Decluttering challenge

[ChastityDingle]

I have been doing a bit on and off over the past few months.

Brought clothes to charity shops, that were perfect, but hadn't been taken out of the wardrobe(s) for er... quite some time. Also books - I still have a lot of books, but did clear out some too.

I have more decluttering to do though. Am away for a few days but will dig in again, when I return.

 

[klarakluckbag]

I've put some tins of food out on the worktop to annoy myself to get them used up.

This is such a good idea, I had to come back to say thank you!
I found a tin of tomatoes that were going to expire, so I had those on toast for lunch. My husband rediscovered his love for tinned spaghetti bolognase, I didn't even remember buying that lol.
And best of all, a small tin of potatoes, (which has been annoying me for ages, the tin is a different size to all of the others so it can't be stacked), has FINALLY been used to make a potato salad.

 

[Parklady]

Had a good start to decluttering, aimed for 5 items in the week & got few more. Will start again today and aim for 5 this week. Little by little will get into the habit of getting rid

 

[no-no]

Has anyone used one of those clothing banks at Tesco? Thinking of taking some bags there at the weekend. I’ve been decluttering and vac’d a load of stuff but thought, I wouldn’t miss them if I couldn’t open them again so might just donate instead of storing. I can’t be bothered selling on.
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I’m being pulled in all directions this week and I’m exhausted.
I have a few hours to myself on Sunday though, and in a slight change of plan, I’m going to clear out my cleaning cupboard and food cupboard old jars of herbs and nearly empty cleaning products that I’ve not really liked, should mean I’ll easily get rid of at least 5 things!

I done my herbs/spices recently and it was very therapeutic. Need to tackle the cupboards next.

 

[Chocolategoggler]

Is anyone still on a decluttering mission?

I am starting this month so the house is organised ready for Christmas. Thought if I do a few things a week if won’t seem such an effort.

I went to get my Autumn stuff out in late August which has turned into a massive side out of the house.
I asked myself the question "does it earn it's place?" about an item which seems to have triggered me asking it about everything in my house!
It seems that loads of stuff doesn't. I'm going to sell the nicer stuff at a tabletop sale.

 

[Chocolategoggler]

Some words I've just read.....
"Regret is like a favourite old cracked vase, it should be chucked out and not kept in the back of the cupboard for sentimental reasons."

 

[NowIsGood]

I recently had my garden shed cleared out - completely - by a 'dump-run' guy. Years of clutter. I know there were probably loads of items I should've rescued but just had a little talk to myself; let's face it, once something goes out to the shed, it rarely ever comes back in.

It's my guess a lot of us on this thread are of the 'I can't get rid of that ... sentimental reasons' brigade. Sometimes it pays to be ruthless and just not think about it too much.

Now it's the house-junk's turn. Be prepared, house-junk!

Exactly! I think I've spent more time dusting my dvd collection over the past 5 years than actually watching them!

 

[Jellycat369]

So far so good. Have decluttered some skincare and makeup (shared on the Share Your Empties thread) but so far decluttered 16 products. Sorted out the baby clothes yesterday that no longer fit my youngest. Have kept the suit that he and my eldest wore home from the hospital and put aside a few nicer bits to sell on Vinted. Rest of the stuff I'll put as a bundle on Faceboon Marketplace. With the bundle should I just keep it as newborn to first month clothes or add in the 0-3 months too? It's a decent sized bundle already but is limited by size. Any thoughts? Also, would weeding count as decluttering the garden?

 

[mee43]

I’m being pulled in all directions this week and I’m exhausted.
I have a few hours to myself on Sunday though, and in a slight change of plan, I’m going to clear out my cleaning cupboard and food cupboard old jars of herbs and nearly empty cleaning products that I’ve not really liked, should mean I’ll easily get rid of at least 5 things!

 

[Chocolategoggler]

Have measured up for the shelving I didn't think would fit in the under stairs cupboard, as mentioned above, and they do easily!
So off to Argos to pick some up.
Might even be able to finally get the vacuum cleaners in there, and maybe even my tool box!

 

[adviseplz]

The bathroom is a really easy place to start as there are usually a handful of lotions and potions which you last used 3 years ago - and are you REALLY going to use the pink box-dye? Plus permission granted to bin the holey face cloths, manky loofahs and pumice stone containing 3649 unique strains of bacteria.

