Nearly There!

I did the second to last room in the big deluttering challenge last weekend, the kitchen. This is how it looked before.

This room wasn't really too cluttered but since we moved in we've not really been using some of the space in the best way. For example the space on top of the microwave had become a bit of a mess as it was often where we just put larger food items due to not having enough cupboard space.

So I cleared it off, threw away the crisps and crackers as they were out of date, and put my porridge oats up there in their place. This jar stays down from the cabinet top as I use it every day (the others have flour etc in which I don't use daily) and I don't want to have to climb the cabinets every morning to make breakfast! I got a box out for stuff to go to the charity/car boot pile but actually everything ended up in the bin liner for the tip, so Minty claimed the box as her fort for the day.

It was already looking better, but still there was too much out on the counters in here for my liking meaning cooking can get a bit frustrating due to lack of counter space. This is our largest cupboard, and it is just full of random stuff.

 The pots and pans were all in this smaller cupboard next to the oven

So I dragged it all out and swapped them around. Now the 'random kitchen stuff' cupboard is the smaller one, and the cookware, tupperware and tea towels are in the larger one. Much more sensible. The carrier bags are all in the hallway now, as I figure if they are near the front door they are more likely to get reused than if they're hidden under the sink.

The next to do was food, we had a bigger kitchen in our last house but now only have one cupboard for food so we need to get better at buying less and only what we will eat straight away. I got all the food out of here and sorted through it.

After getting rid of all the out of date things and reorganising the cupboard I was able to get more things into the food cupboard, like oils and spices, so there is less on the counter and I could move the toaster round and also fit a chopping board in front of it.

 This is the out of date stuff. We have out of date tinned goods, how embarrassing!

We have gained a usable counter space!

It's amazing what a couple of hours and a bin liner can free up, we now have more cupboard space and another work surface. 

I will get a few more small jars when I'm next at The Range as I want to move some more of the dried stuff like couscous up to the top of the cabinet out of the cupboard, and there is room for another row of smaller jars behind the big ones. Other than that now it's nice and clear I'd like to replace some stuff in there like the bread bin and canisters, and bring in some more colour and interest as it looks pretty boring.

Also observant people might notice that the view out of the window looks different, the garden is being redone so the landlords part of it now looks like this.

I will ask if I can take some snaps when it's done but it is certainly more open and they now have a nice spiral staircase in up to their back door instead of the old wooden stairs they had before. We are hoping this will mean more sun into our little part of the garden in the summer and it certainly feels a lot more spacious out there. Our part looks like a dump though as we had to move all our pots into the centre to let them do the work so I need to spend a few hours out there! Another thing for the to do list...

First week, how you doin'?

Starting is the hardest thing sometimes, so we've passed that obstacle! First week of the big declutter (see posts last week for the how to), how are you getting on?

This week went like this for me:
Day 1 - Books - Did really well, got rid of loads, actually down to one bookshelf now! I seem to keep loads of books that have been read and neither of us will ever read again, also there were some not read (gifts/mistake buys and ones Tom has bought for holidays but never read) that we just needed to get real about never reading and get rid of. I actually rediscovered the library recently so I'm working on not having so many books around and borrowing them more than buying them.

Day 2 - Went to a wedding fair at our venue (great day, lovely weather, took loads of cards and brochures from vendors) then out for dinner. Got nothing done, already off the plan!

Day 3 - Got 2 things done as they were both small jobs - The cupboard (I went through it recently so only 2 old wicker baskets to get rid of) and the shoe racks. Got them both done in under 20 minutes so made up for the day before.

 The pile to get rid of looked like this

Day 4 - Tom finally went through that box of stuff that has been in here since we moved in (you can still see it in the corner of the picture above!), and we did the small ottomans - not much from there a few cats bowls and some kitchen stuff.

Day 5 - Surfaces (I will get Tom to do his music stuff on his next day off), mostly just stuff for the bin like junk mail and leaflets.

So the first week looks like:

1. Hallway - Books - Done
2. Hallway – Cupboard - Done
3. Hallway – Small ottomans - Done
4. Hallway – Music equipment
5. Hallway – Shoes - Done
6. Hallway – Surfaces - Done
7. Hallway – Misc

And the stuff to go looks like this

 Loads for just under a week!

I'll have the miscellaneous day tomorrow for any areas I've missed and just a general second look, and Tom has agreed he will at least look through his music stuff as there are maybe some things that don't work properly he could get rid of...Sunday might be the day for that!

I also need to get more boxes as I've just been putting everything into one box rather than splitting it into the 3 separate categories, so will sort that out this weekend. Being the weirdo that I am I'm actually enjoying this...

