De-cluttering, the never-ending process

I have finished, cleared enough to leave half a shelf clear and I am utterly shattered. That is me, I go on and on doing stuff to exhaustion but tbh the feeling of satisfaction beats the exhaustion.

Today was the `saved` fabrics off the table, all in catalogued and neatly folded on shelves. Up and down with weighty stuff again, the weight being felt on shoulders back and arms. Next to clear was linings and silks and that was very much an eye opener, much of that I had bought well before my husband died, probably around 2010. Nothing to remove but a lot to fold, measure and catalogue. Then those newish bemberg linings, all done now and I will never need another lining fabric in my whole lifetime

Even the scraps are sorted, I have filled a big waste bin and it is heavy. Made a top too as I wanted to have a break, so one top in my wardrobe and four out, rather three out and one white cotton jersey t shirt saved in scraps for knicker gussets

Obviously sitting now with cbd oil at my side, I have stretched my body but need to break the pain cycle, all that standing has hurt

Nothing else now, no de-cluttering for a good while ahead but just to say that the really useful boxes are fantastic for storage. I have piled three full 9 litre boxes under my sewing table with plenty of room for my feet. Those boxes have been with me through two house moves, thick and thin

MayBee70

The programmes I’m watching really brings emotional attachment home to me. A friend of mine said that coming from a poor family meant that I was scared to throw anything away in case I needed it one day.One programme said we keep things for our children who don’t really want them.. And my current problem is not wanting to put anything in landfill because I feel so guilty about it.

That is me, ingrained from childhood. I kind of like that I have all these fabrics, looking at prices for some now, more than doubled and a secured stash for the future, without spending extra.

Down to the nitty gritty, I started with 7 full and heavy bin bags in the hall and then 7 became 4, which I loaded into the car. Back and forth to the car and I now have 4, much lighter half filled bags which will definitely go today. The fabrics I have removed are folded on my dining table and I am seeing them with new eyes. Today I will catalogue those and they will no longer be `out of sight nor mind`

I was on and off steps yesterday and the day before, lifting up and down, some fabrics are heavy. Achy shoulder this morning so no lifting and I will be looking at de-cluttering patterns and ironing pre-washed linings and silks. I still have an empty nrrow cupboard, left side of my cut-down re-vamped computer desk, now a sewing table/unit. I know there are patterns I will never use again, out they go

I’ve just found a make up brush that I’ve been looking for for ages. I found it because I’ve just moved a load of stuff from a drawer in the bedroom back to the drawer that it was in before ( I’m always tidying and sorting drawers!).

MayBee70
We lived in a small, largely clutter-free house. Although my mother had some treasured ornaments (which I now have!) she must have known the mantra which a friend taught me: "Do I love it, do I want it, do I need it?" because Mum disposed of anything which didn't fit those criteria.
There were no charity shops then but clothes, toys, other items got passed on or sent to the church jumble sales.
I do still have some of my books which she boxed up and gave to me when I moved into a flat.

Perhaps that's why I hang on to things.

I've just rearranged my yarn stash 😀

The one colour I need seems to have been all used up .......

The programmes I’m watching really brings emotional attachment home to me. A friend of mine said that coming from a poor family meant that I was scared to throw anything away in case I needed it one day.One programme said we keep things for our children who don’t really want them.. And my current problem is not wanting to put anything in landfill because I feel so guilty about it.

That emotional attachment, it is so true and sometimes you don`t realise that there is one. Take my fabrics, sewing reminds me of very happy times, sewing for children, husband and myself and nowadays, making something envelopes me in a cosy contentment when I am only concentrating on what I am making. Letting go of fabrics is very difficult

I have worked very hard the last couple of days, decluttered every fabric-storage area and filled my hall with the ones to go. Then last night I went through them all in the hall and half went back upstairs, this morning some more went back on shelves. I have quickly bagged up the remaining fabrics and they have filled my car boot and I am sitting on my hands again. I am finding this harder than photos.

Two large drawers decluttered in the utility room - not much but it's progress!

I hang a plastic bag over the inside door of the spare room and try to put one thing in every day. It helps that I have a nearby sister in law with a granddaughter and I’m digging out forgotten toys and biscuit cutters ,picnic sets and similar and passing them over in small doses so as not to overdo it. I had a thorough clear out of summer clothes in June and left the bin bag for two weeks in case I suddenly needed something in the short week of summer we had in the northeast. The bag went last week. DH won’t let go of squash racquet he hasn’t touched in 50 years!nor any maps of USA or Europe

Now on episode three. Quite reassuring to know that other people are worse than me. Mind you, I’m curled up on the sofa with the dog watching it instead of doing my own decluttering. I’m trying to absorb some kind of decluttering energy from watching it…(no I’m not…I’m procrastinating: which is why I’m in the mess I’m in….)

www.chinasearch.co.uk/sell/

You could try these people

Where I volunteer, I offered a few years ago to try and sell some of the crockery. It was decades old, so thought it might be worth something. It may have done if there were complete sets, but we had no more than 4 of any of it.
I trawled through some antique shops, but they all said the same thing.

Callistemon21

^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.

I know, work colleagues used to borrow it all for events, as long as they collected, washed it up and returned, I was happy.
But now I’m retired ( and I’ve offered it on FB) nobody wants to wash it all up.
If it went into the dishwasher I’m not sure it would escape unscathed.
Selling it is such a faff, delivery is a toss up whether it would all be smashed in transit, so there it sits…….

More like Sort Your Life Out in Seven Years here!

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.

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.

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.

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 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….

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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