How do you get rid of unwanted stuff?

Hi everyone!

As you know, I am trying to declutter my home at the moment. Last weekend we did a carboot sale and in the past I have sold things on ebay. When a charity bag comes through the door, I will fill it. The best one is the air ambulance because they take anything, which is good for books because I still have loads. So how do you get rid of your unwanted items?...

I use charity shops, but it is difficult because I have to rely on my daughter to drop stuff off for me when she's at work in town (we live in a village and I don't drive).

I use charity bags that come through the door, but this doesn't happen very often and half the time they are bogus made-up charities, although that hasn't happened recently.

I sell at the carboot sale, but this costs us £10 pitch, so you have to make that back before you start to profit. It's an early start because we travel to Finmere in Buckinghamshire which is a large one. This is still the best way for us though.

I used to do a lot of ebaying (buying and selling) but like Frugal in Bucks, I've had many bad dealings. First there's the time to photograph and list items, then there's the fees to pay, it has to be packaged and taken to the post office, you get a certificate of posting, but there will always be people who try and get stuff for free and say it hasn't arrived when I bet it has. These people are straight on to you, sending messages and threatening action. I just refund them because it's easier than losing 100% feedback. I just find it a hassle for 99p!

For now, I will stick to carbooting!

Thank you for your comment Frugal in Bucks. I am often interested in other people's lives because you pick up ideas to use yourself and also it entertains me because my life is quite dull, busy but dull! Daisy doesn't allow me time to wallow in my own self pity, but we have been through a hell of a lot in the past few years, and sometimes I dwell on it. Daisy has helped us through by giving us a positive focus, she brings joy to our lives every single day. She makes us grateful for what we have too. It does wonders for my sel-esteem that people out there are reading and are coming back to read again! It amazes me when you see the amount of comments that some bloggers receive on a single post, but I read some blogs every day and comment with the rest. I suppose it's what interests us and I'm more likely to spend any spare time I have reading blogs rather than watching tele now! When I hurt my back, I read Frugal Queen's blog from the start and took loads of notes. Some of her advice is part of our lives now and how we run our home - there's still so much to learn!!!

I probably won't blog over the weekend, so see you Monday...

Mandy x

A little bit of time for me.

Hi

This morning I have just a little bit of time for me. I have been catching up with some computer stuff, along with the boring chores. My two daughters and Daisy-May have gone to Coventry for the morning. Charlotte's mini is getting a new gearbox and the girls are shopping while they wait. The house is quiet (just me and the dogs) and it's nice to have a bit of peace!

A little update on my ebay sales:

41.  Non-fiction book

42.  Blonde wig (bought for fancy dress but unused)

43.  A travel shoe bag

44.  A travel toiletries bag

I don't think I will make it to 100 items by Easter because I won't be able to fit a carboot in before then and I have slowed down on my ebay sales now. What I need is to fill a charity bag or two!!!

Mother's day was lovely. My husband gave me a day off from chores and cooked tea too. He bought me some gorgeous tulips from Daisy-May as a special grandma treat. All of my children were here too. Alice bothered to come home, which was nice as it was her first Mothering Sunday and she spent some time with Daisy-May. She hasn't been back to her boyfriend's since then, so we've had a bit of a break and a bit more sleep!

Charlotte's dog is still recovering from being spayed a week ago. She has been suffering, but picking up well now and hopefully the stitches will be out soon.

Right, back to my jobs before the girls return - homemade quiche and mini baked potatoes to prepare for tea.

Thanks for reading.

Mandy x

The declutter continues... very slowly!

Hi

I said in a previous post that I'd record my decluttering and challenged myself to get rid of 100 items by Easter. Well I'm not up to 100 yet because decluttering has taken a backseat once again. I now look after my baby grandaughter 24 hours a day and I'm so tired! I have been able to list a few things on ebay though and have sold a couple of bits:

34.  Fiction book

35.  Fiction book

36.  Turquoise tunic top

37.  Navy polo shirt

38.  Stripe work shirt

39.  Vintage tupperware containers

40. Newborn baby outfit

I may have to wait for the carboot season to start again and get rid of piles of stuff I've sorted to sell.

I'm concentrating on Daisy's care and providing a 'proper' home cooked meal everyday first, followed by the laundry (babies create a lot) and housework. Not much time left for hobbies or sorting out!!!

