Enough is enough - the great declutter

NickiM

Thankyou! I am just so scared of eBay and I have no idea why! And they won't accept my debit card, grr.

moneypooh

Well it's catching!!
I was so proud of my son this weekend, after we had a MAJOR de-clutter of his bedroom:D
He is 11 and going to secondary school in September so I saw this as a perfect time to sort out his room. We chatted before we took on the task and we decided to put away (in the loft) toys and books he no longer uses but really can't part with - fair enough he is only 11. Other things were classified as staying, ebay or charity.
We spent both days sorting out absolutely everything. We gathered 'like' toys together ie. kinex, meccano etc..into boxes. We looked through his books and of tcourse his cuddly toys.
We actually had a brilliant time, he discoverd 'lost' toys and things he had forgotten he got! We threw out about 100 non-working felt tip pens etc...

We now have a box of toys and books for the loft, a box for charity, a black sack of rubbish and a small pile for ebay.

The best thing is that he woke up so excited yesterday in his 'new' bedroom. It's clear of clutter and does look much bigger. He has a great space for future school work/books and a clear desk!!!

Aim for this week is to clearout our wardobes, for OH and me to recognise what we'll wear again and what we won't and sort accordingly.

happy de-cluttering:j :T :j

Yorkielass

In the last week or so:

Have sold other desk and rearranged things in garage to use the space better.
We went to IKEA and got some new shelving and OH has organised his pile of old computer *treasures* onto it so it takes up much less space and he can see what he has.
My old computer has come out of the heap and is waiting to be checked and then got rid of.
Got rid of a load more paperwork (why I printed the Amazon SDN emails for ages and kept them in a file I don't know I don't know :rolleyes:)
Been through my little teddies and decided which ones I want and which ones I don't.

So this week I will try really hard to:
Try and sell some of the little teddy ornaments.
Check computer and get rid of it
Go through car boot sale boxes with OH and sort it all and if it ever stops raining do a car boot :rolleyes:
Find a couple of things to list on ebay tonight at least.

LameWolf

I did a major declutter when I moved here in 2002; Mr LameWolf had already been living here for 12 years, on his own, and the place was FULL of "stuff".

So I persuaded him to have a major clearout; the challenge now is getting him to KEEP it cleared out. (He tends to just bung stuff in the loft, and I can't get up there to see what's there).

I have a saying "If in doubt, turf it out", and if something hasn't been used/worn for two years, it's a candidate for the charity shop.

I also signed up to receive as many household bills online as possible, so they reside in virtual form in computer files, not in box files in the spare room.

To REDMADCURLS:

If you've been poorly, take it steady. No sense in knocking yourself out and setting your recovery back.

I'd start with the study - you don't mention that as being a place your husband works a lot, and you can't do a lot with a bathroom that needs a new suite, just now. And as floss2 says, just take baby steps. Do one shelf, or drawer, then stop. When you feel able, do another. It'll soon come together. That's how I always do it, as I have a condition that means I tire extremely quickly.

Best of luck!

Uniscots97

REDMADCURLS wrote: »

I need some advice.

My House =
Master Bedroom - fine cleared wardrobe (only because I want more money from Ebay - but of course have to photograph it all yet)
2nd Bedroom - Ebay central - covered in stuff to Ebay/Charity Shop but slowly working thru it
Landing - fine
Bathroom - disaster - no tiles, not painted, new suite required
Living Room 1 - fine
Living Room 2 - new suite, new rug, filing cabinet, dining table and 6 chairs, coffee table
Study - OMG
Kitchen - DISASTER
Utility Room - Embarassment

Problem : DH works from home as a baker - Kitchen and Utility Room (which is really a small kitchen) are his work areas - he is very busy and thus we have had to give up our house to his venture! However solution has been to convert garage into bakery and then he will get OUT!
Garage has new roof on and they are about to start inside fit out - so we are weeks away from completion.
Yard - covered in garage contents and believe me my dh is a hoarder

Fact - in 4 weeks I must return to work after being off for 3 months with a virus - the major effect of this now is that I tire easily but not as easily as before.

