Decluttering 2012, this year, definitely ...

Becky_2

Birthday cards and flowers are still here and will be dealt with tomorrow.

OH said to me this morning shall we take the dvd shelves to CS and various electrical items to the tip? I have asked him to do this for months since I don't drive so couldn't say no. So 6 dvd shelves dropped off at the CS, I have tried to sell them for months and managed to sell a few but at least they are gone now. The traffic into town where the tip is was awful and in the end we gave up, hopefully OH can drop them off during the week, in the meantime the electrical items are being stored in the car boot. Now when 1 smoothie maker is gone from the worktop (we had 2 since someone gave us their brandnew unwanted smoothie maker), I have now tidied up on the worktop and cleaned it. I threw away some spice jars that were empty as well. I also cleaned the kettle and the toaster. Right now the Kettle is being descaled. The rest of the evening will be spent watching dvd's and chill.

silentsister

I've been MIA but it's good to be back. I've just gone through 5 pages - and you are all doing amazingly well! There's a lot of encouragement as well as decluttering. Thank you.

I continue to deal with stuff but as I get closer to having gone through everything I'm having to play games. I wake up early and figure that's when I have least resistance from my lazy self, so at 4.40 I was making up the spare bed (the linen had been there waiting for about 3 weeks), then about 5.30 I finally moved the ladder to see what was in a top cupboard (so that's where I keep the suitcases), brought it downstairs to put a couple of things on a top shelf then actually put it away. There is a basket of oddments that I've been moving from room to room (on the window sill behind the curtain); it's now down on the kitchen table and actually being dealt with.

I've found the 4th beaker of the set so that's in the cs box with its friends, I finally accepted I would never use up a shampoo I dislike but which was left here by a visitor many years ago (bin), and accepted that a whisk I brought recently, used once and couldn't put it back together again, was a mistake and that is now in the bin. I'm getting rid of roughly a book every day and averaging about 10 items a day. Next week's visitor is another deadline!

mineallmine

223. Travel/mini hair straighteners (CS)
224. Trousers (CS)
225. Packaging (recycling)
226. Brochure (recycling)
227. Bag (CS)
228. More bits of packaging from the kitchen (recycling)

And now chill :A

happytails

not very productive today but a few bits sold on ebay theyll be going on monday.

5 new make up products in (for wedding tomorrow) so 5 will be binned. and got another xmas gift sorted

oh and condensing my 2 photo albums into 1. threw old one away yesterday

3 pairs of knickers binned.

At a wedding all day tomorrow! so no decluttering then!

Sarah x

Gers

Early start here to the decluttering... on a roll now.

More stuff in a bag for CS although now it's small stuff like a really pretty tin and so on - not sure if they can actually sell it but will give it to them anyway.

There will be more Tshirts going to them too. Can not quite believe how I came to have so many and yet only really wear about 10 of them in turn.

All that horrible dust gone :j and the remaining items from the wardrobes stuffed behind the sofa.

I have decided to bring in a rubbish removal company to uplift the bits of the wardrobes as I can't physically carry each piece down the stairs (realised it's two floors to the front door and then another floor down to the back door for the back lane!) without damaging my knee more -and OH is away during the week. So, with that decision made the next move it to dismantle the old bed and leave those pieces next to the wardrobe debris. I'd rather fling thirty quid at the problem then create one for me.

Hope everyone's decluttering Sunday goes well.

Lilyplonk

Good morning everybody :hello: - anybody else got that wild 'n' wicked weather where they are?

My large, almost full, and very heavy, recycling wheelie bin and has been moved by the wind during the night :eek:. I'm pretty certain that it can't get blown over, but am dreading that happening ............. wouldn't want to have to go out and try to pick that lot up. May have to bring those bins into the house for the rest of the day and night. It's collection day tomorrow, so they could go back out first thing!

mineallmine - have you thought about a cheapie 'loose-leaf binder' (Asda/Wilkies about £1) for storing your bills? You could also put some 'dividers' in it, IF you wanted to separate the bills out into Gas / Elec / Water / Phone / Broadband etc. You can also get a mini-stapler for attaching them all together (£1 each along with a 'de-stapler'). You can also get packs of those 'envelope wallet/folders' - again about £1 for 4 or 5.

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/organisation-and-presentation/wilko-ringbinder-a4/invt/0131444/?htxt=%2FUvRjc0xAaKk26JwgsxcsV6E2gjpK53ITJCPcypNRrR6jhjYX3SDlEUFWaOdTpLU0xVcTayKYYOc%0Aw4t9gBa9qg%3D%3D - Loose-leaf binder
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/hole-punches-and-staplers/wilko-stationery-stapler-set/invt/0316948/?htxt=%2FUvRjc0xAaKk26JwgsxcsV6E2gjpK53ITJCPcypNRrR6jhjYX3SDlEUFWaOdTpLU0xVcTayKYYOc%0Aw4t9gBa9qg%3D%3D - Stapler Set
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/organisation-and-presentation/stationery-zone-document-wallets-foolscap-size-x-5/invt/0130606/?htxt=%2FUvRjc0xAaKk26JwgsxcsV6E2gjpK53ITJCPcypNRrR6jhjYX3SDlEUFWaOdTpLU0xVcTayKYYOc%0Aw4t9gBa9qg%3D%3D - Envelope wallets
http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/organisation-and-presentation/wilko-10-subject-dividers/invt/0300213/?htxt=%2FUvRjc0xAaKk26JwgsxcsV6E2gjpK53ITJCPcypNRrR6jhjYX3SDlEUFWaOdTpLU0xVcTayKYYOc%0Aw4t9gBa9qg%3D%3D - Loose-leaf dividers

lol at using up the miniature alcohol - hic!

