De-cluttering, the never-ending process

I'm decluttering my study by selling a few things on EBay. It's nice to see some money come in as well as the clutter depart.

I have added to my stash, fluff to spin with, really good quality from a small mill that I know. Oh well I could not look away and have now bought a kg of beautiful fluff at a bargain price, which will enable spinning enjoyment, followed by knitting. Cheap at the price for a good two years entertainment

Bare bones in my house, definitely not for me. In this case it is not one in and one out. Whoops

karmalady

I have added to my stash, fluff to spin with, really good quality from a small mill that I know. Oh well I could not look away and have now bought a kg of beautiful fluff at a bargain price, which will enable spinning enjoyment, followed by knitting. Cheap at the price for a good two years entertainment

Bare bones in my house, definitely not for me. In this case it is not one in and one out. Whoops

We were watching a programme about Longleat this afternoon (it was on in a hospital waiting room!) and saw some camels.
They looked as sheep do when they really need shearing and I wondered if camels are shorn and the wool used.

Camel fibre can be used for spinning, very warm too, so they say

I did a bit of decluttering this morning, set my breadmaker on and decided to go through a very weighty paperback tome, small pale writing and far too much info about bread. I tore out the recipes that I wanted to keep, maybe 20 pages and the rest is out in recycling. I originally bought the book in a cs. I did similar with all my wood carving and whittling magazines. Still kept what I `might` want in the future but now compact in nice storage boxes on lower shelves on my tall bookcase

Just spent two weeks sorting out our double garage and yes I was ruthless. I do not consider myself to be a hoarder, but let's keep it just in case!

I am really happy with what I have achieved, in fact I keep sitting out there and admiring my handy work. Sad!

When I decided to move into a retirement flat, I thought I had de-cluttered. I have now been in the flat for a week and the boxes still to be opened tell me that I was wrong!

I declutter every January. I get immense satisfaction from clearing out needless stuff.

There are men/woman sheds popping up everywhere and I know they appreciate decent tools and equipment. In time, when I can no longer do diy, my tools will firstly be offered to AC and then to local sheds. Nice to know that their purpose will carry on

Tiny steps again and a couple of empty pots of face and body creams are going out, not to be replaced, at least not until the last one is used up. Once I find where they were put. I blame the qvc specials, I left qvc over a year ago, was too sucked in

Have any of you made any progress? I haven`t but could be because it is summer and I am busier outside. I have gone a bit into reverse, just bought a new kipling bag in a nice cheerful colour. I didn`t need it but I wanted it

Been on holiday, and now poorly[hence spending more time than usual on GN].
Best I dont move much and not feeling 100% either. Hopefully I will feel better next week. Else I will have to ring the doctor.

Before holiday I was making some progress. Still paper though, so didnt consider that very readable material for anyone!

Funny how the seasons affect everyone's behaviour so much.
I didnt even think it was right that I am ill in July! Dont think ever been ill in July before. Just doesnt feel right!

I do need to have a bit of a sort out in the garage. Had the big sort out in winter, but need to stay on top of things. I dont like tidying a garage much in winter time. Brrrr.

We'll hopefully finish de-cluttering after one last wedding garden party. Our daughter married in spring (2nd marriage, both early 60s). My brother will marry late summer (she is 62 he is 67 - no chaotic "first"). Many sets of china, purchased for weddings will move on to Charity Shop!

There was something I liked about that post Norah.
I think that you will have come to the end of de-cluttering. Well done. And the nice reasons for it too.

I wanted to ask people something.
How often do you move bedroom furniture around?

When I was a child, I shared a bedroom with my sister. We were forever rearranging things. Great fun.

It dawned on me yesterday that my DH and I bedroom, we have never moved around the furniture.

I have done some more decluttering recently. And now I can see that the clear space is no longer where I want it to be.
I want to swap over the bed, and a chest of drawers.

One of my reasons for doing so is, I want a change. Another is, I have always been conscious that the bed is as far away from the radiator as is possible. In these higher cost of living days, makes more sense for the bed to be nearer I think.

I moved furniture around in two bedrooms after decluttering, also swapped curtains from one room to the other. Putting the lighter pair in the darker room. I moved the bed onto the opposite wall where it gets the sunlight. Said nothing to anyone DH did eventually notice but SIL, when he visited, said WOW we are in the Executive Suite. Just moving a chair from behind a door can make a lot of difference.
Not quite the same thing but about de-cluttering. One of my relations works for a charity that refits flats or houses for people who have been homeless. They have told me to see if there are any charities in my area and remarked at what they are glad of, old thin sheets and towels we would throw are really appreciated as are beds and mattresses so anyone doing a major declutter could consider these. In their area, they come and pick them up.

