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.

I'm already getting frustrated scrolling back up to find my previous totals! Do most of us keep track outside of this thread?

I haven't really done much today apart from setting up my new mattress and dealing with the old one, but at least I've hit my average weekly target, and maybe I'll be able to get a bit ahead ready for when life inevitably gets in the way.

05/01

• 2 more cardboard boxes I was saving for MiniFool's construction games. There will be plenty more available as I start clearing Doom boxes
• the packaging from a new appliance I received for Christmas (this almost qualifies as a Christmas miracle given my history of preserving appliance packaging, sometimes even after the appliance has crossed the rainbow bridge)
• a part-box of flavoured coffee sachets given away locally
• multiple subscriptions that I cancelled as they were supposed to be on a 14 week renewal, but I fortunately found an email in my Junk folder confirming they'd be sent this week!
• plastic sheeting that I used to wrap my old mattress ready for disposal collection

Outs 35 + 5 = 40
Ins 1 + 0 = 1
Net 40 - 1 = 39

Finally read and recycled the pre-christmas local newsletter tonight.
Total is 4235.

I'm pleased with myself for getting rid of last year's planners, calendars etc at the beginning of the month, so although I'm not counting those as they never joined the hoard I'm happy about it anyway. I don't think I've ever got rid of them so promptly before.

I'm consistently getting rid of any packaging from parcels on the same day too, for ages now, so I think I've cracked that one issue and I'm finally over keeping potentially useful boxes just in case.

fool when you click on the thread it automatically takes you back to your own last post, since that's also your "last read" post. I just scroll up a fraction for my last post to make a mental note of the total, before reading to the bottom and then adding my reply with the new total. Then I'll hit the "back to top" button and read the rest of the last page.

If you're reading but not posting you can bookmark (button along bottom of each post) your last post (and remove it each time when you've read it to get the total) and it'll take you back there whenever you click on the thread, instead of taking you to your "last read" post. I don't know if that would be any less frustrating though if you'd then forget which was your "last read" post. So might be easier just keeping a tally in your diary or something?

(Total 4235)

Fool - I have a note for my totals on my phone. I'm going to look at my Vinted bags today then decide how many kids shoes I want to try and sell. They don't seem to sell and take up a lot of storage space. Today might be a good day to try the charity shop again.

@IncessantNameChanger I sent a bag of stuff that I was planning to sell on vinted straight to the charity shop and it felt sooo good! I agree, bulky things (unless they go quickly) just aren’t worth it!

I keep reminding myself - how much would I pay to have a properly clear house?!

Yes this is true. There are three bags for the charity shop already in my boot. Around two bags for life on top of Ds wardrobe of things currently on Vinted. I don't really want more that those two bags as there's no real other place for them.

I feel like I have so much to do this week but two of the boys are still off school. One goes back on Thursday! I need a tip run, sort ds polo shirts, charity shop run and still need to get the house straight after Christmas. Then it's getting back onto team Tom to crack back into housework.

I also have Ds annual Review next week, upcoming SEN appeal for dd EHCP wording and possibly her secondary placement. Also the dreaded DLA renewal. I think I need to do whatever is easiest and accept things won't get done properly until all the kids are back.

Ds13 ( severe SEN) has just micro waved a pizza for breakfast while I had my back turned with sorting washing. Argh! He can cook. He can use the hob ( has watched dried spaghetti pasta go up in flames as it was overhanging the pan). But doesn't understand the oven. Said he will use chat gbt to cook it next time, but fails to see that he needs to be shown how to turn the oven on ( and very importantly- off!) His disability social worker is coming at midday. It's all good reminders for his DLA form i guess, not that it matters. He has had highest rate care and mobility from the start. I hate that form. Wish you could just say nothing has changed. He is still trying to posion himself while burning the house down 🤣

Another sale on Vinted!

I will have £53 in my account soon from Vinted - so chuffed! I couldn’t advertise all my stuff on there as I wouldn’t get a decent price eg I have a stirling silver calcedony ring which cost me around £40 & I’m hoping to sell it for £25. Similar rings showed up on Vinted for £3!!
DD17 is home & already having a go about money (always seems to be a bone of contention!) - tempted to put her on Vinted 😂

Dc are back at school so I have managed to run all of my outstanding errands out of the house and also some decluttering and organising.

Decorations have been decluttered and organised.... I have managed to lose a bag of them somewhere in the house.... we don't have a huge house so where have they gone?!🤦🏻‍♀️

Another laundry basket worth decluttered:
4x kids books
2x seasonal decor
Unused craft set
3x adults craft set
3x happy meal toys
2x unwanted Xmas presents
Unused party kit
1 dc jacket
4x Unused stocking fillers
1x book I just couldn't get with.

Bin:
Broken rucksack
Broken lunch bag
Hand sanitiser that stings.

So far I have 1 box and 6 rubbish bags for charity collection tomorrow 🥳

4/52 laundry baskets

I’ve had a few more sales on vinted but a £25 item hasn’t been collected. I’m really annoyed as I went out of my way to make sure it was posted asap at new year. I sent it in its original box so now it will come back covered in bloody stickers and look second hand like I’ve bought it off vinted myself 😑

Been to the tip today but need to got back tomorrow. Didn't get to the charity shop either but try that tomorrow as well. If not I'm going to stop being precious about where my stuff goes and arrange Anglo again. Also threw out 33 parking tickets from my car! Won't count them.

