I ended up having a bit of a hiatus on the decluttering posts so wanted to draw the series to an end this week with a look at the living room. That’s not to say I haven’t been having a clear-out in the kitchen but I couldn’t find much to say about cleaning the fridge. Anyway back to the lounge.

DVDs

The cupboard you see in the image above is piled with DVDs, CDs and Xbox and Playstation games. They never get used, particularly the Playstation games as I’m pretty sure we don’t even have a console anymore. James has toyed with the idea of putting them on eBay but you don’t seem to get much for them so it’s hardly worth the effort.
Has anyone tried a service like Music Magpie where they pay for your DVDs and media clutter, pick them up (for free!) and then get a bank transfer back? I haven’t gone down this route before so would be interested to hear if you have? This is my number one priority for decluttering my lounge.

Electronics

Miranda mentioned a while ago she has a large TV she no longer has a need for. There’s obviously the local recycling centre who are likely to take the TV off her hands, but it can be a pain getting to the nearest one with no car. For those with transport, Curry’s also offer this as option even if the TV wasn’t originally purchased through them.
If you’d prefer for the item to be picked up from your home then you can book a free collection through The British Heart Foundation. I found this quite surprising as I know a few years ago we dropped off some electrical items at our local charity shop only to be told they wouldn’t take them if they weren’t PAT tested (portable appliance tested). However it’s a good option for larger items such as sofas (providing they have the fire labels attached), furniture and curtains.
I notice Music Magpie offer a service covering electronics too so again would be great to hear your feedback on this too.

Swapsie

I find I’m far more sentimental about pieces for the home than I am clothing. Particularly as they’re often a gift and so I feel guilt about getting rid. However our loft is filled full of things that aren’t quite my thing or don’t go with the style of our house. Sometimes I send them off to the charity shop and other times give them away but mostly they sit in the attic gathering dust.
One idea to consider is hosting a swap party; Invite folks round for thrifty get-together and trade in your unwanted cushions for a new (to-you) vase. This idea would also work well with clothes, baby paraphernalia, books etc. Though you’re not strictly decluttering as you’ll be bringing in new bits to your home, it still sounds like a whole lot of fun.

Toys

Some of my friend’s little ones are lucky enough to have their own playrooms. I seriously have never seen so many bikes, trikes and dolls. It’s better than Toys R Us but obviously kids grow out of toys so what do you do with them all?
It’s a lovely idea to pass on to the less fortunate but I’ve read conflicting reports on whether local charities, refuges, hospitals or social services take old, yet good condition toys. Some of them need to see the original packaging and the health and safety labels. Best to check directly with the organisation to find out their protocol.
Freecycle is a marvellous option if you’d like your unwanted items to be reused, though you do get a lot of email notifications! Sign up to a group in your local area and post details of the items you’d like to give away.

So a DVD is firmly on my decluttering to-do list for the weekend. What’s on yours? Any suggestions for decluttering the living room. What do you do with your unwanted books, toys, and DVDs?