2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

balabooberlies

Mothernerd

Gosh, gosh and gosh.  Your patience and perseverance is awe inspiring.  And how you survive on so little is beyond me.  You know you have to put yourself as first as you can.  It's heart-breaking to hear of your loss and now your other brother in such a poorly way.

I too am an advocate of hugging so I shall write a mental Standing Order to send many your way each day.

Love

bala

x

short_bird

1086-1113: 27 fling boogie including emails, recycling, flyers from the communal hallway
1114: another additional batch of washing.
I'm off before I melt...

mothernerd

Well I'm known for my epic posts but at 4.30 am I was writing sagas - it ended up too long and I tried to break it into 3 separate posts but gave up. Turned the laptop off but still could not sleep so at 6 am I decided to make a start on rearranging my room, using the front room to sort things into categories and add to the different piles as I sorted through and found more items in the different categories. I'm counting everything I've done and each largish box of stuff moved from the bedroom to the front room. The last figure I have written down is 1298 on the 22nd June and I have done quite a lot of work since then but can't find where I've recorded it. My diary went awol for a couple of weeks and I was keeping totals (NSDs, spending in different budget categories, clutter clearing) in there. I have jottings in several notebooks but haven't been able to put them together.

At 6 am I thought I would have 2 hours before mum emerged, but she got up at 7 am (did apologise later when she found it was an hour earlier than she thought it was). I told her not to shout and explained my categories (couch was mattress protector, then pillows and cushions - some pillows were getting thin and mum had been given a bag of cushion pads, so I added a cushion to each flattened pillow, making plump pillows and no extra storage space required, then pillowcases and sheets at the end.

