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.

From the laundry -
2 blouses
2 tops
2 hoodies
2 trousers
Total is 4391

Pigtail and India

Go cold turkey on buying stuff for a month or two. Honestly I buy hardly anything right now ( except three identical bags in the Fatface sale in different colours).

It's hard at first. But now I don't miss it. I was sorting dds trainer collection out today and favourited the next size up on Vinted. Then I saw she still has two pairs that fit and one to grow into just sitting on the shoe rack taking up space. I didn't even know she had the next size up and can not for the life of me remember buying them either?

Some how gradually her uniform no longer fits in her designated uniform space. It just creeps back up. But when there is less I can see better what is really needed. One day I'm going to wear through all my socks and have a guilt free spending spree knowing I don't have eleventy billion half worn out ones already.

Finally sorted a few bags I’d shoved stuff in meaning to sort out a good month or so ago, so the landings pretty clear.

Almost tidied the single spare bedroom which has needed doing since before Christmas and got a phone call this evening from my oldest friend who is working this way in a couple of weeks so I could offer her a bed for the night. (Just don’t ask me about the double spare, the Christmas decs are still in there, and until the plumber sorts a long-standing leak in the loft they will have to stay there).

Currently trying to oust all the old medicines but struggling to see the dates on the blister packs so using a magnifying glass that was my Nans. Almost tempted to throw the lot and start again.

Finally threw all the odd good socks, the other ones with holes got binned before Christmas but it’s taken me this long to work out which ones I only have one of. DC1 suggested I wear odd socks, but I can’t bring myself to do that. Sitting in bed tonight I feel a calm has finally arrived in my bedroom. I reorganised some of my things into DH’s drawers last week and thought I’d struggle with it but its been OK.

Outs -

• small empty box
• 2 baby vests
• 1 pair of kids tights
• 1 pair of kids leggings
• medium empty box
• Packaging
• Refillable bottles x 4
• Jumper and leggings set
• Large cardboard box
• Horse boots
• Cushion
• Expired vitamins
• 2 baby sleeping bags
• 2 bibs
• another empty box
• 1 baby dress
• 1 baby cardigan
• 1 adult dress
• 1 adult long sleeved top
• Handful of paper work
• Horse rug
• Kids dressing gown
• 3 dummy boxes
• 2 more empty boxes!
• another cushion
• Horse head collar
• Face cream
• Lip balm

Ins

• usual food shopping but I don’t count that
• Pack of envelopes
• kids top and leggings set
• horse rug
• plants/seeds for garden

Total outs - 3
Total Ins - 4

37 outs! Not 3!

Is anyone trying the equivalent of a “no buy” year? I’m not sure I could manage it, but it would be interesting to see how many weeks I could how without buying anything (food excepted).

Coat with annoying collar and no pockets!
Cheap leggings that just look cheap.
Baby grow that's bobbled and it's matching baby hat
Total is 4395

I sort of did it by accident for about 7 months last year, DH passed away and I just wasn’t up for shopping for fun stuff.

During that time I did a fair bit of sorting of stuff and I made a point of wearing what I already have. Prior to DH passing I would every new year turn the clothes hangers so the open bit faced forward over the rail.

As I wore and washed clothes I put them back the right way. Then a year later I could easily see what I hadn’t worn in the past year and make decisions. During the year I would glance at the hangers that were round the wrong way and see if I fancied wearing something different.

@Hasthisreallyhappened - I’m so sorry. I can only imagine how difficult this year has been.

@Hasthisreallyhappened so sorry, such a tough time for you.

No work for a little while so I should I have time to focus on getting some proper outs beyond the day to day stuff. Well, that's the plan. I must stick to it!

I'm on the no-buy/low-buy year thread to reduce bringing stuff in realfastfoodie. Helps a bit.

One sweatshirt and one pair of lounge trousers that have seen better days have gone today. Total is 4397

Back home now & DD17 has actually asked for my help to clean her room. This is massive for her. It’s horrendous so I will need gloves & very possibly a flamethrower! Definitely more than one day’s work but it will be a start. DH is going to turn the mattress once we have cleared everything off the bed. And he needs to treat the mould that’s formed as DD rarely opens the window.
As for my stuff, I have photographed more items for Vinted & next week I’m going to an antiques/vintage valuation day which I’m really looking forward to although I think there’ll be a lot of waiting around. Realised I have quite a lot to take.

Help! I did a course in 2018 that I am never going to pursue as a career, but can I throw away the coursework? Of course not. Please convince me that I don't need this stuff. I even have plans for the drawer that would be freed up.

Is there a compromise in keeping it electronically? Take some photos if there’s a digital component? I’ve just thrown a bunch of stuff away that I can’t believe I’ve kept so long!

