2021 MISSION DECLUTTER and CLEAN

florianatwobob

I forgot I decluttered my brain of one job I’ve been meaning to do; isolate the water to my outside tap and drain any water left in the pipes. With the cold weather looming I don’t need to risk my pipes freezing and bursting. Whilst my plumbers are lovely the ticking off I’d get from them for something avoidable would be……memorable. 

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

Sunday has been a damp day but relatively warmish 😉 DH pottered in his office, DSis slept round the clock and woke up & came downstairs for a while at 4:30 p.m. Made herself a cuppa & took a headache tablet. Injection arm still painful but she does feel a lot better 🙂 Retired back to her room until dinner time & is now sat watching a horror movie with me. I washed, prepped & froze the measly amount of hg carrots plus the chard & continued writing Christmas cards - have done my family & am currently writing cards for friends. Then it just the neighbours’ cards 😉 I also binned last years XMas card fronts which I had intended making into gift tags 🙄 Dinner was M*S lasagne & garlic bread. Wudupa.

2207 - 2210 Kitchen recycling, glass bottles, office recycling, plastic bottle - recycled 

2211 - 2212 Kitchen detritus, last year’s XMas card fronts - binned 

You are very welcome tiddles - you earned them 👏🙂

Thanks oceanspirit - DSis is definitely a lot better today 🙂 Excellent work with the emails & I agree it is just as satisfying as getting rid of physical clutter 👏 Keep up the good work on paperwork decluttering 🙂

Sorry to hear that your booster jab has also knocked you for six, Wednesday2000 ☹️ Excellent work on the decluttering & cleaning 👏 but try not to do too much physical work whilst you are still tired ‘wagging finger emoji’ Fingers crossed 🤞 that you can take your 5 bags to CS 🤞Having previously turned up at CS & having to return home with the still full bags ☹️, I have taken to phoning in the morning to check before heading out 😉 

DSis is definitely on the mend short_bird, thank you 👏 Excellent work on the physical and electronic decluttering 👏 Long may your ruthless streak continue 😉

Oh dear elsien 😔 I hope you don’t have too many bags for the CS 🤞Seems like there are probably a lot of people in your area who have decided 2021 was the year to declutter ☹️

It will end florianatwobob 😉 but possibly not this year 😉 At some point you will get to that happy place of ‘maintenance decluttering’ Great work on decluttering items to CS 👏 You really don’t want your plumber annoyed at you 😉😉

The Christmas market sounds wonderful EnergyShifter 🙂 & you should be very pleased with yourself that you resisted the temptation to buy anything 👏 Re the duplicate necklace - that is what I call serendipity 🙂 Excellent decluttering 👏

Thanks for the good wishes re my DSis, bit_by_bit 👏 Just the one baby expected in December in my family 😉 Excellent decluttering even though you were tired 👏 and I am pleased that both DD & DH have pitched in 🙂👏 Everything crossed that your Lateral Flow Test is negative 🤞 

MrsSD   🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🥇🥇🏅   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    2212/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £566.45 to end of November

villagelife

Some more done

1232 a light shade
1233-1236 bits of metal poles
1237 more packaging from curtain poles
1238-1239 boxes from hall have gone. They have been there for at least 6 months.
1240 chest of drawers has gone.
1241 emails deleted and unsubscribed from.

That's all for the moment.

florianatwobob

Thank you for the pep talk Mrs SD. I must admit to a fit of the moody blues with it all yesterday. I think it was the equal and opposite reaction to having achieved so much this year. Some parts of the house are now on maintenance decluttering 🎉 others are not yet at that stage……

Glad your Dsis is on the mend. 

2Scratters

Well today the lady called for a bag of bits of food and some other new items her year 7 students are working on that I had put together and 4 shoe boxes and a larger box now out of the loft and a cupboard.
Declutter a bag of marrowfat peas from the cupboard and made into mushy peas Yum!
Found some sugar free jelly they too made into what they should be. Fudge made. Cushion covers from settee that were cleaned back on cushions. A  large wash laundered and placed onto airer. Am hoping that it is a good investment and cheaper than my tumble dryer. Do miss using it as it does help removing the dogs hairs
A significant pile of important papers sorted and filed away.
Both myself and DH have items that need selling and we need to pull our socks up to get them advertised. As I am stood here on my lap top and looking at the shelf I have just noticed there are 2 piles of CD's. We actually don't have a machine to play them on - another trip into the loft needed to store away and disturbing the temporary resident mouse
2 Scratters x

Wednesday2000

florianatwobob said:

Wednesday2000 said:

elsien said:

Local charity shops have signs up saying they’re not accepting any donations at the moment. 

Oh really? I will have to call the ones round here to check.

That would be typical as I have been decluttering like crazy today and have at least 5 bags full now.

