De-cluttering, the never-ending process

I agree Doodledog - I can't see a professional doing anything other than jollying you along and making the odd suggestion. I know someone who had a lady to help her sort her wardrobe. She basically helped her put everything in three piles - charity shop, rubbish, keep. My friend was killing herself laughing when she told me that she ended up with a huge 'keep' pile, a bit of rubbish and a few things for the charity shop. She did get some help with sorting her wardrobe out so she could find things but it was almost as full at the end as it was at the beginning.

I can do that myself free . Plus, I hate being jollied along - it brings out the grump in me.

Doodledog

I can do that myself free . Plus, I hate being jollied along - it brings out the grump in me.

Oh, I'd dig my heels in and it would make me more determined to keep my treasures rubbish 😁

Absolutely.

Currently listening to the Clutterbug podcast while I’m decluttering. Not sure that it’s helping as I still feel guilty and selfish when I throw things away.

It's such a mindbending process, isn't it? (#euphemism).

I completely understand the guilt and feelings of selfishness, yet at the same time I felt guilty and disorganised before I started.

I don`t feel guilty, not at all. I have always tried my best and never spent beyond my means, ok often it is a want and not a need but I am not needy and these wants help the endorphins to brighten my life

My mil always said to buy the best I could afford, I have been doing that for a few years, always knowing that my things will be wanted one day by my AC and my dgc. eg Le creuset never goes out of style

Personally, I would never have a helper to organise me, I know myself best and nothing has ever phased me, I get through things in nibbles. My best helper, after I was widowed, was my large shopping trolley which I loaded up with maybe stuff and from there I either moved that stuff to cs or back from whence it came. The actual recycling stuff was made a lot easier, being friendly with the men at the depot, I was almost always able to hand things on for re-use or for them to sell

I tend to buy the best I can afford too, but so have my children, so they already have nice casserole dishes and plates - they don't want mine, and they definitely don't want my old clothes.

My mum was always palming her things onto me, and I didn't like to refuse, which is partly why I ended up with too much clutter . She would clear out a cupboard and turn up at my house with bags of 'stuff' that I was meant to be grateful for. I'll never forget the 20 or so chopsticks that came with three odd rolls of wallpaper. She would also follow up by asking if I still used x y or z, and look pained if I said I'd got rid of it.

I am not doing that to my children. I tell them if I am getting rid of something I think they might want - I post a photo on the family WhatsApp group so they and their partners can see it - and if they don't want it they know I won't be offended. It then goes on the local Freecycle equivalent, or goes to the charity shop if it's portable. No guilt. None. Zilch. B*gger all Well, except for mine, of course. I'm stuck with that, I'm afraid, but the cycle stops here.

I do similar doodledog, I did a photo on whatsapp yesterday and my things were snapped up. Thankfully I have 6 siblings so never got fobbed off with things from my mum. I did get some ornaments from a sister in law, hated them and whoops, the tray they were on fell onto hard ground

I got rid of a few more bits yesterday, but today's been slower. I have a work deadline, so I'm not likely to do much tomorrow either, and I'm out for lunch on Monday, which will use up most of the day, as it's in the city centre so I need to add on travelling times. The rest of the week will be full-on, though, as the decorators come the week after, and I need to be sorted by then.

I can’t do any practical clearing because of an injury but my daughter has put things online and they have been collected - either for free or at very low prices but at least it clears a bit of space. Just heard that my son wants a desk so I am pleased it is staying in the family.

Thats good cabbie, I do like it when nice things stay in the family.

We had two office desks, solid heavy oak and the buyer for my house wanted one, I brought the other one and put it into my sewing room. Took out the middle tray, sawed the small legs down to the base, used shelf supports and added an extension at the back. It is now an excellent sewing space, certainly not floppy and can cope with some heavy machines

I am having a week off de-cluttering, don`t have the oomph for it right now, not even 3 a day

I started a very emotional difficult phase this morning. I have been tossing about in bed while it was going through my mind last night. I know I must do it

I took up wood carving after my husband died and when money meant nothing, I joined his group and bought tool after expensive tool and very many book, went on courses and to exhibitions. You get the picture. Wood carving is not in my heart and I took it up, I think, to delay the inevitable clearing as he loved that hobby and was an excellent carver

The books are all the nice shiny softback A4 types and there are a lot. The gauges are all safely stashed in large pizza coolbags, under a bed. The bigger items are all in the garage

It is so hard as I have emptied full two ring folders this morning and come across some items that he printed but most was mine, torn from carving and scrollsaw magazines. All those are in a bag now, also more magazines and it will be a recycling run later

I am finding it impossible to `let go` of the tools but if someone came and asked to buy them, they would be released. I cannot face the facebook or ebay way

Oh I do so understand. DH had so many tools, books, gadgets. So many hobbies, not all continued in recent years but he would never get rid of anything.
This week the family have been picking out the odd book, DVD, even old Beatles records. The occasional treasure, one book declared to be the absolute best source material for xxx, like gold dust. Well I would never have known. Nor would most people. A set of lino cutter tools, what on earth?, said one.

We have now agreed that apart from his one special collection, which is very valuable, and some silver etc which has intrinsic value and will be sold, everything else can go. Lots will be sent to auction, some might make £10, some £70 if we are lucky, a fraction of what was paid, but much will go to the recycling centre. Eventually I will have to do the same with more items, which are part of the household, not DH’s collectibles, but just too much stuff. I will never be a minimalist, but eventually it will be liberating.

