Re: Motivational thread!

[alec eiffel]

Had a big clear out of my wardrobe today and found a load of things to declutter. I'm going to go through my accessories next to see what I can get rid of. It's still not organised in an ideal way but it's better than it was.

[TP]

i love decluttering makes you feel good. At the moment i cant find my euros though. They were in a bag im hoping i didnt throw them out while decluttering.

[dolly blue]

Had a big clear out of my wardrobe today and found a load of things to declutter. I'm going to go through my accessories next to see what I can get rid of. It's still not organised in an ideal way but it's better than it was.

I think my bedroom is the only room in the house that is 100% decluttered, all other rooms are % done, I've just been in my girly shed and found a bag of 21st birthday cards of mine and OH also some engagement cards didn't get around to getting married so I suppose that's a good thing less cards, just gone through them and binned. Half the people are not together anymore and the other half are dead, some I can't even remember
I think I was 21 back in 1987.
Can't do anymore in my shed until Fri then it can go straight in the bin(collection day) or charity bag.

[alec eiffel]

When I went back to look at my accessories I found a load of other things to get rid of too. So in the charity bag there is -

1 pair jeans
1 going out top
2 long sleeved t-shirts
2 jumpers
1 pair shorts
2 pairs of pyjamas
5 t-shirts
1 pair flip flops
2 scarves
1 fabric headband
1 handbag
and a load of beads, necklaces, watches and rings. And probably some things I've already forgotten about

I kept some jewellery my grandma gave to me, the stuff I wore at my wedding, including my original wedding ring which is now too big and some bangles and stuff I've bought recently.

My wardrobe now consists of -

5 going out dresses
6 day dresses/tunics
2 pairs of jeans
1 pair cotton trousers
6 skirts
1 pair shorts
12 t-shirts/vests
5 jumpers/long sleeved tops
2 cardigans
4 hoodies/fleeces
2 jackets
loads of coats
2 pairs walking trousers
exercise/gardening/DIY clothes
4 pairs of pyjamas

My wardrobe wasn't cluttered before and I could carry on wearing a lot of the stuff but I've had a lot of it for a long long time and I'm just keeping it because there's nothing wrong with it, but I don't wear it. Dan wants to have another prune of his wardrobe too, but he needs a whole new wardrobe, he only has about a dozen things that fit him at the minute so decluttering now would mean he had nothing at all. The rest of the house is decluttered, I started that in 2004 and then we had a massive push when we moved in March 2010. Just need to pull everything together now and get the paintbrushes out again.

[MrsH]

Hi all, still a busy bee here between exciting rest periods(!) Washing tons of baby clothes (Aldi's non bio and comfort pure, mmmmmmm!!!) and packing away in drawers. Hospital bag good to go, DH getting a little more pro active now and has almost organised babys room, cot built, drawers built, moses basket up. Just one or two last bits of junk to bring out. We're in the middle of a mass declutter at long last and it's definitely looking worse before it starts to look better I think. I'm sure we'll get organised soon with it though. Also have wardrobes in our room to go through but that may have to wait a while...off to make a brew and hoover for the second time time today, DD's crumbs

[alec eiffel]

Hi MrsH,

Good to hear from you. You sound organised, glad DH is upping his game and getting stuff sorted, sounds like he's doing a grand job.

Not sure what's going on today, don't think I have any big tasks to get through so I might delve into my craft trolley, lots of other things end up living there and they shouldn't so it's a good task to do sitting down with a cuppa. Have a good day everyone.

[pipling]

We have sold a few more bits on ebay this weekend. And put some things up in the loft that have been hanging around for ages.

Seriously need to start decluttering properly, but can't bring myself to do it, then I saw this advertised:
http://www.spaceclearing.com/html/workshops/United_Kingdom/144_Mar_2012_-_Workshop_in_Cheltenham_UK.html

And thought it was the answer to my problems, until I saw the price £70 a ticket!
I don't think I want to declutter that badly....

[alec eiffel]

We have sold a few more bits on ebay this weekend. And put some things up in the loft that have been hanging around for ages.

Seriously need to start decluttering properly, but can't bring myself to do it, then I saw this advertised:
http://www.spaceclearing.com/html/workshops/United_Kingdom/144_Mar_2012_-_Workshop_in_Cheltenham_UK.html

And thought it was the answer to my problems, until I saw the price £70 a ticket!
I don't think I want to declutter that badly....

Wow, that's a good way to make money! How are you getting on Pipling, sold anything else?

[dolly blue]

Think I've lost all motivation!
By the of the day I want my poly tunnel empty and plant pots washed
Dig out details for financial support for DS uni loan and submit
Ring a couple more insurance brokers for quotes and decided who's getting my money

[alec eiffel]

It ebbs and flows sometimes doesn't it Dolly?