The ones near me are still taking donations (dropped some more off yesterday) and have found myself having another clear out today so there’s  another bag in progress. 😢🧐🙂

Does it ever end?!?!?!?! 🧐

I know, it does seem never ending. I need to stop shopping at charity shops. When clothes are only £2 or £1 I am too tempted to buy the stuff.

I did two massive clears outs, one last year and one this year as well!

Siebrie

I have tackled 3 small stacks of books (about 20) on the landing. The books are now either in the old paper recycling, the donation bag, or on the bookshelf.

I have found a(nother) suitcase in the attic, which I thought was empty, but actually contained 4 bath towels, 1 (a rather ugly pastel purplepinkrose one) embroidered 'Gucci'. They are in the laundry basket to be rinsed and will be added to normal circulation. The suitcase is ready to accept the donations to African relatives. Husband will take the suitcase with him when he goes to visit his homecountry next year and then leave it there.

Today a charity is coming to pick up the textile recycling from the curbside, so I have put my labelled bag outside. I used the bag that held our new kingsize duvet 6 years ago, and am happy that it came in useful

We have celebrated St Nicolas, and almost all the gifts I bought were usable, as in 'can be used up and not take up space'.

DD2 made candles from a candle making gift set she got for her birthday in April. The set is now finished, the candles will be used to light out way through Advent.

I am a Sundayschool teacher and have structured the Sundayschool liturgy. We have a few new (very young) teachers, and this helps guide them through the hour. I typed it out in colourful letters, and our Pastor laminated it. It's just another thing I don't have to keep in my head, but can rely on to be available when (and only when) I need it.

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 is a dark, overcast & wet day. DH & I were both up by 9:30 a.m. 🥳 DH as he was off to donate blood & start his ‘project’ of using all the tube lines & stepping off the train & taking a photo of each tube station sign before continuing on. (The joy of a 60+ Oystercard - free travel on TFL services 👏) I was up to put the 36 hour marinaded brisket into the oven to slow cook for several hours - it has been in for 3 hours so far & smells gorgeous 😋 We will be having this for dinner tonight with mash & cabbage 😋 Will continue writing Christmas cards once I have finished this post.

Excellent work villagelife 👏

You are welcome florianatwobob 🙂 Very successful decluttering as you already have rooms that are under maintenance decluttering 👏

Wow you have been very busy 2Scratters 🤩 Your ‘decluttering eye’ is well & truly working 👏 Fingers crossed you only have the one mouse 🤞

Wednesday2000, As long as you are applying the ‘one in, one out rule’ then you can still frequent the CS 😉

Excellent decluttering Siebrie 👏 Surely you must be running out of items to send to Africa - apart from the husband 😉😉 I am very impressed with all your preparations for the festive season 👏 When I was a child, my Sunday School teachers were nuns so I probably didn’t learn as much as I should have 😔  Pleased to see that one of your Justins came in useful 🙂

MrsSD   🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🥇🥇🏅   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Decluttering Target: 2021    2212/2021

2021 Savings Pot:  £675.00 to end of December 

mothernerd

Tried to reconstruct yesterday from memory as I left my notebook behind on the bed. Yesterday was fairly successful but very tiring. Did some things here but can't remember what (wash load was one). I was going to cook brisket but mum suggested we have Chinese takeaway to save me time (the brisket is in now as it should be cooked once defrosted).

Because I wanted to get back in time to order before the takeaway got super busy, I phoned for a taxi and went home. DS3 agreed to put up the washing line once his programme finished (10 minutes left) so I took one of the sandwiches bought the day before, from the fridge (a lot cheaper than takeaway and the kitchen really isn't usable yet).

DS3 put clothes and shoes on, looped the line around the hook (too high for me) and I walked down to the bottom of the yard with the loose end whilst he continued to pay it out. Tried to get up on the little wall and one or both my legs failed 
(short interlude whilst I went to put the carrots and celery and stock in with the brisket)
My leg (or legs gave way and my weight smashed my right foreleg down on the top of the wall. Couldn't get my balance and my hand broke two of the fence slats as I fell forward.

I made that fence (roughly) 23 years ago. DS3 gave Beloved the line to keep it taut and then came down the yard to rescue me and take over tying the end to the support post. I hobbled back into the house to sit on a kitchen chair. I didn't cut the skin (didn't bleed) but I did put a dint in my leg and the bruising will be interesting. Between us we put the washing out (DS3 tied the other end to one of the trees in the unoccupied end house yard) clearing what was in the machine and a previous load (I'd started using the front room radiator and put the airer up the day before).

Beloved put the next load in and the next pile has been started at the side of the machine. beloved went upstairs with clean dry clothes (think DS3 did as well). I followed with a part filled can sack, a large box (for things to be kept - will be sorted through once we have room) and a tall tupperware type container for things to be kept that were small enough to disappear in the big box. I wormed my way along the far side of the bed until I found a spot where I could sit on the bed, with the boxes alongside/ behind me.

