The Matrix - Re-Evolution!!

Dee5565

Karmacat wrote: »

Morning all! Welcome Dee - sorry to hear of your illness. I'm not in that position, but last year I downsized to a much smaller house and a *much* smaller garden, after an arthritis diagnosis meant I could see the writing on the wall - turns out to have been a great decision, very freeing, in spite of the fact that I'm still decluttering a year onwards. I still didn't realise how much stuff I had.

Thank you, I am quite looking forward to it smaller house and garden.
I have so much to get rid of, so this months declutter challenge is a great way to start.

gilligansyle

scottishlass wrote: »

There is that but I also thought there was a reason for not posting the link on here as well but I can't seem to find it - maybe it was just to when the smiley was copied over a long time ago and caused havoc. But all is working now.

I think its something specific to my log in, as haven't been able to get on since last week, have had a few emails of Mr FW and eventually got to the authentication page, but it tells me I'm not authorised, so I'll have to wait until he gets back.

Re: yesterdays challenge - that's all what I normally do as I only carry a debit card. But thinking about it, I think there's a touch of OCD What do you think?

I always keep my notes,when I have them, in order. But I also fold them in 4. Coins, £2 and £1 coins are in one side, silver in the other. Not only do I put the change in a jar, but never carry more than £1 in silver (1 x 50p, 2 x 20p and 1 x 10p ideally) - if I go out and spend some money, I have to sort my purse out as soon as I get back.

Memory_Girl

Before I forget (OK I had forgotten) I promised to post today's challenge up

"What is it with us and our handbags?

Why do we feel the need to sling our entire lives into a bag and cart it around every day. No wonder we sometimes feel we have the weight of the world on our shoulders.

Time to literally start lightening the load of the clutter that we live with on a daily basis.

So find yourself a space and grab your handbag - or the bag that you use on a most regular basis (took me until my boy was nearly three to stop carrying the nappy bag). You know the routine, make sure you have a bin to hand as well.

Nw start emptying your bag - get everything out - every compartment, every zipped pocket,into every nook and cranny. If possible I would like you to turn your bag inside out and shake out the drifts of crumbs, chocolate raisins, chewing gum pellets .........no? .......... just me then

Now look at the pile on your table - time to start tossing:

- the scrunched up tissues
- the old shopping lists
- the broken pens
- any old rubbish

Now have another look - and a good think. What do you really need to have in your bag on a day-to-day basis?

Yesterday you sorted your wallet - so of course that can go back in.

BUt what else do you actually USE - not what your THINK YOU MIGHT NEED ONE DAY!!

- PDA / diary
- phone
- Keys?

Ah!!! Keys!!! How many keys do you actually really need? When I looked at my "bunch" (and it was a bunch), I realised I was carrying keys from my parents house that no longer worked (they have replaced the doors with UPVC ones over three months ago)

I was also carrying keys to two of my neighbours and my best friends house (in case they get into trouble or locked out). These are now stored on a labelled hook at home.

Do I really need to carry the keys to the meter boxes with me every day? - nope!!! out onto the hook they go.

What about the radiator key (useful when I worked in the property game, not so much now) - so that is left behind too.

So now a smaller, more rational, and lighter set of keys are back in my bag.

The basics left for me consist of:

- one working pen clipped to a small notebook (daily spends and notes)
- one plastic wallet for receipts
- one wallet (nice and tidy)
- one bunch of keys
- one nappy and three wipes (OK I agree most of you won't need this ) )
- one phone
- one kindle (the love of my life!!)

................ in fact I realise that I don't need such a big bag any more - may have to downsize soon.

OK!!!!! So who is going to confess to the yuckiest thing they have found in their exploration today?

My confession :eek:

An empire biscuit wrapped in a napkin. Icing licked off by DS2. Thing is it must be about three weeks old as it was bought in the first week of the school holidays!!!!

Let me know .................."

