2017 - No Clutter To Be Seen

purplevamp

purplevamp wrote: »

135) Book (ebay)
136) Fairy game (Amazon)
137) Toilet roll storage holder
138) Recipe leaflet (never going to make any of them)

139-144) DVDs (to my Mum)
145) Bathroom Shelving pole (binned ~ v. rusty!!)

sallymander

Hi Everyone,

I havent had chance to catch up on this thread for a while, so Im going to post and run, sorry.

1253. Lip gloss
1254. Comb
1255-6. Eyeshadows
1257. Concealer
1258. Lipstick
1259. Makeup brush
1260. Blusher
1261. Plastic toy
1262-6. Part used body lotions
1267. Eye mask
1268-9. Magazines
1270. Bag of shreading
1271. Bag of rubbish
1272-6. 5 boxes of christmas decs
1277-9. 3 bags of christmas decs
1280. Spool of christmas ribbon
1281. Wreath hanger
1282. Xmas tree star
1283. Xmas stocking
1284-6. 3 large christmas decs
1287. Reuseable advent calendar
1288. Picture frame
1289. Document box
1290. Lp
1291. Pair of broken shoes
1292-3. Glasses
1294. Expired medication
1295-7. 3 unused body lotions
1298. Face wash
1299. Old pants
1300-1. 2 aprons
1302. Fancy shampoo
1303. Nail varnish
1304. Old eye gel
1305. Body oil
1306. Hoody
1307. Teapot
1308-9. Mugs
1310-11. Wooden hangers
1312. Wooden dish
1313. Tin
1314. Wall plaque
1315. Glass bottle
1316-45. 29 old map books
1346. Old deoderant
1347. Cookbook

sallymander

Oh forgot,

1348. Sewing pattern sold online
1349-52. Magazines.
1353. Tennis balls

Saver-upper

After kids went to bed tonight,I did a second pass of the shelving unit at the top of the stairs.Found lots of clothes to donate,which I will list when they leave the house.But out of the house tonight:

Binned:
1726-1727:2 very old lipsticks.I haven't worn make-up for at least 20 years,so one of them I must have bought purchased before that,and the other one was a gift from somebody who didn't realise I don't wear make-up,I guess
1728:2 pairs of tweezers.Again,must be many years old.Haven't used tweezers for about 15 years,I don't think

Recycled:
1729:copy of a trashy magazine from July 2014.Not sure how it has hung around for so long
1730:one (!) old school shoe
1731:tiny jam jar with lid (from tidying kitchen earlier in the day,not the shelving unit tonight)

roundtuit

51 pair of DS's holey socks - binned
52-53 bunches of flowers past their best - recycled

Cassox

Hi

Along with my finances I need to sort out the tip I live in.

Where do I start? How do you part with things you have been given even if they are in the loft (always worried about hurting someone's feelings.

I just opened a drawer to give it a go and went into complete meltdown 😳

Saver-upper

Hi Cassox,welcome to our friendly thread :beer::j.
I have been decluttering on and off for about the last 4 years.I have bursts which last for,say,6 months,then do nothing for months at a time,then I get back onto it.

This particular declutter I am doing,has been going since October 2016,a few months after we moved back into our house after a large extension.It is only the last few weeks that I have been able to look around my house and think "actually,it doesn't look to bad":T.Even when we (me,OH and 4 kids) have been a bit messy for a busy couple of days,I look around the house and think "It won't take very long to clear up".In the past I would get overwhelmmed by the state of the house.

Soooooooooooooo,I think the best thing to do,is simply start!If you are overwhelmed,start with something small,eg,a side in the kitchen.Just one side.Look at what is on it,and bin/recycle any obvious rubbish.Then,maybe the side has washing up on it to be done.Do that.Then,it might be time for a break.It is important to rest.Alot of decluttering facebook pages/websites I visit suggest 15 minute bursts.15 clearing,then 15 rest.But find a system that suits you.
So,that might be enough for one day.Make a conscious effort to keep that side clear.Then the next day,concentrate on another area .And keep adding to it.

