Pre Xmas De-cluttering Pledge support requested

Hi there
I split with My husband over 3 years ago and sold the family hone.We hired a skip and had to be ruthless while barely speaking to one another .I have met an amazing new Partner and will be moving in with him.
.no doubt more bits and pieces to the Charity shop.In fact most of My furniture will stay there.
Nothing like a split to get things sorted

When my boys were wee, in the month before the festive season, they were encouraged to go through the toy boxes. Anything that had not been played with over the year and was in good condition was washed, bagged up and we would all go to donate them to the children's hospital. My boys are now parents and they too have initiated this with the grand kids.

I started doing something similar a couple of years back, after having spent a wearying few days clearing the house of a deceased relative. This thread has reminded me I must start again and set up a couple of bags - one for charity shops, one for the bin or the tip. I already try to do a one-in-one-out when buy something new, but there's too much "in" to start with. First task will be to sort out a ridiculous cupboard full of cardboard boxes, jiffy bags and bubble wrap.
Something I intend to try is Facebook marketplace, where you can sell locally with no fees, and also give stuff away. Maybe someone wants a pile of jiffy bags.....

Brilliant idea! Have always taken old/unwanted clothes to charity shops but having a goal like this will help me declutter the whole house. Thank you.
Ps not sure if you knew ( haven't had a chance to read all the replies to this post) but some charity shops take old clothes that are too worn to sell & scraps of cloth or rags. They sell them in bulk for shredding. Just ensure everything is clean.

newnanny
I’m with you too....
I’m off on holiday on Friday until 28th so I’ll either throw something away everyday. Or accumulate and throw 10 things away when I return.
For Lent this year I did the same - an item a day then I gave everything to charity.

Also, wondering how much stuff can charity shops cope with? Do people take only good quality items there? Do any of us actually buy from them? I do, but only occasionally. Although I shop only occasionally!

I’m an inveterate chucked-outer. But has happened, ooh will wear those nice shoes I bought a while ago...but then realise they went to recycling a while ago. ?

I love taking things to charity shops at this time of year, especially books, kids clothes and toys. There are people who'll really appreciate them.

Me too. Had enough of looking at stuff that I’m never gonna wear or read again.

I’ve been decluttering gradually over the last few weeks and today have spent 4 hours going through files and shredding non essential paperwork. It just goes on and on. A lot of it was my late DH’s, so hard to part with especially anything with his writing on and his architectural drawings. But it’s done. I’ve managed to get rid of a shelf full of books, a CD player, a calculator which have joined 2 bags of clothes ready for the charity shop. If I buy a new item of clothing, I get rid of a similar item. This seems to work quite well. A straight swap! We all seem to have far too much stuff. I have boxes of my parents memorabilia and family archives which have recently been added to with more boxes from my late Aunts house. The garage awaits......?

I'm willing to give it a try, as I really NEED to do this. Another life-long Hoarder, I have far too much "stuff"! Our house is up for sale, and I have a garage full of things from my "old" house when we moved her five years ago (in my defence, it was a much larger house!). To be perfectly honest - I find it really hard to throw things away, although I do regularly give clothes no longer worn to Charity shops.

Have just recycled about 80 jam jars and several hundred corks, which I thought I was going to make into a hand crafted pin board one day (deluded). So that's the pantry done. Now making a plan for the shed, eyeing all those old plant pots, unpublished novels and stories, magazines and electrical bits.
Do try and recycle as you go along.

I started this earlier this year after adopting the Marie Kondo method, can thoroughly recommend it, house now sorted!

Just the dig in the ribs I require. Have binned a gigantic nearly full roll of caterer's cling film. Been in the drawer years and has resisted countless attempts to find the end, or is that beginning ? of it.There! gone!

Perfect time for a reminder to get moving with my sorting new nanny.

Yes, great idea. Thanks Newnanny; I am going to join in. It's 70 days until Christmas and I am feeling very motivated, so I'm starting right now!

what a brilliant idea! I shall put a bag in the corner of my bedroom and every evening put one item into it. Have far too much stuff,but can never have too many books in my opinion.

I'm with you newnanny. I have already filled a big box which is ready to go to the charity shop. I have plenty more to sort out and things to go on Ebay. My son deals with that though. My bedroom's like a tip and really getting on my nerves.
I hate clutter. I'm painting a bedroom at the moment and so must sort it out when I've finished.

Last week I had a good wardrobe clear out, I even got rid of the stand alone wardrobes (to the British Heart Foundation who take undamaged and re saleable furniture) and had fitted wardrobes installed in two bedrooms.

Told my husband not to get in my way or he could well end up in a 'clear out' bag and be displayed on a charity shop shelf.

I've got the bug now, every day something goes. LIBERATING OR WHAT?

I have started by taking a bag full of carrier bags to the charity shop. On the downside I have become interested in junk journaling and so am now collecting vintage books and ephemera. Newnanny I would have loved your file folders to repurpose

I have a bag ready for the charity shop but just reading this thread I feel they are going to be inundated. Do charity shops really need all this" clutter"?( a question for those who work in one).
I regret the demise of the jumble sale where you could get rid of much that wasn't top quality.

Good idea. I have a lot of scarves and wraps that I don't wear, and my wardrobe could do with a clear-out.
I like ninathenana's suggestion, too, about the 'reverse advent calendar', so will commit to this from 1 December.

We were an Air Force family and consequently moved every couple of years so that was our clean out. Now we are retired and have lived in our home seven years now and no moving. Time to get cleaning! Great ideas.

I am starting on trousers as I don't wear them often. I shall keep three pairs that fit and the rest are going. That is the easy bit for me.

Today I am tackling clothing. This is a huge task for me as I have a thyroid disorder and tend to go between clothing sizes more than normal. I have 5 wardrobes of clothing which is ridiculous. I am aiming to drop off 6 bagfuls to charity shops by the weekend. I have even got dh looking through his stuff but he is a worse hoarder than me.