2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

ruby_eskimo

Glad you had a safe trip back Mrs_SD, thanks for the encouragement as always - will call round a few charity shops tomorrow and see if any of them need hangers 👍

Congratulations on all new babies being born - a friend had her first child about 6 weeks ago and he is absolutely adorable in all the pictures I've seen, can't wait to actually meet him when they're ready to share him with the world.

Ordered some more plastic wallets for storing the sentimental bits and bobs so need to pick those up this evening from the Amazon locker up the road.  Then I can spend my BH weekend organising paperwork 😂  If I don't set myself the target to do it, then it will never get done.  Plus it's something I can do in front of the TV in the evenings anyway rather than scrolling on the phone, might just have to leave the shredding till the advert breaks though 😆

Have slacked on the cleaning this week but things are relatively tidy in the house so I'm not too anxious about it.  Going to pop a load of washing on in a minute and hopefully can deep clean the bathroom this evening - might even treat myself to a bath afterwards.

Hope everyone has a good weekend, hugs to those that need them.

Emm-in-a-pickle

Three second memory, congratulations to you and the proud parents - little Emillia is particularly beautiful, a lovely head of hair and no wrinkles!

Mrs SD, you are amazing, catching up with so many pages and cheering folks on. Thankyou for all you do here.

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

Friday has started with brilliant sunshine, blue skies & fluffy white clouds. DH is up watching the 1st practice sessions of the British MotoGP. I have put away yesterday’s dried washing, will try to finish the cheerleading & will work out what needs doing first from my long To Do list 😉 Haven’t quite got back into the swing of things so just did last night’s Wudupa 😔

1624 Cardboard packaging - recycled 

TC77 what a thoughtful and kind post 👏 There seems to be a link between physical, body and also mind clutter. I think the mind clutter includes all the emotional/emotive events that occur & there is only so much of that we can cope with on a daily basis. Unfortunately that leads to comfort eating & letting the clutter build as displacement activity. A lady called BarbCh set up a thread called ‘Declutter Mind and Declutter home’ which has some very good observations & might be worth a read. Keeping my fingers crossed that you & DD1 can sort some temporary accommodation until the new flat is ready 🤞 Well done on tackling a couple of frogs before they become giant frogs. Please be proud of yourself 🙂

We did have a great time bit_by_bit 🙂 but I was glad to be home although not quite the same as it used to be (pre DSis 😉) Yay to Committee approval for the merger 👏🥳 My thought on them splitting the plot is that they were looking to the future - when the time comes maybe they think 2 half plots will get snapped up quicker than a large plot 😉 Well done on only buying 4 books - a major win 👏🙂

Floss, I think the real reason I record numbers is that I can see that I am at least making an attempt to declutter 😉 What a wonderful revelation to have - you have worked your way through the final emotions of a divorce & come out the other side stronger & more self aware - that merits a Gold Star ⭐️  School reports are so entertaining 😅 - I think I still have mine somewhere 😉 

vulpix, you are so right it has been very interesting reading. Re your ‘aspirational’ light fitting I hope you have taken it down & put it up for sale 😉 otherwise you risk just getting used to it 😔 What a wonderful word “camaraderie” it evokes so much genuine feeling & is a light in what can be a harsh world 🙂 One medal 🏅 on its way for finishing the painting & doing it so well that, barring accidental damage, no retouching will be required 👏

Nice to see you -taff 👋 That ids the beauty of this thread - you can dip in & out as the de lettering mood strikes 🙂 You have a lot to do and are making excellent progress 👏 The problem with Justins is that we end up keeping too many 😉 but that can be a boon when we decide to declutter 😉😉

Spot on OWD_nana 🙂👏 Swedish Death Cleaning it is 🙂 & not just helpful when you are gone but also reduces your own stress day to day 🙂 I am awarding you a Gold Star ⭐️ for commencing work on a major frog 👏 Photos always take such a long time to sort through - I get caught up in reminiscing whenever I start & ashamed to say I end up abandoning the project 😔 but having said that, each time leads to more photos being binned 😉 FlyLady, gardener & declutterer 👏

Lovely to see you mothernerd 🙂 Nice that you found someone to do a Tip run for you 👏 Some mums do like to share but I am pleased for you that she is on the mend 😉 Please do take care of yourself - you need a lot of TLC & all I can offer is lots of hugs 🤗 Well done to you for keeping positive - sometimes it can be a struggle & you are coping with a lot. Perhaps your mum is mellowing a bit with her ‘no party’ edict 🤞I hope everyone was suitably grateful for all your efforts & hard work last year - no wonder you were exhausted 😩. DS2’s gf sounds like a nice girl 🙂 & perhaps she might lend a hand with the edging stones 🤞😉   Always lovely when visitors give you a boost 🙂👏 rather than draining the life out of you ☹️ Your Practice Nurse sounds great & well done to you for letting off steam - prioritising your MH is the kindest gift you can give yourself. I know you can’t change the situation with your mum but always remember how many people love you as you are 🙂👏 That sounds like a wonderful day - doing things you wanted to do & in your own time 🙂 Hopefully you can have one or two days like that each week 🤞

