2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

Finstickle

A good day for me, quite a few things out and continuing to really look at what i have and whether I need / want it.

Coming on here to post every work day is definitly motivating as want to say I've achieved something, and bottom half of the list was achieved whilst brewing coffee this morning.  By knowing what I want to tackle in advance, I can generally find some small things to do quickly when I have limited time.

59:            A piles of receipts which had been on the side for ages
60:            A box of half used Christmas crackers, not enough for this year, plus we're at my mum's so I know they won;t be used                  for at least 2 years and in reality I would rather make some.  These were a panic purchase when Covid changed our                    plans at the last minute
61-63:       Baby books
64-66:       Baby tops
67-68:       2 dead house plants, staring at me for a few weeks, now gone in the compost
69-71:       3 cook books.  Gradually reducing my stack, mostly goodle recipies now, the ones I've kept are mostly baking related                    which will be easier to use with DD when she gets more to that stage
72-77:       6 DVDs, someone else's castoffs which came in the house before Christmas and despite not actually being watched                    had not made it back out again!

77/365

@Liverpool_Anne alot of people start TOMM without the clutter buster or bootcamp as the routine helps, although as we all know, the tidier and less cluttered an area is, the easier it is to keep clean.
I also employ the flat surface rule for a few areas - the surface must be cleared of clutter each night only things like lamps etc stay - i've found that really helps me..

Liverpool_Anne

@retiredinfrance, I have just heard on the news that people who have been double vaccinated from Europe and the US are now allowed to travel to England, no mention of Wales, Scotland or NI and you would have to check what you would need to do to get back into France, but you can maybe start to plan a visit

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 😉

Wall to wall Olympics is catching up with me 😌 but it is only once every 4 years 😉 The competitors named Tom are doing very well 🙂 Tried to watch the surfing but a) boring & b) how do they score? 

Tuesday was a mixed bag weather wise - a.m. dry but overcast. Early afternoon, DH & I harvested a pot of  potatoes approx 400g + sifted the compost for re-use. As we stepped back indoors the heavens opened & it rained hard for 30 minutes 😱 but at least the garden is watered 🙂 DH pottered in his office, I continued knitting & watching Olympics + sorted post. Late afternoon DH decided to trim the front hedge which then turned to me joining him as chief picker upper & supervisor. DH also gave next door’s hedge a hard trim as way too tall. The tree stump removal is finished & the hole has had the cherry blossom tree planted into it. This necessitated taking out a large branch from our hedge. We ended up being out for about 40 minutes & after tidying up we have 4.5 bags of garden waste. The weather brightened up considerably early evening - there was even some blue sky 🙂 Dinner was lo pasta bolognese heated up in oven for DH & DSis. Unfortunately DSis managed to throw hers all over the lr carpet 😖 so ended up making herself beans on toast. I had hm guacamole with tortilla chips. Watched Holby, did some knitting, more Olympics, wudupa. Forgot a pleasure - a woodpecker paid a visit to the fat ball feeder 🥳
Also forgot a displeasure - foxes started digging out the earth round the cherry blossom tree 😖 

Wednesday has dawned dry & quite bright with patches of blue sky. However it is now clouding over & the wind is picking up although the sun has popped out 🤔 Weird weather 🙄 I have started on one of my frogs by making several phone calls 🙂 so feeling virtuous 😉😉 The heavens have just opened 😱 DH & I finished the hm guacamole for lunch. DH has a solution to stop the foxes - he is cutting a ground feeder cage in half, placing it around the base of the tree & then zip tying it in place 🤞Pleasure for today, squirrel came charging up to the back door & took a monkey nut from DH 🙂

1431 - 1432 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 
1433 - 1437 Kitchen detritus, lr detritus, office detritus, DSis bedroom detritus, empty compost bag - binned 

Very exciting 3secondmemory 🙂 and thank you for the information about TOMM. You are prepping for your fantasy life, well done 👏🙂

What a lovely post ruby_eskimo 🙂 Isn’t it great when the decluttering MOJO strikes 👏 Well done on the eclectic mix of decluttering 👏

vulpix, thanks for the trip down memory lane 👏 Such a shame that the opportunity to live & work in Canada came at the wrong time but how flattering that Canada wanted you 🙂👏 I have been to Canada twice - such a beautiful country & sincerely friendly people. 

