The Declutter Diary

[AnotherCountryMummy]

I've decided to remove (recycle, donate, bin etc) at least one thing or group of things from my house every day for a month and see what happens.

We have too much stuff and I feel like life would be simpler with fewer things. Anybody want to join me?

Day one: two bags of toddler clothes straight into the Salvation Army charity bin.

I will join you, 4 pairs of old toddler shoes and trainers gone today and I cleared out the coat cupboard. 3 coats and a bag of toys dropped off at charity shop after school run this morning. Really need to sort out the large bookcase full of bits and all the kids art work!

Yay, someone to join in!

Today's toss = one whole bag of underwear. Old bras and pants that do not bring me joy... straight into the bin. And three glass tealight holders from the bookshelves that I've put into the glass recycling.

Thats brilliant, I've started on shelf one and the 3 year old is ' helping', at least the pencils are in a pot and 2 broken pencil cases gone, aim is nothing new in over weekend!

Good aim! I'm going to follow suit.

I figured that even if it's just tiny progress each day, we will soon feel less cluttered.

Ive listed a whole load of stuff on a local freebie page! So much will be gone!

Great idea @faban, and others will benefit too!

4 more small unused toys in the charity box, and a unused toddler table and chair listed on olio for free 😀

Oooooo! I’m in!

I posted a bag of unused bath and beauty products on my local Buy Nothing page.

Day three has been a very bizarre, yet cathartic mix. I have a cupboard full of health/beauty/bath stuff that has been taunting me for years. Today I chucked:

Old vitamins
Old makeup
Old nail varnishes
Loads of beauty packaging for recycling
Old storage tubs
A cellulite massager (didn't work 😂)

Plus some random bits from the kitchen:

Unused recipes
A mini trophy
A broken fly swatter
An old phone case

I need to do this! Starting from tomorrow though..!

I really need to do this too...! I'll check in later this evening if I manage any!

I've just made a list of 25 areas/zones that need decluttering 🤯 That should keep me going for the rest of the month!

Thats really good going! I'm on shelf number 2, so far a bag for recycling and some chunky toy cars added to charity box, everyone is doing great, my ds 18 dropped a mug so one more item out 😂

Day four! I'm getting into this.

Today I threw out:

-Some old magazines
-Some lighting/a heat mat for a reptile tank that I acquired and has been sat in a random drawer for years
-Some unused craft stuff

I've got rid of
2 old cushions off sofa
A broken kids toy
A bag of kids books
A blender from kitchen that has not been used for about 3 years

Day five:

A bra
Some baby socks
A couple of baby sleep sacks
A couple of old towels
Some baby bath towels

Also a broken shoe shelf, but I replaced it with a new one, so maybe that doesn't count.

I started the airing cupboard today, but it was so hectic that I only managed one shelf 😅

Your doing great, day 5 for me was
2 pairs of kids wellies donated to nursery as hardly been worn
A toastie machine gone as we had 2
And shelf 3 of bookcase cleared out
( I did buy some scrapbooks to glue all kept kids art work in)

You're smashing it too @onwardandupwards. We are going to feel great when we are swanning around our clutter free homes soon!

I am on Day 18 of my third time round 😂🤣

I decluttered comprehensively in 2021, again in 2022 and am now on another pass.

Each time I love my home more and more. There is very little here now that I don't truly love.

This time

• a pile of clothes onto Vinted
• magazines to paper recycling
• my collection of Kilner Jars gone to a friend
• all the paint charts gone to recycling
• Paint tins to the paint recycling centre
• dozens of empty boxes which I have hung onto in case something needs to be returned off to paper recycling
• A pile of CD’s & Books to the charity shop
• Unused duvets to a homeless charity

Still to do this month

• kitchen drawers (still too cluttered)
• kitchen cupboards (I really dont need all this stuff)
• the paper mountain. I hate this the most and no matter how hard I try it always grows again

This year I am on the lookout for somewhere to sell Jewellery and a collection of Stamp Presentation Packs. Would love any suggestions.

Thanks for joining us @Tremblingmadness. It sounds like you're quite the pro! Did you feel better after your first two rounds?

Today's toss:

• Bath toys and a couple of broken bird toys
• Some more toddler clothing, shoes and welly boots
• A bag of books
• Some strange looking Mexican mask ornaments which weren't on display

I'm really enjoying the process. I'm excited to start seeing a difference, but I think that might take a while!

@AnotherCountryMummy I can honestly say it changed my life. In the most unexpected ways.

I have never been super messy, but now my house is always tidy and I never worry about inviting anyone in. What is more I seem to do much less housework. Half an hour every evening whizzing around and the house is tidy and clean.

But it is my bank balance that has benefited the most. It took me so long to sell / dispose of everything that I no longer needed the first time round, that I now only buy things I really need. I really think about purchases and question whether I am spending emotionally or out of need.

I have much less of everything, but really like everything I have !!

Several tips that really helped me.

• If you are hanging onto things out of sentimentality, would a photo suffice? That helped me donate a lot of things left to me by my parents.
• Before you buy a piece of furniture to store something, question the value of what you are storing. When my book collection threatened to overwhelm my existing bookcases I questioned whether it would be cheaper to just let my fiction books go and buy the ones I really loved on Kindle.
• I worked out my net hourly salary and then when looking at a prospective purchase questioned whether it was truly worth X hours of work to own that thing.

Some great ideas thank you! Today's items out
4 very used .colouring books
A bag of clothes that I've not worn for over 3 years
A christmas tree ( was a spare one taking up space in cupboard)
A old dvd player
A broken kids scooter
A large bag of duplo bricks taken to charity shop
I actually have a spare storage box!! 😊

@onwardandupwards

and I bet todays haul felt great !!

But be warned, it gets addictive. I sometimes walk through a room, look at something and think ‘time for you to go’ 🤣😂

Oh I'm in! I've started today, so glad I've seen this thread!
1x bag full of kids clothes to go to charity bin tomorrow
2x bundles put on Facebook
Broken baby books in the bin