So here's how my day went
Unpacked 24 toilet rolls, mostly into the cupboard in the kitchen but 5 into the holder in the bathroom that was empty
2 bath sheets to go back to my house
2 dresses, 1 sheet and 1 large towel into the wash
my old paint dress binned (covered in at least 3 lots of paint plus dirt, very thin and holes getting bigger by the day)
Pile of pillows and cushions, mattress protector and 3 sheets to the couch
rubbish in the bin
6 empty plastic bottles for reuse in the garden (all the stuff to go outside was kept in the hallway as the alarm goes off if the door is opened before 7 am)
7 books and unused notebooks stacked on a small table
old cardigan binned - it's been past its best for the past 2 years but it's so warm and comforting that it keeps getting reprieved - definitely not fit to be seen outside
2 pillowcases, 1 dressing gown to the couch
Bag of winter clothing to my chair, 1 item to the charity shop bag
trainers by the side of my chair
3 chocolate orange biscuits into the fridge before they melted
2 x 2 pillowcases to the couch
1 plate to the kitchen
4 items of newest and best clothing to my chair
1 plank to outside pile (brought in to lever the bed away from the wall and not taken back)
1 old jumper for painting to go to the shed
bag of rags to go to the shed
morning pills taken
purse and cards, phone and charger, glasses cloth, address and  passwords book into my handbag and put beside my chair
cutting mat binned
paper bag started
6 photo frames with glass put beside my chair (8" space at the side, leaning away from the wall and into the fabric chair arm
alarm clock back on the trolley
8 folded up cube boxes to go back to my house
scissors back on trolley (it's my 'bedside table')
plates to the kitchen
soft brush to my chair (sorting felt for donation yesterday and some of it needed a quick brush)
Goth bunny to my chair - DS3 lent him to me in case I needed a cuddle (if you look for luvbunny there's a black one with red ears etc - Goth bunny is the same but with shocking pink ears and bits)
2 more picture frames to side of chair
small scissors, pen, arch support and small medical pack back onto trolley
3 empty hangers back in the wardrobe
3 more craft (3 bags, boxes or equivalent - enough to carry through in one go without falling or dropping everything
mum's oven gloves back in the kitchen drawer (must have been on the line with my clothes and were brought in when dry
7 more pens/ markers and a small pair of scissors
small items of rubbish and one rag binned
broken leg off the C'mas tree
latest bag of pills to second tier of trolley
1 plastics recycling
roll of labels to handbag
old glasses binned - at least 6 - 8 years old and worn frequently when painting (so don't spoil a good pair)
1 end of life pen binned
3rd pair of small scissors (used for embroidery, when i had lots on the go I would ave them in different locations (they go down the sides of couches etc)
Standby keys (found in boiler cupboard when I was clearing it for an alarm  repair man
CPAP machine, bedside lamp and the tray they sit on moved
filters for machine moved into a deeper box (old shortbread tin) so they don't get misplaced
tiny squidge of ibuprofen gel used on shoulder, tube added to recycling pile
laptop, charger and bed table moved
2 more photo frames
12 manky old plastic pockets binned (mum has some much better ones I gave her, which she's never used)
similar number of better ones added to half empty file box
2 more pillowcases, 3 small towels
1 more plastic bottle for the garden bag
Epsom salts to go back to my house
tape of a speech I made at a conference in 1994 binned
lots of bits picked up and put in trays to be sorted later (tiredness was starting to make me lose my balance so did this sitting down)
All bits of rubbish too big for Henry picked up
Used a wooden coat hanger to root out bits from under the bed
5 more bags/ boxes of craft materials to front room (on the pouffe)
All unresolved paperwork into a bag (this felt like a backward step but sortingb through it would have halted progress on the task in hand)
All bags for life/ carriers put in a bag together (3 bags with a few other bags in and later founs singles)
gold bedcover to mum's room
more books returned to the shelves (read this week)
3 packs of my favourite oats and cranberry bars discovered (low shelf on the bookshelves, not visible when standing
unmatched lids and boxes to recycling
all outside items taken to bins, shed, behind the shed
8 more lids and boxes without pairs to recycling
heavy winter cover moved
3 more bedcovers (2 of mum's, 1 from home)
2 broken tealight holders binned
3 carriers and 2 bags for life added to the others
1 cube box with shawl/ lap blanket and old sheets (may try using these as 'sails' in the garden)
2 boxes of mum's favourite crackers - to kitchen
more books to the shelves (from the 'to be read' pile
spare dining chair moved out
accounting book and stray papers rounded up
another pile of paperwork added to the bag and a 'saved' card - sweet picture of 3 owlets (I love owls)
3 large pieces of cardboard to the paper bin (size of the wardrobe bottom as they were used for stacked tins)
4 empty plastic bottles which had fallen behind/ between drawers
ditto 4 books
any tissues/ toilet roll or kitchen roll pieces were used throughout the day for mopping my brow
tools and bags of screws added to DIY bag for life
Various small items scraped out of corners (tealights, small bauble) using a piece of bathroom cladding
Kievs and wedges into the oven to cook whilst I continued
garden bag for life started then added to
spare phone charger
6 clean masks (must have got lost in the middle of the dry washing pile)
whale soap dish moved to bathroom to hold my shampoo bar
small box of random items sorted into diy, garden, rubbish and recycling
universal phone charger
cotton wool and 2 dressings into 1st aid drawer
3 micropore tape and cotton buds ditto
unbroken candle holders,candles, tealights, votives and tapers for lighting all into one small box
bag of bags taken to hallway to await food delivery (also unlocked the gate padlock, brought the shopping trolley to the gate
another file box 
diy and garden bags moved
oats and pasta to the kitchen
wipes into the cupboard
2nd more full than empty cleaning spray found
2 more sheets
tool box
cube box with embroidery fabric
more scraping and Henrying
 fairy lights and garden owl to garden bag
paper bag onto door handle 
dress over the door (going to have a shower when the next sweaty bit is done
small (larger mushroom box size) for collected embroidery bits
same for all other crafty bits
same for miscellaneous items (most of which belong in one of the already established categories
remainder heaped in a small pile (base was a tablemat)
BED CLEARED (and floor)
bed pulled out from wall as far as it will go
more pick up and scrape for area just uncovered
checked what is in the drawers - old curtains
mattress on it's side against the wall
followed by both halves of the bed base
pile of stuff which has made its way to the centre of the bed 
-another pick and scrape ( I was mostly using a thin metal coaster - very easy to flick stuff into the dustpan. If you have children a lego board is ideal, - after larger toys and obvious rubbish have been removed)
moved large set of drawers (hurrah for wheels) and then pulled out the fridge freezer (when DS2 was moving in with his Beloved they had duplicates. Since mum had given him the money to buy it, I suggested it come back to us - mum's ff is tiny)
food from small drawers put in a box (2 drawers broken, swapped them for bottom two and have been using the space for taller vinegar/ sauce bottles - back ups obviously)
moved smaller set of drawers into the space where ff had been, then pulled it out again to sort out the socket behind the bookshelf which didn't want to move more than a few inches and is a lot bigger than me (still in wrapping extension bar brought into half the bed base into new position (unfortunately it hit part of the box I'd just put food in which ripped so will go in the paper bin)
food arrived
dealt with that and then returned
second half of bed base put in place
juggled both halves back to the wall (had allowed a few inches for moving into position)
wrangled the mattress
fridge freezer moved slowly into new position, facing the door
large drawers moved alongside (nearer the bed) bed is now under the window bu the way - once the sun is over the rooftop it's very shaded. 
brought most of the bedding, laptop, CPAP and notebook through
food and drink rounded up (raw veggies and dips) and pills
need to go and bring the bedside lamp through and set it up

