2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

mothernerd

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

1. KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHTi

2. JUST DO ONE THING EVERY DAY (courtesy of bit_by_bit) OTHER THAN DAY TO DAY CLEANING & DECLUTTERING 

3. ONCE A WEEK LEAVE THE HOUSE (e.g. Go into city centre for bank & butcher;  go to local town for cs dropping off or buying; visit the pub with DH 😉

Monday is a bright, breezy day. Not a lot of sunshine but still quite warm. DSis has gone out for a bit of shopping & to post a letter (cheque enclosed as although he is 30 he is very poor with money ☹️) to her son. I gave her all my mail to post 😉 from my paperwork blitz 😉 DH received the chain for the cage that he built for the large raised bed. That has now been fixed on so I no longer need a stick to prop up the cage when I am tending the vegetables 👏🙂 I finished prepping & freezing vegetables from the bottom of the fridge + peeled & sliced 800g of mushrooms for tonight’s mushroom risotto. I also spent half an hour weeding & sweeping the front path - unfortunately the small amount I cleared means that it will take an age ☹️ However, I didn’t want to overdo it as DH & I are off to Yorkshire & Lincolnshire tomorrow for a couple of days & nights - on the motorbike. It is a miserable experience if I am full of aches & pains before we set off 😉 I’m sitting with a coffee & will do a bit of knitting, before packing for our trip. 

1292 - 1293 Coffee tin, cardboard packaging - recycled 

Lovely to see you mothernerd 👋 Honestly, leave you alone for 2 minutes & you injure yourself 😉 but well done on treating yourself kindly & paying attention to what your body tells you 👏 After all that effort with the bathing you must be exhausted 😩 but very proud of yourself for persevering 🙂 

I am getting tired just reading about all the garden work 😉 no wonder you injured your ankle 😔 That is an inordinate amount of heavy gardening but it sounds like you will have plenty of hg vegetables later in the year 👏 I am awarding you a medal 🏅 for the reuse of weed suppressant fabric & your watering solution 👏 but also a Gold Star ⭐️ for the sheer amount of heavy gardening 👏

As to your ‘dear’ mum’s attitude to all your hard work, I will not comment other than to commend you on your restraint 😉

Please note that absolutely EVERYTHING you are doing is classed as decluttering 👏 remember you are one person NOT an army 😉 Can you tell me the name of the thread you have started? so I can show my support by reading along. Writing out your concerns, thoughts & feelings will help - it will clarify your thought processes & hopefully remind you of how much you have done 👏 especially as you are running two houses. I just want to give you a huge hug, pour you a beverage of your choice & ask what I can do to help.

Floss has hit the nail on the head - anything you can do to bring enjoyment into your life will make it more bearable & will help you to feel in control. You deserve the very best life has to offer.

MrsSD   🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅     ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1293/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £164.80 to end of June

It's this month's Turtle (Ninja Savings Turtles) thread in the debt free challenge section. It's called Jolly joyful July https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6278718/nst-jolly-joyful-july/p1

bit_by_bit

Popping by to say hi and hugs to those in need. 

I have been away as I was lucky to go to the Beyond the Border storytelling festival in Wales. I slept in the car very comfortably so no wet tent. nearly everything was undercover and the site, a National Trust property with grounds and a magical bog. Yes I did say that.

Had a great time plus went to see one of my DB in Blackpool. Got some paperwork sorted with him and caught up with him. He is a recluse really with mental health issues. 

I have decided to get rid of all my books on the way back, just keeping a few. I am never going to read all the ones that are on my shelves  Over the next few weeks I will gather them and put them out on freecycle or give to the CS.

I have been slowly reducing clutter to two rooms now. The target is to get it down to one room by the end of July (mid August at the latest) and the last room done by the end of September.

@mothernerd. Thanks for pointing out that link. I will give it a good read. 

retiredinfrance

On dear. In Northern Ireland where I come from, people say, " Sorry for your trouble " when someone is facing upset in their life.So, sorry for all the trouble you, my friends are going through . Bon courage as we say here in wet France. 
Mrs SD, if hope things move along quickly for you both - such stress just waiting and enjoy your trip. Liverpool Anne, you are fantastic, getting all that stuff out when a!so dealing with those final days of teaching. I was a teacher all my life and when I retired it was exhausting dealing with all those year's of stuff in my room and the emotions of that stage in one's life 

So, back to the decluttering.
1 bag of polystyrene to recycling.
1 pile of cardboard to recycling
1 pile of yarn scraps to recycling

1 pile of paperwork to compost
1 pile of wrapping paper to bin-with Brexit and extra taxes I'm not going  be sending much from here.
Wait for it........ 
1 pile of bits of worn  shoe laces --- in a tin that gave me a shock when I opened it and thought it was dead worms! Courtesy of DH. In bin.
7 balls of wool to CS.
1 pile of magazine a to CS
1 crochet book  to CS
1 plant pot to CS 
4 bookS to CS

Total 20+241=261/365

Keep safe everyone.

