De-cluttering, the never-ending process

I've got a whole load of stuff that I want to get rid of - some of it good but some of it rubbish. I've started bagging it up and have got to find somewhere - or preferably someone - to take it away. DH has far more stuff than I have but he's clinging on to it - and every available surface has something on it! Funnily enough though my GD's partner is very similar when they come to stay and funnily enough he and my DH get on really well!!!!! Is it a male thing?

I am not alone! Thank you!

Smiling at your post PamelaJ1 The things that have been uncovered!
Sounds like you have made a very good start.

loopyloo I cant say I have much hobby stuff. But stuff from the past? Oh yes.
Been in this house since I married. We bought some extra of some stuff, thinking we would be glad that we did later on. The majority of it is still in the attic. Extra internal doors, kitchen tiles, dining chairs, etc.

You are not alone, Fancythat.
Am pruning my kitchen stuff.
Used to make larger cakes with a larger mixing bowl etc.
Not done this for 4 years so think they can go.....
So easy to keep stuff from past hobbies.

No you aren’t fancythat I started on mums house yesterday.
She is moving and we tackled the cabinets in th3 sitting room.
I now have 2boxes of clutter to take to my house! How did that happen?
We were in hysterics at some points. She swears blind she hasn’t ever seen some of this stuff before. Nothing wrong with her mind BTW. Why on Earth would she have kept a set of gold plated teaspoons in a beautiful box(never used)
We aren’t sure if we should try drinking the small bottles of Babysham that obviously came with her from her last house.
She has been in this one 20years.
I’ll start again in a few mins.

I seem to be the only one left on this thread. I will plod on. Alone.

Finally got to start the tidy up of the attic. Big job.
I think it may not take quite as long as I was expecting. A lot of the items up there are large. Or very large.

It would be nice to go on the ops newer thread, declutter little and often.
But I not at that stage yet.
May never be, as I am not one to buy much new stuff.
It is some of the old stuff, that I need to dispose of.

I am still at it but going weak Georgesgran!
Life events took over. Still do to a certain extent. And may do for a while yet.

Not too much left before I start on the loft in earnest.
Apart from photos. Havent done much to them yet.

fish 🎣 kettle, not dish!

I’m still at it and going strong.
DDs neighbour came with a van on Sunday and filled it with my unwanted stuff:- 4 drawer filing cabinet, Mountfield petrol mower and garden shredder, both with instructions and hardly used. Flymo electric mower. Aluminium ladder thing that can be erected and fixed into multiple positions - used once. 2 Mamas & Papas Armadillo pushchairs and an M&P stroller. 4 Alibert garden loungers and mattresses. An hp photograph printed and a steel dish kettle - never used either. My sigh of relief when it was all loaded and driven away must’ve been heard for miles around!

This morning I had a meet up with a lady who buys and sells linen and lace cloths etc. I sold my late mother-in-law’s cloths, some of which came from her mother and grandmother. I also sold a couple of my table cloths from the late sixties- patterns back ‘on trend’ now. Nice to have two bags of stuff gone.

I have finished de-cluttering for today, 2.5 hours is enough The messI spread out and I ended up doing under utility sink and under kitchen sink. I knocked the u bend under kitchen sink and heard the water run out. Not too much of a mess luckily but it might have been if I had not gone under there today

Push fittings are what is used today and it must have worked loose. I fixed it and am now getting rid of the bucket with compartments that turns. Not efficient anyway and very limited as to what went in there. I must have knocked the u bend every time I turned that bucket, even slightly

In the old days I would have gone onto lakeland and got whatever I needed to make the most of storage. Today I used whatever I could find and had a very good result. I was able to use the spaces I had accumulated from past de-cluttering. A positive result and an uplift

Cabbie I think a three liner is needed, what we all do with wardrobe stuff. You will have some definites and that will get you into a flying start. Really hard for you at this stage but look forward to a future without baggage

It is only 7am but I had my breakfast and there I was in the kitchen making flapjacks, to use up oats. I opened my tall cupboard, storage in my kitchen is fine for a man but not for a cook like me. My cupboard is overflowing full, after all I need to keep my kefir-making equipment there, my systema stuff, which I use in the freezer too. Baking tins of all types etc

It has been boggling until right now but I have started and am removing the likes of large loaf tins, bread peel, tortilla press etc. The crunch point came when I opened that cupboard to remove a large fine china mug to make tea for a friend. I accidentally left the cupboard open and she said `you have got a lot in there` Yes I have, I know I have but shutting the door always made it `disappear`.

