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.

Well done @TidyClutterIsStillClutter@IDareSay@CheesePlantFeetthat’s loads of good progress. And commiserations on the hoover!

"Will you miss going to all the events dare or is it a relief?"

Well @IndianSummer78 it's more like a chapter ending, if that makes sense; thoroughly enjoyed it at the time but it's a bit 'been there, done that, got the T-shirt'.
We live a different life now, in the countryside with our two rescue dogs, so we have far more use for wellies and raincoats now!

Thanks @Realfastfoodie it's astonishing how much stuff accumulates. I feel like I will be on top of by the end of this year and then just need to do a regular sweep to keep it in check.

Thanks everyone for the hoover sympathy 🤣 please feel free to join me in a virtual wake this evening. I will be drinking a whiskey in the hoover's memory🥃😂🥃😂

More christmas decorating today, decluttered one wreath

Total 1919

@Realfastfoodie I think that’s a great idea. We’ve still got a month til Christmas so a few ten minutes sessions in each room will make a massive difference.

@IDareSay I have been doing a 15 minute sweep every night since about the start of this year and it’s just my night time routine and actually sometimes I straighten the settee cushions after I’ve finished sitting on it because I know I’ll have to do it in my pre bedtime sweep. It’s only taken me about 7 years to be in control of my house!

@CheesePlantFeet Sorry to hear about the hoover. Good luck with the job of buying a new one, I hate making decisions about household appliances.

Only one out is a board game going in the charity shop pile. That pile has got too big now so I need to take the stuff there.

I've been a bit quiet but I've been steadily decluttering a book a day. I think it is day 329. I now have a pile of 25 books and it's a huge pile! Lots of big volumes too. After the month ends, I will seeing anyone wants any of them and rest I'll put on my wall-mart.

Our dishwasher stopped working yesterday and today I took the whole thing apart and I've managed to get it working again! I smell like shit water but saved us at least £100.

I am quite pleased that I did a 10 min tidy/declutter even though I am super tired. Lots of packaging out and some outgrown shirts on Vinted. Every little helps!

Used up a notebook

total outs 1170

Went through a cardboard box which was on the kitchen shelf as I had a vague idea that there was some out of date chocolate in there, and discovered a whole bunch of stuff which could be binned - mostly sweets and chocs etc. Broke down the box for recycling and emptied some single chocolate bars and biscuits into a tupperware to keep them together. Shelf looks a lot tidier but there are still some OOD things lurking in the cupboards.

Started another bag for textile recycling so will keep adding to that, and have a bag of uniform for the PTA shop, plus a couple of bags of stuff which hasn't sold on Vinted and which won't sell now as it's summer things.

Yesterday - straightened out some of the kitchen mess by putting the vegetable rack together again and folding/rolling up loose bin bags so that everything is much more controlled and easy to find.

Two bags-for-life full of odds and ends for packaging. Reduced to one. Cardboard in recycling bin.

Put all the packets of seeds in one clear bag for next spring. Found a hammer, now back in toolbox. I can see the top of the bureau :-))

Two bags of pine cones into craft cupboard. Use fir Christmas decorations or dispose of.

Actual decluttering - one biscuit tin.

Not been on in ages, trying to catch up, everyone seems to be doing so well.
My DH also retired from a job that involved lots of black tie type outings. None now so I am looking at my dresses and shoes… 👀

Jobs:

1. Hang up framed pictures; handyman friend to do
2. DS1’s gaming, PC, Nerf, Warhammer & D&D sorted and tidied and put away into eaves cupboards
3. Bathroom redecoration: Mirror & pictures up; handyman friend to do
4. Shelves in DS1’s room: handyman friend has measured up
5. Irish passports for DD & DS2

Not quite outs yet:
pile of clothes for DD to sell on Vinted - DD has taken the pile so let’s see
pastry cutters on FB - poss bin/recycle metal ones

Out:
Approx 20 unneeded manuals and safety warning booklets
one well loved jacket worn out
ancient jeggings with loose threads
740+22=762

not going to get anywhere near 2025, but still I think ending the year in a better position that we started.

Have just caught up on about ten pages of this thread, as I haven’t read it for ages! Partly because I haven’t done much decluttering, and partly because I’m having trouble getting on to MN on my phone due to adverts loading and crashing the site - very frustrating. Sadly the lack of MN time has not made me more productive in decluttering, and stuff I decided to get rid of earlier in the year is still hanging around the house.

DH is away this weekend visiting his parents. DD and I are meeting friends today, and I had planned to spend Sunday sorting through the wardrobe in DD’s room and maybe getting her to donate some old toys to the school Xmas fair. However, DH helpfully arranged a play date for Sunday afternoon without checking with me first (he bumped into the friend and her dad, remembered that we were due to reciprocate a play date, and sorted it out then). So instead I will be spending Sunday morning tidying the house. I know that he was probably thinking ‘this will give EllieQ a break as the girls are old enough to entertain themselves’, but it’s frustrating that I now won’t have much free time on the run up to Xmas ☹️

As per @Pigtailsandall I too have been playing plumbers channeling my inner Mario Bros when the shower drain decided to stop swallowing water.
I took the plunge( -r) and proceeded to give it my all and it eventually dislodged whatever was in there and went smoothly. Previously I had to mop the floor twice as the water was overflowing so had enough of that and managed to fix it.

