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 don't know why I said anyone else's cos mine isn't looking different🤣

@stealthninjamum unfortunately the house isn't looking any tidier at all.

When i get rid of the bigger items all that happens is i lose the prop for holding all the other crap that was piled on top of it and I have to find somewhere else to pile it 😄.

Bagged up some baby jigsaw puzzles (the kind where you put the pieces into pre-cut holes in the board) which the DC have now outgrown, plus a toy mobile phone with the most annoying ringtone. Someone else can be tortured by it! Need to find a few more bits and pieces to fill the bag (which won't be hard) and then it can go to the charity shop.

Shoes go in the textile recycling on the assumption that they can either go to developing countries or be broken down for industrial use. If in good condition then they go to charity.

@Realfastfoodie hope child is on the mend and soon back home. I dropped the science kits, books, two ladies tops, two men’s t shirts and several ties to the charity shop today. As soon as I came back in of course I noticed the four baskets from the old unit in the hall that husband dismantled and recycled a couple of weeks ago 🙄 @stealthninjamum your guest ready effort sounds great. Mine would consist of hiding the ironing pile behind the sofa and shutting the door on the kids toy room. Rest f the living room is basically ok

@tantdequestions I've often had that thing where I'm tidying then and place sounds emptier which I really enjoy but it soon fills up again unfortunately especially with winter coats everywhere. I shouldn't complain about things we need tho, and there'll always be some duplicates with separated parents

@tantdequestions don’t worry lots of us have found the difference sort of creeps up on you. If you’re tidying and finding homes for things at the same time as decluttering (Ie playing tidy up Tetris) you’ll start to find emptier cupboards and hopefully clearer surfaces.

@Gassylady i did have a pile of toys and games behind the sofa and when you walked in the room it looked tidy! Today I pulled them out and advertised them on Facebook for really cheap prices. If they’re not gone by Thursday I’ll put them in carrier bags in the car boot and maybe will take them to the charity shop.

I have spent 36 minutes getting the house guest ready (on top of the normal cleaning kitchen and hoovering. The kitchen, hall and sitting room are now guest ready. The Xmas tree dc put up yesterday looks beautiful. I also took 4 bags of stuff and a toy high chair to the charity shop today.

Outs include a couple of puzzle / sodoku magazines, another magazine, a piece of paper. I also threw out a box that my wifi router came in about a year ago that’s been sitting on a side table. I removed the instructions to file and 3 wires that were probably from the previous router and are going in the electricals recycling bag. I also found a poem written by dd1 and a certificate that need to go in her memory box.

Questions I got to 1000 items and was shocked at how much stuff must actually be in my home if I'd managed to get rid of 1000 without any noticeable difference. Then I got to 1500 and now it is obvious there's a difference to how it used to be. I don't think I've ever properly decluttered before and it is slowly changing the way I live my life and my shopping habits

Today's outs : one pair of worn out shoes and one top that doesn't fit. Total is 1594

@Realfastfoodie I'm so sorry to hear about your child. I had a hospital stay with DC when they were 4 months old and it was the most stressful experience ever. Hope you get to go home soon.

DH went through some papers and it yielded 7 piles, all relating to his time as self-employed. All shredded now. Also out another dry pen, a pairless earrings and a tarnished toe ring. Total is 1927.

Ooh I think we might be running out of pages soon too....might need a new thread.

90 minutes spent getting the house ‘guest ready’ and looking around I’ve made it worse! I’ve had a massive pile of plastic crap for ages and I’ve been sorting through it working out what was Lego and what was playmobil and what was other plastic crap. I have found 70 bits of plastic crap to throw away but piles of Lego and playmobil.

I think I’ve now got my last bag of playmobil to go to my friend’s school.

I also scanned in 21 books that have been in a pile and am getting nearly £10 from webuy books. Another dozen or so books that didn’t get scanned are now in a charity shop bag.

I feel like I’ve made such a mess now it all has to go. Im probably at the boredom stage where I could just close the playroom door and not do anything for a month but im going to continue and try to get all the carpet clear this afternoon. Im beginning to think I won’t have time to finish the dining room. It has various papers on the table and actually isn’t that bad.

Thanks all, he’s doing better and we are home now.

I’m making little bits of progress. Just with getting back on top of the tidying a bit. I’ve found a few books and clothes to add to my charity pile.

