I've been helping OH move into a new flat so I have come back home with resolutions to declutter as if I were to move. There is so much that we keep ...."in case".... it comes back into fashion (that's always a possibility with me). Frying pans - too many. Get rid of the sticky ones. Bowls, salad bowls, kitchen clutter, books, duvets and blankets.. .......and the list goes on.
Some local councils accept them as part of the kerbside recycling.
Don't get me started on decluttering. What l will say (at the risk of being somewhat morbid), is think of your family/friends/whoever who will be faced with sorting things when you are gone. If you don't use it, haven't worn it for a year, get no pleasure from it, then donate it to charity if applicable, try Freecycle, Gumtree if you feel comfortable using them, or dispose of it. Empty spice jars might be of use to someone , if not assuming they are glass they can go in your recycling. Sorry, but it really is a sensitive subject for me at the moment
Sorry @AnniD 😊- I missed your post for some reason. Lots of good advice! (Maybe two years not one?)
Sorry to witness the demise of the forum. 😥😥😥😡😡😡I am Spartacus
I too struggle with de cluttering. I have items in my wardrobe that are over twenty years old, and quite a lot I still wear! It’s slightly worrying to look through old photos and recognise something Ive got on! Trips to the charity shop are a bit fraught for me. I have to take OH with me, theoretically to help carry the bags, but in reality to get me out after handing over the goods. If I’m on my own, I’m likely to just have a glance around while I’m in there, and end up taking home more than I got rid of! Growing up without much money, I spent most of my childhood in cast offs or purchases from jumble sales ( remember those?) so I still find it hard to walk past a ‘bargain’! OH accuses me of accumulating clutter, but we seems to have cupboards full of old electrical equipment, pieces of wood etc etc. All hung on to just in case. Annoyingly, when he does get rid of some random bits and pieces, we can almost guarantee that within weeks, he will have an urgent need for some obscure item that has only just gone to the tip. Our recycling collection accepts small electrical items, so any unidentifiable leads and chargers can get taken away. Our local tip also has a resale area, so if there is something in good nick, the workers will take it off to the display area. I’ve been surprised at some of the things that they reckon there will be a buyer for. There is also a super not for profit resale organisation in a nearby town. They raise money for local good causes, and also provide household items for families in need. They welcome donations of all sorts of things, I was able to offload good curtains and cushions when we changed our colour scheme, and they will collect unwanted furniture as well. We do still seem to have more stuff left than we started with!
@clematisdorset your post made me think of sucky bags. ( I'm sure there's another name for them) a good 70% if them don't work and sneakily soften up in the bottom of the wardrobe. How hard is it to manufacture a plastic bag that doesn't leak?
Old frying pans and woks make great container/ big flowerpot saucers and the handles mean you can turn the container without lifting it. They make good bird baths too.
I’d love to de-clutter more but OH is definitely in the “might come in handy” camp. Having a bit of a mare persuading parents to de-clutter - probably missed the boat there. Many of us struggle to throw items away, particularly clothes, and I’m sure there are mixed reasons why.
Re the chargers and wires @B3… if all the items you use regularly have their allotted chargers/wires then it’s probably safe to assume that the bags of wires are not needed.
Typically, the very day you bin these wires, someone will discover a camera/phone/radio that urgently needs to be charged-up and have a faint memory that they put the charger in a box to keep safe (and it will be your fault. and any time you de-clutter after this you will be looked upon with suspicion.) That’s life suppose!
@AnniD - I agree that it is worth at least thinking about what a nightmare will be left for others to sort when you aren’t able or aren’t here to do it. I’ve heard the concept of ‘Swedish Death Cleaning’ which is all about making decisions about what to keep, what to let go, plus some other life admin, all helping you have a more straightforward life and ultimately helping your family when you depart.
I've lost some weight over the last year or so. Is it tempting fate to throw out clothes that are a bit too big? I'm glad I kept the stuff that used to be a bit too small, because it fits now.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I'm trying to declutter just now as we've got far too much 'stuff' and I don't to leave it all for my children to sort out when we've gone. Today, I've given away two Victorian chairs and an embroidered stole I inherited from my late MIL. She'd never worn it and neither had I.
On the downside, I've kept the old staircase treads as they are Sapele, an endangered hardwood just the right size for shelves so might be useful! I have a thing about collecting wood.
I do find it hard to get rid of 'may come in useful' things. Think it must be our age group born after WW11 when things were either scarce or expensive or both so our parents kept most things. My father had at least four biscuit tins full of old screws/nails/bolts etc and I'm just as guilty.
It's actually having employed cleaners for the last few months while I was incapacitated that's made me realize just how cluttered our house had become and how much easier it is to clean without 'stuff' being everywhere.
Posts
OH accuses me of accumulating clutter, but we seems to have cupboards full of old electrical equipment, pieces of wood etc etc. All hung on to just in case. Annoyingly, when he does get rid of some random bits and pieces, we can almost guarantee that within weeks, he will have an urgent need for some obscure item that has only just gone to the tip.
Our recycling collection accepts small electrical items, so any unidentifiable leads and chargers can get taken away. Our local tip also has a resale area, so if there is something in good nick, the workers will take it off to the display area. I’ve been surprised at some of the things that they reckon there will be a buyer for.
There is also a super not for profit resale organisation in a nearby town. They raise money for local good causes, and also provide household items for families in need. They welcome donations of all sorts of things, I was able to offload good curtains and cushions when we changed our colour scheme, and they will collect unwanted furniture as well. We do still seem to have more stuff left than we started with!
EEK!!
Old frying pans and woks make great container/ big flowerpot saucers and the handles mean you can turn the container without lifting it. They make good bird baths too.
Today, I've given away two Victorian chairs and an embroidered stole I inherited from my late MIL. She'd never worn it and neither had I.
On the downside, I've kept the old staircase treads as they are Sapele, an endangered hardwood just the right size for shelves so might be useful! I have a thing about collecting wood.
I do find it hard to get rid of 'may come in useful' things. Think it must be our age group born after WW11 when things were either scarce or expensive or both so our parents kept most things. My father had at least four biscuit tins full of old screws/nails/bolts etc and I'm just as guilty.
It's actually having employed cleaners for the last few months while I was incapacitated
that's made me realize just how cluttered our house had become and how much easier it is to clean without 'stuff' being everywhere.