Decluttering thread 11

[TidyClutterIsStillClutter]

Whether you’re taking days or decades, whether you’re glacially slow or galloping along, please come here for inspiration, encouragement, and congratulations.

Evening all - hope everyone has had productive days. Used to get annoyed when DM used that word but now it’s in my vocabulary too. I ordered a fold up festival/camping stool, only it’s not a stool but something you can lean against if you’re doing a lot of standing, but it’s too small so I’m going to advertise it. The company say I can keep it as it comes from somewhere abroad so return postage is very expensive. I pay a small postage fee & they will send me a large one. I paid £18.99 but have seen them for a lot less so probably won’t make much.

W/E 26/10 (Week 43)
2025 – (1735 + 35 = 1770) = 255 to go

Good week for me on Vinted with a couple of bulky items gone so some space freed up.

Digital
Vinted photos deleted, label downloads deleted (loads!) = 2

Stuff used up and not replaced
Tinned fruit x 3, herbal tea x 2, scented candle = 6

Recycled/binned
Broken television, broken wine cooler, foil medication packs (recycled at Boots) x 5, cotton reels x 5, broken dog treat bag, bottles of booze we won't drink to raffle x 3 = 16

Charity shop
New bag started

Vinted
= 11

I have a few bags of clothes to go to the charity shop tomorrow. Got a fair bit to make up to hit my 2025 out in 2025 so not sure I will hit that this year now but I'm going to try hard.

Total for year
In = 157
Out = 914

If anyone is thinking of doing a wardrobe spotlight on vinted, I can recommend it. Cost me £7 and I’ve already made another £40 in sales.

I must admit that I saw on another decluttering thread describing selling things as something like “do you actually want a badly paying second job?” (I’m paraphrasing) which made me realise… probably not!

I did a couple of bumps to shift some bits that had been on for a while which worked. I really need to par down my wardrobe but I find it so hard, I've a couple of tops I wear all the time that I love as they are double fronted and so comfy but they have started to bobble and the material is getting incredibly thin. I have other stuff to wear, I could throw them out and wear something else, its just so hard to do apparently!

Naughty today & bought a few bits from a lady who sells privately for a local charity. Going to give the little snow shaker away again though as the paint on the base is flaking off & it isn’t musical (looked like it had a wind up handle in the ad photo). I have a cold so not feeling like doing very much. Might sort out the bags for life down the side of the settee later.

Big box of telephone cables dropped off at the recycling centre.

Days 298 and 299 declutters - a dress and a pair of jeans. I challenged myself to wear a few things I wasn't sure about and I'm glad I did as they did not look good! AND I dropped them to the charity shop today, so feeling pleased.

cleared out 5 pairs of trousers, a pair of pyjamas, a hat and a single glove

total outs: 1112

Pulled out a box of winter clothes from under the bed to check things still fitted and got rid of:
3 trousers
4 tops
Total is 4086

I’ve got some things ready to take to the tip. Plus some clothes from the back of the wardrobe to take to the charity shop.

Drumroll - I actually sorted out a couple of storage cubes last night! Chucked a couple of board games & put the marbles from Kerplunk in a bag to give to charity. Would have done more but the indoor rabbit hutches are blocking the way. Put a few more odds & sods in the charity bag.

sold and posted 2 large toys

total outs 1114

Day 300 - kids book sold on vinted.

Ladies, can I sense-check this with you - how much would you be willing to pay for a declutterer? Either by hour/half day/full day? Just interested.

A box of kitchen stuff and 3 bags of clothes to charity shops. 1 more bag of nice vintage stuff (mum's) to hospice shop - very grateful to the kind young man who was enthusiastic about the clothes, and sympathetic about my attachment to some of them!
Also books bagged up to go - there are gaps on bookshelves! Unheard of in this house!

One top going today. Total id 4087

Pigtails I wouldn't. As a minimum wage earner it doesn't make sense for me to pay someone more than I earn to do something I could do myself if I cut my hours down. I also wouldn't want someone deciding what to get rid of for me and if they're leaving it for me to decide, there's no point in them even being there. If I wanted to address any hoarding tendencies I'd get therapy to deal with the root of the problem, enable me to declutter effectively myself and stop the clutter building up again. I'm not that bad as hoarding though so I'm just slowly chipping away at it myself, making decisions as and when I can.

I watch some on YouTube and seems it's completely free, including hiring a skip and clearing everything out of a horrendously squalor hoarded home, free because it's someone's friend or relative helping them, and one I watch charges a hefty completely refundable deposit to avoid people messing them around and cancelling last minute or part way through. It's all free in exchange for being filmed and put on YouTube, that's where the money comes from.