This is how we do it

 

It's Friday night, and I feel alright....had that song in my head all day! Any way this is how we get started on the decluttering mission.

 

I think most people (excepting the few super minimalist tidy people) get the feeling sometimes that their home is just too full of stuff, and it gets frustrating trying to store, organise and clean all of it. When you think about it do you really need half of it? Most likely the answer is no, so how do you go about getting rid of what you don’t need?

 

The first step is accepting that you want to get rid of your clutter and that getting rid of possessions is a positive thing, the house will be tidier, easier to clean, look better and you will have more freedom to decorate without lots of junk in the way. If you’re anything like me you have loads of things you have been meaning to get rid of or do something with but they have just ended up hanging around because decluttering the whole house seems such a huge job and it’s easy to get discouraged or not find the time for it.

 

I originally found this method here and just adjusted it to fit our home. It’s not rocket science, but the key is to break everything down into really small areas and do them one per day, allowing just 15-20 minutes per day. Allow more than one day for things that will take longer than 20 minutes. This keeps me on track and I don’t get bogged down into spending hours at a time going through one area and losing sight of the goal.

 

It also helps to find the time if it’s only a 20 minute task, plan around days when you know you won’t have time. If you don’t get to it just try to do it the next day, don’t be tempted to do more than one area at a time though. The aim is to make this easy and kind of fun and piling up the jobs until the weekend will just make it seem daunting and like a big task. It helps to do them in order as it keeps you on track rather than putting off the bigger stuff, but last time I did this I sometimes substituted smaller jobs on days when I was unexpectedly busy. If you start an area and realise it’s going to take longer than 20 minutes just add on another day for it.

 

Set up 3 boxes or areas for ‘bin’, ‘sell’ and ‘donate’ and put things into these each day. The goal is to put things into these boxes every day, so to get rid of something from every area you go through. It might be more from some areas than others but you must put something in at least one of these boxes every day. Rather than having to make loads of trips to the tip, charity shop or car boot sales it worked better for me to get rid of everything at the end, and it’s such a morale booster to see the piles getting bigger!

 

Really be ruthless and try to keep the image of your new clean, tidy and clutter free home in your mind! If something isn’t useful, beautiful or sentimental then it goes. Think about what other lovely things you can put in place of things you never use or don’t really like.

 

It’s useful to have a ‘maybe’ box for stuff you aren’t sure what to do with, as it’s better to remove them from their place to see if you can live without them rather than leave them in place to decide later as 9 times out of 10 I will just end up leaving it there! Also I tended to put stuff in there of Toms which I wanted to check with him first, and stuff which I didn’t think was ours and needed to return to whoever I had borrowed it from or whoever had left it at ours. I also had a small ‘repair/projects’ box, for things like clothes that need mending, stuff you’re keeping for a project you haven’t gotten round to yet, or stuff you are keeping to repurpose or renovate. Give yourself a deadline for each thing to be out of that box and either fixed or gotten rid of, and be realistic on how likely it is that you will get round to it – if you’ve been keeping it for a long time and haven’t found a use for it how likely is it that you ever will?

 

The list for our flat is:

1.       Hallway – Books

2.       Hallway – Cupboard

3.       Hallway – Small ottomans

4.       Hallway – Music equipment

5.       Hallway – Shoes

6.       Hallway – Surfaces

7.       Hallway – Misc

8.       Dining – Table

9.       Dining – Boxes on tank

10.   Dining – Pet supplies

11.   Dining – Misc

12.   Bedroom – Chest of drawers

13.   Bedroom – Kate’s wardrobe

14.   Bedroom – Tom’s wardrobe

15.   Bedroom – Makeup and cosmetics

16.   Bedroom – Ottomans

17.   Bedroom – Ottomans

18.   Bedroom – Under the bed

19.   Bedroom – Under the bed

20.   Bedroom – Trunk

21.   Bedroom – Drawers

22.   Bedroom – Surfaces

23.   Bedroom – Misc

24.   Living room – DVD’s

25.   Living room – Corner by DVD’s

26.   Living room – CD’s

27.   Living room – Corner by CD’s

28.   Living room – Box under coffee table

29.   Living room – Ornaments, frames, candles

30.   Living room – Coffee table

31.   Living room – Misc

32.   Kitchen – Top of microwave/fridge

33.   Kitchen – Cupboard by fridge

34.   Kitchen – Cupboard under sink

35.   Kitchen – Cupboard by oven

36.   Kitchen – Drawer

37.   Kitchen – Worktops

38.   Kitchen – Tops of cabinets

39.   Kitchen – Food

40.   Kitchen – Misc

41.   Bathroom – Drawers

42.   Bathroom – Shower caddies

43.   Bathroom – Cupboard – cleaning supplies

44.   Bathroom – Cupboard – Towels, medicine box, misc

45.   Bathroom – Surfaces

46.   Bathroom – Misc

47.   Garden – Pots

48.   Garden – Plants

49.   Garden – Under steps

50.   Garden – Under tarpaulin

51.   Garden – Misc

52.   Whole flat – Furniture

53.   Whole flat – Ornaments, frames, candles etc

54.   Whole flat – Misc

 

