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!

Sounds like an amazing plan @IncessantNameChanger!

@Realfastfoodie i stopped buying ready meals and takeaways about 3 months ago to avoid highly processed foods but yesterday we had ready meals and I spent an hour in the garden and half an hour removing mould from dd1s shower.

if anyone’s interested I used the HG mould remover and oh my God it’s amazing! The mould has gone - although I made dd1 sleep on the settee because of the smell.

I have a negative declutter! To clean my shower I wore a dress that I had only put in the charity shop bag yesterday! I was worried nice clothes might be damaged by the mould remover.

Today I’m expecting a desk to be delivered for dd2. We will have to empty a chest of drawers to fit it in her room - but we started that a few weeks ago so shouldn’t be too hard.

I don't do this because I'm bringing in useful items and decluttering items that are not useful to me, making the "in's" irrelevant as they're not the same category

You can do it however you want though. It's not a competition. The totals are for you to keep track of yourself and record your progress, so as long as you do whatever it is you're doing consistently the results will accurately show progress. Some people aren't counting at all

I guess it'd make sense to count in's if you're in the habit of skip diving or taking friends unwanted items, bringing home things you don't necessarily need right now but "might come in useful some day", because to me that's the same category as the sort of stuff I'm decluttering

Another 6 empty cardboard boxes gone. Total is 1124

I don't count things that come in, but I am also shopping much less as a direct result of decluttering. I only count things I am not replacing, or things I have been holding on to. I bought DC a coat, and I'm counting the old one as an out because normally I would keep it "just in case". But the total is also going down.

Today was my half day at work and I took a bag of 11 items to textile recycling, plus posted a little purse someone had bought on vinted. Also binned (another) pair of pants, and wrist support thingy I had when I was pregnant. Also popped 5 little cardboard flower pots in the compost - we planted them ages ago and they never grew anything.

Total is 1423.

One jumpsuit. Total is 1125

@IncessantNameChanger That's exactly how I feel - my wardrobe is for the life I want.
I don't socialise, try to go into the office as little as I can get away with and dress less formally for work meetings with the public as things seem to have changed since Covid. I must easily have over 40 dresses - why??? I don't even wear dresses. I keep things that might be good for XYZ but realistically the last social event I went to was my brother's wedding almost 2 years ago.

It's going to take a serious change in mindset but I have to see beyond all the money I've wasted on those clothes and start parting with them.

We are on the first of our trips abroad in a row ( seeing my family ) before school starts now so not much will be achieved with decluttering in the next 2-3 w but a few things have been removed since the last time here . DS got his long awaited for A- level results back on Thu and to our immense relief and delight got amazing AAA*A ! and his first choice University place . Pheeew, such a weight of our shoulders ! His teachers wrote him lovely messages after he let them know the results and thanked them , so happy for him . I’m waiting to hear what accommodation he’ll get so I can get some of the stuff for his room but I’ll get on with the rest as soon as we’re back . I think I’ll have about 4 w to do that then .
He is nearly finished with his room decluttering and has given me his folders . The notes he’ll still need to look through but they can join the others in a small box in the attic if they need to for now .We will go through the clothes again .
There’s so much on my todo list now but I’m aiming to get 10 or so jobs crossed of it soon hopefully .

Out recently :
-4 nearly empty travel toiletries I found from the last trip finished before we left
-1 faulty ceramic toilet brush holder
-1 DD finished book
-1 DS finished puzzle
-2 old hand gels
-2 pairs of trampoline socks
-2 pairs of climbing gloves
-2 boys T-shirts
-1 pair of DD small trousers
-1 DD small sweatshirt
-1 DD old T-shirt
-1 pair of DD leggings
-a few pairs old pants
-10 pairs of old socks
-1 DD bath bomb we found
-1 old pencil case
-some DS old stationary
-DD stained shorts earmarked to go after the holidays

I have lots of other stuff to do but I am itching to do DD room and also under stairs cupboard again which has crazy piles of shoes etc . It’ll need a good look through and a vacuuming . I seem to have to do it roughly every six months when it descends into chaos . think there’s more DD small shoes at least ,she’s had a growth spurt so lots of small trousers and shoes atm .

Don’t know why my post is in all capitals, sorry !

Oh I realised now ! It’s because I wrote the symbol in the text when I put in DS grades ! Meant he got 3 of the highest grade and one of the second highest …

Wow Nordic those grades are amazing! What field is going to study? You must be so proud.

I have started pulling out my Christmas jumpers ( I love them all!) And jeans. I have decided I don't like jeans as they need belts and fall down so I only wear jeggings. I need to see how many unworn jeans I have.

