KonMari 2020 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying

Slinky

Hazelnutty said:

Thanks, greent. The boxes came from our removal company so need to return them but could offer the packing paper - good call!

Have you moved far? Our removals company wanted the boxes back but we'd moved 110 miles and although they normally do some removals involving a local airforce base, they didn't have anybody passing anytime soon. I checked with them and they were happy for me to give away.

Do be careful though, I advertised on Facebook and had a cheeky local removal bloke turn up in his van to take them. I got my husband to tell him to go and sling his hook, I wanted them to go to somebody who needed them rather than somebody who was trying to subsidise his business costs.

Hazelnutty

Hey slinky it's about 40 miles. They do seem happy to collect them, the question is when! They're on a skeleto n staff so I guess collecting boxes is low priority. We've stacked them behind the shed so it's not too bad, at least for now.
One more item has left the house - an ikea toy basket thing that DD's had since she was a baby. I'm listing most things as free because it's just good to get them moved on to someone who needs them. The elephant in our decluttering room is shoes. We are both suckers for Converse    At the moment, because the house is so chaotic and we've had to have some urgent work done (complete new heating system  ) most of the shoes are in the loft. But seeing them all laid out it was kinda embarrassing so we will have to tackle them at some point.

Slinky

Talking shoes, many years ago I worked briefly as a housekeeper in a hotel. One couple on their honeymoon, she had brought about 20-30 pairs of shoes with her for a week. They were all arranged in a corner of the room (there could have been more in the closed wardrobe, never thought about that before!). Not one pair was in decent condition, many of them would have been better binned!

Hazelnutty

You'd have to be changing shoes 3 times a day!
Some recent successes. Decided to let my king mattress and all the trimmings go for free. It was quite an expensive orthopedic one but had to downsize to a double in the new place and frankly it's better gone quickly than trying to get money for it. Lovely NHS worker came to get it so very happy.
Also sold a wooden carver chair which my dad had given me but we literally had nothing else that matched it and nowhere to store it  It has to be contactless cash in an envelope these days and the buyer overpaid me as he didn't have the right money, so I suggested I donate the extra. He chose a charity close to my heart so I doubled it and it was just the loveliest FB sale interaction. Compared to my experiences in the last place, it's been generally positive in the new one 
Going tomorrow are some bedside cabinets so feeling like there's some progress!
Not at all decluttering but it was lovely to make the most of the sun and breeze today and get lots of washing done. Popping out after dinner for a long walk as it's too busy for OH during the day. Hope you're all having good weekends

Slinky

Got a slot at the tip booked for tomorrow - yay!  All the odd bits that have built up for a few weeks can go.

Our nutty neighbours seem to have caught our gardening bug. We painted our fence, then the back of theirs (with their permission), they have now painted their side the same colour and have had a good tidy up which it looks like they hadn't done for years. However today the lady of the house decided to have a bonfire to get rid of garden clippings - lovely green stuff which produced huge amounts of smoke. We grabbed the washing off the line and I dashed upstairs to close the bedroom windows, and I spot that she's burning this garden waste in her BBQ!  In all of this she left her own windows wide open!

greenbee

I burn my garden waste on my bbq... but a. it's HUGE (and is also a firepit) and b. I'm burning very old dry pallets that burn very hot and very fast and don't make much smoke. I had a fire this evening (closing windows first) assuming that on Sunday evening most people were in, it was cooling down so windows were closing, and no one had their washing out. Unlike my neighbours who had a bonfire on a weekday while my washing was out... I probably should have cooked on it too!

PollyWollyDoodle

Finally, finally - I gave away my bike on Freegle. I parted with it with a pang, but had to admit that I haven’t used it since I moved here ... thirteen years ago. It was badly in need of some TLC and I cannot see myself ever cycling again. So, a space in the garage and I hope someone else is going to enjoy using it. 

tanyalasagne

I don't normally comment in here, but I do love to read along, and I didn't want to see the thread disappear, so! 

Lock-down has given me more of an incentive to have a good sort out, spending much more time in has made me realise some hot spots are annoying me.  So the spare room has had a good sort out, and good use made of storage boxes that were freed up, I have also thoroughly blitzed the wardrobes.  I have been using up my 'ehem' large stash of wool and getting projects part done (for some time) completed, and some other craft projects have been completed.  It has made an icky situation a little better, and feel like I have achieved something - still a way to go (and more to go from the spare room - for sure!).  Four bags ready to go to the charity shop are sat in the garage, and a bag of books for a local fundraiser which will hopefully happen in July, more to add one finished.  Let me know how you are all fairing, it will be good to see some positive stories

Hazelnutty

Evening all. Another set of the curtains left by the previous owner were collected yesterday and some of DD's clothes are going tonight, both free. I'm wondering when the charity shops and donation centres will reopen? Maybe July? I guess there'll be a rush as everyone who's done a lockdown declutter descends! We're still struggling for space so really could do with a trip to a charity shop and another to the dump, particularly as the work we need doing on the new house will happen over the summer (as long as we don't have a 2nd spike). 

Igamogam

Hazelnutty said:

Evening all. Another set of the curtains left by the previous owner were collected yesterday and some of DD's clothes are going tonight, both free. I'm wondering when the charity shops and donation centres will reopen? Maybe July? I guess there'll be a rush as everyone who's done a lockdown declutter descends! We're still struggling for space so really could do with a trip to a charity shop and another to the dump, particularly as the work we need doing on the new house will happen over the summer (as long as we don't have a 2nd spike). 

Its been a slow and steady declutter here too but we have now rented a lockup as our 2 adult children returned home from their interrupted world travels back in March so we decided to 'empty' as much as we could as we had about 4 days notice of their return. Of course they have done their own decluttering  since being home. we have done as much recycling as possible. Eb*y and Fr**gle picked up again and our local recycle centre has opened and have sent a box of books to Z*pper but we still have lots bagged and boxed ready to go to CS...... and no spare rooms anymore!
 I thought that WFH would mean I had oodles of time and finally get it all done..........Ha! Tentative one day step back into the workplace next week. I think with structure back into the day will mean I suddenly have more time IYSWIM!!