2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

Finstickle

Thanks for the ⭐️ @Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Yesterday's efforts were fairly limited as a busy day with work but did manage another 2 email 'unsibscribes' taking me to 18/365.

i have my eye on a few things for today so will hopefully achieve those.  I try to use my regular screen breaks for cleaning etc during the day and pick up items to go at the same time.

stellata

  yes @Mrs_Salad_Dodger I was indeed keeping the polystyrene for Justin. Lifetime habit of moving on every couple of years means it's hard to get rid of Useful Boxes. But I've promised myself I'll stay here for a good while now and there are always boxes available from somewhere. And anyway I won't have any clutter next time will I so I'll only need a couple 

3secondmemory

After last month, I was putting off talking to my ADHD coach again but I plucked up my courage and we’re doing my final ‘week’ at the moment but spread over 3 weeks because I got carried away with my own success and overdid it, plus ‘unique circumstances’. 

Week one was meant to be just making a list but I started chipping away at the easy stuff - returning a cat bed, a faulty set of lights and a pair of shoes. 

I couldn’t stop there. I’ve had it out with BT over how bad my halo service is and in the process managed to get them to break my contract. I’m staying with them but on the Home Essentials package saving £20 a month. 

I’m facing up to my debts - nowhere near as bad as I imagined. The one that fills me with fear is £3500 apparent tax credit overpayment. Last time I was on tax credits was 12 years ago so I have no idea where this has come from. I’ve put it into the hands of the CAB who have assured me that it can be dealt with. 

My other debt is very confusing because it stems from utility bills. I’ve never overspent or bought luxuries. I am just one of those people who cannot manage their finances. Because I can’t remember dates and instructions, it’s been a tangle I haven’t wanted to even try to unravel for the last 15 years. My deepest shame is still two bin bags of paperwork behind the chest of drawers in my walk-in wardrobe. Thankfully, I know it can be tackled because most of it is irrelevant now. 

I spent all of yesterday on the phone and finally got to the bottom of it. I’m still confused and will need to keep doublechecking and reassuring myself but I estimated my debt as being in the region of 3K. I knew somewhere in the background that they were to County Court judgements against me. I’ve not known how to deal with this and months have turned into years. My memory is so bad that I do not remember settling them in 2019!!!! All that wasted worry, which has really contributed to my anxiety disorder 😂😂😂 it’s not funny really and I need some help. 

I owe £900 to Eon - looking back at the timing, I think I impulsively tried to change suppliers and didn’t follow through with setting up a DD. I know that I got stuck in an expensive rolling contract but like I say, who can guess why I think I’m capable of these things! I put these things down to the additional expense of ADHD tax. Everything ends up costing more 

short_bird

1003-1004: 2 bags of rubbish out as binmen due tomorrow
1005-1007: 3 GB of data out
1008-1010: 3 annoying jobs off the list
1011: shirt retired
1012-1014: 3 more items to the mixed materials recycling bin and bin emptied.
1015-1016: an extra batch of laundry washed and both vacuums emptied and fly sprayed.
1017-1018: found freepost address for empty printer cartridges so they're due to be parcelled... 
1019-1028: another 100 photos (and folders) deleted
1029-1032: another 4GB of data deleted
1033: file transfer and tidy session.

EnergyShifter

TC77 - I'm so sorry your daughter isn't getting the support she needs at the moment.  Glad her GP is being helpful at least.  Would  IAPT services be suitable for her? - you can self-refer to them - I know they are not suitable for everything though.  We've accessed a therapist privately - hence how quickly it's all happened. I'm fortunate that I work in a related field and used to work with the person DS is seeing - he gave us a very good price and arrange to start quickly - we are very lucky. Good Luck with it all.  x

Mrs SD - as always - thanks for your support.

TC77

Lost my  post! Thank you @EnergyShifter, wonderful that you've found someone you know for your son and so quickly. She has self referred to iaps finally and agreed to write a supplementary  note.  Just taken food round to her as she's self isolating as pinged 
1269 admin frog 
1270 packaging from booster for WiFi. 
Stellata I think said keeps boxes as used to moving every couple of years. I keep them and not moved for decades  so a positive move. Can always get boxes.
Take care everyone x

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 😉

Thursday was a mixed day overcast at times but bright, sunny & warm for the majority of the day 🙂 DH did the usual Thursday trip to MrS. Lunch - DH had a tinned ham sandwich, DSis & I had toast. My 2nd day of dealing with my post immediately - cc bill paid by phone & everything filed + envelopes recycled.  More knitting. Dinner was Somerset chicken made into a pie with mash & cabbage - yummy 🤤 One portion left to be eaten on ‘use up’ Saturday other 2 options will be cottage pie or mushroom risotto.  Wudupa.

