2020 - banish the clutter

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. WRITE/USE DECLUTTERING & CLEANING “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. JUST DO ONE THING (courtesy of bit_by_bit)

Tuesday was a dry bright day. DH did a mini shop at MrL. DSis watched 3 episodes of TWD.
Day 2 - long luxurious bath & washed hair; delivered neighbours Christmas cards + tomato chutney to G (1 small jar & 1 medium jar) - who was chuffed to pieces & 1 medium jar to the usually grumpy MrI - also rather happy (who donated 7 glass jars for next years harvest 👏); more knitting; 2 small taster pots of chutney to J after a long chat.
DH & I finished the leek & potato soup with crusty bread. Dinner was burgers, oven chips & baked beans.
Cheery little anecdote coming up 😉 Mrs Fox has not been seen for a couple of months ☹️ but we now have a new visitor - a young fox who my DSis has named Logan. When we open the front door he charges up to within 2 feet 😱 doesn’t understand social distancing 😂 Tonight was the first time we had given him an egg. He did pick it up for a second, then spent the next minute or so pushing it around with his nose 😀 Completely out of his depth but did know that there was something tasty inside. Eventually DSis cracked the egg into a plastic tray - Logan hoovered it up 😆 
Yah boo 😒 we are now Tier 3. Our tic (t*ssp*t in charge) is determined to destroy our economy before putting the nails in the coffin with the disaster that is Br*x*t 😭😭😭

2352 - 2355 Kitchen recycling, mini hotel size bath gel pot, brochure, drinks cans - Recycled
2356 Kitchen detritus - Binned
2357 - 2359 Three jars of tomato chutney - Gifted

Good work Nicnak 👏 Plenty of potential items out when emptying the kitchen - all those utensils, gadgets & tools that you never use 😉 I take it that the new kitchen will be a belated Christmas present 😉 Good luck with the emptying of the spare room 🤞

Brilliant stellata 👏 I think a year is long enough to wait before selling an unwanted gift 😉
it is always nice to be able to contribute something when invited out.  Bit sad that the New Year will be more austerity & the U.K. becomes a third world country 😡 

Great work villagelife 👏 zooming along 👏

Good work retiredinfrance 👏  The only downside to short_bird’s strategy is when you discover you have 20 rolls of sellotape, 50 pens & 30 partially used notebooks 😉 

Excellent work moneyonmymindsam 👏 Really chuffed for you that the selling is going so well. 

MrsSD ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️🏅
Decluttered: New target = 2500: 2359/2500
Daily Spend: £0

£5.50 into Savings pot - up to & incl. 20/12/2020

TC77

been reading how everyone is getting on but not posted as mojo gone and RL including DD1 visiting and even DD2 (16) complaining about the chaos she creates . DD2 been washing up and helping more.
2400 old bank account closed and card cut up. been wavering of setting 2500 as new target as like feeling I've achieved target 
2401 ood food and also defrosting frozen fruit (been there 18 months) as have to use up pastry, and a bag of something - unsure at the moment what it is
2402 mattress collected (not comfy) so using DD1s that she never took - abit low.
Mrs SD were you exaggerating re sellotape and notebooks !  think I have 6 sellotapes but close on the part used and unused notepads.
2403 notepad  binned with spare sheets taken out and bundled with bull dog clip.
Have leave to take so hoping to clean and sort things but may not get rid of much.
Hope everyone stays safe, well and warm x

gilly1964

I was last here in June, decluttering has continued but numbers are long forgotten as the DC continued whilst I was working.  
 
Significant departures are
DD's job, made redundant because of covid
TV, sold for £150            
Washing machine, died           
Xmas lights, broken 
Over £1000 of "stuff' sold on eBay, FB
Mobile phone, sold for £180
Utility room sorted and we now have cupboard space,  table mats, chipped crockery, old cutlery all kept just in case we might need it have been binned
Then all the usual gubbins, bottles, cans, cardboard boxes, papers etc

I am fairly certain we bypassed the 2020 total and I will be back in 2021 with renewed vigour as it looks like my job will be decluttered from the end of January.  The company are hoping to take my role to Europe as cost saving - Brexit??    I have been there 33 years and the payout will be good but my feelings are all over the place.  Happy to go as not enjoyed the job for last couple of years, sad to go as will miss most of the people, nervous about the future but also excited at the same time.  However extremely happy to get out of the "broom cupboard" as WFH is to continue until May and I have not enjoyed that.

