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!

Can I join? There is so much is my house that needs clearing out. Yesterday went through so drawers with ds11 and dd8 - nearly 40 T-shirts cleared out between them! Will pass some onto family and take the rest to a charity shop

👏 great stuff

Welcome @Angelmonkey - I’ve found this such a supportive thread and counting things is proving addictive!

Hi @Angelmonkey That's a great start!

I'm off work today and went through my pj drawer. 14 items to go to the fabric recycling and also shifted 2 items on freecycle.
I've also finally listed the spare pushchair so fingers crossed that goes soon.

Unfortunately my dad turned up this morning with 2 massive boxes of books for me. I already don't have room for what I already own but it'll give me a reason to start sorting the library soon as it's horrific in there.
I also got tempted by the £1.50 Xmas trees mentioned on the Christmas thread. Bought 2 for the kids 🫣.

Forgot my total!
I'm on 702 now.

11 things out on vited for a grand total of £10! It's still worth it for me as it reinforces the fact most things have no money value. I think I should have £70 by the end of summer. Enough for two pairs of kids Clark outlet shoe shoes which is great. It's paid for the ridiculous £25 school jumpers to.

Going to do lots on Thursday to

172 out this month

That's great @IncessantNameChanger, I used my credit for my kids new clothes too plus wellies and school bag so it's kind of thrilling that all our autumn items essentially been free

I did some clearing/cleaning this weekend and passed a few bulky items to a friend: two big wooden toddler toys, a puddle suit, 1 top and 3 pairs of trousers all bundled in a tote bag I insisted she'd keep. Also recycled a cardboard storage box, a pile of summer club artwork, some bank statements, a torn gift bag and a broken plastic toy. I also used up a cleanser I didn't much like, and binned smelly trampoline socks.

Total is 1400.

Down at my mums house today and we have got rid of a fair bit for the tip. It's both sad that it's hust sat here broken for years, or never really severed a purpose for a long time. Do that's a good reminder to myself. I wanted to keep a fair few things but I have only keep 3 jumpers and lots of bath gels. It's not any easier throwing out stuff that's not mine.

I need to join this thread.. I am a bit late but I need to start decluttering. I have been around the house organising all year but by bit but I need to get rid so I am not wasting so much time organizing all the time.

Are you all counting how many things you get rid of? Even paperwork? I need to get going and tackle each room again.

I want to try and sell some stuff but Shpock does not seem to be shifting anything and I have started posting on gumtree. I prefer it when people pay cash and collect rather than posting it out. I think Vinted you have to post? Is that right

Welcome all the newbies!

I do count because at the start of the year we set a goal of decluttering 2023 items. So people count, some don't, but I do because it keeps me motivated. I don't count e very scrap of paper: I usually take a pile for shredding at work every few weeks. I find paper exhausting so I can only deal with doing a few minutes of it at a time. I also don't count anything I'm replacing like toothpaste or shower gel, but I am trying to work through a huge pile of beauty products so I do count those.

Great thanks for the information.

I will give it a go and make a start.

I am hoping less stuff less stress!!! Fingers crossed. Better late than never hey!

Not much progress today as was working but some out of date bits from the kitchen, 4 books from dd bookshelf and some old eye drops which have been open for over a year

Do you all either
• declutter from anywhere random around the house and car? or
• go through it methodically section by section or • room by room or
• a drawer in one room one day & a wardrobe the next day or
• as and when you declutter & fit it in
• whatever your mood is like that day or
• if you are free?

There's no set way or method. Every way is the right way!

However to get a nice little buzz ( generally I think we all dislike decluttering that's why we are here) pick a small room, like the bathroom when you have at least one hour free. Take a before photo, start on one area, like the windowsill. Go through the entire windowsill, take everything off and clean that area. Even if there is nothing to throw out, do a mental note to use up before you replace everything. Touch and lift every item, ask yourself very quickly, do I need it? Do I love it? Do I have the space for it? Could I easily replace it? Honestly if you hate decluttering stop after 15 minutes ( I set the timer on my phone). You could either finish your clean of that room, have a general wipe over and tidy or just completely stop for the day. If after 15 minutes a day for a few days feels too little, up it to max 45 minutes. When the timer is up reward yourself with some tea and feet up even if for only ten minutes. I do multiples of 45 in a day now ( that includes housework which I also loath).

My only rule is quickly handling everything and asking those questions. If you get stuck that's fine. Quickly put it down and go onto the next item. I did some draws a few days in a row and got stuck on the same items for three days! I still wasn't sure by then but I could see I didn't love them, so they went.

Count everything. It makes you feel good. Do before and after photos.

It's not all consuming. It's just as when but after a week or two it feels part of the routine.

What every you do, it will be the right way so try a few methods. I'm not sure the Kondo method will ever be for me, but try that too. Its like a diet, start slow as not get overwhelmed. Keep reading as we are all doing it different ways. Checking in at least every week to post your numbers so you can feel more accountable to yourself.