I make that 305 (there will be things I've missed - old laptop and wooden tray) but that reflects my very long day. Most of these items have not left the house but they are in order and going forward will be much easier. I'll pair cushions and pillows and cover them with pillowcases but not planning much beyond that. Need to relax (and have a proper sleep) and the rest can be sorted tomorrow. Current total 1603/ 2021

TC77

@3secondmemory  , sorry forgot to say the fence looks good and I like all your pots and @mothernerd, exhausted reading your list, hope you get a good rest tonight.
Not alot here
1325 - 1328 items back to library
1329 bag to CS
1330 email frog
DD1 has foot in plaster which is comfier but n told surgery anytime in next few days. I'm meant to be seeing old school friends this weekend so will decide tomorrow as would be a big stress declutter .... DD1 told 6 month recovery time, and uni tutor saying may need to take time off studies so hoping there's a way around.
DD1having a couple of friends to stay so she's having a big tidy up - lots of activity in her room as I type.  Will take gifts to friends but will count when out. 
1331 - bird which didn't survive the cats

Off to make work and to do list , and rubbish out for collection tomorrow. Take care everyone. 

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:  

783 - 5 - 3 x items of garden furniture painted
786 - old baking tray
787 - DS' old trainers

787 - got a quote for double glazing (I've been building up to it for roughly 10 years  )
788 - garden table legs - I have a plan for the table top ...
789 & 790 - 2 x garden chairs painted 

vulpix

 Goodness you lot are doing so much and in this heat too.

 Your posts and honesty have inspired me, Thank you. Wont happen overnight but I will cull my kitchen paraphernalia. I will look at shoes but... we might go on another cruise one day. I could just about hobble to dinner in some of the shoes and sit for the evening!

I have taken advice here from ages ago and all but stopped rehoming other peoples stuff. I can't say I had very little as a child but both my parents came from nowt and I think their attitude to not be wasteful certainly rubbed off on me. My 2 eldest children are the same as I was a single parent with no support from their Dad in any sense. We had to look after stuff and make it last. I have always told the girls to keep good condition shoes and handbags and jewellery as it all comes round in fashion. All 3 of them hang onto stuff. The 2 eldest because they are not wasteful the youngest I think because she lost her Mum when she was 6. She is the worry because she doesn't discriminate in what she keeps, just keeps every possession. I have never pushed her to get rid of stuff, she will when she is ready.

