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!

It’s always a fine balance between sentimentality and clutter I find.

I certainly don’t want to load my kids with all my crap, as I have my mums stuff - as I lived closest to her when she died - and that is hard enough for me to sort out and get rid of, although I’m nearly there with her stuff. I’m trying not to attach too much emotion to my own belongings so my kids don’t think they have to keep such and such as mum loved it so much.

OUT/ON WAY OUT:
box of ex-necklace beads (tbc this weekend)
3 x board games (tbc)
1 travel game (listed on Fb)
Keyholder thing you hang on the wall (awaiting collection)
old Mr Potato head set (listed on Fb)

have gone the wrong way today as bought myself 2 x pairs of trousers (needed though) and DD a new coat for winter (also needed). A gamble as she might not like it but off on a family trip to Ireland next week and she will have to have a decent coat even if it’s not fashionable 😂

also bought a new travel mug as DH keeps stealing mine 🙄

I’ve made a start on a box of crap that has been sitting in our bedroom since we moved. It’s an amalgamation of a bunch of things in different boxes that couldn’t be unpacked for various reasons but is gathering clutter. A bunch of things have been found a sensible home (showing I hope things are getting more organised) and 22 things for the bin including:

3 little Xmas decorations
1 small box
3 receipts
1 old hairbrush
1 out of date inhaler
1 necklace

The 5 games/puzzles got dropped off yesterday and another one for collection today.

I have started the process of swapping DD and DS2’s bedrooms.
DD still doesn’t know she’s moving into his room, so far she’s moved to the front room with the sofa bed on a temp basis while her room gets redecorated over half term. She thinks she’s going back in there.

DS2 has moved into her room but with hardly any stuff so the painter can get to the main wall that needs doing.

DS2’s room will also be redecorated, just plain off white. When we come back from Irish holiday I’ll finally let her know.

I couldn’t face the pestering and planning and questions and ideas, etc etc from her if she knew beforehand 😂

hoping I can go through all her stuff she’s currently boxed up once she has proper space and get rid of lots 🤞

Done a 10 minute wardrobe blitz this evening. Filled a laundry basket. So that’s been bagged up for charity shop tomorrow. Win.

I have found that blitzing things in bite size chunks works best for me. Then I have to get the stuff out the house. So will do a charity shop run today after I finish work and before the school run.

Added a handbag to the pile today too. And will maybe add a top later on. I’m wearing said top today to see how I like it.

Well done @ememem84. My mindset before I joined the thread was the opposite. I wanted to batch every possible job (eg baby bank run) so would hoard huge piles of stuff for sorting/ getting rid. The reason I like this group is that I can’t count things until they have actually gone

I haven't been up to much. The appeals have drained me. I do think I will get rid of my Vinted stuff just before Halloween as I don't want it all hanging around forever. I should really sort the kids shoes out and go to the dump today. Might do that actually now

Regarding baby clothes, my DD is 8 and it’s only over the last year that I’ve been able to get rid of her old clothes - I kept everything, boxed up by size. I still need to do newborn and 0-3 months, but have gone through the rest and kept a few favourite items from each size - sleep suits, outfits etc. I also have favourite baby blankets, and still have her pram 🙈

It was definitely linked to emotions as I would have liked another child, but it wasn’t possible due to age/ health issues. I wouldn’t have been able to do so much without the support/ accountability of this thread.

Toddler, re the baby cards that can't stay up forever... Why not? There's no baby-card-police to come make you take them down. If it's because "society says so" just remember this - "society" doesn't live in your house, you do. Someone created that art and put it on a card, someone else bought it and gave it to you with love. If you don't want to get rid of it, that's fine. Frame it and put it on your wall, it's art with personal meaning. If a pickled half-sheep and a messy bed ended up in an art galery because they're so amazing, you can have some baby cards on display until you die, if you so wish

I'm.the same. My dd has just turned 9 and my last child sadly.

Oh this makes me feel better. I'd like another but DH absolutely is done at 2. So I think there are definitely emotions involved for me getting rid of baby clothes makes it feel set and done. Mine are still much younger though so it feels too soon as well!

