Help needed to throw things out

MikeAndHisLovelyPlant

Time for an update, methinks....

nic82

skintchick wrote:

I LOVE decluttering! I have lived in my house for onver seven years and I have NEVER put anything in the loft, and teh garage is only full cos I rent it out for storage!!!

If anyone wants me to come and blitz their house - let me know!! Did it for a mate when she moved and it was so much fun!

You should charge!

nic82

I HATE spiders, so the only reason that I'm neat and tidy (although not entirely clutter-less!) is because I keep everything in filing cabinets and plastic stack and stores with lids. That way, none of the little blighters can find their way in!!

HOLsale

skintchick wrote:

I LOVE decluttering! I have lived in my house for onver seven years and I have NEVER put anything in the loft, and teh garage is only full cos I rent it out for storage!!!

If anyone wants me to come and blitz their house - let me know!! Did it for a mate when she moved and it was so much fun!

that's it, next time we move you're hired :T :rotfl:

Sarahsaver

nic82 wrote:

You should charge!

This is one of the things I do for a living!

Find out the value of your house.
Find out the area of your hoouse in square feet or metres.
Work out the value of a square of whatever measurement you use.
Evert time you clear a square foot or whatever you are giving yourself that much money/increasing the value of your home. I know it's 'virtual' but it is real enough if you ever do need to sell up!

THAT is why you should declutter;)

Bargain_Rzl

Blimey, what an old thread this is!

I'm ashamed to admit it on Old Style but I'm a total clutter monster :eek: almost of Life Laundry proportions :eek:

I've always been like this, but it's been worst in the last four years. I moved from a rented room in a furnished house-share into a whole unfurnished house with two friends. I had a lot of my stuff including some large items of furniture sent down from my mum's, and acquired several other appliances pieces of furniture donated by friends and my father's (now ex) girlfriend. Eight months later the house-share fell through and I moved in "temporarily" into a friend's medium-sized, furnished spare room in a very small 2-bedroom semi, putting all my stuff in storage. Well, so much for temporary - it's now 3 years and 7 months later and I'm still there, and having already done one big "rationalisation exercise" (as my boss would call it) in emptying the storage unit, replacing some of my housemate's grottier furniture with some of my better stuff, donating some large things to charity and getting rid of a considerable number of books and cassettes, I'm still wading in boxes, not to mention taking up half my housemate's loft!

I have promised I will move out this time next year, which will involve one of the following:
1. moving into boyfriend's small 2-bed flat which already contains all his own stuff,
2. moving into another furnished houseshare, or if I'm lucky...
3. getting my own place, which will certainly be no bigger than a 1-bed flat, if not a studio.

So no matter what happens, space will still be at a premium, and I'm determined to move on with as little stuff as humanly possible! My family members already know that for Christmas/birthdays I prefer very small but useful gifts, like jewellery, or things that don't last, like flowers, alcohol or theatre tickets (the odd cheque from my dad for £100 never hurts either ).

I'm quite proud of what I''ve achieved so far - I no longer live in the midst of the European Old Newspapers and Clean Laundry Mountain, and all my shoes are wearable and are neatly boxed up in the wardrobe, but I've got SO much further to go. Having spent all my spare money for nearly ten years feeding my addiction to cheap opera and concert tickets, I have an enormous collection of programmes, which I'm intending to scan into a CD archive and then bin (some may have ebay value but most won't, as I'll want to keep the few which are autographed or otherwise "special"). I'm intending to start ebaying/freecycling some other stuff soon but haven't got round to it yet.

The really galling thing is that if I'd got around to de-cluttering years ago - in fact, if I'd KNOWN about Freecycle when I moved out of my last place - I would not have spent nearly £4000 over a few years on storage and removal fees :eek:

And yet I agree with Sarahsaver and Skintchick about enjoying decluttering. It's just that in my case (a) I find decluttering FOR OTHER PEOPLE a lot more enjoyable than doing it for myself, and (b) I always seem to take one step forward followed by two steps back.

I have now set myself a mantra that every day I must tidy/sort/get rid of more stuff than I bring into the house and/or leave lying around. Thus, by the simple laws of mathematics, I will gradually get rid of all my junk and be left with an organised life and a tidy room.

Won't I?

needmoney

Just wondered how everyone's clutter is coming along. I've still got most of mine although did give some things to a shelter last week and some books to the charity shop. Trying to do at least a bag a week!

Hope someone replies cos I seem to kill threads stone dead:o

[Deleted User]

I had to do loads when we sold our house to downsize last year. Part is easy and part is hurtful but doesn`t hurt so much if given to a charity shop or to folks who appreciate it. We used to have a double garage, loft shed and stables all full of `stuff`. Now have none of those. My house is still homely ie not a showhouse but we learnt our lesson and now take one item out for an item put in.
( says she, trying hard to learn from last year)

gilly41

Hi
OMG I am the complete opposite to most ppl on here. I just cannot stand keeping anything and I am forever throwing things away which I should have kept.
If anyone needs a hand de cluttering I am your lady LOL
I love sorting things out and throwing stuff away
xxx

needmoney

I have some time I could use today to declutter but here I am on here finding out what everyone else does. Shameful aren't I. Need someone to take a firm bossy hand with me. It's not clutter that's all over the house it's in two sheds and here and there.