2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

Blackberrycurved

5 rooms upstairs to I'm going to do the bathroom and one bedroom tomorrow then the others will have to wait a good few weeks.

Well done people on selling on e bay. I've put some gorgeous clothes both on e bay and vinted not a sniff, the photos are good so it must be my headings or something. I have tried 5 day auctions they will have to go to charity if I can't sell but I know quite a few folk who will buy them from buttons from the charity then add £20 on and sell on their e bay shop and that puts me off a bit plus I'm skint. Liverpool Anne glad your husband is better. 

Happy_Kitties

364.  A very posh mug that was £30 in a set of four online,  but I picked up two cheap in a charity shop for £2 each, one broken after the cat did zoomies around the kitchen good job I bought the other one available in the CS so I still have a spare.
365. Halloween present given to a friend’s little one when he did his first trick or treating
366. The worry I decluttered to friends. I finally did the paperwork for it. It took me hours and hours, spent all last week working on it but finally done and submitted. The relief was amazing. All done and finished. 

CCW007

Reading along and cheering you all on here, very inspiring reading your posts.

One more day of the plasterers being here then a few days peace and quiet then prepping for the carpet fitters coming next Monday to lay carpet on stairs, hallway and main bedroom.  So hopefully I can pick up again from next Tuesday onwards, it has been really disruptive having the plasterers here!

I have however decluttered all the old carpet and underlay except for a couple of sections I need OH to help me move things to get to.  All in car ready to go to the dump at the weekend.  

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

986-8 3 x cards posted

989. Regifted some flowers I'd been sent - I'm allergic  (ate the chocolates though  )

TC77

@Vascodakarma fabulous view, - hope you're catching up with posts after your trip, and lovely that your niece is on the cruise as well.

Had to fish one of my boxes out of recycling as sold some old cups and saucers (have others but this was the right size).
 7 items and packaging 1863 - 1869
2 bags to DD1 1871

@Happy_Kitties , hope you're getting to relax after dealing with all the paperwork.... v difficult when these things take so much time and energy.
1872 frog I've put off for months, and wasn't that difficult but won't get as good a result as if I'd done straight away.
1873 - 1875 attendance allowance update sent for Dad, emails sent and folder set up for him.

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

Monday has been another mixed day - rain interspersed with dry spells. DH went out to pick up some quick drying gloss & some more paintbrushes. He only has half the doorframe + both sides of the door to paint. Also needs to make a slight adjustment to the new door hinges. I think DSis had a nice birthday 🥳 Although she only received 2 cards (from DB’s in-laws & me) but I gave her a box of chocolates, a chocolate orange & a decent amount of cash. The flowers & small box of chocolates that DH had ordered were finally delivered just before 6.00 p.m. 😖 but DSis loves them. She was very happy with her 2nd birthday meal - lo lamb reheated in lo gravy with green beans & another load of roast potatoes 🙂 DH & I had pork steak as our meat content. The last of the lamb, some lo carrots with some fried onion was used to make a small shepherds pie. Topped with a layer of sliced lo (from yesterday) roast potatoes & lo mash. Cooked at the same time as the roasties & pork steaks. DH had also picked up a small sponge birthday cake - so DH & I sang the obligatory Happy Birthday 😉 & DSis blew out the 4 candles 😉 I spent the day clearing down more programmes from planner (Sky box still showing BST 😔 & I spent a happy half hour reading the complaints forum where there were 38 pages asking the same question over & over - almost as if the posters hadn’t read any of the previous posts 😂) + I did a bit more of the transcribing recipes Frog 😉 Wudupa.

