Decluttering 2012, this year, definitely ...

Hermia

calleyw wrote: »

One quick question how long do you keep cardboard boxes from purchases? I have a microwave I bought approx 4-5 months ago. And I still have the box?

I was burgled before Christmas and was told I would need to show the boxes for any expensive items or items that had been bought in the last couple of years. Even though I had the receipts! The loss adjustor said so many people borrow friend's receipts etc that they really need additional proof of ownership. I definitely felt the claim went through quicker because I had all this stuff. So, I do keep boxes for anything that I might want to claim for in a burglary. I either open them out flat or store them inside each other.

Oscar_the_Pug

Hi Cat04, do you mind me asking what you listed in your carboot listing? It might be ideal for us to give a try...

VJsmum

41. blouse to charity
42. 4 books to charity
43. 2 CD's to charity that Music Magpie didn't want
44. 2 PC CD roms to charity.

Also took the charity bag to the charity shop so everything out of house and I can start on the next lot.

Callisto

SueMaggie wrote: »

I'm worn out after an afternoon's decluttering - not from the actual decluttering, but from the having to run every single item no matter how small (and even if it's mine) past my OH and having a "discussion" about how it might come in useful, it has sentimental value etc.

SueMaggie - Why do you need to discuss getting rid of your own things with your OH? I had a massive argument some time ago with OH about recycling a box for a pc game that belonged to me. I was so angry that he thought he could control my belongings. Now I just wait until he is out or engrossed in something before taking items for recycling or to the charity shop, so he doesn't get the chance to interfere. I would never get rid of his things or jointly owned items without checking, but if I want to get rid of my stuff, then I will!

I have sold three items on Ebay, out of forty listed. Not great, but a start at least! These will be posted tomorrow. Only other thing that has been decluttered is a piece of sister's wedding cake and the box it came in. I was tempted to keep the box, but I already have my name tag from the table, and I will be getting a photo of sister and BIL, so I don't need to keep a tiny cardboard box!

I am also going to take another poster's advice (sorry can't remember who, the thread is moving too fast!), and start using reading as a decluttering tool, as the books aren't going to read themselves. I can then start emptying the bookcase by giving the ones I won't read again to a charity shop. Aiming for at least a chapter an evening, more if I have time!

VJsmum

Callisto wrote: »

I am also going to take another poster's advice (sorry can't remember who, the thread is moving too fast!), and start using reading as a decluttering tool, as the books aren't going to read themselves. I can then start emptying the bookcase by giving the ones I won't read again to a charity shop. Aiming for at least a chapter an evening, more if I have time!

I am currently doing that with the pile of magazines I have. I travel by train a few times a week so am going to take them with me - the more I read the less I carry!

Penelope_Penguin

Hello everyone :beer: Had a very busy week in my new job last week, so haven't been able to update this list until now.

Please let me know if I've missed anyone

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Ditch 100 in January Challenge That's about 3 things a day

1. bag of video tapes to recylcing
2. turkey carcase (from the freezer ) made into stock and the bones to recycling bin
3. cardboard to recylcling
4. paper to recylcing
5. pile of magazines to DD
6. wool to DD
7-8. pairs of socks to recycling
9. address book updated and slips/cards recycled
10. slippers to recycling
11. bottles to recycling
12. tree outside to be chopped for firewood
13.

Excellent - 36 Challengers ......... so far note to self - post 460

Mumof2 71/100

Pudsey DB 9/100

Yorkielass 4/100

Butterscotch 2/100

celyn90 23/100

hollysmum22 8/100

PenPen 12/100

Byatt

Possession 13/100

VJsmum 15/100

Gigglepig

Aarons mummy 10/100

Jayne C 12/100

methekidtandthecat 31/100

minuettoalegretto 19/100

saving Jane 12/100

Hermia 10/100

mavisangelica 9/100

nattyt 34/100

aligerdie 24/100

black cat 16/100

Kinmsmum 25/100

Alison Funnell

ziggy 2407 8/100

Looby_Lou

hattifattener 3/100

sue14 7/100

Paddy Paws 11/100

sootypea

tooties 20/100

365days 17/100

luxor4t 4/100

katep23 9/100

oldestgnome 6/100

Barttleon 8/100

jess 1011 43/100

catslovelycats 8/100

Determined 2b Debt Free 13/100

Remember, it's a challenge not a competition :beer:

So that I can keep up with all the challengers, if you're in, and wish me to update your total in my list, please can you have Ditch 100 in January Challenge followed by your total 12/100 in your post You amy format how you like, but please in colour and at least size 4 TY



You're in and doing well, so can't back out now



Never too late

cat04

rachbc wrote: »

If you are my husband yo keep them forever - beyond even owning the item in some cases. However I throw them away as soon as I have taken the item out of the box.

Why do yo uhave the box? Hubby keeps boxes for apple stuff that he knows he will resell when he updates and it sells for more with the box - this I understand. Keeping a box 'just in case' doesn't seem like a vulable use of space though

Lol, my ex was the same. I wasn't 'allowed' back into my own home after we split up to get my things until he sold the house and then I spent Valentine's weekend helping him to empty the loft and get my things from there back Anyway, he has a small people carrier type car and filled the boot (with back seats down) TWICE with empty cardboard boxes (would have taken him too long to flatten them apparently) to take to the tip/recyling centre. A lot of these boxes were for things he no longer had. He did have a bit of a problem with holding on to anything and everything until it literally fell apart in your hands. We took no end of treasures, err, I mean junk to the tip that weekend.

