2020 - banish the clutter

Willowtree222

Morning everyone, 
Think people are still trying to process last night's announcement. Hope everyone on here is keeping as positive as they can. I'm still in work so not able to declutter as much, but hoping to get some time to enable me to declutter bits and pieces. 
x

stellata

I've just been told I should be assuming I'm in the "vulnerable" group (autoimmune) so I'm feeling a bit worried. So far though I've been able to stay at home as I have reasonable food supplies and (hopefully!) a delivery coming next week. I'm carefully planning meals to make the most of my supplies. Though I haven't any cleaning stuff left now so hot water and actual soap will have to do. I'm going through everything really well to find anything broken or useless so I can put it in the bins. Sort of decluttering! The chaz is shut now and so is Freecycle. Nothing selling on eBay.

StickyTheStickInsect

Jami74 said:

jinnyisacat said:

The same is true for crisp packets and cat food pouches, it feels like it’s adding to the clutter but it’s ultimately doing something useful with stuff that’s would otherwise go to landfill.

Could you tell me about the crisp packets and cat food pouches please? I hate putting things in the bin so would be good if there was somewhere else they could go.

I work all week, so decluttering only happens at weekends.

Yesterday felt like nothing would happen and then just before bed I shoved years worth of those useful looking chinese take-away tubs into the recycling and some expired dried fruit and old discoloured paper cups into the bin.

Today dd tidied her room, so we took a broken globe, an old school project and lots of rubbish up the tip. I added to it a bag of rubbish from the garden (including the toy cars the dog keeps digging up from the garden).

Sorry for the delay in replying Jami, I haven’t been on there forum for a bit.
The charity that takes the crisp packets, cat food pouches etc is Ellie’s Fund for brain tumour research and support. They have a Facebook page and a website (btrs dot org dot uk).
If you have a collector local to you, you can take stuff to them, if not you need to make the minimum weight bundle and send it off yourself. They do recycle loads more stuff and there is a list on the site which says what’s they’ll take.

StickyTheStickInsect

Thank you for my second gold star @Mrs_Salad_Dodger, sorry it’s taken me a while to be on the forum again to say thank you ! Decluttering has come to a bit of a standstill, DS1 and DD have been out of school for a week as I had to take them out before the closures as I have a compromised immune system.  Homeschooling them, herding DS2 and trying to get them all to leave DH alone to work has been a bit of a whirlwind! Thankfully when DH has been shopping and not been able to get stuff, he’s taken the executive decision to buy extra wine and the largest box of Maltesers I’ve ever seen, so I’m managing okay
Stay safe everyone and I hope you are all doing okay xx

TC77

Gem-gem - thanks for the recipe - looks yummy! Have to wait til I can get out to buy some sweet potatoes and butternut squash - managed to get a delivery slot on 16th April but allowed out for essential shopping next Tuesday.

Worked at home but had half an hour reading my book in the sunshine - almost sun burnt

Still can't find seeds and bulbs, and being more aware that 90% of chaos is me and not my daughter (although her room is 100% her room) so will keep chipping away.

558 - 560 bits from shed binned.

About to go and danish oil the kitchen units so will count this when done.

561 scanned some documents lower resolution so I can email.

Trying to tidy and put like with like as know I can't take stuff to charity or freecycle and also trying to wear out old clothes that charity shops won't want.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. DO NOT PUT OFF TO TOMORROW WHAT CAN/SHOULD BE DONE TODAY

2. WRITE AND USE “TO DO LISTS” - MINIMUM 10 MINUTE BURSTS OF ACTIVITY UNTIL THE DECLUTTERING MOJO RETURNS (Thanks oceanspirit 👏)
3. LEAVE A ROOM TIDIER THAN WHEN I ENTERED
4. KITCHEN WILL BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT
5. WHEN DEALING WITH CLUTTER I WILL USE ‘Daisy1571’s idea of ‘WHAT WOULD I DO WITH THIS ITEM IF IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE’S?

