2020 - banish the clutter

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Good decluttering work sillyvixen - 2020 will be a good year

Sooo jealous VfM4meplse :snow_grin. You are absolutely correct - emptied kitchen cupboards are a thing of beauty :T makes my heart soar :rotfl:

Good start greenbee :T I did :rotfl: at the mention of the kids :rotfl: Really pleasing when large items leave :T I love it - donating your clutter to your brother :T just make sure he doesn’t decide to declutter back to you :rotfl:

More good work Wednesday2000 :T Charity shop will love you for not giving them Christmas stuff :T & a Tip trip - you are putting us to shame no more breakages please at least the rule of 3 is over & done

Will you do anything special with monies from sales jacwins? You are allowed to treat yourself - after all you are doing all the hard work I bet your cousin was happy with the extra Christmas presents :T. Absolutely your challenge, your rules :rotfl: You have made an excellent start :T

Yeah, yeah, yeah elsien :rotfl that is your story & you are sticking to it :rotfl:

ChasingtheWelshdream - absolutely no need to number aiming not to hoard is a great target Had to laugh at the XMas pud tale - I have one dated March 2017 which will be eaten in the next couple of days :rotfl:

Excellent advice bit by bit This year I have used pen & paper to note each person’s targets - I will then try to remember to encourage - either gently or not so gently :rotfl: & will award gold stars. For those who are not numbering but are decluttering you will not miss out on gold stars - I have very eclectic reasons for making an award :rotfl: A Happy New Year to you too

Hi there newlywed :hello: nice to see you Vigorous cleaning & decluttering will help with the weight decluttering - or at least that is what I tell myself :rotfl: Excellent advice to ChasingtheWelshdream :T An excellent start on your decluttering journey & really nice to be in a position to gift aid :T

Ancientmum, my DH usually takes them to the Tip - usually have a special electricals/electronics section.

Welcome aboard Alli135 :hello: No need to set a target - you will know when your decluttering is successful - you will have space & be able to open doors with no risk of an avalanche of ‘stuff’ :rotfl:

Hiya mark88man - welcome aboard the Declutter Bandwagon. Sounds like an excellent plan - with an estate car you will be able to declutter absolutely loads of stuff Not a cheat to count garden decluttering after all it is another ‘room in your home’ or so I keep reading :rotfl:
One Tip trip already :T I can see you are going to spur us all on to do better

Great start eandjsmum :T. 3 of 240 - at that rate you will reach your target by the end of March :rotfl:

You are more than welcome to join us so very confused :hello: The more the merrier Planning for your retirement is a great motivational tool for decluttering - just remember that if you keep in touch with your colleagues you will still be able to re-home your clutter :rotfl:

ilovetea, thank you for the info on charity shop donations :T It is so easy to get excited about decluttering our own homes & donating items to the cs, that we quite often forget the logistics of running a charity shop. A timely reminder to check with the charity shop that they have room for your donations & that they are appropriate.

Welcome aboard killielila :hello: A nice target to aim for - 52/52 We are a very friendly group of people - all of us decluttering to make our homes havens & to make cleaning & tidying easier :rotfl: The less ‘stuff’ you have, the less stress - it always surprises me how happy I am when I have an empty drawer or clear shelf :rotfl: Do not forget to build in small rewards in your decluttering sessions - makes it easier to continue on your quest to declutter :rotfl:

Welcome back Guineapigsqueaks :T. Very encouraging that your major decluttering projects are done & dusted but now you are on the ‘maintaining a clutter free life’ :T I think we all know how easy it is for the clutter to creep back in - it is very sneaky grrrr. At times like that the ‘One in, One out’ rule is an absolute must :rotfl: You are not kidding - that is excellent progress :T & I am sure your colleagues will enjoy the chocolates in mid January :rotfl: I think paperwork is one of the banes of our lives - it seems never ending I think you have the right idea - quit whilst you still have the will to live :rotfl: Sorting paperwork is one of the quickest ways to drain your ‘Decluttering Mojo’ - one of those tasks that needs to be undertaken in small doses :rotfl:

stellata, you have made a good start & there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you will have a tidy home by the end of 2020 The wonderful thing about decluttering is that you can go at your own pace & you can have full control over the process & as you say if you do have to move it will be far easier with less stuff :T