I’ve wondered about doing this. I don’t really know how much, but I’d expect to pay around the kind of rate for a skilled trades eg £250. A good cleaner earns £15-20 around here so a bit more than that.

I’m not sure I’d do it, but if I did, I’d be looking for someone who shared my values and was trying to get things reused or recycled when possible.

Hope that helps

I have used a professional declutterer. I willsee how much she was

Good morning folks. I have a cold so not much inclination to do anything today. I’m sure my various bags for life around the house multiply overnight 😂😂😂

Disposed of a weekly organiser with post it set that I was gifted 5 years ago and kept thinking I would use it up. I tried but they weren't sticky enough and the weekly organiser pages were too small. Took years to admit defeat and let it go which is absolutely ridiculous.

New shower curtain in, old one out.
Nearly empty shampoo container out.

13 black bags of leaves filled, 2 brown bins filled and two bags added to general waste. Trees aren't nearly bare yet unfortunately.
Pork shoulder from freezer used in slow cooker, both purchased 2 months ago and finally used for the first time.
Tshirt given to DS1 that was given to me by DH.
Some very old emails deleted, will try and do more of this when waiting around at appointments.
Plastic poles still waiting to be repurposed...need to go in the bin today.

Good luck downsizing Trees.

Get well soon Bunny.

i haven’t used a declutterer, and I don’t think I would pay one as I know I just need to get on with things myself. But if I did, I’d expect to pay approx 20/25 an hour. I pay my cleaner £20 an hour, so maybe even more, £30?

In ENORMOUS news for me…. 🥁 I have finished and submitted my portfolio!
It’s been a tortuous process for a Queen procrastinator like me, but done with a couple of weeks spare! Have cleaned up the white board I as using and will give back to DS/put back in his room. Have also given away the textbook for the course.

Jobs:

1. Hang up framed pictures: this has now changed to critically go through the framed artwork as we’ve agreed we don’t actually want all of it? Still discussing….🙄
2. my British passport application - online interview booked for next week
3. DS1’s gaming, PC, Nerf, Warhammer & D&D sorted and tidied and put away into eaves cupboards
4. Portfolio work - 14 practical sign offs; waiting for next shift on Saturday, hoping crewmate will just sign them without a fuss 🤞 ALL DONE! ☑️
5. Bathroom redecoration: Mirror bought but need help hanging it, plus have framed DS1’s Navy commission which he wants hung up in there, who am I to argue!
6. Fix old parasol - will drop off after halfterm
7. Book handyman for shelves in DS1’s room & to hang pictures (gives us a deadline to focus on)
8. drop off thank you card and chocolates to friend who DD-sat for us in the holidays (vvvv overdue!j

Not quite outs yet:
old table listed on FB free site/may need to go to the tip
pile of clothes for DD to sell on Vinted - need to check she has time
pastry cutters on FB

Out:
text book for work course
3 random flags to charity pile
708+4=712

Big push on the kids rooms and my bedroom. Both kids rooms totally clear of boxes and things that don’t belong there, definitely have a long way to go with our bedroom.

So here’s a conundrum - I have a beautiful rug which got damaged many years ago. I could pay to have it cleaned and repaired, but I haven’t done this. It was an eye watering amount to have this done, although less than the cost of a new Persian rug of this quality. I would also have to find a new place to take it and get a new quote etc. But if I was going to do it, I would have done it many years ago, right? Instead, it follows me round in a big plastic bag, taking up space in my house and my head. (I feel this is very outing, but this thread has helped me readjust my attitude on a few things).

On the upside, another 8 items sold on vinted. I will see if there’s anything else I can list as this seems to be worth it at the moment.

Another 6-8 plastic bags full of stuff now bagged and sorted. Things we don’t need any more. I just have to get it out of the door.

I find this thread inspiring, thank you all.

Well done to those who have worked hard so far and have had another push.

I have been back in my room of doom today sorting through my craft stuff and being ruthless. I will give some of it away for free on Olio and attempt to sell some on a craft selling FB group.

Working most of the day but doing one or two bits. Just popped a little turtle snowglobe into the charity bag.

Gosh you’ve all been busy, ive sort of gone backwards as had family staying for the interment of DH’s ashes.

I got in the loft yesterday to find some toys belong to my adult DC’s that I thought DGS would like to play with and had a moment of Oh Oh Oh, so much stuff!

As adult DC here did wonder about lobbing as much of the going to the tip stuff down as they can ‘file it’ in the garage for me and be far easier to go to the tip from there. DH never let me get rid of certain things and put them in the loft, sigh,