DECLUTTERING – OH THOSE DOUBLE DISHES! 😍

Decluttering, what a stressful job it is. So many baby boomers are downsizing that sometimes you can’t even give things away. One of the toughest items I had to move on recently was a pair of bulky, forty year old life jackets. Why on earth did my partner and I keep them for so long? Having them end up in landfill would have been dreadful. I advertised them on our community ‘freebies’ site, suggesting someone might like them for a theatre production. After all, boating is not big in the Blue Mountains, despite our wettest 18 months on record. 😎 But do you know what? A lady took them for her houseboat, an ex-Tasmanian crayfish vessel moored in Sydney.

On the same theme, there was the portable loo we used on our boat all those years ago. The interest in this historic item was so great I had to draw the winner from a hat. I should have remembered there are a lot of campers and caravanners who could use one.

It all became quite a challenge for me. Would there be any takers for my strange old metallic wine cups? Not the best to drink out of really, but off they went.

Being a ‘writerly’ type I was delighted when bone china, and silverware found a place in the tearoom at the Rockdale’s, Lydham Hall, where the novelist Christina Stead once lived.

But would anyone want a giant, 1988 Santa Bear? Well yes….he turned out to be perfect for a young lady who was born that very year. She took the big fellow and his little brother home to treasure forever.

Compared to the above, some quirky two-piece glass bowls didn’t seem nearly as problematic, but there were simply no takers. They had belonged to my mother-in-law, who used them in the 1980s for prawn cocktails, with lettuce leaves as a decoration in the lower section.

Defeat was not an option. I decided a bit of creativity was in order. When I advertised them a second time I showed one with fruit salad in the top, and a Bailey’s ‘chaser’ in the bottom. It worked! Only one taker, but a lady who said she would adore them.

She only lived two streets away and arranged to call and collect them. I packed them up ever so carefully. Unfortunately, when she arrived I was in our detached studio watching TV, and failed to hear her knocking on the front door. She sent me a message soon afterwards saying, ‘Sorry, I came around but you weren’t at home What a lovely property you have.‘

Oh dear! Well, at least she didn’t sound too upset. I answered straight away, explained what happened and said I’d be home for the rest of the day. Alas, I never heard from her again, despite a couple of ‘reminder’ messages.

Never mind, let’s have yet another go. This time I thought I would play for sympathy. Well, what a hard hearted lot; not the slightest expression of interest all day. UNTIL…..

Oh Sue, you are a shining star in my decluttering journey.⭐ Now I wonder if I could interest you in these sweet napkin rings as well?

And yes, the delightful Sue turned up right on time (by then I’d taken the napkin rings to the Katoomba charity shop). She has promised to send me a photo of them in use. 😍

NOTE – I had vowed not to put my hand up for anything on the free site. However, after sticking to my guns for weeks I finally succumbed. Someone posted a tall glass vase with a copper coloured top and I could just see it in my new kitchen. Thanks Jessica.

It was amazing how many items I gifted during my big clearance, including a new kitchen sink and my rarely used exercise bike (what a relief that was!) The site is such a great initiative. It is sensitively moderated by community legend and our current Rhododendron Queen, Jade. The idea behind it is not just to assist with decluttering or to request wanted items, but for people to meet and engage with their fellow residents. Of course it also reduces landfill. And even though it is strictly a gifting site, I have received some lovely home-made jams, local honey and bottles of wine from grateful recipients. 🥰

DECLUTTERING HAS BECOME ‘A THING’ ON SOCIAL MEDIA. HERE ARE SOME USEFUL TIPS