2020 - banish the clutter

Foofoopuppy

Congratulations bit_by_bit! I'm sure looking in the room now is much more pleasant
Mrs SD thank you for my star, I will save it for my Christmas tree we are still moving, hoping to exchange tomorrow with completion for Monday *eeek*. That is of course dependent on solicitors...
I had a further sort through some more clothes and the kitchen cabinets and was utterly ruthless so some more clothes to charity and ood back of cupboard stuff chucked. 
We will need to implement a better routine to ensure non perishables are used up, but I am not sure what that will be.

villagelife

It's been a while - too long RL has got in the way.
889 packaging - from DS2 purchases.
890-891 hospices that leak!
892-894 yet more shredding.
895-897 more samples of shampoo etc recycled
898-940 CD's sold
941 dried up glue 
942 a broken ornament
943-944 bags of rubbish from DS2 room.
945 old razor
946 toothbrush
947 a book cover
948-951 panes of glass recycled
952 garden fork
953 a kettle
954-955 bags of glass and bits of metal from the garden.

That's all for now.

TC77

Well done bit by bit... And everyone ...think it can be hard to keep going 
Managed to drop another bag at CS ( different one as one which was open has now closed?). 1266 ( will check no later) 
Took DD1 to ex(ISH) boyfriend to drop off his things that have been in my house for over a year - boot full ( included some of hers) - didn't count things and as not mine not that important but well over 50 so taking me to 1300.
Going to leave it at that and anything o missed will add 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

Monday was a mainly dreary day weather wise. I got up very early - 07:45 a.m. 😱- as I was waiting for the plumber. We hadn’t arranged a specific time - just sometime in the morning. However in the end it was early afternoon before he arrived - his first job of the day overran 🙁  He did a full boiler service including a new filter & I was expecting a very large bill - however I was pleasantly surprised. His lockdown was full of calls for quotes but no actual work 🙁 although hopefully now the lockdown has eased he will be busy. He & his family have all managed to stay well even though his daughter is a doctor on the frontline. Once he had left DH & I did some gardening - the last of the lettuce has been harvested, roots have been pulled out & composted, the compost in the grow bag has been moved around & new seeds planted - lettuce & rocket. The last radish has been pulled & is almost the size of a tomato 🥳 The tomato plants have had the lower leaves pinched off & lastly we scattered more flower seeds in the flower bed. We also did some hedge clipping & weeding & repotted the basil from the windowsill into a larger pot.
Dinner was lo spaghetti with a dollop of tomato purée mixed in & lo chicken added OR lo cheesy pasta - both covered in foil & oven baked. 

Tuesday has been an overcast day with a few spots of rain. DH went out just after 9:00 a.m. - headed off to Derbyshire for his Round Britain Rallying. Dinner will be slow cooked beef stew with mash & green beans. Apart from TV & playing AB2, all I have done today is decant all my Italian herbs/spices into a bigger glass jar. DH got home 8:15 p.m.

1163 - 1170 Kitchen recycling, 5 glass spice jars, plastic pot, cardboard packaging - Recycled
1171 - 1172 Two lots of kitchen detritus - Binned

Good work roundtuit 👏 You are so right, every bit helps 🙂

Brilliant work bit_by_bit 👏 Yippee 🥳 Room of Doom completed - one Gold Star ⭐️ on its way 🙂 You really are on a roll👏

Fingers crossed 🤞 Foofoopuppy - let’s hope everything goes smoothly. You seem to have your decluttering down to a fine art now 👏 Re the non perishables perhaps put all the old stuff on a single shelf & use everything - perhaps read the ‘Reverse meal planning’ thread.
Anything new you buy goes onto a different shelf. Just an idea, that may help.

Good work villagelife 👏 Even with RL getting in the way of your decluttering you are still doing well & to keep you encouraged I am sending you a medal 🏅 

Great work TC77 👏

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

MrsSD ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

1172/2020

TC77

Sold another of my coloured glass collection - vintage jug and glasses and lots of packaging and box - counting as 8 (5 items, box, paper and bubble wrap 1301 - 1308
4 books and packaging 1309 - 1313
Found favourite CS is closed on Mondays so will drop off another bag tomorrow. As there is a queue to go in but can bypass for donations not tempted to wait and buy anything!  

Willowtree222

Completed a box for a book buying company and now have 23 books leaving the house today. Just waiting on a label being printed from my parents and then I am ready to drop it off. That's another half shelf off the bookcase cleared. x

[Deleted User]

I decluttered a lot of energy and 'fed up ness' yesterday and a certain degree of fear of going out when we met DD and the younger grandchildren very safely for a woodsy walk and the elder one and I had such a beautiful day together picking up leaves, branches, feathers and other interesting things, climbing trees (only low ones and stumps), having a picnic and eventually making a huge collage of an elephant from all the things we collected beside the seat we picnicked on.  I feel so very much better both physically for a good walk and some exercise and also mentally for having broken the 'fear' of mixing again (safely, everyone was mega sensible) in an area where there were lots of other walkers but best of all having the real presence of a small hand to hold (gloved of course) and have fun with, laughing and playing hide and seek under the trees, going on a bear hunt through the long grass, to talk to, to love and interact with and have one whole day of normality.  When we came home and were walking back to the car park he asked his mum if he could go home with us which was the icing on my cake.  All that followed by a really good nights sleep has also decluttered my tiredness and greyness so although none of these declutterings are 'physical ones' I'm in a much better place this morning than I have been since March.

Primrose

What a nice positive post boazu. I think this fear of "transitioning back to anywhere near normal" is now starting to hit a large number of people, especially in the older group who have been self isolating to the  greater extent.  It's difficult to understand the extent to which this fear may have affected many of us in the older age group where we're now being encouraged to break out of our new comfort zones into the "big wide world" again which we all normally previously inhabited without a second thought.
I think it's a case of trying to ask ourselves exactly what we're afraid of doing and making sensible judgement calls.   Many more people in my older age group have admitted this sense of fear of venturing out again and they are all highly sensible and intelligent people (of both sexes) who've previously led busy social lives so I don't think anybody should be anxious about admitting to it.    Little steps forward and short outings seem to be the way forward 

bit_by_bit

Thankyou Foofoopuppy and TC77. Thankyou for your the gold star MrsSD.
I hope the move has gone well Foofoopuppy. 
Glad you are feeling better boazu. Worry is an unwanted weight we bear and when we lose that weight therelief is wonderful.
Monday i went though all my daughter's bags with her and helped clear out her room. Another thing done on my list.
I did my first day at the CS yesterday. It was all very civilised. I was behind the till with a 'spit guard'. The boss was on the door letting inly a few in at a time.  I got there at 1pm and had already 70 plus bags of stuff had been dropped off that morning. Boss lady was having to ask people to come back tomorrow. Of that 70 were 22 bags from one person. Wow.I took two bags on Monday when they first opened but none yesterday knowing what it was going to be like.
Worked in the garden morning and evening and slept well. Back at work tomorrow ( Thursday) after another long week off. This part time lark is really suiting me.    Off to the bank and then the allotment now

stellata

I'm spending today searching the house for things to sell, inspired by last weeks success. Hoping to sell enough each month to pay for groceries so I don't have to eat too far into the bank balance before I can get some work, and clearing space too.