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)

One bobbled and scratchy hoodie gone. Total is 1796

I have taken old glasses and cases to the Sense charity before.

Our Specsavers accepts old glasses @TidyClutterIsStillClutter and @declutteringonedayatatime

Good day today, did a lot of tidying, lots ready to go to charity or recycling although I’ll add them once they are out the house.

got rid of the following today

Old flannel
Old change mat cover
44 x odd / outgrown socks
Sleep bag x 2 (donated)
Old child art (two random bits of card stuck together)
Items to charity x 4
2 used crafts sets

I’m up to 111 items.

Toss sounds fab, is there an equivalent for Android? It is on Google play but says was made for an older version and won't let me install.

11 outs so far this year. Had a mad declutter trying to hit my 2023 target so not much about at the moment.

Well done @LessObviousName - that’s a good list and great knowing you have more bagged up for donating. Good job @IndianSummer78 - I always admire that you always find one thing. Great job @Gassylady - I’ve been too busy decluttering chocolate to declutter any excess weight yet 🤦‍♀️

I’ve added some things to the baby bank pile including moving up a nappy size. So that’s kind of decluttering - it’s getting sorted anyway. I agree @stealthninjamum and @LivingDeadGirlUK that organising (even with no immediate outs) makes for less clutter and more outs as you see things together / use things up etc.

@LonelyFlans - it must feel good to get rid of that grab bag! @Decafflatteplease - we sort of have half a grab bag, because we need to take meds in too (much easier to control my son’s regular meds myself than rely on the ward to try to find them…) so I worry about things going out of date etc. I’m tempted to go full grab bag and keep in the car as you suggest. Good plan!

I’m only counting items as a way to show progress, we’ll see how long I remember to do it.

6+

3 x bits of garland out
(usual rubbish out as rubbish day but bonus as I actually remembered with Dh away!)

= 9

a few days off coming up so hopefully I’ll get something done…

Today I have cleared off a large bit of furniture that is taking up space in the conservatory and listed it on a free site. In the process I've thrown away a load of paperwork. I've also given away an old board game and got a stack of stuff ready to go to the tip tomorrow.

For anyone wanting to count but finding keeping record adds more to the mental load, I recommend an app called Tally Counter - there's various similar apps available, but I've set up categories like clothes, kitchen, books and you just click a button each time you throw something and it counts it all up for you

Thanks to whoever mentioned Orjenise upthread, I'm liking the daily prompts. Might try Toss in Feb once the Jan challenge is over

-4 grubby dog toys going at least, I’ll need to check for more tomorrow
-1 pile of Christmas cards I’ll just count as 1
-3 small trees and 1 big one earmarked to go this weekend
Total is 88 I think but I’ll need to check.

Forgot the 2 pairs of DD small trainers so
Total is 90 and the first week isn’t even over ! Considering that the goal was 40 a week to get to the 2024 in 52 w I might make that this year. I think I’ll be counting to keep me motivated …

I've also started counting from 0 on January 1st. Mostly because I joined the thread a couple of months ago with no target and now fancy one! I'm aiming for 1000 items in 2024, so approximately 3 items per day. And I want them to be genuine reductions in "stuff" so no counting items that I've used up or will replace.

I'm also using this new way of looking at the house to think of methods or purchases to incrementally improve/streamline/simplify my life/house. So I've ordered some rather expensive doormats (3 for inside each door and one for outside the front door) that promise to catch virtually all the mud and wet on the way in. They're also machine washable. If they reduce the amount of mud/wet traisped in by even half then it'll be well worth it! I'm also intending to buy a carpet sweeper, and have ordered a hand held carpet/sofa scrubbing brush that you fill with cleaning fluid.

Overall though, my main intention is to declutter SOMETHING every single day (that I'm at home)!

I sent off another vinted parcel today and have a second bagged up to go tomorrow. I'm up to 25 items so far this year 🤗

I looked through the dog toys briefly and found more to go . A few other items caught my eye . DH said tonight “ you want to throw everything away !” , I know what he means but I also told him to look around our house . I clearly don’t or we wouldn’t have all this stuff . I just want to throw out the useless crap ! But as I’ve said if it came to it I could quite easily leave with a handbag with my meds etc in it …

Out :
-5 more grubby dog toys
-1 packet of glow sticks ( we’ve had them leak before so they’re going )
-5 cleaning rag pads we never use, I prefer thinner bigger ones , to ragbank
-1 DD T-shirt DH managed to discolour in washing tonight
-1 huge half used up detergent box earmarked to go from utility cuobord it’s been in the way for 2 y

I will have to gather all remaining pairs of DD too small sweatpants and take the bigger ones into use just noticed how thy were practically 10 cm too short as she was going to her friends house we’ll have to try them all on / ill measure with a pair I know is short and they’ll all go . Some of them are very new I just didn’t realise how much she’d grown recently !

