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.

Garage done, going to get my beautiful discounted sandals as they’ve just messaged to say they are ready for collection. ( but have to decide which old pair to oust, decisions decisions).

Two more items sold on vinted and another couple listed. Sold items only total around £6, but it's more about the decluttering!

I took three bags of clothes, rags and books to the charity shop on Saturday. I have also had a chair collected.

I think I’ve largely finished my bedroom as the surfaces are now all clear and I’ve gone through most drawers and my two main wardrobes. Outs have included wires, papers, receipts and a flower made out of Hama beads. When I do my nightly 15 minutes tidy up of downstairs I’m going to add my bedroom and en-suite so it doesn’t get that bad again. I’m hoping to start spending 5 mins a day on the room of doom or playroom from now on.

Another declutter of kitchen stuff gave me another 7 bits. I’ve got some stuff in boxes that we’ve been managing without. I’m planning to assume that most of that can be sent to the charity shop when I unpack it…

2 pairs of kids shoes given away.

total 894

Two more parcels sold on Vinted, to free up space in my sewing box, so that it can close 🙈. I used up some fabric making 3 PE kit bags for the kids. So all my fabrics now go in one big plastic box with lid 🎉.

Cleared out the loft - got rid of 22 items

total outs for the year 883

Yet more old car/insurance/finance papers shredded.

I have had another brief dip into the two storage crates of sentimental stuff from family. They were more sorted than I remembered TBH. Need to buy a few more pretty boxes to store the bits in they are currently in box files that are a bit squashed. Think that will be two or three boxes to go with the boxes I have for each of the kids - who probably won’t be remotely interested in their cot cards and first curls etc!

There are up in the loft boxes of nursery and primary school work that could be considerably thinned out I’m sure.

Hello, this looks like a good thread! I spotted it the other day and meant to post but only just got round to it after reading another thread with lots of frighteningly tidy people on.

Today we binned a lot of stuff from the pile in the hall that’s been there for about two months since DS1 cleared out his room. And I finally managed to change the toilet seat (metal bits had corroded an interesting blue colour) after a load of faff getting the old one off and buying one whose attachment didn’t fit our toilet. Phew.

I’m also going to count getting DH to finally take rolls of Christmas wrapping paper back to the garage - if we left it any longer he’d argue they might as well stay in the corner of the living room until Christmas!

Binned - ancient duvet that had become completely flat and had a huge rip. Also some of those tiny bits and pieces that sit in the corner of the junk drawer until the next house move. Only, now they’re in the bin instead.

Paper recycling bin - several paper towel tubes and insides of sellotape rolls that I had intended for junk modelling.

Textile recycling bag for Dunelm - two school jerseys with ripped seams. Not worth the effort of mending. Outgrown and not donatable. Two odd socks and outgrown pants.

Found - a weirdly shaped Lego brick, but no-one can remember a model with that colour in it. That will definitely stay in a corner until the next move.

Chucked one book today.
Total = 204

Sold a bundle of beauty items on eBay, packed & posted, just got back from post office (luckily open 8am-10pm most days including bank hols!!)then kerching, sold another bundle so packed that up & went back to post office to send off. Recycled a load more cardboard at the mini recycling centre. Binned a mat that has seen better days. Some of the stuff that has been languishing for sale now for weeks, will reduce drastically to get rid or put out on Wall-mart. Put a load of wood on Facebook for free. Trying to use up & organise stuff in our shed freezer, ordered some freezer baskets as fed up with lollies, fish and frozen peas all jumbled up together.

Days 236 & 237, I sold waterproof toddler gloves and welly socks on vinted. Clearly people are looking more towards autumn stuff now despite the weather.

I listed few books on vinted too as we are drowning in books. I'm considering doing a "book a day" declutter challenge in September or October and finding one book to donate each day. I feel like that is achievable

@TidyClutterIsStillClutter there should be a numerical code printed somewhere on the brick. You can look it up on “Bricklink” it will tell you what set it was part of you can generally get the instructions with a picture of the set to jog your memory.

Did I mention previously that we we have lots of lego still 😂

One bag of clothes to the charity shop and two to drop in the school textile recycling bin when the DC go back on Thursday. Also posted a Vinted parcel and cleared out a random bowl in the kitchen which was full of old sweets and bits of Lego and hairbands etc.

Incoming bits in the form of new school shoes and football boots for both DDs though - the boots can be kept and handed down although DD2's shoes can go as I doubt DS will want slip-on brogues next year. Also some new PE kit but that replaces last year's which will go to the PTA shop, so hopefully not too much of a build up.

I posted my Vinted parcel today so 🤞 Evri doesn't play footie with it 😂.

I need to list more stuff so will do that in the little bit of sunshine we have.

It doesn't feel like I'm making much progress here.

The bagged up clothes and shoes for recycling have gone. As have the expired meds.

I've been working systematically through the kitchen cupboards and have binned anything out of date.

It turns out I own eleventy million plastic bags. So that's bin liners sorted until I retire (and beyond).

I have a couple of bags of clothes to go to the charity shop when I get round to it.

My biggest issue is books. I bought loads when the DC were younger - either for them or as gifts. But they never got touched. I tried the online book buying companies, but they're not interested in most. I can't face FBMP and I'm scared to try Vinted. So I'm a bit stuck. Maybe I'll open my own bookshop.

Thanks so much! Great to know, and I will pass it on to the Lego fan.

@Gassylady im sure that we have both been doing Lego for about three years. I did a load in January / February and haven’t touched it since. We have mountains of the stuff in the playroom.

So from now on doing 5 mins a day decluttering the room of doom and 15 tidying already decluttered areas.

outs include lots of papers, magazines and about 15 birthday and Christmas cards. I made a list of who they were from and stuck it in the unwritten Xmas cards so I don’t forget anyone next year. I also threw out some really old paint brushes/ rollers, dried poly filla and rusty wallpaper scrapers.

You are right stealthninjamum it is one of those areas we keep going back to. Lots of smaller sets have been passed on or charity shopped but we have some very big sets it would be nice to complete before thet are sold on or donated. I now know more about Lego than i thought possible 🤣

Today I went through a pile of papers, didn't file them all or anything but recycled the ones I don't need to keep and found a letter from a few months ago that I should have opened. Oops.
I've posted on the local freebie Facebook page to see if anyone wants any secondhand primary school trousers (somehow managed a ridiculous collection by inheriting hand-me-downs a long time ago, then forgetting about them and buying new).
Also the new bathroom bin arrived so I've replaced the rusty bin AND the corroded toilet seat this week.

@BlackCatsAreBrilliant are you anywhere near a drop-off point for the Children's Book Project? https://childrensbookproject.co.uk/families-and-individuals/

A productive day today, tons of duplo given away, and quite a few bits sorted into either the bin or charity donation bag.

I feel for you @Gassyladyand @stealthninjamum- we are still at the accumulation phase of Lego, and I’m seeing this as an endless source of clutter for the next decade or two. It’s quite cool though that my small one is getting into a hobby I can also enjoy!

I have a whole pile of possible donations that I need to sort out. But I’ve done a good job of binning things that need to be binned - kitchen cupboards got another 4 out of date things chucked, bunch of kids colouring in, some old magazines and catalogues. Added 29 today, but I counted a full bag of small rubbish as 1 in that, so I’m feeling good.

DH decluttered two shirts and one sweatshirt into my wardrobe.

We talked about trying to control our paperwork. I hope to start that tomorrow.

General tidyness is continuing to improve.

Lego fan says “Thanks!”