Is anyone just starting to declutter? Or hasn't yet.

[LushLemonTart]

I know there's lots of decluttering threads but I'm just starting (again) but this time I mean business.
What's inspired you to declutter now? Mine is clearing out an elderly relative's home and realising I don't want dcs to ever have that much stuff to clear. Plus it's quite depressing having too much stuff.
Dh and I travel a lot,mainly uk, and you realise you need very little to get on in life.

I'm not going minimalist although can see the appeal.

Care to join? I won't be counting items but I will list as much as possible. I should really try and sell some stuff but cba.

If you still have the plastic pots try freegle I got rid of loads of garden "stuff" even a fully loaded wormery

I'm slowly decluttering I did a car boot on my front garden got rid of a lot the rest is slowly going on olio as much as possible until I've time for the charity shop

I can't finish painting until my DP does the cutting in for me, my hands aren't very dextrous anymore so I can't even put masking tape on straight. He was going to do it yesterday but as usual he's procrastinating 🙄 🙂
I decluttered my patio pots, did some weeding and repotted 2 house plants so I did get something done.

Hmm, I need to get back onto it. I couldn’t find my (recent) DBS the other day and that wasn’t ideal as I needed to show it…

There is an interesting You and Yours about decluttering on BBC Sounds.

I am just listening to it now and there was quite a moving segment where one caller advised another and gave some useful suggestions on how to deal with her late husband’s paintings. Worth a listen!

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bhwt?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

I'm away until Fri so won't be doing much.
Good luck everyone.

I'm going away tomorrow for a few days.
Realised yesterday that I'd picked up the wrong colour paint so decorating is on hold until next week.
So my bedroom is still crammed and no further decluttering yet.
Hope everyone is doing OK.

Hope everyone is doing ok?

I got rid of a bag if clothes today. Also sorted out some paperwork and emptied some boxes. Dh did the shredding.

I'm still living in chaos. Got back Monday evening, totally shattered. Woke up yesterday with a migraine that hasn't shifted.
Had a gig yesterday afternoon with the little band I'm in.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed today, so much to do and don't know where to start. Thought my DP was going to do the cutting in while I was away so I could finish my painting.... I'm going to try my hardest to do round the skirting and anything I can reach from the ground.
Decluttering completely at a halt.

Morning all, having packed our lives into boxes, moved them all and now trying to unpack.

Its hideous, half the things I am pack and unpacking do not spark any joy as I move them about.

Be ruthless.

I wish I had been.

This is my advice for the day.

Best of luck.

The overwhelming feeling is awful.

I had it about tidying our bedroom. My clothes mainly. I put alternative 80s on Spotify and did it.

I might get some done today? Feeling a bit flat as an old friend's funeral today. She wasn't old though, much younger than me.

I hope your migraine shifts soon @CherryogDog ? They're awful.

You're right @Hoolahoophop we need to be ruthless.

I'm sorry about your friend @LushLemonTart.

I've done a small amount of painting, planted up my new fuchsias, went to the Range to get some new pots, bought some succulents, then bought 4 tops from the charity shop (felt naughty but they are nice).
So no decluttering progress but I've been productive.

@LushLemonTart sorry to hear about your friend.

Had a week in Cornwall and came back and could actually putt the empty cases in the spare room before they go in the loft.
All the bags for the charity shop are gone and dd, who has had a week on her own, has managed not to fill the space! Unheard of.

Possible trip to ikea to look at lift up beds for dd. She needs the storage and has so far managed 3 weeks of a reasonably uncluttered room. 1 week to go and then we can order it. She still has decluttering to do but I'd guess she's already chucked a third of what she owns so she's earnt the new bed.

Thanks. She got a good send off.

