30 bags in 30 days decluttering method

I wonder whether the ones who are picky about what they take will find that people stop donating, as it's easier just to take everything to one place?

They haven't refused anything we took so far, except books.

I did have to go and retrieve something once which DH took by mistake but felt obliged to put a fiver in the till.

I'm just decluttering a drawer in the coffee table as I sit here .....

It's becoming a habit.

Going by my experience, people will stop donating to places that have strict rules. The BL took any books, while of the various charity shops, some only took hard backs, some took no reference books, another wouldn’t accept children’s books.

In the end, you go where it’s easiest, don’t you, and bypass those who put obstacles in your way. 🤔

Told Mr Keepcalm that we were now living by the William Morris principle of having nothing in the home that is not useful or beautiful to look at . He combed his hair and washed up!

keepcalmandcavachon

Told Mr Keepcalm that we were now living by the William Morris principle of having nothing in the home that is not useful or beautiful to look at . He combed his hair and washed up!

Ha ha! That’s a good one, keepcalm!

Bag 4: only one thing in it, it's a worn out super king size duvet cover. I was going to keep it for my fabric stash but I've decided it's past that. Four down, twenty six to go.

I've cleared out half of my coffee table (it has a lot of storage in it) and two bags of donated items are being collected - one tomorrow and one on Tuesday morning.

Again, small steps, but it has given me the equivalent of two bags' worth of space for tidying away other items, so it's all good, and the items are going to good causes, so it's even better. Wednesday will mean another bag of old knitting yarn goes out, and I still have the clothes and books to do ahead of the charity collection in a couple of weeks.

A set back. I had several things that I was planning to take to the next repair cafe with a view to throwing them away if they weren’t repairable but I’m now needed to look after my grandson that morning. I may not be able to go to the next one either.

Day 7 and I’m on a roll!

Recycling day tomorrow and I’ve already almost filled one bag with paperwork. As I’ve said before, this could be classed as ordinary household administration. Something that normal people take in their stride and manage to do on a regular basis, without fuss.

I, however, am not normal, so I consider my achievement today as a considerable step forward in my de-cluttering journey.

Old bank statements, receipts, holiday brochures, out of date coupons . . . . . You name it, I’ve shredded it.

Can we count the innumerable bags we got rid of just before this thread started?

We removed 2 boxes of trainers to the village school 'extra clothing cupboard' - each our box of many 'last ok pair' and 'extra rain pair' and so on.

We walk 4 times a day, need trainers with great support. Trainer foot-beds are worn well before the shoe itself is tatty.

Schools observe needs, extra footwear being a great need.

No extra trainers here, but replacements are on order.

Callistemon21

Can we count the innumerable bags we got rid of just before this thread started?

Less of the “we”

I only started last Tuesday

Thinking about your question, Callistemon, aye, why not?

Let this thread be a celebration of all our efforts. 30 bags or not

Guesswhat

Thinking about your question, Callistemon, aye, why not?

Let this thread be a celebration of all our efforts. 30 bags or not

Oh good!
Mind you, most of them were DD's but we were left to get rid of some of it.

At least DH is quiet doing one of the jigsaws which he hadn't noticed before in his stash.

Guesswhat I'm with you on the paperwork. We started during lockdown and shredded bag after bag of paperwork. We're very bad at doing it, so end up with piles of shredding. We use the recyclable charity bags that come through the door for the shreddings so they can go in the recycling bin.

Doodledog

I wonder whether the ones who are picky about what they take will find that people stop donating, as it's easier just to take everything to one place?

Absolutely! I already do.
At one shop it depends which member if staff you get as well.

First bag down! (just started today). Bathroom cabinet sorted of things past their date and all the part used toiletries that don't suit. All binned - assuming half used shampoos etc that were bought years ago and such luke cant really be found homes.

I am 90% through a declutter (and refurbishment) which has taken two years. I have not done a bag / box a day, probably one a week. At first it was simply a practical necessity (we moved into my late parents home) but we had also accumulated a load of stuff ourselves. It has fundamentally changed me and saved me loads. I now only buy things I really want or need. I sell what I don’t want through Marketplace and if it doesn’t sell after a couple of weeks, I donate it to charity. It is so much easier to keep everything tidy, looks better and I just don’t fritter money on crap. I would definitely recommend it as a strategy. Starting small is good too, doesn’t feel overwhelming. I will do a bag, box or drawer for example. Good luck

I am not a hoarder but reading this thread has inspired me to sort out my medicine cupboard and I was surprised to find how many of the over the counter medicines were out of date!

Day 8 - started yesterday evening as I was feeling quite energetic.

Tackled kitchen cupboards and a small amount of food got chucked out. Not much, as I hate wasting food and am not averse to eating out of date stuff, within reason. It was mostly condiments and little sachets of sugar etc. snaffled from cafés .

This morning I cleared out some glass jars I’d been saving to use for storing nuts and seeds. Had too many of them. They were empty and taking up space, so out they went. You know the sort of thing - cute Bonne Maman jars and the like. Also Douwe Egberts coffee jars that I’d planned to make lanterns out of.

They’d been lurking in the cupboards for years!

Today: towels and sheets.

Boxed up for our dogs' vet (used for dog stays after surgery).

Well I'm a bit behind due to family emergencies but am now back on track
We still have to book a slot to donate to charity here. I booked for Monday but didn't have a full bag so it's Friday now and I had a friend round to "organise" me .
She's now away till Thursday when she will re organise and relabel the contents of the filing cabinet.
She's a sweetie but has no concept of how much stuff's contained in this house. She hasn't seen the attic yet.

I have attempted to find homes for my late DH's collections and books but no luck so far.

I have a cupboard filled to the brim with board games. The DGC may love them when they are here but they are not here very voften

I am another two bags down . I took yarn to my craft group, and it was snapped up. Definitely a case of one woman's clutter being another woman's treasure.

I would love to have a friend who would help me to get organised. I'm on my own with it, I'm afraid, and I'm not very good at it, so the progress is slow. Still, some progress is better than none, and since this thread started I have got rid of quite a lot, and even though it doesn't really show yet, I have more space in cupboards and drawers.

Our loft is a mansard roof line over the back of our home. Holds too much in side storage room. Tackled today. Five big black bags out to tip.