Nice to see you back Emm-in-a-pickle 👋 Remember once you are aboard you are here for the year 😉😉 & it doesn’t really matter how often you post. I for one am looking forward to reading about all your successes 🙂 Agree with balabooberlies that your post was “bloomin lovely”

Absolutely everything crossed for you short_bird 🤞 Here’s to a 2nd interview & the job offer 🤞

Great work Happy_Kitties 👏

Will be back later to resume cheerleading 😉 now I am on p375 🙂

MrsSD 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🥇⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Decluttering Target: 2021    1623/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £300.90 to end of August

3secondmemory

Had a bit of a disaster yesterday. A ping on my phone alerted me that BT were taking my direct debit out of the bank – I was fine with that, totally budgeted for and expected – £26 for home essentials broadband and my mobile phone. 

Except that the direct debit that went out of my bank to BT was actually £427 !!!!! I was not expecting that! 

My huge concern was that I know that I will be totally decluttering my bank account on Monday because that’s when I have to pay the balance on my cruise otherwise I lose nearly £2000 worth of discount! I’ve been budgeting to the penny for the last 2 1/2 months so for a few moments I saw my holiday disappearing in front of my eyes. Halifax were very good and clawed back the money straight away. BT rang and as well as a huge apology are, they credited my BT account by £50 so I don’t have a phone bill to pay for the next two months. Instead of changing over my contract, it had been calculated as if I had left BT. 🤷‍♀️ 

Anyway the holiday is still going ahead. I’m just about to walk to the large toy shop near us and get a refund or credit note on a gift that I bought for a friend. I bought her an embroidery set sometime ago but I didn’t want to give it to her because she can be very critical sometimes. I heard her make a couple of nasty comments about some other gifts that she’d been given, so I just thought sod it! - i’ll return the gift and get something for myself!! That sounds a bit petty but Realised I was going out of my way to try and please her when her chosen lifestyle is not to be pleased by anyone, and she’s sucking my good energy out of me.

i’ll be doing another little car boot sale tomorrow so that’s keeping me busy. I’ve got some junk I’m happy to give away, some junk that’s definitely worth 2 to £3 an item and quite a lot of specialist items which I need to list on eBay or Facebook selling pages. Got three brand-new pairs of shoes in my wardrobe - how can I let the new stuff in if I don’t let the old stuff out? 🤷‍♀️😂 

Happy_Kitties

293   Soap dish recycling
294.  Empty hand cream tube-recycling
295.  Large amount of plastic wrappings finally taken to the recycling point. Don’t often have chance to go, so made the most of the opportunity today

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

886. Table mat
887. Present & Card to friend's grandchild
888. Table
889  Sports top
890  Gift box
891-4 - 4 x manuals
895 - repaired jumper
896 - iPhone packaging (why do we save these things - I know I'm not the only one!) 

897. DS's tenancy agreement for next year - released on compassionate grounds
898. old mouse pad
899. DS's room completed - ExH did a great job 

3second memory - what a shock re: DD - so glad you got it resolved

short_bird

1468-1470: 1 bag rubbish and 2 bags recycling to bin
1471-1473: 1GB data and 100 emails deleted
1474-1487: 12 items herded to the right place               
1488-1510: items bagged up to be sold tomorrow. (Also, hopefully meeting friend for gossip and coffee, if she has enough  spoons.)
1511: train, hotel and event booking completed for Manchester visit next weekend.

Second interview for paid job next Tuesday and also been offered some volunteer work. We will see how this balances out...

3secondmemory

EnergyShifter said:

EnergyShifter said:

886. Table mat
887. Present & Card to friend's grandchild
888. Table
889  Sports top
890  Gift box
891-4 - 4 x manuals
895 - repaired jumper
896 - iPhone packaging (why do we save these things - I know I'm not the only one!) 

897. DS's tenancy agreement for next year - released on compassionate grounds
898. old mouse pad
899. DS's room completed - ExH did a great job 

3second memory - what a shock re: DD - so glad you got it resolved

It was the shock and the confusion- I just could not figure out what was happening, what was real, how had I got it so wrong? I hate my brain when it doesn’t work properly. I got home from the bank and slept right through afterwards. 

