2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

vulpix

 I caught up with last years thread, I am so sorry to hear about Violet, what a lovely name.x
Grannykate perfect sentiments, what I would have said if I was eloquent enough.
 Thank you for the awards roundup Mrs SD, I am shocked at my/our embarrassment of awards.  
Thank you all for the camaraderie and friendship.
 Vx

mehefin

Started as I mean to go on. One kitchen drawer sorted
Out went:
2 keyrings from garages
plastic box which once had 35mm film in (remember them ?)
A key which fits nothing
A dead keyring torch
Some ood sticking plasters

Rehomed -  
Bluetack
clips and thumb tacks
loads of shoelaces of various colours and sizes.

Also attacked the pile of towels and reallocated some for the field  and some for the local dogs home (mostly ones Mrs. M used when we dyed her hair and inevitably got some spillage on.
Rest put away in a different cupboard

Not counting, just doing. Hope thats' ok MrsSD?
Mehefin

Florenceem

I am celebrating small wins - now have space around my computer desk. I have sorted out 7 bags of stuff!
Mr F was up an hour later than me and didn't get dressed for 3 hours. He just had his lunch and nodded off - he hasn't done anything apart from making cups of tea since getting up.
I know how I got in a mess in my craft room - stuff from SA to list on V.  I need to sort through it - send some to the charity shop and then organise the rest for photos - it will take time but I can do this!
In an effort to keep Mr F awake - I am going to take him to SA - the recycling man is due this week and there are lots of donations in the foyer.

Brie

Ideas of where to donate things - it's not just charity shops!

Yesterday when I was at the food bank we were sorting out some gift packs of smellies and setting them aside for mothers' day presents.  So if you've got something that hasn't been used, maybe a "wrong" present, giving it to a food bank might be possible sooner than giving it to a charity shop.  Don't forget almost every supermarket these days has a collection box which may make it realllly easy for you to deposit an item or three.

Likewise winter to spring clothes - we have a clothing rail with nice quality, good condition coats to offer to people who are wet/shivering when they come to collect food.  Again - maybe there were some "wrong" presents from Christmas - socks you know you will never wear, shirt 2 sizes too small etc.  

Otherwise - have a look for a local "wear to work" place.  We've some near us, often for one gender or the other.  So nice interview outfits, or business like suits, good quality shoes, shirts, ties, unused tights - whatever will make an individual a better job prospect and maybe also give them a bit of a boost knowing that they look the part. 

Women's shelters are another place often needing things.  If a woman leaves an abusive relationship with a couple of young ones she may be rushing out with the bare minimum.  She may need workwear, the kids may need the basics of a school uniform.  She might like one of those cosmetic bags with nice soap and lotion and the little ones appreciate the spiderman bubblebath.  

Off now to see if we've got some of those donation bags that come through the letter box every couple of weeks.  I like to use them rather than a bin bag so there's no confusion about it containing something that is hopefully useful.  And they're free.  And I don't put them outside to get rained on, pillaged or blown down the street - they go into my car ready for me to find somewhere I can drop them off.  (note to self - declutter contents of car.....)

tibawo

So not being flush with money, i tend to put clothes on vinted. Give them a set amount of time and if they don’t sell then i take them to cash for clothes. The money goes in my 1p a day saving thing that i got from reading skint dad. 
Clothes are put in a tub under the stairs so i can easily locate and shift if needed. 
I have managed to get this system working well as doesn’t take long to upload clothes as you go and put them straight in the tub ready for a sale or moving on.

Not sure what to do with the mountain of chocolate. Might give DD a tub to take back to Uni!

Right, need food and then will crack on!

Florenceem

tibawo - what do you call a set amount of time please? I have just sold 2 pairs of jeans that I listed 4 months ago.

CRANKY40

@redofromstart our last house was full of "things" from the late Mr Cranky's hobbies, ex hobbies, renovation work on the house.... As well as the usual stuff there was an entire attic room full. When I'd more or less cleared the attic room a friend went up in the loft for me and we filled the room once more with the stuff that he'd stashed in the loft. I managed to get rid of most of it by asking his friends to come and see if there was anything that they wanted.I hope that your house decluttering runs smoothly. You too @mehefin - it's hard but probably necessary if your late dearly beloveds were the collecting type of person. Hugs to both of you too. 

