2020 - banish the clutter

TC77

Thank you Mrs SD and short_bird for encouraging words.
The pile of keys and bike locks have been in the waiting for find a partner drawer for about 2 years I think !
Realise if I don't tackle difficult areas (Which are most) I'll be in the same position next year

23 non working phone charger binned
24 wash bag with dodgy zip
25 - 28 presents I bought as spares returned to shop
29- 31 clothes bought on line taken back
32 garden rubbish cleaned up and binned
33 helped DD 2 (15 ) tidy room and hoover
34 extra rubbish taken out of DD2 room
35 - 36 Presents bought and not given out in CS bag - hate admitting they're not going to suit anyone in close family /friends
Had been putting DIY things together on freecycle over last few weeks but only picked up today
so 37 - 50 DIY bits and pieces

51 - 54 tops to CS bag (counting now so I don't have to keep counting so counting when go in the bag)

really helpful to see everyone's journey and wishing every the best with decluttering alongside all the trials and tribulations of life

TC

Willowtree222

Thanks, hope you get the holiday thing sorted. That must be so very stressful.

xx

short_bird

46-49: 3 bras in a jiffy bag to breast cancer charity
50-52: outstanding life maintenance jobs seen off including a pile of receipts binned or torn into tiny pieces
53: letter to former neighbour returned to sender again :mad:

shangaijimmy

Day 11
- Charity bag full of clothes from DS2 set of drawers that no longer fit (we can now both open and close the drawers without force or swearing).
- Carrier bag full of old, small, odd and/or holey socks and underpants of DS2s
- Carrier bag full of carp from the hallway drawer of terror (1 drawer done, 1 to go)
- 1 pair of earphones that a guest pooch chewed!

We've also had a new fridge delivered today and the old one, plus all the packaging from the new one, is loaded in the car ready to go the tip in the morning (sadly delivery times didn't allow disposal today). Now I'm not completely counting this as decluttering, but when exploring the fact that I've not put it in the garage whilst contemplating fixing and selling, or selling for spares and repairs, and then doing neither for 6 months...I'm counting this as a moral victory!!

I have 2 more drawers in DSs room awaiting my new found ruthlessness tomorrow, alongside that other hallway drawer of terror.

Stay strong everyone!

jammydodgersandrhl

slowly but surely my house is starting to look a bit tidier! It's still very much as working progress but I am noticing a difference already. I have gone through the bathrooms and decluttered unused/old shower cremes and body butters that will never get used (sensitive skin). Next mission is the trousers that are too small for me round the waist that need to be donated to CS.

ChasingtheWelshdream

The house feels like tetris at the moment! :rotfl:

This week I've rehomed some bits with colleagues and have several bags ready for tip run tomorrow. Our council is fastidious with recycling categories, NOTHING recyclable can go in the general waste, and our wheelie bin is only collected every three weeks, so can't afford to waste space in there. The hallway is lined with various shopping bags labelled metal, soft plastic, hard plastics etc. and I dismantle items as I go but I'm getting fed up of navigating around them now so will take a trip to the centre tomorrow.

Just made a surprising couple of sales on ebay, which I was expecting to CS and didn't think was worth very much. A bidding war happened so very happy. :money:

I've got a couple of choccy boxes put by for the food bank, and have rummaged through the mending basket - fixed a couple of things and binned some others that have been there so long that DS has already outgrown

Had a good look at the paperwork tray and did any relevant admin. I have boxes and boxes that need to be gone through at a later date, but am trying to keep on top of the 'incoming' stuff by dealing with it promptly - to avoid another box!

Tomorrow's job is the shoe mountain in the hallway. I'm pretty sure half the kids shoes are too small and can be chucked - they are usually in no fit state to pass on or CS. I'm not sure if they are recyclable or not though.....

Other than that, I am pootling along and trying to just do something with bits and bobs as I find them. Be that re-homing or simply making a conscious effort to put an item in it's proper place.

Slowly slowly I think for me!!

