All I Want for Christmas is a tidy house - Decluttering thread 9

[Pigtailsandall]

New thread!
Hope you all find this! It's not letting me tag people..

I think with the large boxes/collectioms, it's easier to just take a small bag each time you pass the charity shop. We did this after we sorted all our books - shifted 5 at a time. At least this way they did eventually leave the house!

4 weeks of course done, 2 weeks to go. Busy weekend with orchestra concert and a marathon (mostly untrained for!) in the horrid weather today. Have finally warmed up.

Jobs:

1. Hang up framed pictures: approx 10?
2. DS2 paperwork: blue badge started
3. my British passport application - need to ring the helpline re my Mum’s passport during the week
4. DS1’s room: Now just needs me to make the bed then it’s done and ready for him to come home at Christmas. Put a little tree up, needs decorating though.
5. DS1’s gaming, PC, nerf collections to go through and tidy away;
6. IKEA wardrobe for DD to order; sort her clothes, her wardrobe to my room; having issues with the IKEA website so it won’t let me order.

Not quite outs yet:
scooter hooks x 3 onto FB
2 old leather sofas: DH has booked the council collection service & moved the bits to the side ready for collection, living room looking less sofa-graveyard now! DONE ☑️

Out:
sofas, some crap from DD’s room she sorted herself (approx 10)
1630+12=1642

Next weekend I have totally free so apart from some sleep I should get some last Christmas bits done.

Been busy this week with doing dd sen jobs so not much out. Been busy with kids Christmas things like lapland UK too.

Dd has chosen some Wicked PJs and fake primark uggs which im happy with. She chooses her stuff, it gets worn. Less in too.

One DVD
One pair of trousers with a hole in
One dead plant
Total is 3019

Dropped off the bags of presents to the salvation army and had a potter about at home. A really busy week this week with stuff going on so not expecting much progress on the decluttering front.

I have put up the tree and a few decorations! I don't go nuts on them and they mostly fit into 2 plastic tubs. However, I do seem to have a habit of buying a pack of cards each year - I only use a few for few elderly relatives, plus two friends who live further away - and so each year a few cards ends up on the bottom of the box. I gathered up 11 different ones and to my surprise someone from a local fb group picked them up straight away! Must start buying smaller packs

Outs:
11 Christmas cards
notepad, used up
McDonald's toy
toddler pillowcase
wipe-clean activity book that can no longer be wiped clean
scratch art pad

Total is 1916. If I want to reach the goal, that means 5-6 items each day until the 31st!

new non-working dash cam returned &refunded out
nothing else that I can think of

Merely ticking along here. Up to date with recycling etc. Need to have a sort of cupboards as I’mmsure there are a few old tins of beans, custard etc that may have expired. Food storage is a real pain in the bum. Below counter cupboards are hard to see into the back. Open wire rack shelves need everyting in boxes but hold my big flour tubs etc ok. Never seem to get this one right hence the tims that get overlooked - frustrating!

One DVD to donation bag
One cleaning spray used up
Total is 3021

Nothing much going for me either. I think I'm done for the year as its such a busy time for us. I need to tidy the ruminants of the decorations from putting the tree up and pack the toy box away ( tree is in its place) so I will try to do mindfully looking for easy outs. But I just want it cleared away really right now. I can sort more carefully when I put the tree away and put the toys back out

Few more things out:

2 frying pans (we got better ones a while back, dh wanted to keep these 'in case' but I objected)
2dry pens
Chewed up cat toy
Kids cat mask
Cookie tin
Unused notebook- taken to work to be donated

Total is 1924! 100 more to go!

I am still slogging away in the study as this is where various items were relocated to when I needed more time to think about them in terms of where they should live permanently or whether they should simply leave the building.It also contains my yarn stash and other crafty bits, so it's a lot to sort through.

I am going to have one final rummage in there tomorrow and then call the house finished for Christmas. As I potter about I can still see plenty that needs to go so I will start again in the new year and probably set myself a target.

Two DVD to donation bag
One face scrub used up
Total is 3023

1x potty
1x travel toilet training seat
62x old wires, chargers and electronics equipment
21x old batteries
1x old pair shoes
43x items for cloth recycling (mostly too-small kids clothes)

541 + 109 = 650

Life had been slightly hectic so I've not really been achieving much. I was feeling overwhelmed by it all the other day but now gifts are all wrapped and parcels sent, I feel better.
I was hoping to have used up more of the wrapping paper than we have done.
DP finally emptied the box of stuff he brought back from his dad's in March. Is nice to have a piece of floor back again!
DD's clothes were quite chaotic so we did a quick sort and found two items to sell, one for charity bag and some textile recycling. We need to do a more thorough sort but it's a start.
We have a lot of cardboard from online deliveries. Might see if we can get a trip to the dump in before Christmas to dispose of that and textiles.

