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!!

Today's outs

2 pairs of outgrown shoes
about 10 outgrown shorts and trousers
2 blankets
A toddler step

Haven’t been here for a while . Busy with life as always . My injured leg is getting better so I’m back to cleaning etc housework . Have been busy just maintaining the house and with kids and the dog etc . it’s never ending and I do think we’ll have to get a cleaner to do the whole house weekly when DS who started with the A-level exams today leaves in the fall so wont be here to help me . Getting through some deep cleaning jobs thanks to DH . Have washed one set of the sofa armchair and foot stool covers . Now just need to change the clean ones on and wash the one more set of sofa covers and store them in a labeled box in the attic we can find them from since we’ve managed loose our spare chair and footstool cover in the mayhem . The dirty ones from the old house had been left in black bags in the attic and we’d never gotten around to washing them then when I organised there last I swear I asked my DS to take a bag down to utility to be washed and maybe it then ended up in the garage and dump grrrrr . I do hope I’ll find them since we can’t buy more they’ve stopped selling the colour last I looked . We’ve scheduled another repair job the developer wanted to do but not the other yearly maintenance ones . I just need to choose some companies , to book them
and hope they’ll do a good job . DH thankfully managed to repair our garden sport lights himself so that job is off the list . Some of the garden furniture arrived he put it together . Still need to buy a few things . Hoping he’ll get further with getting a few small sailing boats ready to sell during the bank holiday weekend and halfterm . We’ve gotten a few medical appointments done , much more needs to happen . A bunch of admin too but the list is so long . My mood has been very low but went out with DH and had an selfcare app today so that cheered me up a bit . Cleaned upstairs before I went then “rage cleaned “ ground floor when back . That took all my energy so post dinner was falling asleep on the sofa . Just a few bits going I’ve gathered up lately .

Out:
-huge boxes from various furniture and other deliveries going to dump next weekend
-DD small riding boots
-old riding whip
-DD small school shoes
-DS school sports kit 15 pieces or so earmarked for second hand sale collection and rag bank
-1 old wooden garden table and 4 chairs
-1 biscuit tin to recycling
-1 leaky dog spray ,bottle to recycling
-1 broken dog hairdryer to small electrical items collection
-1 DS broken school shirt
-2 pairs of old pants
-4 pairs of old socks
-3 old dog toys

I had plans to go through kitchen two food cupboards I’ve started on and back to the attic before my leg injury but have had to leave it while it healed . After earlier furious cleaning my hernia is acting up again so that’ll stop me doing too much . Last time before our trip it got bad after an attic day . Lifting those boxes must have done it . I’ve got the surgeon app booked so then I’ll move on possible having surgery for it .
I have all the laundry to fold again there should be outs from there again .
Well done on all decluttering everyone

Hi, sorry to butt in but I just wanted to clarify your thinking here. You are intending to wear old crappy belts until they break, when you have a drawer of lovely belts? Wouldn't it make more sense to pretend that the crappy belts have already broken and put them in the bin, so that you can wear your lovely belts already? I know this is hard, but you have my permission to take a pair of scissors to those unloved belts. Whoops, they snapped. Oh dear, out they go.

Thanks @IndianSummer78 and @Pigtailsandall

I'm officially 34 weeks today and just waddled to the clothing back luckily from my car and not my house with my 2 year old to donate a lot of the stuff I listed last time on here . I have more to declutter but not sure why I had to get those 4 bags out before I did anymore. I've still got a lot to do not sure how I will manage at this stage of pregnancy but I'm going to try.

Today I finally sorted out the doom box of ancient tangled wires! Some of it is 20 years old as DH started it before we even met.

I had culled the bottom layer before we moved but today I detangled it all, sorted by type and then me and DH played guess that wire!

I negotiated him down to only 6 out of 12 HDMI cables and a small wait and see container full of chargers for mysterious things.

If he uses one it has to be labelled immediately and anything not labelled by this time next year will be chucked.

I feel like I have conquered some shameful, disgusting secret as "The box" has lurked for so long!

I fear he has a smaller version scattered around his office but I don't go in there so it's not my problem, for now at least.

