Beware the lockdown tidy up.

Oh dear

DH and I helped mum move last year and .... many Xmas decorations "somehow" disappeared during the move.

I'm very pleased that I did a lot of decluttering during both lockdowns and haven't missed one thing that I passed onto charity shops or through Freecycle. I have got a lot more space now and everything looks so much neater and cleaner - no piles of stuff and drawers full to bursting point.

Take too long in our house. We need a skip!

Froglady - I need a leaf from your book.......

I love the idea of radicalised Christmas decorations. They seem appropriate for 2020.

I have decluttered every part of my house. I love it. I might go through Christmas decs today and get them to the charity shop. Now is the time they sell them.

I radicalised our Christmas decorations last year and decided that they would not go back into the attic; they're in a spare room wardrobe.
However, we still need to get into the attic and clear it.

I am always de cluttering, then forget where I have moved stuff to!
my dh always used to remember, miss him in more ways than one

I can almost guarantee that whatever I throw away is the very thing I’m going to need shortly afterwards - and very often have no recollection of disposing of it.

I have tried, but DH wants t hang on to everything!! I donated my sheepskin jacket to a charity shop (I haven't worn it for about 10 years) He wont part with his which he hasn't worn since we lived in Aberdeen (28 years ago!)

I have this week found two items of clothing that I thought I had impulsively given to a charity shop and subsequently regretted it. That was a happy find! We have visited several shops over lockdown and unloaded our estate car, crammed to the roof and back door with 'stuff', and I can't say I have given any of it a second thought, except to regret having carted it all about through several moves. I've had a letter from two of the shops and have been pleasantly surprised at the amount they have raised - and even more surprised that they have offered me the money back . I had no idea they were obliged to do that. I wonder if anyone has the cheek to let a charity sell their unwanted goods and then ask for the proceeds .

I was determined to go through the house decluttering - almost made it apart from one cupboard which is brimful of books and papers and three big boxes of photos.

Well, I've almost done one box of photos and handing them to those who are in the photo so that they can make the decision as to whether to ditch them or not. One of my daughters has already told me, "Please no more photos" and I think I offended one friend by saying that I couldn't keep wedding photos of others now. This was the wedding of her son and DIL and don't think she understood!

Before the pandemic started I suddenly had a crisis of conscience about the amount of stuff I had stored in my loft. I hired 3 sixth formers from the local school who formed a human chain from the loft to my garage. When the loft was completely empty I was able to sort through the stuff in the garage and throw or store what was there. it’s amazing how much you think you want to keep but you really don’t want to or need to.( A level papers from 1960? Never looked at and now impossible to answer!)
So much went to the tip, the rest to the charity shops, some to my daughters and very very little went Back up to the loft. I even made a map of what was where. I totally recommend this as an activity, Which will give you peace of mind and real sense of achievement.

I got to know our local hospice charity shop lady quite well when we were dropping stuff off during a house move a couple of years ago. I asked her about the offer of giving back the money they had raised and was absolutely AMAZED that some people DO ask for the money back! Incredible. They use it as a sort of cheap alternative to putting their junk through a sale room. Nothing surprises me any more!

I have taken at least three large bags of goods to the charity shop and I went to the council tip on Monday. Just before I left, I took some things out of the containers I was taking to the tip and put them back in the undercroft... I love clean and tidy but find it extremely difficult to part with things...
P.S. what a good idea to employ teenagers to empty the loft! I've been relying on him indoors, but his knees are going now too. I wondered how we would manage. Thanks.

I sorted out two huge bags of good quality clothing, curtains and a box of china and ornamental stuff for a local charity shop but had great difficulty getting them (or anyone else) to accept it. The charity shops were swamped by donations and their collections depots never seemed to be open. We carried it around in the boot of the car for a couple of weeks until we saw a depot that was open then marched up to the door with it. A young man said "You need an appointment to bring donations here" I said "Take it or leave it, I'm not coming back again" I don't know what happened to it but at least it's out of my wardrobe and may do someone a good turn.

Oh dear you are all making me feel very lazy.
I need to do a lot of decluttering but just don’t seem to
be able to face it.
I have several books on how to start etc.My “ pantie “ drawer
is the only recipient of the books lol.
I shall start tomorrow, wish me luck 🤪

Last year I had my loft insulated with the spray foam insulation. In order to do the work the company needed access to all sides so the contents of the loft had to be stacked in the middle. I didn't even know if I could get up into the loft to do it so I paid my next door neighbour's teenage son to help. He did the crawlingninto inaccessible areas and passed stuff to me and I roughly piled it up in the middle. It only took about an hour and I'd never have managed it alone. Definitely £10 well spent. I hope he didn't feel ripped off!
At some point I'll need to tackle clearing it all when I finally de-clutter and downsize but a few items did make their way out to the bin or were given away. Unfortunatrely I don't feel safe going up there alone so it won't get touched again for some time!

I have redecorated and re-carpeted my lounge so I also decluttered. I gave away a sideboard and today Freecycled a very old china cabinet. The trouble was that it took me hours to find the glass shelves and the tiny key! I have also freecycled my old television. All collected within 3 hours of posting so I am looking for more things to give away.

Cleaning out the wardrobes it was going fine, I went to check an email and had my 'everyday' reading glasses on a chain around my neck.
Never seen them since, must have come off into one of the bags.

I've been doing a bit (not enough...) of decluttering and now have a bag of clothes to take to the Salvation Army textile bin at the supermarket. However, today I passed the bin and the man who was trying to empty it said that there is a gang from Manchester going round breaking into the bins and stealing the clothes. If they can't get in, they superglue the locks so that the proper people can't get in either.

What on earth possesses these louts to come all the way to the North East to do something so disgusting and heartless? (And by the North East, I don't mean Newcastle, I mean past Aberdeen.) No doubt they are bringing their Covid with them too.

Happysexagenarian, I had a similar problem, the charity shop offered me a date two weeks hence to deliver clothes/shoes. I had difficulty getting them to the shop (I am an octogenerian), so I gave up and posted them in a "used clothes recycling bin", not sure where they end up.

DH sent my new battery charger (for golf cart) to the tip.