Request - how do I productively use this month to declutter our home. Seems all I have done for 6 months is move cr*p from one place to another. Should I start boxing stuff not used all the time for the move to garage. Please also note DH is totally disorganised and he will just lift and move with no thought of where and what!!

Any comments/observations/advice greatly received!
RMC

I can totally sympathise, my circumstances changed and I'm about to start sharing my house with my OH and his kids. My study is so bad no one can get near it for boxes! What will be the kids rooms need the wardrobes cleared out properly and our room needs decluttered. Since you've been unwell, I'd definitely say take it slowly. If you want PM me and we can keep each other motivated as we progress

kitasmum

Well I didn't do much yesterday as I had the kids out while the sun was shining, and it wasn't raining! It's the summer holidays here just now, but the weather has been awful. Hopefully it will improve, then I can throw the kids into the garden to play and hopefully get some work done in the house!:p

In

Nothing :T

Out

1 Black bag rubbish


Gail.

morganlefay

I lurk here sometimes as I have a houseful mostly of MY stuff and no energy to attack it following bad clinical depression - now very slowly receding. This thread helps a lot and I sometimes manage to do a bit. My OH has just retired and his being at home all day saying 'shall we have a go at tidying today' ? is driving me mad, as is his eager look as he surveys all my stuff, or his disappointed one when he sees I'm not going to do it. The more he nags the less I feel I can do anything at all. Today I realised it might be a good idea to involve him - does anyone have any ideas about how to use him productively rather than just getting nagged and feeling really down about it all ? I can make him take all stuff to charity shops for me and to the tip, but does anyone have any ideas about other stuff a not-very-handy bloke might do to HELP and not just make me feel even more guilty ? Also I am v scared of e bay, but have lots of stuff I could sell 'if only'.... is it easy really, any tips there too ? Thank you, nice people !

floss2

Maybe he could sort his stuff out and the shed/garage? That would get him out from under your feet, and let you do a little bit on your own?

Or maybe he could look into selling your bits & bobs on Ebay - is he computer literate? ooh, maybe there is a course at your local library he could go on....?

Perhaps he feels a bit lost too, after leaving his workplace. Have you thought about whether there are tasks/chores/jobs that he can take on & do every day, to give him some routine & pattern to his days? It would also give you a bit of space & time to gradually sort your own bits & bobs out without being hovered over.

zarazara

Hi REDMADCURLS
I really sympathise. I did that for years,tidied and got most of the place looking nice but had 1 room which was always a tip with stuff.
Theres only one answer i'm afraid and thats to let it go.it has to go out the door and elsewhere. I dont do eBay but I do do freecycle. what my policy is is this:
I list stuff and give it a limit of time. this must be shortish or you never get anywhere. So anywhere between 1 and 2 weeks is ok. if it hasnt gone by then it goes to the tip. anything useable by others either goes on Freecycle or to the charity shop. any rubbish just has to go to the tip.
Also I weigh up is it worth it? to me that is. this is about selling stuff. If the expected gain aint worth the trouble so to speak I just give it away [Frecycle or charity shop]. I've recently got rid of some expensive[ to me] items of horsey stuff, which I gave to the RSPCA. ok it had cost me a lot , but I had used it [ or rather my horse had] and itsno longer needed. I guessed the charity wuld get more use out of it than me getting a few pounds for it. what is worth it re selling is individual, to some its worth the trouble for 50p, to others it isnt.
I would rather see stuff gone and out of my way giving me a clear house and I find baggingit and taking it to the charity sop the quickest and most useful way of decluttering.

zarazara

REDMADCURLS re the kitchen
I'd break it down into very small steps. just try doing something like emptying the bin or wiping a cupboard door or clearing a very small space. eventually it will get sorted so long as DH has somewhere to continue the baking whilst you are clearing stuff.
Hope this helps