Monday & Tuesday have both been sunny days but with a bitter wind & exceedingly cold 🥶 overnight.
DH & I have spent time in the garden both days - tidying & planting. I have read book 7 of a series, so got DH to order books 1 to 6. Once read they will go in the CS bag. Scarf no.32 is finished & scarf 33 started.
Monday night DH cooked cheesy pasta & Tuesday night we had sm meatballs in a tomato sauce with spaghetti. Wednesday night will be the same as I only dished up half the meatballs 😉 

At the moment just cannot be ‘arrised’ to do any of the myriad jobs that need doing - not having a definite date for having our freedom restored is rather a downer ☹️ but as several posters over the various threads say ‘I need to pull up my big girl’s knickers & just get on with it’ 😆 

635 Leaking hot water bottle - Tip bag
636 - 638 Magazine, kitchen recycling, cardboard box - Recycled
639 - 640 Bag of office detritus, bag of kitchen detritus - Binned

Well Done Nicnak 👏 We live in a brave new world - so hopefully everyone is paying attention now 🤞 Pleased to hear that you are still in work but hope you are not in danger.

Oh dear nannywindow 🙁 tree wrangling 😱 do be careful, please. 

You are welcome savvy 🙂 Sounds like you had a lovely Mother’s Day albeit a ‘different one’ 🙂

Well done on the decluttering TC77 👏 I can see you experimenting with your freezer contents but must admit the Gem-gem recipe looks good 🙂 I am sure that you have got the ratios wrong - probably only 60-40 😆 😉 

The recipe looks delicious  Gem-gem 🤤 Please try to pace yourself with the wfh 😉

Really happy to see you back leelad 😆 I am rather impressed that you are seeing a silver lining - finding focus - well done 👏 Sorry to hear that your good lady wife is struggling but hopefully with your support & your daughter’s support she will start to improve 🤞 Again welcome back & really nice to see you 🙂

Nice to see you basketcase 👋 I have missed your rather uplifting posts 😉 No idea how to add pictures but I think we should use this thread to ‘Declutter the ‘stress’ of the current situation’ Actual decluttering May be difficult as the Charity Shops are closed, councils may be changing the frequency of bin collections & if there is a problem getting food we may all be too weak to declutter (tongue-in-cheek 😉) On the bright side - if any of us want to lose weight we might actually manage to ‘declutter’ a few pounds 😆 

Sorry to hear that stellata 🙁 but please try to stay positive. Re cleaning stuff - vinegar & bicarb ?

Thanks for the info StickyTheStickInsect  👏 ALMOST makes me wish I had a cat 😉 I can see that you are coping quite well with our new reality & I am very tempted to give your DH a gold star - wine & Maltesers 😇 - yep, one Gold Star ⭐️ for your DH 🙂

See you all later - chin up, titus out 🤭 (borrowed from a poster on another thread 😞)

MrsSD
640/2020

villagelife

Not too much has been done. 
Work has changed so coming home tired and DH is worried about money being self employed.
573-575 used up a couple of hand creams that were half used. My hands are so dry at the moment.
576-577 couple of magazines read and out for recycling.
578-579  remains of candles binned

villagelife

Not too much has been done. 
Work has changed so coming home tired and DH is worried about money being self employed.
573-575 used up a couple of hand creams that were half used. My hands are so dry at the moment.
576-577 couple of magazines read and out for recycling.
578-579  remains of candles binned

Willowtree222

Thanks SD. I am a teacher so not on the NHS front line like the nurses and Drs. 

Decluttering has gone backwards. Ex turned up last night with a great huge box full of craft stuff from his house. It will be needed for DD and I can always get back to decluttering once all of this dies down. I do need to go through her things again and will attempt to do some of it over the next few weeks. x

boultdj

Only thing's I've decluttered have been email's and the washing and ironing pile.
Was sad yesterday putting my couch away for the foreseeable future, but if we do run out of loo roll we do have a back up in the form of couch roll, it would just need cutting up.
Keep safe everyone. x