Decluttering

I’ve got a plumber coming next week to fit some new taps and someone coming on Friday morning to look at the garage roof. Hopefully this will focus my mind and spur me into action. The more I read about it the more convinced I am that I have ADHD! I remember once been in someone’s kitchen when she’d just been shopping. I watched her in amazement as, in the space of a few minutes, she unpacked everything and put it in it’s rightful place.With me I’ll still have some things roaming round the house a week later. Or still in the car…

That's the thing, isn't it?
Decluttering involves making (temporarily) more "stuff".

Brian cupboard involves getting lots of stuff out, and into my narrow hall, all jumbled up, so I can sort it and put it back.

Ive a half formulated plan, that I could fetch one box into the living room, and sort it out while I'm resting...

It's frustrating MisA but you're doing the right thing resting.

I bought 2nd hand Ikea bookcase today. The rationale is that all the books from the floor & various small bookcases from when sons were little, or that I've been given, should fit on this decent -sized one & I can take 2 or 3 bookcases to our local charity shop .
But having got it home at 11.30 I've been too tired to do more than get washing on & off the line, so it's just more clutter till I summon the energy...

Keep resting.
Hope you get better soon.

There's been virtually no progress here.
In fact, its more messy than usual.
The cleaner situation isn't really working, and I'm not feeling at all well.
I have to rest so much...
It wouldn't be so bad if I knew why!

The 'Sold' sign appeared yesterday morning ...so that's my incentive.
Thinking of having a skip to start with the garage.And iv seen jigsaws mentioned on here previously so I've got about 12 vintage Christmas ones to check but keep.

Coincidence! I went to the tip this morning with lots of ancient electrical items - cables, keyboard, mice, remote controls, CD player, plus 2 or 3 unused tools and wire frames from the garden shed. I had been putting off getting rid of the small electric things for months/years, just in case they were useful. Had no idea what some were for! Then I found this thread!

Barbadosbelle,
Lots of people on the site had that problem a few years back.
Then, the adverts started to feature a moving screen.

I know gransnet were aware, but I can't remember how the issue was solved.

Barbadosbelle

I have had, for about a week now, a large advertisement (different ones,) that covers the lead comment and makes it impossible to reply via their link.

Anyone else?

How do I get rid of it? There's no 'x'
.

I would email GN.
Or start a thread on SiteStuff.

FranP

I pulled out a whole load of clothes bags from the loft. My clothes are now vintage - I just need to put the effort into selling.
My DDs clothes will fit DGD in a year or 2, so do I keep?
My DIL has a habit of just binning, so I rescue and take to charity shop

Something on instagram about declutterring said to never put clothing in the bin. Because synthetics never break down and non synthetics break down and contribute to global warming. Which is why I’ve got a plastic box full of old cotton M&S knickers and t shirts that I’m convinced I will use for dusting etc one day.

I have had, for about a week now, a large advertisement (different ones,) that covers the lead comment and makes it impossible to reply via their link.

Anyone else?

How do I get rid of it? There's no 'x'
.

My DDs clothes will fit DGD in a year or 2, so do I keep?

Will she want them?

I pulled out a whole load of clothes bags from the loft. My clothes are now vintage - I just need to put the effort into selling.
My DDs clothes will fit DGD in a year or 2, so do I keep?
My DIL has a habit of just binning, so I rescue and take to charity shop

I threw out a couple of containers today, complete with out of date contents.
Coffee in one, that must have been around five years past its sell by, and banana nesquik in the other.

I fixed the drawer on my freezer, as it had broken, due to having too much in the compartment.
It was vitally important, for some reason, for me to keep a bag of cauliflower, one of broccoli, and one of casserole veg.

I need to test them out before using them in meal.
Ridiculous I know.

The way I used to work , for the kitchen, was to always have one thing "on the go" and one spare at the ready. When I finished the first thing, I would deliberately leave the empty container on the worktop to remind me to get the next one, or add it to the shopping list. If there was a good offer on, of my regular things, I would buy a few more. My mother lived through the war, and she always had spare tins of food and at least 2 or 3 bags of flour or whatever, dont think she ever got out of the habit of getting things in when she could. It took me quite a time after my family were grown to cut down to a sensible amount.

These days you really see how quickly costs They go up, in a very short while, when you compare the prices. But I used to have a variety of things that were "in case" I had an unexpected visitor, and from the days of a hungry son and friends and my husband and hulking rugby players arriving, before that. I have now got round to having just a selection of things that I would use or enjoy and would just open the spare or extra thing if I needed to. Now it seems that the kitchen is the one place where I have something like order, apart from still keeping my tins for loaves of bread and cakes. I used to make my bread and it was lovely, and all the cakes. Being a diabetic now I dont make the cakes but somehow cannot bring myself to give away all the tins.Wish I could apply the same mentality to the rest of the flat!

I have thrown away out of date stuff ... really out of date ... bought just in case I decided to make something specific and there it sits.

I did just that very recently and now I am thinking about it I can't remember the recipe nor can I remember what the items were and haven't got the energy to go and have a look.
Maybe tomorrow.

So memo to me is to use all the jars and tins I already have before I buy any more

That is what I did.
Plus I realised I needed to stop buying ingredients "just in case I wanted to make something or other".
If I want to make something specific, I make myself wait 3 days or whatever, until I next go to the shops to buy all the ingredients.

I'm working my way through lits of old body lotions and such like.
So many of them, and I can't bring myself to throw them away.

I very nearly bought a jar of mayonnaise this morning, but thought NO. Check the "pantry" first. Lo and behold 2 jars on the shelf.
So memo to me is to use all the jars and tins I already have before I buy any more. And all shampoos and body lotions etc as well.

madeline45,
I'm quite sure this thread will still be around when you're up to it.

I'm much the same, I have to rest so much that it takes forever to get te basics done, let alone any extra.
I did throw a nightie away yesterday.

I definitely need to do some decluttering, no doubt about it. When my husband was alive, he was very much a "thrower out" person, and would be the first one to suggest sorting some drawer or cupboard. We ended up with a workable system, where he would go through something, and leave a tray or pile for me to check over before it went. That way I saved odd little bits such as spare bits for vacuum or whatever , but mostly was fine about things going, as long as I had checked it out.

On my own , I was less likely to make an effort, but given a miserable day, did manage a fair bit, and of course it was a hard time leaving a 3 bedroomed house and large garden for the flat. However now I seem to be in the situation where I see things needing to be done, but physically not up to doing much. Alternatively, I make an effort, like the other day and get rid of quite a lot of books etc which were very well received from the local hospice shop, so I am pleased and yet within a couple of days had some hassle with a tv and now feel it is back to being a mess again. Well it will probably carry on like this until September, which as a start of the school year, and maybe a bit cooler I might be galvanised into trying again.!

Good advice. I will hang on to any winter stuff for a while.

I echo you thoughts Calendargirl. Where I volunteer we do make an exception for winter coats but there is nowhere to store out of season clothes. They are put into bags and collected by a company which pays per weight so all is not lost but it means that some very good items do not see the light of day. Please hold on to your clothes until the appropriate season bearing in mind that things like tops and tee shirts will be useful all year round.

Don’t wish to sound negative, but taking winter coats to charity shops in a heatwave is not a very good idea, surely?

There will be no market for them in this weather, they will not have storage space to keep them until later in the year, may end up being disposed off, maybe at cost to said charity.

I know we all want to ‘declutter’, but sending out of season clothes doesn’t help the charity.