Decluttering Thread 12

[TidyClutterIsStillClutter]

Whatever your speed or method, whether it’s a few shelves, a couple of boxes or entire attics, rooms, or garages, come here and share both your successes and your struggles. There’s support and commiserations, and lots of good ideas.

added 3 more items to the bag of clothes for a friend’s daughter.

Total outs for 2025: 1205

I was looking at some of my previous posts, and I’m amazed at how much Stuff has left my house and yet how much is still here. Most of it is sitting neatly on shelves, or packed into storage boxes, and I’ll tackle it bit by bit. At least it’s no longer flung into bags-for-life and then left for years in a corner or on the floor to become a trip hazard.

Checking in.

Dd decided randomly to through her clothes again today and throw out about 200 things so I can't see what she would possibly have left. I have put some things away for her for summer and selling some. Could really do without the carnage she has now created. Still a way off my 2025 out in 2025 but getting closer!

3rd Vinted - ds hat and glove set, dd dress x2, ðd tankini, dd skirt
Dd skirt x 2 top, dress x 3 vinted
7th 66 items out to charity dd
3 out dd Vinted

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Out = 121
In = 0
--
Total for year
In = 169
Out = 1547

Your last few posts were very productive TidyClutter. I'm loving reading about how everyone's families are getting on board with decluttering too.

I've stalled a bit. I'm focusing on Christmas 🎄 🎁⭐🧑‍🎄 for now. There's still way too many clothes, books and craft supplies here. The DVD collection is looking very tidy though and the kitchen looks amazing, as does the entryway. The bathroom isn't too bad but there's still quite a bit of a toiletries stash, it just isn't taking over any more or scattered randomly around the other rooms. Big cupboard has been tidied but needs some work. Living room and bedrooms are too full really. I'm very happy with my progress over the past year though.

Used up a curl spray, not brilliant so I won't repurchase. Total is 4192

Dd has thrown out 90% of her clothes. This seems to have triggered by me getting her Christmas jumpers out of the draw. I think I'm going to let her calm down and go through things with me. She has a completely empty chest of draws. 6 things hanging in her wardrobe and everything else is in her dressing table. Although this is amazing from a decluttering point of view. She now has nothing much left to wear. If we can do seven outfits it's OK I guess? I don't really want to throw out her summer outfits until summer.

Thanks for the new thread. Im not sure I even posted on thread 11 just lurked. But I definitely need to keep on going.

I am thinking of trying the Creating Mary's Home decluttering challenge in January.

Hi all. Checking in on the new thread.
Had a productive day cleaning and tidying yesterday. No major outs but tidying always results in some outs.
We have had some small ins as DP has been clearing FILs house.
I have a few things on this week including some unexpected work so if I can at least get charity bag dropped off, that would be good!

Yesterday’s outs - one ice-cream tub that held toy cars but was split. Two plastic soup cartons, and a cream carton.

Also out - one Sony Walkman, that could no longer play tapes, and the tuning dial was stuck on one radio station. I thought that if there was a disaster, and all the phones were dead, then I could get info on the fm station. Anyway I found a small personal radio that’s in good order, and decided that the Walkman no longer served a purpose.

We had a massive clear-out over the weekend - DS (7) now has his own single bed and the 11-year-old cot bed which has seen all three DC through from babies has finally been broken down and is due to go off to the dump along with its revolting mattress. Also have a massive charity shop bag of books and another of clothes, got rid of an old chest of drawers and a weird faux Kallax shelving unit made up of pink plastic squares which slot together to make cubes.

Actually when I say "got rid of" nothing has actually left the flat yet and we are still very much in the "it has to get worse before it gets better" stage as it is all still hanging around and the dump trip isn't booked until tomorrow. I had intended to take some of the books and clothes to the charity shop today but I slept appallingly last night (weird, as I was knackered from the clear-out) so I couldn't face going outside. I find all the piled up crap very stressful but I know that it will be gone soon so trying to take deep breaths and visualising a much clearer living space!

Thanks for setting up the new thread @TidyClutterIsStillClutter!

Went through DD’s clothes with her today and have 14 items to be sold on Vinted/ go to a charity shop, and there’s now enough space in her drawers for the clothes she does wear.

Sold 2 items on Vinted
posted / delivered all but four Christmas cards. I won’t count it as de cluttering but felt very satisfying

total outs 1207

One sweatshirt too small donated.
Total is 4193

Morning - thank you for starting the new thread OP. Could that in itself be seen as decluttering?! 😂
I won’t get anything done for a couple of days as I’m going to stay with my folks. Back on Friday so I can tackle our bedroom & possibly clear the kitchen table - it certainly needs doing before Christmas. My New Year’s Resolution is no more magazine subscriptions! I ordered 6 copies of Woman & Home for £6 & have barely looked at the October issue, which was the first one, let alone the month we’re in now! It happens every time. I buy magazines quite often generally & then go on my phone instead of reading them.

