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)

Thanks for the kind words, kids can be just so difficult. Thanks for the different perspective indiansummer I think they didn’t remember much of it either so it probably does mean more to me. I wanted to sort the stuff out with them because they don’t like me throwing their things away so we declutter together. Dd2 used to sellotape her paintings to the walls so I’d thought she wouldn’t mind. I suppose I can throw anything away now so I’m just going to choose my favourites over the next few weeks and scan them and then decide at a later date if it’s worth doing a photo book.

The talk of Amazon reminds me that someone on this thread a couple of years ago had a 20/20 rule. If an item could be bought from somewhere within 20 minutes of their house for less than £20 they’d declutter it. Maybe that was a 10/10 rule? Anyway I don’t take it literally but do like it as a reminder just how easy it is to buy stuff and recently I’ve got rid of spare garlic presses, glasses, wires and cables, unused notepads, hairbands and not missed any of them. When my only garlic press dies I won’t be annoyed that I gave one away I’ll just be happy my kitchen drawers don’t get jammed and I can find things in them quickly

That's from a minimal mom video the 20/20 thing. It helped me too I started looking up the price of things I was keeping just in case and asking myself if a situation occurred that I needed it could I afford to replace it.

Not getting very far here. Wish I could gather up a huge load of stuff and get rid but I seem to be stuck at one thing a day for now.

@Realfastfoodie My Amazon thing is that I assume Amazon will keep all my "just in case" items for me and then if I want them will deliver them to me tomorrow for a small fee (the price).

So essentially, Amazon is my storage area

Three pillows (previously counted) to textile recycling yesterday - Dunelm take pillows and duvets for recycling. While we were there, I bought two new towels to replace two that were worn through and had started to fray, so the old towels have gone into the textile recycling bag today. I worked out that we’ve had them since before 2010 as I remember using them in the house we rented before buying our first house, so they’ve lasted well!

@Realfastfoodie My DH tends to overbuy food and stocks the pantry up high, and I always tell him that I let Tesco store my food until I'm ready to eat it. We've started meal planning and it is really cutting down on food waste.

I'm sorry so many of you are going through a rough time. My DC has some adhd qualities but is too young to be assessed. We'll see. I'm terrified of the teenage years, although my brother's kids were amazing through teen years. I hope it's a family trait...

I am keeping up with decluttering small areas. I did all our pens and pencils yesterday. Amazing how many there were, even when I thought there couldn't possibly be too many! Few things on freecycle too, and a bag is being put together for a charity shop drop off.

Out:

18 pens/pencils
small pencil case
8 photographs
inner cushion
a toothbrush which was used and yet belonged to no one (?)
Kids boots and a jumper, both sold on Vinted

Total is 209 for the year

Lol at the Toothbrush. I keep getting kids shoes I haven't bought turning up at home. Ds is never missing his shoes, so where do they come from? I have asked on the class and year WhatsApp but it's a mystery. I can imagine some barefoot 11 year old walking home while ds has a pair on his feet and his hands.

The 20/20 rule wouldn't work for me. I'm a good 15 miles from my biggest town. Local town is 5 miles away, full of coffee shops, Turkish barbers and charity shops. So unless I urgently need a buzz cut, a soya latte and and a overpriced second hand primark jumper I'm stuffed!

15 dvds out today.

The big one out today. The pram and carry cot have gone. That was a physical and an emotional declutter for me.

but I was ready.

I hated getting rid of my prams

@ChampagneCommunist it was you, sorry I didn’t remember!

work again today.

MIL still here.

drinking cava now as my birthday tomorrow and a few days off.

MIL here for my birthday….

223

Out today:
Silicone mug topper
Tea strainer
Notebook
Letter writing set
Note cards packs x 4 (all partly used)
Scraps of birthday wrapping paper (hundreds, I'll count them as 1)
Old recipe cards from an old spice subscription gift
Cookbooks x6
Baby clothing items x 20

YTD 328

One pair of socks with a hole gone today. Total is 1868

@IncessantNameChanger I use the 20/20 rule to say can I find it online and order it within 20 mins, rather than can I actually buy it in a shop, if that helps?

Going to the tip on the way to work this morning, got some old mobile phones, random cables & unwanted wooden utensils- I'm lucky that my tip has special sections for all 3

Well done @ememem84 prams and carry cots are so hard to give up.

Yesterday I did my window ledges and a chest of drawers. I found a vase,8 pairs of trousers and 2 tops to go.

I have 6 bags of stuff to go to the charity shop now. I’ll try to go today.

