Decluttering thread 7 - as the days lengthen we’ll feel more motivated to declutter

[stealthninjamum]

Sorry for the long thread title, I’ve just seen that the old thread has reached 1,000 posts.

For newbies this thread and the old one a day threads are for a group of mumsnetters who are decluttering. We’ll share tips and advice and inevitably the conversation moves on to organisation tips, pretty storage solutions and persuading our families to join in.

We’re all at different stages of decluttering so join us for support and chat.

I'm a bit stuck this week. All I've done is used up a set of fake eyelashes so they're binned. I've got about 20 left! I'm on a makeup ban until I've used up everything I already have and I've got so much I'm wondering if I'll be too old to bother with makeup by the time I'm finished. It's a strange feeling thinking I might never buy makeup again. Total is 1884

@DyslexicPoster (name change?) that’s so annoying about the tops. I hope you find them. With your vinted stuff I would probably set a limit of one or two weeks and then donate them.

i made an appointment to go to the rubbish dump on Saturday and thought I’d empty the boot. I found a bag that I must’ve intended to take to the charity shop and forgotten. So I then added another three bags and donated four. For the first time in years I have got rid of all the charity shop donation stuff and I have no charity shop piles of crap.

Today I also touched up the gloss paint upstairs. I did it during lockdown and some bits are scuffed. I’ll need to do it again tomorrow. I also threw out some of dc’s artwork. Tonight my small IkEA unit will arrive and I’ll be able to declutter the big rickety bookcase.

Thanks all. I managed to push forward a bit with my plans last night and today.

@stealthninjamum - thanks for the tea and biscuits! I think that’s a really good point. There are definitely things going into memory boxes which might get culled at a later date, but they are definitely in a better place than scattered around my kitchen or the kids’ bedrooms. Hope your tip run goes well and the kallax does what it’s supposed to. I know we can’t just buy storage and hope it fixes everything but I’ve found some pieces of the right storage/furniture have been really transformational and unlocked whole rooms.

Thanks @Pigtailsandall. I think you are right about time and place, and giving things space if needed. And awesome work with your vinted success. Thanks @KCSIE, @CKMondlerlife too. We will get there. I do feel that real balance between just pushing through and not having time to stress about things versus being ready.

I gave away another 2 unwanted gifts to a raffle. Took 1 bag of soft plastic recycling in. Only 5 charity shop things but a couple of them were quite big. My big win is finding a loving home for 36 Audiocassettes ☺️ More general tidying and sorting things though, and a bit of batch cooking (which is sort of decluttering my life/fridge/freezer…)

Hope you find your mojo @IndianSummer78. Might the Toss app help? I can’t remember if you are using it? I find I can usually find one thing at least for each prompt. Welcome @ChippyTea16 and thanks for your tips - I like the cables one, but can you send the memo to my other half who cannot throw away a cable to save his life!

@Realfastfoodie my kallax has just been delivered and I am so excited. It’s only a small 2 x 2 one but will replace a bookcase that’s more than twice the size and will look nicer. I can only do it because I have given away most of the books. I’m desperate to build it now but dd2 has gone to bed - the earliest night ever and I will not be waking the grumpy one.

I wish you a wonderful sleep @stealthninjamum ☺️

@Owwmumo1 that's great he gave away something. It's so much harder when its your kids stuff. My DS is ASD and also isn't a huge fan of change unless hes in charge of it. Like hes had a chair in his room since he was a baby but as he loves spinning I've been looking for a small spinning chair that's sturdy. We found one and he loved it and so was happy to say goodbye to the old chair without so much as a glance 😂

@stealthninjamum I love kallax. Changing just a small piece of furniture or storage solution makes such a difference.

Got rid of 19 small empty boxes having rehomed the contents and one newsletter that I finally got around to reading. Total is 1904

I’ve had a good day. I always try to do empty my handbag and car on Friday because I think that’s my takeaway from flylady. So knowing I was going to go to the tip I emptied the carboot. I found two teddies and a dress that must have fallen out of charity shop bags. I also found a bag of old blankets which I was going to donate when I realised I could lay them across the boot to keep the car clean. Inside a blanket was an old ipad!

Anyway the boot is full of crap from the garden, an old car seat, wires, an old bin and watering can. I’ll add chemicals from the garage later. Today’s task - after a long bath - is to see if I can get my iPad working

7 items sold on eBay
15 CDs, 12 dvds and 4 books collected by courier to go to Ziffit
Mobile phone holder
Bunch of tent pegs
House plant
Glass bowl
2 keyrings

Total 338

I sold one thing on Vinted. Used up one bottle of perfume. However I bought a few more from.perfume parlour 🙄 but they are copies of onesi haven't used before. Not as big as my used up one. Anyway it's another blind spot, they won't counts as ins, they just don't.

