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 aww congratulations ♥️ it's hard at first but gets easier once you get used to baby. Enjoy!

@Pigtailsandall must be the change in seasons as I'm feeling very sleepy today too! Also want to crawl back into bed and come out when summer comes once again!

@Realfastfoodie congratulations!! 🎉

Definitely think I was a hibernating creature in a past life lol. This time of year makes me want to retreat to bed.

However I have cleared the laundry & ironing piles - just need the DC to put away theirs 🙄

And started tackling the garage/storage area.

Out so far today:

old pair of tights
tatty shorts
old tshirt
old broken kite
ancient pillow
broken cycling helmet
tatty old cap
9 x crap covid masks (have a box of better ones, hope we never them again!)
Loads x old covid tests (OOD and also hope we don’t need them)
pile of old screws (have shedloads more in a box all divided up, might consider donating as I never look there for any reason)

Need DH to look over some other bits and pieces so maybe more later.

A few old/broken/unidentified straps in the bin.

Two boxes brought down to my height that are full of bits and bobs that belong to the builders - must get them to go through at some point.

Might go back to photo albums now.

I added a faded dress, shorts, and a few other things to the bag today. Felt good getting rid of it. It was mostly those items my kids wore that bothered me. I always know if something bothers me I have to get rid of it. Hopefully will get more stuff out soon.

Congratulations Realfastfoodie on the new arrival I envy you the new baby smell but not the sleepless nights!
Small bag to charity shop with a few books an out grown school jumper and a small bathroom storage unit. Decided not to tempt fate and take a few wine glasses that are never used in case they got smashed in the bag. Don’t panic they are only not used because there are others I prefer 😆🤣🍷

Yesterday's stuff to charity! 3 carriers test, one today

2 jeans
2 khaki trousers
2 music books
Jack wills gilet
Coat French connection
2 pairs tall boots
1 sweatshirt
1 dress
1 tee shirt
4 pants (bin)
Sex and city dvds
1 paper back
4 big art books
2 jackets
1 ankle boots
1 red shirt
Approx 5 tee shirts
8 DD’s dresses

Plus I did 3 bags from DD1 last week - on a roll at the moment

Hopeful of more stuff tonight - DD2 is a massive charity shop buyer and has not changed size for years and tastes change

Also a few kitchen bits last week

I've just recycled 2 empty perfume bottles that I planned on selling. Honestly not got the time and would rather help my kids do something exciting. Need the space too.

Extra Outs today:

• large tent donated to scouts

• camping cupboard donated to scouts

Tomorrow:
old big kitchen cupboard to tip (DH)
piles of random crap DH has gathered also to tip (DH)

more photos (have honestly binned so many inches worth, all scenery, birds, wildlife, blurry ones, duplicates, etc.)

bookshelves in front room (next area of doom to tackle)

It's the dark I think that makes me want to hibernate. Sun goes down and my brain says ok it's bed time now, even though it's only 6pm in winter

Today's outs: two too small jumpers. Total is 1258

Sold two things on Vinted today. House in a mess from the big sort out yesterday. Need to look out a slob comes clean on how to make more mess sorting things out!

Any tips for selling on Vinted? Unfortunately I never have the patience. How much do you price items? How long does it take to sell? Do u sell bundles?

Took some mismatched teaspoon to work and left in the kitchen, there are never enough spoons

Sale on Vinted - heartbroken I tend just to list special items like pram suits, Christmas or Halloween outfits and anything Boden or Frugi. The rest I bundle and sell on Marketplace. Take photos if front, back, any marks and the size label. It takes about five minutes to list an item so I tend to keep a box of items that need listing and do one or two in an odd moment rather than having a blitz. It's more about the reusing than the cash for me so I rend to price fairly low - however the prices suggest by the algorithm at the moment are ridiculously low so I've ignored them.

1,241 outs so far, my goal for September is 1,250, nearly there!

That's lovely advice thank you 🙏

I sell quite a bit on Vinted @heartbroken22 and I price things about 15% higher than what I actually want so I can take offers. I have sold some bundles but mostly single items. Good photos are a key - I usually do front, back, label, any detailing or any flaws. I price fairly low unless it is a new with tags item.

I've just sold a bundle - joggers and a thick big jumper which is great because both were too big for me, and they have made a dent due to size in my wardrobe. I also sold a pair of earrings which I bought for an event and only wore once.

