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.

Made £107 on Vinted this week, but have about 4 or 5 parcels I’ve got to post now, and all with different couriers… in-post, Royal Mail, yodel etc 😩

I’ve started a box for charity stuff and that is getting collected on Friday. We recently purchased new towels, so I’m replacing all of our old ones as they were all frayed and bleached etc. Who doesn’t love fluffy new towels 🩷

I have a week off work next week, so I’m hoping to tackle kitchen cupboards and one under the stairs (my nemesis).

Well done on the Vinted sales.. hope the courier drop-off points are not too far apart.

I have been out so very little decluttering today. I did throw away two pairs of damaged shoes if that counts.

Tomorrow's decluttering involves attempting to drop off 3 bags of stuff to charity shops so 🤞 there is space at them. I do tend to call beforehand to check.

Cleaned the fridge one shelf at a time over the past week. Thank you whoever suggested that.

finally tidied my bedroom and put away a lot of clothes that were lounging in washing baskets. Folded the towels and popped them away too.

landing tomorrow (never got in the garage at weekend as went down with a massive allergic reaction to something and took an antihistamine and fell asleep for hours)

Really need to do more of DH’s clothes but open and shut the drawers as it’s too sad a job. I did paint the shed and had a massive gardening splurge so have actually done a lot.

my mission is to be relatively clutter free by October when my dsis is coming to stay.

Well done 👏🏼

I've disabled few courier options because it got too ridiculous. Im only using Yodel and Evri now and stuff still sells fine.

Saying that, I have been BUYING from Vinted which isn't great....DC books, few clothes etc. Nothing for me though.

My last 2 days of decluttering (days 230 and 231) were 2 sets of pillowcases. They were new, but we really just don't need so many. Bedding is now at manageable level.

Binned - one contact lens case. None of us uses them, so maybe twenty years old?

Can I have your tips for clothes please? There's still too many here. I've done the easy part - things in poor condition, things that aren't liked, things that don't fit. Everything left, someone wants it - but there's still too much for the space.

@IndianSummer78 ive got rid of a couple of bags of clothes recently. In my case it’s clothes that I haven’t worn recently whether I like them or not, I clearly don’t like them more than the other clothes that I do wear. Dana K White would tell you to define your container and keep the bits you like the most and get rid of those that don’t fit into the container easily. My problem is I have lots of built in storage so everything fits - but I do forget I own things and can never find things I remember - so decluttering would save me time.

5 mins done in my bedroom and my normal 15 mins everywhere else. I only have an elastic band to go, a broken keyring and some bras I bought last week that I need to take back. I have also advertised a chair that I don’t need.

@IndianSummer78 would it be worth trying to go through it again and try to figure out how many outfits you could do? I have gotten rid of clothes/shoes that way because they may only be worn once with certain things.

Gave away three jamjars plus lids, that's another six, also the carrier bag I put them in, seven!

86 so far.

Got rid of another skirt.
Total is 3825

Added a few bits to the charity bag and then got it out of the door. It’s not much, but I just feel better to be on our way. So that’s another 22 items of outworn/ outgrown clothing.

Current total for the year 762, which is a lot less than other years but I’m going to do a big push over the next few weeks as we recover from our house work.

@Indian summer sometimes it helps instead of deciding what t shirt/ dress / cardigan etc to bin or declutter to ask what are my favourite 5/8/10 and keep those
if you have 15 pairs of jeans which ones do you actually wear and why to you reach for them not the others in strict rotation
sometimes you need to try stuff on to work out why you don't wear it, does it fit is it comfy to you feel good in it, is it scratchy or itchy or is the neck too high / low does it fit your style and your real life, what do you wear it with. I am presuming you have already got rid of items that don't fit and are damaged or stained or you actually don't like it is often the maybe stuff that hardest. it is easy to decide to keep our favourites and bin the stuff we never really liked but it is a bit "meh" stuff it fits, it does what it says on the tin, it is a decent colour for you but just not a wow most people can't afford to throw a lot of Meh stuff away so the need to find new ways of using them with different combinations but try to resolve not to buy anything unless it is a WOW

This is my 4th pass through of clothes. I probably do need to be more ruthless.

So whatever is left at the end of this pass that doesn't match with anything else, I'll take your advice declutteringonedayatatime and get rid of those because you're right, what am I realistically going to wear them with? I'd only end up buying something to wear them with and that defeats the purpose of decluttering.

Ah I think you've hit on something cottagecheeseisnotcheese, it's the meh stuff I'm struggling with most. I'm actually wearing everything this go around and finding things that were ok to try on but have some niggling issues when I'm wearing it all day, so I'm getting rid of those when I find them. I'm doing a capsule wardrobe for autumn, maybe I'll make it entirely out of meh items 🤔 I don't know why I even own these things really, why I bought them. So maybe I'll be reminded of some or other fabulous quality they have and fall in love with them all over again or else I'll get sick of the sight of them and realise they can go.

