Progress report....Nearly done in the kitchen...managed to get the top of the hob clear, nutribullet now inside cupboard. Drawers and cupboards decluttered and cleaned, bin bag full of bits and pieces that I don't know why they were still there 'cause the appliances they went with were long gone..Charity shop bag -Set of cheap knives, in large box taking up a lot of cupboard space, never been used, don't know why I even bought them 'cause hubby's got a comprehensive set of really good professional knives, a bulky popcorn maker, can't remember the last time I used it, a rather large cheeseboard with a little drawer full of cheese knives, great if you have regular dinner parties (we don't) so possibly would only come out at xmas, a plastic device to make hard boiled eggs square?! (think I can live without that one!) and a spare dish for the slow cooker, thought it may come in handy - it hasn't! The place should look like something out of the Ideal home show by now...sadly it doesn't - but so, so much better than it was! Must keep going!
Decluttering!
- Thread starter merryone
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stratobuddy
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I LOVED my square hard-boiled egg maker, but lost the square part that fitted inside it, so it became unusable (but I still have the useless remains of course - - don't mention decluttering to me LOL).
Square eggs were great for sandwiches as the fitted the bread well, and also didn't roll around the plate when you ate them!
I'd buy another one, but haven't seen them for years.
Square eggs were great for sandwiches as the fitted the bread well, and also didn't roll around the plate when you ate them!
I'd buy another one, but haven't seen them for years.
DunmowDizzy
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Ha ha. If you chuck it away, you are certain to find the missing part! ��
Might have to dig it back out of the bag then lol!
maymorganlondon
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My current efforts are running at a snail's pace, sadly. I've been away for work quite a bit and then been too knackered to get to grips when I'm home. I will spur myself on in view of the fantastic progress being reported here :mysmilie_59:
stratobuddy
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I will refund your postage costs if you are willing to send it to me (but not at QVC rates though :mysmilie_14: )
I'm really sorry but hubby took the bag, already before I had the chance...I was gonna suggest I sent it too you...have you looked online? If not, I think he took it down to age concern, it's our nearest, If I see it..I'll buy it back for you lol!!! Been to work today...and despite being worn out have managed to shift a whole lot of junk from the back bedroom....still can't see a difference, cause much of it was under the bed, behind the wardrobe and shoved inside the wardrobe....Why do we buy too much stuff? A few things I've thrown out have been presents I've been sent over the years and haven't had the heart to get rid of, but some of the stuff is now mishappen and dusty and no good to anyone!! Getting the bedroom done out soon, well hopefully so I'll pretty much have to chuck everything out anyway...but if I can make it a lighter job...I'll keep going!
stratobuddy
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I've just found one on ebay :mysmilie_14:
Curry with square egg coming up, much easier to cut into with a spoon lol.
That's if I ever get around to it (just like my decluttering)
Curry with square egg coming up, much easier to cut into with a spoon lol.
That's if I ever get around to it (just like my decluttering)
Think I've pretty much done all I can for the moment, it's not ideal home probably a little more cluttered than I'd like it to be, but it's a small flat, so a lot of things I'd like to store away I'm not able to..eg, vacuum cleaner stands in the hallway, there's a shoe rack, and a coat rack on the wall, and an umbrella stand at the bottom of the stairs....Don't have the luxury of a porch for all that sort of stuff. Washing and ironing is well and truly under control. Post is now being read and dealt with on a daily basis instead of just being allowed to pile up on the side...Dusting's been done more regularly, and a lot of unwanted and unused stuff has been donated to charity..so in all I'm pretty pleased. Wouldn't be embarrassed if an unexpected guest were to call by, nor would I need to spend an entire day scrubbing, cleaning and tidying if I was expecting someone...so all good. Feels a bit weird if I'm honest...but good weird. Keep up all the good work folks and keep us up to date with your progress! x
dollydimple
Registered Shopper
This thread is very motivating. I am in the process of decluttering too. Some days I've really got stuck in, then others I feel overwhelmed with it all. I'm chipping away at it, though. My daughter came round a few weeks ago when I was sorting the attic room out and I felt ashamed at all the stuff up there - unused and new - still in boxes. I just put my ruthless head on and got rid of loads. Stuff for the charity shop and lots that my daughter took home, either to use herself or to sell on eBay for some ex cash for her. It was so liberating getting rid! I still need to do some more work in the attic but it's so much better than it was. It might sound silly but the evening of the day I got rid of loads of stuff, I slept better. It was as if a weight had been removed ( yes, it was heavy, loading up the car with stuff).