The_Dragon

I must be really strange as I have very little in my handbag (in fact I only started carrying one 10 years ago, before that my wallet went in my pocket :eek:), in mine I have:-

1. wallet
2. house keys
3. Lazer key for disabled loos
4. 2 epi-pens
5. 1 notebook
6. 1 pen
7. 1 handy pack of tissues
8. Fem Prot

My handbag is backpack style (due to being on crutches :mad:) and occasionally it also contains my filofax and a book :rotfl:

oceanspirit

tellmeitsfriday wrote: »

It's insane here too - my "to-do" list is 3 pages long, and each time I cross something off, I add two more things! Eek.

My list keeps doing that at the moment too!

Triciaxx wrote: »

The caravan !!!!!! drawer :eek: Come on, everyone has got one! It's the drawer that ends up with the odd screws and washers you find around the house. Rubber bands and nameless bits of plastic migrate there and breed. There were 5 half used ball point pens and 4 pen lids - none of which fitted the pens.

Michael McIntyre calls it the "Man Drawer" - and yes, I'm sure everyone has one. I certainly do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgUpDGAIdds

And I'm with you that as soon as you throw something away from that drawer you discover a few days later that you need it.

It's been a slow day for me today - I've struggled to get focussed. I shall have to get focussed this evening as I still need to do those 2 letters that I should have done at the weekend as they've now become urgent and there'll be no time over the next 3 days to do them.

Triciaxx

Memory_Girl wrote: »

Do you think an Annual Menu plan would be to OCD?

MG

Errm, No!:o

I keep a spreadsheet of all lunches and suppers with a colour coded column of the main ingredient. When my inspiration fails or am busy or CBA, I go back and repeat a whole chunk of days back to 2 years ago.

I'm nothing like rigid about it. If I see a special offer, I'll work it in and move the plan down a day (or 3 or 4). I try and have 3 veggie days per week and, in the interests of :money: & health, we have little red meat, though I think we enjoy it all the more for it being less frequent.

It sounds like a lot of work but, by looking at what is in the freezer, precooked, I have enough to keep us going for 3 weeks most of the time - that worked out really well a few years ago when I was quite ill.

I worked full time from when my second child went to school and part time before that and the habit of planning has saved my sanity several times so - OCD? So long as it works, I don't really care. I'd prefer to say efficient. :rotfl::rotfl:

Bitsy_Beans

oceanspirit wrote: »

Michael McIntyre calls it the "Man Drawer" - and yes, I'm sure everyone has one. I certainly do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgUpDGAIdds

And I'm with you that as soon as you throw something away from that drawer you discover a few days later that you need it.
.

I completely forgot about this.....hilarious :rotfl: I sat there watching first time round nodding frantically.

MrsMoo2U

I loved the Michael McIntyre Man drawer on the Royal Variety and the loft. I loved it because the first thing I did when I found myself single was to go into the loft http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4xxqVzlSeE

I very rarely carry a handbag. My first ex used to call me weird because when I did have a handbag I never had anything in that he expected.... plasters, tissues, nail files etc. I mean who did he think I was Mary Poppins? Nowadays I carry a small handbag which has my purse, keys, mobile phones (1 for work, 1 for personal) sunglasses, and most importantly for me, a notebook to jot down things I overhear and quotes that I come across, plus normal little scribbles for things that I suddenly think of.

Marru

oceanspirit wrote: »

My list keeps doing that at the moment too!



Michael McIntyre calls it the "Man Drawer" - and yes, I'm sure everyone has one. I certainly do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgUpDGAIdds

In the show there was a joke about the traffic before the man drawer one, hence the comment in the end about traffic in Friday.

Ok after flying high after the treatment in Saturday I have had a hard landing today. Nothing serious apart from being exhausted. Didn't wake up rested and the feeling has been following me and getting worse throughout the day. DD is munching not OS/HM cauliflower cheese , after she has gone to bed I shall have yesterday's leftovers and crash. I am in awe to those who can plan and stock up so well. As I said to Bitsy on Sunday. I am at the best living a 24 hour life. As long as we have clean clothes and food for next 24 hours that is not bad.

Willow92

I have a BANK bag, most of the time I don't have enough in so I keep all the rubbish in it to weigh it down...It's very similar to this but I got it for about £2 from a charity shop http://www.bankfashion.co.uk/product/bank-polka-dot-shopper-bag/14191/