All progress is good. I bought a couple of things when away (charity shop) and one has gone into the charity bag as it isn't flattering. I'm doing keto now so hopefully soon a lot more will be going? 🙏

@LushLemonTart I need to get back on the keto. I lost loads of weight doing it a few years ago, but dropped off the wagon and weight is piling on.
My body needs decluttering!
My DP finally started the cutting in, but it didn't go as planned, my house is really old and all the walls and ceilings are wonky, he's (when he gets started lol) a perfectionist, so he downed tools.
I've suggested painting a straight line of white at the top of the wall, hope it creates an optical illusion, so he's off to buy some masking tape.
I'm so frustrated by yet another delay.

I don't think keto is sustainable long term for me. I'll go on smaller portions once I lose enough weight.

Work today but I'm dropping charity bags off. I'm home alone at the weekend so am going to blast the music and get on with more decluttering.

Good luck everyone.

I need to get back onto it, no items of note lately and a busy week coming up, but I’m sure that I can do something…

Home alone so just watching an old episode of How clean is your house. Series 5 episode 1. Youtube.

I feel like a minimalist now! It's rank too.

Today we cleared out a cupboard pre decorating and omg what a load of junk. MS office 2007, dvd-r, a very dusty Wii fit, lots of paperwork. I moved some paperwork downstairs and then started on another area - we have at last 25 kids DVDs and the kids are 15/17 now, loads of old DVDs and our dvd player is in a box in the loft… a ton of cds - shamen or Belinda Carlisle anyone??!

@Passthecake30 are you taking the dvds to a charity shop? They do take them.

@LushLemonTart I’ve offered the kids ones up on a local giveaway site and the adult ones are going to a charity shop. I’ve saved some - not sure why when we have no way of watching them and sign up to multiple streaming services. Also… now I have a draw in the tv stand completely empty, no idea what I could use that for. Maybe I could use it for secret snacks, it’s not like anyone would ever look in there ☺️

I finally took the stuff to the charity shop and another bag went to the charity bin thingy (my charity shop hate clothing for some reason they do sell it but moan if you donate it 😂🫣) moved some furniture around I bought a shoe storage bench to replace the bag we had which was completely unworkable as no-one could find there shoes without emptying it completely so I guess that's productive

🤣 Secret snack drawer...I like it. I'm dieting atm so only keto snacks. Mind you I'm not hungry doing this.
I still use a dvd player sometimes as there's often films I like that can't be streamed or so expensive to stream it's a lot cheaper getting the dvd on music magpie.

I've found a charity shop that's open today. It's near a supermarket I could do with visiting so think I'll take some stuff. I have a big picture to get rid of.

I am incredibly untidy, I put things down without realising so I have started sticking to" don't put it down put it away" I've realised that if where it goes I have to faff about moving something else to put it jn the right box or whatever it gets dumped in the front of the cupboards. I then stopped using lids on containers that look really lovely and mean you can stack but I know with the best will in the world this isn't maintainable for me. I now have open boxes for bits and bobs chargers etc and when they get full i declutter that box.
I also used to organise the plastic food containers and set the smaller ones inside the bigger ones and it looked lovely and freed up space but one rushed dishwasher empty and chaos returned, I now only store the same pots with the same lids in a stack and all the others get dried and stored with the lid on. No more rummaging for the right lid! Declutter and make your space work for you!

@2to5 I'm terribly untidy too. I'm in the habit of not putting things away because I'll use them again soon.
I need things to be visual or I forget I've got them and then buy more.

I uncluttered my bedside table yesterday.

I just have a mental block about doing anything until my study is sorted.
As my DP pointed out (he'd had enough of my moaning at him lol), I could tidy my bedroom, put the piles of laundry away.

The decorating is not going smoothly.
It's a really old house and all the walls and floors are wonky.
Cutting in proved impossible, so I've settled for having it all white. But covering up the green paint is not going well, 2 white coats and it's still showing through. I think there's going to be a lot of pictures hung to cover the patchy bits 😀.

On the whole I'm looking forward to having the space to see what I've got and have a ruthless clear out.