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.

Well done you two.
Welcome @Justhere65

New year new start.

Sorry about those with problems at home. On CurlyhairedAssassin's point about old childhood things, one of my children bought a bigger house last year and I arranged a man with a van to take everything of hers with her agreement although the lovely battered old dolls' house made for my sister and me in the 1960s then came back here as was not wanted and one of my sons wants us to keep it so that is STILL in my garage. her other stuff went. The other daughter took almost everything a few years ago as is a very good sorter outer as I am.

My oldest son took all his stuff when he bought his first a 2 bed house a few years ago as he had things like a boarded loft area he would not have had in a flat. It is only about 15 years since we cleared our parents' house when they died and my siblings had more there in the loft than I did. I don't want that to happen to me - that I have stuff dumped here. When the last 2 go once they also have a house (I won't foist anything on them if they just have a one bed flat of course) everything is going of theirs.

I had a useful trip to the council tip last week although it now costs me £12.50 a time ULEZ charge and you have to book so nothing like as easy as it was. it still is very satisfying.. I think my recent sorting out is now on hold unless I can persuade the boys to start a sort out of their vast amounts of clothes many of which they cannot possibly want - so much their cupboards in my view are too full to see what they have.

Filled our dustbin and our neighbours (with her permission), did a tip run and 2 charity shop runs in twixmas. Still got a long way to go, but heading into 2025 with a sense of purpose that I haven't had for a while.

I've put some 80s disco on to get me through the next hour of clearing the understairs cupboard of old coats and "stuff" so we can get the Christmas decorations all away by 3rd Jan.

I'd love to join please, determined to sort my house out this year.

We've moved twice in the last 18 months and are finally in our forever home. It has an absolutely gigantic shed so we did a very foolish thing and didn't really declutter before moving in and just have tons of stuff in the shed. Have started sorting it now over the Xmas holidays and when the kids go back to school next week I'll tackle the whole house.

I absolutely love a good declutter but stuff just seems to mount up so easily. Really want to focus on having less stuff coming into the house this year.

@Ihaveaskedyouthrice welcome

I threw away some old pillows yesterday that were rotting in the loft. I'm going back up tomorrow to get rid of clothes coats. Coats are like new I just have too many.

Joining in too, please.
I've just taken down all the Christmas decs and my living room looks all clean and fresh, and it's got me motivated to do the rest of the house.
I don't have loads of clutter around, mine tends to be sentimental stuff I've accumulated in cupboards and drawers....going to have to toughen up!!

May I join? You lot sound jolly; I love your alacrity and achievements.
My house is a mess, but my epic task is the garden. It's a large, L-shaped courtyard, and here in the Australian summer everything is growing like triffids and I'm hacking it back as fast as I can. Trees need not just pruning but total removal. To read my local council's chart of environmental weeds was a chastening experience. It seems my garden is composed almost entirely of weeds! And trip hazards!
Meanwhile, DD17 is away until the 9th, and I really want to impress her with my progress when she comes home. As well as a neat garden, where she can sit out and do her Y12 homework, I want to have a few interior walls freshly painted and a load of old paper chucked out. I'd also like (in late Jan) to have her friends around for a clothes swap. Apparently Y2K is big with Gen Z, so I'll have plenty of vintage garb to contribute.
Lovely to e-meet you folks. Please do keep posting your tales of triumph and giving me oomph down in Melbourne 😎

A few years ago I moved 70 storage boxes of my daughters' stuff out of the loft to the 2nd garage (now all gone to the girls). I was reminded of it today when I got a press release about the impact of loft storage on loft insulation and that boxes over it can stop it working by up to 50% - another reason to declutter lofts.

When my son bought a house I helped him clear the loft . We had asked his solicitor to emphasise to the seller we wanted the whole house cleared. They did a good job but not the loft. It took us so many trips to the tip to clear - I think things up there from up to 50 years ago - nothing of value - I kept checking in case it were treasure but no such luck just old cupboards, tables and much else. I almost felt the Victorian loft breath a sigh of relief when it got back to how it was when built with nothing stored in it.

@NeverKnowinglyUnderstated sentimental stuff is very hard to get rid of. I manage ok but am keeping old photos. Not loads just a few.

