De-cluttering - Quarantine version

 

As I've been self-isolating at my parents house it seemed like a good time to go through the things I had stored in their attic to see if there was anything else that I could get rid of.  It didn't go quite as successfully as I had hoped as there's still quite a few boxes to take to my next home, but I did manage to get rid quite a few things.  The biggest issue this time round is that I'm not certain what the future is going to bring or even what work I'm going to be doing so I'm not sure what items I should keep and what things I can get rid of.

With that in mind I've kept all my outdoor/work gear as, even if I'm no longer working outside, I'll still be going outdoors as a hobby, all my warm gear, and all the kitchen stuff I've acummilated and which survived the last purge. 

The easiest thing to get rid of was all the books I'd read in the digital form during my lockdown in New Zealand and just needed to pull out of the box and put into the charity bag.

Clothes were also pretty easy as I'd gone through most of my items whilst I was in New Zealand and there were just a few that I had left here and either didn't miss or knew I wasn't ever going to use again.  I also added a hoody and an outer fleece to this pile after I had taken the photo.  There's some fabric I'm never going to use and an outer casing for a wheeled suitcase I don't even own.

I'd already gone through all of my make-up brushes and gotten rid of the ones I knew I wasn't going to use but I completely forgot about these eye curlers.  I compared what my mascared eye lashes looked like after using and not using the curlers and noticed absolutely no difference.  I also can't be bothered to do this extra step, so they're heading off.

There were also a few pieces of jewellery that I either haven't worn in years or am bored of wearing now.

There's a few bags which are either falling apart or that I've tried but just haven't liked using.

Now for the more difficult items.  Firstly, I decided that I would actually let go of all my David Attenborough and Disney DVDs.  They've survived previous purges as I'm emotionally attached to them, but I've come to the decision that I'm not really going to watch them again, especially as I haven't had a DVD player for the last few years and it's very unlikely I will have one in the future either.  So, it's time they went somewhere were someone is actually going to get some use out of them.  I also got rid of a few other DVDs that I won't watch again any time soon.  I have kept some DVDs which I'm not ready to get rid of just yet and some to watch over the next few weeks whilst I have a DVD player, but they will probably go after that as well.

Secondly, is the soft toys I've held onto, mostly because they were gifts from people and even ones that had been made for me.  I did get rid of more than these but my nieces have already headed off with a few of them.  I kept my first ever soft toy, a bear, and another older soft toy both of which I'll probably keep out, but it seemed a shame for the others to just be sitting in a box unused so they're off to where someone will give them the use they should have.

And that's it for now.  I'll probably keep getting rid of things over the next few weeks, but this is at least a start and it's funny how much easier it has become to let go of things that I only have an emotional attachment to since I started decluttering a few years ago.  I haven't regretted anything I've gotten rid of so far either.  However, this is really an on-going process and I see a lot more decluttering in my future.  I usually just have a bag which I fill up with items I find, but every now and then I'm in a situation like now where I have the chance of doing something a bit more thorough.  Definitely worth doing this as a regular thing.

The Travels of Monkey

Meet Monkey.  My Dad won him for me in a raffle because he thought I would like him.  Since then Monkey has been with me everywhere - attached to windows in my flats, attached to my car window, and, when the suckers he came with became so brittle and broken I had to cut them off, sat in the door of my van.  Now he spends most of his time in the backpack that goes with me pretty much everywhere.

I don't always take photos of him, but he's been the one constant in all my moves and travels.  Monkey's experienced new locations with me, slept in Glens with me, come with me across the country, and is now travelling and walking with me in New Zealand sat on my back with my water and snacks.  Even if I change bags I remember to move Monkey and he probably spends more time with me than even my partner does.

So why am I writing about Monkey? And why am I keeping something that has no real purpose when I've spend the last few years getting rid of so many things that aren't used or worn?  Even my jewellery, which I admit I still have quite a large amount of, are all items that I love and wear, reminding me of places I have travelled to.  However, Monkey is purely sentimental.  He has no real use or function, takes up room (all be it only a small amount), and only has value because I give it to him.  In fact, he's one of the few items I have that is like this and that's one of the things I like about him.

I enjoy having this one silly little item I see whenever I open my bag which has no other purpose that 'just because'.  It's so easy to get caught up in just reducing you're stuff and in the seriousness of trying to live more sustainably that it can become a little bit too serious.  And while I definitely don't want a number of these items I think it's important to have things that remind us to be silly and light hearted on a regular basis.