P.S. there is nothing in the loft of our current house even though it's boarded. Once bitten twice shy I believe is the saying. 

basketcase

@StickyTheStickInsect
So sorry to hear about Violet.

2024 has been a sad year for pet owners all round.  My sympathies and hugs to everyone.  Sometimes, though, it's the most loving thing to do.  I had to decide the same for a dog.  He'd been bought 6 months before my father died and used to sit in the garden waiting for dad to come home from work, crying because he didn't.  He was 12, had been injured and as in pain.  He looked me in the eye with an expression that said "I'm old [for his breed], I hurt and I'm tired.  Make it stop".  So I did.

I was going to go to the TLC carriage for a quick sniffle, but wasn't sure if there'd be any tissues left! So...

@vulpix
The book in question points out that decluttering is never finished (well, unless you want to reclutter!).  Depressing, but honest and realistic.
On the subject of fitbits, I have the Samsung smart watch thing - courtesy of my son for my last birthday.  Very MSE - he'd got it free with his phone and said "I could have sold it, but decided to give it to you instead"!  (I'm, convinced he's on the spectrum...)  Anyway, I'm finding it quite motivating.  Housework and decluttering can be monitored by using the Other Workout tile and heart rates, calories burned etc can be a pleasant surprise.

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger
I don't think I ever commented on your beautiful baby blankets, although I kept meaning to.  Lovely.
Your DSis having a snowball for her NY drink brought to mind an incident that always raises a smile with me.  Years ago when dinosaurs ruled the earth, I was a teenager and the Snowball was a new drink, I went to a Christmas Ball at the local rugby club.  It was snowing heavily and the place was absolutely heaving.  A young man and I had been chatting for a while, he offered to buy me a drink and I accepted.  He eventually fought his way to the front of the bar and the conversation went like this:

Him: A pint of lager and a Snowball please
Barman: And a WHAT?
Him: A snowball
BM: (looking through the window) A snowball...
Him: Yes.  It's what the lady asked for.
BM (beleaguered and obviously not much call for snowballs in a rugby club):  Well, tell the young lady that, if she can wait till I'm a little less busy, I'll go outside and build her a b****y SnowMAN!

At which point I intervened and told the poor soul what was in it, but said I could see he was run off his feet (I wanted to say 'snowed under', but thought I'd better not!) and I'd have a glass of cider!

On the Decluttering front
Not much - I've not done anything but make lunch and wash up.  (You can't be too careful with all these superstitions flying around.  Best err on the side of caution and do nothing...😇)
BUT I did clear one area - the presents under the Christmas tree, which are now in their respective homes.  Except for 2 items from a hamper (1) a box of mince pies, which none of us likes (and my friends and families are mince pie-ed out!) and (2) a Christmas cracker full of Lindor chocolates, now decanted into a glass bowl for decluttering at leisure.  All gift bags, boxes etc put away or recycled.

Containers: 1/365
NSDs: 1/15

short_bird

Happy New Year, all! 
As yet, I don't have a set goal in mind: 2 totals again though, one for the stubborn and/or longstanding stuff and one for the daily outs. It does plan to be an unusual year as I'm on a waiting list to get my gall bladder removed and not sure exactly when that's going to happen. (prior to op, need to up my exercise and after op, several weeks of no lifting.) 
Stubborn stuff out: 
1. An unopened bottle of fancy gin that's been in the fridge for 2 Xmases, delivered to colleague! 

time2change_2

I have lurked for the last few months but would love to join in please. I'm a bit of a hoarder and have too much stuff in a small flat which just makes life difficult.

I was looking for something which would have been useful to take on holiday with me but couldn't find it, and found it about 3 weeks later roughly where I thought I was. Then I had some friends meeting at mine for an afternoon out & I realised even after "tidying" up I didn't want them looking in either bedroom as they were full of stuff.  Both made me realise enough was enough so I started in November.

For me, at the moment, I have found it best to get rid of stuff as I see it rather than "do a declutter" as such.  

I'm aiming for 730 items this year and 2025 digital items.