I've still got to tackle the other areas of my house to reclaim my home from 'stuff'. Stuff that I bought because I liked it; or because I thought I needed it...or because it was a 'bargain'. Some bargain if I don't use it!
One of my problems is that instead of concentrating on one area and finishing it, I flit from room to room then get disheartened because I don't seem to be making progress. I am, I suppose but the impact is lessened because it's a small effect in different areas, rather than a noticeable change in one room. I try to remember how good it was to clear out the attic and then keep the momentum going.
At least I'm chipping away at it. I do need to be more ruthless, though.
I've still got to tackle the other areas of my house to reclaim my home from 'stuff'. Stuff that I bought because I liked it; or because I thought I needed it...or because it was a 'bargain'. Some bargain if I don't use it!
One of my problems is that instead of concentrating on one area and finishing it, I flit from room to room then get disheartened because I don't seem to be making progress. I am, I suppose but the impact is lessened because it's a small effect in different areas, rather than a noticeable change in one room. I try to remember how good it was to clear out the attic and then keep the momentum going.
At least I'm chipping away at it. I do need to be more ruthless, though.
DunmowDizzy
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In a Kim and Co show today. Carla and Pippa had a little chat about decluttering, Pippa said once she had a silly moment and purged everything from her wardrobe she had not worn for sometime. She regretted it now and Carla said she just keeps everything and buys and bigger house or builds an extension. Ha ha, wonder if their chat was inspired by this thread! 
Let's not be put off and keep inspiring each other!
Let's not be put off and keep inspiring each other!
maymorganlondon
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I have been told that the thing that will give you the biggest boost is clearing floorspace. I have found it to be true.
Don't know it this will help with the square boiled egg:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/6t7/AMAZING-SQUARE-MAKER-CUBER-MAKE-CUBE-BOILED/B00CU8II22
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/6t7/AMAZING-SQUARE-MAKER-CUBER-MAKE-CUBE-BOILED/B00CU8II22
Oh God yes!!!! As silly as it sounds, when I'm actually using the vacuum cleaner and it's not just standing in the hallway, it just looks so much clearer, and when our television was mounted on the wall ..what a difference, it just makes the place seem so much roomier. To be fair my vacuum cleaner can be broken down and stored away in a cupboard, and I tried that for a while, but found it such a hassle to get out etc that I decided that it was more practical to keep it out ready for use. It's all very well having a more spacious looking hallway, but if the carpet's not looking it's best...then the hoover is the lesser of two evils!!! Thought I'd finished all the decluttering when a mate was telling me that for a bit of fun he typed in all his old car reg's to discover the fate of all his old motors...I went through the our filing cabinet to see if I could find some of our old documents to do the same...found a couple, but also found old manuals for products that had long gone, tons and tons of old and irrelevant paperwork..binned and shredded the lot..now what's in there is all important and relevant stuff and completely organised...yay!!! To be fair I wouldn't mind getting rid of the filing cabinet itself...I mean it's wooden and quite small and in keeping with the rest of the furniture...and I guess i'd have to find another home for all the paperwork/passports etc - Ok it can stay!
The one thing though I really need advice on is the wall of fabric that engulfs nearly every room. The bathroom for example, ours is very small which doesn't help. We have a towel rail, which usually houses two towels, a large and a small one, the hooks on the back of the door hold dressing gowns and when there's stuff on the over bath airer, when the weather's not good enough for outside drying you're sitting on the toilet literally feeling engulfed by this "wall of fabric"!!! like me hubby has two dressing gowns...one's slightly less bulky than the other. One's in the bathroom and the other hangs on the back of the bedroom door along with a couple of jackets he doesn't want squashed in the wardrobe..then there's two coat racks in the hall way, one at the bottom of the stairs ,and one upstairs...too much on them...got rid of some of the older coats and managed to store away the really heavy winter ones..but still the hallway looks cluttered....I could hang some of them upstairs I guess, but i'm running out of rail space up there and not only that with such changeable weather you need your outdoor wear to be at hand so to speak. Anyone else got these "walls of fabric" or got any tips as to how to "manage" them?!
stratobuddy
Registered Shopper
I have paperwork going back at least 50 years.