As to the dresses, I think it might be worth trying the dress agency - might get enough to start a pot for a future travel adventure when the world is a safer place 😉 I did have to smile at “Toilet” man but at least he is versatile 😉😉

Finstickle, pleased to hear that DD is better. Sounds like TOMM is working for you & I am minded to investigate. Well done on the Purposeful Decluttering 👏 What a motivational post Finstickle 👏 And thank you for the extra info about TOMM 👏 I am very pleased that you found us 🙂 One medal 🏅 coming your way for the ‘clean, empty surface idea’ That is something I can get on board with as currently I only try to keep the kitchen surfaces as clear as possible. There are several surfaces that I could keep clear with a minimum of effort 🤞

GrannyKate, good luck with clearing your paper mountain 🤞don’t forget to hide the new printer paper 😉 The walk with the DGCs sounds lovely but a shame about the bites 😣 Absolutely everything is crossed that BG finally manage to sort out both the toilet & pump repairs 🤞🤞🤞🤞 As long as the admin frogs aren’t time critical then I wouldn’t worry too much - you have more important things to attend to like having fun with your DGCs 😁

Good work TC77 👏

Liverpool_Anne, very pleased to hear that you are feeling a bit better but do take it easy 🙂 Little & often is the way to tackle tasks with plenty of rests in between 😉 Thanks for the info Liverpool_Anne 👏, hopefully retiredinfrance can visit her family in the not too distant future 🤞

MrsSD  🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅 🥇     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1437/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £225.90 to end of July

3secondmemory

balabooberlies said:

3secondmemory said:

balabooberlies said:

3 Second Memory

Is the historyof art course free ?

If it is............can you share details ?

TC77 ...........thank you

bala

x

Hi - if you Google any large museum and add MOOC after the name in the search bar, it will list all the Massive Open Online Courses. 

You get access to current and archived educational courses. The majority are totally free and some you can pay for an optional certificate at the end. 

You don’t have to buy any resources and all the course material is online. In fact a lot of the lectures are already on YouTube. 

There are also introductory courses on open University. I think my original Google was – how can I study art for free 

I decided that as I’m going to Europe to visit some art galleries,  it wouldn’t do any harm to brush up on European art and the course I’m following is 9 weeks of 2-3hr long video presentations and quizzes. It’s run by Madrid University. Although it’s archived, once you register to borrow the materials, you will get notifications and recommendations for the live webinars which are part of modern COVID Uni-life anyway.

 My first webinar is at 9 o’clock this morning. It’s called art history is fun and it’s an introduction and overview. 

I also had a link for four half hour videos called how to read a painting.  I’m rather pleased I’ve got something I can look forward to watching 😃

Thank you, thank you, thank you...............

bala

x

My best life hack - Google everything and add ‘for free’  😂😂😂

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 😉

4. CLEAN & EMPTY SURFACE AREAS - DAILY

Wednesday is now rain, rain & yet more rain interspersed with short dry periods ☹️

DH has been busy a) sorted out the cage for round the bottom of the cherry blossom tree- hopefully now fox proof b) minor repair to motorbike c) has done repairs to grumpy neighbours bicycle basket & bicycle side stand. 

I have made a start on Finstickle’s ‘clean, empty surface’ idea - small coffee table cleaned, polished & only has a coaster & my coffee cup on it now; lr window sill dusted & washed & just has a statue & a couple of photo frames; dark wood table cleared, dusted & polished - has a lamp (I put in a working bulb 🙂), DSis’s boxes of pills & the series of books I am currently reading (the two I have read are now on book shelf in bedroom). 

Now some blue sky & the sun is out 🙂

1438 Kitchen detritus - binned

3secondmemory I like the ‘life hack’ 🙂

MrsSD  🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅 🥇     ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    1438/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £300.90 to end of August

nannywindow

Hello all today I decided to get off my behind and get my decluttering head on. I thought I'd start with the DGC toys and here's the list:-

Binned/ recycled

9 sml poster paints in pots, dried up

Glitter glue, hard

Painting apron, split

Activity book, used

Empty plastic pen pouch

Bottle PVA glue, hard

Broken box fron b'day candles

16 felt tips, dried up

12 broken wax crayons

Colouring book, used

Dot to dot book, used

For the CS:-

Large bag colouring pencils

Dolls pushchair

Trophy and medal set x2

Gold coins and Play money

Play food and shopping basket

Play utensils

Play pots and pans

Bag of plastic animals

Another huge carrier bag full of toy soldiers and vehicles.

Off for a coffee and part 2 to follow as I thought I'd split the long list.

nan

bit_by_bit

Not done a lot today but did manage to get some stuff out of the shed. I have put still in its box shelf unit in the car for the cs.