I am going to get everything out of the bathroom and deep clean today. I think there might be some things that go from the bathroom cabinet hopefully. Got some old PE kit and uniform to drop off at school as well.

Following!

Sold a big Peppa Pig bundle on Vinted, and passed on a big dressing up bundle to a friend.

Year to date I'm on 1,864 out. I'd like to get to the year I was born- 1,985!

Anyone else aiming for a target?

I'm aiming for 2025 items out in 3025. I smashed it last year. I need to do about 20 items a day until the end of the year. I still think I can meet that. There's a few things that won't sell on Vinted so again, I have some low hanging fruit left to get rid of.

So far today I have got rid of

12 uniform to school
2 out dd dresses Vinted
Sharpie pen
15 out dd uniform and ds socks
14 out bathroom
Two containers kitchen
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Out = 171
In = 0
--
Total for year
In = 169
Out = 1598

Can't believe how long I've been on these decluttering threads now!! I'm pretty much at maintenance stage but I do occasionally need a big clear out with a small(ish) child.

Days 341 and 342 were an unopened nice hand cream - i just have too many! And a blemish mask which I think is a bit too harsh for my skin. Dh also took a cerave cleanser to use up, but that's not decluttering as still in the house.

Some of the stuff from the Massive Clearout has now gone to the tip, although DP has insisted on keeping a random bit of wood "just in case" (WHY?? WHY??). At least one if not two more trips are still needed, but it's a start. We also took a box of random bits of broken glass and china that's been sitting in the corner of the kitchen forever, and although it wasn't huge it seems to have freed up so much space.

DD2 is completing some of her larger Lego models and is putting them on a display shelf, and then the rest of the general bricks can go in a smaller box and free up a larger box for some DVD storage.

W/E 07/12 (Week 49)
2025 – (1967 + 48 = 2015) = 10 to go! 💥

Digital = 0

Stuff used up and not replaced = 0

Recycled/binned
Router, golf ball, puzzle books x 2, storage boxes x 10 (from house move 9 years ago... 😳 ) = 14

Charity shop
Cookery books x 7, skirt hangers x 4, dress x 8, trousers x 1, scarf x 1, blouse x 1, sarong x 1, game x 1, pyjamas x 2, book x 1, belt x 1, bag x 1, suit cover x 1, t-shirt x 1, hat x 3 = 34

Vinted
Still dead. Have sent a lot to the charity shop. = 0

Evening. I’ve just filled an age uk bag that dropped in the hallway this afternoon. Containing the handbag I used for my wedding last year but won’t ever use again, a new rucksack I have never used, a gifted pair of boots I’ve never worn & my sons just had a growth spurt (finally!) & all his joggers have kind of gone knee length so put all of them in there as well as a couple of tops I’ve not seen on him for ages. Bet he’ll ask for them now…….thats being collected Thursday. Got a few bits on vinted today as well, if they don’t sell by xmas they can go to charity as well. I did buy a new pair of crocs in their cyber sale though- my Lidl fake pair now have additional holes in the sole so thought I’d treat myself to the real thing & see if they are worth it. I wear them as slippers round the house & going in the garden with the dog so useful if not trendy

A school cardigan of DDs to pre-loved uniform collection at school

total outs 1208

More outs. Went to the tip and got rid of cot bed and mattress. Also old landline phone and electric shaver.

My mate is coming tomorrow to help me clean and tidy. I'm going to die of embarrassment. But it's got to be done. I'm sure I have some kind of ND like my kids. I get totally frozen or do the " must wash up, oh the draining board is full, must put tupperware away, oh that's full I will recycle some, oh look there's my washing I must hang that out, but let's empty the bin, wait I will empty the bathroom bin too, oh look, washing to put away! Ah I need to hoover ds room, wait a minute, I didn't drink my tea, passes some toys on the stairs I must put away........" at the end of the day the washing up was never done. Or the 50 other distracting jobs. I swear this this getting worse

Oh I understand that! Known in our household as 'shaving a yak':

"The term was coined by MIT student Carlin Vieri, reportedly inspired by a Ren & Stimpy episode featuring a "Yak Shaving Day". It was popularized by author Seth Godin, who used an extended analogy in a 2005 blog post to explain the concept:
The story often goes something like this:

• You want to wax your car.
• The hose is broken, so you need a new one.
• To get to the store that sells hoses, you need an EZPass for the toll bridge.
• To borrow your neighbor's EZPass, you need to return their "mooshi pillow".
• The pillow needs restuffing with yak hair.
• This is how you end up at the zoo, shaving a yak, all so you can wax your car."

I'm sure Terry Wogan did a British version of this on his R2 show back in the day...

Yesterday - spent a while in the garage after school run. Tidied stuff that he tends to drop where he’s standing when he’s finished with it. There was some rubbish that was mine, binned along with two half used rolls of wallpaper and two rolls of wallpaper border
Plastics recycling - five small cartons.

For Donation - Eight rolls of unopened woodchip.
Two small coathangers.

edited for typo