2055 - 2056 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 

2057 - 2058 Kitchen detritus, plastic wrapping from DSis’s flowers - binned

What a beautiful photo Vascodakarma 🙂 I am so very pleased that your cabin booking was honoured 👏 but rather shameful that you were put through the stress of being allocated the wrong cabin 😖😔 Such a lovely surprise for you to have your niece & her hubby + 4 friends on board 🙂 Hope the cruise is lovely & what a great way to start your future life 👏🙂 - you deserve it 🙂

Lovely post skogar 👏 & you made me giggle as well as florianatwobob 🤣

vulpix not only are you very MSE but also very eco friendly 👏 Pleased to hear that you & MrV have relaxed the purse strings a little 😉 Hope MrV feels better soon 🤞- he obviously needed the sleep 😴 Remember you can count cleaning 😉 especially as you have done all the hard work in decluttering & are now reaping the rewards by being able to clean so quickly 👏 You can also count frogs dealt with as decluttering 🙂👏

Excellent decluttering Finstickle 👏 especially as you now have space in your wardrobe 🙂

Blackberrycurved, sorry to hear that you are not being successful in your selling attempts ☹️ Hopefully someone can give you a few ideas to increase your chances of selling 🤞

Great decluttering Happy_Kitties 👏 Especially completing a huge Frog 👏 that deserves a medal 🏅 which is on its way.

CCW007, Great news that the plasterers are nearly done 👏 Though I imagine you need a couple days to tidy up after them ☹️ New carpets to look forward to as well 🙂👏 Btw, do you have to book to go to the Tip or just turn up?

EnergyShifter, that is sad 😞 allergic to flowers ☹️ but at least you enjoyed the chocolates 👏🙂

Great work TC77 👏 especially retrieving a box from the recycling & reusing it 👏 Thank you for the timely reminder that the quicker you can deal with a frog the better the result - I am guilty of delaying dealing with frogs. You have spurred me on & tomorrow I will try hard to deal with 2 frogs 🤞

MrsSD   🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅 🏅🏅 🏅 🥇🥇      ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Decluttering Target: 2021    2058/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £466.45 to end of October

vulpix

Good Morning,

 We did do a small amount of clearing in the shed yesterday. We took all the pictures to my Mum's and stored them in one of her spare rooms. (so they don't get damp) I had a little surprise as I haven't ben in there for months. There are some car boot things on the bed that I had forgotten about. The start of a car boot for next year! The pictures are massive framed posters of Barbar. My kids loved them when they were young. DS says keep them for now along with the dolls house ,lego ,knex , meccano and the Moses basket. DS and DIL have their first IVF in January. Fingers crossed.

 No mouse collection at my Mum's. I thought I had been through all the boxes in the pantry. ?????? I suppose another sweep of the pantry of doom is on the cards.

 I had a lovely time yesterday afternoon visiting shops just to look at Christmas stock. It makes me happy just to see it. DD2's Secret Santa. Kettle purchased, VERY expensive Birthday dressing gown for Mr V and new thermal vests for me purchased. Bought some Xmas nibbles too. They probably wont see Christmas!

 970. 3 ancient thermal tops

 Vx

Wednesday2000

I have been going through my winter clothing as I packed it all away ready to move house but now I need it all as the weather has got a bit colder. I opened one box and didn't even recognise the clothes at first so I have done a big declutter again.

There are three carrier bags for the charity shop ready to go now. 4 coats, 2 skirts, 4 tops, 2 cardigans and a top.

I packed away the spare clothes hangers in a box to move and there are loads of them! I showed my husband and he said "Why did you buy more hangers?" I said that I didn't, that they were the ones we used to use for clothes! I have no idea what all these clothes were but I know we don't miss them at all.  

bit_by_bit

Thankyou for DHs medal @Mrs_Salad_Dodger. He is 'wearing' it  proudly 

He has emptied a bag of stuff online, his electronics, and I have aded two book sales to go today so another bag out.

However ANOTHER bag of books found in the RoD yesterday  Getting everything into one place has made me more able to see what we have to get rid of. No real space made though.

Also from the RoD I pulled all of the jewellery I have. It is not all mine thankfully. Some is also my Dads, Sisters and some from a friend who's mum died a few years ago. I have a plan for some of it but the rest can go to the CS. Oh and I haven't even started on 'twiddle muffs' my SiL made and litterally coated with jewellery, still on chains and quite dangerous.

This is winter evenings (or two's)  project so is going to have to wait a bit.

I have laid it all out on the dinner table for DD who wanted a necklace for her graduation. She pulled out the most glittery necklace, like I would have done, but didn't want anything else. Well trained that girl.  I trained her to do clear outs as soon as she could make a decision so she is pretty good at A not cluttering up in the first place, B decluttering and C. reuse, recycle and buying reusable products.

mothernerd

vulpix said:

Vascoda,go girl !

