Decluttering Thread 6 - hit those targets before New Year!

[Pigtailsandall]

So the last thread got filled up and I think I seem to have taken it on myself to start a new one every time, lol! I hope everyone finds us because I'm too lazy to tag everyone, but here's few who spring to mind. It also doesn't let me add some people, for some reason

@realfastfoodie
@IndianSummer78
@stealthninjamum
@cornedbeef451
@EllieQ
@Gassylady
@IncessantNameChanger

@nordicmom
@Vinorosso74

Now it's the last push until the holidays to get it all out and done (before new cr*p comes in)

I think I used to be a ‘just in case’ sort of person with things like wires and cables. A few years ago I bought labels for them and organised a load. We still have a bag full but I have chucked out loads so they’re hiding in a drawer.

Toss asked me to do a bathroom cabinet today so I did my en-suite. Four items can go - a broken razor, a funnel, an old makeup bag and a sports mouthguard that isn’t mine. I found quite a lot of in-date medical stuff that’s going in the kitchen medicine drawer later. It’s still too cluttered for my liking but lots of small bottles of toiletries I’m slowly using up.

My garden shed has a huge hole and broken window so I have whatsapped some friends if they know someone who’ll legally take it away. Depending on the price I’m thinking of getting loads of garden rubbish taken too. The actual shed is almost empty because I decluttered it ages ago but we do have some unused plant pots, chairs, bins and trellises that could go.

Total this year is now 57

Well done @stealthninjamum -was it you that recommended Toss? I have just started it and found it good, although sometimes I feel it’s getting me to focus on the wrong thing, not the highest priority. But perhaps that is powerful in that it’s unexpected benefits?

@Realfastfoodie thanks. It wasn’t me who recommended it, although loads of us did Toss in one of the homeschooling lockdowns. I need someone to tell me what to do so it’s good like that. Really I should being finishing the Room of Doom and playroom but I need to make an effort to do them (the R of D is in a cold annexe) whereas I spent 3 minutes going through the bathroom cabinet after I had a shower.

Ive found 2 old receipts I can shred - they count as clutter as they’re 2021/ 2 and an old cash card.

total is now 60

Well done everyone, some fantastic decluttering happening. The Toss app sounds great for generating some motivation on a work day, I will give it a try. Today was the first day back at work for 2 weeks but managed to give away an old tin and throw away a broken torch and empty can of air duster.

I know this is decluttering rather than organising, but I have made a home for stationary, It's a plastic storage box to go under my desk and I'm consolidated a load of stationary into it and throw away the scrappy cardboard boxes they were in before.

Threw out some random bits today.

One spa slipper (no idea how I end up with these in my house)
Set of chop sticks
A random kids garden ornament that has sat in a vase for ages.
Make up and items that opened more than year x 3
Old bank card
Hair band thing
Random piece of toy
Keepsake card that I’ve never completed
Hospital stockings I didn’t need
An unused wash bag

brings me up to 55, and still feel G motivated which is a good start for me 😂

Have decided I might try counting items out again after I lost track last year.
Pretty sure I can’t get to huge numbers as I feel I’ve tackled the most numerous things.

so far:
3 x broken baubles
2 x old bauble storage cardboard boxes
squished paper chain
= 6

nearly out

• 3x garlands that are old and tatty (either bin man tomorrow or last chance free fb person)
• old broken outside lights I need to take down

@LivingInaBuildingSite - I don’t think tracking numbers are helpful except to keep us motivated. I find sometimes the most important things count as 1/2/3 items and you can do a quick sort of something and 25 pieces of crap into the bin which is good but the number overstates the value.

This evening I got another 20 odd bits of paperwork and receipts out (as directed by Toss) but it was a bit minimal for actual impact.

One hair mousse (3 left) and one face primer (10 left) used up today. Total is 1795

We looked through the excess Christmas food tonight with DH and DS . Also put a few of DS gift toiletries he won’t use to charity and he kept a few . Last time Christmas stuff was in the larder for ages so now I wanted what we won’t have to go to food bank while the dates are still good . Unfortunately a bunch of half open or already old stuff still went to food disposal and packaging to recycling/ bin .
DH also cleaned the fridge when the groceries came yesterday but as we do that weekly I’m not counting it . Where as the larder food hangs around longer generally I am counting that as maintenance decluttering that keeps this house from sliding back into a worse state .

Out :
-4 DS unwanted gift toiletries to charity
-2 packets of Christmas food to Uni with DS plus the snacks and a few toiletries I’d put aside for him earlier
-1 new pencil case plus a set of stationary to uni with DS
-1 oven dish to DS as well
-20 half eaten or old packets of food disposed and packaging mostly recycled
-15 packets of food to food bank
-2 unused crackers

Two board games out too ;one to charity , one to MIL after I finally got around playing them a few times with DD but they were earmarked / counted before .
Total is 78

-2 more packets of gift food to DS I just remembered
Also a big item we are returning is going to be picked up on Sat hopefully but I’m not counting that.
Total is 80

I've decluttered all my money and still not been paid on waking. I hope wages appear at 9am. I reported the olio no-show after giving her 2 days

Hi all - I found this thread in my hour of need!

