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De-cluttering, the never-ending process

(990 Posts)
karmalady Tue 21-Mar-23 07:49:13

De-cluttering can be emotionally and physically draining. We, when we were two, started the process from the family home and that was in 2006. The big de-clutter

Since then we moved house twice and had two more de-clutters

Then we became just I and I moved again to a new build with much less storage but I got storage made and I developed room for stash

Now at 75, I am on another mission, to remove what I don`t need or will not need. Last remove was from my garden just two days ago, tall planters, short planters and the contents

That bit of help, advice and encouragement is all we need. We know what to do but it is, or can be, psychologically difficult. Slow and steady is key

Doodledog Sun 14-Jan-24 19:11:48

I've found the same. I had cupboards built into the dining room, and Mr D colonised half of them, leaving the rest to be split between communally owned things and my stuff. Similarly, I ruthlessly decluttered a large linen cupboard, in the hope of gaining a lot of the space I'd expected to get downstairs, and guess what?

I know he lives here too, so is entitled to storage space, but he has 100% of the garage, the shed and the broom cupboard for his crap treasured items.

Cabbie21 Sun 14-Jan-24 17:41:45

I know what you mean. I think Mr Cabbie hated any space unfilled.

Oldnproud Sun 14-Jan-24 17:02:00

Recently I have started making a serious effort to declutter, partly because I see myself wanting to future proof within 5 years by downsizing - not that our present house is large, but I can already see that several factors would make it unsuitable as we age. Unfortunately, every time I make a space by getting rid of any superfluous things of my own , Mr Oldnproud immediately fills it with more of his junk. It is really getting me down. 😔

Cabbie21 Sun 14-Jan-24 16:48:09

rtshop.radiotimes.com/collections/radios/products/steepletone-5-in-1-compact-music-system
A compromise?

Cabbie21 Sun 14-Jan-24 16:44:40

I am trying to deide whether I will ever want to play any LPs again ever. If not, I can let go all of DH's hi-fi kit- that amounts to about 7 items and four speakers in the sitting room. I can play CDs elsewhere and have other radios around the house.

Of course my family stream everything but I am not quite into that yet, though I do play music on my laptop from YouTube etc.
Or I could buy one of those modern all-in-one things I see advertised if I want to keep some LPs. I am not getting rid of the CDs of which there are hundreds ( classical music ), though if I were eventually to move into a flat I would not have room, I expect. Decisions are not easy.

Wishes Sun 14-Jan-24 13:41:15

I keep the gift bags from birthdays and Christmas in a large plastic box with lid, which fits under bed.

Pick out the largest bags and put all the Christmas in one, birthday in another etc.

I also keep a ream of rainbow tissue papers in there to sometimes use as gift wrap.

fancythat Thu 11-Jan-24 17:00:32

Thanks.

Doodledog Thu 11-Jan-24 12:59:58

These are the first ones to come up with an Amazon search

They come in all different sizes, and some are more tasteful than others grin

fancythat Thu 11-Jan-24 11:50:52

Sounds interesting. Never heard of them or seen them.

Doodledog Thu 11-Jan-24 11:36:26

A more practical suggestion than stashing them behind the sofa is to invest in reusable foil gift bags (available in large packs online) as they pack away small and don't crush in the way the card ones do. I've used them for the past couple of years, and they are a lot easier than wrapping in paper, and look as though they will last for ages. I just collect them in after the gift-giving part of Christmas day, and they get put away with the rest of the decorations until next year.

fancythat Thu 11-Jan-24 11:22:52

I tried googling.

Some put on a shelf - i dont have spare shelves high enough, without crushing them.

Some put them in those green stow away christmas tree bag things - most of my large bags are not christmas ones.

Corners of house - I am trying to clear corners, not add to them.

4th option is to get rid - am considering this, if I cant find a suitable answer for this particular house.

fancythat Thu 11-Jan-24 11:19:14

!

Thanks anyway.
As my gc say, the back of my sofa is full of "lovely soft squidgy things". It actually has spare cushions, spare throws, that type of thing.
A santa bag there, for me, would get ripped in a few seconds.

Doodledog Thu 11-Jan-24 10:26:12

Mine are in a large Santa bag in an upright position behind the sofa grin. I am not the best example though - more of a terrible warning.

fancythat Thu 11-Jan-24 06:57:19

I am just about back onto the decluttering again.
I can see it will be bags/boxes/party bags type things next.

What do people do with large and left over gift bags?
They have been hanging around for a while. Didnt use many over Christmas.
It is supposed be everything in a place, but in my reality here, they dont really have one.
Even large paper bags from supermarkets I am not keen on, as I dont know what to do with them when emptied of the groceries.

MayBee70 Sat 06-Jan-24 19:09:09

Esmay

Hi Maybee ,

It was on the American channel PBS channel 84 on freeserve .
I've enjoyed many educational programmes on this network .

Watching Harry Potter on ITV at the moment !

