The Mock Turtle

Things are building up again in my tiny flat, especially after Christmas in the UK and a week in Brusssels. Luckily most of my purchases are food related and I only need to buy fresh vegetables and dairy products until I run down my supplies of everything else. But other clutter around is starting to get to me too, so time to make some space.

So I have a bag of clothes for recycling/ donating on the go and another bag for kitchen stuff, books, DVDs on the go.

Anyone care to join me?

Me. I've far too much stuff and need to get rid of at least half of it before I even think about starting renovations.

For sure! Although right now I'm just itching to get rid of all my post-xmas rubbish and recycling, because we missed the last two bin days due to being on vacation and there is so much of it! /bin chat

Today I got rid of a carrier bag of xmas decor that I no longer wanted, while packing up the rest of it.

I plan on tackling my son's room (well, helping him tackle it) because he's getting new furniture. And also the basement, which is quite a big job and my biggest hurdle is Mr LM because it's hard to organize around his 'stuff'.

I have an entire room full of boxes of stuff I brought back from my mum’s house to sort out. I won’t keep all of it but I didn’t want to make quick decisions. It’s quite depressing though, I need to get cracking with it.

I managed a really good clear out of toys, and added to some clothes that have been waiting in the garage to go for ages and ended up with 6-8 bags to charity last week. All the new Christmas toys have a home, none of the cleared out toys have been missed (yet!) and I’ve got rid of some rubbish that has been making me feel guilty (unworn/hardly worn items What a waste, but hopefully will make someone else happy now).

Some of the baby toys were hard to part with as I really want to save some things for friends who I know are trying just now, but I’ve saved the really nice ones and shipped out everything else because I can’t make myself a storage room forever (and they have no idea I’m doing this). They’ll receive or buy things if the time comes, and again in the meantime someone will hopefully be thrilled to find some of them in good nick and at charity shop prices.

I'm in, but I'm hopeless. I'm in the process of culling a million books, but I can't make real progress until the decorator goes. That should have happened by the weekend, though, and I'll get on with it then. I also need to get rid of lots of clothes. I did clear out numerous bags before Christmas but I'm nowhere near finished. I just can't do things like that when there are people in the house, and it's been one thing after another since the summer.

Texaco Shirley wrote: ↑Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:31 pm I have an entire room full of boxes of stuff I brought back from my mum’s house to sort out. I won’t keep all of it but I didn’t want to make quick decisions. It’s quite depressing though, I need to get cracking with it.

This is the hardest decluttering there is to do. With my Grandma's belongings, I could only decide on one thing a day.

I'm about 90% decluttered, which is great. The last 10% is the hardest though as it's more sentimental. Mr5 is a bit of a hindrance at this point as his ADHD makes him put things in random places. But he's trying and can see the more organized we are, the easier everything around the house will be for him. I didn't realize how much crap I bought until I started the process of having to decide where something would go before I buy it.

I'm really trying to declutter and I find it fairly easy in the reception rooms but it is utterly impossible in my clothes / make up / stuff area. I just can't get out of the mindset of 'might need it some day, might fit into it someday'. The only way I've managed to throw somethings away is by saying to myself firmly is that they are out of date.

And then I have huge guilt about wasting stuff and contributing to landfill. Even though I'm not using it, if it's in the house then it's not yet waste. And then the complexity of the best way to get rid of it makes my brain just and I give up.

Cosmo speaks my brains.

I have so much makeup I need to bin but the landfill horror - ugh.

I've decided on a "one in/two out" policy for 2023 and beyond, so for any new clothes/stuff I buy, I have to get rid of two old/unused equivalents.

I have far too many clothes. And not particularly nice clothes, even, just..."fine" clothes that there's nothing actually wrong with and they're useful for wearing in the house. But I probably don't need ten long-sleeved t-shirts that are not nice enough to actually be seen in by people.

So this is my solution for a very slow and drawn-out declutter.

That’s a good policy Zoomer.

I’m always here for the decluttering.

We had a massive and very overdue clear out of my daughter’s room at the weekend. She was ready to let a lot of outgrown toys go. With books, toys and clothes as well, I got rid of an entire car boot full of stuff to the charity shop. Somehow her room is still full but it’s so much better.

I need to do similar with my son but I don’t think he’s got as much so hopefully won’t be as big a job. And my wardrobe as well.

Urgh. I need to do this. It’s tricky though as my stuff isn’t clutter as such, but as J and I will be moving back in together again we’ve got duplicates of everything… some things will be easy, but equally we can’t both keep everything we like!

Clothes can go though, I have 2 double wardrobes full, 2 x 6 drawer chesters, and usually wear the same few things!

Cosmopolitan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:35 am And then I have huge guilt about wasting stuff and contributing to landfill. Even though I'm not using it, if it's in the house then it's not yet waste. And then the complexity of the best way to get rid of it makes my brain just and I give up.

Yes, I completely get this too. My SIL works for an expensive fashion retailer and sometimes sends clothes samples for the children. They don’t always get worn and still have tags when they’re outgrown (my children are more jogging bottoms than high fashion). I know I should list them on vinted or somewhere but it’s so far out of my comfort zone.

I remembered I took a photo of the junk before it went . BYE BYE OLD STUFF.

Cosmopolitan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 11, 2023 11:35 am I'm really trying to declutter and I find it fairly easy in the reception rooms but it is utterly impossible in my clothes / make up / stuff area. I just can't get out of the mindset of 'might need it some day, might fit into it someday'. The only way I've managed to throw somethings away is by saying to myself firmly is that they are out of date.

I had to go through the bag I’ve got going for clothes yesterday and found a bra that had been in there for a couple of months. I looked at it, had a momentary thought of ‘why am I throwing this out’ but then I realized I hadn’t needed it or missed it at all. So it didn’t come out (nor did anything else for that matter). Would it help you if you put that stuff away in a bag and shoved it in the garage, so it would still be there if you did for some reason need it but could also just throw it away - without looking in it- in say 6 months time from now?

I've tried that Hazey, and you may come and inspect the bags of clothes I should have taken to the charity shop 6 months ago. The bags are dusty

Oh. Oh well!

I know. I'm my own worst enemy

If you can give clothes to a charity shop, it's really a virtuous circle and nothing to beat yourself up about. The make'-up and toiletries is harder.

I'm totally the same, Cosmo.

I need to do this, but I'm finding it incredibly hard to let go of the too small baby clothes. I might follow Leap and just keep a few favourite things for now.

I also need to cull my clothes but I'm waiting until the end of the year for that when I'll have a better idea of the size I'll end up.