When the place looks a bit better (but maybe not perfect,becasue you still have to declutter),you can see what you have to declutter.It is often suggested that you start work on rooms that don't have too many emotional connections,eg kitchen,or bathroom.I spent about 3 weeks going through my kitchen:every drawer,every cupboard,the junk drawer,food cupboard,under sink.As I went,I did one drawer/shelf at a time:empty it,wipe down,only put back stuff you will use/food still in date.Donate,sell,give away excess cups,plates,utensils,electrical goods,gadgets you don't use,broken and chipped stuff.

Then continue this way through the harder stuff: a wardrobe of clothes,a shelf of clothes,papers (ugh!).Just work on one "thing" at a time.

As I say,my house is starting to look quite good at the moment.But I still have boxes of papers to sort out,and a LOFT_FULL :eek::eek::eek: of kid's drawings,old clothes,school books,baby toys etc.I am putting that off for now,but I still,of an evening,pull out a bag/box of papers to sort.And to complete a box,could well take me a week-deciding what to do with contents,actually doing it,etc.

Sorry for the long post.I just think it is importsnt to not be overwhelmed,and just to realise that it has taken a long time for the house to get like this,and it will take a bit of time.But,buy getting a few "small wins" (a side,a shelf,a wardrobe,a box),you are motivated to keep going.These days,for the first time ever,I am constantly finding bits lying around,and I just chuck them.Where I used to think "Oh,look at these random bits of stuff that has been sitting around forever.I'd better keep them just in case",I now just get rid of it.

I have recently been donating toys and kids clothes that I had been storing in a wardrobe for about 8 years:eek:.I used to tell myself "I will sell it on Facebook".And every now and again I did list stuff to sell.But that took ages: find the different fb pages to sell on/gumtree etc.Wait for people to express interest.Send several emails back and forth as people dither, then arrange a meeting time.Be let down at the last minute.Relist,rinse and repeat.But still I held onto stuff thinkng I will do it all again "later".Well,gradually,I have started letting some of these pieces go.And it feels good :j:j:j.Nobody died,the sky did not fall in,I did not wish I had tried again to sell for £5-10,and mostly I can't even remember what the items were:o.We do attach so much importance to stuff.I now find the space feels better than all that stress.
Good luck,and don't forget to keep checking in here to keep motivated.

Saver-upper

PS Cassox,I know it is hard to get rid of things that people give us.My inlaws are very generous to our family.When the kids were little,they used to give us tooooooooooooooooo mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnny toys and clothes.They still give lots,but not overwhelming like it was when kids were littler.I used to hold onto toys,even after some of them became unuseable,because inlaws had bought back from overseas holidays.My mum-in-law,bless her,still gives me clothes,alot that I will never wear.I used to hold onto them for years because I felt bad doing anything else.This declutter,though,I am letting go.So many clothes to charity,still with tags on.One way to look at it,is that the people who give us these things,would never mean for their gifts to be a burden.Of course,I don't know what sort of items you are holding onto because you don't want to offend.but.say,if it is furniture/decorations/household goods,you could always explain you are redecorating/wanted a change.

If you are just storing it in the loft already,is anyone really going to check you still have the item?It would be a brave soul that tried to tackle the aluminium ladder into my loft-space,filled with piles of stuff so high that sometimes when you pull the cord to turn on the light,it has absolutely no effect because the mountain of stuff infront of light-bulb is too high.A couple of times previously I have thought the globe had broken :eek::rotfl:.

somerandom

somerandom wrote: »

839 & 840 - 2 x spectacles for recycling

841. sunglasses case
842. pJ bottoms

Cassox

Thank you Saver Upper.

Your post is really helpful. I like the 15 minute rule. I am going to start with your suggestion of clearing 1 of my kitchen surfaces as they are well hidden.

Letting go of things will be a big challenge but I'm going to give it a go.

Small steps. Good luck and well done with what you have and continue to achieve