Wow @CornedBeef451 - I’m envious!

not saying much you'd have a point except they're pretty and I like them and they're different to the good ones. They're just rubbish quality that isn't going to last. I'll be happy to get some use out of them first and because I have, I hopefully won't get the urge to go out and replace them with more pretty belts (because the drawer is full). There's method to my madness

Earlier this week I sold a bulky wooden toddler toy and the lovely lady gave me £5 which was unexpected. We also finally cracked open a box of wildflower seeds with little pots, compost discs etc and planted those - so 2 bulky items gone.

991 items down

This weeks outs:

library books went back
some of the dc toys which were broken
load of crappy paperwork
two notebooks

I’ve earmarked two items of my clothing for charity after wearing this week. One pair of black trousers which just don’t do it for me anymore and a whistles top which whilst lovely has shrunk.

@Realfastfoodie I wouldn't be too impressed, it's taken 3 years of regular decluttering to get to the box of doom but it does feel good to get it done!

@IndianSummer78 phew, I am glad to hear they are pretty. I will stop fretting about it now Keep up the good work.

@CornedBeef451 - cables are a bit of a protected species in our house. Every now and again I will win on a broken cable or one where the thing it powers is broken… but in our house they seem to multiply and make new burrows like rabbits!

Well done @ememem84 and @Pigtailsandall - it all adds up!

Sorted out pile of outgrown shoes. OK ones listed on Olio, the rest for the shoe drop off bin.

Lots of school papers sorted out by son from his study area and lots of dusting done by him too. All this motivation because he will be building his new gaming PC tomorrow! One bag filled with paper recycling, lots of old broken pens and pencils into bin. Some pens and pencils surplus to requirements I will take into kids ward in work as they always get through lots.

No decluttering for a week now for me, but my challenge is now to not go shopping (or online) and add to the “ins” without very good reason.

Two things to the charity bag for me. A dress with an annoying neckline I keep fiddling with and a top I just don't like much on me, which is a shame because it's comfortable. This is such a big deal for me because both are nearly new. Previously I'd have carried on wearing them to get some use from them. It's freeing to let them go. Total is 487

realfastfoodie sorry to reply so late but I used to keep cards but have got quite ruthless with them now. With things like 1st birthday cards I think I shredded them when dc were quite young as they would mean nothing to dc when they grew up.

I also decided that if they get 20 cards a year (plus xmas cards) and I kept them all it would be 400 before they were 10 and that would be no benefit to keeping a card from someone we’d soon forget. I started to just keep a couple of special ones. There were a couple of cards drawn by a child or with a handprint and I gave them back to the parent ten years later thinking the child’s efforts would be more appreciated by them - and the parents seemed quite pleased to get them back.

its the same with cards for me, exh used to write a generic message in a card - when he remembered - and I found them quite easy to chuck out even when we were still together. Dp writes thoughtful messages about how much he loves me so I keep them but as I’ve only been with him four years they don’t take up much space.

Now dc go through their cards and choose which ones to keep. It’s not many - perhaps one or two for each birthday - and sometimes we go through them again a year later and they’re happy to throw a card away that they wanted to keep.

sorry it took so long to reply, Mumsnet stopped working on my browser so I installed a new one.

Yesterday I did a lot of cleaning inc marks off walls in the hall etc the dog shaking itself after rainy walks and kids have caused , lots of laundry got washed like always , I folded all the weeks clean dry laundry about 5 baskets and also dealt with a parcel pile of deliveries . DH took the kids to an Aerial Adventure Park for DD this y Birthday treat day out then mowed the lawns and generally tidied the garden in between the gardeners visits . He also took a couple of loads to the dump but at least one more to go with old garden furniture etc . Recycling will be collected tomorrow so some boxes can go with that . Today DS has gone off to a music festival but did some cleaning on the first floor for me first and put away his laundry ( and changed his bed yesterday ) , DD had a riding lesson and is about to go skateboarding after DH finishes washing the driveway with his new jet wash attachment that seems to work quite well , he did the side of the house already . . The slabs have some rust staining from the landscapers in the back so I will have to get some specialist in . DH has tried using some remover already but it didn’t get them all . His doing this makes me feel better about the drive way and patios etc they really needed cleaning ,and it’ll have to be annual now at least ! Had been year and a half .
I’m in the mood to get stuff out of here again so DH going to dump makes me happier plus I’m sorting out the 2 big boxes of charity stuff at least he brought down for me . Pretty sure there’s more upstairs. Hoping he can then take them away soon .Too hot to be in the attic in the day today although we have some fans there . It’s an evening or a cooler weather job . I think I’ll go sort out a food cupboard now instead . I’ve started already so there’s not so much to do on one side . I’ll have to be careful bending over and lifting with my hernia though . I am going through DS school stuff tomorrow since now he only has exams , leavers party and then graduation left . Sports kits and old uniform is being collected so he can take in what’s in good condition when going for the next exam and the rest is going to ragbank . I‘m earmarking DD small sports kit and uniform , old school bag shoes etc to go end of term too . Then good condition ones also will go to her school second hand uniform sale .
Generally trying to maintain the house by doing the cleaning and laundry etc daily and putting stuff away right away everyone else doesn’t then trying to find energy for the extra jobs and decluttering since now I have the time I didn’t when kids were little but not the energy or I’m in too much pain / dizzy so I often feel no progress is being made at all .
So much admin to do too . I manage in bursts then seems like not much for a while again . Depression makes things hard too . I’m trying to count all the stuff that does get done when I feel bad about it .