Decluttered a load of party bag crap at the weekend, by which I mean that I went through them, took out the sweets I like and hid them, then binned the rest 🤣. I’ve noticed people seem to be moving towards little polyester rucksacks for party bags instead of paper or plastic ones. I assume they’re meant to be reusable but they’re not really big enough for any practical use and I don’t know if they can be recycled easily 😕 DS has four birthday parties coming up in the next three weeks 😩

I'm finding little and often helps. But sometimes you just need a big declutter when you're overwhelmed. I've got a bag ready so far

1 dress too big for me and wore it a lot last summer nearly every other day as I was pregnant. It just looks 'worn' and 'tired'. I'm sick and tired of it.
3 pyjama pants that I wore in my last month of pregnancy and that I've rotated between the past 7 months. Some have become too baggy and some are bobbly around the crotch area.
1 pyjama top material has become so thin
3 tired looking bras.

Will keep adding to the bag once I get time

Baby clothes declutter

1 Wooly hat too small
1 pinafore dress with T-shirt and tights
1 bib

I’ve decluttered a whole year of life lol. HB to me and all that.

Actually have an hour of peace as DH has taken the dog out and MIL gone to a friends for a catch up. Bliss.

Have a Vinted parcel I must drop off today, need to adjust my setting to just the delivery company that collects from round the corner, still a newbie to Vinted.

223

Vinted parcel done.

223+1=224

Happy Birthday @LivingInaBuildingSite! I hope you can have a nice day despite MILs extended stay. Lucky you!

Pair of socks with holes out last night, 2 t-shirts out today. Didn't really need to do anything in the wardrobe as did it recently but didn't want to skip it on Toss so found a couple.

Still trying to find the energy to get things out of the house that have been bagged up, and to go to the post office to do a return. But I'm certain nothing will be unpacked at least.

I've got a couple of childfree days coming up soon so hoping I can use that time to get stuck in to some slightly bigger projects. Feeling like this last 30-40% is harder than the first time. Argh!

One more ratty teeshirt to the rag bag. I'm smartening up by shopping my wardrobe.

Happy birthday @LivingInaBuildingSite. I drove around the M25 today to get some more bits from my mums house which is being sold next week. Really upsetting because I grew up there and its just sad to see it empty and my parents entire life thrown away. I have a funky 60's carpet, a kids orange wardrobe and tones of random shit in my boot now. The car is totally packed out. I might pop back to remove some of the victorian hooks before it sells from inside the wardrobe and cellar.

Nothing decluttered. Porch is full of what was in my boot, car unusable. I thing sold on Vinted

Happy birthday @LivingInaBuildingSite

Does anyone have a scrap metal man in the area? My friend told me today that she leaves out metal items she wants to get rid of and they get taken by a scrap metal man. I’d never heard of this. I am paying someone to get rid of some bits in my shed like a barbecue and old tv arial (that belonged to a friend of stbexh over 20 years ago!!) but I’m wondering about scrap metal people. I googled and found some in the area but feel too embarrassed to ask if they’ll take my stuff for free in case they laugh at me.

Today I took 3 bags to the charity shop, decluttered one dress and some papers.

We have a scrap metal man or maybe more. They drive around with a loudspeaker calling for items. If you know when they are coming to your road then you can just leave stuff out for them. Dont forget they will then sell the bits on to a recycler so they are not just doing it out of the goodness of their heart. Its a bit like the rag and bone man from years and years ago. Just dont let the kids leave bikes out on the kerb - a neighbour in our previous house learnt that the hard way!

Thanks all. Governors meeting done and prosecco opened, so even with the house guest the day is looking up 😂

@IncessantNameChanger that sounds tough re the house, anything period that you think new owners won’t appreciate but make you have fond memories you should keep I think.

randomly gave away an extra reusable shopping bag in Lidl as the man in front of me was struggling with not enough bags, don’t know if he really wanted it but he had it lol. Also think it was an extra MIL and given us as part of her clearing her house of unwanted crap haha.

so 1 less thing in my house (we have way too many shopping bags)

224+1=225

day off tomorrow, and MIL going (whoop) so may treat myself to a lazy day but may try some tidying too, we’ll see.

We have lots of scrap metal men in the area and we can just leave stuff like that out and it usually just goes. I would definitely not feel too awkward to ask, no point in paying someone to make money from your scrap metal!

No decluttering today, but I’ve got my mother in law coming to visit later this week and she usually is extra helpful in getting a bit of progress with the house…!