Decluttering

MayBee70

Calendargirl

I took a large framed old family photo out of the loft the other day, about 18inches by 12 inches.

It was my mum’s family, probably circa 1918, faded and old.

Mum had small copies done of it, so why I still have it, I don’t know.

Anyhow, I have passed it on to a cousin, who is going to donate it to the last remaining male on my mum’s side of the family.

Whether he wants it or not!

When my mum died I found an old family photo in her flat. I’d never seen it before. Thankfully she had a cousin who was still alive and she was able to tell me who all of the people in it were. If I hadn’t been able to do that they would have all have remained anonymous to me.

I've got a big envelope of old photos from DH's side of the family and I've written 'Who Are We?' on the envelope.
DH said to ditch them but I just can't, someone might know.

How's the kitchen shaping up, Allira? Progress?

I've got to the fed up stage now. It's quite exciting at first but ready meals can become boring too. Looking at all the piles of stuff I'm wondering if we can throw half of it away.

I did intend to get involved with this thread as my workshop/loft silted up badly when DS moved into DHs study at the beginning of the pandemic....but life continued to get in the way.... then I had a great idea. A special friend has just retired and we used have a history of running projects together...so I've asked her to help clear the loft and she agreed. I've already made a start on dumping lots of paper and boxes stashed for sending parcels and real random rubbish in preparation... Loads of art materials to organiae and work stuff to organise, plus clothes waiting to be let go. I know we'll get it sorted together as I've had two ideas for projects once I've got my feet cleared.

I’ve just returned home and I’d spoken to my odd job man last week about repairing the sealant on one of the new windows I’d had fitted. I want to repair it, paint around it and paint the brown stained window sill white so I can have a blind fitted and put the curtains up properly. He said he would phone me ‘on Monday’ but hasn’t. My partner says I should just phone him and say ‘did you forget to phone’ but I can’t bring myself to do it. I feel that he either thinks I’m a nuisance or didn’t want to say he didn’t want to do the work. It’s happened quite a few times recently with work I’ve asked him to do. I was really excited at the thought of finally getting that bedroom sorted and it’s completely thrown me off course. My shoulder is sore at the moment so I can’t paint it myself and I don’t know how to replace the sealant that’s damaged. A decorator would charge me quite a lot as it will take several days because if waiting for filler to harden and paint to dry before putting on a second coat. My partner can’t understand why I won’t phone him but he was a medical rep and is more thick skinned and authoritative than I am when it comes to dealing with people. I feel a bit weepy about it. If I say I’m going to phone someone I phone them . I hate having to depend on other people these days.

We have had a break in proceedings due to a few days away for a family funeral then having a cold🙄
I have managed to fill a bag of DD’s stuff that the children have left lying around so will deliver that today.Also another bag for the community hub so am back in the game.

How's the kitchen, Allira. I assume it's done now? Are you happy with it? I love the first few weeks after a renovation - every time you go in the room you think 'Ooh, is this mine? It's lovely'.

I mentioned the boot room at the back of my kitchen. Well, I've finally had plans drawn up to have storage built around the numerous doors and windows. All going well, it should be done in May, but knowing the carpenter, I'll not be holding my breath.

Anyway, it is going to mean decluttering a lot of 'stuff' before he starts, so it should be 'interesting'. None of it is really suitable for donation, so it's going to be a matter of sorting and finding somewhere for it all to go until the cupboards go in. Most of the work will be done in his workshop, then he'll bring it and install it in a couple of days. I'm going to get new flooring too - wood effect LVT as it's washable and durable.

It will be worth it when it's done, but I'm dreading getting there, as I'm so bad at things like this. Wish me luck 😩

Doodledog

How's the kitchen, Allira. I assume it's done now? Are you happy with it? I love the first few weeks after a renovation - every time you go in the room you think 'Ooh, is this mine? It's lovely'.

I mentioned the boot room at the back of my kitchen. Well, I've finally had plans drawn up to have storage built around the numerous doors and windows. All going well, it should be done in May, but knowing the carpenter, I'll not be holding my breath.

Anyway, it is going to mean decluttering a lot of 'stuff' before he starts, so it should be 'interesting'. None of it is really suitable for donation, so it's going to be a matter of sorting and finding somewhere for it all to go until the cupboards go in. Most of the work will be done in his workshop, then he'll bring it and install it in a couple of days. I'm going to get new flooring too - wood effect LVT as it's washable and durable.

It will be worth it when it's done, but I'm dreading getting there, as I'm so bad at things like this. Wish me luck 😩

Not quite, Doodledog ☹
However, we'll start putting things into drawers and cupboards tomorrow. Not everything! The new flooring goes through to the hall and now the hall etc need decorating, the stair carpet doesn't go with it and the utility room needs sorting out.
Goodness knows when we'll find someone who will be able to do that.

Oh, the domino thing. What a pain. But it will be lovely when it's finished.

It's taking so long.
We did have a home cooked meal tonight 😃, goulash made in the slow cooker.