Fancythat, do the change, your instinct is telling you but beware the cleaning that will accompany that. However your bedroom will feel as good as new when you are finished

All I have done in the de-cluttering malarky is empty a gallon size of toilet bio D into the smaller bottles, never again. I don`t care how much I save any more, by bulk buying. Another reason to let my costco card lapse, anyway it is 45 miles along very busy motorways

Use it up, that is the way forward for me now. I cannot see any useless stuff in my house. I just need less of the stuff I use

I wouldn’t say our house is exactly cluttered, certainly not on the face of it, but there’s no doubt that every single cupboard and drawer could do with a good clear-out - so much stuff we never use or wear, and are never likely to.

Around this time last year I made a resolution that once the clocks changed to winter time, I’d do one drawer or cupboard every day.
And I didn’t do even one. 😱
This year, maybe I’ll eventually get down to it. I need a hefty dose of willpower from somewhere, though.

I am embarked on a massive clear out since DH died.
This morning I moved three pieces of bedroom furniture out and cleaned behind them for the first time in years. This coming week they are being collected by a charity which restores old furniture to resell, whilst employing people on a rehab programme. So I am getting nearer to getting the bedroom redecorated and a new carpet, long overdue.
As for the rest of the house…..it is a long slow process.

Just gone through a cupboard and found enough cards to send for the next five Christmasses, and some others which will now never be sent.
I also found all the love letters I sent to DH before we were married. I am not going going to read them now and they will definitely need to be shredded as I don’t want my family reading them!

karmalady. thanks. I have done the change. Glad I have. Made the room feel a lot more spacious.
There was some cleaning but could have been worse.

Cabbie21. That charity sounds like a very good idea.
And nice for you to rediscover all the love letters.

Cabbie, I also had my husbands love letters and I shredded them. They were for my eyes only, very sweet and innocent. I also did not read them when I was widowed, too painful a process. It really is a long process and a step at a time

Well done Fancythat, you`ll sleep well tonight

I am at long last, fabric stash busting. Collected from very many years. I seemed to get that lighbulb moment this afternoon. So far about 1/3 is destined for re-homing and I have started to catalogue the rest

I won’t bore you with how my living room ended up like this but this is how people end up on those tv programmes about extreme hoarding. I have just, however, deep cleaned my partners place and left it immaculate and spent the weekend house sitting for DD. The other rooms are as bad…the garage has to be cleared for the asbestos removal….

Maybee, it always gets worse before it gets better plus it spreads into other rooms. End result will be worthwhile

I collected a big bag of fabrics together by last night and have already taken one large piece out, perfect for another bomber jacket for cycling and warmer than the one I already made and wear. I will not put this back on a shelf, it will go on a dining chair until I make that jacket. Out of sight would mean out of mind

Lots more of the same for the forseeable, lots more fabric sorting to do and making a catalogue is key, to stop me impulse buying the fabrics that I see and love online.

I pulled everything out of our eaves loft space yesterday, crates of dolls and their clothes from the girls childhood, played with by GCs and now off to be sold by MzOops. Also crates of Lego figures belonging to GS, these will also be sold by his mum.
Only things left are crates of Christmas decorations and 2 huge suitcases full of smaller cases and bags, we will use these if and when we move. It was very cathartic, but one spare room is now full of boxes which will need to go to the South West in September when we go down. But at least I have sorted it all and labelled the boxes.
I find it very handy to store everything in see through crates, but I now have 4 empty ones which will go into the garage ready for when I sort through the 30 crates of vintage crockery.
Goodness knows what I will do with all of that, at least it’s in cupboards so I don’t have to look at it, I need a sunny day so that I can get it all out on the lawn and sort it.
Apart from that the clearing out is going well.

ready for when I sort through the 30 crates of vintage crockery

Very popular for weddings, I understand. It doesn't have to match, apparently.

Currently watching SortYour Life Out in Seven Days. It features someone that has a similar problem to me, divorced and can’t let go of things because of emotional attachment. It popped up on iplayer after something else I was watching and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find which programme it was but it’s episode one of the latest series. Strangely enough, unlike most of the people in these programmes, my cupboards and drawers are always immaculate. I’m so obsessed with keeping the bits tidy that people can’t see that I never get round to doing the bits that people can.