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

[/QUOTE] Currently very stressed 😫 as have been unable to check in online :mad: & there is a problem with the references that had been fully sorted out over a week ago & confirmed as sorted out :mad: DH was in tears 😭 & is attempting to get it sorted now. I will update later.
MrsSD[/QUOTE]

Couldn’t sort it out over the phone as 87th in line :eek: So all 3 of us bathed (one at a time before anyone says anything :rotfl) Finished the last bit of packing, taxi arrived early, journey not too bad to Gatwick. Obtained our room keys, dropped off our bags then down to Spoons for beers & dinner. DH went to check in desk & was informed he had to contact the travel agent - even more stress :mad: then reply to the email DH sent - no joy - YET MORE STRESS :mad::mad: We ate - burgers for DH & DSis, sausages, mash, peas & gravy for me - yummy 🤤
DH visited check-in again - more reasonable person on the desk advised that no problem with no spacing for our names. Had a couple more beers to celebrate then coffee & cake & in our rooms by 11:00. Hopefully tomorrow will be stress free ;)

Well Done:- newlywed, winspiration, TC77, short_bird, shangaijimmy, jammydodgersandrhl, ChasingtheWelshdream :T:T:T:T:T:T:T

Sorry for the skimpy cheerleading but need to go to sleep :rotfl:

MrsSD
22/2020

Willowtree222

Have a lovely time MRS SD

I have read that so many of us on here have sensitive skin. I get loads of products I don't use and regift a high proportion of them. Any ideas as to what to do with the others, other than bin them?

I went through the receipt tray this morning and binned 20. As they are small, I will class it is as just 5 items. I got rid of some pods for a machine I have that doesn't work (they have expired anyway)- will class it as one box even though the box is full
An old box of hot chocolate found, again out of date. That's 7 items this morning, and I now have my second empty kitchen cupboard.

Hope everyone else has a good day.
I have a big bookcase ending today. It has bids on so I am hoping that will be gone this week. One of my other items has 11 bits to it, and is being collected tomorrow so at least my work day will have items leaving my house. Off to update my signature. x

ClaireT13

Please may I join you all? I've been reading since the start of the thread and I'm hoping that 2020 will finally be the year that I get on top of the clutter we have accumulated since my children were born 13 years ago. As I have a long way to go, I'm going for the full 2020.

I took advantage of my day off on Tuesday, and started in the airing cupboard as it was so cluttered so changing beds became a real chore. I then started to declutter DS1's gaming room and change it around to make it a nicer place to be. He has autism and will not let us change anything but I wanted him to see how nice it could be. It worked so well, he came home from school and loved it. He has been literally living in there since Tuesday. While I don't want them gaming all day, every day, I'll let it slide until he gets used to the new room! I still need to declutter all his clothes and only keep those he will actually wear but hopefully I'll make a start on that today.

It really spurred me on so yesterday DS2 helped me to declutter his room. So, here is my list so far (all that I can has either been recycled or CS, not selling at the moment as need to see some gone or I won't carry on):

1-9 Duvet covers
10-18 Pillowcases
19-24 Blankets
25 Shirt
26-27 Hoodies
28 Shorts
29-30 Towels
31 Curtains
32 Tablecloth
33 Promo banner
34 Valance sheet
35-36 Mattress Protector
37 Sheet
38-39 Pants
40 An absolute mountain of old Match Attax cards (they haven't even noticed they have gone)
41 Tea towel
42 Bunting
43 Book
44 Alarm Clock
45 Bunch of old leads - they have been there however long and we haven't needed them fingers crossed
46 Out of date cream
47-48 Old paint trays
49 Lamp shade
50-51 Old boxes
52 Old batteries
53 Old school shirt
54 Folders
55 Old sticker album
56 Bag
57 Crisp packets shoved behind desk draws
58 A single shoe
59 Purse
60-71 T-shirts
72 Old homework book
73 Skateboard wheels (no idea what happened to the stakeboard!)
74-78 Shorts
79 Old football kit
80-84 Old socks
85-86 Pairs of shoes
87 Scarf
88 Draw tidy

Today, I'm tackling clothes in DS1 bedroom and the playroom that has all their Christmas presents that they don't know where to home. It literally looks like a bomb's gone off in there.

Thanks for the inspiration that has come from this thread. I almost certainly wouldn't have started unless I had stumbled across this.

Have a great day!

villagelife

MrsSD enjoy your holiday and hope it is all stress free from now.

90-94 reading glasses and cases put in the glasses box at work. They are collected by local Lions club.
95 old electric cable not sure what is was from.