The Great Declutter Part 3 - 2011

Yorkielass

My OH has a special film scanner for negatives and slides, I think my dad does too, so if you don't have a scanner yourself/haven't got the software might be worth seeing if someone you know has equipment you could borrow/would scan them for you if it isn't too many.

bertiebots

Hi folks..I am just about to pop off to work but want to join please to give me a bit of motivation ...split up with my oh of 17yrs last summer and have a whole house to sort!:eek:.
I have just saved like a crazy person to get my kitchen sorted after being left with no running hot water or working cooker and its fab:j...but the after affects are 5 boxes of junk in my bedroom to sort (at least:o).
On top of that I have the whole place to decorate and generaly do up. Daunting?...just a bit:rotfl:I have all 3 bedrooms to declutter , a large airing cupboard and my garage and garden shed. I want to get myself organised but find I dont know where to start and end up just thinking eeeek I dont know where to start so I will go on mse instead:p!
This weekend will be spent decorating the kitchen!
Hopefully the kids are going to help in the big bean clean up!!


Will be back soon to do a bit of reading;)

Kaz2904

Morning (again) guys. So, I have a confession to make....... I had a really pooy shift last night and when I was driving home, I could think of nothing but crawling into my pit.
When I drove up my road, all the bins, recycling bins AND green bags were out. Except for mine . So I dragged my bin out onto the road and realised there was very little in it :eek:. I shot inside and grabbed the recycling bins which I couldn't find at first in the cupboard under the stairs. That's because DH had helpfully put them out in the MIDDLE of the kitchen floor so that he/ I could see them this morning :j. Then I grabbed the food bins and emptied the little one into the big one and shoved it out.
DD was busying herself making her breakfast (cremated pain au chocolat :eek:). I could hear DS upstairs coughing and decided that as I'd been home 15mins and he hadn't stirred AND I was already 10 mins late, he wasn't going to school- (It's ok, he is the early riser in the house and went to bed without even having one mouthful of tea). DD then said that he wasn't coughing, he was on the porcelain phone to God :eek:.
I decided to rush round and grab what I could to go in the bins so carried on with that. DH always does the school runs when I've done a night and as DS was icky he wouldn't have argued anyway. I looked at the roll of carpet in the back garden and thought it's too big to go in the bin. Then I thought
"How do you eat an elephant?"
"One bite at a time"
So I cut an 18 inch strip off the roll. Did it in squares and popped it into the bin (cheeky beggars have actually left 3 squares but taken 2 which must have been disguised :cool:).
I then grabbed my green bag and brought it out front. Grabbed some weeds and dead things from the pots out front and saw my primulas are looking a bit dead. So I replanted them in their pot. I'll see if they grow back, they've good strong roots.
Then I started on the cupboard. I tried to put it off but events conspired against me so I've done it. Hoiked it all out and sorted it. I've put my oven shelves into clean (2 boxes gone), topped up all of the broken light bulbs (I thought we didn't have any as DH said we didn't, erm nope, his eyes just don't work!), cleaned the little sofa (DS asleepish on big one).
Stopped for a phone call. Insurance co as car insurance runs out on Sunday. Oh good, I'll renew with their better quote over the phone and it's saved me a phone call.
Then another phone call. DD's school. She's sick :eek:. Poor woman, I don't think she thought I was going to come in as I was like, ermmmmmm! She said "Would you be able to come and get her?" So I had to apologise and say that I was trying to figure out how to do it as I had a yacky one here already and you can't park in the school grounds. She assured me the gates were open and said she'd have DD at the office. So off I went with 1 child in PJ's and a blanket and 2 buckets :rotfl:. Oh and a nice clean car 'cause I polished that and filled up the screen wash earlier (forgot to mention that!).
So we all got back with stomach contents in situ (phew- I hate vomit ). Got DD in her pj's and carried on.
I've just finished. My ebay pile has expanded somewhat and my back aches a little (lot). I'm haggard and can't go to bed. But the cupboards done and I don't have to leave the house again today. So now I'm going to go and get MY pj's on too :D:D:D:D:D and we're all going to flop on the sofas.

