2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

ruby_eskimo

Morning all.  Sorry to hear about your dogs daisy, she definitely sounds like a character.  

Managed to tick everything off my list for yesterday apart from 1 thing (doing a load of laundry...)  Even managed to actually clean and tidy the living room with some help from DH 🤯  Bedroom is on the list today and now he's out of bed I can strip the sheets and put them in for a wash.  On the decluttering front, have managed to sell one item so far from my listings and accepted an offer on another, so that should be 2 things out soon once they've been paid for and will then list the next 5 items this evening.

Hope everyone has a good day!

3secondmemory

Lovely and sunny here 😃

I hope to finish the black bags of shame today, ready for collection tomorrow. It’s incredible that 2 bags have turned in 5!! 😂😂 I have kept every letter, bank statement, payslip, receipt, guarantee, agreement, medical appointment since the year  2000 😂😂😂. 

Aims for August include trying to write more things down and keep track of them. The system that worked best for me, where I succeeded the most was at school. I’m just trying to replicate that - as well as her desk,  FantasyMe even kept her ‘rough’ book neat! 😂😂 

I’ve a list of things to do at the Library - I’m quite looking forward to going into Town 😃 The trouble is, I sat down for a rest and now I feel whacked 😂

mothernerd

Hugs daisy.

Not done much counting but finally managed to connect with DS3 yesterday and went home for the day (he leaves his key in the back of the door which means I can't unlock from outside, so need to go when he's awake - odd hours). Was there from 8.30 am until 5.30 pm, tackling the jungle and putting out rubbish and recycling. Did as much as possible sitting in a garden chair and (inside) on the couch or on a kitchen chair on the other side of the room.

Estimate I've done about 1/4 of the yard - took down a buddleii and a tree weed (self- seeds, looks like a nice shrub then grows like a triffid - man next door has several which have bellied out the back wall and don't want the same happening to our joint wall). I lent him my tree saw about 3 or 4 years ago, so he could chop them off at the ground and told him if he put them in the backs, I would chop them up and feed them into my green bin, which he did. Following year I lent him my saw again but he had pacemaker problems (he stopped me in the street to show me where they had superglued him back together) and couldn't do it but had some support from relatives/ social services - he's very deaf so they can't always get in.

Following year I noticed the back wall and put a note through his door, telling him his landlord should sort it. He let's his dogs out in the yard to do their business. I'm a good neighbour (don't want to get too friendly, he's a nice man but not very clean and happy to let others do any cleaning in the house) but I'm not venturing into a yard covered in dog mess. Well the triffids are now the height of the house, I will tackle them as best I can from over the wall but didn't manage that yesterday - I would have to stand on the little cobbled raised bed. Lots of ivy pulled/ cut down, ferns, dog roses, brambles, stuff that grows in the spaces between the slabs, some stuff that pulls out easily (moving my chair from one bit to the next or changing the angle). Filled the green bin and probably chopped down enough to refill it after next week's collection.

Filled the blue (paper) bin. Broke up at least 6 large cardboard boxes (empty or with very little in), lots of cardboard food packaging (mainly from ice lollies as I've taught them to take them out of the boxesto fill all the little odd spaces in the freezer and the contents are easily identifiable), at least 3 bags of junk mail and odd little bits (lots still left) and I stopped counting toilet roll tubes when I reached 120. I'm not going to put 120 tubes in my total but it was a mindless job and I needed some way of breaking it down. Someone likes putting multiple tubes together and squeezing them inside another roll, so added about five of those (later when I'd shifted the top layer. 

Brown bin (cans, glass and plastic bottles). Gathered at least 6 carrier bags worth in the front room and the bathroom/ landing (including a few UU toiletries) and put them in the bin (DS3 will fill the remainder and put it out for tomorrow's collection). Put more of the large plastic bottles from the garden into a spare bin (think the landlord of no 8 ordered all new ones for his latest tenant - previous tenant had had some set on fire and there are a couple of ownerless ones in the backs - won't be collected but handy place to 'hold' them and less chance of me falling over them - I only spotted a part hidden brick after I'd been up and down the yard a few times.

Went to the library for the first time in over a year and have a shiny new library card. Was very quiet, most of the chairs and the meeting area have gone - windows were built with a wooden bench seat in them, which I've always loved and used yesterday but I love the very simplistic layout.

Also ventured (separate trip) to little Arseda (former Netto) to buy some things which did not arrive on my last delivery - I bought the last 3 x 2 l bottles of fizzy water and the only decaff diet coke in the store 2 x 8 pack cans (none of my decaff was delivered and the water was an alternative and was further reduced by replacing 1.5 l bottles with one litre ones - not made up to like amount) and some things to eat (DS3 bought me breakfast). I also drank lots of lovely tap water - the water at my house is delicious, at mum's I'm filtering it, adding lemon juice and freezing it to make it vaguely palatable and the whole process is very time consuming. Didn't make it to Wilcos, only made it back from little Arseda due to finding a coinless trolley (to push all the way across the car park and leave inside the exit and then shuffling myself and the bags along the church wall/ grass in short stages.

DS3 went to bed about 3 pm (he messaged me to say he was awake at 4 am) and after I'd eaten a sandwich and had a drink, I moved his sofa cushions (seat cushion should go on first with the back cushion on top but because DS3 has very long legs, he puts the back cushion on first and the seat cushion extends to give him more leg room). Used a small pizza box as a brush and a large pizza box as a shovel, I cleared most of the debris off the couch - they do have brushes but I was very tired by then and not in the mood for walking across two rooms diagonally so more than the depth of the house.