So, meet Monkey.  The one of a few items I have.....just because.

Moving Home: an excuse for more decluttering

This is going to be a very quick blog about a change that has happened recently.  Last month I realised that it was time for me to move.  I really loved the small flat I lived in and the location, but it was time for me to move on to the next stage of my life.

The property I was living in was a studio flat, with one room for living, sleeping, and cooking, and a bathroom attached.  This meant that I had already started the process and mindset of reducing my stuff to fit into the space available.  However, I am now living in a bedroom with a shared bathroom and kitchen, and this has meant that even the amount that I owned before is too much.  This has been a really good incentive to keep downsizing and get rid of even more items.  

The most obvious things to go first were the pieces of furniture I would no longer be needing, such as the clothes rail and coat stand.  However, I have kept my fold up bed and seats as I plan to use these in the future and I can store the easily under my current bed.  But it has also given me a good push to get rid of the things I've been holding onto because I had the space but which I really needed to let go of, such as my folder which contained my training course work and my very old laptop which I kept meaning to 'fix' even though I know it would cost a lot for not much improvement.  

It's funny how the more I do this the easier it becomes and the less attached I feel to things I once thought I would never get rid of.  I still have about five boxes stored at my parent's home, but I'll be travelling down soon and will use that time to have another downsize.  I already know a number of items I'm planning on getting rid and that feels really good.

The plan with this move is to give me more freedom and time to actually see more of the Scotland I've been living in for the last fifteen years.  This is both daunting to me and exciting.

Goals 2018 Update #4

The year is now coming to an end and I wanted to give myself a chance to look at what I've achieved this year before I have a real think about what goals I want to set for next.  

Minimising

This has definitely been my most successful goal this year and as time has gone on I have found it easier and easier to get rid of things I'm not longer using or need.  I've even managed to get rid of a little chest of draws because I no longer needed it and I didn't like it just sitting there empty.  

I don't think this will need to be a goal I set for myself again next year as I think I will just keep going now that I've started, reducing as things no longer have a use.  Ticks all round for this and I'm very happy with it.

Healthy Eating

This has actually gone a lot better this quarter then last.  I've reduced my sugar intake considerably and have noticed that I'm not even really enjoying the sugar I do consume.  I'm going to allow myself a 'treat' now and then (mainly dark, mint chocolate as I've found that that is my new thing), but I think I'm finally getting off the sugar bandwagon.  My diet has definitely become more vegan as well, especially when I cook for myself.  The main stumbling blocks here are when others cook for me or when I eat out.  When it comes to people cooking for me, they are already making me (and eating themselves) a gluten free meal and I feel bad also asking them to be vegan as well - though, to be fair, many of the meals they cook also end up being vegan as they know I'm vegetarian and am not supposed to have dairy either for health reasons.  For the most part I'm happy to except these little non-vegan meals now and then as long as the meals I make myself and the food that I choice to eat most of the time is vegan.  Eating out is always going to be a struggle as I need to go gluten free as well and finding a meal that is gluten free and completely vegan is hard, but I always try and find some way around it so I can do both. 

This goal definitely wasn't the best goal this year and is definitely something that I struggle with on a daily basis.  I will probably carry this on next year as healthy eating is especially important for me and my PCOS.  Definitely a most do better, but I have made some progress so I will concentrate on that and move on from there.

Fiances

This goal as gone much better then I was expecting this year and keeping a budget has definitely helped me keep an eye on where my finances are going.  Minimising my things has also helped as I don't want to buy anything I will probably need to get rid of in the not so distant future.  The only thing I have struggled with is finding additional income to compliment what I'm receiving now (this is especially important as the work I do at the moment is not guaranteed or even regular sometimes).  The main issue is that I just don't know what I'm going to be doing next year and how my weeks are going to pan out, so finding very, very flexible work to coincide with my more permanent job has been difficult.  However, I have been researching activities like house sitting (with the advantage of not necessarily needing to keep my own home) and dog walking / sitting, and these seem like a possible good fit.  I'm going to research them a little bit more over the next couple of weeks, but they seem likely to be the best thing I can go for next year.  If you can think of any other type of flexible work it might be possible to do let me know, I'd be interested in hearing your opinions.

Finances isn't necessarily a goal I'm going to set for myself next year, but I am going to carry on using a budget to help me keep an eye on what I'm spending on and to help build up my savings to help act as a buffer should things even get a little tricky or work suddenly dry up.

