they're all running out together.

659 so far this year.

This is really motivating, thank you. I’m actually away for a few days and starting to think. I think the place to start is actually my big pile of “this needs sorting for selling/donating/recycling” 🤦‍♀️

I've been back to my old job plus my regular job so not much decluttering (it's me separatedmum) but I felt not happy in the house today so we went out, managed to put some recycling in the bin and put some things away which we hanging around so that's a step in the right direction. oh and didn't buy tat when we were out today

Packaging for some furniture gone. Total is 631

I'm not sure if I mentioned it previously but I lost my Dad last year so mum is now living alone in a huge house. They aren't hoarders by any stretch of the imagination but my Dad liked to have stocks of things 'just in case', my Mum also has a not wanting to throw anything away mentality. Therefore I have returned home with a load of stuff from her house that I now have to sort through and either donate or find a place if we can use it.

It really does hammer home the idea that stuff = time and energy. I've been going all morning along with trying to sort the washing and cleaning and its still not done. Soon a friend is going to turn up with a large piece of play equipment she kindly drove back from mums which I really don't know where I'm going to put it :/

Honestly livingdeadgirl I'd put the play equipment on a donation website and give yourself the gift of space. I'm glad your mum is letting you deal with the stuff before you inherit it, it's so much harder to do while grieving.

Your parents mentality is where all my stuff has come from. Not hoarding, but a 3bed house is a large storage container even so. Going today is 4 shoe boxes (contents rehoused). Total is 635

Three cardboard boxes where I've put broken bits of china and glass have now been sealed, labelled and put out for the bins. I have a small kitchen which looks very cluttered very quickly, so even moving those smallish items has made a difference.

My husband has started going through his extensive DC collection and let go of a 100 CDs yesterday! He got to 100 and felt like that was enough for the day and it freed up one very big box!

850 items down now which is fab!

LOL DC instead of CD 😂Terrible mistake to make on mumsnet! Going through an extensive collection of DCs!!

I've got rid of the bedside cot. Yay!! And some baby clothes, sleeping bags and the stretchy sling. I even got some money back.

And I've cleared one side in the kitchen and moved the overflowing bag of bags to a better placed home and got rid of the yucky ones.

Thanks for the understanding, it is good she is letting me deal with it but she gets a little manic and starts trying to get me to take things she may need. I told her to put things aside into boxes for us to look at next time I'm there (I live 200 miles away) so I can get some things straight to charity without taking it on a road trip first.

I've managed to get out a bag of unwanted tins and spices this morning so thats good.

A couple of items going :
-1 broken dog bed
-4 old dog toys
-1 Easter cookie cutter
-2 pairs of old pants
-1 old pair of pyjama bottoms