I hope to be back soon

Mandy x

Approved Food order and ebay sales

I placed an order with approved food a week ago and it finally arrived today. No photo of my goodies, but i did find some bargains.

• 35 pencils (3p each) for my husband (he's a builder and gets through a lot of them)
• stardrops x4 (99p each) this is 1.99 in my local supermarket and never on offer, so I stocked up.
• onion bhaji mix x4 (25p each) for my husband. We love an Indian takeaway, but they're expensive. I can make a curry, but don't know where to start with an onion bhaji!
• knorr stock pots (12.5p per pot) I've just started using these because oxo cubes are becoming more expensive. I normally buy these are 25p per pot on offer, so this is a real bargain that I will make good use of.
• Porridge sachets (15p each) that's 15p for my breakfast (not bad eh?) I bought the cheapest porridge oats in the supermarket yesterday and they were 85p. I can remember when they were 35p.
• Dried mixed herb sachets (9p each) I use these a lot in my cooking and can't grumble at that price.
• navy blue shoe polish (29p) I've been looking for this for ages and can only find black or brown. I've got a pair of navy kicker boots that I've had for years and love. They've lasted because I look after them, but they are a little scuffed on the toe so I need the polish - now I've found it for 29p!
• Cadbury's instant hot chocolate (12p a cup) We love a hot chocolate this time of year, but really don't like the cheap stuff. I wait for it to be on offer, but this is rare. I bought the stuff in cups because it's cadbury's and it's cheap!

These were my best bargains, although I did buy some other stuff too (using my ebay sales funds). My order came to £34 with a saving of £36, so it would have been £70! I haven't wasted any money and this is a way for us to have a few guilt free treats.

Now on to my ebay sales - I've sold 2 books and they're all ready to be posted. I won't count them into my declutter record until they've actually gone to the post office.

Today's dinner was beef casserole in the slow cooker and the leftovers will be turned into a pie for tomorrow's dinner.

• stewing beef browned with 2 chopped leeks
• 5 button mushrooms
• 10 baby potatoes
• 3 large carrots
• 1tsp mixed herbs
• gravy made with cheap granules and an oxo cube
• all thrown into the slow cooker for 8hrs
• dumplings added towards the end
• very warm and yummy!

Mandy x

Clearing the clutter...

At long last, I have started the battle against my clutter!

My aim is to record what I have got rid of on my blog to keep me motivated to do more. My utility room is full of boxes and bags where I have sorted out all of my unwanted and not needed items. I have quite an issue with hoarding - I always think that things will come in handy one day! Sadly, it's just mess really.

For quite some time now, I have been collecting bits and bobs of ribbon, buttons, fabric etc, but haven't got round to using any of it. I never throw clothes or bedding away - the clothes get cut up into fabric pieces ( I want to start patchworking) and the buttons are removed and saved. The bedding has been saved because I want to teach myself how to quilt and these will come in handy (here I go again) for backing quilts.

I can easily convince myself that things are useful and therefore necessary clutter, so if I want to keep stuff, then I have to justify it. So, today I have started to make a dog bed. Both of the dogs in our house need new beds. Charlotte's dog Flo is very big now and it would cost her a fair bit to buy one. Jake's bed is old and tatty and he needs to be more comfortable in his old age. So far, I have made the inside of Jake's new bed. This afternoon, I will make the cover for it and Jake's will be finished. Hopefully I can start on Flo's bed tomorrow. A positive start to my declutter/use up what I have collected and stashed away. I will post photos when the beds are finished.

Before I start sewing again, I am going to list 10 books on ebay. Before Christmas, I sold quite a few bits on ebay, so now I need to really crack on with it to make space in my utility room. Eventually, I hope to use this room as my craft room too, but more space is needed. when I have more space, the house will be easier to clean and tidy.

Ebaying is also a big plan of mine because i want to build up my paypal account. Usually I use this to make ebay purchases for Daisy-May, but she now has far too many clothes and loads to grow in to. I can concentrate on other things, like stocking up the cupboards. Approved food accepts paypal, so I plan to sell my clutter to buy food!!! Food prices rising constantly is hard to bear, so my next challenge is to create a proper store (like I used have when I was working) of tins and packets. I won't just buy for the sake of it, but buy what I normally would (at a reduced price) when I see it available (and lots of it).

This year has not started well for us, but now's the time to get active and make things better.

Has anyone else started the big declutter???

Mandy x