De-cluttering, the never-ending process

AreWeThereYet

I spent two years during lock down decluttering - trying on clothes, washing and ironing them, putting them into piles ready for taking to charity shop until all I had left was the stuff that fitted me and I would wear. Most of it was size 12, and as I was 14-16 I didn't expect to ever get into it again. Now I am back down to a size 12 and having to shop for new things as most things are miles too big. This morning I found a hidden bag in the spare bedroom that hadn't made it to the charity shop - inside it were two lovely skirts and a shirt (all still labelled), so they made it back to my wardrobe.

Sadly this has reinforced Mr A's thinking that as soon as you get rid of things you need them, so it's not making it any easier to get him to get rid of things.

I got around that with Mr F.
It gets taken out to the garage. Left for 2 weeks.
If after 2 weeks it is still no longer wanted, it is properly dealt with. Solved his problem.
May not work for everyone.

I saw this today and immediately thought of this thread. ❤️ I’ve had a delivery today of poly-pockets for dvds, so I can rid of the plastic outers and just keep the discs and leaflets. I’ve also decided to empty my larder cupboard and sort out the tins. The unit was installed last year but only the ‘surface layer’ of goods have been used so obviously I’m overstocked. I’ll make meals with the surplus and from now on just buy as needed.

😂😂😂

Oh, the one about the fruit rang a bell! It was a nice leather handbag too and involved a kiwi fruit 🥝

I’ve just spent a couple of days tidying up the garden. The frustrating thing about that is that, when I stopped needing to work on the garden last autumn I thought to myself ‘ I can concentrate on the house now’ but what happened to that garden free time ?

I am just about to insert my last (hurrah) zero water catridge into my water filter unit. Ok yes I am glad I stock piled when they were on offer but really! I had two years worth. The filter jug itself is going out in a few weeks, past cleaning properly after today plus the lid gasket is past redemtion

I do have a new setup ready with re fillable filter and a metal case which can be dishwashed. All in all, a decent sized space will be restored into my utility cupboard

The miserable rainy weather has a lot to answer for, I am very happily spinning stash but I needed some things today for storing my spun singles. Duly ordered and then I got sucked into more knitting books

I am off to cs later, if thunder allows, I have boxed felt kits to give away, unopened and nice but honestly, I dont know why I even bought those kits. The dgc are not into crafting and I don`t want any more ornaments, particularly the gsd that will be first to go to cs. One at a time and several weeks apart, it is the only way I can justify that initial cost to myself but heyho the cs will benefit

I haven't done anything except plant up some tubs.

I haven’t done anything except plant some roses.

Callistemon our son and dil once left a small nappy changing bag in our house. I didn’t notice it for weeks because it was in a room we seldom used. When I eventually came across it there was something that had once been a banana in it. 😂

I haven’t done anything…😫

SueDonim

I haven’t done anything except plant some roses.

Callistemon our son and dil once left a small nappy changing bag in our house. I didn’t notice it for weeks because it was in a room we seldom used. When I eventually came across it there was something that had once been a banana in it. 😂

😁

I went out to find a spot where I might plant a shrivelled looking peony tuber which might not make it anyway, but it's going to rain.
Changed my mind about what should go there anyway.

Now, what is Plan B 🤔

Oh SueDonim- I loved your story.

I’ve got duplicates if everything that need using up. A combination of us getting a huge discount on Boots products and often buying 3 for 2 and because of the pandemic not replacing things as and when needed. I’m still living on pandemic food ( I ignore use best before dates on most things). I lost a day when my Humax stopped working because I get tunnel visioned when something like that happens. I need to go through years and years of paperwork. It is a bit overwhelming.

Baby steps, Maybe. A friend has started on a major paperwork sort out and is doing just ten minutes at a time. For her, that’s more manageable.

Today we went to the dump twice with car loads of cardboard for recycling. Also my GC’s baby car seat went out, a bit nostalgic at that going. There is more space in the garage again - for now. :hmm:

I am shattered and it all started when I was trying to find a space in which to squeeze some bags of fluff, for spinning. It ended up with a whole double cupboard emptying, which spread into two bedrooms

Ok, done now and with more space. Going out: all my felting stuff that I never use any more plus the big box kits, unopened. CS will benefit by a lot. I re-purposed a couple of the largest lakeland vac pack bags with a big volume and which helped me to move. Very useful for making doubly sure that moths don`t come near my wool and yarn stash

In the process, I have to be glad that I stashed. several top-notch blends of fibre eg silk/cashmere. all were beautifully protected in wrapping and the invoice was with them. Dearest was £37 for 500g. I bought all of them in 2014, before I was widowed and when I was foot-loose and fancy-free

