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.

Can I join in too?
I have been decluttering for ages but have never really focused on a particular area or been ruthless. I have recently had a health scare (thankfukly, turned out ok in the end) and it has spurred me on to grab life with both hands and stop dilly dallying.
I am hoping to conquer the clutter so I have more free time to do what I actually want to 2.
Yesterday I did a surface tidy of the dcs bedrooms and today I am tackling the Xmas decorations that we have not used this year.

I haven’t done any proper decluttering but I have been keeping up with the everyday decluttering so

• clearing post table
• chucked out last years sun cream
• had some weird meal combos to clean out the fridge and freezer
• soft plastics and bottles gone
• using nice items like hand creams, perfume and Jo Malone candles as there’s no point keeping them ‘for best’

im delighted that after writing Xmas cards I only have 5 left so can buy more in the sales. I used to buy them every year so had multiple packets in multiple areas around the house.

I’ve just about finished buying presents and the house is ‘guest ready’ so I’ll spend the evening with Xmas music on sorting through bloody Lego! My food order is the last slot at 10.30 to 11.30 so I can’t have an early night.

My New Year’s resolutions are the same as last year. Lose weight, get fitter and finish the Lego so that the playroom can become a home school clasroom. Luckily I’m doing well on the first two of those.

if I don’t come back before Christmas then wishing everyone a happy Christmas x

Half a box of decorations not needed/wanted. Expect there will be some more in the new year. Some Xmas lights that have stopped working and a Xmas tree I am allergic to (rubber/latex allergy) put on fbook. Have enough Xmas cards for next year and they are 'filed' in the decoration box.

Hoping to do a no/very low spend for 2026 as we have a lot of anticipated major expenses during 26/27.

argh the cupboard under the sink flooded this afternoon so while husband fixed that I went through all the cleaners/crap/stuff that gets dumped under there. Now only a bag for life of cleaning stuff/!spare bin bags/puncture repair kits etc instead of 2.
have got rid of some of the accumulated calpol spoons in the cutlery drawer & an old plate that’s too small for my son to use anymore.

Out - candle in a glass. A small mouldy pot from the days of cream perfume.

Three medical shoes and two orthotic insoles. .

Face cream used up. Book donated. Total is 4214

Spent a while in my bedroom this morning. Checked out the contents of four storage tubs, putting things where they belong for future decluttering decisions.

Spare duvet now in one tub and spare pillows in another and slid both under the bed.

Had a quick look at two drawers., but not ready to make decisions. Too much else to think about and plan.

edited to add that there’s a lot more floor space. And I hoovered.

Well done all. Happy Christmas!

Can I join you too please?

I was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD in November which definitely helps me understand all my clutter, half finished projects and procrastination about getting rid of things

one of the things I have been advised to do, is start small; break down a task into smaller steps. So I’ll start there.

Can I ask, is vinted better for selling clothes than eBay these days?

Hi, can I join too please?

I’m tired of having too much ‘stuff’. I really struggle with procrastination and I jump from one job to another never actually completing anything.

Work is different as I have deadlines and I still procrastinate and have to write a million lists / set self imposed deadlines. My classroom is spotlessly tidy but I have to work very hard to keep on top of it but teaching children with additional needs, they need the calmness of a well organised classroom.

At home I find it much more difficult to keep on top of things. Which is annoying as I need the calmness of a well organised house!

I’m really sentimental and there’s a lot of pressure from some members of the family to keep things so I have a lot of guilt as well with getting rid of things, even if they’re going to charity.

Ive got lots of things from my childhood that I don’t really want but don’t want to get rid of. No children to pass things on to either.

I tend to write lists of jobs that need to be done but having some accountability would definitely help. I’m on the waiting list for an ADHD assessment. But I’ve always wondered if I’m just really crap at being an adult.

And I feel ridiculous writing this when there’s only me and my DH in the house and everyone else is so ridiculously busy with children etc. no idea how you all do it. Hats off to you.

Vinted is much easier, in my opinion. A few tips (most of which I picked up on this thread)

1. All the post is integrated so it’s much easier than other ways to sell - go into your settings and only select types of post which are easy for you
2. Good photos, listing regularly and make sure to list good items on a Friday or Saturday afternoon/evening
3. You can photo a whole batch of stuff, save it in a folder in your phone, and list as you have time (on the bus or whatever).
4. If you have a big load uploaded, it’s worth paying for a wardrobe spotlight occasionally.
5. If things aren’t selling, set a time limit and get rid.

The most important tip was from a wise soul on this thread - do you have time for this? Only do this if you would choose to have an extra badly-paid part- time job!

Welcome. Don’t give yourself a hard time - everyone has different pressures and difficulties. I didn’t have a tidy house before kids.

My number one thing (as an undiagnosed person but 100% could get a diagnosis of ADHD) is to stop the flow of stuff coming in. Buying stuff gives a dopamine hit, and overbuying and stashing stuff is very much a “safety” thing too, so for some of us that is quite a driver. I’m lucky I don’t love to shop in other ways, but I definitely stash kids clothes like they might be about to run out 🤣

The family / childhood stuff thing is hard… I absolutely have stuff I don’t want or need that I’ve still got because I can’t get round to disposing of it respectfully. But a gift isn’t an obligation, it’s now yours and you should do exactly what you want with it. The thing I need to work on is getting my brain to accept that it doesn’t say anything about my relationship with the person if I don’t want to keep the thing!

Another tip I got on this group was the “rule of 20” - slightly arbitrary but if it will cost less than £20 and take less than 20 mins to replace, you don’t need to give it storage space. That might not be quite right for you, but it’s helped me let go of a few things!