One pair of holey pyjama bottoms. Total is 1534

33 more things sold on eBay and posted. Very happy as it included some large items like a large Duplo set, baby seat and a jacket.
Annoyed that there are another 4 items that I don't think I'll be paid for.

Total is now 1054.

The ziffit order was collected so I'm now in the process of collecting items for a second box to sell.

I don't know if it would help anyone else with the baby clothes issue but I found I had kept two nappy boxes full of my favourite baby/toddler clothes in the loft for about a decade!

They had moved house with us without me ever looking in them so I finally braved it. Some things I found I wasn't actually that attached to so just washed them and sent to the charity shop.

The bits I really liked I have turned into gift bags. They're not well made, I just sewed up the neck and armholes or the bottom as nicely as I could and then we use them as gift bags at Christmas, tied up with nice ribbon.

It means I get to see them at least once a year but they're put away with the Christmas things in the loft, in see though plastic boxes, in the Christmas section, labelled as gift bags/bring down beginning of December. (I am very proud of the labelling, it's very new. No more mystery boxes, I can't be trusted!)

It works for us as I gave up wrapping paper about 5 years ago and switched to Japanese cloth wrapping instead.

It sounds wanky but saves time on gift wrapping as it's surprisingly easy and no fighting with sellotape, and easy clear up as I just chuck all the scarves and home made gift bags back in the box for next year.

I love seeing DS's little Hawaiian shirts and DD's pretty little dresses come out every year!

We are having a rare quite Saturday so I might just crack on today with something. I don't normally declutter at weekends.

I forgot to submit my last working document of my son ehcp for his appeal and it went before the judge without that in Friday. I felt sick but hopefully the judge will look again.

Dd, ds are still wondering the house in a state of undress. I wonder why they even have causal clothes some days!

I've cleaned the 'rubbish' area of the kitchen and tidyed the hall, lots of packaging taken out and an old pair of crocs thrown away.

Well done everyone. Love that suggestion @CornedBeef451 - I might do that with some favourites when the time comes. Maybe Muslins.

Well, clearly I just have a problem with throwing things away that need to go. I did a skim of a few rooms (bearing in mind we have had builders in so everything has been a bit tricky but still….)

1 packaging
1 use up shampoo bottle.
1 shower caddy.
1 DIY junk
8 paper rubbish.
1 old toilet roll holder
1 inhaler
3 Cosmetics used up
4 pill packets /finished or out of date
4 envelopes
1 mask

We need to throw things away when they are not needed…. I look at that list and feel like I live in rubbish …. 😩

Thinking of you @IncessantNameChanger , you must be so upset xx

Today:

Out the door:

• baby swimwear on Vinted sold and shipped
• unused brand new baby gift on Vinted sold and shipped
• 3 hangers
• 2 tired balloons
• duplicates of insurance paperwork
• old documents (1cm thick wodge, shredded)
• 3 plastic cups from cricket/rugby matches

Listed online for selling:

• 3 baby outfits

I've just listed a pile of stuff on freecycle and local buy nothing group. It's dry and sunny todayso hoping for lots of pickups

Great idea @Pigtailsandall. If I can make it happen today too I will. Everyone is snotty here including the smallest one.

3 magazines and a bottle of laundry liquid we didn’t get on with gone today.

It was a good day for listing stuff and having it picked up! Only one no-show. A large rug, a shelf we never put up,a dish rack and a large kitchen jar were all collected. I also cleaned and tidied, convincing DH to give up a huge cardboard box for our soundbar. Also out

2 school accident reports
All the school craft stuff from dc bag
3 sets of old house keys recycled
Decorative garden stone
Finished beauty sample

Also sold a jumper on vinted which had been listed for months and dropped it off. Feels like a productive day

Total is 1758

2 x booklets
1 x year old shopping list
1 x bobbly joggers
1 x too long tee
1 x bobbly pyjama top
1 x babygrow
1 x baby dress
1 x baby leggings
1 x baby tights
1 x baby romper
1 x baby hat
1 pair baby booties
2 x baby vest

Total is 1553

Well done @Pigtailsandall and @IndianSummer78. Only listed one thing but it’s quite big and being Picked up tomorrow. Also got 3 big bags of rubbish/recycling out but won’t count those.