Decluttering Thread 5 - Slowly Does It

[Pigtailsandall]

We filled the previous thread quickly! I'm still in the middle of my annual leave and working through my old sentimental items so I need to keep the momentum going! It's taking ages.

@incessantnamechanger
@EllieQ
@nordicmum
@IndianSummer78
@Realfastfoodie
@nordicmom
@CornedBeef451
@thingshavegottogo

@stealthninjamum
@pissedoffneighbour22

Sorry for anyone I missed! Hope you find us!

@Realfastfoodie thank you so much ♥️ I'm going to the doctors on Tuesday and thanks for asking. Not many people ask in real life and if they do they don't really want to know or understand.

@IncessantNameChanger I know what you mean about in's. I've got some Asda orders to collect but I don't really want to go get them for fear of the clutter.

You are right @heartbroken22, I’m so glad you are talking to the GP. There’s so much stigma, or certainly it can feel that way, but it’s actually surprisingly common and there is help.

@Realfastfoodie yeah hopefully I won't have to take the pills too long. I put weight on last time and don't want to again. But I should forget about all that because I need my mental health to be well again for the sake of my kids.

@heartbroken22 you can always ask for something different, but you are right, your family needs you well. But remember that you also need yourself to be well - you are a a whole human being and you deserve happiness and joy as much as anyone.

In the meantime, don’t give yourself a hard time with decluttering or any other chores xx

@heartbroken22 i hope Tuesdays appointment goes well. I would say take it easy but if decluttering is good for your mental health then do that too.

dd2s chest of drawers arrived yesterday. We have a tall one now it replaces two smaller ones. I am delighted with how much decluttering we’ve done and how organised we can be. For example for the first time we have a drawer just for her swimming stuff. It currently has about 5 costumes, one swimming hat, three goggles but there are others dotted around the house as every time she does swimming we end up buying new goggles. It should make our life easier. There’s also a drawer for gym kits.

I just need to advertise the two chests of drawers. They’re really solid - probably better quality than the new one I just bought but took up so much space.

Yesterday: dolls pushchair taken to the charity shop (previously counted but it has taken a while to get out of the house!) and two pairs of DD’s joggers to the charity shop.

Went school uniform shopping so there were several ins as well (skirts, shirts, PE shorts, school socks, new winter PJs). I need to put away the smaller sized items and check if the school will take old uniforms.

Frustratingly I couldn’t get a few things as they had every size but DD’s! This often happens (I was in Morrisons), so I sometimes end up buying stuff when I see it (like the PJs) as I know that when I go back, it might not be there.

Today: cleared and cleaned the top of the chest of drawers in DD’s room and got rid of some bits of paper and a broken plastic toy, plus a few small things (headbands, unused hair clip sets) to go to charity. It was relatively painless and looks much better.

Also brought home a small plant that DD chose from a selection left out ‘free to a good home’ on a nearby street.

So, probably more ins than outs overall, but I will be getting rid of the old school uniform soon.

1 x tatty cardboard photo frame
2 x old cards
5 x old newsletters
1 x jumper that didn't survive the wash

Total is 1165

Very frustrating afternoon with the children unexpectedly out and me looking through loose items to find my aligner still lost then someone from marketplace messaged me so I got out the very good uniform I'd lost hope of selling out of the loft so far I've had to send 1 narrated video and 13 photos with descriptions to this woman! I was so close to saying "you know what? forget it" but I really want to get rid of them, it's over £100 worth of lovely uniform I'm selling for a low amount which wouldn't even get you a blazer she says she can't come until Wednesday so I'm not holding out much hope. pretty frustrated 😤

Got back from holiday yesterday so today was officially DAY ONE of 'Project Declutter'.

In my count am I allowed to include stuff that is now in my car boot ready to take to the charity shop? If so, my decluttered items for day one were as follows:

16 Teddies
1 Toy table cloth
1 Sandals
1 Toy kettle
1 Toy microwave
2 Stretchy frogs
1 Empty bubble solution
1 Packet of seeds
1 Utensil holder
1 Sponge
1 Swim float
2 Clay pots
2 Tealights
1 Empty pen pack
22 Books
2 Tops
1 Pencil case
1 Dried up clay
1 Bag of magazine tat
1 Electronic toy
1 Junk modelling project
2 Magazines
1 Toy drum

Quite pleased with my efforts, but there is no way I can keep this kind of momentum. It is fairly rare that I have a whole day with no other plans. The one thing that today taught me though is that I have a mammoth task ahead...

Day 1 total = 64

This is what makes me dread the day when I get to the stuff that I want to sell rather than chuck. Hope you manage to shift it!

