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 like that 'taste and smell the spices' I might use that instead of stop and smell the roses for my 2025 mantra 😂

Good idea. Although it will have to wait now as I'm moving on to the junk cupboard. I need to do a spring clean so I'll go back to them.

I think the BBC Good Food website is good for new ideas.

I haven't done any decluttering yet - holding out for tomorrow 🤭 loads of stuff I have seen that can go! I think with my self induced pressure off, it has been easier to spot things!
Ordered a couple of things that we need for next year and apart from 2 things (a snow suit and some thermal socks for eldest dd) I think I am ready to start my 'no spend 2025' challenge... albeit with one massive caveat: we are off to disney paris in February, it was booked a year ago using my inheritance money and we are soooo excited (we would probably never had the money to do this otherwise) so for those 5 days we will spend (dc have their own money saved over the course of a year) but for the rest of the year there will be no spends on 'wants' and alongside the decluttering (going to try vinted for some things) and frugal lifestyle I am hoping to be quids in.
Spent this afternoon sewing material gift wrap for birthday and Xmas next year (furoshiki) using my existing material so already I am saving money!
Hope you all have a wonderful new year and a successful start to 2025.🥰

Can anyone help with this? What can I do with old home-recorded videotapes?! They were out of sight and out of mind in a cupboard, and now need to be out of the house.

I’ve made a list of all the programmes that are now available on streaming or as dvds or on websites. There’s very little I’ll miss.

Just hate that they’ll become landfill, as I’ve googled and it looks like there’s nowhere in the uk to send them.

If anyone can let me know of any recycling services, I’d be very grateful. Thanks.

Hello, I'm new here and starting my decluttering year today! I'm going to tackle x2 kitchen cupboards today and the kitchen messy drawer. Then I'm moving onto the dining room and conservatory. I used to be a very tidy, organised and happy person but now live in such a mess. I don't have anyone visit the house anymore as I am so deeply ashamed of my mess, disorder, clutter and filth.

I couldn't find any recycling services when I got rid of my videotapes, unfortunately I had to send them to landfill.
Lots of places don't take them as the tape is extremely flammable.

Happy New Year everyone! As ever, my decluttering goals have fallen by the wayside but I’ve been keeping count this year and got rid of 651 things, though some of that is still in the house - getting stuff out of the house is my point of failure.

My 2024 total was 403, so things are improving slightly. We have found homes for all the Xmas presents except the books that DH and I got, but I’m planning a bookcase sort out this week so that will help.

Really feel that I should do a ‘no-spend’ challenge, for both clutter and financial reasons, but at the same time I feel like we don’t actually bring much stuff into the house! Plus I’m starting a new job in Feb and would like to get a few new clothes. Something to think about.

@TidyClutterIsStillClutter we had to just throw old video tapes away as nowhere would recycle them.

Welcome @Hottoffeesauce hopefully being on this thread will help and support you.

Happy New Year my decluttering friends! Hope you all had a lovely NYE! I'm so happy to have hit 2024 items last year, but I think it's time for a new challenge this year.

I'm going to go for one item a day BUT it has to be an item that isn't paper (documents, cards, photos etc), food items, packing and boxes, digital decluttering or other maintenance items. So the idea is to maintenence declutter automatically without counting it, but then get rid of one "substantial" item every day which will reduce the overall amount in the house. I did well last year in downsizing mine and DC's clothes, and my sentimental items (went from 8 boxes to 3, one which is fairly empty). I also got rid of a few larger items that had lingered on for years, but rest was maintenance decluttering. I found it a bit hard to see what left that actually made a dent. We still have too many books, CDs, magazines and I still have too many clothes and I could do another pass on sentimental/misc.stuff. so in a way it's easier as less counting, but harder as the items might take more letting go of.

https://www.reddit.com/r/declutter/comments/1hp6h6q/some_unexpected_things_ive_learned_while/

Found this last night whilst hitting a brick wall. Thought it might help someone else...

Have you looked on eBay to see if there's a market for them, maybe with art students or people who are making history collections etc?

@Christmasandallthetrimmings these are emotions we discuss on my hoarding course. You need to sit with and feel them. Do a pro and con list. Most of these emotions aren't true.

What if I need it again?
You probably won't need it again. You buy or borrow one etc

Thanks for the Reddit link. I grew up in what I would call a hoarded house. I have to get rid of stuff straight away so quickly took my bag to the recycling point and donation point.

Eldest child
Joggers torn
Dress and leggings set outgrown

Middle child
Joggers torn
Dress bleach ruined
Jegggins worn out
T shirt bleach ruined
4 leggings

Baby
2 x joggers faded/bobbly
1 leggings outgrown
2 sweatshirts outgrown
1 pyjama pants outgrown
1 shoes outgrown
T-shirt outgrown

1 scarf print faded

20 items for today

https://www.tiptopmedia.co.uk/secure-document-recycling-services-tiptop-media-uk/

Happy New Year! Here's to less clutter for all!
Having a quiet day today. I find the Christmas holidays knackering so need a rest day. I have decluttered the last mince pie, 2024 calendars into recycling and DD has written her thank yous for the elderly relatives so notecards used up.
I am going to continue with the aim of one item out each day.

