De-cluttering, still at it, still no end

We did our third boot sale today, over the last few weeks, after paying for our pitch we are £150 better off.

I have been round the house twice but with removal companies coming in to give quotes I am going round the house, one room a day, and taking out everything that I think we will not need or have room for when we move.

Yesterday, it was the bathroom and airing cupboard, I have a great pile of towels and sheets and duvet covers I will never use again. The towels will go into the textile recycling at the tip, the bedding to a local charity that furnishes houses for the homeless. The council gives homeless people and families an empty flat or house and the charity helps them furnish it - and you need bedding as much as you need a bed.

In a moment I will start on the 3rd bedroom - most is coming with us, but there is a chest of drawers with all DH's theatre props, and lots of clothes hangers.

I practically emptied the loft yesterday and my lovely gardener is coming today to do a tip run for me as she has a permit and a van. I do a cupboard at a time but it is a very slow process.

‘It just all saps my energy’
That pretty much sums this decluttering lark up doesn’t it! I look at what I need to do and just want to curl up in a ball and go to sleep.

Still struggling to de-clutter as I have been side tracked by other things going on in my life. Not sure if my recent mood is what is holding me back - it's either that or DH.
We did spend a fair bit of time in the garden yesterday and the patio is almost clear - we have been cleaning out the grouting or whatever it is called between the flags as it needs re-doing but have been doing that and other jobs in between resting because of back ache or whatever pain is aggravating at the time. It all seems so very slow going. It all needs jet washing before the new grout stuff goes in. However everything that we are throwing is behind the gate so a trip to the tip is needed.
We have a family holiday coming up so will use the opportunity to find out what bits of our camping gear that DS wants and then we can sell or boot sale the rest. DD says she has a friend who likes up-cycling old furniture (we have a family 'heirloom' that no-one in the family is interested in) so need to take photos and see if they will make an offer to take it off our hands. If not I may just take a sledgehammer to it for therapeutic purposes!!
Have some more pieces to put on Vinted but some of it has been in the wardrobe so long that I want to wash and iron it before doing so. Holiday suitcases will be coming down from the loft soon so there maybe more bits there too. Plus old Christmas decorations to go too.
DH's train room is a nightmare - he agrees that it needs to go as he's not done anything with it in a few years. But in the meantime I keep sneaking in and getting rid of little bits that can get lost in the bin. I have emptied one cupboard which now houses old 45s and our important paperwork. But I reckon even the records could go. He kept them because they were his brothers' but he's been gone a good few years now and we don't even have a music system to play them on - there might be some valuable bits in there before letting them go. Lots of games that need sorting through although GCs like playing some of them - a lot are quite adult games so beyond their comprehension.
DH has finally said that the fish tank in the kitchen can go to the tip too - I said to him yesterday that these are his hobbies but if he's not using them then just get rid of them because the 'projects' never come to fruition. Neither of us had anything when we got together 24 years ago and the amount of stuff we have now is ridiculous. It just all saps my energy.

RosieandherMaw

And they are….?

Have a look at videos of packmate. These bags get rid of air and compress eg duvets and woollens plus moths cannot get in. There are bags that roll the air out but easier are the ones that can have air extracted via a vacuum cleaner

And they are….?

Vac bags…

I have a double sided lined linen hamper in a spare room, it contains all my vac nags including the big double layered lakeland ones. I am keeping all of those as they made moving house so easy
Sorry what are “vac nags” ?

Two hundred books have gone this week, to the NT bookshop. A volunteer came to my car with their buggy and lifted the boxes. So helpful. About 200 to go now.

My airing cupboard is so neat and I can find everything

2 years ago I bought 6 periea beau folding storage boxes from amazon. They are incredibly good. I measured shelf space and height very carefully and have two big boxes side by side on the two lower shelves. They have a folding internal metal frame and easily access via 2 way zips, plus a viewing window. Also they have space on top for a vcuumed woolen duvet

I bought 4 large at £14 each and 2 medium at £12, the medium ones to stack one on top of the other on the top shelf. I used vac bags and packed anything with wool into the vac bags and everything has gone neatly into 2 large and 2 medium. I do have a lot of welsh wool blankets, woollen mattress covers etc

The lower large bags have summer linens in one and winter in the other. I also have spares for the spare beds in them

I don`t trust packmate to remain in a vacuum but do trust them to keep the moths out. All those bags are neatly contained within those boxes

I have a double sided lined linen hamper in a spare room, it contains all my vac nags including the big double layered lakeland ones. I am keeping all of those as they made moving house so easy

It is not just about de-cluttering but neat storage and keeping good quality items safe to be inherited or as needed

Ah, books, that is why we always have a 'study' plus lots of bookcases in the living room and scattered round the house.

We are currently doing some hard book culling. When we sold our French house last year, all our English books came home. Some in boxes labelled 'Charity shop', but some to keep. Now we are downsizing in the UK and a lot of books have got to go.

It is hard work. 4 boxes have gone so far and 3 boxes are piled up - but we haven't even started on the study!!

fancythat I find it hard to get rid of books and have bookcases everywhere, including two empty ones in the loft!