On another note, paperwork is the bane of my existence so I am trying to organise it. I should get rid of more but I am very uncomfortable getting rid of the physical copies so I have 5 or 6 full boxes of papers to get through including children’s artwork, leaflets, booklets, instruction manuals, bank statements and the like.
I am giving me a month’s grace to get my shit together.
Hopefully there is a paperwork magician i this thread that can give me a few pointers.

Sadly I'm not sure how well I've done with the dishwasher - it works, but it doesn't seem to dry things so everything is very wet and cold when I open it. Apart from a few forks, things were clean though. I think we might still need someone to service it. It's 6 years old so shouldn't give up just yet!

More books to book pile. Tomorrow is the last book-decluttering day and I'm relieved. Was getting hard.

For paperwork, I'd recommend just putting on some nice music/podcast and have a glass of wine while sorting through it. Definitely get rid of all manuals and suchlike. They are all online, or for fixing stuff like my dishwasher, there are million YouTube vids which are much better.

Keep only special kids art. If everything is special, nothing is! And trust me, as adults they won't care much. 2-3 per year is plenty.

For bank statements, check with your bank, but usually for a small fee they can produce statements going back years should you need it.

I've had a productive morning, although doesn't feel like its made a dent as always. Cleared out the storage cupboard, its got 2 bits of furniture in it we need to get rid of, I've listed on free site. A bin bag full of textile recycling to go to the tip, a large carrier bag of bits for the charity shop. Also sorted a large bag of kids clothes which are being donated.

Now off to sort through the winter accessories and pack away the summer hats etc.

I’m on a roll! Just did a big push on a room (like I said just an hour or so). Loads of tidying up, getting things into the right place…. and some outs!

Just from this -

2 coat hangers
1 broken toy
1 big box
1 cushion
2 plates
20 paper plates

Plus 10 things in the charity bag to go on Monday

Finished off decorating for Christmas and found somemore bits and bobs to get rid of

Charity shop: 4 boxes christmas stars, advent calendar, fairy lights
Bin / recycling: 2x hooks, 6x christmas picks
Vinted/sold locally: garland

Total 1934

Spent ages yesterday on paperwork. Had a horrible panic when I couldn’t find two PINs. Got everything else filed and wrote a to-do list, and they turned up once it was all neat and tidy.

There’s another bag of cardboard to flatten and put in recycling bin.

Decluttered - someone wants my nest of tables for their flat, and is picking it up next week.

One pair of boots that don't suit me.
Total is 4186

I did manage to sort out the hats, gloves etc, 3 items going in the charity bag along with some unopened perfume I won't use. hoping to drop it off tomorrow.

We have a plan for the living room to rearrange things and position the Christmas tree, hoping to get a lot of outs while that is in progress.

We bought our tree yesterday so when DH gets the decorations down from the loft tonight, I’ll have a clear out. We do have A LOT of baubles etc!
Through the week, I have been adding bits to the charity shop bags. Still feels like we’re living in a warehouse though. I reckon a load of clothes will go as I need to try them on but pretty sure they will be too big. Some are still in the packaging.

Well done everyone, so many outs in the last month. I've been busy with work and haven't managed any decluttering. Catching up on the thread and feeling more motivated already.
Christmas is one of my worst times for gathering stuff so I'm going to try and keep myself in check. Been perusing Xmas decorations online that I want but don't need. Nothing purchased yet.

Have ordered a new supportive couch for after DH back surgery so will have to pass on/sell/recycle the current couch or add it to the garage stockpile where there isn't really space. We've had a lot of ins recently as trying every back pain gadget/mat/block/cushion/belt available.
Outs:
Ripped wellies going in the bin today.
Unworn trainers going in a charity bag.
Shopping packaging binned/recycled.
Flower planters and pots emptied of dead sunflowers.
Leaves gathered on ramp and patio.

Going to try the 10minutes a day and hopefully get back on track.

One plant pot not needed
One pair of joggers with a weird feeling stripe down the side
One hoodie that I don't like the feel of the fabric and it's too big
One spare phone to a friend who's own one broke

Total is 4190

Today was mostly tidying and putting things where they belong. Odds and ends in bin. Several half-empty bottles of cleaning products decanted into one.

Finally bagged up outgrown uniform that’s been lying around for a few weeks. DD took it to sell/donate.

edited for typo

outs

9 Christmas soft toys
A Christmas decoration
A dressing gown
A load of craft stuff
Kids Knee pads / elbow pads for skating
A cushion
A blanket
A large toy
2 coat hangers
sold and posted an item on Vinted

total outs 1189

@Pigtailsandall Definitely yes to not caring about your primary school work as an adult. My mum gave me a few bits of my English work from primary school and it was sweet and nostalgic for about five minutes, but I had completely forgotten about it and then felt bad for binning it, even when it was my own stuff!! She also dropped off a couple of bags of old christening cards they got when I was born - from long-dead old buffers from the Rotary Club and random people she went inter-railing with in 1975, that sort of thing - and again I was like WTF do I do with this????

I have a couple of bags for the textile recycling, which could go on Vinted to be fair, but I just want them out of the house and it's easier to chuck them in the recycling, plus the school get some money for it. Sent a couple of suitcases we borrowed from the in-laws back to them today so the living room is a bit clearer, and binned a horrible old single duvet and its cover which was about ten years old.