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..

@Mistralli you'd definitely be surprised what you can achieve in 15 minutes, I use A Slob comes clean no more mess decluttering method which I find works really well.

Not much movement here, stuck temporarily on 1450 for the year.

Welcome @JacksonBrodieJacksonLamb this is definitely the right thread for you. We’re very supportive and our conversations move from decluttering, organising, mental health, family problems as they’re all connected.

In terms of obsessing on decluttering at the expense of everything else I completely get that. I’ve had times where I’ve been decluttering an area to the extent the rest of the house is a tip but there is one perfect area - inside a drawer - that no one sees. Often I have been procrastinating about that area but still get really into it when I start. To get round that I have a daily list. I always wash up, tidy sitting room, do post before bed and will hoover the hall if it needs it. So every morning I wake up to a house that is pleasant to be in and ‘guest ready’. This is quick these days.

Every week I take an a4 sheet of paper and split it into four sections so I have four weekly to do lists. The sections are dd1, dd2, me and ‘home’. At the moment dd1 needs a blood test so one of my tasks is to organise that with her because she’s 16 and needs to organise it herself. The home section has home tasks. At the moment it has ‘3 hours of Lego decluttering’ and contact plumber because we have a problem with a shower. It’ll probably take the plumber 3 or 4 weeks to come but next week’s task might be to buy a shower’. The ‘me’ section is nice things for me. That is where I will put‘contact V about meeting up’, ‘arrange haircut’, ‘buy boots’.

By organising myself like this the downstairs of the house is always a basic level of tidiness and I do a balance of jobs including nice things for me and crap jobs. As much as I dislike the Lego decluttering I’m sure I could spend 8 hours doing it and then the house would be a mess again so I’ll do it with a timer and only allow myself to do extra if the house is ok and the other jobs are done.

I also have a decision making app where I added lots of decluttering / cleaning / organising tasks and so if I have time I’ll get my app randomly select a couple of tasks to do. This is the maintenance decluttering and it’s now becoming deeper cleaning. My bathroom is decluttered so now when this pops up it takes 2 or 3 minutes to wipe the surfaces, insides of cupboards, do a quick look for a clutter and clean skirting boards.

I hope that helps.

@Mistralli I think you can do a lot in 10/15mins if you really put your head down. I listen to nice music and if I need to go and do something else, I'll just return to that spot later. Anything out is stuff out, after all! If one drawer/cupboard at time is too big, just do one section/self/set of items in that. Few weeks ago I just did all the pens and pencils in DC art drawer as it was full of stuff and I couldn't do the whole drawer in my spare time

All I have decluttered is a pair of really uncomfortable tights. I now have 3 pairs which I think is perfect, considering I wear a dress maybe once a week.

Total = 1709

This has really helped me so posting in case it might help others.

We have a local Facebook page called-

(Name of town) in need.

It is such a great way of passing on things charity shops might not take and you don't have to leave your house and things go really quickly.

Thanks so much, @stealthninjamum. That is incredibly helpful! I love the balance that method brings. I struggle massively with getting things done and keeping things in balance, so your method could be exactly what I need. Thank you!

What an interesting thread! I'm in awe of everyone counting every single achievement, we'll done!!
I am temporarily at the end of my decluttering journey because we've just moved house, and are currently living in a furnished flat. I've had to get rid of so many things under a lot of time pressure over the last months that I didn't even think of counting, but there must have been hundreds.
My current challenge is to manage the new things that keep coming into the house, and it's not easy to stay on top of things! It's difficult with children because they get given so many presents (we have a large and generous family). I don't want to be back to square one within a year, so as far as my stuff goes, I've decided to make 2025 a no-buy year. I haven't quite decided the rules yet, but I'd like to buy only what needs replacing, and books I can't get at the library. I will see if I can stick to it, a year is a long time!

Finished up a foundation and a shampoo.
Binned two long expired medicines.
Total is 2976

Thanks @JacksonBrodieJacksonLamb i do still have messy areas - my bedroom is a tip, the playrooms messy with Lego and I have a slightly messy room of doom but it’ll be my 2025 goal to finish organising them and adding them to my daily routine so that they’re tidy every day. My house used to be tidy all over but that was cos I’d shove things in drawers and cupboards so it was a nightmare to find things. I could finish quicker but I’m choosing to have a more balanced life.

Today I have advertised one of exh’s items on Facebook for free. It’s big and broken. I asked him if he wanted it six months ago, he said he’d think about it. He moved out six years ago and it was in the Room of Doom which is my study. He still has his own study and ten boxes of books so bugger it, it’s going, I want my study back.

Nothing major to report here. A few things out. Vinted is dead for me, and I can't bring myself to pay for a wardrobe boost, so now trying to find someone or a local charity shop that is accepting donations.
Feel like I'm in a holding status at the moment and want to try and shift stuff.
Really need to get dp on board to try and list the bigger items on fb and help me get them out so I can photo them. At the same time trying to be grateful for what they do do.

I'm struggling right now to do do basic housework and decluttering for some reason. I either declutter, clean or tidy. I need to be doing a bit of everything every day.

Are there any good housework apps? I do have team TOM but fallen off that wagon

Only few small declutters today: I had a bath and used a sheet mask, the last one that had been lingering around. I also went for a walk to post a small vinted sale (kids top). So cold but bright! We even had a touch of hale.

Also out an old candle pot which I kept thinking I'd use it (I won't), a small pouch, and a very old bottle of vinegar with a drop left. I also gathered up all my notes and scribbles and binned those (tend to make a lot of notes while working). I'm counting the pile as one.