I'm going to try to do a no-buy for autumn, except food. I always wear the same thing in winter: jeans and a jumper, too cold for anything else. Next year I'll start my 5th pass through of clothes and I can spend the winter thinking about what are my wow items then weed out the rest of the meh stuff next year.

All these clothes tips are good, thanks. I may even be getting to the point where I need the odd new item just that fits me, but I’m definitely applying a 1 in/1 out (or 2 out) policy now as it’s so nice having drawers that fit. I find clothes putting away hard as it is, it is so much better now I’m not fighting the draws to close!

I have to admit that the decluttering of clothes is very hard. I have lovely dresses that I cannot wear at work (school-based job) so stick to the same outfits that I don't mind getting paint and allsorts on 😂. I did a ruthless action and got rid of the nicer dresses that I had worn a few times/felt uncomfortable in.

I'm the same, my wardrobe is heaving but I seem to wear the same things all the time and keep picking bits up when I go out :/ I did project 333 a few years ago which was a help and then I lost weight so bought a load of new stuff again.

Sold a pair of DMs I just don't reach for and chucked out a pair of walking trainers which hurt my feet, had a clear out of last years school uniform while putting the new away. I really need to tackle the toys in my sons room but he never agrees to part with anything so its quite hard. I feel bad just making things disappear.

Following for inspiration!

@IndianSummer78 Did you do your capsule wardrobes in Spring and Summer? If so how did it go? Sounds such a great idea to pick a bunch of clothes and wear them to death, I’m thinking at the end of the season I might then feel more free to get rid as I’d have “got my moneys worth”. Or at the very least I would have worked out which I really love and which I don’t.

My day 232 declutter is small, a little flannel used for my dc as a baby. Has big stains on it that won't shift.

I'm also trying to wear things I'm on the fence about. Usually when i wear them I find out why I didn't like them. I have a issue with ironing - I absolutely hate it - so a0art from a few dresses I love, I'm slowly decluttering shirts etc that need ironing. I just won't do it.

Did my 5 mins tidying my bedroom and got rid of / recycled - several receipts, a notebook, 5 batteries and I moved loads of stuff to other rooms. My surfaces are now almost clear which is amazing - but I’m going to keep doing 5 mins a day until I have decluttered / organised my room and tidying it has become a habit.

Sorted through shoes and threw out a pair of worn out trainers and ankle boots. Have packed a pair of sandals (unworn and unsold despite trying) and a pair of platform trainers (worn twice) in a bag for the charity shop.

Young adult DC sorted through the clothes in their room and good quality items bagged up for charity. Four items held back for younger DC and I took one sweatshirt for wearing when cleaning/gardening. Remaining items went to clothing bank. Eldest took a pair of runners home that were left here.

Threw out a bra, seat cushion and an unflattering flowery tshirt.

Washed up some older items of clothes that had dust gathered on them and thought I might wear them this year, the colour ran despite a colour catcher and now I have a new ish striped top that will have to go..not ready to part with it yet as my brain is telling me I can wear it under a jumper. Ridiculous, will bin it today.

Unfortunately purchased a new pair of trainers, a dress, two pairs of trousers and three tops for work. None look too good on me but needed a refresh and cooler fabrics. Will try and remove the equivalent amount when I know what has worked out next month. Trying not to wear jeans anymore but it's very hard to find alternatives. I would love a uniform.

Garden declutter today, out with old broken plastic pots & seed trays, mangled chicken wire, a cracked bowl, builders bags, rotten wood into the incinerator (for bonfire night). The heap of doom now diminished! Fed a poor skinny fox the remains of a chicken carcass that definitely failed the mumsnet chicken protocol. I know wildlife shouldn't be fed but poor thing looked malnourished & seized the chicken. Boxes of old toys ready for charity.

Run some errands and decluttered in the process.

Beauty recycling to Boots
Empty battery there too
Returned 3 glasses to Dunelm
Finished a couple of cleaning products.Hopefully I can pick up the pace when my children are back at school. It has been really slow. However I am slowly decluttering my pantry by eating all the crap Crisps that I find on my way 😥

YellowBirds no I didn't do any capsules yet. I'm not a capsule wardrobe person really (I've tried in the past and I got bored), but I'm going to try it again because maybe I've changed and also, like you, as a way of getting rid of some things.
There's no room for air drying here so if I can't dry outside due to weather it all goes into the tumble drier, which has about 100 settings and looks real fancy, but 99% of them involves the clothes coming out still damp and the other setting is 150°C heat for 3hrs until it announces they're bone dry (you can't open the door mid cycle to check). So it's a clothes killer, basically. Only the toughest survive 💪. If I wear the same small amount of clothes all season, by the end of it I predict around 50% of them will either be only fit for recycling or will have to be rehomed to someone smaller due to shrinkage.

Two dresses and a top going today.
Total is 3828