2018 - No Clutter To Be Seen

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Good afternoon everyone,

Up at 9:00 a.m. as I was meeting an old work colleague (who became a friend) at lunch time. We always meet in the same pub, have a couple of pints & chat up a storm Never have anything to eat as he can only manage to extend his lunch break to an hour & a quarter :rotfl:
His family have been going through a rough time since October His FiL was discovered to have bladder cancer, 3 months of chemo but still had to have bladder removed with a bit of rejigging of bowel. Then he started to become really ill & an inoperable blood clot was discovered in his aorta. To add to the misery, a bit of the clot broke off & his bowel got infected & he had to have 80% removed. Unfortunately he still didn’t get well & it was discovered that another bit of the clot had broken off & travelled down his leg so half his left foot had to be removed. Apparently the recovery was miraculous. Operated on in the morning & by afternoon was cracking rude jokes about his ‘one & a half feet’ :rotfl: He is finally home after 5.5 months & his wife & daughter (friend’s wife) are exhausted - FiL also has diabetes & now rattles with all the pills he has to take + restricted to ONE LITRE of water a day - so has been miserable in the hot weather.
My friend was quite grateful when I started wittering on about my DSis’s move back to the U.K. & my decluttering especially the ‘alligator head’ (he had lovely pictures on his phone showing him, his wife & their 2 boys handling baby alligators :eek: a few years ago). The point of the alligator head is that it was only in the cs for one day :rotfl: Someone walking past saw it in the window, went into the shop & bought it for £15 :eek: & didn’t baulk at the price

Had a lovely time & we will meet up again in a couple of months.

Needless to say, I have failed both my mantras today but I really do not care:p I just need to write a ‘To Do’ list to get back on track:D

B948 Plastic milk carton rinsed & recycled
B949 - B952 Last four large boxes dismantled - recycling
B953 Non recyclable packaging - binned

That’s all folks

MrsSD
B953/B2018

Saver-upper

Thank you Mrs Salad Dodger.Yes,it is addictive.I love rushing to the charity shop before school pick up,just so I can add some numbers on here.
I decided separate tally for loft would be good,because I knew I had sooooooooooooooooooo mucccchhhhhhhhhhhhhh stuff up there-it could be a competition as to which has the most items removed: house Vs loft
I had a day off today.I have made such a mess of the house this weekend,with emptying so much out of the loft to sort (Christmas decorations,four children's school books spanning back 11 years,and every empty plastic container I could find-they take up so much room in the loft,and partner won't let us get rid of them,because we might need them "someday".
Of course,with concentrating on the loft since Saturday,and being out all day Sunday,the rest of the house (kitchen,mainly),has also gone to ruin.The whole place is a state,and I really thought full day off (school hours) would be enough to get it back up together.But it wasn't.
It was really only enough time to sort out Christmas decorations (tree decorations/lights/house decorations/wrapping paper).I divided them into 4 diffferent boxes,and replaced to the loft.
Then I started on school books.I had spent the weekend putting them in piles,chronological order for each child.Today I made some labels,put boxes in the loft,and filled them with 2 out of 4 kid's books.
Then it was time to drive to charity shop and collect kids from school :eek::eek:.

Saver-upper

Out of the loft today:
45:mandolin slicer.My MIL bought it for me about 10 years ago,I think.It has never been used:o.Had tried a couple of times to sell it at table top sales, etc,but it never went.Today I put it in the bag for charity,then at the very last second,I Wattsapped a circle of my friends to ask if anyone would like it.One friend thought if there was a chance it would get her kids to eat vegetables,it's got to be worth a go :rotfl:,so I bought it to her at the school run


46-54:9 tins of colouring pencils
55-63:9 artist sketch sets,containing a sketch pad,pencils,eraser
The reason we had so many of those,that were never used,goes like this.....
A few years ago,we were having a birthday party for eldest daughter.I can't really remember,but I guess she might have been 7-8yo.
Well,my partner found these lovely colouring pencil and sketch sets,bought 9 of each to give out as party favours.(They were only £1 each,from shop called "What",which I think has closed now).
A couple of days later,he was looking at them,and said "We can't give these to a bunch of 8-9yo girls!"
Well,the packaging had all over it,a very large print of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man,in all its glory :eek:.He really didn't think it very appropriate to be handing out to a party of young girls :rotfl:.Made me go out and get something else,and these pencils/sketch pads have been in the loft ever since .

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Well done Saver-upper :T I still think you should quietly donate some of the boxes :rotfl: unless your partner has counted them . Vitruvian Man eh :rotfl: I laughed out loud when I read this :rotfl:

Nothing else out, but did vacuum all the visible carpet downstairs & the kitchen

Here’s hoping for a more productive day tomorrow

MrsSD
B953/B2018

Saver-upper

Mrs Salad Dodger,I am starting to think sneaking them out is the way to go.One of my customers (cleaning business) once said she would take some off my hands to store knitting and patterns in.I gave her 2 at the time-might have to see if she needs any more
Glad I made you laugh.Before telling you that story,I actually had to google "Michaelangelo's naked man in circles" to learn the name,and correct artist of this very famous drawing :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::o:o :rotfl::rotfl:

bit_by_bit

Thanks Mrs Sald Dodger. Your Friends FiL has been through the mill. Makes you realise that tidying is a great thing to do but not the be all and end all.