 Tomorrow we are going to York for a wedding on Saturday. Next week I will excavate more in the pantry.

 Vx

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

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

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 😉

Stayed hot 🥵 all day. DH dug up the large tomato plants from raised bed & potted up. Needed more compost so he went to BQ & picked up 2 bags. Whilst he was out I used bamboo canes to cross brace the staked  tomato plants (forming a cage) in the table top bed which is the tomato plant forest 😉 Also staked the newly potted tomato plants. DH filled up the bags for newly moved tomato plants & had bought 2 more medium sized pots - in total 8 plants moved. DH then moved on to replacing brake discs & pads on the front wheel of the Goldwing - ably assisted by my DSis. When done he did a test ride - came back safely & chuffed to bits that he had done a good job 🙂 I emptied one potato bag - a bit early as only 525g of potatoes. I blanched, dried, bagged & froze the pak Choi. Only 1 out of 3 😔 but better than none 😉 
Dinner was salad & DSis had the last of the hg lettuce. Wudupa.

1404 - 1409 Kitchen recycling, 3 cardboard boxes, plastic bottle, drinks cans - recycled 
1410 - 1411 Kitchen detritus, empty compost bag - binned 

Not off topic at all mothernerd 🙂 I would like to thank you for sharing your life with us 👏 You have had a really rough ride & your mum is not helping matters but your determination to carve out a better life for yourself shines through 🙂 Your adversity has & is shaping you into a more confident woman who is beginning to look after herself. I am in awe of how strong you are & if you will accept them I am sending you as many hugs as you would like 🙂 - I have missed giving hugs 🤗  Excellent decluttering of craft supplies 👏 as you can count each time you complete a project 😉 That was a marathon decluttering & tidying/reorganising session mothernerd 👏 You must be so pleased 😄 as well as being exhausted 🥱 I was exhausted just reading how much work you have done - Marie Kondo eat your heart out 😉 Also you have reached another milestone, so one Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 🙂

Great work TC77 👏 especially nudging some frogs 👏🙂 Poor DD1 ☹️ I hope something can be arranged re her studying 🤞 Remember TC77 every item out is a Win 👏

GrannyKate - Officialdom quite often seems to be a synonym for incompetence 😉 Well done on the sales. Your DGCs are very lucky & it brings back happy memories of swimming with my gran 🙂 You are definitely motoring along with the decluttering. What a wonderful thing sharing happy memories of trips with your DH.  Fingers crossed that next year the world will be safer & we can all start travelling again 🤞 I must admit that I have been enjoying reading the posts about why we have clutter - lots of things ring bells 🙂 You have reminded me that I need some new slippers but not sure I will be as good as you in getting rid of my old pair 😉 Great decluttering 👏

Liverpool_Anne, sounds like you will really miss the staff, pupils & parents. A wonderful place to work & you appear to have mostly enjoyed your time there 🙂 By the way you haven’t been rambling - you have been sharing your life with us & I for one am very grateful 👏 

Vulpix, you have given me another reason never to own a mobile 😉 - “like trying to leave a cult” 🤣 Well done on fixing your cooker 👏 shame it is too hot to use it 😉 Sounds like the ‘ping system’ is causing all sorts of problems 😠 Well done on the very small weight gain - you must have been exercising more 😉 I agree vulpix, there are many of our fellow declutterers doing sterling work 🙂👏 It has always been a fine line between not having clutter & not being wasteful & I think that is one of the reasons I struggle 😔 If your youngest sees you decluttering she may gradually come around but as you say she will come to decluttering when she is ready 🙂 Fingers crossed the weather stays fine for Saturday & I hope you enjoy the wedding 🙂