So frustrating re people who don’t show up. DH is very much a “ah we’ll sell it” type. But doesn’t realise how much effort goes into actually doing that.

today I’ve sorted out the understairs cupboard (again)
sorted out the smaller bit of my wardrobe

and have just now emptied the bathroom cabinet while dd is having a bath. Grouped all medicines together (Ie all ibruprofen together all paracetamol together etc) thrown out anything close to its expiry date.

Great start @thirdistheonewiththehairychest!

@tallsmallmum I won't do market place any more as I had one mum always ask for everything, then say she get someone to pick up but never came. Should have blocked her really.

Me and dh Cleaned the car out today. One pair of wellies gone and countless bags full of tat.

We are are also pet sitting a tortoise so some more general tat to make room in the toy area.

Need to sort out coats and toys once I finish the last few clothes areas.

I never did my "out, out" or Christmas clothes. Got them all out, ignored it for a week and dh has put it all back now. Maybe my clothes can wait. The car and house looks good now. It's all starting to show which frankly feels amazing

I wrote a big long reply, and then somehow managed to lose it. Can’t honestly be bothered to write it again. But in summary -

@IncessantNameChanger - well done! Do the things that help you the most!

@thirdistheonewiththehairychest - that’s an amazing start. In some ways it’s harder at the start and some ways it’s easier. Count whichever way works for you. For me, the boot of the car wouldn’t count because for me it would just be another place to accumulate crap, but if it works for you, do it!

@tallsmallmum - I feel your pain! People messing about is really annoying. A few weeks ago I had a guy get really shirty with me that he couldn’t have a load of toy cars as well as the garage I had listed (for free). I told him I’d left it outside my house, so couldn’t hold it for him. By the time he turned up, the second thing he wanted had gone and he was fairly rude. Honestly people are sometimes astoundingly rude!

Great progress @IndianSummer78. you are just so consistent!

@stealthninjamum - I don’t buy too much really, but I really really love getting the right furniture in place so things can be kept properly in place!

@IncessantNameChanger - one tip I sometimes use for stuff that I don’t use but finding hard to get rid of is to bag it up and shove it somewhere out of the way. After 6 months you know what if anything you have missed. Could this work for your clothes that you no longer wear?

Thanks thats a good idea, I do have a bag of clothes I was wavering over in the bottom of my wardrobe. So I could get rid of these and refill the bag

As predicted, a much less productive Day 2!

1 bag of flyers/brochure
1 lanyard
1 plastic tube
1 wristband
1 craft project
1 run out pen
1 bead bracelet

Plus I had to take DD to get loads of new school bits so spent a fortune and now have all of that in the house 🙄

I found a magnetic toy dartboard that can go yesterday. I’m making slow progress but that’s better than no progress.

Well done everyone. A little progress every day is definitely the way to go @stealthninjamum. I’m hoping to do some consolidation today, sort out my “out pile” and get as much out the door as possible.

I spent today and yesterday listing things on Vinted. No real outs, too many ins due to new uniform etc.

I'm just not sure I want to keep 40+ things that I'm selling on Vinted. I have re uploaded some things I have had listed for over a month. I've got the room in the bottom of ds wardrobe, but as I keep clearing the room gets taken up.

I think I might be happier just letting things go after a month. Some things are on for £1! I have made about £90 which will easily buy new school shoes which was the aim

August out 345
In 23

Not sure I can reach 500 out for August now, but should be doable in October when the kids go back I think.

I absolutely have no need whatsoever to buy any clothes in October! Must not buy any clothes.

Setting yourself a space limit for vinted stuff might be the answer @IncessantNameChanger ? So getting a box for vinted things and if you have more to sell, swap out the stuff that’s been there a month?

I’m sure that was a tip I read on here. I’m only really selling things that are worth £15+ as otherwise it’s way too much faff for me. But I liked the idea!

Can I join too, also back from holiday and realising the chaos we live in is unnecessary! Plus we are soon to be starting a whole house renovation and need to clear as much as possible for that. Going to keep a list and totals as think this will inspire me.

So far:

• 1 chipped mug
• 3 bras
• old glue
• 2 broken electrical items
• kids mini torch

This afternoons task is listing on eBay and Vinted. Thanks for all the inspiration so far

👋 welcome renomeno, great start!

My big realisation is that I absolutely must must must find “memory boxes” so I can put some chosen bits in, and give myself permission to throw a few drawings and cards away

@Realfastfoodie I had that realisation a couple of years ago. In my case I had things like hobby / school certificates, house point badges, prefect badges, medals, artwork, cards for dc and these things seemed to move around the house. One of my to do’s is to buy a fancy box but at the moment dd2 has a giftbox from a wine set and dd1 has a plain box lever folder. I have a metallic box but still find a lot of my things painful to look at because I was with exh for so long.

No proper decluttering today but I did throw out some fridge jars with things like barbecue sauce from last year and very old pasta sauces.