Saver-upper: That is how I got lots of clutter. Collecting bargains for one thing and another and then not using as not right fot the time or worst, losing them in the clutter.

I did get shot of a lot of stuff in Christmas Child boxes last year and will do the same again.
At the weekend, while I was at the festival, DH came home with a suitcase his sister was chucking out. Its a bit grubby but useable. The thing is I don't want it or need it despite it being my fave colour. It is huge and I travel light.

So it is getting a wipe down and being filled with stuff for the CS. I don't think DH could believe his ears.;):D

He is selling a huge TV and a load of computer things on gumtree, so more stuff going very soon. In the meantime I have cut up a pair of curtains, transforming them into a skirt for the wedding of DS 1 on Friday. I got a bag and fascinator from a CS this week. The whole outfit will be used for two weddings and then the fascinator will go back to the CS. I will hang onto the bag for a while but will send it back if I don't use it again.

retiredinfrance

Saver-upper- loved the "someday" remark and your posts always have me smiling or laughing.
I try not to ask DH if we should dump something. If it is a small item I just sneak it out. Good job he rarely looks in the boot!
Of course I also use the sneak method for my CS and other buys, but that all belongs on the other thread-lol.

retiredinfrance

Mrs SD, you never bore us, not even a tiny bit. I loved your tale of decluttering in France and now the sequel Decluttering Back Home. Keep up the good work!

stellata

366-376 bottles and packets into recycling
377-399 box of random clean jars, pots etc which I’ve collected for no reason at all. Gave to a freegler.
400 old plastic plant pot which rolled about when it was windy and broke. Bin
401- 450 (yes really!) used card files from an old project which is been keeping in case. All in recycling.
451 pair of shoes to daughter
452 set of bedlinen ditto
453 a mouse in a trap from the end room
454 a bag of shredding burned
455 a picture I never liked to cs
456 458 some letter trays to cs
459 a horrible smelling bottle of spray vinegar cleaner which had sat under my sink for probably a year and not being used because it smells so bad. I poured it in the downstairs loo and it took away all the limescale. Won’t buy that again.

I’ve been to see my grandson this week so not done much declutter ing but well worth it, he is lovely!

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. IF I NOTICE SOME SMALL TASK NEEDS DOING - I WILL DO IT IMMEDIATELY

2. I WILL LEAVE A ROOM TIDIER THAN WHEN I WENT IN - WITHOUT HIDING THE CLUTTER EXCEPT for the wardrobe room which is currently the storage room (sr)


bit by bit, nice to keep DH on his toes :rotfl: I use carrier bags to put things in for cs - gets them out of the house & not in landfill. Only use large bags for life for my shopping:) I am very impressed with the curtains to skirt :T My sewing skills are minimal - sewing together knitted garments, taking up hems, darning & sewing on buttons

retiredinfrance, :T for the lovely comment :T

Today was another pottering day for me, no big tasks but DSis has been busy - now she has most of her storage solutions she has emptied two hand luggage suitcases, two boxes & a large rucksack - ALL containing clothes + I emptied my large suitcase - her clothes :rotfl: My large suitcase now contains a hand luggage case, & 4 other bags (used in the motorbike) - so my room is a bit tidier I also dusted down a load of coat hangers & donated to DSis. She has done an initial sort of all her clothes & shoes & hung them up or folded & put away - not in their final resting places yet :rotfl: Her room is now a lot tidier & the garage & dining room are a little less full :rotfl:

B954 - B955 Knackered baseball cap & pair of sandals - binned
B956 - B958 Sweatshirt, long sleeved top & short sleeved beaded top - cs

DH has scarified the lawn & continued with decluttering his office & is now having a bath before it gets dark (the fuses haven’t arrived so still have no overhead lights upstairs )

My pottering today included making bed, vacuuming downstairs including kitchen floor, sorting post, phoning bank, one load of DSis’s washing done, dried, folded & put away, washing up done as & when, sugar bowl & tea bag jar & coffee jar all filled, worktops wiped & ta-da fridge cleaned :rotfl: (but contents not yet listed) + general tidying & even a bit of time spent in the ‘spare room of Doom’ :rotfl:

B959 - B965 Newspaper, egg carton, plastic pot washed, plastic milk carton washed, ood lemon juice emptied down sink & plastic bottle rinsed out, 2 cardboard boxes torn up - ALL recycled

B966 non recyclable plastic tray & packaging - binned

Not large numbers but enough to keep me happy :rotfl:

MrsSD
B966/B2018