Excellent decluttering greent 👏 I hope your DSs are fully on board with decluttering as it makes it easier & more enjoyable 🙂🤞

bit_by_bit, DH seems to have escaped any likelihood of a cold 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your life as someone with a tendency to hoard. I am very impressed with your hard work in decluttering. “Letting go purposefully” is a wonderful mantra. I also love that you have utilised your ‘hoarding tendencies’ to help so many others 👏 I hope your friend sees the wisdom of sharing an allotment plot - but she might be fighting against remembering that she used to be able to do everything ☹️ Anyway, it sounds like a grand plan & fingers crossed it comes to fruition 🤞

Yippee to fantasy 3secondmemory 🥳 I think the past 18 months has been a wake up call for a lot of us - enjoying the little things, realising that the world is not completely populated by idiots & for me, being thankful that I found the MSE OS Forum 🙂 Nothing wrong with being impulsive - cuts out the ‘worry stage’ of making decisions 😉😃

Lovely post balabooberlies 👏 When this current situation finally settles down we will have to have a huge “Hug-athon”

Good work short_bird 👏

Good work EnergyShifter 👏 now that is what I call procrastinating 😉😉

MrsSD  🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅 🥇    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1411/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £225.90 to end of July

bit_by_bit

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

Not off topic at all mothernerd 🙂 I would like to thank you for sharing your life with us 👏 You have had a really rough ride & your mum is not helping matters but your determination to carve out a better life for yourself shines through 🙂 Your adversity has & is shaping you into a more confident woman who is beginning to look after herself. I am in awe of how strong you are & if you will accept them I am sending you as many hugs as you would like 🙂 - I have missed giving hugs 🤗  Excellent decluttering of craft supplies 👏 as you can count each time you complete a project 😉 That was a marathon decluttering & tidying/reorganising session mothernerd 👏 You must be so pleased 😄 as well as being exhausted 🥱 I was exhausted just reading how much work you have done - Marie Kondo eat your heart out 😉 Also you have reached another milestone, so one Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 🙂

Great work TC77 👏 especially nudging some frogs 👏🙂 Poor DD1 ☹️ I hope something can be arranged re her studying 🤞 Remember TC77 every item out is a Win 👏

GrannyKate - Officialdom quite often seems to be a synonym for incompetence 😉 Well done on the sales. Your DGCs are very lucky & it brings back happy memories of swimming with my gran 🙂 You are definitely motoring along with the decluttering. What a wonderful thing sharing happy memories of trips with your DH.  Fingers crossed that next year the world will be safer & we can all start travelling again 🤞 I must admit that I have been enjoying reading the posts about why we have clutter - lots of things ring bells 🙂 You have reminded me that I need some new slippers but not sure I will be as good as you in getting rid of my old pair 😉 Great decluttering 👏

Liverpool_Anne, sounds like you will really miss the staff, pupils & parents. A wonderful place to work & you appear to have mostly enjoyed your time there 🙂 By the way you haven’t been rambling - you have been sharing your life with us & I for one am very grateful 👏 

Vulpix, you have given me another reason never to own a mobile 😉 - “like trying to leave a cult” 🤣 Well done on fixing your cooker 👏 shame it is too hot to use it 😉 Sounds like the ‘ping system’ is causing all sorts of problems 😠 Well done on the very small weight gain - you must have been exercising more 😉 I agree vulpix, there are many of our fellow declutterers doing sterling work 🙂👏 It has always been a fine line between not having clutter & not being wasteful & I think that is one of the reasons I struggle 😔 If your youngest sees you decluttering she may gradually come around but as you say she will come to decluttering when she is ready 🙂 Fingers crossed the weather stays fine for Saturday & I hope you enjoy the wedding 🙂

Excellent decluttering greent 👏 I hope your DSs are fully on board with decluttering as it makes it easier & more enjoyable 🙂🤞

bit_by_bit, DH seems to have escaped any likelihood of a cold 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your life as someone with a tendency to hoard. I am very impressed with your hard work in decluttering. “Letting go purposefully” is a wonderful mantra. I also love that you have utilised your ‘hoarding tendencies’ to help so many others 👏 I hope your friend sees the wisdom of sharing an allotment plot - but she might be fighting against remembering that she used to be able to do everything ☹️ Anyway, it sounds like a grand plan & fingers crossed it comes to fruition 🤞

