2020 - banish the clutter

TC77

Ailz95 yes, they're over 15...the thought of being with 15 youngsters or even people is daunting.

Had hoped to declutter 50 things today but nowhere near.

Did take out jewellery box of my mum's (mini drawers so not pretty but functional) from the eaves, and emptied it putting what I may want in a proper drawer, mini chest on a shelf, and some beads in the nearly CS pile....

779 key - no idea for what

780 - 785 - several folders thinned out and papers recycled.

786-788 - teddies in CS bag (bought for end of kids party presents about 10 years ago - perfect but not for us)

789- 792 donation to food bank

793 headphones to CS

794 tidied kitchen cupboard and started on drawers with small bits of rubbish binned

795 -799 - batteries recycled

Found some old counters used to use for kids for rewards which they could exchange at my 'shop'. Decided may use to put in a jar every time I get rid of something and I can just count these up as I so often forget what I may have got rid of in the morning.

Have some strawberry plants a neighbour gave me which I must declutter from the house to the garden tomorrow.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. WRITE AND USE “TO DO LISTS” - MINIMUM 30 MINUTE BURSTS OF ACTIVITY AT LEAST TWICE EVERY DAY

2. KITCHEN WILL BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

3. I WILL ENDEAVOUR TO BE NICE TO EVERYONE & TRY TO SEE THE FUNNY OR PECULIAR SIDE TO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
4. DAY TO DAY DECLUTTERING WILL CONTINUE

Saturday was rather a damp, drizzly day but the torrential rain that was forecast never materialised 👏 I was in full sloth mode today - TV, AB2, knitting. Lunch was hotdogs for DH & I, DSis had egg & bacon mayonnaise in a bun. Dinner was HB sausage casserole with rice for DH & I but sausage, mash & baked tomatoes for DSis. I have done the washing up 😉

749 - 752 Food & drinks tins, glass jar, plastic bottle, plastic pot - Recycled
753 - 754 Kitchen detritus, plastic packaging - Binned

And so you should be tiddles 👏 

Great work stellata 👏 as long as your 2014 ‘To Do’ lists aren’t the same as your 2020 ‘To Do’ lists 😉

Great work villagelife 👏 

That is good news Nicnak 🙂

I thought the same thing ailz95 🤣 

Great work nannywindow 👏 keep up the good work 😆

I’ll be round later in the year boultdj 😆 Hope you feel better soon & once recovered, please take really good care of yourself.

At least you are still decluttering Foofoopuppy 👏 

Nice to see you Happy Kitties - keep up the good work 👏 

Well done oceanspirit 👏 

Keep up the good work EnergyShifter 👏 Sounds like a lovely face mask - has it had an outing yet?

Excellent work Marpau 👏 & well done on filling your coffers 👏 

Lovely to see you RepentHoarder 🥳 & what a great idea to hire a skip 👏 As you & your DH have cleared the garage I am awarding you your 5th Gold Star ⭐️ I am also rather enamoured of the ‘10 minutes from tidy’ resolution 🤩

Excellent work Gem-gem 👏 I’ll be round at Christmas for a 2 day supply of Brussels sprouts 😉 Also very nice that you are helping a local business in these difficult times 👏 

TC77 - glad it is 15 year olds rather than 15 youngsters 😂 I was struggling to imagine where you were living 😱 maybe Buckingham Palace 🤣 🤭 - I believe the Queen is in residence at Windsor Castle 😉 Just wondering when the strawberries will be ready - I will help you pick them for the price of a punnet 😉😂

BE KIND. STAY SAFE. BREAK THE CHAIN. SAVE LIVES.


MrsSD ⭐️ 
754/2020

tiddles

Well, I managed to declutter a lot of stuff again yesterday.

Our daughter moved out over two years ago, leaving a lot of stuff in her old bedroom, which neither she nor us have managed to sort out - we have quite a big house, so have just kept her bedroom door firmly shut! 

So yesterday I decluttered:

563: an almost-empty pot of paint to DD

564-566: 3 multipacks of cat food sachets (our cat died last summer) to DD

567: large glass jug to DD

568-571: 4 magazines to recycling

572: Amazon bubblewrap envelope into bin

573-654: 82 (!) items of DD's clothing and pairs of shoes bagged up - to DD, recycling or charity shop!

Needless to say that I am pleased with my progress  . I need to keep going!

