Enough is enough - the great declutter

dreams_R_free

Well done everyone:beer: . I'm trying to declutter too but life has a nasty habit of getting in the way. I'm easily side-tracked, that's my big trouble:eek:

My Mother died a couple of years ago. She was the biggest hoarder I've ever seen. Being of that generation that had to survive the war she was always concerned about keeping stuff because it 'might come in handy one day'. As if!! For instance, when she bought a new iron (and only because the existing one broke or failed to work properly etc) she still kept the original(plus its box and receipt!) as a spare, 'just in case', This happened with absolutely everything.Even every box that anything came in, plus the receipt was carefully stacked in her loft. When I had to single-handedly clear out her home (4 bedrooms and all pretty full of stuff:eek: ) I was overwhelmed. I had never thought there was so much. She had a lot of built-in storage cupboards etc so the main reception rooms didn't look cluttered at all. But when I opened the doors.... help!!!!! When I first saw the task ahead I sat and cried. I was emotional anyway over losing Mum but this was all too much. Not only that, there was a deadline to be met so I couldn't dilly-dally.

But I managed it and was so proud of myself. I hung onto sentimental things I couldn't bear to part with,good stuff went to auction after family and friends had had their pick. I sold the 5 (yes 5) sewing machines(dating from an old Singer treadle to a newish all-singing-all dancing model, none of the earlier ones in good working order)to a sewing-machine dealer and took car loads of stuff to charity shops etc., the worst went to the tip. She lived 70 miles from me and I had no PC access there, plus at that time I'd never heard of FreeCycle even assuming it was in existence then. I had a wry smile when I received some feedback from the Estate Agent . Viewers couldn't get over the size of the rooms(and boy it did look big when it was empty!!!) and were 'sold' on all the built-in storage:rotfl:

Then I made a fatal mistake. After sorting and disposing all day I used to fill my car up (leaving only room for me to squeeze in to drive it) and headed home every night with the surplus stuff. I thought I'd be able to dispose of it better in an area I knew when I had a bit more time. I certainly didn't want/need any of it myself. I did this trip 12 times in total. OH was 'delighted', more clutter to add to what we already had and were having enough trouble getting rid of as it was:rotfl: Guess what? Despite Freecycling and about 10 carboots it is still impossible to get into either shed, we can't get the car in the garage, we couldn't even get a motorbike in if we had one and the house is just depressingly full of stuff. There are 'no-go' areas and I'm so embarrassed when friends come to call. We're running out of excuses for the state of it when anyone comes here. My niece and her toddler are the worst. He is 'into everything' and I'm scared he'll do himself a mischief or disappear never to be seen again:eek:

It is really getting me down now. Some of our local Charity shops are a bit snooty and probably will turn their noses up at that I've got left to take in,and I'm always seeing piles of seemingly good stuff put out by them on bin-emptying day. I feel sorry for the donors who think they are helping the charity only to have their stuff thrown away. Luckily the carboot season is about to re-start. It's surprising just what 'junk' people snap up! I know it's only for pennies but at least someone is getting the use of it. I can't bear to throw stuff away. I'm my Mother's daughter after all:rotfl:

The one big lesson I learned from this experience is that stuff saved because it means something to you has no or little interest to anyone clearing out your possessions after you've gone. I try to envisage the reaction of someone clearing out after us. Shock/horror doesn't begin to cover it! Plus the hard work of course.

So after a bit of winter hibernation I'm inspired again after reading this thread:A . Thanks a million. I'm going to spend all day today trying to make inroads into the dining room. We haven't seen the table for 18 months!

azjh77

Dining room table? I don't even know what colour my carpet was...I live in dread of dying and the police breaking to discover the cess pit that is my house. No-one would want to clear this place out! I have not let anyone - including my Mother - in for years. I will drink my coffee and get started today!!

pigpen

Ebay encouragement.. I've made £720 just this year!!!!!!! It CAN be done!!! if you can cope with the moron buyers who claim not to receive things (send everything recorded delivery) that because labels are missing you don't know what brand an item is.. expect delivery within 2 hours of payment.. even when it is the weekend.. and the number who CANNOT read the descriptions defies belief!!! ... BUT it is worth it!! I paid off my american express credit card with it!!

I have sent bags and bags to charity shop, given loads away to the 3F's (family/friends/freecycle) I also refuse to put out my bins unless they are BOTH full to the brim.. so I fill a wheelie bin every week with junk from the house.. the other has kitchen/foody waste.

I have 3 boxes & 2 binbags of fabric in my back room which were dragged out of the under stair cupboard at the weekend.. I shall start there!!!.. and the 3 boxes of ebay stuff which can be fitted into 2.. and 2 boxes of shoes... aargghh.. how did it fit in the cupboard again???