Ok, I'm starting strong this year: item number one is my old hi-top converse. Love them, but they are cracked and let in water. I wore them throughout Christmas and had damp feet every day. Won't replace them as I have enough similar shoes.

I have sold two of dds clothes I bought last in last Christmas sales on Vinted. Listed a few more things similarly bought in last years sales dd has never worn. Shame as its all cute girly things ( I have 3 older boys) but she is oversized hoodie type of girl!

There's a bag started again of kids clothes and shoes to donate. I'm sure this is the last year of being able to get rid of bags of kids clothes in one go as I no long stash clothes to grow into. I'm trying to clothes only as they are needed.

Ds asked what my resolution was and I said to not be a hoarder next year. So if someone walks around my house they wouldn't be able to associate me with that word. I have a way to go.

I think that's an amazing resolution. I never used to be a hoarder but started since I had my DD. I'll just grab stuff to do together, like books or craft and think we can use that one day 'when things get less chaotic' . Or I keep stuff she doesn't need any more etc, just in case of future kids. But I remember how freeing it felt to travel with very little and anything I did regret chucking out at the time, I don't feel any attachment to these days. I can't remember where I read it maybe here, but there was something lovely about letting go of their old pictures etc so they have room to grow.

My biggest hoarding trait is where I don't have a car, I'll make bags of stuff to donate and then hold onto them as I don't want anything going to the tip. For example I've been holding onto two pieces of wood for dd's new bed where they sent the wrong piece twice, hoping I'll get talking to someone with a fireplace who can use them for firewood...today I empowered myself to just chuck them in the bin..I can't faff about wasting my own time on energy on someone else's mistake!

Well done @IncessantNameChanger. that’s a great resolution.

Mine is that I want the whole house to be tidier. It’s about habit as much as decluttering - so putting laundry away, keeping my bedroom tidy etc. I want all surfaces and floors clean - not just the ones that guests see.

Today I tidied my bedroom. Out go one pair of pyjamas, some shorts, two nighties, sports equipment, a pair of gloves and some papers (that I won’t count)

Outs 6

As part of this I tidied my makeup, found a home in a drawer for my iPad and kindle and their boxes and charges so they’re not left out. I can also see a few items belonging to dd2 that were going to her room. And my bed has a permanent pile of clean clothes on it that has been put away.

Waiting for the right home for a item was another topic in the hoarding course. If you have rehomed hundreds of items carefully over the years, you've done better than most people so it's your turn to put yourself first and bin it.

I do really procrastinate about where I get rid of things too as well. My first choice is the community clothes bank but I have plan b and c

I should say that my 2024 total was 651 while my 2023 total was 403 - I can’t edit the original post!

I've decided on a more focused goal for January of decluttering at least 1 item a day for the whole month, with daily posts on here, and aiming to get at least 3 bags of ‘stuff’ out of the house by 31 Jan.

Today’s decluttering was a pair of DD’s outgrown sandals that have been sitting on the shoe rack since the end of summer 2023! They are now in a plastic bag and in my bag ready to take to shoe recycling tomorrow.

My goal by the end of the day is my bedroom chest of drawers. I'm psyching myself up to do it. The junk cupboard is too overwhelming right now.

I am joining this thread for accountability. I aim to be clutter free by this time next year.
I recycled a shelf of books I had been holding onto from another role I had and no longer do - I kept them just in case and now 5 years later I let them go.
I sorted DS clothes and put the small stuff aside for my SIL - I need to move items out of the house quicker this year so I will try and drop them off at the weekend.
I am going to fill a large bag with clothes for recycled and leave into my local charity shop by the end of January - I added 10 items to it today.

We were visiting family today so I have only managed 2 so far:

1. Hiking boot laces - old ones were fraying and driving me bonkers (I wear them everyday) - replaced with a pair I got for Christmas.
2. Pair of dds undies - falling apart.

And as chance would have it I found a ski suit for ds and some thermal socks for dd just before midnight last night on vinted and bought them 🥳. No spend year intact so far 🤣

Happy New Year! Ive started strong and have put 35 socks and old underwear in the textile recycling bag, used up one hair mask and chucked one dried up sachet of face stuff. I'm determined to beat my score from last year and have felt a shift in my mindset recently. Saw a quote online that I'm adopting as my motto 'KEEP THE BEST - GET RID OF THE REST! ' and can apply to so many things!

I've emptied the chest of drawers. Have thrown away junk, gathered up books, pens, medication etc Now have to sort through socks and underwear.