Who wants to play along at home? We can compare tidy clutter free homes at the end :) The original list included a lot of things I didn’t need like kids rooms/toys etc and second bathrooms and bedrooms etc so modify it for your home and schedule. Leave the furniture until last because once you’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff you may be able to get rid of furniture you didn’t think you’d be able to. I also added a ‘misc’ day for each room on the end of that room, so once you have done all the areas you can think of just pass over that room again to pick up any things that you might have missed or didn’t fit into a category.

 

At the end of the list (Or when we run out of space to keep the stuff waiting to go) we go to the tip with the ‘bin’ stuff, start on selling the things in the ‘sell’ box so list a load of stuff on EBay or in the paper or do a car boot sale, then do a trip to the charity shop with the ‘donate’ pile. Last time anything that didn’t sell at the car boot sale went straight with the ‘donate’ box to the charity shop. Anyone not from the UK or not familiar with a car boot sale it’s kind of our version of a yard sale, we take all our stuff to one of these sales and park up and sell it from the boot of the car.

 

I’ll probably need to do this once a year as the clutter does build up pretty quickly, but each time it should get easier and I’ll try to keep the amount of junk we keep to a minimum and do this more informally as I go along rather than letting it build up.

 

I'm going to get started this weekend and cannot wait to start getting stuff sorted out!

Before the big declutter

I'll post our list for the big declutter on Wednesday, so if you're playing along at home get ready to get rid! See last weeks post here on the method.

I thought I'd share some before photos today because A.the whole flat is clean after a bank holiday housework blitz and B. I'm hoping it will look a bit different in a few weeks!

The Kitchen - Problem areas:
Top of the microwave
Countertops
Food cupboard

The thing on top of the hob is the oven shelves soaking in the overnight oven cleaner

The Living Room - Problem Areas:
Box under coffee table
Corners by the bookshelves

The dining room/hallway (not really sure what to call his room now it's no longer the 'office') - Problem Areas:
Shelves under the turtle tank

The Bathroom - Problem Areas:
Cosmetics
Built in cupboard

The Hallway - Problem Areas
Bookshelves
Cupboard
Music Equipment
Shoes
Computer Equipment
Chairs (we have 4 dining chairs and an armchair in here and never sit on any of them!)

This box is also still here, Tom needs to sort it out or it will just be labelled 'Sell' and become the start of the car boot pile...

The Bedroom - Problem Areas:
Under the bed
Ottomans

The bag on the bed is full of clothes that were on ebay and ended yesterday and I'm either sending off or if they didn't sell getting rid of elsewhere

So that's our flat as of yesterday, pretty clean and tidy but cluttered in some areas. I can't wait to get rid of some things and make some room!

The Plan

When we moved it seemed like I got rid of half of our possessions as we were downsizing, yet we are still overrun with stuff! I don't think the issue is that the flat is too small, 2 people should be able to live in a large-ish one bedroom flat without struggling for space. The problem is we have too much stuff. I think most people do (people I know anyway) and although I'd love to be minimalist I just keep too much of life's detritus and most of it is stuff I could live without.

I knew we needed to get serious about getting rid of stuff last year before we moved when we started looking at town centre flats, while we had a garage, spare room and attic full of stuff. I'd pinned this a while before '8 weeks to a less cluttered home' which as we had been given 2 months notice worked out perfectly! You can go to the website here.

The Plan

I want to do this decluttering method again as we still have too much clutter. When I did this last time I didn't know where we would be living, and we brought stuff with us that we don't need.

The approach is to really break down your home into areas, not just 'bedroom' but into really small areas, like doing the drawers one day, the wardrobe another then under the bed last. I adjusted her way a little as it has days for kids rooms, second bathrooms (I wish) etc, but I used the days I wouldn't be doing these areas on the areas I thought would need more than the days allocated (our attic and garage mainly). It really helps to have this plan and to tailor it to your home, I had it stuck on the fridge and ticked off each day once I had done.