I deliverd a bag of stuff to friends including 2 1kg bags of OOD coffee beans DS3 gave me but I couldn't find someone who uses whole beans. I have now so off they have gone.

Also a box of covid test I don't use now to a friend who has to test every time she has a visit with her Mum in a NH. She is very grateful.

So claiming 1 bag out today and hope to deliver the CS shelf and otehr bits tomorrow.

nannywindow

Ok me again. Coffee made and slurped, now for part deux..... oh la la ! Seems all this decluttering has gone to my head and made me go all unnecessary 🤣

Decluttered many, many emails.

To DH's shed as he will use up:-

6 large bottles of poster paint, each half full and still usable.

4 Large kids paint brushes

Plastic glue spreaders

3 foam sponge brushes

5 kids plastic paint pots and 3 lids

A castle/fort which DH made for DGS. Now earmarked to be recycled, probably into more Barbie furniture for DGD

Other

To DD:- Wooden Xmas craft templates for her class

To neighbour:- A very large carrier bag full of lego for his young boys

Another Video/DVD player awaiting scrappy man, wish DH wouldn't keep electrical items that he thinks he will fix one day 😠

Other Items either binned or recycled:-

Plastic box from Xmas ribbons and bows

Few Xmas cards, don't know why I kept just those few

A marmalade jar and a pickle jar, both empty and found in the fridge. BTW neither foods I eat. Who puts empty jars back in the fridge ? DH ! 🤨

Large soap box

Large fabric conditioner bottle

4 tomato juice containers OOD..... oops!

Empty kettle box and packaging

Random bits of paper, card and tiny bits of felt.

In the green waste bin :-

The flowers sent by DH to me for being a good egg.

Also in the cs bag :-

I child's reading book, loved by DD and also DGD

3 small bouncy balls

Nightdress, brand new

5 CD's

Child's S.Steel cutlery set, was DD's and then passed down to DGC and still like new.

I'm glad I wrote down everything because I would never have remembered. I hope to keep up the momentum and tackle the built in cupboard very soon. Perhaps tomorrow or Friday.

MrsSD I was bored with the skateboarding, everyone was falling off those too ! I did enjoy both triathlons, despite them taking a long time to complete. Pity there are no crowds to cheer people on though.

Wednesday sorry to hear about you beloved dog. Hugs. 

Now I'm off to have a lie down in  darkened room to recover after today 🤣

Hugs to anyone in need.

nan

Gem-gem

As the heavens decided to open I had the opportunity to do more decluttering. 

Tackled more sentimental items. 

Went from three keepsake boxes ( one very large, two medium) down to just one very large box. DH and I went through our engagement / wedding and anniversary cards that we received from friends and family and whittled it down to immediate family and a couple of friends cards. The rest I have chopped up ready to upcycle into new cards. 

I also went through other cards and reduced the number. Once again removing backs and creating toppers to use. 

What is good is that the remaining very large box fits inside my wardrobe, so doesn't need to go up into the loft. 

Also had room in bedroom two wardrobe to bring down four puzzles, scrabble and monopoly game from the loft. (Will do jigsaw puzzles then bootfair them).

Recycled: 
unwanted cards, backs of cards,  insides of cards and used envelopes. 

Shoe box that has been emptied
old iPhone box
two Plastic packed lunch style containers - that got damaged

bagged ready to take to aunt:
500 piece puzzle
jar of jam
two books bring returned
two books being lent

Asked friend if she wanted to do a boot fair together. I have pretty much gone through the house - only two cupboards and continued tidy of the loft to go - haven't got enough stuff to do one by myself (when pitch money is £13) - waiting to hear if she has time. If not will wait until Mum / aunt gave a good clear out! 

TC77

I had to google TOMM, I think alot of it is based on flylady, and I know it takes much longer than they say! but little and often does help and as @Finstickle says keeping some clear spaces is good. Love that I have some clear spaces in bedroom after tidying Tuesday but see how long it lasts.
1357 &8 took bags of cleaning things and food to DD1 as DD2 helping her tidy room as hoping to move places but after surgery she can't walk so paying her sister to help. Vacuum cleaner as well but should come home as the one in the flat isn't very good.
1359 - 1362 wrong bulbs returned
1363- lampshade to neighbour
Have acquired a lamp - think next year will try a 1 in 1 out rule as well so no increase and still have declutter target.
Love the sound of the courses, sometime I will declutter tasks to create time for other things.