Out lately :
-DS old skate shoes
-1 DD finished book
-2 DS old sweatshirts
-1 DS old T-shirt
-1 DD old sweatshirt
-6 pairs of old pants
-13 pairs of old socks
-1 pair of DH old pyjamas (+ 1 earmarked to go )
-1 DS sports bag
-1 DS boot bag
-earmarking DD small sports kit about 13 pieces
-earmarking DD school shoes ,1/2 pairs of trainers , 5 skirts , maybe 3/4 cardigans ,lots of school socks , pencil case and stationary ,a school bag , 2 calendars , piano notebook etc

Earmarking stuff sometimes helps me mentally so that’s why I do it . Even if it ends up being a bit later I always follow through .

Thanks @stealthninjamum ! Not sure what I will do but will try to be brave…!

Wow, @Nordicmom you are doing so well!

Thanks @Realfastfoodie , am feeling useless to be honest . I procrastinate so much .

@Nordicmom - to be it sounds very impressive! Especially given everything else going on.

I find procrastination is usually telling me something is hard, or difficult in some way. Cut yourself some slack. My personal tactic when I’ve been finding things difficult is to have a bag/box on the go and not have to decide 100% (maybe that’s what you do with your earmarking?) but to have them out of the way. Gives me a chance to revisit and make a decision either way, and I find it emotionally less had than decision in one. Might that help?

Out 87 in 26 so far for May. Pleased with that under the circumstances of mums sudden death to deal with. I got a few of my older clothes out the wardrobe to wear to see if I still liked them and just ripped a well loved and ten + year old dress scratching my tummy. It just ripped! So there's a few more bits for clothes recycling. I gave a big bag of kids clothes to the clothes bank twice this month. I sold a few bits on Vinted.

I bought a used garden furniture set at the council recycling centre but I won't count that as a in because they are very much needed and the garden is relatively decluttered now.

I'm waiting for a meeting either the declutter but feeling positive I can make a serious dent in things going forward now.

I've booked a day off work next week to go to the tip!

Not just to go to the tip, planning something nice too, but it gives me something to aim for with decluttering and it means I shouldn't need to queue at the tip. Unlike going on a Saturday.

Ah great progress everyone! Nordicmum it sounds like you have a huge house and lots of stuff on the move!!

I forgot that in my haste of going on holiday I posted a top someone had bought on Vinted. It was a big deal for me because it was in great condition, it fitted me and I liked it, but I just didn't wear it. So out it went!

Decluttering on holiday - a kids sticker book which we finished on the trip and had had forever; I used up a perfume sample too, and husband binned a pair of v v holey underpants. We both have way too many socks and pants!!

995 items down.

If you have something that feels too big to tackle then Dana from a Slob Comes Clean says you should give yourself permission to just look through the stuff in the room or the box and remove any rubbish.

Once you've actually seen what's there it's much less of a big deal in your mind and you will hopefully find it easier to try again.

Also don't feel you have to do it all at once, 5 mins makes a difference and then you can have another 5 mins another time until it's all done.

I did most of my house in 15 minute intervals. I can't stand dragging everything out so I would just do one shelf in the bathroom, chuck rubbish, move anything to its correct home (screwdriver in with the toothbrushes?), give it a wipe and put things back tidier. So much less stressful and it feels good next time you see your nice tidy shelf.