luxor - wtg to you and your OH - you've both done brilliantly :T

Becky - funny how they suddenly think that 'something' is THEIR :idea: all along

silentsister - love the idea of early morning slinging :j- may be something to try for myself when I can't sleep.

happytails - Hope you enjoy the wedding .

Gers - shame you've had to spend good money to get those wardrobes shifted, but sometimes it's worth the expense. Better to pay somebody fit/able-bodied to do it, than to risk personal injury. These guys know the best ways to move things efficiently - it's what they do all day long! Is any of the wood recyclable or will it just have to be dumped/burned?


Didn't get much in the way of dumping done at all yesterday - just everyday rubbish and bits/pieces out into the right bins. Quick trip to Asda, but not all that many 'bargains with my name on', so had to make do with making sure I just got fresh bread and milk for OH for next week.

I've taken two tubs of Lamb Casserole out of the freezer for today's meal. Will use it up with some cabbage and baby potatoes out of fridge drawer. So that's a bit more of the 'freezer stash' shifted.

Have started to actually dream about emptying plastic storage boxes of their lightweight contents to put into large cardboard boxes that are too big to hold 'heavy stuff' - cos it would make them too heavy to lift/carry ........... then putting small, heavier objects into the empty plastic boxes - I think it's got something to do with beginning to 'go into panic mode' .............. :rotfl:. Some of the large cardboard boxes that I have (courtesy of DS1 from work) will be good for storing bulky, but not too heavy, kitchen gadgets ie Halogen Oven, S/Cooker, P/Cooker, Grill/Griddle, F/Processor, Actifry etc.

Need to get some packing done today - off to Blackpool tomorrow morning at 9.00am. Just hope this weather picks up a bit - there's a day trip to The Lakes scheduled in for mid-week!

I'm going to get washed and dressed before I spend half the day in my pj's like last weekend!

speak later - Lilyplonk xx

lessonlearned

I know it's a bit late but may I join you. I shall be moving house in the New Year and I'm determined not to take a load of old tat with me.

I've been steadily working my way through some stuff this year but I have now decided it's time to be ruthless.

It starts today......

mineallmine

Welcome LL Great to see you here. Never too late to join.

Everyone is very supportive and non judgemental. Entirely up to you to decide how you declutter. Some people attack certain rooms/cupboards/drawers and/or set a declutter challenge. Loopychriss talked about some of her challenges such as getting rid of 100 things in 10 days which I thought is a great idea - as if you're weighing up whether to keep something it can help towards a life of less "stuff". I recently scaled this up to get rid of 300 things in the 30 days of November. The numbers sound high but it's amazing once you start. From paperwork to sheds to garages stuff hides/breeds in our house. In December I may aim for 300 things in 15 days or something like that.

Some people ebay stuff they no longer need or use Freecycle or Freegle or a rag and bone man. Some sell excess clothes to those collection companies with varying degress of success. I donate to local charity shops (CS). Particularly ones that seem to be struggling a bit.

Final warning! Decluttering is addictive :T

luxor4t

Now we're having to put back what is left :doh:

I've been able to move a lovely (Ebay bargain) cabinet from the garage to DS's room so that all the toiletry [STRIKE]mountain[/STRIKE] collection can be housed in one easy to see place.
I still have gallons of bubble bath to use up, despite not buying any for two years :whistle:

DS is helping poor old DH with another run to the furniture charity shop:
437. desk chair
438. unwanted bedside cabinet
439. small storage basket (containing the last of yesterday's gleanings)
440. another book

441. DS's oldest shoes binned.

We've also folded down the cardboard storage boxes we were using during the decluttering..... ready for the attic attack in January, when we must empty the other end of the back eaves and attack the front eaves, which have not been touched for about 8 years :eek:

mineallmine

That's a good plan Gers as sometimes you just need something gone. I find anything that involves several stages can grind to a halt. Good for you for finding a solution to this problem

Thanks Lilyplonk for those links. I think I'll get some envelope wallets and/or bulldog clips. In fact I've probably got some knocking about the house somewhere so can re-use what I've got. I need to sort through all the paperwork, divide it into some broad categories.

229.230. Toiletries targeted and used up.
231.232. Pillowcases (CS). I'm simplifying what pillowcases I buy/ use.
233. Top (CS)
234. Jacket (CS)
235. Skirt (CS)
236.237.238.239. More toiletries targeted and dregs used up.
240. Magazine (recycling)

Need to reach 250 items today to remain on target :A