I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday, and happy decluttering!

Chocolatedrinker

Hi all,

Currently hoping I haven't frazzled my kindle by leaving it in the sun..... anyway, decluttering up to date:

1903 - old makeup brush binned

1904 - magazine recycled

1905 - book to CS bag

1906 - shower gel uu, bottle recycled

1907 - notebook recycled

1908 - 1910 - notebooks to DD

1911 - 1915 - pencil case and bits to DD

1916 - pen binned

1917 - 18 - lego packaging binned/recyled

1919 - lego brick separator to CS

1920 - 24 - socks to ragging

1925 - pencils into pencil case, pencil box recycled

1926 - receipts recycled

1927 - cardboard box recycled

1928 - colouring boook recycled

1929 - 30 - small kids toys to CS

1931 - toiletries sample pot recycled

1932 - plastic bag recycled

1933 - bow sewn back onto toy

1934 - 1" paper recycled

1935 - toiletries sample pot recycled

1936 - conditioner uu, bottle reycled

1937 - sock to ragging

1938 - 39 - old bath sponges binned

1940 - bubble bath uu, bottle recycled

1941 - 6 cardboard boxes recycled

1947 - badge sewn onto jacket

1948 - magazine recycled

That's all the decluttering for now, and it looks like I haven't killed my kindle by overheating it... yay!!

bit_by_bit

Thanks TC77 and Mrs SD for your supportive comments. Tidying things, even in once corner does make me feel better. 
Things have moved on since I wrote last. I had a bit of a barrier to clearing the RoD as I couldn't get all of it out of the house as it was bagged up. This led to me clearing some shelves in the garage for storage.
Clearing the garage: One bag of stuff to someone who head left it with me when she moved, and one bag for the bin. Also a child's bike has gone that was left with us at Chrsitmas because DS3 had no where to put it. He and his partner cleared out a space so that has gone.   Just counting gone bags in the total so will count stored bags as they go out. 
Finally 2 bags from the RoD have gone into the garage. Will double bag everything and air it all before delivering to the CS.
Also in the decluttering mood with paperwork, I have filed all mine that has been hanging around for a month or two and sorted out the folder which all my Sister's estate stuff is going in. I feel a lot more in control of that as I still have a few tasks to do before applyiong for probate.
Going part time has really inmproved my energy levels, my mood,. I feel so much more productive but I am taking care to still keep doing thing bit by bit.  I just feel darned happy.
Take care and carry on my decluttering friends 

supersaver1000

Hi All, bit late to the party I know, but can I join in please?

We are due to move house so I been trying to declutter before moving, but its easy to get distracted and disheartened.  We've had a bit of a delay with moving, which isn't great, but this lockdown means I'm working from home so I plan to use my spare time (as I won't be out buying more clutter) to tackle the drawers and piles of clutter.  This thread looks great and will help me keep motivated.

Luckily I did a full wardrobe de-clutter earlier in the year and just before lockdown managed to take about 16 bags to the charity shop (phew, that was lucky).  This week I decluttered about 8 sample tubs of cat food (that out kitty won't eat) to the Cats Protection container at Asda.  Today, I have decluttered a load of paperwork and have a huge pile for burning tomorrow lunchtime.  Feeling better already.

Hope I can get this all done before we move (whenever that will be)

ps My next job is to set up a new paperwork folder and get rid of the old one that has so much out of date stuff in it.

short_bird

251: book pages to recycling
252-253: oops were those parsnips in that carrier? 
254: carrier of paperwork recycled or put for filing
255: toothbrush retired 
256: TV series decluttered from computer
257: 50 emails deleted
258-260: CD's to charity pile

Gem-gem

Good evening all.
Spent the first part of the day up in the loft, chucking down boxes that will not be useful or where warranties have expired. Large Paper dust bin now nearly full. 

Then spent the rest of the day making cards for all different events, up cycling old cards and using up lots of bits and bobs and blank cards. Have also binned some unwanted bits (a waste paper bin full). I have also gathered some items that I won't be using - ready to boot fair.