 Bit by bit, you are on fire! Most of my wrapping paper stash has been used before. Very MSE. A few of years ago I started using more gift bags so it doesn't get used like it used to. As my kids got older their gifts got smaller. What I need is some Grandchildren, they have much bigger gifts. This year I will just wrap, no gift bags. I can't bear to just recycle it all. I re use gift tags too! Makes me sound a complete skinflint but when my kids were young I really was unbelievably poor.
  I was the original MSE. It is ingrained in me now. I couldn't splash the cash if I wanted to. I have relaxed a bit since I have been married to Mr V and we enjoy a holiday and a nice car.

 I had a lot I wanted to do today with Mr V's help on his day off but he has fallen to sleep. Bless him.

 I don't have any numbers to update but I cleaned the house top to bottom yesterday in about an hour. Love it. Don't love cleaning but love the fact it only takes an hour. I will add some more frogs to my list even though there is a massive frog uneaten from last time.

 Frogs

 put new handles on drawers, not as easy as it sounds

 phone my mobile provider and Leave. I may have to fake my own death.

 clean the windows inside

 finish the neckband on 2 baby jumpers that I knitted about 2 years ago

  Everyone is working so hard. I miss not getting rid of stuff. There is of course the pantry but I am still enjoying the tidiness in the house for now. My wardrobe could also do with a tidy ,I had trouble stuffing my new coat in.

 Vx

When mine were little their presents often came in big boxes. I always spent one of the days in the week after Christmas, ironing and rolling large pieces of wrap that were barely used, all ready for the next year (just have to remember not to give it back to the person who sent it). All cards were recycled as gift tags, calendars (think the little tabs were about 22p), notebooks - used a hole punch, cut pages to size from notebooks and larger pieces with some 'damage', and tied it together with a piece of ribbon through the holes, and shopping lists. 

Infant/ junior school had a competition each year and each child would make a wreath (one year it was a banner using a metal coat hanger). I couldn't afford to buy anything so would mainly use our own decorations and any bits and bobs from around the house. One year I went round the house taking ribbon bows from around the necks of teddies and other stuffed animals, just  for DS2 to tie things onto the wreath.

One of my saving money tips is to only buy half the Christmas wrap you need (10p a roll in the January sales) and to buy a plain or simple patterned (spots, stripes) wrap to match/ contrast. The plain/ spot/ stripe paper can be used for wrapping birthday presents throughout the year, so less stashed away in a drawer, cupboard or attic for most of the year.

To stay on topic, I've started on my 60 to go in November (2 a day) challenge and bags of cans and rubbish went outside the back door yesterday morning (it was pelting down so wasn't going as far as the bins but wanted it 'out'). Not cheating because I started a 'from the bed' tidy on Saturday morning (not much energy day, so task selected to suit) with some take away containers on a tray - sorted out embroidery threads, pills and medical stuff, garden labels (and any stray seeds that escaped), coins (I tend to drop change in bottom of bags when shopping) used a small cutlery drainer for purse, phone, glasses case, pens and pencils. Added a bag for rubbish, one for paper, one for cans and scooped up small handfuls of stuff every time I came back from the bathroom.  

Decluttered some anxiety with the visit to the doctor's. Mum and I both had our flu jabs, mum went for her blood tests and I gave the doctor my carefully cut down notes - one each headed Depression (several new issues), Cold/ flu bug (already down to end of winter energy levels of flatness) and Mobility (all the 'might be arthritis' bits and the dizzy/ disorientation/ off balance bits).

I'd put down all the steps I'd already taken, including resting and pondering problems (looking for new/ part solutions), taking a multivitamin, sitting in the yard with a throw wrapped round my shoulders, trying to do at least one thing a day (selected by urgency and available energy).  

He checked my chest (clear), gave me the phone number for going back to CBT (it's helpful to have someone else suggest ways forward, especially when there's too much going on. Verdict was that I am doing all the right things (actually said 'doing excellently, considering all the things I'm dealing with') and that many people just don't bother to try and help themselves.