Enough is enough - the great declutter

sarahf191979

Just got back in, so not done much today

IN: 4 more Xmas Pressies

OUT: Nothing

pigpen

In.

All the food for my sisters birthday party!

Out

1 wheelie bin of rubbish!!!!!!
1 bed base.. it was FINALLY collected today
3 cardboard boxes


Tomorrow I MUST get these ebay things posted.. I have some more to list too.. *fling*

Plum_Pie

Have been lurking on this thread for a few days now for inspiration….

Yesterday.

In:
Large wooden work box - double use as an end table and for storage

Out:
Almost all of my secondary school reports
Lots of school projects/work books
Magazine articles, posters and festival programmes
1 bag of clothes
10 CDs and 3 videos
1 computer keyboard

Can you tell I just took delivery of all the stuff I've been storing at my parents house since I moved out 10 years ago?!

I've actually been decluttering for about a year now. I used to live in a small bedsit and often complained I didn't have enough storage space when actually I was hanging on to things I would didn't really need or would use again. The most depressing thing was not being able to clean properly as I couldn't store everything properly. Now I'm finally getting there, I understand why Flylady emphasises decluttering as much as cleaning and organising. It's almost impossible to do one without the other. It actually took me 3 days to pack and clean before I moved and even that included getting rid of 3 large laundry bags of stuff.

I moved into a small 1-bed flat last March so I have lots more space and, maybe, half as much stuff! I'm getting close to only having to do maintainence level decluttering and tidying, which I'm actually looking forward to…

Why did I hang on to that rusting pestle and mortar for so long?!

~Yorkshire_Belle~

I love this thread!
In today; NOTHING :j
Out today; 3 bags of assorted clutter!:j:j

Many years ago I was given a book called 'Freedom from clutter' by Don Aslett ( so you can see it's not a new problem for me!) I then found another of his books in a charity shop 'Is there life after housework?'
Has anyone else ever come across these - they were a great help to me. Of course since I discovered flylady and this forum I haven't needed to thumb through them!:D
Belle

Skintmama

I got Don Aslett's 'Is there life after housework' many years ago and found it really helpful in getting organised......hmmm needs a reread methinks. It is the main reason I am prepared to spend out on good big doormats! Traps the dirt before it gets everywhere. The children are very good about taking their shoes off but I find adults aren't. Anyway, I won't clutter the declutter thread with too much OT! Well done for all the clearing out you are all doing.

earthmother

Hi all

Not been on for a while - life got a bit hectic with various illnesses and hospitalisations - but I'm back now.

Got to knuckle down this time - our letting agents have just served notice on us as the landlord is seriously ill and wants his bungalow back. Our AST holds until next February, but if we can leave earlier, we get £1000 as compensation (which, at almost 2 months rent, you have to admit isn't to be sneezed at). Seeing as I really don't fancy moving in the cold of February (did it in December last time - not nice when the door is open for what seems like hours), we're househunting.

That means I need to get rid of all the junk I keep holding onto 'to sell' - so I've asked the LA if we can do a yard sale or two - I reckon it's a fair enough request considering what's occured don't you. The girl I spoke to seemed to think it'd be ok, but I've got to wait for the official line.

Luckily, I had managed to clear about half the garage out over the last few weeks (sold a trailer, and took a load of stuff to the charity shops), so I (or rather my dad next time he visits - I can't balance well enough to take things up and down the ladder) can clear the loft out into there and it'll be easier to sort and move when the time comes.


In the meantime - in the next week I have two sets of uniform to wash, iron and label before Wednesday (that's on top of the great stack of laundry that seems to be growing again), one son to get shoes for, two that need football boots, two to get to the hairdressers, eldest still doesn't have swimming kit (keep forgetting it), three birthday bundles to sort out for Tuesday, at least three medical appointments of varying sorts for hubby, and all the other day to day stuff that keeps getting in the way (lol).

Wish me luck :eek:

nicki_2

IN :

• 4 library books
• 2 job information form

OUT :

• My sanity (roll on 2nd September :rolleyes: )
• 5 library books of DD's
• 8 Library books of mine
• Broken George Forman (not only has the lid broken off it I've just dropped it and managed to smash the back bit yet the cereal bowl I dropped earlier bounced...says something for Smartprice stuff :rotfl: )
• Various food items that have gone past it and I'm sorry, but I couldn't stomach trying to rescue any tomatoes etc that have gone soggy and furry

Pending out :

• Don't ask - but I'll tell you this much ... I have 4 crisp boxes sitting on top of my fridge and they ain't got crisps in them

pigpen

In

Nothing

Out..

several binbags of rubbish
1 binbag ebay parcels

Ebay

Items now posted!

Soapy955

I finally got rid of the Marilyn calendars and magazines to a Freecycler but the George Michael ones ended up in the recycling bin.

My Mum came and took a bag of garden rubbish to the dump for me and also took an old vacuum cleaner to the dump for me. My neighbour had given it to us but it had no attachments so had been sitting under the stairs unused for months. It's gone at last!

Did some more shredding after sorting out all the accumilated stuff that wasn't needed in my letter rack.

I put some glasses up in the loft that had been hanging around in a cupboard for seven years! They were those kind of celebratory wine glasses you get in pairs to celebrate your engagement. We had four sets and had just put them in the cupboard. I know putting them in the loft isn't actually de-cluttering as such, but they are getting out of the way of our every day life at least! I wouldn't want to get rid of them after all!

I have some curtains all ready to be taken to the charity shop and have my old Reebok Step waiting near the loft hatch as a lady requested one on Freecycle. Now I'm just hoping she'll answer my email offering her it!

I seem to be getting rid of stuff but the house still looks the same.... why is that???

WartimeScrapingofMarmite

In: Nothing!

Out: 1 Bag to Charity
2 eBay parcels posted
1 box of out of date shreddies that even the chickens won't eat! I think that says something about Shreddies.........