Total is 1715

@70isaLimitNotaTarget thank you so much for reaching out. I was feeling quite bad that other day. Have reached out to the doctors and got anxiety medicine. Hoarding is really hard to live with. My mum was the same. Wanted us to tidy but not get rid of anything. I'm. I'm not tidy either but I try not to hoard like her. I remember my childhood and just see stuff everywhere overwhelming me.

I got rid of 1 book. Baby steps but I'll do more. It's hard in the winter when kids are sick but I need to do something.

Today - I woke up at too early (not on purpose) and shifted through my drawer of papers. I shove everything in there, and then about once s month go through it all. Most get shredded, and there is less and less stuff coming through which is great.

So today in went 9 sets of documents ranging from doctor's letters so order shipments and letters from the council. Also a small stiff plastic folder as I don't have enough papers anymore for all the folders

Total = 1725

That's amazing! Our bin has just been emptied so a load of very out of date tinned food from the back of the cupboard can go now. 😁

@IncessantNameChanger have you had a break lately? Are you able to relax for a day and then refresh.

i think Dana K white would suggest you do the dishes and a five minute pick up as a minimum. As mentioned above I have a routine that I do every day. I don’t bother with the whole house - just the downstairs rooms a visitor would see. I still set timers so I don’t focus on too much decluttering as it’s so easy to do that and realise the house is a mess.

Today I decided to declutter a board game and about 20 hangers to go to a charity shop. I also chucked out / shredded some papers that appeared on the dining room table. I also set a timer to look through more photos. Another 17 have gone.

Everyone is doing so well!
I managed to get up to 160 items gone last week but after listing it all on paper I haven't the heart to type it.

I have been doing some more decluttering this week but I haven't counted. I am up to 10 boxes/rubbish bags for my charity collection on Thursday. A bag of clothes for textile recycling, 2 camping chairs that are broken and a bag of extra rubbish for my tip run on Monday.

There have been some ins - Christmas presents for the kids and dh. I have also ordered a couple of bits of clothing to put away for the summer off of vinted.
I also have a Christmas tree being delivered today (so excited) as our cat was trying to eat the fake snow off if our old one last year and it isn't worth the stress! I am actually looking forward to Christmas this year - normally I dread it 😊
I cannot remember who posted (sorry, sleep deprivation is ruining my memory) but I am also very tempted to do a no spend year but with a couple of caveats. Keep up the great work everyone 👍

A couple of leaflets and a DVD gone today. Total is 2979

Incessant I like FlyLady's system for keeping on top of everything. There's an app.

Not getting much done at all due to the course I’m on. One cat is poorly. Prob v poorly, think a brain tumour. Not looking good.

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 a chair & for me to make the bed then it’s done and ready for him to come home at Christmas
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 listed on FB and offered to other group, otherwise will pay the council to take them away: DH has booked the council collection service

Out:
one folder of music posted (dh did it)
1559+1=1560

I’ve been pushing on the little bits of clutter in the kitchen- lots of little medicine syringes, elastic bands, packaging, pens etc. 1620. Still over 400 to go to beat the target….!

I'm way too late to hit the target for this year! There isn't enough time until Christmas for me to declutter properly, instead I decided to organise the clutter into boxes and neater piles on shelves. The 'public' areas will be respectable anyway! After Christmas comes the big declutter, maybe 2025 items!

We're on board for a no spend year too in the Fab Yule casa. The rules aren't finalized but will include budgets for inexpensive holidays, gifts and activities, all cut down from this year's spending. There's a small budget for discretionary depending too and we can earn more by selling things we declutter.

Sorry to hear about your cat @LivingInaBuiltSite

Think I need to join this thread!
Need to repaint living room and dining room too.
Feels like a lot to get done before Christmas but I really wait to look lovely 🤯

No big outs to report definitely wouldn’t have made 2024 if I’d been counting. But definitely lots more outs than ins over the year so happy with that. Living room seems to have developed piles on all the horizontal surfaces so that is the task for the next week. Working all weekend hence the generous time allowed

Friend collected a bag of 2-3Y clothes and shoes and few bedding bits yesterday - that's 30 items! I also had another look at my sentimental baby clothes and I have found a few more that I think I can let go. I remember feeling a bit ill when I had to make decisions on it last time, and I probably still have a few too many, but I felt comfortable with a small bag full of stuff. I just need to find a donation place.

So out today:
30 kids items
1 postcard, pinned to our fridge for ages, not even pretty

total is 1756

i like the idea of the target, next year I will set one.

but - my main problem, or one of many issues, is that I can’t bear to throw things away.

So the good outgrown kids stuff I sell on Vinted is fine, and I sell a lot. Also no issue with things to donate to friends/ family that is nice, I give bags of clothes to my nieces and nephews as our grown by my kids. Likewise charity shop donations I also can manage - occasionally, as often as I can, as our shops usually say no donations.

the problem is releasing it into those piles for anything other than kids outgrown clothes. What if I want it again? I might not wear that (insert item) right now, but next winter I might. Etc.

and obviously massively worn out or broken items are easy to bin - but there’s not that much of that. It’s the stuff in the middle? Can’t sell it. Can’t donate it. But so wasteful to send to landfill.

any tips?

I’ve worked hard to reduce the amount coming in but I’m still struggling. And my partner is unsurprisingly starting to get fed up and express it vociferously.