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)

@Realfastfoodie i listen to the declutter hub (which is my favourite), a slob comes clean, clutterbug and the art of decluttering but I might stop following a couple.

my app told me to do stationery. I have a couple of old cardboard document holders that are going as I don’t have time to do more decluttering today. I have ordered a white box / tray to keep baking items together. I’m trying to organise each area as wells tidy / declutter. Hopefully by the end of 2024 I’ll be one of this people with a label machine and everything organised.

You’re all doing very well.

Annoying about the name change thing - what’s the point of being able to change if it doesn’t remember?

(94 just for my memory)

Am going to sort through the birthday party box as DS2’s birthday decorations can come down today.

Random few bits out as I’ve spotted them. Takeaway menus for a curry house we no longer use. Packaging from some bath bombs that have been finished. Two more old financial documents dealt with, I keep finding these in piles in the study. My DH likes to move them when he is using the desk (fair enough) but then doesn’t always put them back with the others so they then crop up tucked in the bookshelf or on the window sill. still keeps the shredder going

Morning all. Not been on threat for a while as my phone has decided no internet or phone signal in majority of my house, assuming there is a mast problem locally and internet is generally rubbish here anyway.

I have been decluttering lots of little areas. I won’t list it all but some are:

a load of clothes to the scouts (they are doing cash for clothes to raise money)
lots of odd or outgrown socks of DC
a few old medicine/dummy/moisturiser/make up etc
indoor climbing thing to childminder, it just takes up too much space for us for the amount it is used.
lots of broken pencils
switch game cases as kids store games in their Nintendo cases
stained clothes the baby has outgrown.

I cleared an area in my kitchen and although it may not last it’s refreshing to see the worktop.
also designated a little basket as the ‘charging station’ so all tech can be left in that basket when it is not being used or if it is being charged.

total is up to 520

I recommend a 'My Little DaVinci' Frame! We've got 2, they're great!

https://www.mylittledavinci.co.uk/

Oh God @KCSIE I have such good memories of my younger years and I'm watching call the midwife and I'm pre menstrual I don't even know why I'm crying

So various birthday decorations binned.
Trying to gather all the various candles together so I can bin the most used.

Also binned a broken cat bowl.

94+9=103

14 candle bits/holders/etc in the bin

103+14=117

didn't count properly but approx
1 bag of unusable food out don't want to repeat this waste
1 bundle of papers and dusty tat out
picked up a load of dropped bracelet beads neutral
1 tip for dirty runners cleaning with your head torch on is a revelation 🤣

Daily housework inc weekly fridge cleaning today since the supermarket delivery arrived . Next folding the clean laundry so no extended decluttering projects like the food cupboard or attic . I did look through a stack of crockery I’ll need to clean up with barkeepers friend to remove the worst to dump since they didn’t fit in the larder . Must try to clean them up soon to cross that off the list . Might get some more outs from the clean laundry .

Out:
-7 scratched bowls
-5 scratched plates
-1 broken remote control earmarked I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned
-a bunch of old fridge food I’m not counting

DH agreed the laptop bag I found in the attic can go so I’ll wipe it down and check if it’s ok for charity shop .
Total is 335

8 large moving cardboard boxes crammed into the recycling bin as that's this week (recycling and normal waste get collected on alternate weeks so I'm trying to ensure I fill the bins each time with declutter!!).

Have listed a whole bin bag of soft toys on Facebook. My 3 year old sorted them out and decided they weren't wanted in early December. I've been through the bag and retrieved two small ones for the baby and one came back just before Christmas after it was requested. None of the others have been mentioned so they're being collected on Thursday (won't count them until they actually leave though!). Also being collected Thursday is a laundry basket that I picked up on Facebook for free but isn't quite what I want. Previous me would have kept it anyway as "it'll come in handy at some point". New me is having none of that nonsense 😆

Total for 2024 = 76

Thanks @Pigtailsandall again for the ongoing inspiration.

@stealthninjamum - I listened to a bit of the slob comes clean today, it chimed with me a bit more than the declutter hub for some reason. They talked about “net zero declutter” - making space so things can be in the right place. Stuff goes out overall, but it’s as much about making space for the things you want to keep. Mug cupboard overfull of other things was a good example.

