2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

oceanspirit

Sorted out all the old lists and been working away at crossing things off the new one.

A big frog nudged along its way - the difficult parts have now been done and I’ll start on the easier parts next week to get it completed asap.  Another frog will be attempted this morning when I get into gear and get some clothes on.  OH is out all morning so the place will be quiet enough for me to get properly focussed.

The gradual sorting out of the last few areas of decluttering is bearing fruit and the whole place is looking so much better than it was at the beginning of the year.

Am leaving the broken appliances for now as we can manage without them - the frogs have been hanging over me for too long and from a mental health angle, it’s better for me to use my time and precious energy on those first.

QueenJess

TC77 said:

Morning, watch found at hospital which is great, not my local one but will go at lunchtime.
I would love to hear tales of how decluttered spaces transform being able to find things and reduce cleaning times ( hopefully dramatically)!
Feeling abit more motivated and have pile of linen to go through at the weekend and just taken jumper off and out in cs bag as I love the colour and style is  a wee bit small and would look much better on someone else!

Well I'll give it a go...  So I started decluttering about 4 years ago I think.  I did the usual thing of going through everything, cleaning the drawer/cupboard etc and then putting back what I wanted to keep.  However, when I was "done" it didn't feel any better.  The house was always a mess (too embarrassing to have people round) and even if I spent the whole weekend clearing up, it would revert to type by the next weekend.  And I had to choose whether to clean OR tidy.  However, if you choose clean you spend more time moving things around to be able to clean so I always choose tidy.  It always meant I never got to my goal of actually having a clean and tidy house.  Things did get lost, although I generally could find things even if it took a bit of searching as it could be (a) in the place it should live or (b) on one of the piles of things "to sort out".

So when I finished the first declutter I went round again, and again, and again and each time I went round I couldn't believe how much more I still found to declutter.  It was madness.  In the midst of all of this I questioned how much stuff I actually used, wanted, could actually deal with on a daily basis given I work full time with two little kids and am not a tidy person (if it takes more than 1 second to put away I won't do it).  I also challenged my idea of what is a "normal" amount of stuff by looking at minimalism blogs and videos to help me "break through" decluttering plateaus.  I also questioned and continue to question what is worth buying, will I really use it or will it become clutter in my house.  I also questioned what I want to do/what is important to me and what isn't (baking = yes, tidying = no).  I seriously raised the bar on the criteria of what I allow into the house whilst also lowering my perfectionist standards of cleanliness/tidiness in the house.  I also relaxed around kids bringing stuff in because we don't buy them anything outside of xmas/birthdays unless it is a need (e.g. clothes, shoes etc) and anything they bring in is their own money.  They both are pretty good at decluttering because they've seen me do it so often.

Is my house utterly perfect?  No... I still tend to buy too much food (I'm working on that) and I still need to organise a ton of photos, but every day that passes is better than the previous day.  Day to day my house is effortlessly tidy and I'm never embarrassed to have anyone round any time.  My day to day tidying is basically clearing up the kitchen after cooking and putting away clean clothes (DS does his own now).  Even if DD got out all her toys, it wouldn't take longer than 10 mins to clear it all up again.  I've found myself doing things without thinking that usually would have gone in a big pile and I never would have got around to like sewing on a button or filing paperwork.  As everything is already tidy, it's pretty easy to just deal with those things.  The biggest thing is time as I have so much more free time and in terms of the day to day I often find myself with some spare time, but because I don't need to tidy/declutter, I can do something I want to. I can also properly relax as I don't have piles of things that I see reminding me of all the things I haven't done.  If I put something down and forget where I put it, it takes under 2 minutes to find it again as the rooms are pretty clear.  The house is also cleaner than it's ever been because I can do cleaning whenever I have an odd 5 or 10 mins here or there as I am not spending the time tidying.  Plus people tend to clean/tidy more in a clean and tidy house... clutter breeds clutter.

Definitely assess everything.  A silly example: I spent 40 years diligently folding underwear to put into drawers and one day I realised I hated doing that and I actually don't care if they are folded or not.  It's fiddly and feels like a task you have to do forever.  I put a basket/box in mine, DD's and DS's drawers and now just throw the clean ones into the baskets in a matter of seconds.  I can't believe how something so small has given me so much more time back and really improved my quality of life!  It's so silly, but true.  I also get DS to put his own clothes away and sometimes DD does hers and that has really helped as well.

Now I get to actually read those books, spend time with the kids and do the important baking   I feel less stressed than I have done for ages and motivated to keep going in this journey.

