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!

I've taken 4 pairs of old glasses to the opticians for recycling today.

Bought a box for buttons. Condensed two cardboard boxes of buttons into one by removing them from their little plastic packets.

Outs:

1 x leaking shower hose
1 x pile of little plastic bags
2 x cardboard boxes
1 x duvet cover
2 x pillow cases

Total is 1480

I didn't declutter as much paperwork as I thought but took 4 piles of different sets of docs to work for shredding today. Also have burned a lovely candle and can now recycle the glass jar. I had it for years and kept saving it for "someday"!

At 1742 now

A few more eBay sales:

1 jacket
2 x baby bedding
1 large baby item

Total 1024

The baby item's box was still in the pile of unopened boxes from moving in (2.5yrs ago). I've unpacked it and some of the stuff can go in the next tip run. Box used to post the item.

What annoys me about eBay is they charge you even when you don’t sell an item!

@ThreeBearsPorridge I don't get charged unless I sell an item.
My account says 'it's free to list' then says 999+ items remaining for the month.

Ended up finding 7 dog toys from attic new dog toys box that our dog won’t care for and that can then be donated so I’ll be sending 8 since already had one put aside earlier .
Otherwise just 2 liquid detergents from DS earmarked to go to food bank since his uni washing machines needed capsules and we don’t use liquid. He’s soon visiting us , and we’ll go out to brunch near his halls soon too then we can bring him stuff / take stuff in our car .
Also too small hockey shin pads from DD . Am itching to look through DS remaining clothes with him next weekend , hopefully he can edit them a bit further .
Need to check through more of DD shoes as well . At least one pair of winter boots were small earlier but so little used they can go to charity ( Ugg ones so not cheap ) .
I’ll be on the look out for more but it’s admin and laundry day after daily cleaning .

Out :
-1 wooden spoon
-2 more unwanted dog toys
-2 liquid detergents to food bank
-1 pair of small shin pads

I've decluttered
A poster that had been scribbled on
A completed colouring book
Broken crayons
A few broken toys.

Will try to tackle other toys later but all my kids including baby have the cold so feel miserable. I think I might give the Marie kondo book another read for inspiration since it's hard to get rid of things particular my kids toys and blankets. Surely I can't be the only parent that hasn't kept any sleepsuits or anything from their older children?

Well done @Nordicmom.

A little gentle progress here sorting more shelves and other clutter catching spots:
3 jars out of date
2 magazines
4 bits of paperwork
1 old packaging

110 total for oct
1354 total

Plus I’ve identified 5 puzzles that can go to my kid’s nursery and have checked they still want them, so hopefully they will go later today.

If anyone wants a mini skip, I’ve used hippobag before and they are good - offer code below

I have a few storage bags of kids baby blankets I can’t get rid of. One of the blankets was DHs when he was a baby so that’ll never be allowed to go.
don’t think I have other baby clothes though, they got passed along to the next DC and then out of the house.
have got 3 Clark’s boxes with their first shoes in though.

OUT/ON WAY OUT:
box of ex-necklace beads (tbc this weekend)
selection of WW2 posters I’ve kept for ages, have decided to keep just one (being collected today)
couple of wood carved animals GONE
3 x board games (tbc)
1 travel game (listed on Fb)
2 x packs of cards with some missing - Recycled
Keyholder thing you hang on the wall (awaiting collection)
old Mr Potato head set (listed on Fb)

also out:
2 small pots I filled with sweets for a local raffle thing.
1 holey shopping bag

Can I join you all, please? Need some help and gentle decluttering encouragement! Got home improvements coming up and need to pack everything up to store while it happens so there's the motivation and incentive.

Today I cleared out

• a box of random cables
• 9 cable ties
• old receipts with expired warranties

Can I ask about sentimental papers and such? I seem to keep loads (feels like loads, anyway) and can't build myself up to cull them. Things like new greetings cards! I have gone through and culled a lot, kept a couple of milestone cards from my parents eg, but I have a mountain of new baby cards that I can't bring myself to cull, not even by 1 🙈 any help?!

Welcome @Toddler101 - it’s sentimental things like cards that get me too. The best advice about this that I got on here was to get a memory box and that limits how much stuff you can keep. Having a place to put sentimental things, but a finite space, helps me a lot with parting with some of the things and not letting the others clutter my space.

The other approach is to enjoy it. Enjoy the cards for your new baby, keep them up! I’m certainly doing that for a long while this time! It’s not clutter if it gives you joy, the objective is to enjoy your space not win a decluttering award 😊

Well done @LivingInaBuildingSite. I’m already massively thinking about which babygrows and blankets will be kept for each child 🤦‍♀️ and being massively sentimental about the fact that at some point my newborn will grow out of her first size clothes 💔

@Realfastfoodie can't keep them up forever though!

