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)

Very impressive @KCSIE - you are making me excited to get a big load together for the baby bank!

I’ve had a lot of help from my other half and mother in law the last 2 days. And all my listings are starting to come off. I also had a load for tip collected, so that’s seriously decluttered my drive!

9 - quick run to the charity shop
1 bag plastic recycling
2 bags grout sold
2 foam pipe insulation given away

1 Notebook binned
1 broken shaver recycled
25 paint sample/tester given away
2 bags plastic recycling
1 broken frame binned
6 pieces of broken tile to the tip
14 paint cans to the tip
2 magazines
4 rubble bags from our builders
2 pieces of wood

88 December
2030 total - wooohooo I’ve got past 2023 which I never thought I would

And tomorrow I have a load of parcels to be picked up including a parcel of cashmere recycling with turtle doves. They will send me a pair of gloves in return for nice but holey clothes. Very exciting.

Two jumpers, one with a hole and one doesn't suit me
One pram suit with fiddly foot-holes
One bottle shampoo used up (have about 20 left 🤦)

Total is 1752

1 holey pair of DHs pants
1 very expired sunscreen
2 kids books
Cleanser used up ( I have about 6 and I'm trying to use them up - definitely not replacing!)

Total is 2001 for the year

Dealt with the Regatta return and got my QR code to print the label, just need to physically take it to the parcel shop! We need milk and bread so I will try to force myself out at lunchtime - it's wet and I have a cough, but could probably do with the fresh air.

@Realfastfoodie Well done on hitting your target! The Turtle Doves gloves are lovely, I got my mum a pair of the fingerless ones years ago and they are still going strong.

@Pigtailsandall Total is 2001 for the year

Could I kindly ask you to declutter 22 more items by December 31st please to soothe my inner OCD? 🙏😂

Good job though, that's a lot to date!

One face cleaner gone. Not sure how many left, maybe 30? Total is 1753

Had a productive decluttering session a couple of weekends ago:

Old duvet taken to Dunelm for recycling (we got a new duvet in October and the old one had been in the corner of our bedroom since then).

Sorted through bag of outgrown clothes at the bottom on of DD’s wardrobe & have 12 items to go charity, plus two coats I might try to sell as they are from Joules (I got them second hand but they are still in a good condition).

Baby gate at the top of our stairs was removed (@Gassylady - couldn’t find the instructions online but found an installation video on YouTube which was helpful!)

2 craft kits, one board game, and a bottle of sherry donated to school Xmas Fair (won the sherry at the summer fair, but we don’t drink it). DD won one toy at the fair but decided she didn’t like it, so it’s in the charity bag.

The baby gate and clothes aren’t out of the house yet, and I haven’t done any more decluttering since then.

Sometimes I feel that I’m always dealing with everyday stuff - there seems to a constant stream of stuff for recycling, as our kerbside collection takes a lot of things, so I feel like I’m always washing up plastic trays from meat and veg, yoghurt pots, saving bread bags, rinsing out tins and plastic bottles. DH has a habit of leaning stuff by the sink so I end up washing it when I’m doing the washing up. It’s like it’s taking up all of my decluttering headspace!

@EllieQ that's great that your local council collect so much kerbside recycling! For us, ours just take the bare minimum plastic bottles, paper/card and glass.

If we want to recycle things like plastic trays from meat and veg, yoghurt pots, bread bags etc we have to pay for it privately! There's no food waste collection here either. It's so frustrating!

Regatta parcel has been returned, recycling has been taken out and bin emptied, so the kitchen feels less cluttered. We share our bins with five other flats and it builds up so quickly if you don't take it out. It's a nightmare at Christmas when there's so much packaging and wrapping paper to get rid of, and the bin fills up and then the collection times are all out of sync because of the bank holidays. Also just done a 30 minute TOMM fridge clean out - didn't quite manage to properly wash all the drawers and shelves, but everything has at least been wiped down if not scrubbed, and some old bits thrown out.

Fridge washed out here too in preparation for Xmas. Other half did it because I’m laid low with a cold and horrible coughing bouts - into day three today so hopefully will settle soon. Not getting much sleep with the coughing so rather grumpy too

I’m on a roll, with help from my MIL!

Tidied a few cluttered corners, and in addition to some receipts and other rubbish, I’ve decluttered:
1 half painted bird box
1 almost finished hair spray
1 pair disposable maternity pants
1 party hat
1 hair band
1 string

A few things for charity bags.

I got rid of 6 things in a bit of a mini craft drawer clear out… I think a proper clear out would be worthwhile after Christmas!

My big push on presents has yielded the following outs:
5 packing boxes
2 jumpers
15 present drawer items

I have a few to donate to charity from that clear-out too. And it’s saved me money as I am not buying last minute gifts to be posted directly.

125 December
2067 total

Oh no @Gassylady, hope you feel better soon. Good job to Team Gassy and @SydneyCarton fir fridge cleaning!

Great job @EllieQ 👏

Couple of raffle prizes taken to an afternoon tea today.

Stash of presents organised at least into 3 DC & DH.

