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..

4 leaflets
1 top with too short sleeves
Total is 2920

Oh, that’s interesting. I think I have that problem in some places - less that we have too much stuff, more that it becomes perma-clutter because we don't put it away. Like shoes - we really don’t have too many shoes, if anything we have too few! But we have the shoe chest thing which is half empty and a shelf for “active” shoes/things we are currently using which is overflowing. This is about fixing our workflow/ storage solution I think.

Hi! Can I please join?

I just sold yesterday pretty much everything I posted on a fb group (baby clothes & toys) and I sent 3 quite large parcels. I'm so happy!

Thanks for the new thread @Pigtailsandall ! Got some decluttering done over the weekend - will add details later.

also @stealthninjamum I can't find the fecking dyslexia things either! I condensed DS's things to under his bed and his top shelf as I've said I've had to relax my strict policy of only own stuff in own rooms due to showing the house he always refused to engage with dyslexia help so I went to get the things for my younger 2 who will engage and they're gone so I've had to order more overlays and paper. don't worry there's always more clutter coming in and Christmas is coming lol 🫣

to be fair I probably got rid of them when I was very upset and triggered by school stuff 🥺

Finally 3large boxes gone to family! They are moving out and I had been storing various appliances and kitchen bits since June or July I think. Feels good, when we come back home I will just stand in the spare room and admire the empty corner 🤣

Congrats on your sales Reading

One recipe booklet recycled.
Total is 2921

Duplicate post

Welcome and congratulations reading

Mind if I join? A kind poster suggested this thread after I posted that I was struggling with stuff (it’s sort of a dual problem that my partner is overwhelmed by me having more in the house than he likes, and my inability to make decisions and let go of anything that might be “useful” one day)

but! I have sold 10 things on Vinted this week and taken one bag to the Salvation Army bin and one bag is for the local clothes project. Letting go of things that are too small for the kids is no problem. It’s everything else!

& maybe this is a relatable win? I used the last of my saved postage bags so I had to use bags for life posting my Vinted parcels. Considering at one point I couldn’t move for them (such that my sister forced me to clear them out) this is a big win.

Hey @Toomuchstufff. I think we can all relate. I have real trouble with holding onto too much stuff because I hate the idea of not having the useful thing I might need one day.

The nice people on this thread pointed me to Dana K White - who I now love! - and the 20/20 rule. Basically the idea is that if replacing something will cost less than £20 and take less than 20 mins then for most of us it’s ok to get rid (you might need to set your own financial limit).

thedeclutteringclub.com/20-20-decluttering-rule/

Ooh, and yes, love the “not enough packaging” problem - I feel like a winner!

One too small top
Total is 2922

So, I'm starting to plan properly for Christmas, and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on managing to "ins" this brings?

I love doing stockings and it's nice for my daughter to have lots of things to unwrap. Last year I wrapped up stuff like new clothes, and new baby shampoo for her, shes toddler-age so she likes the rustly paper as much as anything else. I have pleaded with my mother (for example) to get us 1 pair of expensive/lovely socks instead of 10 each, which we don't need. I've largely cleared the bathroom product backlog in anticipation of more soap etc. I'm just about to go and light a fancy candle to see if I can use up any of those before more arrive, but... what else? My husband and I are largely agreeing on a "gift together" now (last year we each wrapped up a new Denby bit of cookware for each other, the year before we bought a laptop we both needed) but it's not very romantic...

Any thoughts, on keeping the fun while not drowning in more stuff?

I try to get rid of at least 20 toys in the run up to Christmas which makes some room but I'm going to up my game this year. Just think about what categories you will buy and thin out occordinly.

Tbh I have been so good this year getting rid I'm not worried about the ins. I'm also going to buy less. We are always wrapping on Christmas morning until about 3am so I don't want to be doing that. Using up Bathroom consumables is definitely the way forward. I'm doing that but I'm not then pulling out say a draw in the bathroom cupboard and cleaning it ready for the new stuff. I'm finding I'm thinning out OK, but I'm not so good at cleaning the areas and fitting stuff back. We ha have a tower unit in the bathroom and every shelf is half full and dusty. I could clear two I guess ready for Christmas

@mistralli I tend to cull books and toys in early Dec too. I have done really well using up excess bathroom stuff this year, but I will inevitably get bath stuff, and I don't like baths. I'll just regift it.

DH and I get each other a few gifts, but many are consumables or clothes, or alternatively we splash out, funds, allowing, on something really nice. Last year I got him Bose noise cancelling headphones, but nothing else. He was thrilled.

DC will have a stocking with unusual sweets and treats, hair ties and stuff like activity books and stickers which get used up. I've also got a card game and a book in mind, plus some fun bath bombs (again, cnsumables). I try not to get plastic tat or small toys, though i might get a small squishmellow.

We also aim for consumables in this house, chocolate, bath stuft (kids love baths), craft activities.

We also don't go for a massive pile of presents- kids will get 3/4 from us, 2 from each set of grandparents and a few small things from friends. That's plenty for us.

We are all October and November birthdays so everything comes in a rush here and I do try to pre-emptively clear out over the summer.

Hit 1,200 this week, aiming for 1460 for the year which would be 4 a day. Looks achievable!

Dropped off 10 bulky clothing items today, including old bathrobe and a few of my dresses. I'm still shocked how every few months I manage to fill a bag for life with clothes, even after years of decluttering.

Also out 6 remaining tealights that I hate.

Other items out after big clean today:
A mug
Shamelessly regifted a toy dc got
marker, dried up
Kids sticker set used up
4 bits of plastic kids tat
Plastic something from our DIY project
Box for laptop dh finally relinquished
Magazine read and recycled, old crossword puzzle mag recycled
Icing tube, dried up
Small Souvenir booze down the drain

Total 1634 for the year

Welcome newbies.

i took two bags of stuff to the charity shop last week. Since then I’ve decluttered a dress I don’t like any more and I’ve been in dd1s wardrobe again throwing out old school books and cards. I’ve also decided to get rid of two asterix the Gaul books that were from my childhood - so nearly 50 years old.

We are on holiday at my sisters and I let dd pack. She forgot all of her underwear. So unfortunately that was 20 ins for a pack of pants and two packs of socks. I am trying to get two packs of socks each time as then there are 4 matching ones, not two that you can never pair up again. Thrown out two pairs of pants that had holes but now I'm thinking I should take the ancient ones on holidays where you go on a plain as its less to bring back? That's my inner hoarder talking I guess. Sold a few more things but really I need to take all my Vinted stuff off. I only have a big Primark bag of stuff left to sell but thats in the room eldest ds will be using

been out all day but I've also got some tea lights going out @Pigtailsandall and only 3 tiny ins think souvenir pencil

Lovely empty corner now. Now trying to tidy up the room - thinking I won't bother with vinted and will just donate all of the clothes I had in there. Bit of furniture switcheroo and new furniture in, and then hopefully it will all be spick and span ready for Christmas guests.
Tidy up in the garage - some materials and random bits of wood gone. Other half will be done tomorrow.

Bottle of showergel and some toothpaste finished ( I was away for a couple of days and had these dog ends for such an occasion)

I have a jumper that I'm undecided on, I love the colour but the fabric always feels wet on my skin even though I know it isn't .
And an annoying handbag that I'll recycle .