Oh their baby clothes! I might get them turned into a quilted blanket (Etsy!) but part of me feels this is wasteful to cut them up as the clothes have so much wear left in them. I'm so torn whether to donate or quilt!

@Realfastfoodie I should add, baby1 is now a pre-schooler and baby2 is 6m!

Hi everyone, would love to join you all 😊

I’ve gone a bit mad the last few days just throwing things out or listing clothes on vinted. I was on a rampage for about 4 hours tonight just throwing clothes out of my drawers and wardrobe. The house just feels like it’s coming down with clothes/washings and I need to get rid of a big chunk of them to make the whole cycle a bit more manageable 🤯 I’m not getting clothes dried in time to be able to wash the next lot and have now bought 4 airers that we have infront of the fire to try to speed things up but it’s still 2 days at least between loads.

I’ve got a newborn and a toddler so I have the same toy/clothes issues there 😩 I’m going to do my best to spend 1 hour out of each day sorting either a cupboard or area of the house. I’m going to save a list of areas in my phone and tick them off as I go

10 books ready to send off to Ziffit - DPD are collecting in the morning.

Total 1034.

Really glad these are going as my DP is finally parting with some items. The books are mainly his heavy physics textbooks and some car manuals that were taking up a lot of room and weighed a ton.

My dad popped by this morning and we discussed how bad it is that I've removed over a thousand items from the house yet it's not even noticeable. He said I hoarded as a kid too and we think it's down to me growing up with nothing so the few things I did have were given more importance than they should have had.
He is decluttering his MIL's house (she is a serious hoarder) and has thrown out 10 bin liners full of books just from one cupboard - so at least I'm not that bad yet 😄

@Itsalongstoryy Welcome!

I was in your position a year ago with a toddler and baby. I intended to sort my house out and failed miserably. I regret it so much now that I didn't press on and do it as now I'm back at work full time I just can't get much done at all.

Good luck staying on track. Ticking things off is a good method :)

PissedOff I felt the same about 1000 items. However at almost 1500 I'm starting to see a noticeable difference. Does make me wonder exactly how much is in here though!

Toddler I scrapbook with sentimental papery things, photos etc

Welcome Story

Today I went through a pile of paperwork relating to a deceased pet 😪 and a few other bits

2 x tenancy agreements
2 x booklets
3 x photos
1 x document folder
7 x documents
30 x receipts
8 x leaflets

Total is 1533

Welcome @Itsalongstoryy ! The best advice I can give you about washing is to put a fan on the racks, you will not believe the difference it makes. More than the fire.

If you can get hold of a dehumidifier then that would help too, but the fan is a game changer.

@IndianSummer78 I honestly think even 3000 items out wouldn't make much of a difference. Where does it all come from? I'm sure it's breeding 😄.

@IndianSummer78 I don't think there's a scrap book big enough for all the sentimental things I've kept to date 🙈

Can I ask, when you all put 'total is 1533' or whatever number, what does that mean?

Already this morning I've got rid of

• an old digital compact camera and it'd associated manual,box and cables
• half open pack of colouring pens never used
• bag of old shoes that I thought went in the bin last year!

Toddler some of us like to keep track, or are in competition with ourselves, for motivation and reassurance that we really are achieving something because it doesn't look it. There's something addictive about watching the numbers creep up as you get rid of things. May as well harness my personality flaws into something useful! I've been decluttering since the beginning of the year and am frankly astounded and mildly horrified that I even had a thousand items in my home, although since that barely made a dent it's probably more like 20k or something. I can't imagine. It's like trying to picture infinity. Decluttering is slowly curing me of my spendthrift ways 💸

PissedOff definitely breeding. No way did I buy duplicates because I forgot what I had. Nope, not me 😆. Sadly, I know exactly where it's come from since it was me who crammed it, tetris-like, into every nook and cranny

@LivingInaBuildingSite I was hoping to keep a blanket each for my kids but don't want it to become 'sentimental' in a way that when they grow up they can't get rid of it or if it got lost it would upset them. Torn between the idea of storing them or getting rid of them.

I've never been one to keep things but seeing my kids grow up makes me want to keep their stuff to hold onto.

As for decluttering got rid of
0-3 months fancy hat
0-3 months cardigan
0-3 months dress
Some towel style nappy inserts x 3

It was only a small bag. But I hope someone gets more use out of them than I did as they were practically new!