Lots of decluttering needed in this house. I've done a few bags worth over the holidays, but still loads more to go. My problem is that I seem to be the only one who sees it, the rest of them just leave stuff everywhere!

I need to sort my wardrobe today. The plan is to empty everything onto my bed, only put back what I need and then fill a bin bag with the rest - I'm slightly scared that I'll make the problem worse and it will take forever to get rid of everything. Anyone have any tips?

I’m still resisting the sales today. Wish me luck as Frugi has gone up to 70% off.

Snap @Realfastfoodie !

Sounds like good work @Nordicmom my eldest is back to uni next weekend when I drop off it will be with a similar bunch of stuff out of the house. @Realfastfoodie @Decafflatteplease stay strong it’s only a bargain if you need it, having said that when mine were small I often bought one or two sizes up in the sale for stuff that wasn’t too seasonal!
Turns out OH had recycled lots of the cardboard boxes as he thought they were the wrong size for posting, so now I need to find a box to dispatch the books. Won’t put them back on the shelves but will leave them piled up by the sofa as a reminder 😁

Oh and I’ve decluttered 1 kg this week as I start to tackle the autumn/winter gains

My son has declared he doesn't like 'rainbow' things and wants a brown hoody :(

I've been going through the massive stack of magazines that were on the floor, some still unread and in their plastic wrap. Many now up on the shelf. I think I need to change to digital subscription for one of them, but I still enjoy being able to read the others old-style in the evening.

I filled a carrier bag with old glasses and spec cases the other day. I hope the opticians still recycle them.

Earmarking 2 more pairs of DD small trainers …
I’ve told DH all kinds of stuff will leave the house this weekend . I always have to instigate and nag to make it happen , he is such a procrastinator about all boring jobs in general really .

Oh no! I’m sure this is coming at some point for us. At the moment though my son is complaining his sister has more pink than him (presents, I don’t buy much pink for either of them) so hopefully we’ve got a bit longer!

@LivingDeadGirlUK that sounds like really great progress. Organising makes decluttering so much easier. When everything’s in one place you know what you’ve got and buy less because you suddenly realise you have 8 pairs of scissors and 5 staplers and don’t need more (or maybe that’s just me).

@LivingInaBuildingSite I go through phases of tracking numbers and it used to help because I might get to the end of the day having done no decluttering and then I’d spend ten minutes wondering around the house determined to find one item. I’m sure without counting my clutter my house would be at a much worse state.

Toss says nightstand. I have two large chests of drawers next to my bed. I suspect they don’t have much clutter but I will empty them out and have a tidy.

I’ve been in the room of doom filing paperwork. I’m going to close two pensions and consolidate with a third so that’ll be two large binders of stuff to be shredded. This is great but really is procrastination for stuff like dds schoolwork which is in the Room of Doom. I’m too attached to it.

I've filled two bin bags full of clothes already, some still with tags on - but if I'm not going to wear them they can go.

I've also emptied our grab bag - DC used to have regular A&E visits as he was quite sickly, so I had a bag full of the essentials for a night in hospital. This hasn't happened for a couple of years now, so I think we're ok ditch it.

@LonelyFlans have you thought about selling on vinted especially your stuff with tags on? Might as well get a bit of money for it if you can, the app is so simple to use. I try to upload things a few times a week and get a few sales a week 🙂

@Realfastfoodie I had a quick look at frugi sale as we are always looking for pyjamas for DC (disabled and frugi pyjamas are nice and soft) I found some but by the time I went to checkout they had gone!

The decluttering is still going well here, DH did a big tip trip yesterday with stuff from the outbuildings we don't need anymore. It's not stuff out the house but still a win in my book!

I'm hoping to get a bag of my clothes to charity tomorrow (not worth selling on vinted) and I've also got £5 worth of books to post off to a book selling site. As soon as I hit the minimum of £5 I checkout and get them posted!

We also have a grab bag @LonelyFlans . One is clothes for me and DC for an impromptu stay. One is toys and activities for our regular hospital day trips. Both live in the car

Thanks @Decafflatteplease - I did think about vinted, but I have a whole pile of things I decided to sell almost a year ago and it’s never happened, so I’ve just binned them up to get them out the house!

My chest of drawers were full of clutter. I have only done 2 of 6 drawers.

so far I have thrown away , put in recycling or charity piles or shredded

• two boxes of tampax/ towels I don’t need
• a very old condom hiding under the tampax
• 4 pairs of tights
• 2 birthday cards to me
• a pile of papers mainly an Ed psych report for dd1 but other scraps of to do lists and meeting notes
• 2 empty boxes of chocolates I ate in secret from dc
• an eye mask

13 items added to the list. I don’t know if I will have time to do the other 4 drawers.