Wow @Pigtailsandall you are doing so well.

I did a freezer sort out and cleared our kitchen island. I also put a load of stuff by the side of the road to give away. It wasn’t all taken but the things that were left gave me the “permission” to bin them.

I’m feeling quite overwhelmed by stuff again. Things are objectively less cluttered and over-full but I really feel like there are a lot of surfaces and shelves that are just piled up with stuff again and I’m losing track of things.

@Pigtailsandall "Just in case" makes me stabby. We have also got a new frying pan which DP got in the Black Friday sales so he can cook steak "properly" but he insists we should still keep the crappy old one I got from TK Maxx about ten years ago "just in case". To be fair the new one is cast iron and bloody heavy so I don't really want to be heaving it out of the cupboard just to make an omelette - it might have to live permanently on the hob.

@Realfastfoodie I know how you feel. I feel like I am falling behind with getting clutter out of the house before Christmas and dreading the influx of new clutter, although my children are getting a bit older and more likely to want small expensive things rather than big cheap (-ish!) things so hopefully less STUFF to manage in future. We are overwhelmed with party bags at the moment and I am planning on chucking them all in a carrier bag and binning it while the DC are distracted by Christmas....

Thanks @SydneyCarton - it’s Christmas that’s definitely making things harder. We don’t go over the top, and the grandparents are good too, tending to go for something good rather than hundreds of things, but there’s friends, wider family, party bags (lots of birthdays going still) school fairs etc. Also a new season of clothes.

Christmas plans are very behind here. Dd2 has been off school now for a few weeks. She is neurodivergent and has been struggling for years with attendance and she just can’t go anymore. I’ve tried to get support but camhs / nhs won’t help. I’m looking into online learning/ home schooling but she seems really burnt out and unable to get out of bed.

I just put my tree up today, usually I do it in November! I think it’s going to be quite minimalist because I don’t have a lot of time to decorate it. I’ve also only just bought a load of presents online so hopefully they’ll arrive in time.

Outs are just two decorations. It’s not much but the house is generally tidy these days.

I need to make a start on decluttering and will definitely make a start on 1st January. I live with two people (the one I married, and the one who takes after him...) who could make a mess in an empty room, and a daft dog, so I've got my work cut out for me!

Week 5 of 6 done on the course. Loads of online work to do but can be done over the next few months so no pressure, yet.

Nothing done on decluttering front but posting now to be accountable over the weekend, I have wrapping to do and decorations remnants to put away, plus house jobs to get on with.

Jobs:

1. Hang up framed pictures: approx 10?
2. DS2 paperwork: blue badge started
3. my British passport application - need to ring the helpline re my Mum’s passport during the week
4. DS1’s room: Now just needs me to make the bed then it’s done and ready for him to come home at Christmas. Put a little tree up, needs decorating though.
5. DS1’s gaming, PC, nerf collections to go through and tidy away;
6. IKEA wardrobe for DD to order; sort her clothes, her wardrobe to my room; having issues with the IKEA website so it won’t let me order.
7. spare room ready for MIL visit
8. christmas present wrapping
9. orchestra folders to unpack, new music to sort, then put in folders- By Jan 7th

Not quite outs yet:
scooter hooks x 3 onto FB

Out:
1642

One pair of worn out underwear. Total is 3024

DC is not well so been up for ages 😴

It's quiet though and dh and dc are playing and reading while I've done a quick clean and sweep of our living area (the downstairs is all open plan) and found some junk.

Out:
One cracked plastic container
One pen, dead
Kids plastic whistle
Some birthday balloons
Sticker book set
Small pencil set in a box, prob from a party bag
School music sheets
Expired cough medicine
3 more smelly tealights
2 birthday cards (from 2023)

It's good to clear out big things but I hate all the little crap that crowds in corners and tabletops. also out lots of post and papers etc but not counting those

Total is 1937.

I'm trying to figure just how many tealights you must have had sitting around! :D

I know, it's ridiculous. These are those smelly ones that come in small packets. I've had some through secret santas and other gifts etc, and I've occasionally taken one out to burn in my outside lantern because I can't stand their smell....but I have never had a specific storage space for candles so opened packets and loose candles have ended up in Christmas decorations, junk drawers etc. I need a designated candles spot. I always felt bad binning them but I can't imagine someone wanting a 6-pack of cheap tealights with 2 already missing!!

DC and I dropped off 2 kids books that no one likes to a local little library. Total is 1939.