Decluttering and organising thread 8 – it’s nearly summer

[stealthninjamum]

These threads are accountability threads for mumsnetters who are decluttering and organising our homes.

We’re all at different stages of decluttering from the beginning to the maintenance phase and use different techniques. Join us for support and chat .

We discuss all things to do with decluttering, the things that stop us decluttering, how to get over them, where to dispose of our clutter, how we can encourage our families to join us, and pretty storage solutions which is the fun part.

I’m doing one last big push to get rid of loads of stuff before the long summer holidays when it’ll inevitably turn to chaos again.

Useful tips
Some of us have found the Toss app (on apple) a great place to start with decluttering.

Many of us love Dana K. White (A Slob Comes Clean) on youtube and podcasts.

Many of us at the start just take a timer for 5 or 10 minutes to just make it seem less daunting. I used to start by clearing surfaces.

If you want to make a big impact quickly then increasingly charities will pick up your furniture, books and clothes so you don't even need to leave the house. Or if you have hundreds of books / CDs it's really easy to use the Music Magpie, ziffit or We buy books apps to get them taken away and earn a (very) small amount of money at the same time.

The BBC TV Program Sort Your Life Out is particularly inspiring.

When I do housework I listen to podcasts from a Slob Comes Clean, Clutterbug, the Declutter Hub and The Art of Decluttering. If you think you have ADHD then Clutterbug talks about this a lot as she has ADHD, and Amy from The Art of Decluttering did an ADHD season about 8 or 9 months ago which gave some good tips. My dc have ADHD so it’s something I’m very interested in.

I've not really been sure where to start so I have done some tidying in the garden and deleted some emails.

Not really getting much done around the house. Started shopping for DS1 who’s off to Naval College in 2 weeks. Boot polish for eg 😀

Jobs:

1. Hang up framed pictures
2. DS2 paperwork: blue badge started
3. my British passport application - need to get on with this
4. kids pool to be put away for winter - DONE ☑️
5. garden generally tidied for end of summer - started

Not quite outs yet:
Running leggings to go to a friend - Need to message her to meetup
spare tap left from building works - on FB
pile of unwanted files - in charity box
spare Taylor Swift poster from DD to neighbour’s DD
knackered suitcase to put on FB - posted
new charity box started (currently 25)

Out:
random crap from DD’s room to bin/recycling x 15
1141+15=1156

need a push soon if I’m going to hit the 2024 target

One skirt too small
One top too small
Two scratched CDs

Total is 2746

I went to help DH with his stuff yesterday and was stunned that he'd weeded out a huge pile on his own! Very impressed. We shredded them yesterday recycled what we could. We had

40 piles of various paper docs - an entire bag for life full
Pile of dry pens
2 journals
Bookmark
Large plastic folder
Gift card which still worked and we used up immediately
From cleaning up:
Cat toy
Kids memory game
Kids leaky water bottle

1357+50=1407

I was busy today. Look at the ginormous pile of Halloween, dress up and Christmas clothes we have! Looks like most of it will still fit so just a few things to try on. It's shocking seeing it all together.

I also did a final tidy of dd clothes so all uniform, hoodies, summer stuff etc is together.

Took everything off Vinted as I'm a bit fed up and need a break from it.

Got the bags of random too small clothes out of the understands cupboard. I had four bin bags to donate or sell I was undecided and overwhelmed so everything went to the charity shop. I did feel a bit guilty as the clothing bank would have distributed it for free, but it was an overwhelming amount for one volunteer. I feel do good that I could be desisive even if I did feel anxious about if it was it best home.

its best home, is not in my home at the end of the day.

15th out dd. dress, t shirt1, 6 ls tops, 3 nighties, 2 shorts, bread knife, 3 s trousers, 1 top
80 old clothes

-----
Total for 2024
1419 out
129 in

I have just decluttered the kitchen table by writing and putting stamps on the pile of thank you cards that have been lurking there since August 😊

They will leave the house tomorrow when I go to the post office. Feeling better for having swallowed that frog; turns out staring at them for 2 weeks wasn't going to get them done.

Similar to @IDareSay, I have addressed and put stamps on the envelopes of all the September birthday cards I have to post. An empty stamp book in the recycling.
I want to get the doorstep and fences painted which may result in some paint tins being empty but it's been a wet day.
Hoping my motivation comes back after the weekend.

I took an envelope full of various foreign currencies to the big post office near the office to exchange it, and I am now £122 richer! Given that I've been spending money like a drunken sailor, I should probably do something more sensible with it than my immediate instincts want to!

One coat, too big. Total is 2747

I'm on real roll now. Just sorted out the boys pjs, and youngest ds uniform so another pile ready to go. He is such a chunk. We see the dietitian this month but he has a 34" waist and 28" inch inside leg. I'm asking a shop on ebay about trying things on and returning as plus size 13-14 has been unavailable at M&S, Next, TU and Asda for a year now. Why don't they add some lorca to boys trousers? What happens to fat boys at 13? Mind isn't shooting up or thinning out. He is a dumpling.

10 of those stupid trouser coat hangers Binned too.

I had a tree surgeon declutter a tree that had shot up in ten years and was blocking light.

