2014 decluttering thread (part 3)

gloomgurlie

Wow - you ladies sure have been busy! Great progress!

I've had a small blitz:
15) Trapper style hat/scarf combo - sold on eBay
16) finally decluttered my handbag - damn I kept a lot of receipts!!!!
17) old catalouge - binned
18) 1 Yankee candle from stash - burnt and binned!

Not much but it's some progress! Going to see what other clothes I can be ruthless with tomorrow! Do I really need that neon top I wore for fancy dress one year and it hasn't seen light of day since?!?!?

VfM4meplse

Did a load of paperwork and shredding, always a good start

Then cleared some glossy magazines, considered giving them to a retired friend but instead decided that my mum might like a read before sticking them in the recycling bin. Kept the Zests though and will go through these one rainy afternoon for any useful or inspiring tips.

Plan to spend 20 mins decluttering my journals tomorrow for recycling, once I get going I should get a taste or the liberated space.

dizzy_lizzie

gloomgurlie wrote: »

Do I really need that neon top I wore for fancy dress one year and it hasn't seen light of day since?!?!?

Well you never know...:)

TheDoolallyDilly

Finally took the five bags to the charity shop this morning, so they have left the building

Went through a drawer in my chest of drawers (need to rethink the stuff I keep in this drawer) so:-

56: Battery operated 'shower' radio - CS
57: Empty bottle of glasses cleaner - recycling
58: Various bits of packaging - recycling
59: Stretched out old tape measure - bin
60: Old false eyelashes - bin
61: Out of date herbal medicine
62: Various samples of moisturiser etc from magazines - in a bag to go to my Mum, who will use them

Yorkielass

My first post for 2014, I was going to post last Friday but it was mid weird things happening to the threads and I've been busy since then.

I've been posting on the decluttering threads for years, we moved house 17 months ago and it took nearly 2 years to move so we did pretty well at decluttering but we have hobbies that accumulate stuff and do a lot of volunteering as well as working full time so we end up letting things pile up.

My inlaws are hoarders and a visit to their house over Christmas reminded me about how much I want a decluttered, clean, nicely decorated house.

This year I'm continuing with decluttering things (I'm keeping a list for January so far) but I'm also concentrating on stopping the clutter build up.

Firstly I'm trying to do simple things like

• process the post each day rather than think, 'it's a bank statement' and leave it in a pile.
• getting better at putting washing away as soon as it's dry
• putting dishes in the dishwasher (OH is particularly bad at leaving in the living/dining room)
• If I bring a craft materials downstairs to work on a project put them back in my craft room.

Just small every day things which will hopefully stop things getting cluttered in the first place.

I'm also on a craft supplies buying fast as I have bought a lot over the last couple of years and have joined the completely crazy clothes challenge, not that I buy lots of clothes but I have made bad choices in the past and I'm hoping this challenge will help focus the mind. We've also started overpaying on our mortgage since August, so we have less 'disposable' cash to spend on 'stuff'.

So this year I'll still be decluttering as before, still selling stuff I can to raise funds for new furniture/projects for the home (in September I paid for about £600 worth of Ikea Besta units for our dining room all through money made selling things & a bit from surveys etc over the previous year) but also trying to get better at tidying up as we go along and also not bringing too much new stuff into the house.

It's great to see this thread so busy already, good luck with all your decluttering journeys and sorry for the brain dump, I always find it helps to share my intentions here though.

TheDoolallyDilly

Could you link to the crazy clothes challenge thread, Yorkielass? I lost a bit of weight, got rid of old, too-big and worn out clothes and had a bit of a spree which I did need to do, I only had one pair of work trousers that fit me! But now I need to be more thoughtful, and rein it in a bit!

Yorkielass

TheDoolallyDilly wrote: »

Could you link to the crazy clothes challenge thread, Yorkielass? I lost a bit of weight, got rid of old, too-big and worn out clothes and had a bit of a spree which I did need to do, I only had one pair of work trousers that fit me! But now I need to be more thoughtful, and rein it in a bit!

No problem it's here (buried in debt free diaries)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4855412

rosieben

My main decluttering today was make up - I don't wear it now and it was very old :eek: so its all gone in the bin. I didn't manage to ditch the bag of nail polishes yet.

I have stuff on freecycle and loads of responses so hopefully that will be out of the house in the next day or so ...

<looks around for next decluttering target>

LeaLea89

Hi All

I am a lurker for the majority of the time on this thread, i have posted a couple of times last year though. This year i am determined to make a push and get more things sorted out!

Over the Christmas break my hubby has been hit by the dreaded lurg so i set about cleaning the house from top to bottom. Sorting out as i go!

I now have a cleared out living room and kitchen cupboards (these were done New Years Day and seemed a good idea after the 2 bottles of wine we had out at lunch!) anyway they got done!

Last night i was in on my own as hubby has thursdays at his motor club so i set about the house after having tea, washing up done, tidying up done, and the mountain of ironing done (hate hate ironing!!) then changed the beds - pheww by 11 i was shattered, best nights sleep in ages!

Ive managed to sort out some of my smallest bedroom which seems to have become the dumping ground for everything that isnt allowed anywhere else but i want it as a craft room so thats my task for Jan to get it all sorted out and changed around.

Can't wait to have some space to leave my sewing machine out whilst doing some projects rather than having to put it all away and get it all out again when i get chance!

Ill keep you all updated, sorry for the really long post!! xx

TheDoolallyDilly

Yorkielass wrote: »

No problem it's here (buried in debt free diaries)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4855412

Thank you! I have subscribed, and am pondering on what budget to set myself. I think I would be :eek: if I worked out how much I spent last year, although I did do very well in sales, and with vouchers and discount codes etc.