Yippee to fantasy 3secondmemory 🥳 I think the past 18 months has been a wake up call for a lot of us - enjoying the little things, realising that the world is not completely populated by idiots & for me, being thankful that I found the MSE OS Forum 🙂 Nothing wrong with being impulsive - cuts out the ‘worry stage’ of making decisions 😉😃

Lovely post balabooberlies 👏 When this current situation finally settles down we will have to have a huge “Hug-athon”

Good work short_bird 👏

Good work EnergyShifter 👏 now that is what I call procrastinating 😉😉

MrsSD   🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅 🥇     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1411/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £225.90 to end of July

Thankyou Mrs SD. I would echo what you said to mothernerd. We get so overwhelmed it is easy to lose confidence beacause we are 'not coping' and 'should' be abvle to do everything and be everything to everybody. We put ourselves down, call ourselves lazy andberate outselves for being imperfect. 

The reality we are exhausted, ill, overdoing it and not looking after ourselves to meet the needs and expectations of others. A few years ago I got off that bandwagon and what a relief it was. 

Keep going declutterers. Every little bit is a blessing.👍👍👍👍

Blimey. I only popped in to report another large item gone. A wombled water feature in the form of a large plastic clam shell. The fella who came to pick it up didn't even try to reduce the price. So another win win with wombling, but I have stopped it for now. The house needs more work on it. 😊

balabooberlies

Morning Mrs S.D.

and all lovelies

I am back down in Kent.  Dad hospitalised again.  Niece has Covid so am self isolating.  Beloved Uncle waiting for operation to remove part of stomach.  Loved ones can be such a worry..........

I have only achieved 24 bags out of 104.  But I am determined to see this through.  Having spent months here there is not alot I can achieve at home.  Having said that am still thrilled that I got rid of monolith 3 piece suite.  And replaced it with lovely 'new to me' 3 seater.  Who knew I could be so determined.  Seeing things through is a major problem for me but I seem to have developed some grit.

I stay on this thread because you are all so inspiring and I thank you all for keeping me focused.

Have a super day

bala

x

ruby_eskimo

Right, it's been a while since I was last here, but I have been slowly chipping away at things.  

I finally managed to sort through all my desk drawers and get them organised how I want them.  Donated a bunch of pens and post it notes to the communal bin at DH's office and found a charger for my old work laptop that actually fits DH's new work one so he's taken that as a spare to leave in the office too!  Also went through the books on my shelves and donated the ones that I know I'll never read again.  I'm getting more and more books from the library rather than buying them and not only is it saving me money but it means I'm only hanging onto the ones I really love.

My clothes are the big thing that I've been slowly tackling and managed to go through the jumpers and winter things and one drawer under the spare bed.  I found a lot of odd gloves from over the years and hats that were gifts that I'm never going to wear so into the bag for charity they've gone.  Still think there are few things to cull in those categories but will re-evaluate when the colder weather comes around and see what I actually end up wearing this year.  Still haven't touched the wardrobe itself but have been slowly getting rid of the odd thing here and there when I'm getting ready for the day; like a couple of short skirts that I've been hanging onto for when I lose a bit more weight but I know I'll never actually wear them because they just aren't my style anymore, so into the donation pile they went too.

Still not really making progress on getting into a cleaning routine, I just can't seem to stick to a routine with it.  Have tried Flylady and Team TOMM but neither stuck.  Need to try and make a conscious effort of trying to pick up after myself and put things away once I've used them.  I've noticed that if I do it then that sets an example for DH and he follows suit, otherwise we're both as bad as each other and things just get left everywhere!

 Need to go and count all the things I want to bag up and get rid of this weekend and then will update my signature.  Hope you're all doing well and keeping as cool as you can, and I'll make more of an effort to join in.