Quest for (mortgage) freedom

eat_that_frog

A quick rummage through about half the kitchen cupboards has revealed another 32 items to be removed! Just really obvious stuff like - I don't need 3 spatulas, I don't need 2 pastry brushes etc. So that takes my total decluttering amount to 262 so far. I'm going to tackle the wardrobe tomorrow, oooof that's going to be a big job.
From money saving perspective, no mortgage OPs made this month yet as we don't get paid until later this week. But we're currently refreshing the back garden as it needs some TLC and we picked up some great patio stones being sold online 2nd hand. Currently digging out and removing some old and overgrown flowerbeds, to extend the lawn a bit and make looking after the garden a bit easier. We have so much flowerbed space in quite a small garden, it made sense to remove some and make it easier for weeding and maintenance. We're doing everything ourselves to save money, my other half is brilliant at just rolling up his sleeves and getting on with stuff like this.

eat_that_frog

I am now at 413 items decluttered! So over a fifth of the way through my challenge of 2021 in 2021! I've tackled a few of the really tricky hotspots so far - the shelves in the sitting room, our wardrobe and under our bed. Today I managed to recycle some very old spare bed linen, which we haven't used in at least a decade. It was all threadbare and discoloured too so I can't remember why I was holding onto it.

Tomorrow I'm taking the plunge and going to tackle another hotspot - my hair and beauty collection. I hate to think what's lurking at the bottom of my makeup bag 

No mortgage overpayments so far this month, waiting until payday next week.

And lastly I am still tracking calories on an app, which has given me another free 7 day trial. I think I'm getting better now at understanding what I'm putting in and that some things are more calorific than I thought and vice versa. For example, my morning cappucino with a small sugar isn't as awful as I thought. Whereas my usual lunch of 2 slices of cheese on toast really is a very big meal, in terms of daily calories.

powerspowers

Well done in the decluttering Frog! You are a fifth of the way there already 🙂

caeler

Great job on the decluttering and sorting. My friend tried but has given up and ordered a skip!! 

eat_that_frog

Thanks @powerspowers! And yeah @caeler I think we might get a skip later on for the stuff in the garage - the previous owner of the house left behind some stuff that although not a massive amount it does need sorting and binning. But for all our clutter in the house I'm trying to sell stuff where I can or if it is in good condition to donate it on. We sold some old toys, baby stuff etc yesterday and made about £100 in total which was fantastic.

I think I mentioned previously that we're doing up our back garden? We're putting all monies made from the decluttering towards the garden, so every penny counts!

caeler

Oh how lovely, your efforts funding another project!! 

powerspowers

£100 is brill! Nicely done 

rugbymadfamily

Thats seriously impressive decluttering! And the selling is great, nice to put the money to something specific 😃 

eat_that_frog

I crossed the 500 items decluttered barrier today! So just shy of a quarter of the way through my target now. I took the plunge and went through all my hair and make up stuff, must have got rid of 20 nearly empty bottles of nail polish alone. I also got rid of things from the medication drawer which were out of date and needed taking down the chemists.

I still have some big hotspots in the house to tackle - my toddler's room, the bathroom cupboards and the attic to name but 3. I still haven't finished the kitchen cupboards yet but I'm doing that piecemeal, a couple of cupboards a week, because that's a big job and I'm trying not to get overwhelmed by it all. I suspect I've probably got another 500 items or so inside the house and attic waiting to be decluttered. And then I can turn my attention to outside - the greenhouse, the garage, general stuff in the garden. I suspect that will get me to my desired total of 2021 items, or near enough.

On a different note: I got a promotion at work, it was finally confirmed on Friday, and I'll be earning an extra c. £600 a month. I'm really looking forward to doing the new role, doing something a bit different, and the extra money is nice too, not going to lie. I'll refresh my budget shortly to understand where the ground lies.

South_coast

Wow, excellent work on the promotion and the decluttering 👍!