It’s on now! I’ve missed one episode but another one is starting. Janina is my favourite historian too!

Doodledog Sat 06-Jan-24 17:43:08

What are YT posts, please?

Tupperware lids are like teaspoons, odd socks and rolls of Sellotape. There will be a planet somewhere where they all live happily after disappearing from our houses.

MerylStreep Sat 06-Jan-24 16:57:27

People are certainly doing a lot of clearing out where I am. We had to shut our charity shop yesterday as we got to unsafe stage. And still they kept knocking on the door.
It’s the perfect volunteer job for me and my co- worker as we are both chuckerouters. Neither of us likes tutt.
We both get the giggles when we’re trying to get past the manager to get to the skip without her seeing what we are dumping.

fancythat Sat 06-Jan-24 16:53:44

keepcalmandcavachon

*Does anyone else find plastic, tupperware boxes, lids which don’t fit, cannot chuck either as then the corresponding top or bottom will materialise?*

I now store all mine with the lids on SORES, so easy to use and stopped me from keeping too many and having the occasional tupp-avalanche!

Same.
Those without lids were removed.

fancythat Sat 06-Jan-24 16:52:59

Cabbie21

Has anyone decluttered their piano stool recently? It is one of those places that doesn’t get sorted. It must be ten years since I went through mine.
I found tutor books and exam pieces from the children’s piano grades back in the 1980ies, my husband’s clarinet tutorial books ( I have no idea what happened to the clarinet), ancient copies of various pieces and an Edward Heath book of carols!

No. Though I transferred the music to half a cupboard a while back. That is as far as I got.
GCs too young yet to know if they are musical. Though I suspect one is. She is showing definite signs. [her great grannie, other side, was still a paino teacher until recently].

SORES Sat 06-Jan-24 16:40:19

I have just done that very thing, genius! piled up now in the cupboard, odd tops in the drawer, keeping an eye on them!

keepcalmandcavachon Sat 06-Jan-24 15:57:23

Does anyone else find plastic, tupperware boxes, lids which don’t fit, cannot chuck either as then the corresponding top or bottom will materialise?

I now store all mine with the lids on SORES, so easy to use and stopped me from keeping too many and having the occasional tupp-avalanche!

SORES Sat 06-Jan-24 15:45:04

H&M still have their ‘ bag of clothing’ deal for a £5 voucher, now required to spend 30£ rather than £25 as used to be.
Even if you don‘t shop there, for clothes or housewares, maybe your children or grandchildren do?
I give my vouchers to my daughter who buys work clothes and is always pleased with a monetary boost.

We are being ruthless, bought a shredder, what fun, then rootling around at the back of kitchen cupboards, found a bottle of champagne, hidden from last year, a welcome find.

I had to stop for a while after opening boxes and finding baby stuff, too emotional.
The death cleaning is more difficult than I anticipated, now I have changed banks and investments but not impossible.

I find it’s important to keep up the momentum, expect to feel sudden regret over some clearances, expect adult children to turn their noses up at what we deem to be treasures, ignore YT posts declaring political reasoning for this as a movement and keep on, clear out the clutter.

Does anyone else find plastic, tupperware boxes, lids which don’t fit, cannot chuck either as then the corresponding top or bottom will materialise?

cast iron casseroles I have passed on to children, anything large or heavy, which I find I am unable now to lift, set of heavy metal steps, wellies! cannot even lift my feet in them now,
plates from IKea, wrist breakers, box of cleaning stuff stockpiled during lockdown, gone to daughter anticipating spring cleaning, its so liberating, what will we do when we have gone down to the bone?
Less stuff, more life!
as a reward for my endeavours, a robot vacuum cleaner.

Doodledog Sat 06-Jan-24 14:50:28

Cabbie21

My choral society has its annual Come and Sing day next month and there is usually a stall of music scores so I hope to take them there.

Ah, good idea. There is a choir who uses the church opposite me for their meetings. I could find out the dates and take them across to see if they can use them. They are all single copies though, so probably no use to the choir as a whole, but the members are likely to have musical children/grandchildren and friends who might like them on an individual basis.

Cabbie21 Sat 06-Jan-24 14:36:33

My choral society has its annual Come and Sing day next month and there is usually a stall of music scores so I hope to take them there.

Doodledog Sat 06-Jan-24 14:34:44

Cabbie21

Has anyone decluttered their piano stool recently? It is one of those places that doesn’t get sorted. It must be ten years since I went through mine.
I found tutor books and exam pieces from the children’s piano grades back in the 1980ies, my husband’s clarinet tutorial books ( I have no idea what happened to the clarinet), ancient copies of various pieces and an Edward Heath book of carols!

In my Big Declutter I found a lot of sheet music, from Tune A Day books to whole scores. I kept them, as they are so expensive to buy, but that contradicts my new philosophy, so they really should go. I might ring the local High School and see if the music department can use them.