1341 - 1345 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, 2 newspapers, glass jar & metal lid - recycled 

1346 Kitchen detritus - binned

TC77, at least you have been using your cutlery 👏 😉 Excellent plan & the non user friendly box can be disposed of 🙂 Hope DD1 is doing better. Keeping everything crossed 🤞that your DD can get something sorted. Perhaps she will feel a bit more in control now that she is starting the ball rolling, ping notwithstanding ☹️

Oh dear GrannyKate ☹️ Hopefully your expert can sort out the computer problem. I can scarcely believe how incompetent BG are being 😖 I am giving you a medal 🏅  for your perseverance 👏 Other people’s incompetence is so stressful & draining 😔 & seems to overshadow any successes 😭 Well done on sorting out an admin frog 👏 And very pleased that you are admiring your post maggot kitchen floor 🙂

You are welcome Finstickle 🙂 Keep up the good work 👏 As long as something is going out/being dealt with you are a successful declutterer 👏🙂 Success also includes planning (& executing 🤞) ‘To Do’ lists.

stellata, good for you 👏 & I absolutely love the positive attitude to any future house move 👏🙂

3secondmemory, you are doing yourself a disservice insert wagging finger emoji 😉 It doesn’t matter that you haven’t tackled these things before as you are tackling them now 👏 With the coaching you have been receiving & the more positive attitude, you are obtaining the tools you need to sort out all of your ‘financial challenges’ once & for all. 

Hopefully the bags will contain the paperwork from the settled County Court judgements 🤞 All I can say is that you are doing really well & you should be very proud of yourself 👏

Excellent work short_bird 👏 Another milestone reached - over 1,000 👏 so one Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way.

EnergyShifter, thank you for your very informative post 👏 and good luck to your DS. 

MrsSD   🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅 🥇     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1346/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £225.90 to end of July

GrannyKate

Main computer issues sorted between DS2 and DB - I did something drastic totally by accident but sorted now although I still have ongoing issues with a specific email account which keeps going wrong.  Laptop has decided to have a wobbly as well. 
Plumber came yesterday - he is going to go back to the first 'repair' and do it again using correct parts to see if that works.  Parts ordered so waiting.  Still not sure about hot water pump.  He's fairly sure I have no leaks but there still seems to be an issue over whether they would do the work if pump needs replacing.  I gather it may depend on who I actually talk to.  We agreed a plan to turn it off overnight and then the next time he comes to do toilet he will do some more investigations.  

Went to look at piece of furniture with DS2 - did not buy as we agreed it was nice but I was not so taken with it I wanted to pay anything like that price for it.  

1265 Admin frog swallowed 
1266 DS2 asked if he could have a dish I rarely use so that went home with him

Went to Mr L for shopping with DS2 - definitely much cheaper. I am going to use them and the other cheap one and perhaps do an online order from Mr M every 3 months for things they may not have eg stocking up with washing capsules etc. 

3secondmemory

I don’t really know where to post this but, if you are on benefits, BT have just bought out a new package called BT home essentials which is high-speed broadband for exactly £20 a month/12 month contract. 

If you give them your national insurance number, they check your eligibility; mine switches over on the 21st of July. As simple as that 😃

I will get two new handsets because the landline needs to be plugged into the back of the router, free all day calls to UK landlines and mobiles and free data storage. If they don’t meet the guaranteed speed which was the same as I was getting before, you can claim up to 4 x £20 refunds per year. 

That’s £20 a month I save - plus 79p a month for Apple storage 😃

I’m sticking with my mobile package - £6 a month but, as I get out and about more, I might consider the next offer up which is £8/month 😃 better coverage because it’s teamed up with EE

An internet connection makes so much difference to quality of life 😃 and almost everything that used to be in that ugly old desk in my sitting room is now on my phone. I can’t deal with paperwork - I am just too untidy and disorganised no matter how much I like the idea of sitting down and being an adult about it 😂I’m just keeping things simple - stopping it coming into the house, dealing with emails and snail mail every day ( some much less scary now I know there are no nasty surprises anymore) and tackling the largely obsolete contents of the bin-bagged backlog a few bits at a time 😂😂😂

I can’t share my successes any place else but here because I’ve never admitted to anyone before that I’ve got binbags in my closet 

ADHD Coach really has paid for herself 😃

retiredinfrance

Well done! And binbags in the closet - so what? 
Concentrate on the big success with the internet and how by posting the BT information you are helping people.
Hugs and keep safe everyone.