I’m still stressed – my face is burning and I’m a bit shaky. Didn’t help that I was already confused about the days. That’s becoming a real issue. Even when it’s written down in front of me, it’s not making sense. 

I have a very large pile of plastic crates and various containers which have now been emptied and washed. I’m going to spend the day reassigning some and getting rid of the rest. I have been putting off listing anything on Facebook pages – I keep finding reasons not to do it because I really don’t want to, even though I must 🤦‍♀️ I’m just going to keep trying and see what I can get done over the long weekend rather than setting targets I keep missing. 

One thing I’m very pleased with it is the list that I’ve been able to do to top up my cupboards for the coming winter. One of my sons is coming up in a fortnight to stay the night and take me back down to Devon with him to see the baby 😃 As always, he offered take me out for lunch and to do a big shop – somewhere that I can’t usually get to easily on the bus. This will be my 3rd year of living like this - I think I’m adapting pretty well. Almost totally decluttered and living ultra frugally - I didn’t imagine I’d get to this point ever, let alone so quickly.

I hope everyone finds some respite this weekend. Find time to breathe and reassess what’s going on. Take a break and congratulate ourselves on our successes 

Emm-in-a-pickle

Good Morning folks!

Energy Shifter, so glad to hear your DS released from tenancy agreement, it`s one thing less to stress about.

ThreeSecondMemory, likewise, DD issue resolved but stress has shaken you up (I had a lot of stress lingering after I`d eventually sorted my issues with Scottish Power, it went on so long until I could change energy provider and even months after if I saw a SP van out and about I`d get wound up again!!)

You are at a lovely place, and so well put in your last paragraph - lovely things to look forward to, and a great sense of progress and acheivement to look back over the last few years, well done you, enjoy!

Well, after my decorating success in living  room I started thinking about more indoor log storage, and repurposed a tall white cane shelf unit from spare bedroom. I got it for a couple of pounds from a carboot ages ago when I had estate car or I`d never have got it home. It`s very sturdy, has 4 x 16 inch square shelves, open back, front and sides, I had been used for storing boxes of mostly junk, but I managed to get it cleared, mostly to skip or CS, and cardboard recycled, and then lug it downstairs and into the corner beside chimney breast. Then bringing in logs from logshelter outside, dusting and stacking them, it looks great and we`re all pleased with that one. Also filled the 2 log baskets which have been put back either side of the hearth.

And I only got one splinter!

Next thing was to get another log delivery having emptied the logshelter in readiness, and a bit of bodging to reinforce it (built from old pallets by DDs ex, ages ago, and getting a bit wobbly) After the new logs delivered, it seems a bit sturdier! Still, I was looking for another logshelter but undecided.

I bought one online, a metal self-assembly thing.

Had to clear a space for it, on paved area beside existing shelter. Moved 2 huge pots, one with bay tree and one with olive tree, and thought of Mothernerd...(thankyou Mothernerd! xxx) and slowly shuffled them into new and better for them location other side of garden path. Then I found that a `weed` cottoneaster I thought was `contained` had grown thick roots along and right through the corner of a small planter and anchored itself behind the paved bit, so had to break up the planter and trace roots back, far enough so they were thin enough to cut with lobbers. Most of the back garden is a wilderness, apple trees, nettles, and  a clear bit to access washing line and decking, nothing has been done in the garden lately as attention diverted, but at least front privet hedge has been kept reasonable-ish.

We opened the box, and read the instructions for assembling the new logshelter. It was like a giant meccano set, and said it should take 2 people 2-3 hours....

OH and I started at 1015 am, only had 2 ten-minute coffee & snack breaks, and finally got the last bits in place and fixed by 4.30. Neither of us is agile, nor able to kneel/squat without being helped back up again, and some of the instructions were misleading (to put it kindly!)  I wouldn`t buy another one, nor recommend one to anyone but a masochist!

I cba cooking tea after all that, so we had fish & chips from local chippie, and talked it over while we ate - 2 amazing things, one that we managed to complete the task, and 2 that we did it without arguing/swearing, or leaving some of it for the next day. We had some wine and celebrated Teamwork! All it needs now is some sort of backing as it`s not up against a wall. I`m still working on ideas for that, `twill be another Emm-bodge....

Have a good bank hol weekend all, however much or little you plan to do.

Floss

@Emm-in-a-pickle your log store sounds like it's  the same manufacturer as my compost heap frame!

Not much done this week - apart from decluttering a day & a half and 575 miles driving a hire van to help DS1 move his partner from Hertfordshire to Yorkshire.