I am at the other end of the spectrum. I've been reading a few simple living/minimalism blogs over the last couple of days and it has really fired me up. That combined with thinking about if I died and someone had to clear out all my stuff. I know that the vast majority of my stuff has only intrinsic value so there's no point in keeping most of it. So I'm aiming for functional and personal things and get rid of as much of the other stuff as I can.

I think we might get a kindle. We have a bookcase taken up with classic novels and we never read them but it feels wrong to get rid of them (books being knowledge and all that) but there are so many of them available for free on the kindle it would be a good thing... I'm no more likely to read them if they're just sat there than if they're just a download or a trip to the library away.

So far today I have added to the donation box - 36 books (with my eye to at least another 20), 20+ computer or xbox games, 25+ dvd's, 6 cushion covers and a t-shirt. Over the last week or so Dan and I have been through our wardrobes and got rid of loads of stuff. So now I have less but it's all useable. I've chucked out, recycled or donated a load of other stuff too.

[dolly blue]

Well I did shift my bum yesterday and get the jobs done, but I need to get some more insurance quotes in (hate this job)
So I need to do some more today and then go food shopping.

I've not decluttered much this week my bin is fun from last weeks effort and I've still got stuff in the boot of the car for the charity shop, but i can add to that next week and just have the one journey.

Alec- I decided to declutter after wondering what would happen if I left this earth, who would what my stuff? never mind people going through my things and wondering what on earth am I doing with these things
What simple life blogs have you been reading Alec?

[alec eiffel]

We've just done the house insurance thing, we had no trouble with the insurance but our mortgage people are very strange! Least said about them the better, suffice to say our fixed rate period ends this time next year.

My thoughts about people going through my stuff are exactly the same as yours. I worked in charity shops for years and for the last few years I only worked in the sorting room. Doing that it really struck me how many people buy beautiful things, keep them for best and then a good enough occasion never comes. The amount of times we'd receive donations when someone had died and there were clothes with tags on, stored in garment bags, perfect to look at but so old and of a style we could never sell. It's so sad to think people are spending money on things they love and never using them. It's almost as wasteful as buying something from Primark or similar, wearing it once then chucking it away.

The simple living/minimalism blogs I've been reading are things like small notebook,minhus, Kanelstrand (there's a really nice Simple Living Challenge here) and a few others. I like these blogs because they're more relevant to me than the "move the country and live off grid" type voluntary simplicity blogs. These are more urban and more... simple to me.

Forgot to say, my totals for yesterday were - 6 cushion/pillow cases, 1 board game, 1 t-shirt, 17 computer/xbox games, 31 dvds and 74 books.

[dolly blue]

Well I have chucked a couple of pairs of knickers away and a pair of socks, would of wanged a bra in the bin also but need to replace them first,
Talking of bras I've used a few online size reckoner's but they all come out different

[alec eiffel]

I hate bra shopping! The only high street shop that sells my size locally is Debenhams, so I get measured there, they woman goes out to find something for me, comes back and says "we do sell them but we don't have any". So I am pretty much online only. First time I went to be measured I thought she was going to crush my ribs to dust she pulled the tape measure so hard!

Yesterday we decluttered two mugs and two magazines, not bad considering we were out all day. I think the biggest part of the declutter is over now, we have a box of books and 4 charity bags full of things to go now. And there was I thinking we were decluttered already! In addition to the stuff I said about the other day we've got rid of -

70+ magazines
3 jackets/coats
2 pairs boots
1 pair shoes
another 3 computer games
1 candle holder
6+ picture frames

into the bin or recycling has gone -

loads of photos
some damages posters and unwanted pictures
two metal signs
loads of old fanzines and bits of paper
all the torn out bits of magazines I'd saved in my inspiration files (and never looked at)

We used to store all our old magazines, football and rugby programmes on a small bookcase in the spare room wardrobe. We emptied so much of that it could be moved into the very untidy porch cupboard and I'm using it as a shoe rack. It holds loads of shoes and makes the cupboard look really tidy. It meant we could move the small shoe rack into Dan's wardrobe which freed up loads of space there too. Killed 3 birds with one bin bag! The remaining magazines fit into the sideboard in the spare room so they're organised and out of the way. I do like to declutter but can't yet get rid of my Martha Stewart magazines!

[Aisles]

I saw a thread on the ebay discussion board asking for bra's via a charity that give them to ladies abroad who don't own a bra. It seems woman who don't own/wear a bra are thought of as unemployable in some countries and bra's are very expensive and out of the range of many woman.

