2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

GrannyKate

@AnimalTribe - a good way to sort is putting like with like if you can set aside a small area to do so.  This works well with cables, electronics etc as they always seem to be everywhere in house - you can then see exactly what you have and set aside a home for them.  

I have started off in a random fashion but think that will work best today.  DS2 came round and got Christmas boxes down from loft for me.  I emptied dishwasher and filled up again adding dishes and pots from food leftovers in fridge until dishwasher full.  Turned on again and will revisit fridge later.  I have a selection of bags for recycling, CS, rubbish etc and I am adding to them whilst wandering from room to room.  Also collecting Christmas things and putting on dining room table to sort. 

1 Closed short term savings account which finished yesterday and transferred money to main account.  Will buy some premium bonds when transfer has cleared. 
2. Set up 1p challenge jar.  
3. Deleted random emails

Guineapigsqueaks

Morning All and Happy New Year!
I am bobbling about this morning, still in my pyjamas! Slept a bit funny so my neck is a bit stiff, but moving will assist . I have emptied dishwasher, had my porridge, juice and a cup of tea and recycled the Christmas Radio Times. Also, put a chicken in slow cooker to have for tea with various leftover bits, so that will declutter fridge later.
Best get dressed, will report back later.  Sounds like DD has started a clothes sort out, so hopefully some bits will be ousted.
Guineapigsqueaks x

EcoIntent

Happy new year!!

I've emptied my two main cupboards with store cupboard items in and wiped them down with anti-bacterial spray, and wiped all open bottles down. Hardly anything to go in there as I have been working on food waste for the last couple of years and generally we don't overbuy food. Done an inventory.

1. Christmas radio times - recycling
2. Ketjap Manis - Dregs left and discovered it should have been in the fridge - rinsed and recycled
3. Golden syrup tin - In date but only dregs left  and the tin was sticky and starting to rust - cleaned out and recycled

Doubt there will be anything else today, as going to mums for a roast dinner - and only plan other than that today is the meal plan for the week, and to clean the microwave. Time to relax , whatever you are doing have a wonderful day. 

elsien

GrannyKate said:

Happy New Year all.

I think I will try for 2022 for 2022 on the EDT.  I also plan to do a job grid to put on the board in study - one decorating/cleaning list for each month.  I got a bit out of the cleaning habit and have noticed a few cobwebs and dust in corners.  Taking Christmas tree down today and I intend to seriously go through the decorations which I never use before stuff goes back in loft.  I have some vintage ones which I will keep but too many others. 

........

@GrannyKate I created one of these last year, spent ages getting it just right. It's now gathering dust along with more paperwork and I have realised that creating spreadsheets is my way of procrastinating rather than getting on and doing things. Hope you have better luck with it than I did.
I have also bought replacement items in the sales and am struggling to let go of the things they are meant to replace because they still have some use in them. 
Rather than getting rid of lots more stuff (which will still have to happen at some point, I think I want to focus as well as keeping the house in the state where if someone visits I don't have to leave them standing in the porch. More of an ongoing tidying/cleaning thing, as a starting point.
Also need to declutter some of the ridiculous amount of time I spend fannying online instead of doing the things I need to be doing but that's proving harder than anticipated. Scared to set an online time log and am sticking with my ostrich impression till I feel a bit braver.

mothernerd

I have several mantras (will probably add more as I go along) which have served me well in the past.
Start where you are, use what you have (Arthur Ashe). Today that will mean staying on the bed (at least until my leg stops hurting quite so much) but I have collected drinks and a roll of bags from downstairs and will bag rubbish and recycling and make lists. I also have a number of minor house repairs that we can do ourselves and I have the materials - vanquish black mould, repaint the worst of the walls (usually where I need to hold on eg at the top of the stairs before I can take the first step down and get hold of the handrail) using left over paint from the last 'all through' house painting.

Just because you can't do it all, doesn't mean you can't do any of it. Make a start. My health means that I have to pace many jobs, alternating between standing and sitting and doing things sitting wherever possible. I have tackled seemingly 'impossible' jobs by just trying (lots of thinking to determine how I can proceed first). Similarly -

Just do 3 things. Before you leave any room just do 3 things to improve that room - it can be as simple as putting a hairbrush away in a drawer, picking up rubbish that missed a bin and taking a cup back to the kitchen with you. When I'm really incapacitated (stuck in bed and having to hold onto things to get to the bathroom and back) I think about what I'm going to do next time I stand up - which bit of the bathroom I can wipe (I worked out all the bits I can reach whilst sitting on the toilet) and pinpoint something I can move either on the way to or from the bathroom. Lots of jobs can be done sitting in bed (was ordered to bed rest for 2 months once and I would get one of my sons to lift out a drawer and put it next to me on the bed, could pair off socks and arrange the drawer neatly, I also hand hemmed a circle cut from an old bedsheet to make a cover for a parrot's cage for someone).

At times of crisis I use the mantra Food, Clothes, Bills. We all need to eat, have clothes to wear and attend to important paperwork (I interpret bills as appointments, bills are mostly standing orders but there is always stuff with deadlines or needing to be remembered). You start with today - work out what you will eat today (eat now if you have to - being dehydrated or having low blood sugar will make things so much worse), put a load of clothes in if you need to/ get out the load that's been festering in there and note any upcoming appointments in your diary (plus anything you need to do beforehand - blood tests etc) I'm using appointments because that's what my life revolves around, for others it could be work tasks or voluntary/ pleasurable activities. Once today is sorted you can plan meals for the coming week (jot down any shopping) and then the rest of the month.