Went through two boxes of clothes today, mainly matching things up and checking condition. Two items out though, a stained dress and some jeans that don't fit (too small). Also one broken appliance and the manual for that. Total is 1091

Hi newbies

I count items because as others have said it's addictive, I actively want to up my total so it helps massively with motivation. Bizarre, but who cares, if it works it works. I also started to watch cleaning and decluttering videos on YouTube if I get stuck and it's helping. I post here whenever I've decluttered so sometimes it's several posts a day if I've had a few sessions. I don't want to clutter my mind by holding the list of achievements in my head all day

I do whatever area I feel like. I've done all areas at least once now. Some areas I've done 5x already. I find it hard to let go and have to be sure, so I'll do as much as I think and I'm "finished", but then another week I'll think again of the things I still haven't used and the improved space that's still badly cluttered, then I'll tackle that area again. Sometimes I need to be aware I have something, think about it for a few weeks or months, then eventually decide it can go

I am counting beauty items but not on this thread, I'm on the beauty addicts thread for that

I don't count everyday trash that's dealt with at the time, but I do count things that have been sitting around anywhere from a few days to a few decades but which are actually just trash (I'm a crafter so everything has potential in my eyes)

I'm organising as I go along

@ManicMum2023 I think we all have a slightly different style, and we are all at different stages of decluttering too. I have slowly decluttered for years, and I'm actually at a nice stage now - maintenance decluttering mainly, with a few storage boxes thrown in that I have been avoiding for years. I have photos from about 5-6 years ago when I took 5 binliners of fabric stuff to textile recycling in one go - it was insane. But it took me years, literally, because I had to come to terns with a new way of living with less. It has totally been worth it, but the mindset shift took a very long time. I had to understand that I didn't need 5 sets of bedding, or 20 pairs of jeans when I really only used a few favourites. Similarly, with a small child, I'm cultivating this approach of getting rid rather that storing. It's easy to just bung stuff in the loft and deal with it "later", but now I take the time to try and deal with stuff immediately - for example, I knew I was seeing a friend with an 18-month old last weekend, and my kid is just 4 - so I gathered some baby-ish toys, took a pic and sent it to my friend who gladly took them. Normally, they would have just hung around and overcrowded the toy bins for ages, or at best I would have put them up in the loft. Now, I'm trying to be proactive.

Now I usually declutter as I clean - I assess items and see if I want to keep them - and occasionally go through a specific area like kids clothes (which I will want to do again before schools starts) or book shelves (this is due because DH and I are both academics and we accumulate lots of books) - This spring and summer I've spent a lot of time going through my sentimental items from my teenage years which my mum shipped over to me. I also have a few boxes of baby items, some old corporate clothes plus lots of DH stuff that we need to look at as specific projects.

Like @IndianSummer78 said, have also gone back to the same areas several times. I think someone called it an Onion Method - you peel the layers one at a time. I did this particularly with my wardrobe. First I just got rid of anything worn out/old and stuff that didn't fit me, and then I started really curating it to the stuff I only loved - first went out anything that was uncomfortable or I didn't like the fit; third time it was colours, patterns and shapes I didn't like. Now I go through my wardrobe twice a year, but it's a quick scan of what I didn't wear the previous season, and getting rid of those. The longer you declutter, the more confident you become in your decisions.

I use Vinted to sell, and local FB groups/Olio/Freecycle to donate non-clothes stuff, and charity shops for clothes that don't sell on Vinted

@Pigtailsandall - thanks, reading that is so motivating and helpful thank you!

I’m having a day off to sort things today, some decluttering will definitely be happening.

Ok - quick win by going to the local charity shop which takes books and clothes recycling too with stuff I’ve been collecting

41 clothes - loft clearance, bikinis and other summer stuff
3 unwanted kids books
15 rubbish cleared from my bedroom

125 total for august
967 total

I’ve put a few bigger things/furniture on marketplace too and hoping that helps move things forward.

I hope it does get things going too. It is a good feeling when it goes and you know you have that space back.

Been to to the tip today. They was filming money for nothing and me and my son always laugh about stupid things we could do to get on it.

Got two bin bags ready for the clothes bank.

Decluttering helper us coming tomorrow too

Another 29 items for the fabric recycling, 5 items out, plus pram gone on freecycle and 2 large garden cushions sold on eBay.

Total now 738.

Also found lots of recycling, shredding and general rubbish. A small area looking a tiny bit better but still a long way to go.

Great progress this morning @PissedOffNeighbour22 and @Realfastfoodie, I think sometimes having a small space completely the way you want it is such a win!

I packed and sent off a pair of shoes today sold on Vinted - got £30 which I was very pleased about. Also out goes an old plastic Tupperware thingy.

Total is 1402, although I have now bought stuff too... mainly things for my kid, like a new backpack, boots, some trousers etc, but I also bought myself a shirt and shoes. Oops. Have also ordered new pants and socks as I only had less than 10 pairs of each after all the decluttering! Everything just started giving up on life at the same time..

@Pigtailsandall it's a very small space but will keep on at it until the nursery pick up time. So rare for me to get a day off work with nothing specific to do.

I started on the library and have done 1 of the 3 units on one side of the room. I haven't gone through any books but have started cleaning and tidying the area and want the tops totally clear of junk and mess.

4 empty cardboard boxes
2 worn out underwear
1 faded, scuffed suede boots that are making my feet sore. I could have put padded insole in them to make them comfortable again, but I have plenty of others to wear so I got rid

Total is 1098

Pigtails that's so interesting to see your total and know you're mainly on maintenance decluttering. Agree with the mindset shift taking time too. I've only started decluttering this year and I'm amazed at the change in me. I was forced into it because I'm a shopaholic and running out of room. Today I've just paid £95 for a perfect jumper. I didn't go looking elsewhere for a cheaper although less perfect version, which I would have done in the past. I didn't browse just to see what else they had and inevitably end up buying that too. I don't feel like I've wasted the money because I don't need another jumper and it's expensive. I feel glad there's only one item coming not five or ten, even though that would have represented better value for money.