I went to council run SEN event this morning. I told people about that dds ht told me something personal and nasty I had a good cry there. I feel in stressful times I freeze but I need to step up my declutter. 399 out this year so far

Hello all, old and new. I’ve been full on at work so not been posting.

Just trying to catch up on here.

I have some outs though along the way:

2 x freebie sachets of extra washing stuff for sports clothes that had been sat on the side for ages
2 x historic certificates for a friends family tree delivered after months of being on my desk
pair of jeans to charity

264+5=269

I have to list some dance costumes on Vinted but have more long shifts coming up first.
Also have a very long To Do list but making no headway with that.
MIL back for another visit, sigh.

Whilst putting the complete Lego sets in a cupboard husband has unearthed a bag containing school uniform. Some of it is polo shirts with the old logo - thought I’d got rid of those at the time of the changeover but apparently not. Some is plain white shirts so they have been washed and checked for marks and are waiting to go to charity.
Another fail of my systems - I was convinced there was no more in storage 🤷‍♀️

I have taken two black bags of games to the charity shop today. They were just gathering dust and doing nothing.

Lol my systems alway go TU untentionally. That's why ideally every item of dc clothing would be in Wardrobe and draws and not storage. I want all of the youngest twos summer clothes out from storage and in draws this time next year. We shall see. Vinted seem very slow right now. I plan to list some things this week, everything for £1 then I'm going to put the best bits aside to start new in April and donate the rest. The storage has got too much really. I'm getting fixated on Vinted now.

16 out today as rags

I filled the boot with garden crap, a car seat and an old bucket with old oils / a bottle of toxic chemical that had probably belonged to my exh and went to the tip. I’m sure the oils might be 25 years old so I’m pleased with myself.

i also saw weird metal frame in the garage that I have never seen before in a cardboard box - yet I must’ve moved house with it 20 years ago? Might see if the scrap metal people collect it when they pick up exh’s two old car batteries.

in the house I put some wires in the electronics recycling bag.

Dd1 has built the kallax unit and I love it so much. I’ve advertised the old bookcase on Facebook, but we also have a couple of charities who might collect it.

I am currently living in chaos while we have building work done. Its so incredibly overwhelming.

Took a carrier bag of clothes, a book and some jewlery to the charity shop today. Need a real push on paperwork I've got absolutely tons to sort through.

Think of you @LivingDeadGirlUK - building work is just exhausting mentally and physically. It has definitely given me the best declutters I’ve ever managed though, when it’s over!

Woohoo @stealthninjamum - that’s three big wins!

@LivingDeadGirlUK been there, can sympathise 🍷

Nothing done today as was at work and finished late. Work tomorrow then a few days off.

269

45. Old pillow
46. Holey outgrown tshirt... binned
47. Good condition outgrown tshirts... charity bag
48. Fridge clear out

Been slacking a bit! I'm behind the day count again.

Todays job is to take photos with an old 35mm camera which I’d like to sell / donate.

ive also decided to let go of about a dozen videogames so will be advertising them on Facebook.

18 dvds, 6 games and 39 CDs sent off to music magpie
Cat toy
Small storage bag
2 teethers
Hairbrush

Total 406

My partner has taken 3 sacks of rubbish and a massive box of cardboard to the tip. Our cardboard bin got missed last collection and its 3 weeks between them so that was really stressing me out.

Included in the bags of rubbish were a load of random cushions that had ended up here after being used to transport things from my mums house.

Hopefully got a mirror going tonight as well, this will be replaced with a full length one in the hallway, something we really need.

I did consider a name change but 'Deadgirlinabuildngsite' isn't quite the vibe I'm going for :D

Hopefully we only have another week of this too.

58 balls of yarn taken to nearby neighbour 😊
Black bag filled with a king size duvet cover, fitted sheet and flat sheet plus 2 matching pillowcases, three pairs of shoes and several nearly new towels - off to the charity shop tomorrow.
I really need to go through my wardrobe and remove more clothes but am prevaricating!

I've had a big success today.
Got rid of an exercise bike that cost £££ in lockdown and has barely been used. It's been taking up space rent free for 4 years, I've advertised it for sale and been messed about by people who don't turn up. So I posted it for free on village FB and it's gone.
Also got rid of a mini fridge and a vax carpet cleaner. Asked DC if they wanted them and they have said yes.