My target is 2022 items in 2022. Up to the last few days, like others, I have been accumulating decluttered items (I completed my original 2021/ 2021 and the started a second in the last couple of months which was partly completed) so to give me a much needed boost, I am starting the year on 204/2022. This included many bags of rubbish and recycling, none matching boxes and lids, cleaning items of furniture, moving them where I wanted them to be and adding contents in the space, stuff moved from mum's to my house (and vice versa), discarding OOD food (mum was ill and not eating, have replaced some items in the latest order to tempt her to eat (apples, grapes, scones) and thrown out the unappetising yellowing apples, important paperwork, and my embroidery (thanks to Mrs SD - didn't think I could complete any projects before the year end but want to make a start) and unpacking multiple boxes of stuff at my house and putting them away properly.

I haven't been around for the past few days. I've been sleeping at home (been at mum's since March 2020) since Tuesday 21st December but going back to mum's almost daily (DS2 called on Christmas Eve and I'd just passed on advice from the NHS website on what she should and shouldn't be doing, so he did the daily wipe through and clean) to continue packing, sorting out any food stuff she won't eat and organising the rest and hobbling round zapping all the door handles etc with antibacterial spray (couldn't stand up long enough to wipe them all).

The 30th was the 8th day of illness (NHS website said it should last 5 - 7 days) and mum was not picking up. Mummy of twins had arrived before me and was worried because the curtains had been drawn and mum was still in bed in the afternoon. I have been doing all I could to encourage mum to drink lots and eat if she can (she'd polished off the bananas that only arrived the day before) but she was obviously dehydrated and very weak.

Mummy of twins and myself spent all afternoon on the phone to 111 (on speaker so we could go to the toilet if needed). We spoke to 3 levels of people with periods on hold in between. Finally they directed up to our local GP alliance who had no appointments available (fully booked since 8.30am) and said our options were to call 999 or take her to Wigan ourselves. Mum said she couldn't walk to the car, so we phoned for the ambulance. 

Ambulance people and the operator on the phone were wonderful. They did lots of checks and gave her oxygen. She went off in the ambulance around 5 pm and I was told to wait for 3 hours before calling (I obviously wasn't allowed to go in the ambulance). She was put in side ward in A & E and given oxygen (low level) and fluids until a bed on another ward could be found (this was very reassuring as she has no immune system and her biggest danger is picking up everything the other patients might have - apart from a broken leg). Yesterday the medical doctor phoned me  and told me she has COVID, a COVID related chest infection, her kidney results are worse than when she had her last regular tests so continuing with IV fluids and low level oxygen. They are talking about keeping her 'at least over the weekend' (probably longer). I phoned last night and found the ward she had been transferred onto but the nurse looking after her was doing med rounds. I'm having to use Beloved's phone - I put £10 credit on mine at 4 am yesterday and by mid afternoon it was down to 90p. So moving is on hold (if she comes out of hospital I might have to move back (essentials only) to her bungalow. 

I'll go and do something useful now (food first I think)

Pennypincin

Hi, I'd like to join, if I've not asked.
I really can't remember if I have or not.
I've made a good start in the last 3 weeks or so and have shifted around a 100 items at least.
They've been a combination of dvds, blue rays, books, clothing and an assortment of different items. Either through selling through various sites, donating to a charity shops or friends or family who have wanted them.
I've a bag filling up for the charity shop, a handful of items waiting for people to say if they want them or not and am going to continue to tidy and sort out the contents of my property.
I'm going to try and be more careful with what I'm bringing in as I tend to get carried away.

TheCraftyForager

Happy New Year everyone and thank you for the welcome!
Inspired by some of your ideas,  @Mrs_Salad_Dodger in particular, I made sure I left my kitchen tidy(ish) last night.  I know what a difference it makes, but can't always make myself do it!
It was lovely to wander in there earlier to be able to crack straight on with making a cake for visiting family this afternoon.  Normally I'd have to wash up before I started.  All the stuff from baking has now been washed up too.
I also did a bit of a sweep of picking things up and putting them away/in the bin whilst I had my 15 min LFT timer on - distracted me from stressing over the result! 
Really enjoying reading everyone's posts and finding plenty of inspiration! 

TC77

@mothernerd.... so sorry to hear about you mum and hope her oxygen is improving and you are taking care of yourself.

So much going on with the thread - Happy New Year everyone and glad to be on the train with you all.

This morning every room seemed chaotic, but decided to start in the kitchen, tried to put something in a cupboard but full so pulled things out, opened boxes, and decided to sort out birthday candles -really v low down list of priorities but caught my attention and has gone on like that so v haphazard but anything tided is a bonus).
1. threaded xmas decorations I didn't use this year as not threaded in preparation for next year (last night but counting)
2  - 5 ood flour, and in date food for food bank
6 - 7 rearranged shelf with foil etc and refuse sacks - had been short of both for a while so bought extra each shop for a while before registered have an abundance.
8 unpacked and put supplies in jars
9 - 11 garden swept and rusty screwdriver and paint holder out
12 - 13 medical info filed - after search for hole punch for me and DD1
14 - 15 shelf with papers on in kitchen tidied, some binned, and some rehomed
16 box of things (from elsewhere) with neighbour to take to donation hub
17 hung washing outside, - wiped line and couple of old pegs out

I do think like with like really helps but something I struggle with.

Hoping to get a couple of frogs eaten this afternoon.

Look forward to hearing how everyone gets on,and hugs and positive vibes to those could do with these. X

stellata

Can I join again please? Its been a pretty carp year and I've fallen off the wagon, lots of family stuff on top of the pandemic. this is the first year in a while I'm not planning to move house so I just need to get down to it again. 

stellata

starting small...
1. binned 4 things from the fridge which were definitely past their dates. I've been very good about freezing leftovers but these eluded me till now. 
2. 2 cardboard boxes flattened and in recycling bin