There's so much random crap in the back garden to. Mostly from dh building work..like he replaced the security light - I just found the old one in a flower bed! Wtf is that about? Spare lenghts of sewage pipe from when he moved the downstairs loo last year. Just all dumped. Anything thats just left in the garden for weeks from now on goes in the bin. The bin is in the garden! I have told him I'm going to pile it up but he can take it to the tip. It's cover in mud and snails. Got to count that yet. Today's outs.

1 tube germaline OOD Crap phone charger

3 car seat parts
Plastic tat from garden - dh has left in garden
Old engine oil - dh has left in garden
Old anti freeze - dh left in garden
Car seat
Printer
Tom Tom
Mouldy kids backpack
Boot bag
1 odd plumpsole
Engine oil - dh left in garden
Swing
2 x ds shoes
Sat nav holder

Total out 90
Total in = 10

What would you do with a old toddler size crash helmet for a bike? Like carpets, charity shop won't take them. Should I give it away or dump it? It's a fair few years old new but looks fine.

@IncessantNameChanger I’ve offered my own toddler helmet for free on olio, FB and local WhatsApp groups and no takers. I hearby give us both permission to bin them!

Would be useful for an Early Years setting if they have a dressing up corner. We ask the children to wear them for scootering.

Thank you. I think the bin it is then. The problem I find with giving things away is I'm rural. In a Hamlet, at edge of a village outside a town. So it's a proper rural village. No one wants to come out this far.

My new White Stuff bag has been delivered from the sales. I feel zero guilt. It is lovely. A nice proper big leather Tote so hopefully no more urges to buy more bags this year.

Still throwing stuff out tonight!

My new year resolution is to do more housework in the evening as I normally stop after the school run and I shouldn't.

I've loved selling on vinted (just sold a big bundle of kids books, posted today) but you can't expect to make anything close to the original price. I like the idea that my items are going to someone who'll definitely use them, and the money is an added bonus.

Few sale purchases came through- joggers for dc, t-short for dh, 3 pars of pants and a lip balm for me and 3 small storage dividers for the house.

Out went another cat toy, activity book recycled, 2 full notebooks recycled and 11 kids books through Vinted

Year totals:
Out: 20
In: 12

HNY all! I fell off the last thread but have just speed read through this to inspire me. Last year I got rid of 1430 things, not the 2025 I was hoping for but still better than the previous year, so overall I’m happy.

Starting on the kitchen cupboards tomorrow so hopefully can get a few things out. Thanks all for the inspiration so far!

Great work everyone! This is very motivating 😊
I sorted through my office today, which had been the dumping ground for the Christmas stuff before it went in the loft and so was a complete tip. I managed to say goodbye to lots of craft related stuff and it's tidy enough now to work in again. Hurrah!

Charity shop: 3x reels of ribbons, 2x craft kits, bookmark, sweet jar, box of photo mounts,

Bin / recycling: collection of buttons, 3x craft cutters, instruction book

Vinted/sold locally: pile of fabric from my stash

Total: 109

So, got rid of a 110l bin bag today, and one yesterday. The charity shop took my old curtains, sofa cushions, wooden toys but no soft toys. They also said they are accepting clothes again, so will take those I haven't managed to give away. Someone collected 8 bags today and someone else took three yesterday. I feel quite guilty, tbh. Binned some Xmas decs when I took the tree down.
Three boxes ready to move, 2 of Christmas decorations and one of jigsaw puzzles 😂
Having trouble with my vacuum bags, stupid Dyson doesn't have a flat nozzle, has a bit out of it where the attachment clips in so can't get it airtight. Any magic solutions?

Sold a necklace on Vinted - had it on FB Marketplace for weeks now.

Managed a quick tidy up of some more Christmas things, put away Christmas books and a few craft bits etc. 4 small bits for the recycling / bin. Also decluttered the Christmas tree and did more tidying up.

A bunch more in my charity pile, and another pair of boxers in the bin. Will try to sort the charity pile tomorrow or Thursday.

Why are you feeling guilty @DrowningInThings?

Great effort @CheesePlantFeet - craft stuff is hard as there’s always a reason to keep them as they are the definition of “might come in useful”

Looking round the kitchen & may well get rid of some cookery books as we rarely use them. And a couple of water jugs on top of the cabinet. Also wondering if I will ever crush spices in the pestle & mortar that was a wedding present nearly 24 years ago!

@MarmaladeSandwich7 I’m a big fan of cooking and lovely cookery books, but I found it was very good to get rid of some. My shelf looks nicer and honestly just having less stuff!

@Realfastfoodie some of the hand made stuff is so intricate and perfect! But I don't remember who made it, my DC are never going to want them and urgh, it's a waste. I've just thrown hundreds of old photos - landscapes, random buildings I have no clue where they are any more. Etc. literally hundreds. Plus all the negatives. It's a waste. We're never going to look at them. All the postcards we bought from every attraction we went to as DC, along with plastic bags filed with them 🤨
DH has none of this kind of stuff. It makes me wonder why I was brought up to place such an importance on this stuff and keeping it. It's almost ill in a way. I mean I certainly haven't looked at anyone of it in the past 10 years. It was still in the box it moved here in!

@MarmaladeSandwich7 i think I last used my pestle and mortar to gently crush something to make mulled wine. One and only time!