@pinknsparkly - that’s the spirit! Accepting we sometimes make mistakes but it’s our choice how we live with them is helpful I think.

@Nordicmom - good stuff! That’s loads, does it feel lighter in those cupboards?

I had some Sort your life out on in the background too, and came across the family that had loads of kids clothes and hardly any adult ones. We are not quite there but it made me think a bit about kids clothes and why we have so many…!

Not much decluttering as I've been working away. While I was gone, we buy books collected a box of
12 CDs
18 dvds
3 games
1 book

Total 197

We've started more house renovations so it's going to mean less decluttering time.

RealFastFoodie in terms of systems I like the FlyLady HotSpot concept. Putting out the hotspots (dumping grounds) before they become fires gets incorporated into your daily life routines. Minimal Mom takes this concept one step further and removes unnecessary flat surfaces from her home so they don't become hotspots in the first place

Two little outs so far today. One worn out bra and some too fiddly to use false eyelashes. Total is 1842

Today I had yet another SEN tribunal. So that took all morning. Since then I have collected all of dds uniform from around the house, sorted out the small stuff and listed it on Vinted.

I'm doing a mixture of putting things in their rightful home and then thinning each category as I go. I think this is working right now. Got to decide later how long I keep how much in my Vinted bag, but that's for another time. It's all in one bag. Nothing in that bag I need.

Dd has a residential and disco coming up so keeping a few things in case they are useful for those, but so much can go. Dd clothes is my biggest challenge by far.

She has real sensory issues with her school clothes so I'd like a small selection but of only things she can tolerate. So two perfect pe joggers or one. Right now she 6 of her brothers hand me downs.

Each category back to its home also is good for making a huge mess as I go

Have spent ages this morning sorting through the boys clothes - most of DS1’s are in the laundry, I’m hoping to filter out some as they dry. He doesn’t lie, me interfering with his stuff but I know some is too small and could go to DS2.
Also want to try and pair up odd socks as he doesn’t care but I do.

And went through the handmedown pile for DS2;
some stuff still too big as he’s a smaller kid than DS1,
some to chuck out,
some to his wardrobe.

So I have piles downstairs to sort through, so far the only out is about 10 hangers to the charity bag.

117+10=127

Anyone have a label maker? I feel like his would help with organising stuff. I'd like one with a 'handwriting' style font and clear tape, I think.

Also, can I declutter the kids? Meltdown after meltdown today from my 3yo. Exhausted already.

Out today:
1 old kitchen drawer
2 packets of old tea bags
A spatula
Some spent reusable wipes x 5

YTD Total 283

Yes, a dymo letratag, you can use different types of tape in it but I'm not sure about clear. I love it! So helpful to label the outside of boxes so you don't have to hunt around for what's inside and helps other people/kids know what goes where

@KCSIE i have a label maker, also a dymo one. I haven’t used it for a few years because some children pulled the tape out on a play date and it didn’t work as well after. I really liked it, I labelled all of our arts and crafts and stationery items about ten years ago. I should probably get it out and either try and fix it or declutter it.

@KCSIE i love those frames. I’ve checked and dc’s artwork is usually weird sizes never A3 or A4 so I guess I’m going to have to scan it in at some point anyway which is a pain. I might do that and then either get a book or two of your frames depending on what’s cheaper.

@IncessantNameChanger well done. I’m sort of doing the same - spending time tidying / organising an area which means moving things to their correct area and decluttering. My house would be really tidy if it weren’t for the fact I was doing a big project.

So my big project is art work. I had three big boxes full of it and I’m going through it. I have piles of art done by each dc, a pile of unidentifiable art and I have found Mother’s Day cards that are going in my memory box and I’ve also found bits they did at school like poems and work that had been on a display board as well as some school books. Their school used to take pictures of them in lessons and on trips so I don’t know whether these should go in their memory box or a small folder for schoolwork. Or I wonder about scanning them and having one photo book for art and special schoolwork. I suppose I need to work out what we’re keeping first before I decide.

