Decluttering 2013, the saga continues ...

Gers

Still around too!

After my massive decluttering earlier this year things slowed down somewhat. Now I am back on the roll, though not so much to do this time.

I am moving back to Scotland next year (about March time at the latest I hope) and need to streamline my belongings. The new place is bigger - so much for downsizing - but I have so much stuff which is just not used, looked at or needed that I must make changes.

So, recently I donated a huge number of glasses to a friend, we used to have social gatherings a lot about ten years ago and now don't. Took a few remaining wine glasses to CS yesterday along with two long unused fancy candles and two blue ray discs which came free with the player last year.

Next will be the stuff in a cupboard which is not used much, apart from dumping. I have done one sweep of it earlier this year but am sure I kept too much even then.

Kitchen will be the biggy! Half empty/half full bottles of sherry, marsala etc which I used to use for cooking. Am I going to cart them 250 miles away? Don't want to.

I've got a kitchen cupboard full of mostly unused herbs and spices - will cull them again. Got a freezer full of meat so will be using that up and not buying anything else. Might have to chuck out the 'grey' stuff there.

What I am doing makes me sharply aware of how much my lifestyle has changed over the past ten years or so. I used to bake regularly, hold social gatherings (yes, parties!!) regularly and do so much more. Now it seems that the needs of work have taken over somewhat which saddens me. However, :j my new life is just so exciting that I can look forward with pleasure. I will still be working, just with a rather different commute changing from a long drive to a plane journey.

I've never been interested in doing eBay or any other selling site, just haven't got the time or will.

It's so lovely to read of the efforts of everyone here, I sat for ages just now reading posts from when I left off - phew!

highlandlady72

Went into the loft this morning and got rid of:
4 cardboard boxes - flattened & put into recycling bin (1 taken to cardboard recycling at dump/tip)
Some posters that I already thought I got rid of - recycling bin
1 very old deck chair - dump/tip
1 back pack that hasn't been used in about 10 years or so - dump/tip
1 stand of a bedroom table (table top not found) - dump/tip
1 middle section of a white garden table - dump/tip (garden table I got rid of a few years ago)
1 vinyl lp listed onto Amazon

But I did put 3 bags I use if I go travelling into the loft. They will get used again. But just fed up of them taking up space in the spare bedroom/dumping room
Some more paper got shredded

Becky_2

I enjoy reading everyone's achievements too, which inspires me to continue decluttering.

Today I managed to:
* Fill in a form which will be posted tomorrow
* Did the ironing and put all the washing away
* Filled up 2 buckets with shredded paper to soak so that we can turn them into paperlogs next weekend.
* I shredded some old payslips from 2001 to 2004
* I used up a jar of pasta bake with BBE 2010 still tasted good though for dinner

Back to work tomorrow so probably won't be doing any more decluttering until next weekend.

mrs-moneypenny

weeded the front garden so have a bag of weeds waiting to go to the recycling.
got shingles so not really feeling like climbing up into the attic for a cull and sort.

MandM90

This week I got rid of about 6 bin bags of my clothes, given to my sister. Sold some designer bits on eBay and made £400...still got more to go! Sorted through my makeup and cosmetics and gave away a load of stuff I don't think I'll use. Found a grand total of 22 bottles of foundation (oh, the shame). I shouldn't need to buy makeup, deodorant, shampoo etc. for a good few months. I want to cut everything down to 1/4 of what I have now!

I'm getting rid of ALL my DVDs. We watch them once and then they sit there, gathering dust. I get no pleasure from owning them so I'm selling them on a local Facebook group. I'm actually finding some a bit heart wrenching to get rid of - especially some of the more geeky ones. It's so sad how we make possessions a part of ourselves! I took a small bin bag full to CeX just now and got £30 for things I have no use for. I wish I could get rid of my books (I have a kindle and there are very few books I see myself reading again) but I don't have the heart. Maybe I'll get rid of the ones I don't care about, then try and gift/loan out the ones I love. Seems a shame for them to sit there!

MandM90

One last back of DVDs and CDs to go. I sold £70 worth yesterday. They offered me 100 and something in store credit but I had to say to myself that the object was to get stuff out, not buy more stuff! I've packed away all but one of everything (face wash, shampoo, etc) in the bathroom so I know what I've got (all 'spares' are in one place) and don't buy more until I'm actually out.

Today I think I'm going to tackle DDs room while she's at school. She has loads of toys she doesn't play with and I think if there was a little less clutter she'd play with them more, so I'm going to take some stuff down to the charity shop, clear out the pictures I've saved (keeping the best ones from each 'era' of her short life thus far) and clear out everything from under her bed. Goodness knows what's under there. If I find more time I'm going to tackle under my bed too, and eBay some more things I've put aside that I think are worth it. I'm going to Cannes in 8 days then on to Paris which means shopping, so I'm going to have to employ a one in, one out rule. Which means I should only buy things that I think are more beautiful than the things I've got, all of which will be worth eBaying or passing onto my sister. It'll be so nice to come back and not dumping a huge heap of new stuff onto a huuuuuge collection of clothes, and knowing exactly what I have :T

MandM90

Today I got rid of 3 binbags of unopened presents (oh, the shame!) still hanging around from christmas. They were all shoved under DDs bed. Thrown away 2 binbags of junk. Now my black bin is full and I have 7 days until collect. Not quite sure what I'm going to do!

Goldiegirl

Here's my efforts for the last couple of weeks.

I've slowed down a lot, but my target was for 365 things for the year, so I'm well on target.

It's just as well because I've got a long holiday coming up, and I need time to prepare for that, and will need time to sort myself out afterwards


289 Cardigan – charity shop
290 Two 1980’s LPs – eBay
291 Two jigsaws – eBay
292 Suitcase – eBay
293 Large set square – eBay
294 Old postcard – eBay
295 Two pairs of shorts
295 Old tube lip salve – bin
296 Old bikini – clothing bank
297 Old membership cards – bin
298 DVD player -eBay

mrs-moneypenny

not really done much this week due to the shingles but ive thrown out a pack of stick on nail polishes as they were so old they didnt stick on when tried.
got a few bits to take to the CS tomorrow will try and add some to them and make it a decent box thats leaving.
also used some wool up knitting a pair of slippers that im giving away

MandM90

Freecycled some bits, another two bin bags of rubbish waiting in the hall for recycling (can you believe this is all emerging from a 2 bed flat!?) and reorganised my wardrobe. :j