Thanks for suggestions for old spectacles. I'll take them to specsavers at my next appt.

Recycling bin - more out-of-date leaflets etc from the magazine shelves. There's now a visible and useful gap, and a space on the table top.

There's a large Avon box on the floor, full of newspaper cuttings from way back. Things I was interested in then, and I could follow up on them online now, but I don't think it would be a good use of my time. It would be very nostalgic at first, then triggering and depressive, and I've made the mistake before of letting myself drift back to the past then spending a couple of days in tears.

I like looking at my parents' old travel books and maps because that gives me a warm comforting feeling, but the other stuff gives me regrets and self-blame, and who needs that? Besides, most of the print has become blurred over the years and is hard to read.

I'm going to break the box up and put it in the recycling along with the cuttings. That way, I won't be triggered into thinking I have to fill it again.

Forgot my new total , it’s 103

@IncessantNameChanger has kindly suggested that I head over here. I'm going to spend the next year slowly decluttering my house. I'm starting with the loft, so I ha😁ve space to put things I want to keep in other rooms, and it's also the place I'm dreading sorting the most

Sorry for random mid text emoji!

pinknsparkly I don't count the maintenance stuff either.

I love it every time one category of my toiletries gets down to one-in-use-and-one-spare so I can stop counting it. When the whole place is down to maintenance decluttering I'll stop counting

Regards streamlining everything, it's amazing the effect decluttering has on our lives in ways we never imagined. I hope your war against mud is successful.

I'm 6 days into January and I haven't bought anything except food, which feels very weird. I walked through the clothes in the supermarket as well!

RealFastFoodie trying to find at least one thing most days is making me more ruthless with what goes, which is a good thing

Turtloo I don't use apps but that counter one sounds good for those who do

I get rid of the mental load by putting my total at the bottom of my post, then don't click on this thread until I've got something else to declutter, it takes me straight to my last post where I get a reminder of my total before I read and post again

Sally never apologize for emojis! They exist to make us happy 😁 Good luck with your loft

TidyClutter definitely get rid of that box! It's contents sound toxic

I live out of my handbag too Nordic. As a young child we had a fire safety talk at school by the fire brigade and it never left me. I go to bed with all doors closed, all plugs off except the fridge freezer and everything I need to survive a few days in my handbag beside the bed. Sounds crazy but I also never know when I'll need this stuff when I'm out, it's not possible to plan for so it all lives in there permanently. If the place caught fire I'd grab my handbag, the box of important documents if I could, I'd be wearing something and if everything else went up in flames I'd still be ok. I don't live in fear of it happening I just like to be organised

I haven't found anything to get rid of yet so I'm still on 1796

Hi @SparrowSally and other newbies 👋 I only joined these threads part way through last year so I’m still very much a newbie too.

Did my Toss challenge today - did both nightstands in our bedroom and another drawer in the kitchen for good luck. Loads tidied up into better locations, 2 tea towels for recycling, 4 from consolidating kids medicines and vitamins, 11 rubbish from bedroom nightstands.

Oh and a pair of curtains sold! Woohoo!

I’ve done more decluttering over the past two days, so I’m feeling pleased with myself. On Thursday I sorted through the spare bedding and the final bag of baby clothes - 18 things in total to go. Yesterday I tackled my Box of Paperwork, which was a hugely overflowing box of letters, papers, and stuff. It was about 1 foot high, but I have now filed/ recycled half of it. The remainder is the stuff that’s harder to home or sentimental.

It’s interesting to think about counting - the 18 items on Thursday included 5 spare pillows and a spare duvet, and probably took up more space than the two boxes of baby clothes with 200+ items from the previous day, but I find it useful to count everything as it helps me feel like I’m achieving something.

Emptied the loft.

have listed pram and all the extras; high chair; two bar stools; a clothes rail for sale.

am binning a load of crap.

have a car load for charity shop.

win.

Tackled the airing cupboard today and have declutter 11 items, which is less than I'd hoped - the 'might come in handy' voice crept in. However there were 3x big throws and a pair of curtains amongst the ousted things so it did create good space in there.

I've ground to a halt with a box full of stuff to sort out. Going to have a cup of tea to motivate me then get back on it.

All of my Next sales stuff hass arrived. I'm only keeping what I need or love. The same for dd. Ordered her some party bits but she's gone to party today in old leggings and a tye dyec t shirt so they can go back. I can offord to kit her out in lovely things but she is a stuff. I'm keeping a nice short velvet play suit as she could wear that in the summer or a party.

Walked 4.5 miles just now and listened to a slob comes clean podcast while walking.

I'm going to a list of the clothes in I have bought ( or should I as they was ordered in Dec?) Maybe not. Clean start.

But I'm going to try to buy minimal and take count of it. As part of my 2023 items out in 2023 I'd love to reduce mine and dds clothes again by at least 25% at the very least