I started decluttering in an organised way about 5 years ago. Although our house is a lot clearer than it was, I have realised lately that we are building up the clutter again. In 2007, the clutter was everywhere or so it felt. Now it seems to be concentrated in our and the kids’ bedrooms and our home office. So, I have decided to have a major clearout in those areas
Why has the clutter built up? It is partly because I returned to the workplace 3 and a half years ago and so just do not have the time to keep on top of it all; and partly to do with an interesting fact about clutter – what seems like a must have 5 years ago turns into a definite ‘get rid of’ in the present so it is always worth revisiting areas of your home that you haven’t decluttered for a while.
Home office
So, going through my husband’s company files in the study, I found that we were keeping out of date information, including old Companies House forms, mileage rates from 2001, client Christmas card lists from 2002 etc etc. They had been kept because 5 years or more ago, they seemed relevant. I recycled or shredded so much paper I was able to amalgamate the contents of 2 lever arch files into one. And could use the space and free folder to sort out some other areas.
I also asked my husband if he would take 5 minutes a day to work through the piles of paper around the study which he has been doing. There was a lot more paper recycling than usual this week!
Master bedroom
I wrote about the clutter in our bedroom in my last post. I got so busy at work and home (son doing Mock GCSEs swiftly followed by assessed coursework and oral exams, so am having to keep him focussed!) that I couldn’t do everything I had planned. However, I did find the extended warranty for the game console whose box was in our room, so I decided to put the box back in the loft in case we needed to send it back to the manufacturer for repair. One less thing on the floor.
My next task is to work out what to do with the box of guitar magazines. I tested the water on Ebay a few months ago and did sell the one I put on there. But it went at a very low price and the postage cost more than I had thought. By the time Ebay took their percentage, I might as well have given it away. So I need to think of another way of moving them on. All ideas appreciated!
Kids’ bedrooms and toys
With my daughter, I decided that My Little Pony’s time had come. We had a box of larger ponies in the loft, as well as a palace and a house; in my daughter’s room was a smaller box of little ponies and accessories. I offered the complete collection on Freecycle and it had gone within a day to another, much younger, girl who will hopefully get as much enjoyment from them as my daughter did at a similar age.
In my son’s bedroom, we sat together while he went through the vast amount of paper that kids get from school these days. He threw quite a lot away so at least there is less of it. Over the next few days, I will be working out how to file the rest so that is a lot easier to find, ready for GCSEs and revision.
So I have made progress over half-term on my great decluttering project. More updates later.
Next week, I will be starting a series of articles on where you can get rid of your unwanted stuff, from charity shops to Freecycle and Ebay.