I am also counting a pile of letters as one thing - they all arrived for the previous owner over the last few months (even though we have lived in our house for 8 years!!!) and I finally wrote "return to sender" on all of them and shoved them in a postbox. Oddly proud of myself

Total is 1622.

I lost my Vinted tips 😅 as it didn't post.

I try to take things on a white background like a door. I have these over door hangers from Primark to put the hangers on. New with tags kids things like TU-H&M are £3-5. Boden kids things are around £4-5 used. Anything else is about 3-4. Sometimes I sell things for £1 including really nice things that have a single hole or rip. I hope people build there bundles but sometime I'm posting a £1 item. My clothes are 2-15.

Take photo of back, front, size label care label in a big batch then upload then 4 items a day to stay at the top of searches. Don't really make much about £250 since July but it reinforces to me the money has gone buying it in the first place. Also pays for things we need.

Have now finished going through the photo albums, more inches of duff photos in the bin. And put back any loose photos in at least roughly the right places.

Lots of photocopies of photos in the recycling (my mum used to do that for specific photos to show people then put them copies back in the album room!).

Broken album in the bin.

Random spare cat toy in the charity box.

Rehomed gift bags to one drawer so we can at least find them all in just the one place now.

Old bra to fabric recycling bag.

Couple of empty cardboard boxes ready to go out with the recycling on Friday.

2 books to charity box.

DD wanted all the craft stuff, mostly colourful paper so it’s gone into her —pit of doom— bedroom.

busy mums taxi this eve so prob won’t get much more done today. School meetings tomorrow then work for 3 long days, so back to it on Monday.

13 dvds and 3 books sent off to Ziffit for a grand total of £6 😕.

Total 939.

@LivingInaBuildingSite I need to do that with my mums photos one day. I will put it off. Got her death cert so had a trip round the M25. Picked up two chairs free in my home county. God what a hoarder!!! Still they was free, I could always bin them. They was out in the high street saying please take 😳 I have maybe 25 chairs lots of teapots. Chairs are a issue for me. Luckily only have about ten inside the house at any one time. I do have four kids btw. So 8 dining chairs. Two rocking chairs In the conservatory. 6 piled up in the summer house ( sounds exotic but it's a log cabin the size of a decent shed ).

One vinted sale. Pair of my pants in the bin. Bought dd a Boden coat from a charity shop in my home town. Old habits die hard. That can live in the car.

My professional declutter has disappeared of the face of the earth. Just as well after the chairs today. They are lovely. Both need work. I need to be shot. I need electric shock therapy

Haha @IncessantNameChanger I too have a weakness for dining chairs, especially if they need work, and they are cheap or free.
I have in the past actually got round to refurbishing some chairs which look great. Some fell apart. Win some lose some I guess.

I tend to a weakness for lots of furniture; bookshelves, armchairs, sideboard things. I am getting better at not saying I want them now but they tug away when I see them.

One holey tights
One holey knickers
One hoodie that doesn't match anything

Total is 1261

@IncessantNameChanger you are doing incredibly well!

It must have been very hard to hear that from your son but at least you are addressing it now.

I wish I had started this process earlier, I feel guilty about my parenting when the DCs were small and the house was full of stuff.

At least now I am teaching them good habits and trying to provide a good example for them as they grow up.

Thank you @Pigtailsandall and @IncessantNameChanger I've taken note of your tips and hopefully will start something soon. I think I find it hard keeping stuff because my parents were hoarders so I try to do the quickest thing of getting them out but if I earn money this way and the clothes don't go to landfill than that's great!

Got rid of a thermos that stopped working. DH said keep it we can use it to fill water and I thought maybe?2 days later got rid of it.

@heartbroken22 I have all my vinted stuff in a ginormous carrier bag in the boot. Every so often I get rid of it all and then start again. I know what you mean about quicker route out the house. I threw two pairs of shoes straight into the bin today when normally I recycle them.

Doing a big clean today but some clutter is going as I clean. When little piles start to appear, the dust starts to piles up around it too.

I think if I just Binned 20 of my big items my clothes would be back on track. Same for dd. Done so well with her things so it all fits away, but it would be good to have free space in the wardrobe and draws.

Another problem is I don't have a plan on what area I'm working on

One DVD binned. I didn't think much of the film first time around and was only keeping it to gawp at Sam Rockwell but it's so boring I don't bother watching it it's just playing in the background, so out it goes. Total is 1262