Books is the one thing I feel I failed at.
Only rehomed 6.
Result? The books were already overflowing a bit, and I shall need another bookcase.
Oh well.

There is nothing like an imminent house move to spur you on. We have done 2 Boot Fairs since Easter and another looms,

I am finding that I am putting more and more of my gardening tools and accessories into my allotment shed and keter storage box on my plot. I am just realising that no wonder my garage is looking more organised and neater. I inherited an empty shed and very badly overgrown and decrepit plot

I doubt I will ever bring anything back from the shed and the people up there will be welcome to all of its contents when I die. The magic of me getting space in my garage comes from that, not me waving a magic wand

No house de- cluttering done during the last few days, although I might well shift the bottom half of my heavy tagine out, the top went a couple of weeks ago.

madeleine i have a similar problem, in my mind I’m still in my 30s,fit and strong, wheras the reality is very different. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
The skip arrived this morning and so far I’ve put 6 old flowerpots and a lump of wood in it! My excuse is that I’ ve been awake since 4 o’clock this morning and am now tired. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

I make it a rule to dispose of one thing every day. Sometimes I do more but my one a day rule is gradually making space and helps me to feel I’m making progress.

I second what Fancythat says. Many a time I only do a teeny bit, a drawer or a small shelf and I too find that a bite at a time works

Today I put an armful of old clothing out, collected a bit at a time over a week. To me that is another cubic foot of space as I did not put anything new back.

I think I would do small Madelaine45

As the expression goes, how do you eat an elephant? 1 bite at a time.
That method has worked for me on oaccsions.

My worst problems are the mismatch of intentions and ability to do things. So on a day when I feel up to doing some sorting out, am often physically struggling, so either cant do anything or very little. Of course on good days I try to do many things, mostly basics like shopping and cleaning up etc., so then too weary to even start sorting things out!! Gets very frustrating, and cant decide if I really do want to clear stuff or am glad of the excuse that I cant do it, to not even make an effort!

I used to decide to deal with one room and have a major day sorting, at the end of which I would feel shattered but pleased with my efforts. Now I need to scale it down to a cupboard or one drawer at a time, and be satisfied with that. But I need something to give me a push to start sorting things out again. At the moment, physically not able to do a lot, but even the thought of sorting a drawer seems too much. I always miss my lovely husband, but he was a great sorter out , and would be great at encouraging me to keep going to the end of something.

Not expecting anyone to come and stay either, which was always a great spur to tidying up and getting nore organised. Dont know how I change this as even aside from the cost I wouldnt be happy for someone just coming in and throwing stuff out without me going through it too, which rather defeats the object. !

That string idea is excellent Maybee, I will do that

I am jiggered, I always start doing things early, have already walked to a clothes bank, the salvation army was overfull so first bag is in the fire-station bank

Straight upstairs and I have now changed over all my clothes, winter to summer, still with gritted teeth though. I made some lovely cardigans from cabled fabric, when that was all the rage. They all fit me and are in lovely colours but are thick, feel too hot on me and polyester makes me spark. I did not wear any of them all winter. They are being released

Other stuff is going, including thick quilted body warmers and jackets, lands end and I never could resist a sale. The ones going, I have worn over and over but I have new unworn replacements and it is their turn. Another different cheap thick padded jacket is going today too, nylon and polyester, unworn for two years

I need a break and have not packed anything yet, I think 4 more black bags, each one entailing a walk and the weather is getting too hot for that

The 3/4 and short sleeved t shirts that I made, I was going to transform them into lace-trimmed knickers but they are all light french terry, too thick for knickers Stacked in a neat folded pile on my bed and I need to decide their fate overnight. I am not putting them away, out of sight is out of mind. I love their colours and their patterns but do not have any motivation to go on a strict diet just to neatly fit into those tops

Marie Kondo is still psychologically helping btw. My drawer full of layering tops is as neat as the day I set it up, took some out and added more this morning

Maybee thanks for the tip about tying string around vacuum bags. I’ve just ordered a set in the hope of corralling the spare duvets etc.

MayBee70

I’m at my partners till the end of the week. Now, he’s not exactly the tidiest person himself but every time I put something down he magics it away. Even when I’m cooking and will need something again later on. It makes me feel very uncomfortable and, to be honest, I can’t wait to be back in my own home.

😀

I've re-organised everything in our new kitchen but DH unloads the dishwasher so things end up in unexpected places. He just hasn't got the hang of the logical re-organisation yet.

I’m at my partners till the end of the week. Now, he’s not exactly the tidiest person himself but every time I put something down he magics it away. Even when I’m cooking and will need something again later on. It makes me feel very uncomfortable and, to be honest, I can’t wait to be back in my own home.

Allira

I have found that vac packs give up after a while. Perhaps I bought the wrong ones but you can put a duvet in a vac pack away in an under-the-bed drawer then find, when you take it out months later, it's expanded and you're having to haul it out of the drawer using muscles you never knew you had.

I do find that that happens but I tie string round them which limits how much they can expand by.