Put the cushions back and sat in 'his' spot. Got most of the rubbish/ pots/ recycling from his top two shelves and the space in front of the couch with shelving on two sides (had to hold up bundles of computer/ accessory wires To get at stuff trapped under and between them. left the bottom shelf (space between side of couch and shelves is < one foot and could only reach so far into the gap. Collected 58 tubs of garlic/mayo dressing for me (I use them for 'roasting' veg instead of oil) and made a neat pile of the ketchup ones (all used ones binned).

I nearly filled a bin bag and could have filled another two (I could have worked for a week and still only scratched the surface) but decided I'd done enough for the day. I will start in a different spot next time and have several areas noted where I could improve things quite quickly (like hotspots - they could be cleared fairly easily soon but will cause traffic jams if not done). Had a shower (hot, sweaty, probably stinky) and crawled onto the bed. Added various medicinal and moisturising creams (poor poor feet) and have also acquired another two bites. Ate and drank from my bags, read, rested, slept.

This morning I've done a rubbish/ recycling round up and put the bin out for tomorrow's collection, checked the post box and am washed, dressed, medicated, creamed, arch and ankle supports in place. I've also written a list (parts may become separate lists) of things to do/ buy washing is already in the machine. Floor is mostly clear so will do the hoovering next (when I feel like it).

I also went up stairs at least 6 times yesterday (I had taken 2 of my towels, folded down cube shelf boxes and some dead sea salt crystals home with me), took half a mega pack of toilet rolls up and brought down small bags of recycling. Two trips upstairs is the most I've done for a while. I was having to hold on and haul myself up (especially at the end of the day) but I did it.

GrannyKate

I'm quite worn out reading your post Mothernerd.  
Got back from my travels yesterday afternoon - satnav decided on a very strange route but fortunately children spotted a McD just as they were getting restless and crabby.  Dropped them off home at 4 but too tired to do much then.  Went to bed early, slept badly and woke up at 5am.  DGCs are here today but promised swimming later - if they don't kill each other first!  We had a lovely time at DDs as there are horses, dog and chickens to look after.  Good trip to Safari park and we managed to catch a steam train about to leave on the heritage railway nearby.  Truly horrendous rain for our castle visit - much cancelled and it took 3 days to dry out coats and shoes.  DD has been given a ticket for another day so she can take her two again.  Lovely birthday meal out for DD and swimming at nice pool as well as very long woodland walks.  

BG plumber is here and has completely changed entire cistern but knows nothing about hot water pump.  He has gone to ring the office.  

1360 Pair of old shoes binned
1361-2 Shorts x 2 for CS
1363 Fridge cleaned out and food thrown out
1364 Cupboards checked for OOD stuff
1365-6 Carrots, Potatoes and lettuce harvested
1367 Tickets booked for historic house visit when DD is here later in month
1368 Bank accounts updated for end of July

nannywindow

Daisy many hugs. I have given up on having any more animals, I can't deal with the heartache. I've had a dog, 3 cats, a hamster and several budgies and they broke my heart every time they passed over the rainbow bridge 🌈

Nothing to much to declare in the decluttering dept except a full green waste bin of more shrub cuttings. However DH has just informed me that he needs to declutter his shed next week 😲 so now I've told you all, he has to do it ! 😁

Just watching the Olympic speed climbing 😱. It takes me 5 mins to climb the stairs these days 😂 Shame the horses are all finished although I watched DGD doing her own horse dancing this weekend when she went to her horse riding lesson. Happily she collected a bronze medal in the relay race 🐎🥉 She's coming over later for a sleepover and baking has been requested, so that's my baking cupboard decimated again. Not going to knock it as when I'm old ancient she can keep me fed with cakes and biscuits 😋🍰🍪

Take care all

nan

D123456789

Decluttered 2 large baby related items, also several bags of toys - some to charity shop, some to nursery and some to a friend. Also some recently outgrown clothes of LO have gone to charity shop just before it closed!

The drawer unit we had in the kitchen has been repurposed to the lean to and DH has had a good clear out in the lean to so it's looking a lot tidier.

DH has also filled the green bin having spent a few hours in the garden. I've done 2 lots of washing, and we both had a swim h to us morning so quite a productive day off together! 

Looks like it might rain now so best bring the washing in! 

3secondmemory

I don’t have the energy to be excited about this but I just decluttered £3445 worth of debt to HMRC. 

I spent 59 minutes on the phone, mostly on hold,  and then explained my situation. I do not know what they hold on record but, I was asked to wait and, when they came back to me, my overpayment was written off, tbc in writing. 

I didn’t return a form. It’s haunted me for years and I never claimed working tax credit,child tax credits or Ema again even though I was entitled to. I just couldn’t cope with the paperwork and I had this stupid idea that if you just put your head down and work harder, you could dig yourself out of any pit. 

I feel a little bit safer tonight

Floss

Well done for facing that demon @3secondmemory, you will sleep a bit easier now.

3secondmemory

Big 🐸😂😂

Gearing up for another one if ‘those’ phone calls today. 

I found an uncashed OOD cheque from my mortgage company while going through old paperwork. I don’t want to have to phone them up and explain how a person can be as singularly incompetent as me but it’s for £169!!!

Krebbit 😉😂😂😂

GrannyKate

So impressed 3secondmemory you are tackling real frogs - hopefully we can all offer support along the way.  I may eventually tackle a really difficult frog which has been hiding for some years.

More childcare today but only for the morning.  I have promised baking which I may regret.