2020 - banish the clutter

Willowtree222

I've just been told I am back in work full time next week so the huge declutter when moving furniture back can't happen how I want it to. Instead, I will be putting the furniture back and then pulling out a box bit by bit and sorting through it that way. 
Carpet is being fitted in the bedroom on Saturday morning, which will mean that I can at least empty half the spare room. The other half of the spare room is the display cabinet things that need sorting. Having my room stuff out will give me the room to sort the other things and then hopefully I can close the door! 

Ilovemycatsmadly

Hello
Can I join please?
I am having a declutter nightmare! My home is a 1-bedroom flat which has been a wip for roughly a couple of years now. I have help from a support worker as I struggle on my own and then last year, my mum who I was looking after as she has alzheimers went into hospital then into a care home. This means I am still sorting her house out as she was a hoarder and living in a 3 bedroom house, in December I just stood in a bedroom and cried! Doing both as been a big strain on me and the pandemic hasn't helped, there are days I have buried my head and can't move for the pain my body is in. Nothing has been done decluttering wise on mine since March as my support worker is not allowed in the flat, I am shielding but I have gone back to decluttering at mum's one day a week for a couple of hours if poss. Boxing stuff up and taking to the storage unit, or for charity or for me to sell. I am now left with the really big items at mum's like an electric bed, 3 wardrobes, a couple of tables etc and some bits and bobs in the front room so it is really getting there. It was hard doing mum's with all the memories, we moved in in 1982 and she had some stuff from my nan and she died in 2007. Might have some collectable stuff - star wars glasses lol. Sorry for the long post, been good to put it all down

oceanspirit

Hello Ilovemycats, you sound as though you've done really well in the circumstances.  It's not easy doing this in lockdown without your usual support. 

1 item off reading pile recycled
4 random items lying around in kitchen, binned.
24 old emails deleted

elsien

My second post from yesterday has vanished for some reason.
Total pots awaiting collection - around the 200 mark.
Two items sold, the bbq which I thought would go quickly hasn't had much interest as yet. Will donate it somewhere if I have to. 
More pleased with my "mental" decluttering. Finally got my excel spreadsheets sorted and in a manageable form to keep updated. Slightly concerned that a direct debit ended last summer and I a) hadn't noticed and b) have no idea why. Probably in one of the letters I've not read properly. 
I always used to be on top of that sort of thing and there's no real reason it's gone awry apart from life just being more stressful. Just kind of creeps up on you I suppose,  like any other sort of clutter.
Still, another gold star to motivate me - much obliged Mrs SD.

Onwards and upwards.  

elsien

Ilovemycatsmadly said:

Hello
Can I join please?
I am having a declutter nightmare! My home is a 1-bedroom flat which has been a wip for roughly a couple of years now. I have help from a support worker as I struggle on my own and then last year, my mum who I was looking after as she has alzheimers went into hospital then into a care home. This means I am still sorting her house out as she was a hoarder and living in a 3 bedroom house, in December I just stood in a bedroom and cried! Doing both as been a big strain on me and the pandemic hasn't helped, there are days I have buried my head and can't move for the pain my body is in. Nothing has been done decluttering wise on mine since March as my support worker is not allowed in the flat, I am shielding but I have gone back to decluttering at mum's one day a week for a couple of hours if poss. Boxing stuff up and taking to the storage unit, or for charity or for me to sell. I am now left with the really big items at mum's like an electric bed, 3 wardrobes, a couple of tables etc and some bits and bobs in the front room so it is really getting there. It was hard doing mum's with all the memories, we moved in in 1982 and she had some stuff from my nan and she died in 2007. Might have some collectable stuff - star wars glasses lol. Sorry for the long post, been good to put it all down

You sound like you're doing brilliantly, all things considered. A whole house cleared with all those memories is impressive.  And you can't do everything at once so your flat will happen when you are ready.
The charity shops are starting to open again now, although I'm leaving it a bit as they'll probably be inundated. 

short_bird

444: A biscuit tin of bills to recycling.
445- 451: a sticky non stick baking tray and other kitchen items to the bin
452: mixed materials recycling to the relevant bin
453-454: 3 life maintenance tasks resolved or started...
455: and another worn out pen to the bin.

elsien

And a second attempt on a kitchen food cupboard. 
I have no objection  to 5 year past its bbf date canneloni tubes, but if I've not opened the box in the last 5 years,  I'm unlikely to do so in the near future. 
And some books gone. I was hanging onto one because it was the last thing chewed by my late great mutt before she shuffled off this mortal coil.  After 10 years that's probably long enough to be sentimental for. 
And bank information for accounts that have been closed 15 years. Even the tax man rarely goes that far back.

This is getting a fraction easier as time goes on.

Willowtree222

I rearranged my food cupboard..having thought I'd done it, I saw a marmite dated Dec 2015 😱
And tomato soup sachets from Nov 2019.
Both gone in the bin. X

TC77

Hi Nicknak,  I think marmite lasts for decades but bin things I won't use. Friend said TV programme where they opened tinned food from the 1930s and it was still ok! 
2 CDs of photos binned as have put on external drive - v slow process .
1 sock in draught excluder 
3 mini chest of drawers freecycled. 
1181-1186 above 
1187 - other CDs backed up, labelled and put neatly away.
Trying to picture how I want my house to look to motivate me more.
C shops not open near us til end of the month so will have bags here til well into July to allow crowds to go down.
Hugs to those with so much going on and take care everyone . 

Gem-gem

Been doing lots of decluttering the past few days. 

Recycled:
mushroom containers
couple of glass bottles
glass jar
lots of shredded paper
lots of paper from accounts folder

Binned:
polystyrene from delivery

took back lots of things to the office before people started work this morning - lever arch folder - full
10 folders with specialist material in
big plastic box of resources

Have also Decluttered the dirt from half of the patio - started to pressure wash it. 

Now going back to read the posts