Decluttering

MissAdventure

That's a good move.
I find trying to sort out, and potentially throw out food really difficult.

I’m ok if I can put it in the brown bin. When I had my flour mite infestation I learned my lesson about storing too much food. There’s a limit to how many lentils one person can eat!

I dont find throwing out very old food much of a problem any more.
Not since the ahen virus or whatever it was, maybe as a result of eating dodgy noodles.

I just think, well if this saves me a dodgy stomach or worse, then good riddance!

MissAdventure

That's a good move.
I find trying to sort out, and potentially throw out food really difficult.

So do I.

I keep seeing a lot of adverts for Vintage Cash Cow. Thinking about using it. I keep thinking I could do a bric a brac stall at a craft/antique fair but I know I’ll never get round to doing it.I’ve collected some lovely things over the years which I love but have nowhere to display them.

I've heard good things about vintage cash cow.

Your stuff is beautiful, and it does seem a shame to just let it go.
Could you do a boot sale, or perhaps try selling on ebay?

It would be nice to have it all set out, though, and watch people who really appreciate your treasures.

Oh, today I threw away - yes, threw - didn't cut up to make floor cloths or dusters - four nighties, and a toothpaste box.

I used up lots of pigs in blankets this evening, which has cleared some space in the freezer. I got rid of expired leftovers from the fridge, too.

Tomorrow I plan to cook leek orzo and some vegetable soup to rescue the rest of the fridge bottom.

I still haven't tackled the Doom bags, but I'm not back to 100% after the virus. Maybe Monday for that. I know from experience that if a room has 'stuff' lying around it will attract more, so I need to do it sooner, rather than later.

MissAdventure

I've heard good things about vintage cash cow.

Your stuff is beautiful, and it does seem a shame to just let it go.
Could you do a boot sale, or perhaps try selling on ebay?

It would be nice to have it all set out, though, and watch people who really appreciate your treasures.

I couldn’t cope with seeing people buy it, though. I’d wrestle it back off them! The stuff I was thinking of sending to them is stashed away in cupboards. Eg lots of old glass ink wells that I saw in a shop; couldn’t decide which one to buy so bought all of them. I was always going to live in a beautiful cottage in which to display all of it but it never happened. An old box camera that I thought my grandchildren would be interested in, but they aren’t ( although we did have a chat about Polaroid cameras yesterday because someone they know has a new version of them). A pile of old Giles cartoon books which I find fascinating when I look back at topical events from the past. Someone gave me a box full of new copies of WWII newspapers that were serialised in one of the newspapers. Boxes of poetry books I inherited from a friend that I never look at and have nowhere to display. So much stuff…

I ate all the cake that was in the house yesterday just to get rid of it. It was a lot of cake…

MayBee70

I ate all the cake that was in the house yesterday just to get rid of it. It was a lot of cake…

That's the spirit!

I drank all the Baileys, too, though.I rarely drink alcohol but I can’t somehow regard liqueurs as alcohol. It was my partners fault for leaving it here. He has got some Tia Maria also but I can ignore that.It’s Baileys and Advocaat that I find more’ish. They have the same effect on me as chocolate does.

MayBee70

I ate all the cake that was in the house yesterday just to get rid of it. It was a lot of cake…

😀 Well done!

I had a friend who used to say she'd been "tidying up the biscuit tin".

Lots of Christmas cake left but at least I ran out of time so didn't marzipan or ice it. And I did tidy up the rum by using half a bottle in the cake.

Some people say thst once you've disposed of things to the charity shop you don't remember them afterwards.

I do, and think that I could have just done with this or that item.

I was ok with the toys. But I think if I take some clothes to a shop I might think about them hanging on a rack unwanted and feeling deserted.

I started out so well last September - mainly clothes - about 5 boxes of clothes that realistically needed to go.

The remaining task is so daunting - my childhood stuff, my mother's stuff, my granny's, all my 'hobby' stuff that I seldom indulge in, my books, my 'collections', crockery, vases, frames, jewellery (junk), the list is endless!

Thank goodness I have good storage in my tiny 1 bedroom bungalow - although it would be nice for it to be a little less 'used'!

Where to start?!

Maybe, one bite at a time for you yogitree?

Start with, "well I could deal with that I suppose".
Then the next bit that next time you could deal with. etc.

I once had a pile of 20 things I had taken out of a cupboard, onto a floor. Somewhat random items. And then I was stumped. Couldnt get started.
I did the one bite at a time idea, and got it done.

The fear of needing something you've just thrown out gets in the way of a lot of decluttering, I find. I was finally persuaded to take a large pile of dinner plates to a charity shop after keeping them for years 'just in case', and literally days later my daughter rang to complain that her partner had dropped hers, and did I have any she could have.

On the whole, though, I try to stick to the 20/20 rule when I'm in doubt. If I can replace it in 20 minutes for less than £20, out it goes. That was a veery good maxim when I was clearing out bookcases. If I really want to read a paperback again I can get one instantly on Kindle, go to Waterstones which is a five minute walk away, or can get one for next to nothing from World of Books if I can wait a couple of days. I haven't yet felt the need to do so though, and the shelves were sorted out two years ago.

That is definitely the root of my growing hoard, I'm sure.

It'll do someone a turn.
Whereas I used to regularly take carrier bags of stuff to charity shops, I physically can't do it now, so I've got to be more ruthless and throw things.

The fear of needing something you've just thrown out gets in the way of a lot of decluttering

It does.

And is something I need to be more mindful of.

But do we do if, like me, you havent moved house in 35 years and may never?

In the loft there are bits of leftover carpet[used one piece], leftover tiles[used one as a replacent], more internal doors[one or two current ones could do with a replacement I suppose], lino[still current i think], dining chairs[still using table, and brought down 3 extra to use over christmas].
Sure there are a few more items of this ilk.

Last year's Countryfile calendar?
Rescued in its way to the recycling bin.

The fear of needing something you've just thrown out gets in the way of a lot of decluttering

There must be a word or an acronym for that

I was inspired to sort out my bathroom cabinets on the back of this thread, I got so far, my back started hurting and I am on the sofa trying not to think of everything still upstairs which needs to be thrown or put back . My intention was to clear some things out but so far only an empty packet which had plasters in it is in the bin.
Must try harder.

If there isn't, there should be.

My sister had a book full of funny words to describe things such as
'Fear of not peeling enough potatoes'
'The unease felt when sitting on a seat which is still warm from someone else's bottom'

I remember 'Wittering' was the pattern left on the backs of your legs after vacating a wicker chair.

It's a start, silverlining, even if just a small one.

I need to clear out under my bathroom sink (still!)
It's not even a hard job, but I just can't seem to start it.