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.
I am beyond ready to make a start today, I am going to be tackling some of the kitchen but if you don't hear from me I am buried alive amongst the junk.... 😂

Welcome newbies. @Zireael my daughters have adhd so I’m obsessed with finding ways to help them (although they don’t listen to me anyway) Lots of the best podcasters have adhd or have techniques that are largely adhd friendly. I listen to A Slob comes clean, declutter hub, the art of decluttering and clutter bug and all have had episodes or seasons on ADHD. I don’t think I have adhd but I definitely struggle with procrastination and getting distracted mid boring task and I just set a timer for 5, 10 or 15 minutes and usually find once I’m into a job I want to keep going often much longer than the original timer.

I’m just having a rest. Christmas was largely successful, my tiny neurodivergent family of 4 didn’t leave the house and created lots of mess. They tried to tidy up and did the washing up but I’ve just spent hours collecting the presents, used packaging and wrapping paper, bottles, sweet wrappers and hoovering. My house is clean again but I have a mountain of bin bags that won’t be collected until Monday so I can’t quite relax in tidiness. I’m pleased that we had a fairly minimalist Christmas with fewer, but higher quality gifts and so I don’t think we need to take a single present to the charity shop / food bank on Monday which is amazing!

New Years Resolution- for the third or fourth year is to finish decluttering the Lego in the playroom. I’m confident I’ll do it because it’s the last big area to declutter and I’ve got into quite a good routine with it.

We almost have the house back to normal and a big pile to go to the tip of extra cardboard.

Managed to find 26 things to go, most for the charity but unfortunately some to the bin. I was going to list them but that feels epic at the moment, highlights include a plastic egg holder that managed to make the eggshells go mouldy (bleurgh, discovered that yesterday) some pumpkin carving tools that are too flimsy to be any good and 3x glitter tubes to refill the 2 pots of 'santa landing glitter' for next year so money saved there (and also helping my future self by filling them now rather than in a panic Xmas eve....)

Thank you @stealthninjamum - I totally agree that just starting a job can be the hardest part, and when I set a timer, I am usually quite happy to keep going after it has gone off.

Thanks for the Vinted tips @Hereslookinatyoukid - I have signed up and will list a few bits to decide how easy/worth it it is!

Today I started by rinsing out and recycling a few empty hand soap bottles, as well as putting away the laundry that has sat folded in the basket for about a week. I also empties my sock drawer and found a small pile of random socks, tights and smalls that can go into the textile recycling. I also have an old dressing gown that is past its best.
At least 20 items shifted.

Booked a slot at the recycling centre on Sunday to take heaps of cardboard and a few sacks of clothes that have been bagged up for weeks.

Happy Christmas everyone and welcome new posters x

My house needs a good vacuum and a tidy up. I have washed clothes every day so that's good. Ds is home from uni so I'm not going to do much more decluttering until he has gone home. I really need a tip rum but I will leave that until the kids go back to school as imagine it will be busy.

Next year I'm going to hire a cleaner in early December I think for a deep clean and clean my oven. Thinking of things I wish I had to prepare this year

I’ve sold a short Seasalt mac for £12 (cost £8 in a charity shop) - just need to package it up for posting tomorrow. Someone wants it for NYE.

One coat that's made of some fabric I only know as "vetbed" designed for animals to lay on, scratchy and rough, moults a bit, lumpy finishes because it doesn't sew that well being so bulkyand isn't really designed to be stitched into shapes just cut to size. Pity, because everything else is spot on with the details and all that. If only they hadn't made it from something that's basically one step down from carpet. Total is 4215

Binned - a stress ball leaking gritty sandy stuff.

Thanks for the welcome and the support!

I’ve been busy already and listened to some of Dana K. White’s podcasts. Glad I did because I was going to pull everything out and start from there but I much prefer her idea of doing an area at a time so you’re not overwhelmed with piles and piles of things. So I’ve made a start in the bedroom which is definitely one of the worst rooms.

Have followed her advice and avoided making decisions with lots of things and I love the “If I needed this item, where would I look for it?” That’s definitely helped. She’s a wise lady!

So far:

Chucked a whole bin bag of stuff.

4 boxes of books to be sold on World of books. They’re being picked up next week.

Going to do a clothes and shoe sort at some point.

How do people store shoes and boots? I dont have loads but I’d really like it to be organised. And I really need to be ruthless and get rid of pairs of heels I’ve not worn since about 2015 but keep just in case. How do people not keep things ‘just in case?’ !!

Welcome @Happyhettie. I find trying to do a small area eg. A drawer at a time makes it less overwhelming.
We got back yesterday after a few days with my parents. We left some gifts here which we opened last night. All wrapping and packaging has gone straight into bin/recycling. A lot of gifts are things we will use up or practical which will be used or worn.
Decluttered a bottle of fizz last night-we've acquired 3 recently and as it's Christmas time why not.
Got plans over the next few days but will hope to stick with my one item a day out. DP has time off so I'm hoping he'll sort out his paperwork in the overflowing letter rack.

hello again, just catching up, in some ways I think I’m mostly “done” but in reality I’m not 😳 been looking 2 packs of lenses I knew I had for a week, had to keep looking for spares in all my bags, ordered an extra pack for £36 then found 2 packs 🫠 idiot tax as they say, at least now I’ve got emergency packs of my migraine tablets/lenses/glasses with my passport

Selling DVDs, video games etc.

DH and I went through about 200 and decided to keep approx 20. I have sold through Music Magpie before, but most recently I got stung by their quality control checks so don’t want to use them again.

What other companies have people used?