Every now and then it is interesting to look back at prices eg petrol the equivalent of 3 1/2 pence per litre !
Also old payslips, house prices etc (my mortgage for my 1st house was £17 per month)
loveallthingsitalian
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I have a bit of a thing about jewellery and handbags (Cheapie and not so cheap) and they can get a bit of a mess if I have been scrounging around looking for a particular thing. They are in a spare bedroom and when it gets very very untidy and I can't stand it anymore I will have a mega tidy up. At the end of said MTU any notion I had of a bit of retail therapy just disappears as I just know I DO NOT NEED ANYTHING. Problem is I soon forget!
In my defence my so called beauty stock would fit in a small shoebox, household shampoo, soap, off the shelf body lotion etc would be very slightly bigger. So we all have different types of clutter.
The answer is to keep moving house (a bit extreme but works,)
In my defence my so called beauty stock would fit in a small shoebox, household shampoo, soap, off the shelf body lotion etc would be very slightly bigger. So we all have different types of clutter.
The answer is to keep moving house (a bit extreme but works,)
We do, but bags are probably one of the worst as they're more difficult to store. I don't have a shoe habit, got plenty of shoes don't get me wrong, some are in the shoe rack downstairs, some are in a shoe rack upstairs, some are at the bottom of the wardrobe, and some are on my feet lol! and there's always those underbed shoe storers you can buy. Now bags..where do you put them? They're bulky, especially when they're full of crap lol, they're all different shapes and sizes. I have fitted an over door coat rack to the outside wooden bannister over my stairwell..I've put small bags inside larger bags to save space. At one stage I bought one of those Miche bags that come with magnetic covers, with the idea that i'd not need to buy another handbag again, the cover store flat and take up next to no room, this worked for a while, until I saw another bag I liked and so on. However, I did recently have a cull (before the major clear up) when the rack was full and bags were hanging down so low it was the first thing you saw when you opened the front door and they'd brush your head when you walked up the stairs...It's all looking pretty neat at the moment and all my bags are to hand when I need one. One of my mates has a huge handbag, and shoe habit, but she's lucky enough to have a big house with a walk in wardrobe ...V jealous! Then there's another mate who's the same, but her bags are on backs of chairs, on the coat racks, hanging off the end of the bed, on the floor, on top of the shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe - not so jealous lol! I've made a pact with myself when it comes to bags and that is..use my Miche bags more, and to adopt a one in out policy. So far it's working!
maymorganlondon
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Today, once I get moving, will be a "get rubbish out of the house" day. Before you imagine binbags strewn around my home, I must explain... All those bottles and pots and tubes of beauty stuff you haven't quite finished, those carefully stored "might come in handy" small containers.... The things you haven't got around to finishing but are looking manky. Today I'm biting the bullet. If some containers cane be recycled, great. If some contents can be composted, that's also OK by me. The magazines I've put aside to read later, the mail I haven't read and dealt with may take a bit longer... But I'll get there.
Clothes are dead easy. Not sure why my biggest problems involve paper, and to a lesser extent cardboard, but they do.
I am daunted but somehow energised. I just hope my back holds up. Will report back later, as my efforts will mainly need to go to the local tip rather than the household bins. I may even manage a trip to a charity shop with some donations!
Just to add that I've been investigating what charities might be able to take hard to recycle items such as electrical, duvets and pillows. Emmaus, the homeless charity may be possible for electrical. Dog and cat shelters may be possible for bedding. Or Free cycle or Gumtree for anyone locally to take items. Homeless charities generally will probably take sleeping bags.
Clothes are dead easy. Not sure why my biggest problems involve paper, and to a lesser extent cardboard, but they do.
I am daunted but somehow energised. I just hope my back holds up. Will report back later, as my efforts will mainly need to go to the local tip rather than the household bins. I may even manage a trip to a charity shop with some donations!
Just to add that I've been investigating what charities might be able to take hard to recycle items such as electrical, duvets and pillows. Emmaus, the homeless charity may be possible for electrical. Dog and cat shelters may be possible for bedding. Or Free cycle or Gumtree for anyone locally to take items. Homeless charities generally will probably take sleeping bags.
