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!!

A local lady just came to get 3 bulky jigsaw puzzles! 684 items down.

For cards, I think stacey solomon did a card book type of thing on her BBC decluttering programme which looked nice; she stapled them together st the middle. Might be quite nice for cards. I keep some, but only the ones with a special message on them

So sorry to hear your news Incessant

I bought Dana's Decluttering book, skipped the living room bit because the LR is quite good already and started on the kitchen. I'll go back to the living room at the end, maybe. I like her insistence that it's OK to clear out cupboards in the kitchen I will come back with more info about this when I'm not tired. Our kitchen is a bit of a disaster so this should help. It's tiny and poorly designed with hardly any storage especially for the amount of food we have/use. It gets all cobwebby and coated in greasy, sticky dust which I hate too.

For cards, for each occasion I usually go through and save the ones with longer messages in and/or where I like the pictures. I recycle the rest. Then I keep them in a memory box. I normally only keep milestone birthday cards, unless they are really special ones. It is lovely to look back at old cards, but you don't need 30. A couple is enough. Keeping them in a book can work well, or photo album. You can cut the back off and flip it around so that the picture and message are both visible at once. If you want to remember how many cards he received you could always make a note for his birthday photo album? Just write something like: "You got so many cards, from:" and list them all.

Thanks x

I had a good weekend on the clearing out front. 40 items out to the clothing bank. I could have got rid of more but I felt a bit burnt out emotionally after that. Back on it tomorrow

Another 29 items sold and posted for eBay. Total now 436.

It still doesn't feel like it's making a difference but surely it must be!

Wow! 29 for eBay that’s epic @PissedOffNeighbour22!

Top tips for packaging and mailing that many on EBay?! I haven't done more than ten in one go and even that was bad.

I do everything free collection from home, that way you can book as many as you need and they print the address and postage for you. It’s cheaper too I think.

I've taken out

1 Easter bonnet hat
1 cap
1 pair of dds shoes that I've kept for 2 years and they don't look that great
1 witches dress
1 Dorothy dress
4 scarves (I feel like I can still use these when dying my hair) but no they're going. They're both bobbly. My sister said just iron it but honestly I don't have the time and I can still see the bobbly bits. It gives me anxiety.
2 Muslin cloths that belonged to my 2 year old that she's had since birth. I find letting go of my children's stuff the hardest. Also find it hard to repurpose stuff like cut bedsheets into rags and she them as clothes or something.
1 toddler pillow
10 pairs of kids briefs that's are too small.
1 pair of leggings that's are too small for me right now.
1 Snap band that kids won somewhere. It's really cheap and hurts them.
4 pairs of uncomfortable briefs.
2 school tights
1 kids vest
1 pair of kids bobbly grubby gloves
2 pairs of kids socks
1 random baby mitt
3 baby socks in first size
3 tiny baby sleepsuits
7 x short sleeve vests in 3-6 months
2 x long sleeve vests first size
8 sleepsuits in 0-3 months
3 tops on 0-3 months
1 newborn vest
2 long sleeve long vests in tiny baby
1 dress in size

Sorry for the long list. Hopefully if I write it down here it will give me some accountability instead of going back to my car and getting the bags and thinking I can still use this.

Some more

5 short sleeve vests in first size.
1 pair of wellies
6 sleepsuits in first size
3 long sleeve vests in first size
1 sleepsuit in 3-6 months
1 hat in first size
4 cellular blankets

2 newborn hats
2 long sleeve vests in first size
1 coat in 9-12 months.

I've just taken the whole of the newborn buggy outside with a note on it saying "FOR FREE" then I had to tuck the note inside so it wouldn't get blown away by the wind Oh well!!

If nonody takes it by the time I pick the DC up I will wheel it to the community centre in the next street because I know for a fact they have a family meeting this afternoon and I'm sure they will find somebody to give it to there.

I will report back.

