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..

Another 9 things out today, but it’s amazing because they were all bulky and causing issues!

2025 total - 12

Ok. Chest of drawers is finished - was a Herculean effort. I've gone through all my coats.

Wardrobe is next.

I've had a few days not thinking about extremely un-fabulous nature of this house, mainly because there's been too much else going wrong. Nothing properly serious, but I'm now in negative spoons equity from the relentlessness of it all.

I'm starting properly tomorrow, I'm aiming for 2025 things rehomed this year - hopefully rehomed usefully but I'm going to cut myself a bit of slack if I don't always have the spoons for it. No point choosing an area to tackle as my demand avoidance will ensure there's no way I can check that box! But something at least.

Sounds like everyone is doing well!

Day 4 of 31 days of decluttering (yesterday): got all the pens and pencils downstairs together and tested each one as I knew some were running low, and found 16 that didn’t work which are now in a bag to be recycled (Ryman’s takes them). We now have two pots of pens (including marker pens etc) and one pot of pencils, so don’t need to buy any more.

I also emptied, cleaned, and reshelved bookcase no. 3.

Also an addition to day 3 - two packets of cat food pouches collected by a local cat rescue charity. Our cat died a couple of months ago and it’s taken some time to be able to pass these on.

Started first thing here. Attacking the Kitchen. I have no chance unless I can remove more items each day than seem to come in. I have no excuses.

outs:

5 items of kids’ clothing to a friend
christmas wreath base to a friend to be re made next year
went though all of the felt tips and got rid of all the ones that don’t work (count as 1)
put decorations away and recycled 3

total = 30

Another six boxes have gone to the girl who needed some for packing...so that's 69 as my total. İt does feel great, my house feels a lot lighter now too. To anyone umming and ahhing about starting, I'd definitely encourage you to start doing a tally of items, as it really helps with motivation. İnstead of seeing the clutter now, I'm seeing space of what has gone out!

Took down the tree and put it outside. Always feels so sad.

Today's declutter is 1 broken bauble

One black bag of kids clothes sorted for donation, one black bag of kids books. Got to stop and do some work now but will be back to it later!

I hate taking down the tree and decs :-(

I'd count the tree as an out though, no longer taking up space!

I hate it too. Also the decorations seem to take up so much space.

Only two outs today - big bag of plastic Recycling, and a vinted sale. I’m afraid a few “ins” today though as I bought a few bits in the sale.

I've got all the Christmas decs away, fake tree squashed back in in its box all put away.

Outs
Beautiful advent calendar that I wanted to keep but it had to go!
Roll of wrapping paper to recycling - completely wrecked by being crushed
Pack of pine nuts best before early 2023 (looked weird)
Load of batteries to recycling

Total:.57

I’ve had another further blitz of the playroom and my DD has agreed her dolls house and kitchen can go along with the paw patrol - I’ll be sad to see the pups go they did an amazing service in this house!! I won’t count these until they’ve left though.

I did bin a bag of plastic bits and of half finished crafts but will count that as 1.

sorted some more things for a charity bag as I put the decorations away - 6 items

Got rid of some out of date tablets when I went to pick up a prescription - 2

Two more vinted sales gone

2025 total 26

Blitzed the arts and crafts box, burnt through a bunch of tea lights and tidied the kitchen paperwork drawer. Last years (not this year's) Christmas cards made into gift tags. Lots of things put back where they belong and . . . 94 outs so far this year!

Back to work tomorrow, that'll slow down the decluttering.

Day 5 of 31 days of decluttering: Bookcase no. 4 emptied, wiped down, and refilled, and three books added to the charity bag. Plus DH has said he has ‘a few books’ to get rid of, without any prompting 😯

One more bookcase to do tomorrow. Then I’ll be back at work and I know I won’t have as much energy for decluttering, but I’m going to try to keep going for the 31 days of January.

Is anyone trying the January Orjenise thing? (https://www.instagram.com/orjenise?igsh=aHJzdHdwcXo3MWxw) I like the idea but I actually just don’t have a lot of things like cosmetics or food piling up needing to be used. The odd few bits maybe. I’m going to have a look each day though, I’m sure there are good ideas.

Does anyone have a system recommended for paperwork? Something I can read up on and stick to? Thanks,

3 damaged DVDs. Total is 3064.

I had a quick tidy of the cupboard under the stairs. I found dd2’s school sports bag. From it I am getting rid of
Sports socks
Shorts
thermal trousers
some broken shin pads.

I might keep the bag - even though it’s got her old school logo - for a few months to see if we use it, although it does take up space.

i also decided to get rid of a handbag that neither me or dds remember owning. It was probably a gift but we can’t remember who it was from so it’s in the charity shop bag.

Total ytd 25

Five bags of clothese bagged ready for charity shop drop off.

Today I’ve taken 4 games to a charity drop off, given away a tin of biscuits that no one will eat, wrapped 3 gifts for parties and sold 2 items on vinted

total this year - 40

@Realfastfoodie that looks like a good idea. I might start it next week as I always find the first week back to school is just tidying and cleaning.

I have half cleaned the fridge today. Found and listed some more of dds clothes! Argh! I thought I'd done it all but Clearing out the dining room has yielded some dress up and she's outgrown a few things, a few things she never wears too. Got a big carrier bag full which I'm going to list for two weeks on Vinted then sell. Tomorrow or tonight I'm going to do another food cupboard.

I’m sat at my computer today and have done all the immediate work tasks so worked through a couple of box files - mostly with paperwork and old work related magazines I kept for an article. Removed the articles and put the magazines out to recycle along with a couple of manuals.

7 magazines and
1 pile of papers
1 vinted sale

2025 total - 35

bag of books dropped off at charity book shop but they came from my mums and we’re just passing through 🤣 so I won’t count them for me!

@Realfastfoodie I'm supposed to be but stalling already, her idea of gathering things that need to be used doesn't work for me as there's no easy place to put those items... but am still going to aim for 100 things this month!

Right I'm going to go and do my wardrobe.

That didn't take long. All my skinny jeans are gone. Bedroom has now been decluttered.

I don't know how but there's a chunk missing out of my carpet! It's devastating. I'll have to put a rug over it.

The dreaded cupboard of crap is next.😭