QueenJess

Back again as I spent 10 mins decluttering some more digital things.  I'm trying hard to get to 5,000 things gone 

Digital:
80 - wish list items deleted
1 - text conversations deleted

Physical:
7 - DD nursery clothes (nursery)
1 - light bulb used up

New total 4,908
Use it up total 351
Mini freezer challenge 0/-20
Big kitchen declutter challenge 115/150

Soontobeoap

@QueenJess what a lovely place to be. Granddaughters get taken back to Hemel Hempstead tomorrow. That will declutter the house a bit. They come with so much stuff!! Then full steam ahead with redecorating living room. The plaster is still drying out after 3 weeks!!! All built in storage that we can have will all then be in place and we can declutter thoroughly and only keep what will fit into our cupboards. If we ever moved from here we would take triple bunk beds, one double bed, 2.sofas and dining table and chairs. Everything else is built in. Over 12 years we have decluttered most of our furniture! 🤣. Looking forward to next week. Also shed.man ( Re roofing and cladding the back to stop leaks) Has bought his date forward to 8th October so hopefully that will then be watertight again for all my craft stuff. I feel that we are coming along in leaps and bounds.at the moment
 Happy days.🙂

BlueJ94

@QueenJess your first part "Well I'll give it a go... So I started decluttering about 4 years ago I think. I did the usual thing of going through everything, cleaning the drawer/cupboard etc and then putting back what I wanted to keep. However, when I was "done" it didn't feel any better. The house was always a mess (too embarrassing to have people round) and even if I spent the whole weekend clearing up, it would revert to type by the next weekend. And I had to choose whether to clean OR tidy. However, if you choose clean you spend more time moving things around to be able to clean so I always choose tidy. It always meant I never got to my goal of actually having a clean and tidy house. Things did get lost, although I generally could find things even if it took a bit of searching as it could be (a) in the place it should live or (b) on one of the piles of things "to sort out". "

This is currently my life right now. Which i NEED to sort out. Im always always going around after myself after I think I've sorted and cleaned. But I'm going to out myself here and this is currently the spare room 2 days ago before I sorted the clothes out. 


Im going to give myself until I go away on 12th September to sort this mess out! Watch this space.
Oʻ

vulpix

Well explained and well done Queen Jess.

 My journey has been different. I am tidy and things do have a home but when Mr V moved in with the contents of a very well stuffed 3 bedroom house and massive garage and studio it almost broke me. I felt for my own sanity that I had to reduce our belongings, and a 15 year journey began. In the process we down sized from a 5 to a 3 to a 2 bed home and waved bye bye to 3 young adults. I absolutely put my foot down that once the kids got their own home that they took ALL their belongings. I didn't want the box of rocks scenario that my Mother had! I was much more lenient with my step daughter who would have happily thrown everything out. I made her keep things from her deceased Mum and Mum's family. She is glad about that now she is older.
 I started with keeping the nicest item of a duplicate and did round after round of emptying a cupboard etc out and going through with a critical eye. We did many car boot sales and made a lot of money on ebay. By this time I had joined this thread and one member said if it was worth less than £5 she wouldn't go to the trouble of trying to sell it. I took that and ran with it. My local charity shop has benefited from my donations ever since.
 I was a prolific cook and enjoyed frequent big family gatherings. When we moved to a 2 bedroom house I released most of the hosting big party items. DD1 has taken over the cooking and hosting big family events now and I am happy to let her. Some things took years before they were released because of fantasy life syndrome. That beautiful carved shortbread press eventually went to a new home along with all the other fantasy life items.It took me a few years to work out what I needed for this stage in my life. Earth Mother nurturer of children has left the building!
 Our next challenge was emptying MIL's house and the year after my Mothers's house. I have only kept a couple of things that I love from each house. My favourite being some snowdrops that I dug up out of my Mum's garden. Living in a 2 up 2 down cured me of bringing a lot of things home.
 We both like clothes. We don't buy much these days and what I buy is second hand unless underwear. I seem to have a bra problem. I counted 10 the other day. I have pared down my massive shoe collection and my bags and jewellery. I was ruthless in subsequent different rounds of sorting. I don't have anything now that I wouldn't wear. With the exception of a black dress and a shawl. I am at the point with them that I have kept them so long I might as well keep keeping them! I did have some old items from the family, my Dad's christening robe,lots of embroidered linens that my Nana did. None of the kids wanted them so they went to the chazzer. They sell to a trader. I am happy someone will buy them who loves them and the charity benefits. I had a massive family bible. DD2 eventually had it. A couple of tapestries I made into a tote bag for DD1 and DIL.
 So now there is nothing in the house that we don't use. Sometimes infrequently but we do use it sometimes and I have the space for it so it can stay. There is nothing in the house that is scruffy or broken. each bed has one change of linen for it and we own 4 bath sheets and 2 hand towels.
 We have decluttered thousands and thousands of items, big and small and I don't miss any of it. I don't regret giving things that cost a lot away as they gave me pleasure at the time and now someone else can have the pleasure of owning them. I would rather give something away so it has a new life elsewhere than keep it until it is useless.
 If I open a cupboard or drawer and something is there that I don't need, off it goes straight away. I also empty a cupboard or drawer a couple of times a year and always find things I had forgotten about. I think I go through my clothes about every 6 weeks. Perhaps that is unconsciously with the change in a season.
 There is space in my cupboards and empty drawers in the bedroom. I am not tempted to fill them.
 I work with the don't put it down, put it away method. There is usually stuff on the stairs to take up but once up I put it away. It would be so easy to put it on a surface and think I would do it later because I am lazy but having clear surfaces helps my mental health more.
I don't over buy food. The shops can store and rotate it for me.This does come from when I was a new single Mum and had very little money indeed.
 I treat myself to a cleaner these days. She damp dusts, hoovers and cleans the hard floors, bathroom and kitchen. We do things like cleaning windows and glass, oven etc sometimes. She says our house is her favourite as it is tidy and clutter free. She easily does a very thorough clean in 1.5 hours.
 There is more stuff that could go but tbh I don't want to be minimalist, I like a homely home. After emptying 2 very full homes recently I have done my children a very big favour. Emptying our home will not be a big job.
 We are moving soon,? to a bigger house. 3 bedrooms, sitting and dining room. I have acquired a bit more furniture. All free or very cheap. I enjoy furniture restoration as a hobby. I won't be having much in the way of new to me stuff in the house. I will use mostly what we have to decorate the rooms.When we unpack there will be things to release undoubtedly. Reading everyone's successes on the thread spurs me on and makes me think about a category of stuff I hadn't thought about.
 Thank you everyone,x And Thank you Mrs SD, special lady.xx