Here are the pictures http://s921.photobucket.com/albums/ad59/kaz2904/1%20grotty%20cupboard/

Do you think I've earned time off for good behaviour? I've got rid of at least a carfulls worth of rubbish today with more pending .
Good luck with those under stairs cupboards chaps!

Yorkielass

Great to have so many people joining in this thread - welcome.

My two tips are to keep track of things coming in as well as out. No point selling lots of things on ebay if you're buying the same number!

Secondly if you are selling on ebay etc and don't have another use for the money e.g. debts to pay off, put the money in a savings account and then use it to buy something to improve your home, we did this with our bed side tables several years ago now and I'm currently saving all the money I've made since starting the latest decluttering/house moving mission in September so that if we do ever mover we have some money to help buy any new storage we might need for our new house.

There are lots of tips on this thread of how to declutter certain things and if you're not sure do post and I'm sure someone else will have a solution!

Good luck everyone.

Yorkielass

Brilliant post Kaz, I'm worn out just reading! Hope the children are feeling better soon.

juliebunny

Brilliant post Kaz, made me laugh about the elephant, and then made me feel exhausted seeing how much you can fit into 24 hours!

Well done on the dreaded cupboard under the sink - cat is cute too!!
:beer:

Gill-Glasgow

I have been a lurker since this thread has started and have enjoyed reading everyone's progress and all the tips that have been posted.

I feel so much better since I started decluttering and the rooms feel lighter and brighter. I got rid of lots and lots and was actually quite ruthless. I did a car boot sale and gave lots to charity shop. I sorted out my cupboards (I have 2 big ones and 1 really big one in my hall) and that was a real eye opener as those cupboards used to groan with the amount of stuff in them. It is now easier to see what I have got and like probably everyone else, finding things that I had forgotten about etc. I didn't do the 100 things in 10 days, and didn't post to say I had started, or such but this thread has been such a great inspiration for me to get my house clutter free.

However, I now seem to have lost my determination/motivation for decluttering my bedroom. This does have an awful lot of stuff and although not untidy as everything is somewhere I just seem to have too much, lots of boxes or tubs and things on top of wardrobes or at bottom of wardrobes, or in drawers. I have lots of perfumes, lots still unopened, and the same with make up and toiletries and lots of jewellery not expensive but necklaces and bracelets/bangles that are in 3 big square tubs that I had bought from one of the pound shops. I have loads of clothes and shoes and handbags and scarves and belts but like that wear the same things most of the time.

I suppose I am just stuck on how to tackle it and where to put things whilst I am sorting things, any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

whitewing

Gill,

Could you go thro the unopened stuff and pull out anything that is good enough to

Keep; regift; sell (I hardly ever sell stuff as I find it a hassle); charity shop.

Allocating a 'presents' cupboard is quite good. We have stuff that is 'nearly new' which gets added to MILs presents so she gets a nice cluster - she knows which are proper presents and which are just extras that she may like, isn't offended and is usually thrilled. It adds to the fun for the children who get excited over quantities of wrapped parcels!

Gill-Glasgow

Thanks Whitewing

I have a presents shelf in one of the hall cupboards but it used to be 3 shelves but decluttered that too and was really good at the Boots 75% off sale this year as tbh I still had some things from last year so didn't buy that much.

That is a great idea about the nearly new things. I don't have a MIL but will give the nearly new things to my sister and my mum as extras, and don't think they would be bothered in the slightest as they know I am a serial hoarder whereas they aren't :rotfl:

juliebunny

:Dhi Gill - welcome (from another newbie) and well done on your progress so far!

My bedroom is the one place I do actually keep sort of tidy although I had to confess to having LOOOOADS of storage - built in wardrobes and drawers that hold TONS, a lovely bed with 4 huge drawers full of storage, and last year I bought lovely matching and very plain storage boxes from Ikea for on top of the wardrobes.

I was inspired by a 5* hotel I once stayed at (paid for by work ) - it just felt so relaxing not to be looking at all the clutter, that I got home, copied their decoration scheme and sorted out my bedroom - it's now my sanctuary from the rest of the house - which is a nightmare.

I would come and sort out your bedroom if you would do my cupboard under the stairs!! It's a hefty challenge for me this weekend. I'm scared...:(