Breaking it all down also makes it a little less scary, instead of worrying that you are chucking too much stuff out you're only putting a few things a day into the 'bin' 'sell' or 'charity' piles. However, the pile of stuff to get rid of grew so rapidly and we made £60 at a car boot sale and made numerous trips to the tip. I also had the rule that anything that went into the 3 piles didn't come back out, anything that didn't sell at the car boot got donated and didn't come back into the house.

I'm going to adjust the list again for our home and will share it next week, and I'll hopefully get started soon on getting rid of all of our clutter! It might be fun (My idea of fun anyway haha) if you want to play along at home and we can compare our lovely clutter free homes at the end  :)

Decluttering

Before we moved I got rid of tons of stuff, and I'll write a post on how we did that as I followed a pretty effective method and I'm planning to redo the process soon, however that'll be a pretty wordy post and I had a busy weekend! So today we have the second phase of 'the big declutter' (yeah I gave it a project name), following the bedroom sort out and clothes cull I was on a roll so was looking for more stuff to get rid of.

The entrance hall is another room that just seems to collect junk, so first to get the bin liner treatment were the coats on the door.

We (I) have loads, and really I only need one winter coat, one light summer jacket and one blazer/smart jacket. I had 3 winter coats, 2 blazers and 3 summer jackets. Most of these went in the charity shop bin liner and now it looks like this.

Then onto the wardrobe, we got it for storage but it had gotten a bit packed with stuff all just shoved in haphazardly so it was hard to get anything else in there and it was hard to get anything out. So after a reorganise it was all stacked nicely and there's room for more. Sometimes you don't even need to get rid of things just arranging them properly makes more space (It was a bit like tetris only heavier, more awkward and a lot less fun).

Then onto this box. This box has been in here since we moved (9 months ago), you can just about see it tucked under the chairs in the photos above. This box does not contain anything that belongs to me. This box is full of things that were mostly never used at our last house and I am reasonably confident will not be used here.

I pulled it out from under the chairs and the items in there need to actually be used or put somewhere that is not  a cardboard box on the floor or they will go in the bin...enough said I think!

Bedroom Brainstorming

The bedroom is the room that I most dislike in our flat, the new wardrobes help but the rest of the furniture is so mismatched as it just always looks such a mess as nothing has a home and just seems to be out all the time.

exhibit A

The trunk just collects junk, we got new pillows and want to keep the old ones as spares but they were waiting for us to find somewhere for them. We got memory foam pillows when we got the new mattress and we love the mattress but the pillows are very hard and we never really got used to it. So we got the 'super bounce' overstuffed pillows from silent night and love them!

This side of the room is also really cluttered and my hair products, makeup and jewellery seems to have spread over 2 areas although I don't actually have that much!

We also have to leave the drawers out from the wall a little so we can get to the window to open and close it, so it just kind of floats in the middle of the space

 It's full of clothes, tops in the middle drawer and dresses in the bottom

However I also have dresses in my wardrobe, which is looking a little crowded, but I thought I could maybe get all my dresses together in the wardrobe.

 I had a brutal clothes cull, the pile is for Ebay, one bin liner for the bin and the other for charity

I bought a few vacuum bags from the pound shop a while ago, so also vaccum packed a few things (like winter clothes and holiday stuff) and slid it under the wardrobe

I then swapped the drawers and chest around, much better! I can step on the trunk to open the window so it can go right up against the wall. This was actually all I set out to do that day and it kind of spiralled into a complete reorganisation of all my stuff!

It's nicer to have less furniture going on in this corner, it looked a bit crowded with all the drawers.
I've got all my clothes together on one side of the room as well as all my hair stuff and makeup which is nice.

Although my shoes, bags and belts are still in the trunk

I managed to get all of my makeup jewellery and hair stuff together here after a bit of a throw out, I'm not a big makeup wearer yet still had tons of it! So now all I have is makeup in the bottom drawer of the wicker drawers, hair stuff in the top, my glasses are in the silver bucket with my hairbrush. Underneath are my jewellery boxes and larger hair stuff like cans of hairspray, my hair dryer etc.
 I also cleared the top of these drawers so Tom can have a bit of room for his stuff

And look, empty drawers! I'm not going to fill them for the sake of it and keeping them for if we need space, the top one is Toms man drawer, and the second one has all my glasses cases and a few random things in. I managed to get all my underwear and socks and tights which were in here into the chest of drawers in place of the dresses (which I did manage to get into the wardrobe) so all my stuff is together in one place.

It looks so much clearer and cleaner in here now, the mismatched furniture is still a slight issue but we will eventually get a new bed and I will do something with those drawers above I just need to figure out what. I've debated painting them, covering them, just getting rid of them (reluctant to do as we struggle for storage in some areas), moving them to another room...but nothing has really clicked or inspired me yet.