The moral here is not to bewail having a stash, it actually saves a lot of money, provided it is used one day

PS, I won`t mention all the sweater weight amounts of excellent knitting yarn

Gosh I worked hard this morning and did not wake up with that in mind. I changed bedding to linen for summer and in process went through my bedding store cupboard. I have had enough of the `superior` flannel bedding bought not so long ago from the linen cupboard. Always carefully washed but became hard , rough and not pleasant to sleep in

All that make of flannel has been binned. The older northern nights from qvc a long time ago is still nice, soft and usable so that will be my go-to for next autumn. The flannel I got rid of was bulky and has left a nice big space in my cupboard.

Have been de cluttering off and on taking much to Charity shops and warm clothes to local 'assistance centre for young people. However, on watching one of the t.v. auction programmes, was astonished to see similar/the same articles I had given away fetching, in some instances, quite large sums if money!! Wished I knrw mote about antiques!

When we had house clearers in for what we thought was MIL's tat TanaMa they actually paid us when they got under her stairs. What we thought was rubbish she had been buying up at car boots etc. was collectable China, old firms from Newcastle and places that are no longer in existence. We feel the same as you.

karmalady

I don’t want any more ornaments, particularly the gsd that will be first to go to cs

What is ‘gsd’ please?

german shepherd dog, the kit went to a delighted assistant at the cs. I brought the other 4 kits downstairs, to annoy me into taking them to cs,. They are lovely but I decided that I didn`t like felting and don`t want more ornaments

Another de-cluttering stage starts. I have 2 x 3` hypnos hideaway beds side by side and thay each have very big storage underneath, a bit awkward as it means hands and knees work but one area at a time

I saw a clothes moth and have been on lakeland site twice already, only for ziplock and packmate vacuum bags, free p and p this weekend. I intend to leave a blowup single aero bed at the far end of one storage space, plus my accordian, leaving ample space for layers of vaccuumed packmate. Duvets, spare bed bedding, winter woollens etc. It has to be one area at a time or I will be boggled

Lesson learned, I need to leave a handy list in there too

The summer changeover has started and some unsmart winter trousers are gone this morning. Yay, I feel energised to get going again with plenty to do this weekend

karmalady

Gosh I worked hard this morning and did not wake up with that in mind. I changed bedding to linen for summer and in process went through my bedding store cupboard. I have had enough of the `superior` flannel bedding bought not so long ago from the linen cupboard. Always carefully washed but became hard , rough and not pleasant to sleep in

All that make of flannel has been binned. The older northern nights from qvc a long time ago is still nice, soft and usable so that will be my go-to for next autumn. The flannel I got rid of was bulky and has left a nice big space in my cupboard.

Dunelm is taking bedding of all kinds.
Presumably it will all be recycled in some way or another. We took a nearly new summer/winter down and feather king-size duvet, other single duvets plus a lot of unwanted sheets, pillow cases and duvet covers.
There was a large cage in the foyer.

Looking at the link, Dunelm will take a lot of other household goods too.

www.dunelm.com/info/about/take-back-scheme

The Dunelm furniture take back is only selected large stores though.

I am gearing up for tomorrow as I want to bottom clean my wardrobe. Built in with a dark interior space on each side, I bought 2 elfa units, each with wire mesh gliding storage drawers, a shelf on top and castors. One unit on each side, allowing for shorter garments to hang on top

I cannot easily get into each side so the wardrobe is well overdue for a de-clutter and I might de-clutter one of those units. Wish me luck, I will either spring out of bed looking forward to it, or not

I know, I know, once I get something in my head, I always want to get started, it is my capricorn nature

Wardrobe prep is done and two elfa units have become one tall unit, minus one solid top and minus 1 set of castors, using a piece of wood and rubber mallet. The hanging rail is only 2cm above that and only the right interior alcove has been used. Much better. All the elfa trays are back in and so is everything else, stuffed back into the wardrobe. No wasted space on that side now

There is a lot to be be removed tomorrow but I need a fresh head for that and need to work out what to do with all my shoes ie to store them compactly

I do know that there is a lot to go to the cs this week and for the next couple of weeks

I was going to send in a search and rescue party if you didn’t return from the innards of your wardrobe, Karma!

I’ve sorted through two drawers and a sideboard cupboard today. There isn’t much to throw out, having only recently moved here, but I found a few things which had been mislaid and threw away some old paperwork.

Plastic coathangers.
Does anyone know what to do with them? The charity shops don't want them.