It's definitely been a mixed year this year with goal setting, but at least it's given me an opportunity to look at where my strength and weaknesses are.  How are your goals doing this year?  Have you had many successes?  What are the hardest ones you've found to achieve?  Let me know in the comments below.

Goals 2018 Update #3

So, we've now finished the third quarter of the year and I have to admit that this quarter has definitely not been as good as the last.  Let's just jump right into it.

Minimising

This is the one area which has been successful.  I have finished going through and decluttering what I have left at my parents house (though I haven't been able to bring the last of the items back with me) and I have been using up my beauty and toiletries products.  I've also carried on getting rid of items that I've just not been using and I really can't see myself using in the future.  Also, once I've read a book, watched a movie, or am no longer into a CD I'm just donating those as well.  I have brought a few products this month, mainly storage items, but these have been items that I've thought about a lot before purchasing and this had a specific purpose in mind.  

For the last quarter I'll just keep doing the same as before - working on my project use up and getting rid of items I no longer use or want.

Healthy Eating

Well this area has been a complete disaster.  Not only have I not done a very good at going vegan, I've actually gone backwards on the sugar front which has also led me to eating some gluten with bloating, skin itching consequences.  Finding items that are both gluten free and vegan has also been a bit of a struggle.  Basically my excuse is that I've been stressed about some things in my personal life and it has led to me to eating sugary things, which then set off the little sugar addition I have, which led to the fall down the sugar rabbit hole.  It's really not a good reason for allowing myself to get back on the sugar roller coaster and there are much healthier ways to deal with issues which I need to start implementing again.  On the plus side, I have been making much more of my meals from scratch with almost no processed foods during the week (and these meals are meals that have been made for me), it's what I've been taking in between meals that has been the problem.

So the goal for the last quarter is to get myself back off the sugar and the gluten, and back to a healthier less allergy based diet.  This is going to be a little bit of a struggle and I'm expecting to have sugar gremlins dancing in my brain, but this is important to my general well-being and to reduce the allergies I have reducing my need to take antihistamines.  Once I've managed this I'll get back onto moving to a more vegan diet (something that should probably coincide with getting off sugar as most of my meals are vegan and most of my 'treats' not).

Finances

This one has been a mixed goal on the success front.  I've been keeping to budgeting, learning more about my spending habits and where I need to improve, but still keeping within my budget total whilst putting money into my pension and savings.  One thing I haven't been able to do with find a sideline I could do to add to my income stream.   This will need to be something that requires the equivalent of one work day hours, but I'm struggling to find something that would fit with the skills I have and don't have.  I'm going to keep looking but if anyone has any ideas please let me know.  

The goals for this last quarter will be to really get to grips with my budget, carry on reducing my spending (which fits with minimising my things), and keep looking for a sideline to do.  I'll also need to look for a winter job as path work reduces over this time of the year.  It might be that I'll be going for an admin job, but we'll see how that goes.  Obviously I'd prefer an outdoor job, but that might not be a possibility.

There is an additional goal I have managed to complete this year that was a long running goal I had kept ignoring, and that was to get my will written.  It's not that I'm particularly afraid of death or worried that writing a will would somehow jinx myself, it's just that it wasn't high on my priority of things to do.  I also don't have a large amount of stuff so it seemed a bit pointless, but I decided to get stop being silly and just get it done, especially as I do have some family heirlooms that would need to be passed on.  I'll be signing it this month and can now cross this off my running to dos.

To say that some of the goals this quarter were a bit of a flop would be an understatement, but rather then just use this as an excuse to let myself slide back into being unhealthy I'm going to use this as an opportunity to learn a little bit more about myself and improve.  I'm getting back on that wagon and will hopefully build some safety rails to stop myself falling off again.  

I hope that you've had a successful goal achieving time this quarter and, if not, I hope that you've learnt something new about yourself and why you might not have got as far as you had hoped.  Three more months to go now, time to buckle down and get it done. 😀

Decluttering: Personal & Miscellaneous

So this is the last in the decluttering series using the Pick Up Limes 30 Days of Minimalism.

Photos
Non-digital photos are a group that I had already dealt with many years ago when I went through all of them and put the ones I wanted to keep into albums.  At some point I will go through and scan them all before getting rid of them, but I'm going to leave them as is for now.

