Hoarding - Springing Ahead

Gingernutty

I must have a roundtuit around the house somewhere, which has suddenly started to work. Can't find it though.......

For weeks (months, even ), I've had coats draped across the dining chairs waiting for little things, a pile of paper and 'bits' on the dining table waiting for stuff to happen and today it's all gone.

Collar buttons on two coats which are clean and now in the wardrobe, collar chain on one coat which is being cleaned now, lace pinned onto a pretty jersey top to disguise cheap looking hems - (I will sew it, honest ), papers filed, appointments made, quilt back in a vacuum bag, weedkiller on the garden hours before yesterday's rain (so some of it might work ), paper piled ready for shredding for the recycling tomorrow and more stuff for the charity shop.

If, after one of the worst winters I've ever experienced, there is knitwear that hasn't been worn for over a year, then it's not going to be worn. They can go.

It started raining yesterday so I didn't go out at all - there are now two bin bags of stuff for the charity shop.

I've paid attention to the discussion about pay slips. I've kept everything since 1997.

I sorted through it, picked out the P60s and P45s to keep and the rest is going to be shredded.

The shredder is such a weedy thing, that job alone is going to take most of the day. The shredder overheats and needs to be put in the 'fridge every now and again.

As it's raining and the recycling is being picked up tomorrow, it's a perfect job for today.

It's good to hear everyone's progress. Keep up the good work.

lobbyludd

well done everyone!

last week has been pretty lax on decluttering, but I have been decorating dd's room and building her a new bed. It is now done bar the ladders (which I have got from ebay for £15) and am sorting through the displaced contents for her room (all in my room) putting things in bags for charities. As her room has so much space now (comparitively! as much as a 5x6ft with a corner cut off can have) and I want her to be able to play in there. 1 bag of clothes to go to cs and 1 bag of broken toys to bin.

because I had to bespoke build the bed far more than I initially thought (I am no loss to the master capenter's guild, but it is rock solid!) there's lots of offcuts. I may free cycle these and possibly ebay the old ladders from her and ds's beds when they were midsleeper size (the kit to turn ds's bed from a single to a midsleeper is over £150, discontinued and has to be made to order from some scandinavian country, so maybe I can get £50 for it).

it was (:() all shoved in the loft for dd's party on saturday which feels like such a backwards step, but if I can deal with it quickly it shouldn't breed too much up there.....

I have also cs'd some of ds's school trousers, they were second hand from a friend's child , ds has worn them and the seem in the crotch has gone - I was going to mend them, and they've sat on a chair for 2 weeks waiting for me to do a running stitch LOL, but her has 5 other pairs of school trousers, so the cs can have them small victories!

GreyQueen

I am finishing a bottle of wine, which was itself decluttered from the over-catering for a family party earlier this month. It's taken me three nights but it's going to be in the bottle bank soon.

Errmm, assuming I can find the bottle bank thru the bleary eyes. It's a tough job but someone had to do it.

I have also, gently with extreme tenderness, decluttered a honey bee which unaccountably had found itself on my hall mat. Took it outside on a spatula and parked it on a buttercup.

As you may gather from the avatar, I love bees.

MrsAtobe

Not much decluttering going on around here at the moment. But I am cheering on everyone else's successes from the sidelines!

Catriona_P

Help! I've gone backwards so fast the house looks worse than before! :(:(

I've got my next exam for my diploma in just over 2 weeks (eek!) so my evenings are currently spent with my study books which means unfinished jobs are just piling up. The house looks like a BOMB site!

I havn't finished painting the dining room so a lot of stuff from there is scattered around the rest of the house. Husband is complaining about the mess (but won't lift a finger to help) and I feel like it's all suffocating me which isn't good when I'm trying to concentrate on my revision.

As per my signature, there is nowhere for DD to dance right now and I feel rubbish.

whitewing

Catriona,

Concentrate on your revision but allow 2 x 15 minute slots in your evening to tackle some pf the mess/misplaced items. Do it uncomplainingly. You'll be surprised at the difference it makes and it may inspire the grumblies to help out of their own accord.

You exams are important right now.

maddiemay

Hi Catriona, was only thinking about you yesterday, hang on in there, good advice from Whitewing. If you make yourself a hot drink during the day try grabbing a few items for the bin, washing basket etc and little things like wiping the worktops or cupboard fronts down while the kettle boils (I drink a lot of tea and it is amazing what a difference it makes. Take care, best of luck for the exam.

GreyQueen

Evening all.

Glad to see the decluttering is coming one apace for some of us, and that others are priortising exams etc. Rome wasn't decluttered in a day, and as long as things are kept above the dysentry line, *muddle and disorder can take a ticket and stand behind revision.

Today I made a planned trip to get a new pair of trainers to replace my knackered ones as they were on sale for this week only. Same brand and model as I had 18 months ago, so I wanted these in particular.

Got them, then unboxed them at home. Ahhhh, the clutter potential; one large shoebox, I sheet of flat tissue paper, several sheets of scrunched up tissue/ cheap paper from inside the trainers, a cardboard divider which held the trainers apart inside the box, plus the cardboard swing label held on by a plastic wire, and the poly bag.

What an orgy of clutter potential. Here's what would have happened;

Old GQ carefully folds the sheet of tissue paper, then smooths out the scrunched paper, before running an iron over it. This is then added to the box of things to wrap up other things with in the bottom of the airing cupboard. The shoebox is kept because they're a useful size (I have far more shoeboxes than I have shoes, lol).

New GQ started wanting to do all these things automatically. Then had a LBM and pitched the paper into the bin, broke down the shoebox into the recycling bin with the cardboard divider. I have the swing tag on the desk.

Should I keep it with the receipt in case trainers are defective and need to go back? Errr, probably will be fine, but receipt should be evidence enough if needed. I keep receipts in an envelope in a file box, labelled things like Clothing & Footwear, Glasses etc. They get junked from time to time.

The plastic bag is in the net of poly bags from where I select my supply of binliners. shopping bags. Shamefully, I was disorganised this afternoon and didn't have a spare on me, my bad.

I also finished up a jar of HM pickled onions which Mum put up for me last autumn. So that's one less thing on the counter. I gave her a quick call to ask if she wanted the jar back, she asked me what kind it was (repurposed coffee jar) and said no, so that's into the recycling bag. That's the second time I have refilled it today.

Actually, just went out to the recycling bins at feel lighter with it gone.

I have been given a few professional magazines by someone at work as they were decluttering their desk, which I've had for a week already. I will glance over them in the next 24 hours and see if there's anything I want to read, and read it, and get rid.

I feel like I'm on a roll, wheeeee!

* This is a line from a wonderful novel by Isla Dewar, can't recall which one, but what was the lady of the house used to tell her daily, who is the novel's protagonist.

Catriona_P

Thanks ladies And thanks to you for thinking of me, maddie. I've been very lax lately I know!

As it happens, I ended up coming home from work early today to wait for a delivery so while waiting I sorted through the huuuuge pile of clean washing at the end of the bed. Most of it is either tidied away, hung up or in the charity bag, although it took me an hour:eek:. (Would it kill husband to even have noticed, by the way?) So I feel a little better this evening. Will be taking whitewing's advice on small chunks when possible. I just don't want to get sidetracked when I should be studying but it's reached the point where I feel too enclosed to work properly. You lot are my angels :A

Love the quote GreyQueen! I may use it! :DAnd well done on the new shoes - I have too many pairs of shoes hoarded, let alone the boxes. I'm totally with you on the temptation to hoard the empty box (which might be used to send a parcel in perhaps once a year!)

lobbyludd

bins out, but that's it. ah well, baby steps.