Bet you can find 5 random pieces of shite in the kitchen drawers too. Hello Nepalese hand-crafted salad servers, dog shaped biscuit cutters and a bag of screws left over from an ikea Billy bookcase.

5 things in a week is child’s play. 5 things per room minimum and you can do the bathroom and kitchen today. Boil the kettle and do the kitchen - and next time you go to the loo do the bathroom.

The holey face cloth hits me deep… earlier I put into the textile recycling a looney tunes flannel I’ve had since I was probably single digits and had somehow formed an emotional attachment to?! I gave myself a talking to and put it in the pile with a few other (not as old) ones!

 

[50degreesnorth]

How’s everyone getting on? I won’t make the charity shop drop off this week as it’s only open a couple of times which just don’t work for me this week. Made it to the tip which was great as two of the items had been sat in the garden for 2 years while I tried to figure out what to do with them.

 

[Tangerine Dream]

I decluttered a bit yesterday and it felt so good.

Big challenge over the next day or two is to clean out everything in my chest of drawers that I don't need.

It's going to be a job but I'm ready.

 

[Jellycat369]

Hadn’t th


Hadn’t thought of that so thanks for the suggestion. I had a look there and cash sale exchange you probably going to get 20-30 less than eBay. But it does have convenient element of one drop and not being worried about things being declared missing in the post.

They do offer 20-30 quid more if you would take payment as voucher. So might have a chat with my partner about that later as he’s might want a phone. Working outdoors a new one is wasted on him and they do 24month warranty.

My OH usually gets a voucher and then puts it towards blu rays that he wants His idea of decluttering is selling crap to buy more

 

[Moongirl69]

I'm planning to in the coming weeks. I'll be mostly getting rid of clothes/shoes. I tend to have fairly regular small tidy outs but I love a big, pull the cupboards apart, declutter.

 

[usefullyuseless]

We've just done a massive clear out of our home. I'd been putting it off for months but we're getting work done and the house needed to be empty so I was ruthless and it was for the better. I donated about 50% of my wardrobe, stuff I hadn't worn in years and styles that don't suit me anymore. We also got a charity to come and take away pieces of furniture we didn't want, all good quality stuff but just not our style anymore.

Seeing the house so empty was a great feeling, I definitely want to keep it that way going forward, with regular clear outs. I want to enforce a 'one item in, at least two items out' policy particularly with clothes and only buy cosmetics and toiletries when I've used stuff up. It was a huge wake up call seeing how much stuff I had accumulated over the years and realising how little I genuinely use or need. I even feel mentally lighter knowing the house isn't full of clutter anymore.

If you're thinking of decluttering, definitely do it! Start with one cupboard or one room. Don't spend too long thinking about items, if you haven't worn/used/thought about them in 3 months then donate or dump! It can be overwhelming starting but you will feel the better for it when your house is clutter free.

 

[Tea and Toast]

I did my wardrobe the other day. .
So satisfying to finally be able to see what I've got in there.
Loaded a few bits in vinted, charity shop for others . .
Love this thread
Will definitely do the bathroom next

 

[pinkmug]

What do people do with products that are open but they're not going to use up? Is it ok to empty them in the sink then get recycle the packaging or is that not very environmentally friendly?

I ask my friends and family if they would like to use them. More often than not I have plenty of takers. I also do this with books I've read but didn't enjoy enough to keep.

Some women's shelters or homeless shelters accept lightly used products, if you have any near you, you can check with them about their donation policy.

 

[Jellycat369]

A few smaller decluttering jobs I've finished. Sorted out my pjs and socks, got rid of anything that was falling apart and no longer of use. Cleared out my hair accessories and earrings. Sorted out my purse, actually found a couple of vouchers so used those for some meal deals! Need to figure out a plan of action for the rest of the house, think I might plan for a job per week starting August. Need to get some extra cash from selling unwanted things, as mat leave money doesn't go very far.

 

[Flowergirl14]

We recently moved so I’m not decluttering anymore as most of the nonsense is gone. However I’ve lost a load of weight due too stress so I’m trying to “declutter” my wardrobe. It’s hard because almost everything is far too big and I’m not sure what to do as don’t want to spend loads of money on new clothing

I have just bought a half size plastic clothes manniquin, that I can put my clothes on, photograph and sell online.
Well that's the plan....