2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

Vascodakarma

£423 compensation from BT for all the messing around after the cash grab fiasco!! After giving me 2 incorrect refunds, they cut off my Internet saying that I owed them a completely different,   ridiculous amount and I’d  just had enough by that point. I reminded them that if they can’t do their sums,  how can they expect me to and I thought it was time to escalate the matter. They told me it wouldn’t do any good then rang me back to apologise 😂 they offered me about £140 and I just said no, full amount - their errors, not mine! Plus how rude they’d been. 

At one point someone tried to explain to me that technically BT never took my money because it went into pending! I don’t care if it never arrived at their bank, it was still not in mine and it was not available for me to use! Plus they insist that me losing £50 on the way to the bank is my fault 😞 yes, but . . . 

Anyway drawing another line under that, I am off to do some provisioning 😃 I’ve re-organised my cupboards and taken out about 20 cans of veg fruit and meat that would not be my first choice in another lockdown! They’re now on an open shelf so I’m reminded every day to eat these up so I can replace them with more inspirational food to get through another boring winter. It was condensed mushroom soup for tea last night - not that bad actually.

I always do a major shop in November - toiletries, cleaning products, dry stores - having everything delivered really helps. No impulse buying - or very little 😂 All my purchases are planned, and meticulously researched – it takes me forever. I leave things in baskets for so long that retailers email me to see if I’m still alive! 😂😂 it’s a good way of getting notified about lots of discounts 😂😂 

I rarely pay full price for anything. 

I did D clutter 21 tatty old vest tops,  T-shirts and bras to the rag bag. Replaced by 10 identical super soft vest tops, 2seamless sports bras and 10 identical pairs of plain knickers 😃 Keep life simple 😃

Finstickle

@Blackberrycurved if you can cope with the mess I would definitely try and only put back items your keeping.

Perhaps have a separate section for future decluttering? Ie I have a bag of clothes that don't fit post pregnancy - if I'm not in them next summer (when DD is 3) then they go. 
But keep it tidy and organised, perhaps a specific wardrobe for your man's/daughter's stuff?
Getting that cleared out of the living area would also help your brain. 


274 - drawers used by DD for toys. We'd sawn off the legs and a bit of the top to get the drawers to fit under the stairs so despite being in vgc couldn't sell. Luckily someone from my local free group also needed something smaller than std and picked up yesterday

275-272 - 3 x BMX bikes. Not mine, belonged to the step kids who went through a stage of fixing up bikes and selling them but were left with 3 that didn't work. Again FB came to the rescue and these were also picked up yesterday.  Claiming as mine as I did 100% of the work to get them gone 😁
Plus I'm sure they annoyed me more than anyone 😂

Working_Mum

Blackberrycurved said:

Sorry for this ridiculously long post please feel free to scroll past. 

I am in need of decluttering advice. I have just had some decorating done well quite a bit three rooms hall stairs and landing. And while everything looks shiny and bright my house looks like TK Max during a sale. Everything has been put into other rooms taken off walls and there is just stuff everywhere. Some of the stuff is my daughters who is living in London but she has just finished university and may be back soon. Some of the stuff is my man's who died six years ago and although I have got rid of some of his clothes the time still isn't right to make more headway with that. I work as a freelancer and I work 3x12 hour days and two 8 hour days. So I really have one day a week when I can declutter. I don't want to put anything that I am getting rid of back into the newly decorated rooms but the chaos has been driving me mad for the three weeks that the decorator has been here so I am tempted. I've got myself a cleaner since I joined this threat but she hasn't started yet. I don't know whether to ask her to help me to sort stuff out and move stuff back into the rooms or to clean the rooms which look vaguely normal. I'm sitting here getting ready to go to work and I just feel a little bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Do I do one room at a time ignoring the chaos that is in the rest of the house and make it look like I want it to be zizzi and clean and uncluttered or do I put the stuff back and go back to doing small little jobs as and when knowing everywhere is brighter and freshly decorated. If I had someone to help or if I was younger and didn't have a bad back, If I had three weeks off and spent four or five hours a day I could do this and I would be really glad to be here. That is another issue that plays in, my mental health needs everything tidy. Thoughts

What room do you have available @Blackberrycurved ? I recently downsized HUGELY from a 5 bedroom detached to a 3 bedroom semi which is now open plan downstairs! I read a book by Dana K White which was revolutionary  - https://www.aslobcomesclean.com/about-me/ - it is often recommended on here and helped me reframe my attitude to my  "clutter" enormously.

I am not sure if you have the space but I put everything I had into my garage - we'd just moved so it was in boxes - anything which I used every day etc was placed in the kitchen/lounge etc but I knew I had to be dedicated about sorting my garage out so it didn't lounge in there for ever.

I bought some lovely boxes from Eb8y and went through each box which needed sorting - I aimed to do two boxes a day (and let me tell you I could hardly open my garage door I had so much stuff). I chip, chip, chipped away - keeping only what I loved, placing them in their appropriate container. Dana K White says you can keep whatever you want as long as it fits into the container to which you've allocated it.

It took me 6 months to get my space sorted - my garage now has a PVC front door so I can use it as a store room (couldn't park a car in it anyway as the access was so awful) and I used my old furniture (which didn't fit into my new place but which I didn't want to part with) to store items - an old credenza stores my alcohol and crystal glasses. My old bedroom dresser stores all of my woodworking tools etc! Quirky but I love it and it didn't costs me anything to do.

