The Great Declutter Part 3 - 2011

Buffythedebtslayer

morganlefay wrote: »

Thanks dragon - wish I'd done that some months ago - now running out of time. The estate agent came round today to measure but still too messy to photograph. He behaved like a headmaster and said I'd 'done well' but needed to 'press on and get it all done' (like I'd been sitting on my bvm all summer eating chocs...)and I nearly hit him but heard my voice getting wobbly so just sat still and let OH talk to him.
I think I might have to resort to getting all the suitcases out of the loft and filling them with stuff which I can put in the garage and then in the boot of my car when garage is full. Or something.:(

You aren't alone, mum has been away and I had such big plans to clear out my old work papers, moved them all in to the conservatory in boxes so I could go through them all one box a day. Never happened and when she was due back I shoved them all back into the shed (which looks worse then ever!). I am so !!!!ed off at myself for it, cannot believe I have wasted the time.

I think the thing to do is remember, yes you feel bad about it(And the bloody estate agent can bog off too) remember how you feel but don't stay there you can beat it and you WILL sort it.

If you want a decluttering buddy, pm me

xxxxx

Yorkielass

morganlefay wrote: »

Thanks dragon - wish I'd done that some months ago - now running out of time. The estate agent came round today to measure but still too messy to photograph. He behaved like a headmaster and said I'd 'done well' but needed to 'press on and get it all done' (like I'd been sitting on my bvm all summer eating chocs...)and I nearly hit him but heard my voice getting wobbly so just sat still and let OH talk to him.
I think I might have to resort to getting all the suitcases out of the loft and filling them with stuff which I can put in the garage and then in the boot of my car when garage is full. Or something.:(

Our house is up for sale atm and we asked the agent what rooms he wanted to photograph and shoved stuff in those he didn't (ensuite, downstairs loo and garage mainly) then went through the stuff we'd shoved to find better homes etc pre viewings.

Do you work? One thing I've done in the past is bring a pile of stuff to work with me each day and sorted through it - works with paperwork really well. If you drive to work and can get to the car at lunchtime can you put stuff in the boot, have a sort then drop by recycling banks/a charity shop on the way home.

Sometimes it's about being creative with using time for the best - what sort of 'mess' is there?

electric_comperella

Yorkielass - think the taking things to work in a box thing and sifting at lunchtime is a great idea if you work away from home - super tip!

Well the bin-liner day goes on....got half full and then tiredness hit so ended up having a little nap that wasn't so little...so back to it a bit before bed...

When the house feels overwhelming I set myself a minimum goal for the day (non-negotiable) which is

General Rubbish goes out every day
Mail is immediately sorted and filed/binned
Washing machine goes on every day so as not to end up with a backlog
Washed Laundry is racked or put out every day to dry so that it doesn't get mildew or need washing again
Dishes are never (rarely) left overnight

If I keep to the above....then a spare 15 minutes here or there or during adverts on tv I bring a carrier bag of random carp and sort through it....using the 3 box/pile on the floor method....Bin - Keep - Sell

Then the bin bag goes straight in the bin at the end of the night

The keep stuff gets stored in an area that has been emptied (so I don't end up sorting through it again to see what's there)

The sell stuff gets put in the empty pantry neatly - ready for me to go armed with a box to pick out 10 items at random to list on ebay - then if said 10+ items (depending on how many I get online) don't sell within a month it's bin or donate to charity

Hope this helps someone xxx

Yorkielass

That's great electric_comperella.

We're off on holiday after work today, first time in 18 months we've had a whole week away so really looking forward to it but was stressful last night/this morning trying to do the packing and the making sure that the house is presentable for viewings too in case anyone wants to look round whilst we're away. Actually it's becoming easier to keep the house presentable which means the decluttering/storage solutions we have must be working, just wish we had a family member nearby with the garage/spare room which we could put a few boxes in to empty a couple of rooms a bit - might investigate self store again when we get back.

Happy decluttering everyone - I'll try not to buy too much stuff whilst I'm away.

The_Dragon

Another couple of books sold on Amazon and Dr Dragon has gone through more of his stuff and we are gradually getting there! At this rate another 6 months (weekends only) and we could be straight

debbiedeejay

Next is to decide what to do about the chest freezer....Thinking I might sort shed out next and move it across there but I think really I should just get rid of it..hmmm might have to sleep on it before I decide.:o

luxor4t wrote: »

:rotfl:


(sorry, having a silly afternoon)

Believe me I nearly had to sleep on it:rotfl:, as I had dumped all the ironing on my bed and had to sort through it all, ironed most of it,rest just given to it's owner to sort through themselves -it was nearly midnight by time I finished !:eek:

still not decided what to do about chest freezer though - it's not in harms way at the moment I suppose -it's just a white elephant(or a spare bed depending how you look at it!:))

Buffythedebtslayer

Some one inspire me!

I am halfway through a furniture move round.

Can't be arsed to carry on. Tell how much better I will feel when its done!

xxx

System

Buffythedebtslayer wrote: »

Some one inspire me!

I am halfway through a furniture move round.

Can't be arsed to carry on. Tell how much better I will feel when its done!

xxx

What a shame there was no one around to get you motivated. Hope you managed to keep going.

I've been managing to keep things relatively tidy (although the house is currently a tip due to going to a Halloween party last night and not making costume til last minute and then coming home late!) but I really haven't got far with the decluttering. Will need to get a wriggle on again so I have somewhere to start storing Christmas presents and all the extra food that I'm going to start stockpiling. Think I'll need to see if OH can contribute by putting up a few well placed shelves!

Hope everyone is still getting on ok :wave:

Jo_anne_2

A few more bits done here. 2 outgrown wetsuits sold on ebay. 2 more stacks of magazines freecycled.

Now I'm bagging up old/outgrown clothes for the charity shop. And I can see the back of the cupboard! Result!

cat04

A lovely lady from facebook came and collected 12 kids books and a jigsaw they no longer wanted. A few less things in the house and pennies in the kids purses so happy all round lol. Plenty more to do but can't complain