I'd rather have 3 pairs of very comfy perfect jeggings than 15 pairs of uncomfortable jeans. Sp that's today's task. I might list them on Vinted.

I had a lovely day yesterday with a friend who moved to the other side of the country. Sitting by a river in a pub. We was there from lunch until late and I was in a long dress feeling good about myself. Not one person appeared in a sparkly top 😄. I feel like I have a tendancy towards glitter ( I'm a scientist and programmer so not reflective of the real me) but I don't wear these items, why? I like the IDEA of it I guess. The jeans was all in the sales years ago.

10 more items for the fabric recycling bag. Today we've finished clearing out the spare room ready for renovation as it's to become my baby boy's room. I expected to throw out loads but there was nothing other than the clothes and ordinary rubbish. Quite disappointing really.

I think I'll give the stuff not shifting on freecycle a few more days and then it will go to the tip next time we go. A shame really as it's all new stuff but we're just getting time wasters who don't show up.

Mechanical Engineering . His ultimate goal would be F1 but he has been interested in space too so was considering Aerospace as well . I’m very proud , I think it’s amazing he did so well especially now that they raised the bar again . he worked extremely hard really since starting in the upper school at 13 but has been at an academic school since 7. He had a problem in his 4 th subject first exam so it’s understandable it wasn’t the highest grade in that too but an A however a lot of the students have received surprisingly low scores for their projects in they subject like him so the school is finding out what is going on . It might go up but in his case it wasn’t so close that he’d be likely to get the top grade in it unlike some others . He was predicted 4 and got 3 top grades so I’m hoping he won’t always just think about that but he’s happy he gets to keep his offer . He did do subjects an an epq he got the * in so that was a lot of work that I know will continue at Uni but so happy that this is now over and we’ll have a 7 y break until it’s DD turn .

One pair worn out socks
One pair too small trousers
Two too small dresses

Total is 1129

Congratulations to DS Nordic

Thanks @IncessantNameChanger and @IndianSummer78 !

12 uncomfortable underwears going and one empty cardboard box. Total is 1142

Dd2s new desk arrive and building it was a nightmare as she was so excited and kept wanting to help. I do need to buy her a new taller chest of drawers to replace the two she currently has now that they don’t both fit in her room.

Anyway she has just hoovered and decluttered her room so I have half a dozen toys to put in a charity shop bag and lots of pairs of tights that she won’t wear.

I made some good progress yesterday but I'm still at the obvious junk stage so I haven't been keeping count. Will I regret this?

Also:

Can I just landfill old medication? I found a huge box of out of date paracetamol etc and it's been sitting on the floor all summer!

Any tips for throwing out cosmetics I never use / multiples of stuff like handcream / unused aspirational fake tans etc?

Ps: thanks to everyone who gave tips on page 1! I really thought I'd replied and think I actually STARTED replying a few times but it's just been that sort of summer! Lots of visitors and away days so even though work is fine at the minute I'm having to manage my energy carefully!

My ADHD is difficult because visual clutter overwhelms me so I just flick a mental switch and stop seeing it. Only it stresses me too because I can't find things and end up with replicas. Plus I get terrible guilt throwing out usable things or even expired medication and tinned food.

I think I just need to give myself permission and get rid of loads of stuff - even if I end up having to replace a couple of things. Cleaning is exhausting enough without decision fatigue and picking over objects.

Would your local chemist or pharmacy have a drop-off point for out of date medication?

@declutteringonedayatatime they may do but they're also someone I bump into socially. I don't think I can face it. It's a big box. I'm likely to procrastinate on it forever (as I have done all summer) so I might just need to turf it this time 😕 once it's at a manageable level I can swear to never do it again.

I did that with my old glasses. I didn't know where to donate them so held them for ages. I then realised that the Sense charity shop took them 🤦‍♀️🙈. I finally got rid this year.

50 more things out today. Some of it was branded school uniform for dd infant school. I would either donate back to school or list for free on the village FB page but I still feel like I have too much stuff to be delayed with lots of finer details. I just want it all gone ASAP before term starts up

Good afternoon declutterers! I haven't forgotten about this thread but yanno.....🙄.... bit different from me but out during trip to family was a bundle of clothes to nephew and some food bits to them all and in was a few clothes bits we're already using and a magnet which is reminding me of a great day out 🐼 well done filling the last thread up too

funnily enough just got a message from my mum that we'd left a load behind so that was nearly an accidental declutter

Sold another item on Vi Ted and donated 4 listings that have been on there for ages. I have two enormous IKEA bags that are listed or to be sold. Maybe I could list four things a day and donate anything that's been on for over 6 weeks? I'm not sure, tempting to get rid of it all but right now that fits away on the floor of ds wardrobe. Maybe it's not doing too much harm there