2020 - banish the clutter

pixtotts

Hello
I'm hoping you'll have me back to join you again this year last year went a little off the rails >.< and I now have my studio built! Which means I have two rooms and a lot of boxes of "stuff" to sort and declutter.

I'm going to be brutal and aim for the 2020! EEK! Going to try and stick to the one in one out rule too, so for everything I bring in something has to go out. I bought a book today, so I'll start with my book to go

1. Prep - a book I've never even read - Charity

villagelife

I really must read my posts properly!
I did mean lids and not kids.

220 more paperwork shredded.

basketcase

Hi all!
More Real Life means I’ve been MIA for a while now, but I’ve been lurking and steadily decluttering. Just haven’t had the energy to type it up!

I’ve also been lurking on the Make Do & Mend and the Fashion on a Ration threads. Was talking to a friend (who’s also decluttering) the other day. We were both struck by how much we remember our mothers doing the same things. (Not having one piece of elastic for every pair of knickers we possessed but you know what I mean! Though, that said, I do remember asking my mother why she knotted elastic instead of sewing it and her saying “It’s easier to undo”. Which I never quite grasped…)

Anyhoo it got us thinking. We realised the reason we find difficulty decluttering is because we were brought up to save everything - to re-use Because You Never Know… And Brexit uncertainty isn’t helping. So. I’ve got round this by having a War Chest. I can keep 1 lot of duplicates (eg tin opener) to replace items I may need. I can also keep things to repurpose etc – but only if I’m definitely going to make/do/finish it. These don’t count as clutter (because they have a place and a purpose) but the rest has to go.

Others may not agree with this thinking but it’s helped me no end and I’ve managed to get rid of quite a lot of stuff without the twinges of guilt I was getting before. Yes, that’s right, we’re blaming our mothers!:rotfl:



The filing etc I counted everything as an item for action, it's not even pieces of paper. So it might be 1 sheet or a 10 page contract. I didn't want to group them as '2 bags of shredding' because I need to see just how many things are hemming me in. It's a lot :eek:


Since I last posted I’ve decluttered:

[FONT=&quot]36xPaper plates (To work for use there)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]33xDoilies (To work for use there)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]34xWooden Knives & Forks (To work for use there)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1xBroken Spoon (Binned)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]14xPaper napkins (To work for use there)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]19xPlastic bags (To work for use there)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4xOld jiffibags (Binned)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5xPlastic carrier bags (Recycled)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3xCreased polypockets (Binned)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3xOld CDs (Binned)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2x3 1/4" Discs (I know!) (Binned)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]4xCardboard boxes (Recycled)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]5xWorn out T-shirts (Donated) to Fireman's Charity[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]221xFiling/letters etc – that’s items, not sheets of paper (Some filed, mostly shredded, then used in rabbit's potty which will be used as compost in the containers on the verandah– a shining example of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle :rotfl:)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1xFortnum & Mason Turkish Delight Box (Repurposed - Now holding hankies)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]TOTAL SINCE LAST VISIT = 385[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]ONGOING TOTAL = 437[/FONT]

basketcase

villagelife wrote: »

I really must read my posts properly!
I did mean lids and not kids.

220 more paperwork shredded.

But it was so much more fun because you didn't!


Pity. I was going to ask where you sent them. I've got a couple myself...

newlywed

Decluttered desk at work. Added papers to the shredding bin, binned my scribbled post it notes that I no longer understand, returned excess stationery to the main cupboard and generally tidied up.

EssexHebridean

Newlywed decluttering the desk at work rang a bell with me - I did that a couple of weeks ago and pretty much startled myself with how much old carp I got shot of! I can probably do a second pass on the drawers at some stage as well. It somehow feels less rewarding than the sort of impact that can be made at home, though.

shangaijimmy

Day 30

Onward we go with gusto:
- 1 memory foam pillow well past its best to the bin
- 1 large spongebob toy that was missing loads of pieces and was just loitering in the bathroom, to the bin
- 1 light fitting to the tip
- 1 gazebo last used in approximately 2008 - to the donation point at the tip
- 1 minion lampshade to CS
- 1 Batman cave toy to CS
- 1 toy guitar to CS (I'm sure this is being returned after grandparents bought it!)
- 1 rucksack to CS
- 1 carrier bag of old gym clothing to CS

Sa1sysoo

Sa1sysoo wrote: »

Aaaand of course I forgot to subscribe, and then I couldn't find my post!

1. Marathon Paperwork - Recycled
2. Sandals - Charity Bag
3. Rabbit Slippers - Charity Bag
4. Leggings - Charity Bag
5-7. Mobile Phones - Recycled
8-10. Reward Point Cards - Binned
11. Eye Shadow - Binned
12. Earrings - Charity Bag
13. Kinder Egg Collection - Charity Bag
14. Lego Figures - Charity Bag
15-23. CDs - Charity Bag
24-25. Nail Varnish - Binned
26-39. Nail Varnish - Charity Shop
40-41. CDs - Charity Bag
42-65. Books - Sold
66-67. Video Games - Sold
68-69. DVDs - Sold
70-91. Christmas Cards - Recycled
92. Dinosaur Model - Charity Bag
93. Dot to Dot Book - Completed and Recycled

Solid start. Here's hoping I can break the 700-odd from last year.

Filled up another page in my notebook, so time to add on here again.
94. Video Game
95-109. Books to Ziffit
110. DVD on eBay
111-114. Books on eBay
115. Body Scrub UU
116-120. Pine cones on sticks
121-122. Refillable Bottles from a Theme Park
123. Manager Book given to a friend
124-133. Cheap Coin Belts
134-139. Out of Date Nuts and Raisins in the bin
140. Bag of Icing Sugar binned
141-158. Plastic tubs recycled
159. Dead plant
160-191. Beer glasses to the Charity Shop :beer:
192-195. Bottle Openers to the Charity Shop :beer:
196-215. Test tubes used for shots to the Charity Shop :beer:
216. Christmas Penguin Tin
217. Body Scrub - UU

The kitchen is looking much tidier and it's so much easier to find things now. Plus, we can open drawers without their being a tangle of bits in there. :j So freeing! :A

Willowtree222

575-576 - two make up bags donated to someone at work

couple of ebay items ending over the next few days. x

oceanspirit

It saddened me greatly to read in the news this week that particles of plastic are now being found in the waters around Antarctica.

It's always worth checking with a CS before binning things. I sent OH to BHF with some soft toys this week, one of which was over 30 years old and I thought they wouldn't be able to take it because of the lack of labelling. They said if it doesn't comply and it can't be put out for sale, the fabric will be recycled and they will get some money for it that way. So, both the charity and the environment win.

Today's totals:-

18 cardboard boxes into recycling
14 items paperwork
1 item to CS