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

289. Made my own face mask from an old T.shirt & some nice white cotton (no idea how effective it is but it looks lovely - material has butterflies on it!)
290. Rejuvenated my garden tools 

Not a lot done over the weekend.  Was feeling sore & miserable all day on Saturday and yesterday was working in the morning so just enjoyed lying in the sun (less sore and not at all miserable).  Hip still tender today - going to try to improvise a standing desk this week to see if that helps with my hip pain.  I need to get myself a keyboard as I work from a laptop & I need to get the screen at a different height to the keyboard.  I found a lovely wireless one I'd bought ages ago but can't find the blooming dongle.  Keyboard was found in DS' room so I suspect that dongle will be in there somewhere but he is not great at looking for things & is understandably resistant to me rifling through his stuff.  Really don't want to buy another one if I don't have to so I will try to negotiate a search today and if not will bite the bullet and buy a new one... 
291 - locked padlock with no key
292 - broken spectacle frames

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. WRITE AND USE “TO DO LISTS” - MINIMUM 30 MINUTE BURSTS OF ACTIVITY AT LEAST TWICE EVERY DAY

2. KITCHEN WILL BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT

3. I WILL ENDEAVOUR TO BE NICE TO EVERYONE & TRY TO SEE THE FUNNY OR PECULIAR SIDE TO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
4. DAY TO DAY DECLUTTERING WILL CONTINUE

The days really are blurring into each other 😱 Sunday was a lovely sunny day & quite warm. DH & I pottered about in the garden for a bit - weeding, watering & general tidying. Nice chat with the ‘bartering neighbours’ - cream has been used 🙂 but I have yet to use the fennel 😞 More TV, AB2 & knitting (scarf 39 2/3rds completed) The only other task I completed was to weed the front path 🙂 Dinner was pork medallions in a mushroom & Marsala sauce with mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes & parsnip, roasted carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, carrots & leek + boiled green beans. It was a very colourful dinner & absolutely delicious 🤤 Plenty of lo cooked vegetables which are now in a large saucepan as the base of an hm soup, a bit of the fennel 😁 + various bits & pieces from the freezer, the last few ml of red wine + beef & onion stock. My fresh vegetables now consist of 2 sweet potatoes, 2 parsnips & fennel. 
Sunday has dawned bright, sunny & warm - as long as not in the shade 🙁 The soup is now on the hob.  The chiminea has finally arrived 🙂 - but has to be built 🙁 DH has watered the vegetables & flowers. 

755 - 761 Two cardboard boxes, kitchen recycling, wine bottle, plastic pot, magazine, newspaper - Recycled
762 - 763 Plastic packaging, bag of kitchen detritus - Binned

And you really should be pleased with your progress tiddles 👏 It is great isn’t it, when the decluttering bug ‘infects’ you 😉 you feel like you could move mountains 👏 

Great work Chocolatedrinker 👏 Not only decluttering items but also decluttering sewing tasks 👏 Electronics really don’t like the sun - ask me how I know ............. yes, I nearly killed my iPad during the summer of 2018 - it overheated & took several hours to cool down 😱 It seems you & I both have the same guardian angel watching over us 😉 

Lateral thinking bit_by_bit 👏 Not only have you started decluttering the RoD but also the garage 👏 It was very cheering that your decision to go part time has yielded such positive results. More energy, more productive & your happiness jumps off the screen 🥳 

Welcome aboard the Decluttering Bandwagon supersaver1000 👋 I am wagging my finger at you (in lieu of an emoji 🙁) - it is NEVER too late to join the party 🎉 - an infusion of new blood helps us all 👏 it reinvigorates us 👏  You have made an excellent start 👏 & serendipitous that you sorted your wardrobe before lockdown 🙂 Sorry that the house move has been delayed but you have found the silver lining 👏 so I know that you will be successful 😁 I, for one, am looking forward to reading about your decluttering journey.

Good work short_bird 👏 

Excellent work Gem-gem 👏 Loft clearance & then card making - you have been busy 👏 
My DSis used to make her own cards - she found it rather therapeutic. The fact that you upcycle as well as using new supplies means that you are decluttering on 2 fronts 👏 

Sorry that you are suffering EnergyShifter but happy that the sunshine is helping you to feel a bit better. It also seems to have sparked your problem solving skills 👏 I know you shouldn’t have to bribe your DS 🙁 but is there something that you can do/make that will encourage him to ‘Find the Dongle’ 😆 

BE KIND. STAY SAFE. BREAK THE CHAIN. SAVE LIVES.


MrsSD ⭐️ 
763/2020