For the digital photos I've gone through all the ones I've taken and deleted all blurry or just plain bad photos.  I've uploaded all the ones I want to keep on online storage and them deleted them from my phone and tablet.  From now on I'll go through my photos on a regular basis delete ones I don't want and uploading those I do so that the storage on my phone and tablet remain low.

Hobby Supplies
I don't have a lot of these really, but there is much more then I need as had been trying to see if there was a particular hobby I like.  I've realised now that I really don't have time to do these hobbies or, at least, I'm not prepared to make time for these hobbies at the moment.  The two hobbies I do do when I have time is sewing and knitting so those are the only items I've kept, though I have gotten rid of any additional fabric and thread as I'll start any additional projects from scratch.

Sentimental Items
This is a category which I had a number of.  I'm not someone who buys nick-nacks or teddy bears myself, but other people have brought and I've always felt bad about getting rid of them.  However, the truth is I don't really like having these item, especially as I have dust allergies, so I've decided that it's time to let them go.  I've also realised that getting rid of them doesn't make me care about the people who gave them to me any less or appreciate the thought behind them.  They're just not my thing.

Holiday Decorations
I really don't have a large number of these anyway and all the ones I have I use so there wasn't really anything for me to get rid of.

The Car
I didn't have one when I was decluttering so this was a category I didn't need to bother about.

The Mind
This is something I've never been very good at, but this year I've decided to take up yoga (which I do at home) and this should help me with taking time for myself to keep my mind calm and decluttered.

There are many methods around now to help you decluttered your stuff, whether it is the Kon Marie method or The Minimalists packing party, but I thought this was a very good way of going through all your items and making sure you don't miss anything.  Definitely worth giving Pick Up Limes post a look.

Goal 2018 Update #2

This quarter has gone a little better then the first quarter when it comes to completing my goals for the year.  There's been a few little hiccups as before but I'm going to keep moving forward as before to try and get everything completed.

Minimising

This is still going well.  I am getting through all my beauty products at quite a good rate and should have everything (bar makeup) down to just what I need by the end of this quarter.  I am also working through my books and have a no buy on those and stationery until I've gone through all of them.  

I was also down at my parents again where I still have a number of my things.  As I was going through them to take more items home with me I was able to get rid of more things that I no longer needed and I no longer had any attachments to.  Having them away from me has definitely helped me realise what I do and don't need.

Healthy Eating

I knew this area was going to be a struggle as I do use food as a comfort some times.  I've also been keeping an eye on what I've been eating and how it's been making me feel and I noticed that I got bloated every time I ate something with gluten in it.  Since that point I have been concentrating on removing gluten from my diet to see how that has made me feel and have noticed that I am not only less bloated, but I feel less tired and have been having less issues with dry and itchy skin.  It has meant that I have been concentrating on this rather the goals I had originally put in place.  That being said I have managed to keep my processed sugar down low, just a couple of treats a week, and have reduced my process food to around one portion a week, but I could and will do better.

The next stage is to go vegan by the end of the year.  This is a little more complicated due to the gluten intolerance but I am going to give it a go.  Even if I am not able to go completely vegan I will take it as far as I can.  Right now the issue is to do the egg they put in the gluten free bread.

Finances

This has actually gone quite well this quarter.  Now that I know what I am earning on a monthly basis it's been easier to work out a budget.  It's still a learning curve and I will keep making changes until I get it to fit my needs, but I'm getting used to it.

The pension side of things has been a little more difficult.  I started researching possible pension schemes when I realised that I didn't know enough about pensions to know what would be the best one to take as someone who is self employed as a subcontractor.  I did look at possible financial advisors to help me make a decision but noticed when I was logging onto my NEST pension account just to see how this was doing that you can keep contributing to this if you're self employed.  So I think this is the route I'm going to take.

The next stage is to look at sideline jobs I can possibly do to earn more cash.  I want to do this so I can build up my savings so cover the 3 to 6 months they recommend you have as well as working on paying off my Student Loan, though that isn't a priority after reading the Money Saving Expert article on it.

And that's it really.  I am getting through my goals and, for the most part, have managed to keep mostly on top of them.  I still have 6 months to go to catch up on those I am falling behind on and to keep pushing forward to being a more healthy, financially stable, and grown up person.

