Decluttering 2012, this year, definitely ...

Sue14

Determined_2b_Debt_Free wrote: »

Right - that's it, the 2011 calendar is going too. I don't know why but this is one of those things I struggle to get rid of, I even have our 2010 one because that's the year DD was born - MADNESS!!!

82/100

I used to keep all my calendars and diaries until I started decluttering, but I've now got rid of most of them, put last year's one in recycling today.

Trying_really_hard wrote: »

Have been off work ill today and yesterday so instead of sitting and feeling sorry for myself I tidied out the drawers of doom - you know the ones, we've all got them - if you don't know where to stick something it goes in "the drawer".

I know exactly what you mean, I sorted our drawer just today and it looks much better now, I also have a cupboard of doom which needs sorting yet again, maybe next week?

short_bird wrote: »

The only stuff not hidden is the Baileys (still in the fridge)which I need to crack on and finish. What a chore, eh?:D

I've got that chore to do too, it's a tough job but someone has to do it, lol!

Yesterday I spent most of the day cleaning my oven (first time it's been cleaned as thoroughly since I bought it second hand 20 years ago), and it looks like new, all sparkly, and who knew the shelves were chrome? Not me, I always thought they were supposed to be black, lol! I used a bottle of oven pride (what great stuff that is!) and one and a half spray bottles of oven cleaner, so empty bottles (15 & 16) and packaging (17) recycled, also binned a manky baking tray (18) which was in the bottom of the oven.

Today I took some more old envelopes in to work (19), then when I got home I tackled 'the drawer' and recycled a calendar & some old keys, binned a dried up marker pen, found another 8 items for CS (20-30), and finally put the number stickers on our wheelie bin (31).

sock-knitter

hi there can i join in please?
i just found this thread tonight, and read a few pages with great interest.
at the end of november last year i moved from a 3 bedroom family house,(after kids had flown the nest) to a 2 bedroom flat, which is much smaller.
i have loads of boxes left to unpack, and little space left to put things, so i'm desperatly decluttering.
today alone i have put at least 20 knitting mags into the recycling bin
have taken 6 milk bottles to the recycling bin, and unpacked and recycled 2 huge packing boxes
loads more to do, and it may take me some time, as ill health often prevents me from doing too much, but i will continue as and when i can

loopychriss

Ditch 100 items in January

Not much decluttering went on here today as we were out this morning, had a nap this afternoon (bad headache), and I have been working on charity stuff this evening, thank you letters, spreadsheets etc.

However this morning we disposed of:

A lot of broken and old gold jewellery that was cashed in
All the glass bottles and jars to the recycling bank
Batteries to Rymans for recycling
Used printer inks to Rymans for recycling.

Today was shopping day so more came in than went out but it was mostly food that will get eaten up. There were probably 70 glass bottles and jars so I think there was still probably more going out than coming in.

I'm staying in tomorrow so will get some more tidying and decluttering done. Got visitors next Saturday (21st) so it has to be done before then!!! (That, or cancel them until later in the year!!!).

Florenceem

I have 27 items on Ebay - 3 sales so far.

18. Another 3 polystyrene trays.
19. Tube of glue - gone hard!
20. Old greetings cards.
21. 2006 diary cover.
22. Stuffed cloth angel. - cs.
23. Celebrations plastic tub.

bluebag

Oh I can identify with the 'don't know where to start' thingy!!

I found the only way that worked for me was to take 5 mins a day to declutter.

Don't try to straighten anything or clean it or re-organise anything, just open the cupboard and grab whatever I decide I can junk and just put it in the charity bag.

I don't ebay anything or 'save it for someone' or any of that stuff, that's for people who are less overwhelmed than me. I just get it out from under me.

I take a charity bag with me and drop it off when I go to the shops.

Forgot to add... I used to set the timer for 10 mins with the kids at bedtime to 'rescue the room' ( thanks to flylady) ready, set, go and fling all the toys in the basket, dishes in the kitchen and rubbish in the bin.

Don't worry about what your not getting done, be very happy with what you are doing .. life is too short. Use all the 'electrical help' you can, dishwasher, tumble dryer etc.

