Enough is enough - the great declutter

Hardup_Hester

Hi all
I have to admit I don't have loads of assorted clutter, just books & paperwork.
The paperwork I attacked last week & the books I'm putting on Amazon.
My Mum died a few years ago & when I cleared out her place there were boxes in the attic that hadn't been unpacked for 12 years, which was 4 moves, I swear my mum had romany blood, she was always moving, but just moved cr*p from house to house.
The main reason I don't have much clutter is because when I left 'the marital home' I could only take one car full, so I took 2 of the kids, the other 2 had already moved out, my clothes, which barely filled 2 tescos carrier bags & mt sewing machine & overlocker! Talk about priorities.
Hugs Hester

nicki_2

Well I currently have 44 items listed on ebay and OH has just listed 17 books on his account There is still more in a box upstairs and I want to have another go through the house to make sure that everything that we can sell is sold. This house is going to be so empty of clutter it's going to be sooo easy to decorate & clean :j

crutches

listing on ebay slowly but surely.only 10 items at a time to keep up with posting.
getting kids to pack bags at weekends with rugby kit/beavers uniform/school uniform etc.seperste bag for each activity and keep them all by front door.result:easy to find and less mess on the floor!
sorting at least one box a day and visiting local charity shop every 2 days with a carrier bag of things.
many car boots /school fairs coming up so got a box of donations ready to dole out to save time.
trying to make sure anything brought into the house has its own storage.
getting rid of DD 4's girly stuff as soon as outgrown as the next 2 are boys.
THANKS TO ALL FOR THE INSPIRATION ON HERE.

Miss_Kitty_Fantastico

my bf is sooooooooooo happy i have found this thread.

i have been saying for months i will declutter (clothes etc i no longer wear, books, shoes, junk in general).

you have definately all inspired me - i will start tomorrow.

i especially like the thought of boxes ie ebay, car boot, charity/freecycle and tip

joannasmum

Hi Everybody

I've been looking at the title of this thread since it started and not daring to read as I know that I have to declutter. Well today I made a start. DD wardrobe is now sorted for summer and 3 bags of unwanted but not sellable stuff has gone on freecycle. Somebody is coming to pick them up tommorow. This has seriously motivated me and I'm going to do an hour in my bedroom when I get in. Little and often is the key for me I think.

Will read this thread tonight when I get into bed to keep me motivated

nicki_2

Only 3 items sold today out of 16...so i've relisted them, with lower prices if I can. :rolleyes: Oh well, I'll have all the clutter out of this house one way or another by July. All ready for a relaxed summer before the mad dash of Christmas preps kick in :dance:

Tracey04

how do you start to tackle it all. My house looks like a 'bombs dropt on it'. I have boxes upon boxes everywhere. Moving them constantly from a to b. Ill tidy downstairs only to move it upstairs and visa versa. The garage is also full to bursting, and I thought they were meant for cars !!!.
Where do I begin.

charlies_mum

tracey04 wrote: »

how do you start to tackle it all. My house looks like a 'bombs dropt on it'. I have boxes upon boxes everywhere. Moving them constantly from a to b. Ill tidy downstairs only to move it upstairs and visa versa. The garage is also full to bursting, and I thought they were meant for cars !!!.
Where do I begin.

That's exactly how I felt, but don't let it overwhelm you - tackle one room at a time, or if you can't face that, then one box at a time. I can actually sit in the conservatory for the first time in ages, so I am feeling really good at the moment.

Keep it up everyone

lessonlearned

Hi Tracey

Sorry to hear that you feel overwhelmed.

Agree with Charliesmum - just take one step at a time. However, do try to get stuff out of the house rather than moving it from room to room.

I sort things out and try to dispose of it as quickly as possible so that it doesn't just sit there making the place look even worse.

Charity shop stuff and stuff for the tip goes straight into the car so that I can drop them off in passing. (I sometimes have stuff in the boot for several days before it gets dropped off but at least it's not in the house).

E-bay stuff goes into a box in the room where the computer is ready for photographing and listing. I get my OH to do that for me - he's the "E-bay Monitor".

Car boot stuff gets boxed up and put into the garage, so that when we have enough sorted we can just load the car the night before, ready for action.

When I'm sorting I usually start with a cup of coffee (or something a little stronger;) and put some music on.

Don't try to do too much in one go or you'll get overwhelmed. Start with a couple of drawers or perhaps a wardrobe. You can do a lot in half an hour a day.

If it's all too much - get a friend to help you. It's quite good fun that way.

According to the principles of "Feng Shui" clutter is very negative and holds you back. Apparently if you get rid of it you open up your life to new and better things. I have to say I find cluttered rooms and cupboards very oppressive and I hate not being able to find things.

Since starting our declutter I feel much better - it's as if the house can "breathe" and we can find things that we need more easily.

Oh and yes, we've made £1100 so far. Result!!!

Chin up, just dive in and make a start. I promise you, you will feel better for it.

Tracey04

many thanks for your help, but how can I move stuff to put away , when the place its going is full of stuff to sort out !!!!