Welcome aboard Stinking Bishop - I adore the name it is a cheese I believe You are so right - admitting you have a clutter problem is the first step. The next step is starting :rotfl: Just pick a spot & start :rotfl: Once you have one clear spot, move on to the next - eventually all those clear spots will meet up If it really is as bad as you say, then make sure you do not do massive decluttering sessions - little & often will keep your ‘Decluttering Mojo’ intact :rotfl: Any time you feel yourself flagging, just pop in & say hi 👋 I doubt if there is any decluttering challenge that has not been encountered & overcome by someone on this thread So off you go :rotfl: & don’t forget to build in little rewards between bouts of decluttering We are here to ‘help’ each other & knowing that there are many of us on the Decluttering Journey will help us - we are not alone :rotfl: What an absolutely BRILLIANT start :T Not bringing in more clutter & also decluttering :T
7 bottles of shampoo :eek: however that should see you through at least 2020


I will continue cheerleading in about an hour :rotfl:

See you later

MrsSD
cheerleader-in-chief

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Second round of cheerleading & the welcome wagon :rotfl:

Welcome aboard, in my wellies :hello: Sounds like you have your decluttering well planned & what a bonus that your son is now a home owner :T Any chance of selling ‘stuff’ ? If so, you can kill 2 birds with one stone - declutter stuff you don’t want & re-clutter with items you do want. It is always nice when your home reflects your personality rather than other people’s

Great work Bexster1975 :T It seems to be a fact of decluttering that you start one task which leads to another then another ad infinitum :rotfl: However, eventually you reach the stage when all the decluttering is done & you are just cleaning & tidying :j

Nice to see you bargainhunterss Clothes then kitchen - sounds like a plan

Glad you found us parsniphead :T 2020 is definitely your year for taming the clutter :j

:hello: & welcome aboard winspiration Sounds like exciting times ahead winding down to retirement then being busier in retirement than in work :rotfl: what with decluttering 22 years of possessions & decorating as well I am the ‘inquisitive type’ so would love to hear about your comping successes

Makethedayscount, You are very welcome to join us in the bid to divest ourselves of clutter :T It sounds like you have a real plan in place & I wish you every success in making lots of pennies to bump up your sealed pot challenge

Nice to see you Tink_04 :T There is plenty of room on board the ‘Decluttering Bandwagon’ I am looking forward to reading about your successes

Welcome back MadamMim2013 :T I love the word ‘gusto’ - it almost sounds made up :rotfl:

Suz24, a little boy - I bet he is a handful I like it :T a haven to drink Prosecco :rotfl

Where did 2019 disappear to? It is true - the years go by quicker the older you get
A new year, a new decade & an extra day to declutter :rotfl:

MrsSD
Cheerleader-in-chief

greent

Hello - I'd like to join in for 2020, please I'm a poster on the KonMari thread (which is much quieter nowadays) and used this method to great effect and still try and apply the 'joy-sparking' test to things.

There are 6 of us here in this house (aged 10 up to 50 )- 2 of whom are at uni for most of the year. We have a lot less stuff than we used to, tbh - but there is always a chance for *something* to be moving out when you have children, even if it's only because they grow!

I'm going to number my items and really like the idea of 2020 in 2020, but am genuinely not sure we have that many items to go. I'm not counting day-to-day usage (eg my shampoo I buy) but will count things we randomly have/ won't be replaced (eg: wine - we have a stash in the garage and maybe drink 2 bottles a year between us..... I have given some to the PTA etc - and hotel bottles of shampoo (currently being stashed to take away on a 3 week holiday in the Summer :T))

Alongside decluttering, we'd really like to turn our family room into a room-with-a-purpose. It's a converted double garage (previous owners converted the integral double garage and built a detached double one in the garden instead) It's rather chilly in there (we suspect the flooring wasn't done well - they were a bit of a bodgett-if-we-can and do it not-very-well on- the-super- cheap family....) It used to be my therapy room (was a massage therapist working mainly from home) and was beautiful and minimal and very tidy..... then I stopped after child no 4 and it became more of a play room. Now it houses a LOT of lego, the pending flebay/ fb00k sales (only 1 large bag for life in total - I like to keep on top of that), 3 unused items of gym equipment (cross trainer, rower, treadmill), a sofa bed (actually v comfy and will be staying as a spare for guests), some seating cubes, an IKEA kallax unit (2 x4 size) with tv on top, and games consoles and dvds in the unit, 2 bookcases/ cupboards, a large crate of paperwork relating to my nan (she has dementia and is in a care home - I'm a court appointed deputy for her and am selling her home) and the pending CS bag. We'd like to make it a multi-function room - a second living room and home gym (although it's a converted dbl garage the family room bit is only 3/4 of it - 1/4 in the far corner was walled out to make an office, which my husband uses) We have plans (and a budget...) but there is too much LEgo in there atm - but the 2 younger children do have very small bedrooms.... some though is needed on this!!!!