Stop ironing and start folding and hanging, you will be astonished at how little really needs to be ironed if it's been well folded.

With less 'kipple' as I call junk, it takes less time to swizz a wet rag over things.

Cleaning is SOOOOO overated. Chocolate works much better for me.

angchris

i have a 2 and a 1 year old as well, its bloomin hard work just keeping up with their energy throughout the day and keeping them in clean nappies...during their first hour awake alone i can easily have to change 4 nappies...as soon as they are awake in the morning thats it boommm you are out of bed with no time for yourself to shower/clean/do laundry etc untill they have gone to bed.
i try and make life as easy for myself as possible at the mo, make every trip usefull and take other stuff with you.
i use paper plates when i feel i can get away with it (really cuts down my washing up pile!) ready meals are my friend, pretty much all housework gets done when the kiddywinkers have gone to bed to save my sanity. get rid of everything that isnt being used to free up space, deal with mail etc straightaway dont "put it on the side"
break jobs down into 15 minutes of job 15 mins sitting down, or do the advert dash like i do sometimes, its surprising what you can acheive in 3 minutes :rotfl:

BitterAndTwisted

Crikey! You've got your hands full. If it's any consolation (coming from an old hag who's never had kids) I have never known any woman who has had two kids at home all day who has a pristine and perfectly tidy house. it's a crazy magazine-propaganda myth. Most women chuck things round the back of the sofa when people come visiting.

Flylady

Lists

Schedules of quick two-minutes jobs

Never leave a room without something in your hand. Newspaper for the recycling. Cups to the sink. You get the picture

Plastic laundry baskets at the top and bottom of the stairs to chuck things in that belong elsewhere

Never go up or downstairs without a laundry-basket

Never wash the kids's clothes if they're not obviously stained unless they're undies or socks. Just put them away again

Never, ever beat yourself up abut stuff you don't get round to doing.

Give yourself five minutes every day on your own doing nothing but thinking. Preferably while the nippers are having a nap

merlot123

My children were 17 months apart, I know too well how tiring and difficult it is to keep on top of things.

Baby steps all the way.

Don't bother to make the beds, pull the duvet back, to let the bed breath, bed bugs love warm bed, I would never make a bed as soon as I got out of it, and I didn't make a bed whilst the children were young, they liked to play on the beds.

Do you have a dishwasher? A godsend when you have small children.

Put the washing on when children are in bed, and put it on a quick wash and put clothes on airer before going to bed.

As long as the kitchen and bathroom are reasonably clean, I would not be too bothered about the rest of the house.

You cook from scratch everyday, bake bread and cakes, this is too much. Can you double the quantities when you cook so you have something in freezer just to pull out.

Remember, you are not superwoman, you are a mum with young children, you need time out, a bath, go and lie on the bed for an hour after the OH gets in, you must make time for yourself.


Housework when you have children is a bit like shoveling snow whilst it's still snowing.

merlot123

minuettoallegretto

Next update - binned the soap mix I got about a year ago to make, cos it looks disgusting (plus I'll never use it!). Plus (huge drumroll please) I made the executive decision to get rid of all the silicone bakeware that's been coming with my magazine - I love the magazine, but have never got on with that type of bakeware. So it's all going to playgroup today, and they'll use it for baking, or sand play, or water play, or junk-and-sticky. Also frantically collecting useful sizes of box and tube for their junk-and-sticky - they use loads more in the winter, and have nearly run out!
So - 1 for the soap, and 23 for the bakeware - puts me up to 83!:D

spotdogkez

Well not got as much done as I wanted this week. I never realised how much time was taken up picking kids up from school, doing homework and running them around!!

Anyway, I have my list of things that need doing and have been able to cross a few small bits off so there is still progress made. Even managed to persuade oh to sort bottom of his wardrobe and empty a drawer full of clothes he didn't know he had!!

Kitchen and dining room look great and I can really see some progress now. However our bedroom looks awful as it's the dumping ground and will be the last thing to be decluttered and sorted.

Keep up the good work. You are all doing so well.