I had a small area which contained 2 bookshelves (along the outside wall), 2 kitchen chairs and a bedside table (really a one drawer one printer shelf filing cabinet) and floor that couldn't be seen. Beloved brought me a rubbish bag, and opaque sacks for plastic and then glass bottles (can also go to the recycle point rather than in the domestic bin). Paper and card went on the bed in the space between me and the headboard. I cleared the floor and the surfaces and edges and top of the bookshelves (not taking them all off at this point) plus any books that were out.

Passed the bottle and can sacks back to Beloved when I thought I'd got most of them. She passed me the broom and I did any cobwebs I could reach. Dusted using odd socks and a pack of tissues I found. Beloved did bottles, cans and rubbish from the other end (nearly 2 rubbish bags filled) and I shuffled chairs to get stuff from under them and then moved myself onto the chairs to work back the other way (could reach some skirtings, loose stuff from under the bed - storage boxes left for another day. 

DS3 was asked to bring me a drink and given another couple of tasks when he arrived. Blue box from the printer shelf was gone through and mostly thrown away. One bookshelf was full the other had only a few things, which were passed over the bed and Beloved put them on the large shelves by her desk. The area at the bottom of the stairs was clear (I'd done some and then pushed the rest into the light for further sorting) so any clothes that needed washing (not dirty but very dusty) were thrown straight downstairs.

There was a computer shelf behind the filing cabinet/ bedside table. Very sturdy and obviously expensive. Beloved said it was part of her desk but it cuts into her knees when it's in place so I asked that it go on the skip pile (feel a bit guilty but if it can't be used for it's intended purpose at this point I'm not spending hours thinking where else it could be used).

I'd already refused Beloved's parents' high tech washing machine - ours has lots of life and another will become available before DS3 and Beloved need their own. I'm so tired of minding other people's stuff. DS1 moved out once and didn't come for his furniture for a whole year. We don't need to import things from across the Pennines. DS3 was called upstairs again and moved the emptied bookshelf into my room (at some point during the day it switched to being my room again - mostly clear, he has some clothes in the drawers and his bedding is on the bed). If the nearest bed shop had been open yesterday I'd have bought him a bed and got the one downstairs into the yard as a raised bed.

I did several minor frogs - found a missing appointment for mum (woke in the middle of the night worrying about it and decluttered 2/3 of the papers in her bag and the letter rack). the appointment was not next week, which is why it wasn't on that page of my diary. I couldn't get back to sleep so wrote the letter to go in my cousin's card and addressed the envelope.

I'm counting it as 47 (this was the average number of items I need to clear to reach my target by the year end). I worked as long as I could and as hard as I could. I apologised to Beloved for leaving a job unfinished but she knew what all the bags/ piles were and promised to do one or more further loads of washing.

Because I was later than intended getting back, so it took the takeaway over an hour to arrive. I went to bed as soon as I'd eaten. It's been a long time since we had Chinese so I 'overordered' and will use the rest to supplement our meals for the next few days and add any veg we have that needs using. I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and awake again before midnight. Slept in chunks of time until 5.30 am when I had my pills and something to eat. Put the brisket by the cooker to reach room temperature and when I woke up, someone had stolen my morning.

I'm hot again and frail and wobbly so today might be a working from here day, preferably as many 'from the chair or bed' jobs as possible. Feeling restored now and will eat more food when I put the laptop down. Want to message DS3 and ask him to contact the cleaners (they do hoarder/ student/ end of tenancy cleaning so shouldn't be shocked). If the floor is clear, it would be a good time to let them in - even if it's just to deep clean the kitchen and bathroom. If the cupboards were done all the clean pots could be put away and we could get a good look at what needs to be done next. If they're busy we need to book them whenever they have availability (DS3 is paying).

47 for Sunday, 452/ 2021 current total

Finstickle

Morning all,

Some happy numbers here.

327 - DD coat into material recycling, it had some mold stains from our horrid porch which was why she'd stoppped wearing it,               which have not come out in the wash.

328 - 347 - DD reusable nappies & all associated gubbins, sold and sent.  16 nappy wraps, 35 liners, 6 additional nighttime                             liners and some fleece to use as protector.  Claiming 20, 4 for the additional stuff.  I used a different site for this sale                     due to issues with Ebay and their 'health & hygiene' policy which caused them to cancel my listing, despite having                         previously bought and sold pre-loved reuseable nappies from there!!  So I gave Vinted a try, item sent today so will                       report back overall impression once transaction fully complete

348 - fitbit, replacement unit not needed, sold and sent

349-350 - someone on a local free FB group was doing a collection for a local homeless charity so I gathered a hoody that I've outgrown and a thin fleecy blanket (we have sooo many blankets) to pass along.  These are being collected tonight.

Feeling really pleased with my numbers and confident of hitting my target, and while looking for items to donate I came across a couple of other items, not suitable, that I could list for sale as well.