After discovering a mountain of papers in dd1s bedroom I have been shredding and chucking stuff out. I just do about 10 minutes a day with her because she find school stressful. I also found school uniform that I had missed in June so took two big bags to the school yesterday for their uniform shop.

Today is filing and organising paperwork. I have piles on sixth forms, car MOT / service, house insurance and pensions. In the old days I’d chaotically stick them in Room of Doom but now I’m fairly organised and I’m hoping it’ll take a few minutes to do.

My morning meeting was cancelled so I tidied up my desk instead. I finally recycled 9 academic essays - they were something I used for teaching ages ago, but I don't really teach now, and would def not teach that content anyway, so out they go. Also a dried up pen

Total is 1417

Going today:

2 computer disks
2 computer games
14 DVDs in their boxes
1 belt

Total is 2766

At the beginning of 2024 I was thinking surely I don't have 3000 unwanted items in my home, at the end of spring I was thinking wow maybe I do, now as autumn starts I'm realising it's going to be a lot more than that. Yesterday a YouTuber said they'd read that if you count each item individually including small things like paper clips, the average person has 300,000 items in their home, although this was in another country so perhaps the homes are bigger there. Now my mind is boggling though at what my final figure will be when I'm done.

I seem to have cracked the parcel system. Nothing sits around for weeks now waiting to be unpacked and packaging is disposed of immediately when something is unpacked. I don't keep "useful looking boxes" and tissue paper any more either, hardly any of it ever got used it just sat around taking up space with its piles and making the place look messy.

Another good day for me. I'm on track to get my 2024 items out this year. Not sure what's got into me as I'm on a roll now!

16th out 3 covid test boxes
7 bits of tat from top of freezer
steering wheel cover
odd kids Croc
shoe box
fruit box
20 hangers
3 bits of tat
-----
Total for 2024
1476 out
129 in

2 CDs
1 stuffed toy
1 pair worn out slippers

Total is 2770

Incessant sounds like you've reached the stage where decluttering is starting to feel easier.

Three wired bras
my original from 2006 ghds.

the bras went in the bin as the wires were poking through. As did the ghds.

im home now from work for the foreseeable as was diagnosed with breast cancer mid august so more time to potter round and get shit organised.

im ok. It’s treatable and curable. But I’m home off work for definetly 6m maybe a year depending on how I feel.

@ememem84 God, I'm so sorry! That's crushing news to recieve. Thinking of you. I bet some of the treatments will be tiring and intense, but I hope you keep busy (in a nice way). I hope you have a good support network too xx

Aw ememem84 that's hard news to hear. Hope treatment goes well.

I'm not going to hit 2024 this year. I am at 1449 and feeling a bit stuck. Have a handful of outgrown clothes earmarked to go, but otherwise we've tackled the easy stuff.

Thanks both. Treatment started within 10 days of initial consultation. So it’s been fast. But faster we go faster we finish.

it’s been shit. But first treatment down and so far so good.

That's tough @ememem84 Good to hear treatment is progressing quickly 💜

Thinking of you @ememem84, such a difficult time for you. You sound to be amazingly level headed and positive about it. I hope you have lots of support x

@ememem84 sorry to hear that. I went through the whole thing back in 2021. I had surgery first but obviously it depends on the type of breast cancer. It's shit. There's a lovely supportive thread on the health board if you need some support or a rant. It really helped me.
Take it easy and don't push yourself. If there's a time in your life where you prioritise yourself, now is it.
Not much progress to report here. Spent some time tidying the garden yesterday.

Thanks - I’ll have a look at the other thread.

im not pushing myself promise. Little and often and when I have energy.

I’ve just done the kids art cart. 17 used up colouring books…… binned.

treatment started fast mostly because I have medical insurance with work. If I didn’t have it I’d still be waiting for a consultant appointment. The wait list here is 8-10 weeks. Which is an absolute shocker.

DH needs the house organised because he needs stability. He’s been amazing throughout the last month. I’m off work for the foreseeable (work have been amazing too) so just need to do bits as and when I can.

I’ve set up a charity bag next to the dryer in the garage so everytime I do a load of laundry if there’s something that can go it goes.

im trying to compartmentalise things. I’ve just put together a “chemo” bag with the essentials (blanket waterbottle coffee cup hand cream lip balm spare headphones and charger cable and then every time I go will add book/kindle, Nintendo switch snacks).

it's me actualcjb/seperatedmum outsself I stopped posting coz I couldn't keep track on how much was leaving the house; loads and then I got sad on low energy days, I've still been lurking on here, you're all doing great, my house is on the market, I actually enjoy the challenge but not happy to keep starting again the house needs to stay at a good level, which is also a cleaning issue, I have had to admit defeat with a few bundles and either throw the whole lot out especially if it was dusty or box it in loft to go through later if it looks fine, only done this a few times. I'm really at the level where I keep going over and over things and more stuff comes together/leaves each time. need better item/laptop organisation tho. also good rediscovering stuff like forgotten new recipe book. I can now keep suitcases in downstairs storage coz we go away a lot to see family instead of in loft. DCs still don't have the hang of organising their own things but I think that only happens on cleaning porn really. was able to pop out yesterday afternoon without worrying about The House. etc etc etc 😝

we also got a tree cut down for similar reasons, Alders grow fast, they also did the garden, money well spent