So many things still to do over my last few days off before Christmas.
May need to find a Christmas Job thread to keep me accountable.

Slow day today.

• 2 empty shampoo/conditioner bottles
• baby play gym
• 2 baby toys

December tally: 153

Few more bits out over the week.

Unused calendar
Unused family organiser I've taken down off the wall and discovered it was from 2021 🫢
Make up bag
Brand new shirt donated
Brand new baby shoes and 2 brand new pairs of baby socks in pile for SIL
Single sheet
Double sheet
Fabric piece
Baby T-shirt
Baby sleepsuit
2 Vac pacs
Pack of baby toothbrushes
Ripped jeans
Pair of socks

Total 1598

A used up foundation pot (10 left) and a hoodie that's seen better days have gone today. Total is 1755

Love the 2021 calendar! Oops 🙂

10 books to the charity shop
1 duplicate present sent off with child to party (it was Lego so a nice one! Shame we had it twice!)
Wrapped all my presents and used up 2 ends of rolls, all the odd bits of paper and allllll the Christmas gift bags. Now just to deliver.
Waiting for freecycle person to collect a load of toddler toys.

1,651 for the year, was aiming to hit 1,800 but don't think I'll quite manage.

Decluttered a mini box of chocs (they'd been in the cupboard for months and I forgot about them)!

December tally: 154

Donated a bag of clothes, a wolly hat and a self warming mug to the charity shop.

Also sold and posted a tshirt on Vinted and listed some other items.

My slippers are starting to fall apart so I've replaced them with a pair from the stash and binned the old ones. Total is 1756

Evening all! I had a good decluttering day yesterday as husband was in the office for the first time all week and baby groups don't tend to run on Fridays here. Recycled as many cardboard moving boxes from the garage as I could fit in our recycling bin (we have two for some reason!). Then moved a large play unit into the garage to see if it would be missed. Also bagged up an entire binbag of soft toys and moved to spare room. If nothing has been asked for by Mid-january then they will all be given away. Posted another vinted item yesterday and one more to go out tonight. Have also decided to get rid of our baby bouncer as 4 month old hates it. Though it will probably get replaced by the jumperoo that's currently in the pile of doom. So it won't create any more space but at least it'll be being used!

Running total is 278 since October 1st. I had no target at all, but pleased with how it's gone so far!

Also, I can't remember if I saw it on this thread or a cleaning thread but I saw a suggestion of cleaning one shelf of the fridge each day to get it clean. I started that tonight and it already looks loads better with just one sparkling shelf! And one per day feels so much more achievable than doing the whole lot in one go!

I wasn’t feeling quite right with my chronic heath condition and like I was getting ill plus DD had a cough from hell and DH not great either so we decided to postpone our little trip yet again. Yesterday felt like hell and boom got a positive for Covid . Others testing negative and I’m holed up in my bedroom and en-suite for now trying to not infect them if I haven’t yet . Ds is due back from uni tonight and despite seeing him a couple of weeks ago I’m sad I can’t hug him or anything tonight . Lucky we didn’t travel and that I have done most things for Christmas by now . We had managed some of the Christmas related meals out and activities but some will undoubtedly be cancelled even DD can’t go with her cough despite being negative . Now hoping I’ll recover somewhat for Christmas but MIL coming over then and us going to hers for NY is now a question mark although she recently had Covid despite her booster like me as well . DH is getting through a bunch of deep cleaning and other household jobs in preparation anyway incase she can . He’s “ fixed “our gas fireplace so that’s something off the list . Gardener visited on Thu too so that’s tidy . I’m trying to contribute what I can from my bed . I can wrap family presents at least . I did all other people’s presents inc DH relatives , dd teachers and her and my friends etc much earlier and all the cards thankfully . Need to adjust our Christmas supermarket delivery ,might get the tree which we’ll leave out until end of next week then we’ll decorate next weekend . Thanks to not travelling have 2 weekends to get stuff done so that’s the silver lining .
Here’s some stuff that’s leaving since the last list :
-1 DD small hoodie
-6 DD small T-shirt
-2 DD small sweatpants
-5 pairs old pairs of socks
-2 pairs of old pants
-3 old T-shirts
-1 DD gymnastics club sweatsuit
-1 DD discoloured hoodie
-1 DD tracksuit top and shirt that leak colour
-1 my finished book
-1 DD finished book
-1 DD old star projector
-1 unwanted dog treat
-3 old dog toys
-1 DD old alarm clock
-2 DD old school calendars
-1 DD grubby pencil case and it’s contents
-1 pair of DD old school shoes
-a bunch of old school socks and games socks
-1 cordless vacuum cleaner charger for one we don’t have anymore
-1 old soft Halloween toy
-2 glass flower pots
-1 duplicate kids present
-kids school craft

Did laugh at the organiser Pissedoffneighbour can easily see that happening here. Nordic sorry to hear you’ve got COVID hope it soon eases. I’ve only got a cold but have felt dreadful since coming home part of the way through the day earlier this week. The pain when I’m coughing has been awful. So sorting has been very minimal this week with another few pairs of socks and pants into the rag bag.