Clearing the Clutter Before Christmas

Joanne Mallon has set a challenge – and we’re in! A proper pre-Christmas clutter clearout – and it’s something I need to do badly.

Now H is five we have so many things we don’t need any more. She isn’t going to have a little brother or sister so space needs to be made – and I need to get rid.

Getting rid of baby things is hard. It’s like saying “that’s all folks!” and facing reality – I don’t get as many people asking these days “will you have another do you think?” so I must be starting to look (or act?!) my age a bit more maybe.

Things I need to shift.
Our lovely Maclaren Techno buggy. So many people request one on FB groups, ours comes with all the extras, I try for £50 and they tell me it’s too much. Sob.
Fisher-Price sit to stand microphone. I drove all the way to Crawley to buy this, as it was for sale at ELC – for £25. It took me almost two hours to get there and back, and probably almost as much petrol. It was much loved – H played with it so much when we got it.
Fisher-Price infant to toddler rocker – this lasted years – it made a great seat until H decided she wanted to fasten herself into it again, and I knew she was way too big. See also – the pink bumbo which she would sit in (last year!) and crawl around on all fours like some crazy snail child.
A Little Life Infant backpack carrier. As good as new, pretty much. Nobody wants it. I don’t want to give it away.
Oh, and the Ozbozz scooter I bought, which was obviously too small for H, but she took it outside once assembled to skate on it, so I couldn’t take it back. Nobody wants that, not even for £10 – and it was used for about 30 seconds.

There’s so much more, but practical things like that… I could ebay them (and may well resort to doing that) but I’d much rather sell locally. The only problem is nobody seems to want them.

Then there’s her clothes. So many clothes all carefully washed and bagged up into ages, doing nothing. They need to go, we need the space. They’re just clothes. I didn’t keep her first outfit or anything, there is no emotional attachment.

I think her cot is in the loft too.

So yes, we have a lot of things to get rid of. I also have a large pile of CDs that I need to get to Music Magpie to help raise a bit of cash towards Christmas. I sorted out all my old clothes and they were left in a pile in our closet for about six months until Shaun took them to the clothes bank at the end of the road.

So I’m setting myself a challenge. I need to make space. Things need to be sorted out and it needs to be done now. So I want to get rid of one thing a week – be it giving it away or selling it. There is a public photo album on my FB profile which has everything that needs to go. I just need to make a start.

So here goes…

3 Comments

  1. Good luck with it all. It is hard getting rid of stuff like that because it’s not just about the stuff is it? My sticking point is that I have a whole pile of Playmobil shoved behind a chair that hasn’t been played with in years. But I’m having trouble getting rid of it because I always wanted Playmobil as a child and didn’t get it, so when I bought it I was very much trying to compensate for that. Lots of psychological stuff going on there, a therapist could have fun with me!

    Reply

    1. Thanks! I have to stop being emotional about it (easier said than done) – but I have to be practical too. One day we’ll move to Australia, not sure when and I can’t take it with us… so I have to think along those lines.

      Aw! See, I can appreciate the Playmobil thing – we never had a lot, but I’d be the same with Lego when that time comes (which quite frankly better not be until she’s at least 30).

      I’m also terrible at keeping everything… I have so many collections of rubbish, but they mean a lot. I should get rid of everything that doesn’t matter (a plastic bag collection counts, right? I have a Nick Cave one) and keep the stuff that does.

      Reply

  2. Well obviously you have to keep the Nick Cave plastic bag. I saw that as a person with two Nick Cave tea towels.

    Reply

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