It seems as though I will be able to take a shopping trolley of stuff to the local cs today

A lot of big decisions.

I now need to hurry up and make decisions, as someone from the auction house is coming next week to have a look. I now need to decide what to get rid of from the normal house contents. DH’s tools, devices and collectibles are sorted and in the garage ready. But it is an opportunity to get rid of more things from around the house. So hard to decide.
For example, DH’s armchair, which my family refuse to sit in. His hi-fi kit, but then I will need to place it with something more up to date, asI am not ready to get rid of all our CDs, though the vinyl can go. Books- how many to keep? China? And much more.

Thank you karma.I didn’t know about wrapping items so will continue to use the bins but wrap the items.

I will continue to put good clothes into the salvation army bins. They will eventually get to the needy and homeless, I don`t doubt it. There may well be another very warm, almost new easy care coat with a hood destined for my local salvation army this autumn and some decent jumpers, via their clothing bin

Anything raggy would need to be separated as not fit to wear. I wrap my items as they request

Oh no.We’ve been putting a lot of things in the Salvation Army bins as like Haydnpat I thought it was preferable to the charity shops.

MerylStreep

Not the Salvation Army bins. That goes straight to the recycling companies.

Are you sure, I've donated loads because I thought it was preferable to charity shops.

Oh, that's good. I do think that decluttering is about more than just throwing things away. It's more of a recalibration sometimes.

Some of the material I found today has helped me to add to the family tree.

I think with modern technology it’s unnecessary to keep lots of documents etc - my FA told me to shred all DH’s financial stuff, as he could access any of it at the touch of a button.
It’s all very well keeping old documents from my grandparents - but they’re unknown to my DDs, in fact DH died before DGS2 was born, so he’ll have no memory of him at all - only what we tell him.
I’ve done a box of DH’s stuff that might interest the DDs and I’ll do the same for me - a few photographs, special cards, etc.
Once appliances are out of guarantee, I get rid of the paperwork/receipts.
We aren’t a photograph taking family, so I’ll be shredding most of them as they’re mainly DH’s parents with people I don’t know. Pictures taken in the past few years are on phones now.

Things are slowly moving in the right direction with my in laws house but a long way to go.Some of the grandchildren have asked for furniture and kitchen items.The other siblings told the eldest that she was welcome to pack up everything she wants and take it back to her house.We will go down again in a few weeks to help.I am conscious that we mustn’t rush the eldest sister but also aware that there is pressure on the sibling who is executor.

As for our own house we decluttered during lockdown but are now doing next level decluttering.The garage, shed and loft are on the hit list.I have found homes for a lot of toys and games the children no longer want.Books are next.

I would struggle to get rid of photos, but I don't have other things belonging to anyone else. Not that I can think of, anyway. My mum and MIL are still alive though, so maybe when they go there will be things left behind that will come to me.

It is relatively easy to decide to get rid of one’s own things, but less so the older they are. I treasure items from my parents and grandparents.

Cabbie21

How long do you keep documents, photos, cards, first baby memorabilia, house deeds, major receipts, personal letters?
I have a fair amount of these, though I do prune them from time to time, but I have just gone through four big plastic tubs of this sort of thing from my late mother-in-law. They have been in our loft since she died ten years ago. I have only just discovered them. They go back generations. A fascinating record of social history, but just too much. I have taken a few photos, mainly to try to sort my late husband’s family tree, but photos are no substitute for the real thing.

I got rid of a lot of that in the Grand Declutter of 2022. I have a baby book for each child, the house deeds, and that's about it. I bank online, so don't need receipts. I photograph letters from doctors and file them on the computer. I don't have other letters. Cards were harder to weed out, but I was ruthless when I looked though them and realised that I couldn't remember who half of them were from. I offered the children their old reports and class photos and they didn't hesitate before refusing them. They went out, along with my A level notes and various university essays that had somehow been stored away. I haven't missed them .