2015 - No Clutter To Be Seen

S-Iam

Yeah :j 4 bags of stuff have been dropped off at various charity shops :j, so finally out of the dining room :j

I tried on a pair of boots I've not worn in over 6 years to see if they were as uncomfortable as I remembered. Yep! They were So they've finally made it as far as the charity bag.

I've also added a top to the charity pile.

A pair of sandals - well past their best have been binned.

Eta - forgot to add, I rehomed 2 boxes of books yesterday. I don't want to get rid of them, but I don't need them at the moment, so they will go up the loft. Another job for DH tomorrow

Iwanttosave

Hi
Afraid a holiday, and life events put my declutter on hold. I am now back, and have made a start today. Although I did not bring anything junk like back from holiday, which I was impressed with. Not even any chocolate! Well done everyone.

mamaninie

Saver-j, I find magazines to be a total tyranny. The money they cost enslaves is into thinking they have value, but there's so little in them that you can't find on the Internet in a much more convenient format. I would be tempted to just recycle the lot and never buy another one ever. Which is pretty much what I have done it doesn't sound like keeping them is causing you much joy, so perhaps it's time to say goodbye to them xx

lynnejk

saver-j wrote: »

Help! I've been reading along and slowly decluttering since the start of the thread, and normally reading inspires me to keep going. But currently I'm stuck. I'm sat surrounded by magazines / papers that I've sorted into piles but now have just stalled and can't bring myself to read them or even decide what to do about them. I read something someone else does with magazines a few pages back that I will do so will put those to one side to read in smaller chunks another time, but I have tons of articles I've previously pulled out of magazines etc, and other paperwork and just don't know where to start. Saying this sounds pathetic but I just feel I need some encouragement or I might just stick it all back in the cupboard.

Sounds like you've overwhelmed yourself there. I would put all the piles except one out of sight and just do that one first.


Sort into 'throw out', 'keep', 'check through', then put 'throw out' in a bag, the 'keep' ones put away and look at the 'check through' pile.


When you've done those get another pile out and do it all over again. Little steps may be a better way forward


I have put out 35 books, leaflets and magazines. A few of them I might be able to sell and the rest will be cs or rc. These are all from my big bookcase so I can now tackle the shelves in the guest room next.


Hope you all have a super Sunday


Lx

stellata

Can I have some encouragement please people, I cant see any light at the end of the tunnel yet.
21. Pretty china sandwich tray. Cs
22. 4 books CS
23. Ornamental tin CS
24. Letterholder in shape of a horse (??) CS
25. Biscuit holder CS
26. Cheese grater (another one!) CS

I meant to do 3 a day in feb but have hardly managed more than 1.
Today im on my own so will get on with it.

Seraphim

On the magazines front, have any of you looked at your local library's online magazine offering? As long as you have a library card, you can access their online magazines for free. Each council subscribes to different magazines so it's not guaranteed what's available.

Essex libraries are good - they have loads of really good titles including Evo, Top Gear, Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, New Scientist etc etc. If you've got an iPad, the app (Zinio) is brilliant. So not only saving money 'cos it's free, but also less clutter as it's all virtual!

Skintmama

65. 2 cotton Jackets - CS
66. 2 pairs jeans – CS
67. 2 pairs jeans – bin
68. Plastic coat hangers – bin
69. Several blouses – CS
70. Several jumpers – CS
71. Several dresses – CS
72. Old make up – bin
73. Tatty make up bag – bin
74. Broken nightlight holder – bin
75. Ancient hair products – bin
76. Several unflattering (for me) tops – CS
77. 3 pairs trousers – CS
78. Ear muffs – CS
79. Cardigan – CS
80. Suede jacket – CS
81. Defrosted and cleared out the chest freezer

I have been away so have not caught up with the thread yet and a bit behind also with the decluttering. As you can see I have done my wardrobe. I hoarded clothes in case I couldn't afford to buy more; however when things don't suit or don't fit there isn't any point! Anyway it is fantastic to be able to have things hanging properly instead of being wedged in, so I can actually see what is there now.
You are all so inspiring and this thread is definitely helping to keep me going :A


Stellata – just giving you an encouraging nudge towards your clutter if you aren’t on the job already

Seraphim – thank you for the tip about reading magazines online via the library website. I have never noticed any magazines in situ at my local library unfortunately.

Saver - j – Magazines can be a sticking point with me too so I understand where you are at with that one!

Saver upper – no matter how chaotic your bedrooms look for the moment, there is still a lot less clutter and all will be well very soon

BettiePage

The slow creep of 'stuff' is starting again. I'm on annual leave starting on Friday, so have bought some extra bin bags to get myself motivated again, as the 'stuff' is beginning to annoy me now.

Saver-upper

Aww.thank you Skintmama,that is lovely of you.Yes,it will all get there.

I must make my OH sound like the worst in the world sometimes.He isn't really-he just has a problem with,shall we say,inertia.He means well (I think!),is a fantastic dad,works hard,and puts up with my moods that come out when the house is out of order,etc.

But he IS,like his dad, a hoarder,and he can't even see it.He can't see anything wrong with owning what must be close to 1000 DVD's scattered around the house,a double garage so crammed with "stuff" that once you open the door you cannot step inside :eek::eek:,35 years worth of Warhammer and other fantasy tabletop games (figures,paints,boxes of games,many never opened,associated books),and a small dining-room with sooooooo many piles of books,figures,computer bits,and random purchases from cheap-jack shops that you can't access any of it anyway.WHY????

It is beyond me why it would take more than the Christmas holidays to empty out three bedrooms (one at a time),paint and carpet them,throw out/donate the stuff you don't need anymore,and store nicely the stuff you do.Yes,it would be hard work,but the rooms are not huge.The largest one he painted only took a day,but that was spread over about 3 days-a few hours at a time.Why????

Anyway,to his credit,he painted most of the third bedroom (tiny box room) last night (and horrified our 11yo boy by telling him about the birds and the bees at the same time :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:).Hopefully that painting will be finished tomorrow,then carpet laid in time for me to start getting the house back in order on my next day off,Wednesday.

Promised myself I was only going to sit on the 'puter til noon,so am now running late.Got the rest of the day to "tidy","sort" and declutter.I have set myself mini-target of throwing out at least 100 pieces of rubbish (and I think my definition of rubbish might be different to that of the rest of my family mwahahahaha.............)

saver-j

Thanks everyone for the support.

I've decided I might start a list as it might help me realise what I have done not focus on what I have left so starting yesterday...

1-27 magazines to recycling bin
28. swimsuit that had gone saggy bin
29. broken flip flops bin
30. bag of clothes to recycling (already bagged up so not sure how many items were in there)
31-2. 2 dead plants compost
33. bottle opener to CS
34. about an inch of articles previously torn out of magazines / newspapers to recycling

Still have loads to go but I must remember how long it's taken to accumulate it's not going to vanish overnight (unless I can become extremely ruthless and I wouldn't be where I am if I was!)

Saverupper hope you've made some progress with your bitty sorting too. I still have a lot to go through but am trying to focus on progress made not what I haven't done.

mamaninie I agree about the cost / value point, I actually stopped buying them myself ages ago, but often get given them by other people and have some I get sent as part of memberships that have really accumulated. Making a step in the right direction now.

lynnejk, thanks I was totally overwhelmed, that is what I have done and am taking small chunks at a time now.

stellata, even 1 item a day is better than not doing any, hope you're having a productive day today.

seraphim - thanks for the tip

skintmama - well done on the clothes declutter, that is something I will have to tackle at some point too.

Hope everyone has a good sunday