The Great Declutter Part 3 - 2011

TheDoolallyDilly

Callisto wrote: »

The quickest way to get the desktop pc gone is to remove the hard drive and then get rid of the rest of the pc tower. OH says you then need to take apart and destroy the hard drive, that's the only way to guarantee the data cannot be accessed.

It's probably worth offering the tower and/or monitor on Freecycle, someone may want it for parts even if it's old!

This is what we did.

greenbee wrote: »

The IT security guys at my last job recommended this to destroy data on personal PCs.

Or you could do this!

I am going to have a look in the linen cupboard today, as I think I spied a couple of towels that can go to the vet.

Then I have to start on the paperwork :eek: Wish me luck!

FelinePrincess

Started sorting through the clothes in my old wardrobe (which is a linen cubpoard with a bar put in it and was made redundant when I got a proper wardrobe a few months ago), most are going on ebay but found a few things that I will wear aswel. Didn't finish as there was quite alot in there and at 1.30 at night I couldn't be bothered! Took some photos of the clothes which I no longer want last night to list on ebay today, also inputting 26 cds to music magpie so just need to print of the label tomorrow and they will be ready to send and I will be £8-something richer - not alot for 26 cds but there is alot of rubbish in there and doubt most of them would sell on ebay so this seemed like the quicker, easier, option. Also put about 20 CDs they wouldn't accept in a bag for charity shop. Also got rid of a perfume gift set box and mobile phone box so now I have a bit more room on my shelves in the bedroom so should be able to fit all my perfumes on there now.

Will try and finish, or at least do a bit more on the wardrobe today and hopefully get some other bits done too.

Sue14

Animagdon wrote: »

The spare room has so much junk in it that it currently resembles a 3D tetris puzzle that only a member of Mensa can unscramble so I'm sure we can make better use out of the stuff in there!!

Mine's exactly the same at the moment, it was bad before Christmas but I had to clear it as my DS and his GF were staying for a couple of nights, now it looks like a bomb has hit it again! Must get it cleared on my day off this week!

CathWales wrote: »

Hi, newbie to the thread!

I have realised I need to de-clutter and get rid of the things I have not used for years, but find it hard as a hoarder to let go of!

I live in a very small one tiny bedroom flat and every time my mum visits she nags me to get rid of my desktop pc and desk as I use my laptop now and desktop pc stopped working the day I got the laptop lol! But I don't want it taken down the recycling tip, firstly as I am worried any cookies on there may reveal personal details (My computer whizz nephew transferred all my stuff from pc to laptop, but we never put a disk in to wipe the system) and secondly I think its a waste to throw it away when it may be of use to someone, but it is 10 years old and the specs are old on it.

Hi and welcome to the thread! I'm the same with keeping things for years without using them, and finding it hard to let go of them because I'm a hoarder (or was, lol!). I've even been known to keep things simply BECAUSE I've had them for years, lol! For instance I have a clothes airer, which has seen better days, but because I bought it to dry my DS's baby clothes and nappies on, I feel too sentimental about it to get rid of it, and my DS is 29, lol! I've even found bits of paper which I've kept because I've had them so long, how sad is that, lol, but no more!

I also have an old computer which I need to get rid of, but I need to sort the hard drive first, I was hoping to wipe it and leave it in, but I think I will just take it out later in the week and offer the rest on Freecycle for parts. It's in the shed at the moment, with the monitor, printer and scanner, so at least it's out of the way, but it does need to go asap.

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

Hi everyone, please count me in on this. I *thought* I'd had a big declutter at the end of 2009, but last year moved out of family home to live with boyfriend, took LOADS of stuff with me, and there was that much stuff left that my bedroom at home still looked as though it was inhabited!! We then split and I'm now back at home and tripping over the mega amounts of *stuff* everywhere - it's grim.

Hi and welcome to the thread. You sound like my DS, lol! He moved out in July 09 to live with his GF, and although he took loads of stuff with him, his bedroom is still jam packed with stuff, and their flat is so cluttered that there's no way he can take the rest of his stuff yet, so we're stuck with it! They got engaged on New Year's eve, and I hope it works out for them, because we don't have the room to take him back, lol!

Slinky

I'm on a mission

Today
11. Shredded misc receipts, emptied shredder and oiled it.
12. Belt - charity shop
13. Local map 1995, well out of date, recycled
14. Recycled empty hand cream bottle
15. Merged 3 part boxes of laminator pouches (how have I ended up with 3?) into one and recycled packaging for the other 2
16. Recycled 2 holiday brochures
17. Recycled a diary from 2008
18. Recycled 2 bus timetables - out of date and we don't use the bus, I don't know why I had them.
19. Returned National Trust handbook to the car
20. Recycled bag of junk found in the car
21. Put 3 empty printer cartridges in an envelope to post off for recycling.

