Decluttering 2012, this year, definitely ...

museumworker

happytails - you've done loads today, looking after 3 children. Hope you get some rest and wishing for a brighter day tomorrow. I hate winter too, I try and get outside as much as I can when the weather allows. I've also got a blue light box which I've finally found the charger for, so planning to use that this winter.

Back in the bathroom for some decluttering. Results:
108-148. Old make up, out of date creams, used razor blades - bin
149-152. 4 perfumes - charity. I know some people collect perfume bottles. I only wear one perfume, and not even that so much as the strong smell can trigger migraines. So kept my favourite and bye bye the rest!
153. Picture frame given to me on my 21st birthday - charity. Friend gave it to me and said I had to put a photo of her in there - thing is, we didn't see each other much so didn't have any photos to put in there. Plus it wasn't really my style. After feeling guilty every time I look it at, at the age of 33 it is going :j!
154. Mascara from make-up bag binned, and one from stores opened.
155-158. More medical ood items for chemist.

For those of you who fancy a bit of inspiration, have been reading through the archives of this blog: http://theyearofless.blogspot.co.uk/
Not sure I could get rid of as much as her (3 knives. Just THREE knives!!! :eek:) but a fresh perspective.

mineallmine

short_bird wrote: »

What's the stuff in front of the wardrobe?

Consider going through the clothes and then looking at storage.

This might help:especially numbers 3 and 6 http://theproject333.com/page/5/

That's an interesting site. I'm ashamed to say in front of the wardrobe is clutter. There's a suitcase that needs to have clean clothes put into it ready for the next trip. And that now has no home in the wardrobe since I found a home in there for bags. Mmm will have to revisit that storage Then there's odd shoes/boots that I've not been able to find a storage solution for. I have a big plastic box but it only fits half of what I have. So it's mainly stuff that I need to go through, chuck, or find a storage home for

Sue14 wrote: »

That's so true, otherwise there's a danger of ending up back where you started, lol!

Hubby is in charge of sorting which to keep but so far no progress to report. I'll need to put the ones aside I think need to go then it's job done.

mineallmine wrote: »

195-198.

Not a great deal done. I'm flagging a bit. Plus the cat insisted on being glued to my side today.
199. OOD cream found lurking behind a chest of drawers
200. Used up body cream
201. Toys (CS)
202. Packaging
203. Paint stamp pattern (CS)

I'm behind schedule. Should be up to 220 today. I may have a quick 5 minute blitz in the undersink cupboard. _pale_

Edit: well the undersink cupboard is awful. Everything will have to come out one day. Had a quick tidy around kitchen and sorted some more bits.
204. Cardboard packaging
205. 206. Two cleaning bottles used up, both with dregs in them and taking up space.

luxor4t

museumworker wrote: »

.....For those of you who fancy a bit of inspiration, have been reading through the archives of this blog: http://theyearofless.blogspot.co.uk/
Not sure I could get rid of as much as her (3 knives. Just THREE knives!!! :eek:) but a fresh perspective.

I have three and a little cleaver type knife (from the Tesco knife offer a while back), but that's not through decluttering, I have problems with grip and these knives suit my hands. DH has an electric carver ... I'm afraid of it

Lilyplonk

Good morning all :wave:

Well done everybody on your efforts yesterday :T

:rotfl: museumworker - yeah I really clogged up 'The Mersey'!
I'd come to a bit of a 'fullstop' with the weightloss, but DID make a real effort this week - back to food diary and more exercise sessions. YeeeeeHa - it worked! Great work on going through meds/vits - that's given me a bit more inspiration. I'm sure mine could do with a clear-out too. No point in moving ood items to a new home! That's a great blog - but what a shame she's having to close it down due to :spam: comments and general nastiness. No way I could manage with just three knives :eek:.

Great ebaying, sweetpea :T - and a really busy day too .

Good luck with the spare room this weekend, luxor - keep cracking the whip at them !

Happytails - you're doing fine. I hate to think what my place looked like after DD was born. Looking after newborns and toddlers is darned hard work - don't do too much - and make sure that you get OH involved with you. Your baby and kiddies are far more important than the decluttering at the moment :j.

Great going, mineallmine - doing well there! Hate to think what's hibernating behind my chests of drawers - but I'm sure I'll find out very shortly ........... .


Business at the charity shop was v-e-r-y s-l-o-w yesterday - but that meant that we had time for a bit of a chat with some of the customers who popped in for a cuppa. Sometimes, we don't have the chance to do that - and many of them do 'drop-in' specially for a chat - more so, some of the older ones. I became a 'floater' yesterday - alternating between the till, the snacks counter and 'rail tidying'. Rail tidying is really a bit toooooooo tempting for me because it means I have to go around by the books!

I DID break my intention while shopping in Asda - yeah, I got the bread, milk and margarine but also put in 4 btls of Spring Water for OH, a bag of Salad, piece of cucumber a new toothbrush, 2 packs of chocolate biscuits for OH (rollback down to £1 a pack) and 2 toiletry sets for dgs1&2 both age 11(£8 each / 2 for £10). Used up a freebie Asda Coffee Loyalty Card while checking my receipt and waiting for rain to stop - which it didn't! DS2 rang to ask what was I doing and to tell me 'WE are on our way and what's for tea?' :eek:. I waited ages for a taxi and got soaked. DS2 was sitting there with the kids when I got in and immediately felt guilty that he didn't think to offer to pick me up :rotfl: - I'll work on that one when I need a favour doing .