I had lovingly tucked all the accessories - rain covers, adapters, instructions, spare sheets etc all inside. I even labelled the adapters. I am so sick of this thing but it should make somebody happy.

oh that's so lovely. could you tape the label on with masking tape? I lot of my for free stuff went during the school pickup

I did use masking tape, but it was still too windy!

It was still there when I went to get the kids, so I moved it to the community centre where they have a family meet on Monday afternoons. By the time we got home, it was gone! So should be to a good home.

Also today my friend asked if I have any 100% cotton clothes for her daughter who has just been diagnosed with eczema. I had lots! So boxed those up for her and sent photos.

And then when I was picking up DC, nursery had a sign asking for spare pants and trousers. So have bagged up the outgrown ones, plus too small sun hats and winter hats for them.

Phew!

@Realfastfoodie Thanks. Takes ages to package them but it's worth it. I think I've made at least £100 from the ones I've posted out but as usual none of the collection ones paid/turned up 😑.

I've managed to list some more things tonight so fingers crossed I have more to go in 10 days.

Don't apologize for the lists heartbroken, use the thread however suits you. Like another poster I get inspiration from what to tackle by reading people's lists

Cards RealFastFoodie and other things, photos etc, I make a scrapbook. You can get rid of so much by cutting out the bits you want to keep. I find a pile of photos gets reduced to one large page by the time I've cut out the tree that looks like is growing out of someone's head, the blurry backgrounds and the person next to them pulling a weird face etc etc. A pile of Christmas cards from a special Christmas I'd keep the picture I like best and cut the personal messages out of the others, put it all on a page with some photos of the occasion

Thanks @IndianSummer78. I think that’s been my instinct - to want to keep them for collaging or doing something special with, but the reality is I don’t have the time/energy at the moment, and not sure I will. I will keep for a bit longer in a folder i think.

I’m up to 245 but with two big bags for charity still to go out.

Latest things include:
2 big boxes of packaging and junk from diy
3 enormous boxes of medication packaging
2 bits of carpet gripper
1 old cable reel
1 broken lampshade
3 offcuts of wood
10 General junk from our loft
1 big bag for black bin
1 broken clock
29 birthday cards
3 gu pots
1 lampshade
1 picture no longer wanted
3 bottles liqueurs (tipped away last bits as not wanted)
1 cake board
3 big bags plastic recycling

How did I have so much junk in the house?!

I’ve decided to chuck away cards that aren’t emotional and keep the ones that are, for now, in a folder. The amount of effort to get rid of some of these is too much at the moment!

One item sold on vinted posted, hall side table cleared of junk mail, and 3 magazines passed on.

Need to have a good sort through my sons clothes tonight.

Yesterday I went through the drawer of belts because there's too many to find anything. I've pulled out all the crappy ones that came free with clothing and although they're not binned yet I'm counting them as outs. They're on the floor in front of the drawer and I'll wear only these until they die from use and get binned, which won't take long with their poor quality. Today I'm putting a too small baby romper into the charity bag. Total is 485

Great work everyone. I’m finding this so motivating thank you!

Charity bags went this pm and posted another eBay thing. (Thanks for the motivation on eBay!) total 279

I finished 3 travel-size cosmetics, and DC finished with 2 tiny bubble wands. Bubble wands tend to be in every single kids party bag now.

@Realfastfoodie and @heartbroken22 wow you guys are really gathering speed - well done! I feel like spring and summer in the air just make you want to clear out stuff more than the dark, dreary winter months. You want to feel lighter!

I realised that I was at 900-something items and then my dyslexia swapped the nine to a six and I went back to 600s! Ha! I just checked and I am definitely at 989 items now. I'll see if I can break 1000 before going on holiday - that would be amazing.

Wow @Pigtailsandall! Rooting for you to break 1000! I’m finding the counting so helpful. It makes me “find a way” (including the bin, which I find hard) to actually get things out of my house.

I know I must be doing well as my MIL (tidyer and declutterer extraordinaire!) commented on how well we were doing and actually encouraged me to keep something 🤣