De-cluttering, the never-ending process

I blame the constant rain and the recent wind but now I feel as though I have wasted the day. The saving grace comes from accidentally finding several sheets of stickers for journals. Now packed into a zip lock for cs, also a great paperback tome of a book, lots of intense information and small writing, on woodwork. I am not going to tear out the bits I might use and am thinking that my neighbour can take it to the new mens shed. I am sure they will be more interested in various joints

My old cycling helmet, hanging patiently in the garage, just in case a spare is needed. Then I find out that it should have only been kept for 3-5 years, whoops, I am glad no-one ever needed to use it as it was 14 years old. I cut the straps off and binned it

Ok I accidentally sorted a bit but what boring way to spend a no-spend saturday. Tomorrow will be entirely different

A lovely, gentle thread Karmalady. Very inspirational.
I have very little that isn't necessary, but I'm aware of a few items I could dispose of.
On the top shelf of a kitchen cupboard are some Edwardian, glass cake stands, etc. They originally belonged to my maternal grandma. It's time to let go as my daughter will not want them.
The same goes for sherry glasses. No longer used, but kept for their sentimental value.
Last week, inspired by this thread I emptied two shelves in a kitchen cupboard. Some items were disposed of, and the the rest, after cleaning were replaced, but more logically. Very satisfying.
My box of herbs and spices is next on the agenda.
Photographs and cards are my failing. I really must try to reduce the hoard.

Plodding is good Cymres1, tortoise always does well

A full big yankee candle went yesterday, the last one. I have a sophisticated air filter, blue light is clean air with shades to red. My stearin candles keep the filter on blue, yankee immediately puts the filter on red. The big heavy glass vase/candle holder also went, both to cs

Pottering and removing are going hand in hand with this long winter, something positive and good to do while the rain is beating down.

We had a Clutter Fairy at WI, all happily thinking this would be a funny talk/jolly job. Were we in for an eye opener, she was inspirational!
I now have a young friend who helps me slowly decluttering, and after 35 years in the same place it's quite a task. We're slow and methodical. She is sensitive to my sentimentality and we make sure everything is going to the best place possible, e.g. recycling and charity shop or parcelled up to go to the grown up kids. I can't bear not doing it this way, so the knowledge that things are going to the best places is actually uplifting - and seeing it go is a real pleasure. It will take a while but we're getting there. After major surgery last year it is a plod on rather than a race, but well done to everyone working their way through it. Best of luck.

I'm a jug collector I can't resist them. I have corralled them into a cupboard as DH said we were starting to look like a Charity shop. Even the postman when I answered the door in my dressing gown remarked"Your jugs say rise and shine, practise what they preach'.... in a friendly way.
We have 3 loose-leafed Files for recipes we have been given or printed. I knew we were using barely any of them so I sorted mine on Saturday and they have gone in the paper recycling. DH's will probably get done sometime next year. One file came with us from the last house.
I have cut down on patio pots and donated them to a friend who had space for them. I intend to plant the ones left with perennials and just a few bedding. It always seems such a waste to get rid of plants that have only lasted a season.

I have been sorting through a couple of box files of recipes, one ‘sweet’ and one ‘savoury’.

Full of cuttings from newspapers and magazines, thinking “oh that looks good, must make it one day”.

Hmm, as DH says, if only I spent as long cooking as looking at the recipes….

Don’t need them now, of course, as you just google a recipe and up it comes.

I have culled them, quite severely, but still have quite a lot of chocolate related recipes left, which I really must get round to making one of these days.

🍫🍪🍰🧁

I don’t have that many vases, maybe four, Casdon. The jugs are all sorts! Ones that are decorative and also water jugs, milk jugs and measuring jugs etc.

I love those birds, Maybee.

If ever there was the best time to de-clutter, it is moving home internationally. Amazing how much we gave away the last time as well as the time before [and the time before that]. Wonderful to have lived all over the world, but it goes to show how quickly "stuff" is accumulated which one does not need really.

At least, during the pandemic, I wasn’t going into charity shops. I can’t resist buying things from them.I reckon I could open a little bric a brac shop with them. I need to ask myself ‘do I actually need this’ before I buy things. Some things do have a home eg these birds that I picked up in a charity shop and love. But most end up in a cupboard.

SueDonim

I’m back on the decluttering wagon! 👍 I tidied out one third of a sideboard today. Because we moved in so recently there’s not that much recycling or ‘big’ stuff to get rid of but I went through receipts and threw out the out of date ones, binned some odds and ends like the child car seat instructions in French/German/Arabic which we will never need.

I also found a very small kitchen cupboard which somehow is still empty and it'll be perfect for jugs and vases which are currently scattered about the kitchen.

