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..

Agree with you both on this for three reasons:

1. I bought (didn't rent) a series to watch online via Amazon, but when I went to watch it a second time it was unavailable! I complained and was eventually given a refund, but they were of the opinion I didn't own it forever.
2. Many films and series have been edited since the original was shown. e.g. was watching Crocodile Dundee online last year and part of a scene had been cut. I prefer to have access to originals so I am not being subjected to unnecessary censorship.
3. If the internet falls down we still have stuff to watch.

We have loads of CDs and DVDs still because I want to own things physically. Dd1 likes a lot of the same music as me but when I suggest she listens to a CD she just finds it on YouTube and listens to it with an ad blocker and she reads lots of classics from her phone even though we often own a paper copy of the book. It makes me sad that some corporation could decide to cancel someone and remove or edit all their books or music.

I’ve taken the decorations down. Two are being donated. The house looks so empty, I miss the tree.

Total outs ytd 12.

Reached out to someone on FB who was looking for moving boxes and she just picked up six...so that's 63 items since boxing day. A friend was supposed to pick them up for the last couple of months and he didn't bother and I was ready to put them in the recycling, as he was driving me mad, keeping asking about them- except they wouldn't all fit. Feels good getting rid of bigger items!

Just booked a cleaner for next week to deep clean the whole house, as a reward to myself for keeping on going. I've been keeping up with the small jobs like washing up and laundry. I'd been neglecting them and letting them pile up as thought I should prioritise the deep cleaning, decluttering and toys organising/unpacking and tidying etc...but now I've realised that keeping up with those small jobs is allowing me room to do a little a time if the big stuff. Now if only I can incorporate some healthy cooking into it all!

I've run out of steam. Bedroom is half finished and I still have the cupboard rammed with stuff to do.

I'm not feeling very motivated! I'm thinking it might be easier once we've taken the Christmas tree and cards down and DD is back to school.
I dropped medication blister packs into the recycling at Superdrug today.
I need to get back to regular routine to give me that kick start.

I posted earlier on a separate thread about shoe storage. This is one of those things where it really isn’t that we have too many, more that we need better systems and storage… still not quite sure what to do, but they end up all over our hallway so it will be clutter until we can fix this

All Christmas decorations down and put away. Sorted a load I don't want any more and will count them and put aside for donation later in the year.
Put loads of washing away - how can so much be generated in a week 😫
Had a sort out of my wardrobe and anything that is 2 sizes too small, not quite right and things that will not be worn this year I have pulled out and will put on vinted next week. I will add my numbers next week.

Happy new year everyone, can’t remember if I’ve already said it 🤣🤣

Nothing to report as yet.

Another vinted sale to post, but honestly I’m probably best off cutting losses and giving away a bunch of clothes now. Will give myself a push on that. Kids clothes have become a problem again. Need to be a lot more disciplined. Am so far resisting the sales.

New to this but god do I need it. We are drowning in stuff. 2025 motto is “less is less”!
Today I have cleared one bag of toys to the charity shop. One bag of old paperwork.
Also rented a storage unit to put some bits in to clear cupboard space (no shed, no loft, no garage!).
I’ll be back for inspiration from you wonderful people. Keep going!

Can I join?!

Today I have tidied:
the hall cupboard
The fridge, and labelled all jars with the date they were opened
The shoe racks
Gone though a box of photos and put my faves in frames
a couple of boxes on my kitchen dresser
The downstairs loo cupboard.

Getting there!!!

Day 3 of 31 days of decluttering: sorted through DD’s picture books and have 27 to donate (she is 9, so past the age of Julia Donaldson etc). I went through the books with her and we selected a few to keep for sentimental reasons. I’m trying to model good decluttering and organising behaviour to her.

I also emptied, wiped down, and re-filled bookcase no. 2.

Of course, it’s easy to get on with decluttering when we’re both off work and don’t have many plans. It’s going to be harder when I’m back at work next week.

Edit: and the bag of Paw Patrol toys that I sorted before Xmas has now been collected (not by the original person who messed me about), so they are out of the house along with another of my stash of bags for life 🙂

This thread is really motivating, can I join? So far this year I have got rid of:

1 Big bag of girls’ clothes to a friend
3 girls items to another friend
1 bundle sold on Vinted
1 large toy sold on Vinted
1 t shirt sold on Vinted
used up Christmas crafts - will count as one out

total so far: 8

Welcome @jk3 you’ve made a great start.

Finished putting the decorations away by organising them and decided the tree fitted my wardrobe better than the one in the spare room. So I just ended up moving all sorts of stuff around including jumpers and Halloween decorations. I love my organisation, both wardrobes look neater.

new outs include

• broken Xmas lights
• 2 Santa hats
• 3 coathangers
• a swimming / beach towel

Theyre in charity shop / recycling bags so not exactly out yet. But I find it easier to count when I’ve made the decision and they get shoved in a bag.

Total outs ytd 19

im still sleeping in half a bed as the other side is still full of crap I took off the surfaces!

Another stack of work papers
Returned something I'd bought online
Huge pile of packaging out in recycling
Mouldy jar of jam

Total 52

Great posts everyone. Inspires me to keep at it and keep going!

Currently sorting out the loft and have found a bunch of things to give away or bin. Will count when they actually leave!

Can’t believe how much there is! 🤪

Day 4 item: mug from the back of the cupboard which doesn't fit onto our mug shelf, and is therefore excess

outs

box of broken Christmas lights
4 colouring books
kids Jigsaw to a friend
present for friend
finished wrapping paper and recycled with tube
loads of kids ‘artwork’ into recycling counted as 1 🙈
3 tops to a friend

total = 20

I tend to keep gift bags just in case I need them - I went through them today and recycled ten of them.
I brought a bag of clothes to my local charity shop to be recycled. I need to continue getting things out quickly and not bringing more stuff in. I haven't bought anything in the sales for the first time ever!

4 swing bin bags of out of date food gone. Not done the food cupboard for well over a year. Ds helped and I'm going to only buy ingredients as I need them going forward as some of it was a waste. However some is stuff that just goes off before its used up like flour and cornflour. But I had four cartons of out milk out of date. I don't even need more than 1 in the cupboard so that's got to stop.

Going to count as 4 items as really I don't like counting stuff that really I should count as rubbish.

Still not got rid of a bin bags worth of little two kids outgrown clothes

Three items in from Vinted for dd but it's too replace stuff she has thrown out.

I had a fridge and freezer clear out. I’m not going to count them because I should be on top of this but I threw out some budget frozen vegetables that tasted horrible when I bought them a year ago and old stuff from Christmas (stuffing that is over a week old, cream, ancient broccoli). I’ll make soup tomorrow with some of the older vegetables.

My main out is a dress that I put on and decided I just don’t like it any more.

so total is 20 so far.

I really do need to do the fridge and freezer as well. Wondering if ishould have counted it now? I don't normally count consumables except make up and creams as I do have a tendancy to have four creams on the go at once.