Tidied a load of carp off my office windowsill, still some junk there but less of it. Desk is a tip but you can't build Rome in a day.

I keep saying it didn't get like this in a day, it'll take more than a day to sort it out.

phizzimum

hi all! haven't had time to catch up with thread but lots of posting so it looks like you're all doing great!

feel like I'm slowing down with my decluttering, and have a busy week ahead so hope I'll make it to the magic 100. have listed a few things on ebay/amazon this afternoon but they wont go till later. TBH I can't remember when my 10 days finish! mineallmine - I started with you, which day was that? think maybe it was this time last week, oh dear, I seem to have decluttered a few brain cells along the way:D

updating my total:
72, 73 empty chutney jars returned to friend
74 -76 catalogues recycled - managed to resist the temptation to order from the book people, however the lure of Lakeland was too strong! so bit more clutter will be coming into the house next week! the shame!:p

Slinky

Just been upstairs to find husband has been having a bit of a go too
22. Several old t-shirts for car cleaning ragbag
23. More clothes for charity shop
24. More clothes for fabrics recycling.
25. Filed away some magazines I have to keep.

I need to find that posting about bras, I've got several that don't seem to fit anymore so it would be great to donate them to a useful cause instead of keep getting annoyed that the ill-fitting ones are still mixed in with my others.

clairehi

BatOutOfhell wrote: »

I have two boys with a MASSIVE amount of Lego and have found the only way to sort it that works for any length of time is to sort it by colour. We use the plastic towers of 4 or 6 drawers from Argos and bung one colour of brick into each drawer. The set of drawers comes with 4 free plastic tubs so we use them for the colours we have fewer bricks of e.g. green.

What I've found is that the bricks from each range tend to be in the same colours e.g. Star Wars has a lot of beige bricks, Lego City lots of yellow and red and the kids can spot the brick they want surprisingly easily.

If you sort the bricks by colour it's much easier for them to "help" put it away aswell..... HTH

Thanks again for this advice, DS1 and 2 agreed that colour coding the lego was a great idea. we made a start today but it is going to take a while to finish the job!

myself, DS1 and DS2 were sorting lego into separate colours for 90 minutes, then decided we had had enough for today. we still have a large plastic box full to the brim of other pieces to sort but that will have to wait for next weekend I think.

it should make it so much easier for them if they ever do decide to rebuild something according to the instructions - I have a separate box full of these.

nattyt

Hi well i think i'm up to nearly 30 things but lost count lol! And i've forgotten what day i startred so need to check if i'm on track! Have decided i need to be more methodical about it so am going to be going room to room instead of bits here and there! starting tomorrow with the kitchen, possibly one of the kids rooms or the loft! I HAVE to sort my loft out as having a ladder fitted and they might be coming on Friday:eek:! At least it means i will do it....hmm thinking about it maybe i should just start with the loft. Get it out of the way! I reckon half of it is empty boxes anyway so hopefully its not too bad! :rotfl:

Hope you are all getting on well. x

bella121984

Another productive day! Sorted out the big pile on paperwork and general rubbish threw away probably 90% of it (why dont I just throw it when it comes in?!) and found the printer again :-) Also sorted out more stuff in our bedroom, and although we havnt got rid of much, its looking a lot better and we have about another 4 shelves free...I think the aim is to swap the shelving unit in our room with the one in the lounge which is smaller and currently has the kids toys on, as there is just not enough room on there to house everything anymore! Im hoping that might get done next weekend...! This evening I need to keep ontop of what I have already done...put all the washing away etc, I always think that is the hardest part!

debbiedeejay

(including a pile of magazines from 1991, lol, I decided I've not read them yet, so I'd better admit that I'm never going to, so they've now gone to recycling)

Sue14 - those magazines will be 20 years old and depending on what they are you might what to drag them out of recycling as they might go down well for unusual 21st birthday presents -seriously people do buy them look on ebay.

Oh and another thing if anyone out there has good copies,no pages torn or missing, of any old catalogues from the 6o's through to the 90's (ie the old Em*ire,Grat**n,K*ys etc) don't recycle put them on ebay - they go for a fortune as they are important sources for research for theatres,TVs,fashion,costumes and its those sorts of things that we throw away that researchers want.