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

756. Power-washed the bins
757 - 785 - 28 pouches of cat food that elderly cat has gone off of!  (to be dropped at Cat Protection
758. Wind up lantern

759. Morning routine
760. fixed a tile
761. repaired DS' jeans - (they are more repair than jean!!)  

Thanks for my medal Mrs SD   

oceanspirit

5 items paperwork
2 other items

TC77

Nights like this with torrential rain I do question the sense of a loft conversion - so hard to sleep with the noise and no space for boxes.
Struggle to do more than work at the moment, although going swimming regularly as good for overall wellbeing and mental health.
@bit_by_bit you've done so much, I got rid of alot of books but started buying back. DD2 (16) is into reading  - doing english Lit for A level next year and has a list of 300 books she wants to read, encouraging her to use the library but she has bought some, so picked some up at CS - some I want to read, and with my bargain book case I love have space (only as I got rid of others), but have to do other rooms.
1203 -1204 chased DD1 referrals by GP, not reached the hospitals, so to-ing and froing but one now with the right people
1205 pillow protector bitty so to recycling, won't buy more but use the good quality pillow cases that have slight marks as under pillow cases
1206 left over bit from washing machine when delivered
1207 -1208 2 birthday cards posted, and address in my book 
Going to do list for tomorrow.
Exhausted reading what some of you manage to do in a day! take care everyone, and take the time you need to recharge x

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, hugs to all, this thread is keeping me on track thanks to all your hard work.
@mothernerd I honestly don't know how you do it and I am starting to worry you are seriously doing too much. Trying to look after 2 houses and gardens as well as your Mum must be exhausting. Could you try to get your son and GF to do some of the work, especially at your house as they are living there. 
@retiredinfrance, yes I am pushing through the last few weeks and it is a bit exhausting but needs must as they say and I will probably sleep for a week when I finish

Not much decluttering done today unfortunately, school food taken to school so a space made in the freezer but not really needed now as the other one is sorted.. I forgot to take the gift sets but they are by the front door for tomorrow. I did manage to book as appt with the dentist which has turned into a whole different kind of task with covid requiring receiving and answering an online questionnaire and receiving a QR code and a follow-up phone call to actually get an appointment. I have no idea what I am to do with the QR code as it is on my laptop not my phone but I won't worry about it. I also managed to get to the chemist just before they closed to collect my meds.
The only other thing I have done is write a list. I have had lists in the past but they have been rather vague along the lines of "sort lr" but for this one I have broken it down to specific tasks so if I only have 10 minutes or energy for 10 minutes something can still be achieved. I am hoping this will stop me feeling overwhelmed even though it is a much longer list.
@MrsSD, thank you for the star and medal though I don't think I am a work horse, I think I am quite lazy sometimes but I am gradually coming to accept I am no longer 19 and have to set a slightly slower pace
Take care everyone

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHTi

2. JUST DO ONE THING EVERY DAY (courtesy of bit_by_bit) OTHER THAN DAY TO DAY CLEANING & DECLUTTERING 

3. ONCE A WEEK LEAVE THE HOUSE (e.g. Go into city centre for bank & butcher;  go to local town for cs dropping off or buying; visit the pub with DH 😉

The risotto was delicious 🤤 Los bagged & frozen. Both DH & I have packed + laid out our biking clothes - apparently it is going to rain tomorrow - oh deep joy 😔 
Wudupa.