Decluttering: Kitchen Items & Phone & Computer

Kitchen Items

There are a few sections in this category but I had already decluttered most of them when I was first packing up these boxes. There was a few storage containers I definitely won't be getting rid of and a box of kitchen items (which also had some knick knacks in it) for me to go through.  As this mainly contains items I usually use on a daily basis and so there wasn't too much going, so I was surprisingly pleased with the items I did manage to get rid of.

Phone & Computer

Apps

Last year the phone I had been using for about three years died.  And not in a 'oh by the way I'll be gone soon so you might want to save some stuff' way, but in a turn myself off and never turn back on again way.  I decided to not bother getting a new phone as I wanted to look at my contract in the new year and just brought a cheap second hand one to tie me over.  The thing was, it didn't have a lot of storage or memory and that meant I had to be very selective about which apps I put on.  It gave me an opportunity to really look at what I used regularly and which apps I didn't use at all.  Now that I've changed my contact and have a new phone I only have on it the ones I really use.  If I find I stopped using any of them in the future they will go.

Stored Media

I'm not really a photo person anymore and very rarely took photos with my phone (I'm not even entirely sure right now where i've put my camera).  However, during my course I took a lot of photos of the work I was doing and the landscape I was working in.  All of it was taking up precious storage space, but I wanted to keep a number of the photos as I reminder of what I can do.  So, I've actually used my Facebook account for once and uploaded the photos there.  I can now delete everything off my phone and SD card to free up precious space.  All pictures I don't want to keep have been deleted.

Email Inbox

This area has taken quite a while to do, in fact more than a day, and that’s because I have so much in my email account.  The reason is probably because I just shuffle my emails into their set holder or delete them without really paying attention to what I’m doing or how much time this is taking.  I’ve really taken my time on this one, unsubscribing to emails that I no longer read (still have a few to go in this as and when they pop up) and going through my email folders deleting emails or even the folders that are no longer necessary or useful.  I think this will be an ongoing thing in the future and should, hopefully, now take a lot less time then before.

Subscriptions
I’ve never really had a lot of subscriptions so this wasn’t one I had to do too much work on.  The biggest issue I have is trying to read all the information and magazines these subscriptions produce.  There were two that I pay for myself, which are more memberships rather then subscriptions, to the RSPB and the Bat Conservation Trust.  I am keeping these but have asked both of them to make me as paper free as possible with only emails instead of the usual magazines.  Of the two that were gifts I am keeping the subscription to BTO (again paperless and email based) and have stopped the BBC Wildlife magazine subscription, not because it was bad but because I just wasn’t finding it easy to find the time to read it.  It was basically a waste of a gift and that seemed a shame.  I don’t have any other subscriptions so that was it.

Goals 2018 Update #1

So I'm going to be honest, I didn't do as well this quarter as I had hoped.  If imI honest the start of this year has been a lot more stressful then I was expecting and some other things have had to take priority.  That being said, I still have reaching my goals a good go and I still have the rest of the year to make up for where I feel back.

Minimising

This is one area where I have actually done pretty well on.  If you follow my blog you'll know that I've been working on a version of Pick Up Limes '30 Days to Minimalism'.  Through that I've managed to reduce my items from what would have been three car loads to what would now fit in one.  And I haven't stopped there, if I'm no longer using an item anymore or no longer feel an attachment to it it goes into the donation pile to be given away when there's enough items. 
I have also reduced my purchasing whilst making sure I actively use the items and products that I have.  One of the positives has been realising the number of books I had which I hadn't actually read, making me realise I really needed to put time aside each day to read.  I've really been enjoying this and it has been great to have this little 'me time'.  Whilst I don't think I will ever go back to having the amount I had, having a small studio flat has definitely helped me keep my things at a minimum.

Healthy Eating

Now this is an area in which I've really struggled.  As I said before, this quarter has been quite a stressful three months and I am someone who does still do a little bit of comfort eating (not going to lie about that).  I also find that when I'm stressed I find it a lot more difficult to make the healthy choices that I should.  I'm still drinking fizzy juice pretty regularly, but I have managed to reduce the amount of chocolate, biscuits, and ice cream I eat pretty significantly.  As ice cream tends to be my go to when I'm upset and am a little proud of myself for that.  I have also managed to make most of my meals from scratch, which has been much healthier and cost effective and has meant that I've already started on the next stage.
So what's next for this goal.  I haven't done as well with reducing the processed sugar in my diet as much as I had hoped, but there's still time and I will keep working on that for the next few months.  As I've already started cooking from scratch most of my meals I'm going to take that even further and only allow myself one processed meal a week.  I don't have a fridge or a freezer at the moment and I don't know if that's going to be a hindrance or a help.  I guess we'll just see what happens.