Im going to try to get a few things to the charity shop this afternoon but everything is very much just keeping us afloat rather than trying to make a big impact.

another bag of clothes ready for NDN how I love her
old battered bit of furniture out
some unsavable bits out to clothes recycling
freed up some space for desk in children's room does look good
so that's 6-7 bundles new tally

Well done @tallsmallmum!

13 to the charity shop. Basically 1 bag of clothes from my pre-maternity wardrobe. I’ve also decluttered a few recipe books into my “out” pile. Mostly just snuggled today though.

I took a bag of 12 items to the charity shop today - it's a decent walk so I can never take too many in one go. Mainly a few baby items I found, plus the stuff I've had on Vinted for ages which hasn't sold.

Also out during tidy were another dead plant (why are they all dying now??), a very knackered belt, small plastic toy, kids shampoo we really didn't like, baby nasal aspirator thingy, a bag of congealed hard sweets and nail clippers

I also got rid of 2 Liberty beauty drop boxes. They are very pretty but I keep hoarding them and I have no use for them! total is 1948.

A 20yr old necklace that the gold plating is rubbing off now
A pair of knackered socks
A top that requires someone with more boobs than me to fill it
2 leaflets
17 documents more than 10yrs old and relating to something that's now over

Total is 1616

I've sold a few bits I got in last years beauty advent but wont use, posted today.

I think we are gong to get a garage conversion in the new year. The extra space will be amazing but I'm not looking forward to sorting out the masses of stuff that is currently just sat in there.

Got a few things out last week:

• had a clearout of a basket of toys with DD and found 7 things to donate to charity
• 1 pen pot (unwanted present) to the charity bag
• Went through DD’s clothes after buying her some new tops and got rid of 7 things (tops and leggings). However as I’d bought her 8 new tops in the next size up, it’s more ins than outs.

I also discovered that a bag that I thought was full of stuff to sort was in fact a bag of things I’d already decided to get rid of (a throw, a couple of my tops) and attempted to take it to a charity bank on the way to school, but it was full so had to come back with it. I’ll try again this Friday. However, at least it’s in the ‘donations corner’ of the bedroom rather than just left under the window with other random stuff.

Another leaflet and 12 more documents gone. Total is 1628

11 more leaflets
17 more documents

Total is 1656

107 things out today..I decided that some of my vinted things that I had listed for a long time, I just wanted rid of for the room. Plus lots of baby toys. I have washed a carrier bag full of cuddly toys for both ds and dd Christmas fairs so plenty more to go. Got some more bits to list on vinted too.

My declutterer is going to start tidying next week! Very excited to try to tackle an area together now.

I felt good letting sellable things go. I have made about £400 since June on vinted si that enough until I sort the summer items.

We cleaned the fridge yesterday when the Ocado delivery arrived and some old food got thrown out . Today I did the freezer and a bunch of mostly desserts had gone old . I washed all the drawers too and it’s all now satisfyingly neat and tidy for a bit .
I also sorted through another laundry bin of random mixed stuff in the utility room and finally put an already washed but still stained bedspread to the rag bank that had been earmarked to go ages ago . I’m getting those random bits washed now .
Yesterday I found 3 more pairs of DD small shoes from her room all can go to charity ; 1 pair was unused and 2 very little used so I cleaned them a bit and they’re in the charity box now . Will check the attic for more small new shoes there might be some left …
Out :
-13 packets of old freezer food
-some old food from the fridge
-1 DD small new pair of UGGs
-2 DD small little used shoes all to charity
-1 pair of DD old shorts
-4 pairs of old socks both to clothes and rag bank

I have a lots of clean clothes to fold so there might be some out from there .

13 more documents and 6 leaflets gone. Total is 1675

Well done @IncessantNameChanger - 107 things out in one day is impressive!

My guest ready challenge is over. I spent 3 hours 36 minutes on decluttering/ tidying in addition to my normal daily kitchen clean and hoovering and the house is looking great - but not perfect. I have about four big bags of recycling, papers and old boxes that has gone and someone actually collected a huge pile of toys last night including some playmobil. The playmobil I can’t sell is going to my friend’s school.

I am going to put a charity bag of old books and stuff in my car and old school uniform to get them out of the way for when my friends come over and webuybooks are collecting a box of books. I would guess that about 150 items will have actually left the house in Monday to Friday.

The house isn’t perfect, there is still a pile of stuff in the playroom to go but it’s half the size of what it was - and I have hidden it behind the door!

So dd1 breaks up on 14th December. I’m going to set myself more targets - maybe finally finish paperwork, and start on selling Lego.

Local newsletter gone. Total is 1676