1294 - 1299 Kitchen recycling, empty wine bottle (use wine for cooking as opposed to drinking 😉), 2 newspapers, plastic jar, drinks cans - recycled 

1300 Kitchen detritus - binned 

Thanks mothernerd 👏 A very interesting read. I have bookmarked & will visit every now & again 🙂

Nice to see you bit_by_bit 👋 Sounds like you had a great time 🥳 + a nice visit to your DB. A major decision to get rid of most of your books 🙂 Though it is very liberating - I have several Tolkien books - Hobbit, LoTR, Silmarillion; The Tower series & The Stand by Stephen King; 2 Margaret Atwood books The Handmaid’s Tale & The Testaments; Nancy Revell’s Shipyard Girls series (currently 10 books); The GoT series - still waiting for the final 2 books 😖 Currently have upstairs (The Tower series) & downstairs (The Shipyard Girls series) books on the go. 

Hi there retiredinfrance 👋 Lovely sentiments & observations. You must be very grateful to be a ‘retired’ teacher in the current climate 😉 Currently there is talk of extending school days to help the kids catch up - no mention of the poor teachers 😖 

Excellent decluttering btw 👏 Faffing around with Customs forms has led to a trimming down of packages to Europe so I can quite understand your disposal of wrapping paper 🙂

Good work EnergyShifter 👏

Well done oceanspirit 👏 keeping up with the paperwork decluttering 👏

I did have to smile about the loft conversion TC77 🙂 Sorry 😞 Very pleased that DD2 is taking after you with her love of reading 👏 Keep up the good decluttering work 👏

Liverpool_Anne, I agree that mothernerd is doing an inordinate amount of work ☹️ But if you read the thread she started she has taken steps & made plans to ensure a happier life.
The thread is very inspiring 🙂👏 What a palaver re the dentist appointment 😖 
As to the extra long list what a great idea 👏 Being very specific about tasks that you would like to accomplish means that you will cross off more items than you would from a 

‘Vague’ list 🙂👏   I must get back into writing lists 😔

MrsSD   🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅🏅 🏅 🏅     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1300/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £164.80 to end of June

bit_by_bit

Thankyou @TC77 and @mrssd. I am keeping a joint collection all the Pratchetts, all Ian M Banks and I have several copies of LOTR and associated books. LOTR has been one of my go to books in time of crisis over the years. I had to stop reading them for a while when a teenager as I kept dreaming I was an elf.    One is half read with a bookmark where I stopped when I had my DD. A week in hospital pre birth provided plenty of reading time, lol.
Also I have collection of books I loved as a child. Not a big collection. All of this is one set of shelves worth plus space. Some of the books to go have been waiting to be read for 30+ years. So it is time.
I find it easier to listen to books right now. Plus the sort I read most (fantasy and scifi) are often thick weighty tomes which my wrists don't like anymore.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. KITCHEN WILL CONTINUE TO BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHTi

2. JUST DO ONE THING EVERY DAY (courtesy of bit_by_bit) OTHER THAN DAY TO DAY CLEANING & DECLUTTERING 

3. ONCE A WEEK LEAVE THE HOUSE (e.g. Go into city centre for bank & butcher;  go to local town for cs dropping off or buying; visit the pub with DH 😉

Tuesday dawned grey & drizzly. DH up first to make up a flask, pack the bike & make us a drink. Finished loading the bike, dried off the seat & departed 09:45 a.m. Uneventful journey & we managed to stay behind the rain for the whole day apart from a 5 minute light shower 🙂👏🥳 Stopped off at an OK dinner about midday for coffee & lunch - DH had brisket & I had the all day breakfast. No wildlife to speak of - cows, sheep, horses, ducks/swans. One interesting sight was a red pillar box with half a dozen small stuffed toys attached on top 🤔 Stopped 3 times to take Round Britain Rally photos. Arrived at the Grantham Arms just before 6:00 p.m. We are in the most glorious room with a huge shower with a little courtyard - 4 rooms sharing the courtyard. A recent addition as the owner purchased the property next door. DH has earned lots of Brownie points 👏🙂 This is our 3rd time at the same establishment 🙂 so we booked direct.
About to shower & change for dinner - get me 😉

Will be back later to let you know about dinner 😉

We are sisters-in-arms, bit_by_bit 🙂 fantasy/sci-fi were always my go to books. I always wanted to be an elf but I am more like an orc 😂 DH has all the Pratchett books.

I love my books but do like to read them as I take more in than when listening 🙂

Dinner was delicious - we shared a seafood platter, DH had ribeye steak with a pepper sauce & huge chunky chips. I had chicken with dauphinois potatoes in a rich creamy mushroom sauce. 😋 Several beers & then back to room.

MrsSD   🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅🏅 🏅 🏅     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1300/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £164.80 to end of June