Finances

I done a good job at making a budget and roughly keeping to it.  This is still a learning curve for me and so I've had to tweak it here and there to make it more realistic to what i actually need.  But it has been a good way of learning where I overspend unnecessarily and where I can and need to reduce. 
The main issue I've had has not been starting the job I'm going to be doing for the rest of the year and so not having a realistic idea of how much money I am going to have.  Because of that I've been concentrating on the essentials and reducing costs where I can.  Once I have a better idea of what my income will be and what I can do with the rest of my money.  The next stage for me is to start working on my whole budget with a realistic income in place and start the process of researching the best pension scheme to be on for my age and income.

So, I haven't managed to reach all my goals for this quarter, but I have still managed to give them a good go despite everything else that has been happening and I'm going to give myself points for that.  It is also only just the beginning and I have time to catch up. Things should hopefully settle down a little bit more now, giving me more time and energy to put towards completing these goals this year.

Decluttering: Office & Media Supplies

The next category on the Pick Up Limes 30 Days to Minimalism challenge was one I knew was going to be a lot smaller for me than the previous.  This is because I had already been doing some decluttering on this category during the last year.

Magazines | Manuals

Over a year ago I looked at all the magazines I was keeping (which I had told myself I was collecting) and decided to get rid of them all.  I large proportion I donated but the rest got recycled and I realised I really wasn't rereading them and, therefore checking them was pointless.  That meant I didn't have any magazines to get rid of in this case.  I also get rid of the manuals of products when I get rid of the product, so nothing here either.  However, I did notice that I had a lot of old programmes for old shows and properties that I visited when I was a child.  I never look at these either and they don't bring back any real memories so I decided to get rid of them.  Stored with these were some old posters I hadn't used in years (and forgot I had) and some little things.  They are all leaving my possession as well.

Notebooks | Textbook

Textbooks are another category that I had gotten rid of a while ago, probably one the third move it did where the idea of packing them up and moving them yet again was just not appealling.  The big problem with scientific textbooks is that they date incredibly quickly.  Lucky I was still able to donate these, but if I had kept them any long they wouldn't have been useable for anyone else.  All the notebooks I am keeping as I do genuinely use these.  I just won't buy anymore until I'm down to my last one.  

CDs | DVDs | Books

I went through all my CDs and DVDs when I first packed them up before they were transported to my parents house.  Right now I've reduced them to a size I am happy with, but I think this will decrease even further in the future as I'm not really getting the opportunity to listen to or watch them at the moment.  This kind of makes keeping them a bit pointless.

Books are a different matter.  I have been holding onto books from my childhood and books I've already read for a while.  So it was time to say goodbye.  A number of my children books have gone to my niece and nephew as they are the classics (Wind in the Willows and the Little Princess), but I have to admit I couldn't quite bring myself to get rid of The Hobbit.  The rest has made their way to a charity shop.

Old / Unused Electronics

These I cull full on a regular basis didn't find anything here.

Receipts | Bills | Documents

All of these I have been keeping in this metal filing box for years.  It's big, heavy and allows me to hoard more paperwork then I actually need.  So I decided to challenge myself to getting all the paperwork I need into a smaller plastic file.  I turns out I've been holding onto paperwork which is a lot older than I actually need and receipts for products which are well past the warranty date.  It actually ended up being pretty easy to downsize all my paperwork.  Kind of wish I'd done it a lot earlier.

Stationary Supplies

This is one area where I am definitely a hoarder.  I don't know what it is about this category, but I just like to buy and store it. In 2016 I told myself I wasn't allowed to buy anymore pens until I used up the ones I have - I still haven't gotten through them all yet.  After they're all gone I'm going to be using fountain pens instead to help reduce my waste.  So I pulled out my stationary box and went through everything that wasn't a notebook or pen and found a whole load of envelopes, containers, labels, plastic wallets, and mini cardboard boxes which I never used.  These have all gone now as I don't remember the last time I actually used one.  If I need any again in the future they will be easy enough to find. 

I don't have any products to go through from the General Household Items category (apart from two towels but I'm keeping both of those) as I left everything like that when I moved.  It's definitely a category to keep an eye on in the future though.

And so that's a few more boxes gone through and a few more items less.  Things should be a lot easier when I have to move them all again.