So far I have thrown out about ten things - artwork and a clay handprint. I have found folders that I can donate to charity. I have spent far too much time on this so my house is now messy again so I’m going to have a break with it til the weekend. I find that once I start these horrible jobs I neglect the rest of the housework and washing.

I'm on a bit of a roll here with book decluttering. Sold 60 to a selling site made £30 so pretty good. The minimum checkout is £5 so as soon as I hit that I pack them up and get them sent, the courier is coming a few times a week he probably wonders what's happening 😂

Also a overflowing bag for life of clothes to a local charity.

I need to tackle bedding as we have so much kids bedding our kids have grown out of now (literally and metaphorically!) And our church is asking for bedding so need that sorted soon

@Decafflatteplease I was going to do bedding too. I have decided to only have two sets per child, which is 8 sets! One on, one in the wash. Eldest who isn't a child anymore has had a nose bleed on most of the bedding. I'm have tempted to buy some new as it's all stat wars etc and my poor 16 year old has lego star wars!

@IncessantNameChanger I also have 4 children....and about 4 million bedsets 😂 DH and I had 5 sets but the draw wouldn't close so we've downgraded to 4 which still seems excessive tbh but I love them all so much 😂

We've still got all the cotbed bedding despite no one being in a cot bed anymore!

Out from DS2’s clothes:
holey socks x 1
shorts x 2
tshirts x 3

127+6=133

and in big news, I have finally listed some stuff on Vinted, already stressing about the hassle of posting!

I think you are me. I also have cot and cot bed bedding. Dd has her toddler bed set up and the top bunk but sleeps mostly with us. She is like a cat, sleeps everywhere except where she should. I can't get to the bottom to draws to check all the bedding anymore - I put a storage box of bedding in front of it!

Ds 16 said its really showing that I'm doing well. I'm very happy about that. He asked how my day was, I told him what I had done and he said "it shows" bless him. My eldest is more harsh.

Last night I folded the clean laundry and put it all away today right away, DH did his .
Today I finally did the second big food cupboard , totally emptied it wiped it all down , cleaned the food storage boxes and washed some cereal containers I emptied of old cereal that we use less now DS isn’t here but Uni most of the time . Now sure when i
last did the full cupboard but I’ll aim for quarterly or 3 times a year . 33 packets of old food to food disposal mostly and packaging to recycling as much as possible I washed the jars etc . A few bits to food bank too . Both cupboards much better . Sure space even and I know what there is . I’m considering labelling the boxes ( baking , spices, pasta , flour , sauces etc )maybe it’d help DH put the items in right places !!!! He’s infuriating when showing th in ds in random places putting the food order away or after going shopping . Then he’s have no
excuse although he go clearly doesn’t care ! I had clear labels with cursive writing put they soon peeled off do I’d use my label maker which isn’t as nice looking but clear and it’d stay put .
I also took out all DD nearly small pants from her clean laundry . She’ll soon need bigger socks which I’ve started to buy already and crop tops too so I’ll need to get those .
My motto like last year is “ Less thinking and talking about it , more action ! “ so I’m trying to just get on with these and other things in life to get stuff done . I’m such a procrastinator and I’m trying to change . In general any jobs that take 5 min or less I’ll do right away if at all possible , and I’ll try to start these bigger projects too since I know once I start I’m good at finishing . My moods go up and down and my health is crap so I often have to not do things that I wanted to get done but I can manage things in bursts .

Out :
-16 pairs of DD small pants
-DH old T-shirt
-1 pair of DD old pants
-7 pairs of old socks
-1 pair of DD leggings to charity
-1 old dog towel
-1 used up hand warmer I found inDD pencil case ?!
-1 half finished Christmas chocolate packet
-4 DD unsuitable beauty products
-8 packets of food to food bank
-33 packets of old dry food to disposal and packaging to recycling

Tomorrow I have an aft app so probably no decluttering unless I run into stuff which I normally do .
Everyone here is doing great with getting through stuff and the excess out the door ! We can do it ! My years of actively doing this have payed off so believe me it’s worth it and will make a difference ! We now have a much emptier more organised house with lots of literally empty areas but it is something you have to keep at forever . If you have kids and pets etc you can’t completely avoid bringing things in since they grow and change but you can definitely limit it .