 TC, do ask your friend for help. You are doing so well. Never a week goes by without you getting rid of something. Every body has a different journey, reason and method of de cluttering. It doesn't matter how you do it, it matters that you have been doing it and you continue to do so.xxx

 Bluej94, you can do it. xxx

 Vx

vulpix

PS absolute top tip. Stop bringing stuff in!

suzeesu2000

I found having one space clean and clutter free helped to motivate to deal with other areas. 

I am not sure how it happened, but I have had a complete mind change. 

I used to have the "just in case", "I might need that", "that could be useful" type of thiking. Now I don't. Now I think "I dont need that", "I've had that forever and never used it so I obviously dont need it" way of thinking and boy, has it made a difference.

I've also adopted the "Don't put it down, put it away" attitude which has REALLY made a difference.

I make a list and that has been so helpful - I need to see what I've done, so I highlight each item as I've achieved it and I find that a great motivator for me too

One thing at a time.

One space at a time.

At your own pace.

My decluttering is slow due to a broken me, I dont beat myself up and have stopped comparing my lived in home to show houses. We live in it, it will never be Pinterest perfect - I'm not sure I would like it to be.

Anyway, a before and after of the landing/airing cupboard. its not perfect but it's a lot better than it was. 

Have a fab Friday all xx

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks
2. Concerted effort to sort out sleep patterns - Realistic targets: bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 10:00 a.m 
3. Continue dealing with mail & email on a daily basis
4. Don’t put it down, put it away + deal with mini tasks as soon as they are noticed e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc
5. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter
6. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed

Oh dear I forgot to post this last night 🙊 

Thursday continued: 15:30 DH & DSis back from shopping. Most of it has been portioned & put away. DH has made today one of his 800kcal days, so has just cooked a prawn & vegetable stir fry. The temperature has risen to 21°C & we have had a few minutes of light drizzle. (We had another short shower about 20:00) DSis has just been chatting to her DS - his dad’s funeral is the 15th September & he is flying over to England with his partner on the 13th. They will be staying with his aunt rather than with his stepmum 😞 Dinner was pork steaks, boiled potatoes, broccoli & cauliflower. DH did pretty well for his first ‘fasting day’ - 837kcal with the 37kcal attributed to a mug of coffee with a splash of milk 👏 DH had a brisk walk before dinner & another one after dinner. Wudupa

1562 - 1564 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, booklet - recycled

1565 - 1567 Kitchen & lr detritus, plastic packaging - binned

I watched TV & napped on the sofa until 06:55 Friday then woke DH as he wanted to set off on his RBR of North Wales by 07:30. It had been raining overnight & was still raining when DH got up. After DH had some breakfast, packed the bike & we said our goodbyes, I finally went to bed at 07:20 😥 Slept through until 13:30. Will be back later to resume Friday’s post & do some cheerleading. Hope everyone had a good night 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 💐 💐 💐 🏅🥉🏅 🎂 🌟⭐️⭐️❤️ 🍫🐾 😍🥇🥇 💐 🏆 ⭐️🌟💐⭐️

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️ 🏅 

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1567/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00