[alec eiffel]

Yes, in the charity shops I've worked at we would parcel up any bras we'd had donated and sent them off to these charities. Such a small thing but something that could make a big difference to someone else.

[dolly blue]

Snows killed all my motivation, I have changed my bed its in the washer but will not be hung out today! will vac the bedroom later.

[alec eiffel]

We have decluttered a few more things since the last update but I think we're at the end of that for now, well other than my "decorating pyjamas" that I added to the rag bag today! Dan even sorted out the techno junk box and got rid of some stuff that has been hanging round for ages - including dealing with the old laptop.

Everywhere feels a lot lighter now and easier to get round - which is weird because everything had a home before so it's not as though things were making the place a mess or anything. Maybe it's just because I know how much we've ditched. I am so glad we joined the library, we go there every few weeks and are making the most of it. DVDs were 2 for 1 this week so we have two films for £2 which is great, especially as we have to watch them this week so we won't have them sitting around in the cupboard for months before we get round to them (if at all), we've also had some cds as well as books. I always used to love the library but I see even more purpose for it now!

Today I have done the housework bits and bobs and painted the window frame and sill in the bathroom. Still chipping away at the decorating!

[alec eiffel]

My "quick fix" of the bathroom is now complete! Dan replaced the blind and I painted the ceiling on Friday - so it is now white horrible scalloped wallpaper rather than peach horrible scalloped wallpaper *yay*. It looks so much better!

I think I mentioned that I am using an old Billy bookcase as a shoe cabinet these days, I just had a look at the Ikea website and it's possible to buy extra shelves for them which is just what I need as I only have 3 shelves and another one or two would fit the bill perfectly. So next time we're passing I'll nip in and buy a couple (Ikea is a fair old trek but we pass one when we go to see my parents).

Slight downside this weekend, someone stole our bin. It was emptied on Friday, I looked out of the window and couldn't see our bin so I assumed my neighbour had brought it up the drive for me as he usually does. But no, it's gone!

[alec eiffel]

The bin is back!

The NSPCC people also turned up this morning to take all the bags and boxes of donations so I now have the porch back. It was reaching a stage where I was just used to it being there so it looks great now it's empty! I can finally get round to finish painting the woodwork - it gets really cold in there so there's no point painting in there during the winter as it just wouldn't dry, but I think it's warm enough now. I think today I'll sand and paint the big shelf (it's not really a shelf but that's the best way to describe it) then work my way round to doing the door, skirtings and big cupboard. It's going to take a while!

Has anyone else done anything to move things on?

[TP]

wonder where the bin went you could say where's you bin (sorry I will get my coat)

got motivated this week to try and lose a bit of weight thought i would wait till i got back from holiday. Its nice to eat and enjoy what you want on holiday.

[alec eiffel]

The bin men left it on the other side of the road on my neighbour's drive. So we just thought it was his and he hadn't put it away, but when it wasn't away on Monday Dan nipped over and asked him. Our neighbour was about to start knocking on doors trying to find out who the owner is! Very weird as the bin men are usually really good and bring the bin back for me but maybe they were just in a rush last week! (We live in a Conservative area so bins are the issue everyone gets worked up about, lol).

[alec eiffel]

Forgot to say I dealt with all my photographs yesterday.

I had 11 photo albums and a box full of loose photos. The albums we taking up a load of space so I was looking online for some archive boxes and all that stuff then I had an idea. I already have an acid free box, the photos that are in albums are already in protective pockets so I cut the pockets out of the albums and put the photos (already sorted) into the box. So I could chuck the albums away. The photos now take up half a shelf when they used to take up two. Very happy about that.

Oh yeah, I had to get rid of a couple of tea towels so now I have an empty drawer in the kitchen as all my towels fit into one drawer. I love empty space!

[dolly blue]

My photos are still waiting to be put in albums or boxes, I did sort them out with the dodgy ones being binned and bagged up into themes.
Will be mucking out DS bedroom in a week or so when hes left for uni, still chipping away at decluttering little bits and often.
I got around to taking my charity shop stuff last week and almost have an empty shed, 90% of useful stuff(plant pots) and 10% pending if crap or useful.
At a guess I'm 90% clutter free in the house, it seems to get easier the more I chuck the more I want to chuck
OH does have two sheds and that's up to him to sort, he's made a start but I think it will be slow and sure

[alec eiffel]

I agree with you there Dolly, the more I get rid of the less I think I need to keep!

I went through my recipe binder yesterday, it's a small photo album with all the recipes written on postcards, it works as the pockets are wipe clean. I kept all the recipes I use and turned the postcards over of the ones I don't so now I have loads of space for new recipes instead of having them in my internet favourites or written on scraps of paper. Took ages to go through and copy out the new ones but it's worth it.

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