I’m glad somebody else has a jug and vase cupboard! I love flower arranging, and I have loads of vases and jugs for that, in a corner cupboard but it’s not big enough to house them all. It should be next on my decluttering hit list, who needs about 30 vases and jugs after all.

I’m taking an unopened bag of specialist cat food and some treats to a pet shop with a food bank for pets. That another space in a cupboard, along with the cat-shaped hole in our lives.

I think if you have hobbies and interests you have a lot of gear. Over many years I have enjoyed knitting, crochet, card making, macrame, decoupage, rag rugging, felting, watercolour and pastel painting, decorating stones, doll making, salt dough, a dip into embroidery, some machine sewing etc so I have a spare room which was pretty full but I am getting through it.

I’ve had decorators in, and as our house is very open plan, there is a lot of dust.
So this morning I’ve taken everything off the shelves and washed it all.
I don’t know why two people need so many plates , bowls and dishes, I am not planning on hosting any banquets in the near future.
But I can’t resist pretty bits of China, and I’m far more likely to be adding to it, than getting rid of it.
I was surprised by quite how much there is though.

My DH does his decluttering when I have done mine.
If I have done an area, he will then do anything of his around that area.
Bit weird, but hey ho.

Much of this is easiest done as a couple, I don`t know how you could get a resistant OH to do his bit but maybe supply just one bag to fill and leave him to it. Man cave stuff, perhaps a tiny space at a time. My husband did his wardrobe much before I did mine, the easiest for him to get rid of was his dress suit, then followed by all suits, bar one, I think it was symbolic to do this after finishing work

I only have this and that to do now, today I am taking a large heavy hand made rectangular vase back to a charity shop. I had a candle in it but it should go back now. I paid £6.50 for it and I think they will get that again

I have some lovely felting kits in boxes upstairs eg make an elephant, a unicoen etc I may well start to remove them soon, I just need a bit of a think first. I made a felted robin once and it is lovely on my mantlepiece but felting does not have the same appeal to me as knitting spinning or sewing.

Callistemon, I also collect yarn and fibre tops for spinning on one of my family of spinning wheels. I have beautiful tops in vac packed bags, cashmere silk merino mixes etc. They will never go and will never deteriorate

Paperwork later today, out with the old and in with the new and an update of my bank and savings accounts. All just in case of course

I’m back on the decluttering wagon! 👍 I tidied out one third of a sideboard today. Because we moved in so recently there’s not that much recycling or ‘big’ stuff to get rid of but I went through receipts and threw out the out of date ones, binned some odds and ends like the child car seat instructions in French/German/Arabic which we will never need.

I also found a very small kitchen cupboard which somehow is still empty and it'll be perfect for jugs and vases which are currently scattered about the kitchen.

I just bought more yarn

Some people collect handbags, some collect shoes

I’ve got all sorts of old tools that belonged to my FIL. I just love things like that. Old meters and gauges.

Fortunately we don’t accumulate ‘stuff’ just a few bits to sort in the loft at some point. But I have friends who do, so I admire all of you in tackling this difficult and sometimes emotional task 👏👏👏.

thank you maw for reminding me about my life. My clearing job since bereavement is done and I will be leaving my house and possessions in good order for the next generation,

I am not sure how I have reminded you about your life, and being widowed perhaps slightly more recently my aim is to be pragmatic about resisting the urge to accumulate more “stuff” but enjoy, use and appreciate what brings me pleasure.
Whether it is clothes or mattocks, hand drills or handbags is neither here nor there.

I have been trying to de clutter for over 2 years. I am always selling suff on Ebay or Gumtree. last week I sold loads of yarn and made nearly £100. A few months ago I sold masses of crafting stuff which I no longer use. I am an avid reader and buy loads of books and now pass them on to charity shops as I finish them. I have also started using the library more so I don’t have to pass books on.

We have been trying to decorate this past year and have done one spare room, our bedroom and the lounge so far. So as we decorate a room and hang new curtains etc we also remove any clutter. So I now have 3 big boxes of ornaments etc in my summerhouse to sell or donate. They’re not coming back in the house again!

I tell mine, when they move into owned or rented property, to move into a property with a loft.
I have managed to get them to take most of their stuff. But some remains.
Two used to live abroad. I couldnt have expected them to take absolutely all of their stuff with them at that time. I didnt feel it was fair as we had the room.

I think this is an interesting thread, with some good ideas. Overall, I consider myself to be a tidy person, not a hoarder, and fairly abstemious in my buying habits. But, there still accumulates a lot of stuff! Some of mine, some of DH, some belonging to AC / GC, as we have a cellar and an attic and they don’t. We have clear ours, from time to time, but I’m not too worried about it.

pce612, I’m so sorry about your husband. 💐
I do hope you find an answer to your dilemma about who will know.

Well said, karmalady! I admire your practical skills, and your sensible and generous attitude. 🙏🏼💐