Decluttering in 2014 - onwards and upwards!

flyingmamma

I'm in I really need to keep decluttering ...3 small children and clutter seems to grow!!! My aim this year is to rid the house of unnecessary stuff and get rid of emotional junk.... Old cards etc... I am trying to live by less is more this year happy new year to all those decluttering good luck on your journeys! Will aim for 100 per month .

bladerunner73

May I join you folks please? I made a start after Christmas and have cleared the kitchen cupboards I have no idea where it all came from but I've got a carboot and back seat full to go to a good cause it included about 50 extra drinking glasses :eek: There's still more to go.

Pitlanepiglet

I'm back in, I'm really starting to make progress and will keep plodding along. The sense of satisfaction of looking at an uncluttered shelf is incredible!

On the subject of books, I'm another who doesn't want to read them electronically, I am an avid IT user, phone, tablet and laptop but I like paper books.

I banned myself from buying new books a few years ago so I buy from charity shops, jumble sales etc. - it's win/win as firstly I'm not spending a fortune on books that I inevitably read once and most importantly I don't feel attached to them as I haven't paid decent money for them, so I'm happy to give them away once I'm done with them.

Keep going everyone


My

Turtle

I've been having a big Christmas / New Year clear out for the last 4 years. I get better at it (more ruthless) each year. I've never been able to part with books before, but this year I've cleared out 6 carrier bags full for the charity shop. I've only kept ones I know I'll read again.

The shed and loft are other matters though, they are terrible :-( I can't do those without DH though and he's rather less keen than me at having a big sort out!

Thistle-down

charlies_mum wrote: »

Books are another of my big problems. Ito love the feel of a book and don't think I would use a Kindle. I am going to have to be ruthless as I will never read all the ones I have

I didn't think I would like one either, but haven't gone a day without reading it since it was given to me. There are so many free books available, and a kindle is so small, it's easy to take everywhere.

Now I have to declutter my kindle of books I no longer need.

gingermomma

Yes mrsbee i have bin liners upon bin liners of clothes in smaller sizes,for the intention i will fit in them one day a lot still have tags on,
we moved into this house just over 8 yrs ago and have boxes of books not even unpacked i have a book shelf in the shed,needing to be put up ,but my beef is postage costs are killing ebay ,but then again,i bought the Jamie oliver saving money one,after a couple of weeks realized i wasn't going to use it,i did a couple of christmas markets with my mum,and people wouldn't even give 50p for it even though it was still £12 in Mr.s
anyway heres to a clutter free future mrsbee :beer:

Lilyplonk

I'm another who became a 'reluctant Kindle owner' - bought 2nd hand for me LAST Christmas by OH. He had strict orders NOT to buy a brand new one - just in case I 'didn't take to it' .................. :rotfl:.

For me, the biggest bonus of having one is that it's so easy when going on holiday - no more trying to fit a bulky book into my carry-on luggage (we travel almost 12hrs via coach to Scotland) PLUS I also take it with me when I go to stay with my mum while dSis takes a break from caring for her.

I currently have just under 300 books on it and am v-e-r-y proud to state that I've not actually paid for a single one of them. All were completely legit via Amazon's Free Kindle Books page :T.

I just wish that some of the books on my FOUR book cases were available for free .

This year I've treated myself to the Refurbished Kindle Fire - courtesy of the £25 OFF Voucher via MSE :j. This will also be coming on holiday/visiting Mum with me whenever I go .

loopychriss

Hi everyone, I've been awol for a few weeks, last posted in November I think. No decluttering been done since then and I need to start another challenge. So, I'm going to Jettison 100 items in January from my home, and will report progress here.

Good luck to anyone starting out on this journey: I have been doing these challenges for the past 2 years and got rid of tons of stuff when we put our house on the market. However, the move didn't happen and we've accumulated loads more since we took it off the market last Easter. There's nothing like putting your house up for sale to motivate you to declutter and keep tidy, but with that incentive gone I let it go 'to pot'. So.... new incentive this year: putting house on the market again sometime this year so it's got to look presentable by then!

So..... starting tomorrow in earnest. Anyone want to join me in the challenge?

greentiger

I was like those of you unsure about a Kindle because I like to hold a 'real book'. I did get a kindle, but I also got a cover that opens like a book, so it feels similar. It has the bonus of a wee built in reading light, so I can read in bed without bothering the other half! I do still have hundreds of 'real' books (and I love getting them as gifts too) but I don't have to worry about excess baggage on holiday with my fix of (almost) a book a day! Plus I used to take my paperbacks and then leave them behind, but I hated doing that. Whereas I used to be unable to resist buying books, especially if there was an offer, now I can (usually) hold out!!!

Goldiegirl

I too was reluctant to get a Kindle, as I felt that I 'liked the feel of a real book'

But my husband got a Kindle in October 2011. I wanted to buy something a bit special as it was his 60th birthday and he asked for the Kindle.

He loved it immediately, and I had a go on it and thought it was fantastic. I got my own Kindle a couple of months later, and have been glued to it ever since. Both kindles are on the same account, so we can share books.

My remaining books are now contained in three bookcases. There's some I will keep, but most of the others are listed on Greenmetropolis. Every so often I sell a book - I sold 21 in 2013. As the books have a storage place that isn't bursting at the seams, I'm happy with this slow rate of sale. I concentrate my decluttering in other areas, and just whittle away at the books when I get a sale.