Do we think.. cushion covers would sell better on ebay than just the fabric??? I can run up a pair of snazzy cushion covers in a couple of hours.

dianadors

I am so enjoying the mass declutter and re-organisation of our home. I am not an ebayer, but have had items for sale in newsagents window and on Asda notice board etc, but nothing is selling. Put a couple of things on Freecycle and got messed around by people not collecting things so I'm taking 5 bags of things to our local hospice shop this morning. Done sons bedroom, half of daughters room(just wardrobes left to do), spare room, living room and dining room. Doing the garage this weekend and will be moving onto my wardrobe next week(so will have plenty of decorating clothes!!!!!) Plucking up courage for loft !

FrankieM

I have now finished decluttering our actual bedrooms. Haven't actually gone through drawers and cupboards etc yet, but just having the floors clear makes such a huge difference!
Am going to start on the lofts this weekend/next week and then work my way down through the rooms to do all the 'unseen bits'.
Just got to clean now and then I'm done for this week.....!

nodwah

pigpen wrote: »

Ebay encouragement.. I've made £720 just this year!!!!!!! It CAN be done!!! if you can cope with the moron buyers who claim not to receive things (send everything recorded delivery) that because labels are missing you don't know what brand an item is.. expect delivery within 2 hours of payment.. even when it is the weekend.. and the number who CANNOT read the descriptions defies belief!!! ... BUT it is worth it!! I paid off my american express credit card with it!!

I have sent bags and bags to charity shop, given loads away to the 3F's (family/friends/freecycle) I also refuse to put out my bins unless they are BOTH full to the brim.. so I fill a wheelie bin every week with junk from the house.. the other has kitchen/foody waste.

I have 3 boxes & 2 binbags of fabric in my back room which were dragged out of the under stair cupboard at the weekend.. I shall start there!!!.. and the 3 boxes of ebay stuff which can be fitted into 2.. and 2 boxes of shoes... aargghh.. how did it fit in the cupboard again???

Do we think.. cushion covers would sell better on ebay than just the fabric??? I can run up a pair of snazzy cushion covers in a couple of hours.

You're an inspiration!

I admit I've stalled a bit now but DH and I went thru our accounts y'day so I think I'd better start lurking on the DFW board.

BTW I was on the netmums site and there's a link to a schools website where you get £10 M&S voucher when you put a review of your school on - and I'm trying to keep out of M&S!

charlies_mum

Well done Pigpen and everyone else. Doing well upstairs, but had to go into the caravan which is on the drive, and found loads of stuff in there :eek:

Oh well, that's another space that needs doing

verynewmoneysaver

I am going to start decluttering. I have discovered ebay. I keep buying things from it and wanted to start selling. However, our house is such a mess that I can't find the digital camera to photograph anything!:mad: It is urgent that I start soon, and I plan to start tomorrow.

JillD_2

Hi
I think I'd like to joint this decluttering too please. I say "I think" because with 2 preschool children the only perace I get to do anything is in the evenings and I am also pregnant so am shattered by the time the kids are in bed. But look at the time, it is gone midnight, I should do some decluttering and even if I am more tired - get to bed earlier!

Our house isn't too bad but we have one room that is the dumping ground, it needs to soon house the spare bed and become the spare room for when my parents stay, as the spare room is needed for the new baby. The dumping ground room is just full of stuff that we only have because we have space for it. We have years and years of paperwork to sort out and more recent stuff to file once old stuff gets shredded. I basically want the room to look minmalist LOL

My daughter's wardrobe and the current spare room wardrobe are also full to bursting with more stuff that needs sorting out. And the spare room has a sofa on its end which has stood there for 2 years now, it needs to be flogged.

And then finally there is the garage, which has several pile of stuff "for Ebay", "for freecycle", and "for charity". I just need to get my act together and get it on ebay, freecycle, or to the charity shop.

I'm hoping by saying on here that I will take part, that I will do a little bit each day or week to reduce the clutter.

My worst problem is that I cannever decide how much to put something on ebay for, whether it will sell, not wanting to lose the listing fee, dithering about whether just to forget it and go straight to freecycle. I spend so long dithering I just dont do anything.

Wish me luck!
Jill

*zippy*

I had a good weekend.

I finally sorted all our paperwork out and filed it. It took half the day :eek: So good to know I can now just put my hand on what i'm looking for without going through piles of stuff. We had a big bonfire with all the paperwork I threw away and the ashes went on the compost heap.

Next goal now is to sort the airing cupboard and get rid of old bedding and finally finish our spare room, which we have now been doing for weeks if not months