Itchy jumper. Total is 4398

Once again I have fallen behind with decluttering and thread updates. Ky total outs for the year is 27: 12 items out in Jan and 15 in Feb. This did include DD’s old bike (donated to local bike refurbishment charity), a stairgate, DD’s outgrown bike helmet and some small electronic items (old speakers, old camera, old electric toothbrush and charger). DH actually did a run to the tip (voluntarily) so these are out of the house.

It’s interesting to read the comments about counting items in as well as out. I do feel that we don’t bring much into the house - I rarely buy new clothes for me, DH wears his clothes until they wear out, and DD is so picky about clothes that I struggle to find what she needs. I don’t buy ornaments or knick-nacks, don’t buy new kitchen stuff (no storage space), only buy books for DD, and would say we rarely bring stuff into the house. Yet I’m surrounded by stuff that we don’t have space for. Maybe I will start counting items in for March and see if this is actually true.

No car today so I’ll be at home a fair bit & able to get on with clearing out drawers. I did my bedside cabinet the other day but that was to try & find 2 misplaced pendants so I wasn’t really decluttering. Will do them again plus the kitchen cabinet drawers & possibly the cupboards too. I will have to move the free standing medicine cabinet to reach one.

It took me 2 weeks but I have organised all of the craft stuff and clothes that were sorted. They're now all either listed to sell (many already sold), taken to charity or binned if no good. I'm continuing to take one bag to the charity shop each week of things that haven't sold, decluttering is more important than making some money. Busy week away with work this week, so having a week off the decluttering, but when I had to dig out some items this weekend it was much easier as I knew where they all were.

Oh dear. Just run out of energy and time again.

After catching up and posting an update yesterday, I did a quick sort through of a couple of drawers and decluttered one pair of PJs, one hoodie, and one pair of tights - all to fabric recycling as they were worn out/ had holes. I also moved my Christmas jumpers to the top of the wardrobe so all my jumpers and hoodies fit in the drawer now.

I then decided to count up what had come into the house during Jan & Feb as a comparison, and discovered 21 new items had come into the house 🙈

• DH bought himself an iPad (reward for starting his new job) - traded in an old phone towards the cost
• New foldable shopping bag when I went out without one (a nice one with a William Morris pattern)
• Clothes for me: one pair PJs, new bra, five pairs knickers, four pairs tights
• Three books for DD
• Set of four champagne glasses (driven by envy of my sister’s nice champagne glasses, the decision that at my age I should have a variety of drinks glasses, and the fact we’d got three bottles of Prosecco over the Xmas period that we hadn’t drunk).

And the total for March so far is 10 - all for DD (World Book Day book, new soft toy she bought with pocket money, new top as she’s outgrown a lot of hers, and seven items of craft supplies including a glue gun, packs of pipe cleaners, and a sketchbook.

So 31 items in to date that I remember (not counting consumables like toiletries) and 30 items out. That was useful to do, and I’m beginning to see the problem…

Wow , everyone is doing so well. 3 sales on Vinted. So more boxes gone.
I finally went to the small recycling drop off point in village, a couple of old remotes, two sky boxes and a box for life of broken iPhone/usb etc cables.

Just remembered that I bought DD wellies, slippers, and two pairs of joggers for her school residential in January, which brings the total to 35 items in during 2026 to date, and 30 items out so far.

I need to make sure that I stay on the thread as I’m being inspired by everyone else’s successes. My decluttering rate definitely slows down if I’m not posting on here.

DD1 did a clear out of her drawers (unprompted!) and put together a bunch of clothes she no longer wants. I let DD2 have a quick check of them to see if there's anything she wants to keep (at least three items turned out to be hers in any event...) and kept a couple of bits to put on Vinted, but still ended up with about 4-5 items for the charity bag.

New school shoes and socks for DS as his old ones were absolutely battered and the socks worn right through at the heel - really just a one-in-one-out situation but they have all gone straight in the textile recycling bag to go straight out the door so hopefully not hanging around too long.

@EllieQ I know exactly what you mean about not bringing stuff into the house and being baffled as to where it all comes from! I don't consider us to be consumer types, we don't constantly redecorate or replace household stuff, I regularly try to purge everyone's clothes, get books on Kindle or from the library and so on. No idea where it all comes from! As an aside I got some nice glasses as a Christmas present from DP and the kids - I'm the only one who really drinks in our house so I now have a nice new champagne glass, a gin glass, wine glass and cocktail glass just for me!

I was inspired to do a quick sort through the overflowing box of random stuff on top of the microwave yesterday, and threw out a few bits and pieces, including several part-burned birthday candles. I also threw out some out of date packaged food, including some herbs that had a best before date of November 2003! Counting that as two items for yesterday.

One pair trousers too small
One set fake lashes used up
One pair plimsolls too small
One skirt too small
One jumper worn out
One dress wrong colour
Two dresses too small
One pyjamas top too big
One blouse just meh
One pair jeans too small
One stained cardigan
One jacket that's not warm enough
One sticker sheet used up
Total is 4412