That loft is where a lot of our original car boot stuff came from

Penelope_Penguin

Ditch 100 in January Challenge That's about 3 things a day

1. bag of video tapes to recylcing
2. turkey carcase (from the freezer ) made into stock and the bones to recycling bin
3. cardboard to recylcling
4. paper to recylcing
5. pile of magazines to DD
6. wool to DD
7-8. pairs of socks to recycling
9. address book updated and slips/cards recycled
10. slippers to recycling
11. bottles to recycling
12. tree outside to be chopped for firewood
13. shampoo bottle to recycling
14. Christmas cards to recycling
15. jiffy bags to recycling
16.

Excellent - 43 Challengers ......... so far note to self - post ...........

Mumof2

Pudsey DB 18/100

Yorkielass 4/100

Butterscotch 2/100

celyn90 62/100

hollysmum22 8/100

PenPen 14/100

Byatt 45/100

Possession 34/100

VJsmum 40/100

Gigglepig

Aarons mummy 58/100

Jayne C 12/100

methekidtandthecat 45/100

minuettoalegretto 83/100

saving Jane 12/100

Hermia 50/100

mavisangelica 52/100

nattyt 34/100

aligerdie 24/100

black cat 43/100

Kinmsmum 25/100

Alison Funnell

ziggy 2407 23/100

Looby_Lou

hattifattener 26/100

sue14 7/100

Paddy Paws 11/100

sootypea

tooties 20/100

365days 38/100

luxor4t 95/100

katep23 9/100

oldestgnome 41/100

Barttleon 8/100

jess 1011 95/100

catslovelycats 51/100

Determined 2b Debt Free 76/100

CompletelyLost 62/100

Sylvia 1982

short_bird 77/100

Florenceem

Clutterfree 37/100

basketcase 9/100

loopychris 28/100

Remember, it's a challenge not a competition :beer:

So that I can keep up with all the challengers, if you're in, and wish me to update your total in my list, please can you have Ditch 100 in January Challenge followed by your total 12/100 in your post You amy format how you like, but please in colour and at least size 4 TY

cat04

Oscar_the_Pug wrote: »

Hi Cat04, do you mind me asking what you listed in your carboot listing? It might be ideal for us to give a try...

Of course not In the first lot we did in October we had more things which included if I can remember correctly: Ladies and children's clothes; small toys (think McDonalds happy meal type things, keyrings, racker toys, little bits etc - we used to have a kids 5p box at the car boot to entice them over!); some CDs, a few dvds and computer games (nothing that you could trade-in for a lot); adult and chidren's books; a kids jigsaw; glass wear, wooden badminton rackets we could sell for months on end for 50p, a few teddies etc. Nothing that was worth a lot individually, but the usual sort of things you could sell at a car boot.

This time we had a smaller lot that included: non working xbox 360 for spares; old PC tower and monitor; semi-working dvd recorder; Barbie castle; small toys as before; teddies; ladies and children's clothing & shoes; hot water bottle and cover; books; dvds; playstation 1 games; couple of bags; videos; light shades etc.

Hope that helps a bit. Basically the first time we split the massive amount of car boot stuff into 2 piles and kept the stuff that a) we hadn't tried before b) we thought we could get at least £1 for or c) I thought we could sell individually (ebay/facebook etc). Try having a look on completed listings on ebay to see what these kind of lots went for in your area to give you an idea

Yorkielass

Wow you've all been fantastic this weekend.

We didn't leave the house apart from a quick pop to the supermarket so the only things that left the house was a big pile of shredding & OH sorted some paperwork too & then I did a pile of receipts & shredded those after doing accounts so counting that as 3. (Stuff that's taken in general recycling I count when it goes in the bins in the garage otherwise only counting things that leave the house.

Then today took 7 ebay packages to the post office containing 9 items in total and 7 jiffy bags/plastic mailers out so:

1 - bottle of nail varnish used as much as I can - bin
2 - box of fancy dress bits from musical group that were in garage - gone via freecycle
3 - Christmas cards from last year into recycling (I keep them for a year then recycle all but the ones we've sent each other)
4 - unwanted Christmas sweets - into work.
5 - Loch fyne voucher - spent
6 - Shredding - recycling
7 - OH's paperwork recycled/shredded - recycling
8 - receipts shredded - recycling
9 - 17 ebay sales
18 - 24 - jiffy bags - sent with ebay items

Ditch 100 things in January challenge 24/100

I sorted through my wool stash last night - split into keep, ebay, freecycle, odds bits to take to Brownies & Guides for craft (the reason my wool bag was in a mess!) Freecycle already had 6 requests for so hopefully that'll go this week too.

I more ebay sale finishing tonight and another 13 have now paid/need to pay from last night.

Also started a charity shop bag - I keep looking at things and thinking - why am I keeping that?!!

Made a start on my bedroom too - nothing actually left the house yet but there is progress - still not sure what is in my bedside drawer though had a quick look but didn't get very far.

So some things have left the house, some things are waiting to leave the house and some things are a work in progress but I'm starting to feel things are going in the right direction.

Just need to make some progress on the house selling front now - I've feeling rather dazed and confused by it all at the moment.