See you all on the new thread

Best wishes to all

Happy_Kitties

*575.        Cat bowl broken-bin
*576.        Hair straighteners taken by DD
*577.        Big bag of presents taken by DD using up a big gift bag
*578-579. Picture and some Christmas decs dropped off to DM
*580.        Broken clock of DMs-recycling and bin
living room still looks a mess with DDs stuff and DMs things but going to try and hit 600 before the year is out

retiredinfrance

I really laughed Mrs SD at the notebooks . I have at least a dozen and even worse Dear Sis keeps sending me more. I actually think,  no, don't think know, that these are ones she has been given. I also get given washbags, face stuff -  she is very strict about what goes on her face.I have this crazy picture of notebooks and other stuff being sent round and round each year, costing a fortune in postage.
On decluttering i just organised the bags of donations for the CS now that I can travel to them and are starting to accept donations. I want to see them gone before Christmas.
Still 58/365.
Stay safe everyone 

TC77

retired in france - I only have myself to blame as I buy the notebooks - find it hard to resist nice notebooks, have box of unused one and using 3 at the moment -  finally admitted I'm probably dyslexic so all abit random. Love pens and stationery generally.
2404 -2406 3 towels to textile bank 
2407 unidentifiable food from freezer and v old frozen bananas binned.

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

835. Returned a set of fairy lights to shop 

I've hit that pre-Christmas stage where I'm virtually crawling towards the holidays.... No day off this week as I'm attending some essential training - but only 3 more working days remaining...   I can't wait to have some head space... 
836. Broken mug
837. Set up new computer

tiddles

Well, I have continued to lurk on this thread, but haven't posted for a long time. You are all doing really well!

I am pleased to be able to say that I have passed my target of 2020 items by getting rid of 2224 things so far, although I must admit that I was aided in this by DH starting to declutter some of his hoard of hobby magazines!

Unfortunately I have brought a lot into the house as well, but haven't been keeping count of these!  So I am now going to try and stop buying stuff for the coming year, which will definitely be a challenge for me! Does anyone else have this problem? My downfall is buying clothes, particularly when they are a bargain.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. WRITE/USE DECLUTTERING & CLEANING “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. JUST DO ONE THING (courtesy of bit_by_bit)

Wednesday was another damp, chilly day. Day 3 - managed to catch the bin men to give them their Christmas boxes; more knitting; DH & I prepped & cooked all the vegetables - 2 full roasting tins; also 40 minutes of paperwork. DH zizzed peelings for worm food.
Dinner was salmon fillets, boiled potatoes with garden peas for DSis and roasted vegetables for DH & I. 

2360 - 2367 Kitchen recycling, office recycling, 2 newspapers, empty olive oil 5l tin, drinks cans, booklet, cardboard box - Recycled
2368 - 2369 Kitchen detritus, emptied shredder bin - Binned

Excellent work TC77 👏 One Gold Star ⭐️ on its way for reaching your 2400 target. Personally I wouldn’t bother setting a new target 😉 I would just bask in the glow of reaching your target 😉😉 You have ended your 2020 decluttering year on an high 👏🙂
Slight exaggeration on the sellotape but if I include parcel tape then I am probably not exaggerating 😉

Lovely to see you gilly1964 👋 You went way past your target + you now have a fully sorted utility room 👏 Therefore 2 Gold Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ are on their way to you - Well Done 👏 Re the pending redundancy, I am not surprised that you have mixed feelings. However, you do have just over a month to start making plans. If the Covid19 situation has eased, I would be inclined to take a few days holiday - pampering yourself or better yet getting someone else to pamper you 🙂 then work from there 🙂 

Great work Happy_Kitties 👏

I had to laugh 😆 retiredinfrance. To extend your vision, I imagine the notebook packages meeting each other in the sorting office & having a little snigger 🤭 Very pleased that your cs are now open & accepting donations.

Good work EnergyShifter 👏 & I hope you enjoy your time off 🙂

Excellent decluttering tiddles 👏 So good in fact that 4 (yes FOUR 🥳) Gold Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  ⭐️ are on their way to you 👏

MrsSD ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️🏅
Decluttered: New target = 2500: 2369/2500
Daily Spend: £0

£5.50 into Savings pot - up to & incl. 20/12/2020

Willowtree222

Thanks 👍
Belated present to myself!!
It will be a way of clearing but all those unwanted things. I'll be donating most of the things to my work as they always need cooking things! X