Off to a concert tonight; not been to a 'live gig' for years - and this is Runrig who I've never seen live before - can't wait :j.

Mine for yesterday -

73. - 75. Three complete sets of Trivial Pursuit to cs yesterday!

76. My treasured collection of sewing patterns have also gone to charity shop - all 34 of them! Only kept one of them back, as it really belonged to my sister. I've now got two empty drawers in one of those 'plastic stacks' - my embroidery stuff can go into those and I can get rid of the old plastic picnic box that they're currently in.

77. - 83. Bag of items bought in Asda recent Half-price Clothing Sale for dgs 2&3 (age 11&4) went back home with them last night :j. Also a bag of items that they left behind last weekend.

84. As a result of peeping at Yankee Candles on QVC last night, I felt guilty about the three part used votive candles that have been staring at me for nearly a year - they got lit and made the place look nice/cosy for a few hours. Small puddles of wax went in the bin this morning :rotfl:.

Oh well folks - there won't be much done at all today. There's a chance that I may do some fridge diving to see what's in the 'bottom drawers' and make some quick soup with the pressure cooker. Need to be in Manchester by this evening so will be out of here by 1.30. Don't want to risk missing connecting trains/buses!

May check in again before leaving .................... speak later and Happy Decluttering

Lilyplonk xxx

fitnessfreak74

Morning all

Red casserole left on doorstep taken by freecycler yesterday so i can post a Taken on Freecycle and hopefully stop my stalker.

Went into a sorting frenzy when i got home last night. Ruthlessly purged the toiletries and cosmetics and brought in 2 stuffed bags for the girls at work - way too many to mention individually. So have now put the remaining ones in the big Soap and Glory bag and put the hairdryers and associated paraphernalia into a storage box that previously held toiletry overspill.

Another free listing on ebay this weekend, my we are being spoiled! So will list the remnants of my ebay box and relist any that don't sell from last week. After that if anything is unsold it is going in the CS. i would also like to declutter the over the door hanging storage thingy with individual pockets that is on the kitchen door. Lots of miscellaneous carp in there inc. a gazillion buttons. any ideas what I can do with them? they are the spare ones you get with coats etc but I have never had any use for them and seems a shame to bin them.

On freecycle plan to list a tagine which can't go in the oven (pointless purchase) and chargers for Nintendo DS and Kindle. Not sure if anyone would actually take those but you never know.

museumworker

lilytails enjoy the concert!

mineallmine hope your stalker FINALLY gets the message! Sheesh! Its people like that who put me off freecycling!

luxor I like the idea of an electric knife, but would be too scared to use it too! :eek: Although am rubbish at cutting hm bread, have heard that one of those might help.

We have 8 knives, I don't think that is excessive. Cleaver, bread, paring, chefs, um not sure what the others are called but one is bigger and another smaller. OH is a bit of a foodie and uses them all. They are neatly stored on a magnetic knife rack on our splashback so not in the way at all.

Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil I went through the tea bags in my cupboard. Anything OOD went, if I haven't liked it enough to drink by now I never will. Bye bye rooibos green tea! Adios box of Splenda I got free for trial! Worst was the 3 chinese teas (no idea what they were as can't read mandarin!) that OH had that he insisted he wanted during last purge. Found sell by date of 1999. 1999!!!! We had a bit of a chuckle about it then binned them.

159 - 168. OOD teas - bags/leaves in food waste, boxes recycled
169-171. 3 tea tins - charity shop. They are for loose leaf, and we drink that about one a year, so is time for them to go!

My tea cupboard is looking lovely now .

dannie

Hi, thanks for your comment Lilyplonk regarding "clutter in our lives" and "clutter in our homes". The former (i.e. "mental clutter") is really a big obstacle so it would be great to end the year eliminating it, or at least most of it. I find that this type of clutter usually rids the house of some clutter too.

Just a few to add to my 170:-

Composting x 1
Food ingredients/recipes x 3
Condensed/recycled loads of cardboard x 1
Cleared stairs x 1
Toiletry item x 1
Previously avoided "important" errands x 3

=180; all I suppose (for me) money saving.

RevolvingDoor

I have a bag of stuff to go to the PDSA charity shop tomorrow but this thread has given me inspiration and I'm going to look around for more things to add.:j Hopefully I can fill up another bag.

mineallmine

Absolutely cold as anything today. Only 3 things found today (so far). I'm definitely slowing down even though I know there's a way to go.
207. Perfume (used up as air freshner)
208. Foundation sample. Had this for ages. Thought it would be too dark, it was. Used up now.
209. Picture (CS)
210. Broken lamp

Those links above (The year of less and Project 333) have been interesting to read. I liked the one that said about buying differently at xmas, like making stuff, or giving a small potted christmas tree. Makes you think about all this stuff.

Found lots more toiletries during tidying. I opened up the sealed tin, which I kept for about a year. I tried to put £1 in it every time I used up a stashed toiletry item. It had £51 in there.

Keep going everyone with your brilliant decluttering. No matter how much or little you declutter you will feel better for doing it :A

happytails

fitnessfreak74 wrote: »

On freecycle plan to list a tagine which can't go in the oven (pointless purchase) and chargers for Nintendo DS and Kindle. Not sure if anyone would actually take those but you never know.

im after a ds charger actually as i think ours is broken any chance you'd post it out if i cover postage? would be a real help if you havent freecycled it yet!

Sarah x