I know what you mean about FB/eBay, karmalady. I'm not sure that selling works for major decluttering. My daughter keeps saying that I should sell my dresses on Vinted as they are 'good brands', but (for me) it is too much effort - it's hard enough sorting things out, but bagging them, listing them, dealing with buyers and taking the items to the PO is really not worth it to me. Once I have decided they are going I just want them gone. Maybe later I will be able to face the hassle, when I'm looking at an item at a time, and when that item has breathing space in the wardrobe, rather than needing to hang around until the listing is over. For now though, Mr Dog is taking the bags away almost as soon as I put them downstairs.

Yesterday I got rid of 5 bags, and there is one more to go after I've bubble wrapped some fragile things. I have a parcel of three cashmere jumpers to go to Turtle Doves in exchange for fingerless gloves, and a bag of old undies and socks/tights to go to the tip.

It really is a mindset thing. It took me a while to accept that it doesn't matter what an item cost when I bought it, it is worthless now if I can't wear it because it doesn't fit, because I'm 'too old' or because my lifestyle is different now. Now that penny has dropped though, it is much easier to be ruthless.

It's irritating that I can't really see a difference despite the huge number of bags that have gone out in this year's 'ridout', as the clutter was largely in wardrobes, and because the bedrooms are in disarray ahead of the decorator coming, but when everything is put back and life goes back to normal (fingers crossed by the end of the month) I should see the benefit. I really hope so.

Last year I decluttered downstairs, this year it's been upstairs, and next time I have the bathroom and a boot room to do. The bathroom will be easy enough, but the boot room needs thought, as it is full of things like vacuum cleaner, ironing board and other essential items that need to go somewhere. It's been all too convenient to put them in there, but I really need storage solutions. There are a couple of cupboards in there that need a thorough sorting (one is full of cookbooks that I probably don't need) which will be a big help.

But sufficient unto the day is the sorting thereof . I need to crack on with the bedrooms for now. I have a Teams meeting this morning, but hope to make some progress this afternoon.

We cross posted, Cabbie. I think an auction is a great idea, as you can let a lot of things go at once, and not have all the bagging and posting to deal with.

I hope it goes well.

I am still at it today and feel better now that I am rid of the magazines etc. I am thinking that I am going to be leaving the carving tools for a bit longer, I have enough to do right now with clearing my own bookshelves. Lots of heavy books and just now I do have the right mindset to get on with it. I spent money, that money is gone, done and dusted

No point fretting over the big stuff like the scrollsaw and everything else

This afternoon I am tackling my own books, such a lot of hobby books but I cba selling them, even on ravelry. I will take what I want out of them and get rid

I'm pleased you're feeling better, kl.

Books are difficult, aren't they? I got rid of lots of them, but have lots more to go. I think they are best done in waves - some of them are obviously not 'keepers', but others have that 'might want to read it/consult it' some day air about them. I tend to put them to one side on the first 'round' and when I go back to them and see them next to the other ones I wasn't sure about they look less appealing, and I am more keen to let them go.

Realistically, even an expensive book is not going to cost more than £30 or so to replace if you really need it later, and the odds are that you can get any information it holds online anyway, (and it will be more up to date). If someone offered to pay me £30 to store yards of books I'd laugh at them.

They are heavy, so I tend to use Anglo Doorstep Collections to collect them. I've mentioned them before, but they come to the doorstep, as the name suggests, so you don't even have to put them at the bottom of the garden. If you call them the day before they will give you an idea of where you are on the schedule, so you aren't tied up all day. You choose which charity will get the benefit of your donations - I've picked a DV one this time. I doubt they'll get more than a small percentage, but as many charity shops don't take books, and even if you find one it is difficult to get them there in bulk because of their weight, I'm happy with that.

I've just booked a collection for the middle of November, which is an incentive to thin out my massive collection of cookbooks in time.

Keep on keeping on, fellow declutterers - we are on the countdown to Christmas, and we'll have lots more room for Christmas tat tasteful decorations when we've cleared the space! It will all be worth it in the end.

This afternoon I am tackling my own books, such a lot of hobby books but I cba selling them, even on ravelry. I will take what I want out of them and get rid

Local craft groups (U3A etc) might appreciate your craft books if they are still intact, karmalady.
Someone from a group might collect them.

Knitting patterns anyone? Even a knitted swimsuit pattern 😃

Craft groups is a good idea, or a care home might be glad of them. Again, I have lots, but they go out of fashion, and it’s a lot easier to print off a pattern from Ravelry and not need to cart a book around with your knitting.

In other news, I have decided to convert a spare bedroom to a study, and have found a desk and tall bookcase to order when it’s painted and the new carpet’s down. This means that I can be less ruthless (more ruthful?) with the remaining books. The cookbooks are still doomed, but I will reshuffle the rest, and can keep more than I’d planned. It’s maddening that I got rid of so many in the last tranche, but I won’t have so many difficult decisions to make.

I can be less ruthless

I need to be more ruthless but that reminds me of Swallows and Amazons. Wasn't one of the girls called Ruth but changed her name to Nancy because pirates are supposed to be ruthless?
Then I began to think about the children's books still in the attic ....

As detailed on another thread, we have now moved the wardrobe in the spare room, and despite my hard work sorting it out, the clothes are now on the stairs, with half of them off their hangers😢. I am about to go up and put them back, as Mr Dog has taken the carpet to the tip. I am not amused, as it took ages to sort them in the first place. Also, this is bedroom one of four, and probably the easiest to make ready.

🎼 There may be trouble ahead. . .

I will probably have to replace the wardrobe too, as it was difficult to move, and one of the doors has come off. It could probably be repaired, but I'm not sure it's worth it, really.

I do not need a wedding hat from nearly 20 years ago.
Repeat
But what if you get invited to a garden party at The Palace?
That is only likely to happen if you get rid of the hat.
Ok
Keep it or not then?