I have made a small start post Xmas - will list/ number it shortly. I think that I will aim for 2020 - but am not going to beat myself up too much if I don't make that - all progress is a good thing, after all!

Regarding the landfill/ disposing responsibly debate - I'm a huge fan of disposing responsibly and will always try and re-home/ donate/ recycle where I can (and encourage others to do likewise) However, if the only likely-looking destination for something is the landfill, then sometimes this has to be done - in not shifting it out of your home because you can't find an alternative you are in effect using your home as a landfill-alternative - and we are all worth so much more than that! Things like small electrical items (routers, phones, answerphones) can usually be recycled by your local council (ours will collect with recycling but most have a space at the local tip/ recycling centre for them, I believe) if you cannot re-home them via freecycle pages or other means.
x

Icandothisby2023

I'd like to join in. I either have far too much stuff or my house is too small. Can't afford a bigger house at presents so getting rid is on the cards.

mark55man

greent wrote: »

<..snip..>
Regarding the landfill/ disposing responsibly debate - I'm a huge fan of disposing responsibly and will always try and re-home/ donate/ recycle where I can (and encourage others to do likewise) However, if the only likely-looking destination for something is the landfill, then sometimes this has to be done - in not shifting it out of your home because you can't find an alternative you are in effect using your home as a landfill-alternative - and we are all worth so much more than that! Things like small electrical items (routers, phones, answerphones) can usually be recycled by your local council (ours will collect with recycling but most have a space at the local tip/ recycling centre for them, I believe) if you cannot re-home them via freecycle pages or other means.
x

Couldn't have put it better - playing pass the parcel around your house/garage with boxes is not a good look

parsniphead

Just trying to get myself motivated today. I plan to have some short bursts in my front/craft room today. I really need to make a start in here as it's a fire hazard. When I take DS to bed tonight I'm going to potter in my bedroom which is also :eek:.

Have a fab day all.

Wednesday2000

We added a box without a lid to the stuff we are taking to the tip.

My husband decluttered some weeds from the garden as well.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger wrote: »

Where did 2019 disappear to? It is true - the years go by quicker the older you get

I was saying that the other day! Next year will be 21 years that I left university. I cannot believe that. Makes me feel ancient.:rotfl:

boultdj

Well the car was filled and a trip to the tip this morning, so the 2 cupboards, a old broken DVD player, a broken storage box and load's of cardboard gone. Pity the mouse has not been decluttered yet, ended up calling in a pest firm and the blasted thing is still alive after eating the poison. Just our luck, so bro has bought down a rat trap as my Christmas present and the wait goes on.

Mrs SD, I can't declutter the cat, she's 18 years old and a rescue to boot and I promised her I would never leave her behind or get rid of her like a owner before did, 2 house move's later she's still with us. :-]

Uncluttered_unicorn

Hi, I've admitted defeat on the 2019 challenge:D. so back again to try and make good in 2020. Although we have managed to maintain most of the progress made in 2018, there are still pools of clutter, mainly craft stuff although the hall cupboard is more higgledy-piggledy than I would like. Organising the living spaces needs to be done, and I seem to have a continual battle against digital clutter. This will be a tricky year as DD has her first taste of exams but hopefully clearing up will provide good vibes.

I'll make a start once the Christmas stuff is all down.
Good luck everyone.:T

winspiration

Mrs_Salad_Dodger wrote: »

:hello: & welcome aboard winspiration Sounds like exciting times ahead winding down to retirement then being busier in retirement than in work :rotfl: what with decluttering 22 years of possessions & decorating as well I am the ‘inquisitive type’ so would love to hear about your comping successes

MrsSD
Cheerleader-in-chief

Thank you Mrs SD! Biggest wins were several holidays, to Australia, the Maldives, Guadeloupe, a Trek America road trip, Greece & Tenerife, fitted wardrobes for my bedroom, a painted mural in my kitchen and a computer. Lots of other electrical / electronic goodies and lots of different experiences too, including theatre / concert tickets, meals out, short breaks, driving day, VIP trip to a football match etc. I had a very good innings with it, and most were won in prize draws rather than skill / tiebreaker type competitions, many from local newspapers. People used to say 'oh aren't you lucky', and indeed I was - but I did work hard at it, and entered a very large number of comps every week for years. I was in various comping groups by post and later by email and went to meet ups too. I enjoyed it and might go back to it one day, but haven't felt the urge so far!