I am now calling my dining room cupboard Bambi as it has brought me to tears today.
Greetings cards - 21 years of them. Leaving jobs, condolences, covid greetings, all the usual mums & dad's cards from our boys as teenagers. So many from people who are no longer here.
Why did I keep them all? ( I do throw most out I thought) Have filled one green recycling box. I wasn't going to look through them, just mass-dump them, but I found £25 in cash (probably DH's) that has been put in cards & not removed, so just as well I did!
Haven't finished yet, I'm going to put "best china" (that I never use) in the cupboard after as I'm having a new kitchen & cutting down on cabinets (enough is enough)

I'm having a new kitchen & cutting down on cabinets (enough is enough)
Good luck!!

I’m keeping all the cards from my dd and dgd so that when they come to clear out my house they will know I valued and kept them. I’m getting rid of my everyday china and using my best. I’m unlikely to do much entertaining now so I might as well use it and enjoy it.

Doodledog

How's the kitchen, Allira. I assume it's done now? Are you happy with it? I love the first few weeks after a renovation - every time you go in the room you think 'Ooh, is this mine? It's lovely'.

I mentioned the boot room at the back of my kitchen. Well, I've finally had plans drawn up to have storage built around the numerous doors and windows. All going well, it should be done in May, but knowing the carpenter, I'll not be holding my breath.

Anyway, it is going to mean decluttering a lot of 'stuff' before he starts, so it should be 'interesting'. None of it is really suitable for donation, so it's going to be a matter of sorting and finding somewhere for it all to go until the cupboards go in. Most of the work will be done in his workshop, then he'll bring it and install it in a couple of days. I'm going to get new flooring too - wood effect LVT as it's washable and durable.

It will be worth it when it's done, but I'm dreading getting there, as I'm so bad at things like this. Wish me luck 😩

Please tell us details of how you will accomplish the boot room, I remember well the drawing -- doors everywhere and windows. Lovely to have a nice room behind the "new" kitchen.

I meant to add, I'm working up drawings for daughter2 - she's having an addition on her quite old home (shades of mum and dad).

I'm flattered to have been asked!

One of my daughters has a slight problem with getting stuff sorted.
She has the app called Finch She’s had great success with it.
Too much to explain how it works on here but the link explains.

www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-gamifying-self-care-virtual-pet-works-finch-heather-arbiter-gjkpe#:~:text=Launched%20in%202021%2C%20Finch%20is,6%20in%20Health%20and%20Fitness.

Just took a quick look and I'm confused already petra 😁

I swear I replied to you Norah, but it hasn’t posted. Luckily the plans are much better than my drawing.😀

There will be a tall cupboard for the vacuum and ironing board, and a run of cupboards under a counter along the wall adjoining the kitchen. There will be another row of cupboards at 90 degrees to that under the windows to the garden. Above the windows on the kitchen wall will be yet more, shallower ones for deeper storage as I will need to stand in something to reach them.

He has used as much space as possible, so whilst it won’t be fabulous it will be a big improvement.

Doodledog

I swear I replied to you Norah, but it hasn’t posted. Luckily the plans are much better than my drawing.😀

There will be a tall cupboard for the vacuum and ironing board, and a run of cupboards under a counter along the wall adjoining the kitchen. There will be another row of cupboards at 90 degrees to that under the windows to the garden. Above the windows on the kitchen wall will be yet more, shallower ones for deeper storage as I will need to stand in something to reach them.

He has used as much space as possible, so whilst it won’t be fabulous it will be a big improvement.

Lovely! Thank you for explaining.

Is the loo remaining unchanged? Or is the door being made more user friendly to the room?

If I recall correctly you will have open floor space in the angle between the windows. Hopefully, bring on grandchildren, a small table chair set, paint pots, books, and Thomas Train! As you can tell Thomas is still quite popular here.

The door to the loo is staying as is (it opens into the loo, not the boot room).

I would love to see grandchildren playing in there, but for now it can hold dog bowls when the grandpuppies visit😎

No posts for a while, maybe everyone but me is clutter-free now? Congratulations if you are.
I went back in the attic today, I have such a lot of things still left. I reckoned I'd cleared half of it last summer but that was wishful thinking. I think I'm going to re-purpose a (30 y o?) double duvet cover to be a drawstring bag for garden cushions. We do have a wine-cellar (crawl space really) under the house that stays nice & dry & it'll keep the creepy crawlies off them if I store them in there, at least for summer.

I haven't posted for a looooong time, but this morning I took a large stainless steel wok plus lid and a skillet type pan to the charity shop. They were so dusty from lack of use....I did wash them. Very pleased to see them go. Well it's a start.

I like the idea of a newly retired friend to help. All my friends are old long retired ones!!

Good idea to repurpose the duvet cover, valdali. And congratulations on getting rid of the pans, HelterSkelter.

I am far from clutter-free, but am in the hiatus between booking the work to the boot room and it happening (he says it will happen in May), so am not moving the stuff until I have to make room for the work to start. Until then I will try not to add to it, and at least try to thin some of it out, but my usual MO is to get rid of things when I am putting them back, rather than before.