@groovergirl welcome 🪃 My aunt lived in Melbourne. I think her dcs were born there? She came back to the UK but died a few years ago. I never got to Oz but might one day? Your garden will be fantastic once it's sort. They huge over there. My cousin has a field. Good luck with your decorating.

@Xenia you sound like a decluttering expert. I bet you enjoy it? I do once I get going. Do you enjoy interior design too?

Unfortunately a lot of medical appointments meant that I got absolutely nowhere with decluttering over New Year, apart from ordering a storage box (yet to arrive) and decluttering a few sausage rolls from the freezer!

@BadSkiingMum sorry to hear about the appointments. Health is paramount though.

We've taken the tree etc down so does that count? 😉🎄

Rejoining the thread to say that I didn't finish decluttering before I moved house. However, this weekend I went through all my clothes and have already binned a number of items that aren't in good enough condition to donate. By next weekend I hope to have bagged up more clothes to give away.

I love a declutter after Christmas. Always so motivated to get the house sorted and make plans for any decorating etc. we've got a quiet few weekends coming up so have the plan to clear out wardrobes/toys etc

Having finished the loft we will continue on the bedrooms now, working our way down. Kids bedrooms first, they were done fairly recently so shouldn't be too hard.

Took another bag to charity shop today. Tree and decs come down this evening

I'm loving reading about everyone's progress ☺️ I stalled spectacularly and am embarrassed to say I've made no real progress. A mixture of 5 weeks of visiting, socialising, illness and general lack of focus. I do have autoimmune disease so my energy can be ropey at the best of times. I'm finally starting to sort out some health stuff I've been stalling on.

I love Christmas but it's massively disruptive! Hoping to get my organising head on.

I'm trying to decide whether to go room by room or an initial general rubbish search and destroy.

I'm trying to embrace something I heard on a Joshua Becker video - rather than deciding what to discard, focus on what I definitely want to keep. I find it quite a helpful concept.

LushLemonTart, yes I enjoy getting rid of things and sorting things out. I have been working on the cupboard under the cooker as we had a freezer repair right by there yesterday.

I am not good on design however - I just like empty spaces which is hard to achieve with the boys here. I asked one if I could get rid of some of his 10 plastic scoop for his Huel food (which I call gruel) and he said he wanted to keep all 10. that is what I am up against (I don't throw anything of anyone else away without consent).

I got 5 bags ready for the charity shop yesterday, mostly books but will need to find time to take those down and before Christmas 2 of our local ones were not taking anything new in as they were so full.

@Xenia ds1 sells books. They send the packaging from what I remember? Have you thought of that?

So far I have managed to fill 2 sacks one of charity shop gear and one of recycling. I played a Joshua Becker playlist in the background for inspiration. Now I need a nap!

The book about Swedish Death Cleaning has spurred me on

I really need to do this. Gradually clearing out a storage unit to save money, shoved everything in there during a bad health flare up a year ago when I just couldn’t cope, but can’t afford to just leave things there indefinitely. I’m trying to clear three boxes / bags a week. Some is worth keeping for DD, so am also trying to go around the house and clear things we don’t need to make room for things we want to keep. Not aided by living in a tiny house! It just takes so long to go through things, and because I know I won’t be able to afford to replace anything that goes I find my self more hesitant than would otherwise be the case. I will try to use this thread to keep myself on target when it’s all too much! I also have to accept than when I am in a flare up nothing will get done, which is hard as I used to be quite dynamic, and these days my body just refuses!

@Jabtastic well done. Bet it feels good?

@notnorman I haven't looked into that. I will though. Hope it helps you a lot.

@AllTheChaos that sounds so tough. It must be frustrating.

It does thank you but I always feel defeated by how much energy it has taken. I find it hard to celebrate when I know how much is left to do but then I give myself a telling off because progress is progress!

I think one issue is that all the decluttering gurus say start with the visible areas because then you feel like you're winning. I find that hard because the hidden spaces are too crammed to put stuff away so I feel like I've no choice but to go for the hidden stuff!

Long time lurker here but seizing the day this year in more ways than one. I’ve been decluttering and managed to throw away a whole bag of old cards, photos etc as well as starting on my sons clothes - they get done regularly and my jumpers - only moving one on but again do it quite regularly. Need to downsize so it all counts!