My downstairs is now re-decorated and relatively clutter free - everything else I need is accessible easily via my store room. I have a couple of boxes which are dedicated to "hmmm, can't quite decide what to do with these items" - so I have a diary note to revisit in a couple of months to revisit and see how I feel about the items and then take appropriate action.

I think if you keep your objective of wanting to be clutter free and enjoy your newly decorated home you will be able to sort your home in a good timescale without overwhelming yourself.

I wish you luck!

HTH

WM

Blackberrycurved

Thanks yes only put back what I'm keeping that's a way forward. What I've spent 10 mins doing is actually thinking how long it would take me to do each room I reckon 32 hrs to declutter properly and get everything back. in 5 hr chunks that is about 7 full days that seems better in my head. it takes me to about 12th December which again seems doable instead of bits and bats which I can't see an end to then I need some sort of ongoing chore routine. The cleaner didn't show she got her days mixed up - we'll see. My man's stuff I didn't think it would be a problem until he died now so many things are a problem ,everything I get rid of feels like another part of him lost so for now everything in a wardrobe, his big pics / posters I'll frame, photographs can go into a photo album. I'm going to start Sunday on the dining room lots of admin and bills lying around omg CDs and DVDs my first 5 hours but I can light the coal fire. Have a lovely day everyone.

Blackberrycurved

Thanks Working Mum - No garage and I don't think I'd downsize I love the space. I used to have a big one plan space and it drove me crazy lovely for Sarah Beany but she's got several houses. I like eating not in my kitchen and seeing the dishes or seeing the tv and with older kids it was a godsend to have separate living rooms where they can chill with their mates. The morning room is fab for meditation and yoga and I have the piano in there. I probably have one bedroom too much so I could live with a 3 bed but I like the 4 rooms downstairs. The boxes is a really good idea I might do what you've done and stick them in the spare bedroom 2 boxes a day is very impressive I could do 1 a week  x

nannywindow

Hello all, hugs to anyone in need.

As it was a dry morning DH and I removed and bagged up the remaining chippings, we also managed to save some of the tanalised timber edging. Unfortunately the weed control fabric was beyond saving and has been binned, can't really complain as it's been down for years.

It started to rain after lunch so I dealt with a frog and contacted our water supplier- Welsh Water, who couldn't have been more helpful and the staff were lovely. I hate talking to strangers by phone and takes me a while to summon up the courage 😒 Stupid really but that's just me and it's become worse as I've got older. Rewarded myself by ordering 3 new jigsaws, which should keep me occupied through the winter.

3 plastic containers and lids, not fit for purpose, now recycled, along with a large coffee jar and milk carton.

Blackberrycurved I find only doing what I can, when I can works for me, then I don't pressure myself and get into a meltdown tizz. It's not a sprint for me but a very, very long marathon 🚶🏽‍♀️.

Take care all, stay safe.

nan xx

p00

My granddaughter, who is 9, has cleared her room out as its being decorated in November. I cannot believe how much 'stuff' has been bagged.
And where is it? Sitting in my porch.
In fairness my daughter doesn't use Facebook so I said I'd put some on for her. And we sorted through it so 3 full bin bags went to the local charity shop.
Fortunately I have sold 5 items and 2 more pending collection. Its only £30 but my granddaughter is having the money to accessorise her new bedroom as she wants to change her bedside lamp etc. No doubt more for me to sell.
My house is still clear but my porch makes me want to cry today lol.
p00 x

Blackberrycurved

Thanks Nannywindow. I think that works better if you can do it but since my fellah dies I have to work about 60 hours to make up for his missing wages and so when I can is so limited and my mental health has to have a clear plan and time factor or I'd give up x

bit_by_bit

Welcome  chrpycheap,. Its great company here even if things aren't going to plan

Are the pom poms the sprouts @vulpix ? You have been very very busy. Wish I had your energy.

@Blackberrycurved. I really feel for you. I think you have had some good advice from others. Remember you don't have to get it all done at once. In fact it is going to take a long time. If I had a fresh start I would definitely make one room peaceful and lovely and calm and shut the door on the others  until I was ready to deal with it. I presume its bedrooms upstairs.

Read @Mrs_Salad_Dodgers posts. At the top she has some daily rules that help with dealing with the day to day.

In the meantime: Big hugs and positive thoughts coming your way. 

Just catching up with posts. Thankyou for my Medal @Mrs_Salad_Dodger.   

I have been clearing a big frog the last few days. Sorting out my piles of books and bric a brac to sell and organising into boxes, merging boxes and, photographing and storing. I feel like I am organised now.I have let a lot go recently but I enjoy selling. Once they are gone 

Today I have been over the allotment with DS2 filling three raised beds with soil. The place is looking a lot tidier and another bag of rubbish has gone to the bin.

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

980. thank you card to optician
981. candles - CS
982. dead shorts
983. item to food bank
984. Returned borrowed neck pillow to cousin

Apart from one session booked in tomorrow morning - I've reached the end of my first full working week since the op (I try to work only 4 days).  I'm shattered and I am very much looking forward to a good rest over the weekend.   I will keep screen time to a minimum - prioritising mindless "comfort" TV! 

985. Completed DS' PIP form for him 

Thanks for good wishes Mrs SD x