2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

balabooberlies

-taff said:

@balabooberlies I'd consider it strongly ...I was all over the place when my mother died and I'm noe of those, oh no, I don't need no stinkin' help, I'm big and tough and strong. But I wasn't and I wasn't coping, so I slapped the don't need no help side of me down and went and talked to someone. It was so very helpful. No because they had any strategies I could try, but that they just listened and asked questions and listened some more.

Thank you Taff

I am guilty of the same.

bala

x

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 5 tasks
2. Deal with Old Frogs & potential frogs ASAP but at least one on FROG Fridays.
3. Reduce/Restrict time watching TV and playing AB2 during daylight hours 😉
4. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed

Saturday was dark, damp & dreary but at least the wind had died down 🙁 I managed to write a vague menu plan & a shopping list. DH went to sm about 6:00 p.m. Homemade pizza for lunch (used shop bought pizza dough defrosted from freezer) Dough was smeared with chicken gravy paste & tomato purée, added slices of red pepper to 2/3rds of dough (DSis doesn’t like cooked peppers), then salami pieces, soaked porcini mushrooms & mozzarella. Absolutely delicious 😋 Dinner was beans on toast for DSis, one bacon & one fried egg sandwich for DH & a fried egg sandwich for me. DSis wudupa. The Winter Olympics is almost over & we have 2 medals 🏅 🏅 one gold & one silver 🥳 Currently watching the 4 man bobsleigh & we do have a team in the top 20 🤞

262 - 263 Kitchen recycling & detritus 

Well done on another successful book sale weenancyinAmerica 👏 My DSis would be extremely jealous - she loves huskies 😉 I hope that your roommate will be fully responsible for the husky & that it doesn’t make even more work for you 🤞 

Thank you ScarletRibbons.

What an excellent result notmy1sttime 👏 Shame about the vinted items ☹️ What a lovely gift for your friend’s daughter 🙂

Hope you had a successful day of decluttering Guineapigsqueaks 🤞🙂

nannywindow, no accounting for the lack of care & community spirit 😖 but well done you 🙂 As to the path & gate, I think it was at the back of your mind & now it is far easier & safer to walk side by side with your Dad 👏🙂 Hope you have a lovely family holiday 🤞even if you can’t re-enact the famous Titanic scene 😉 

Good work EnergyShifter 👏 No point in trying to force yourself to become motivated better by far to rest & recharge 🙂

Sounds like you had an enjoyable few days with the small people regardless of the weather 🙂 What nice neighbours you have 🙂👏

Excellent decluttering Guinepigsqueaks 👏 Enjoy your alone time 🙂

Welcome aboard The EDT Primrose 👋 No idea how you can get OH on board 😔 but perhaps if he sees you sorting, tidying & decluttering your stuff & how happy it makes you he might join in 🤞Leading by example does work …… sometimes 😉 Do you have a nice neighbour who could help you get items out of your home 😉 

Lovely to see you Deni_debt-free_dreamer 🙂 sorry RL has got in the way of decluttering 😉😉 but I see you have had a successful day getting so much out of your home 👏

You are welcome Gem-gem 🙂 Good luck with the sewing up 🍀

Excellent decluttering charlies_tribe 👏 I am awarding you a medal 🏅 for bamboozling your DH 🤣 + a Gold Star ⭐️ for reaching 577/2022 

Great suggestion Floss 🙂

Fizz2015 hope you have a lovely holiday 🙂 & I hope the family member gets well quickly 🤞 Well done on decluttering a large item 👏

Excellent work EnergyShifter 👏 just 6 more items & I will be making an award 😉

How lovely florianatwobob 😊 A great idea to give small person their Christmas presents after the event - didn’t get lost amongst all the other gifts 😉

So very sorry for your loss TC77. But so pleased that everyone got to say goodbye. Hopefully you can find all the personal items without too much upheaval 🤞I agree with weenancyinAmerica - please take it easy on yourself. Thank you for my hug 🤗 

Excellent advice weenancyinAmerica although sadly it is easier said than done 😔 What a great idea re the war diaries & I love the idea that there will be diaries of the pandemic around in 100 years although more likely to be electronic than paper 🙁

balabooberlies, I think it is a common theme that we soldier on rather than asking for help. 

-taff absolutely nailed it 😉

MrsSD  🏅🏅🏅🏅 🌟 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

I AM A STAR 🌟 

Decluttering Target: 263/2022

2022 - 1p Savings Challenge: Running Total £17.92

wort

@TC77 my condolences, our greatest gift from loved ones who have left us, are the wonderful memories. So as long as you keep those physical things aren’t needed. Take care of yourself X

Floss

I've spent the last few days sorting & tidying the walk-in cupboard on my landing. When I moved in it had just an almost useless half-depth shelf at head height  which has now been supplemented by adding a variety of storage both on & underneath. Everything has been out (apart from the ironing board & garden cushions) and yesterday I took 1 bag to the tip and 3 to the local hospice shop. There was other stuff that got put on Ebay, some of which sold almost straight away.

I also tidied & put a new wine rack into the cupboard under the stairs...the previous one had moved with me in 2019 & didn't quite fit so it was chazzered & the new one arrived midweek. It has 4 rows, with an extra 2 put away if I ever move it. Henry vacuum is much happier now he can get in & out without fear of breaking anything. By the way, one row of that wine was bought by DS2 & DDiL for their visits and the bottom row of prosecco & "good wine" was gifts - and what's left will last me about 2 months. I tend to buy my preferred wines when they are on offer, but only drink 1or 2 bottles a week.

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Ooooh Floss - my Hetty hoover would be envious of a home like that !! 

oceanspirit

TC77 so sorry to read about your dad.  Your mum’s war diaries sound fascinating.  My sister has my grandmother’s war diaries and I keep forgetting to ask her if I can borrow them for a read.

Primrose, do any of your local CSs do collections?  As others have suggested, start with decluttering just your things for now.  Can your DH’s things be boxed up and put somewhere out of the way?  I would ask him to do this rather than you so that he can appreciate how many things he actually has.  Another thing to gently suggest to him is that he photographs everything, prints the photos and makes albums.  That way he gets to regularly more easily appreciate more of his things than if they are put away or piled up.  Things just lying around or in storage get damaged so that is something that could be mentioned, whereas the photos will preserve things in the condition they are in now.

Slow going for me recently - RL busy atm.  5 items gone and 2 papers.  This coming week will be busy too then after that it should be easier to get back into decluttering the little bedroom.  The March deadline is approaching fast and I am not as far on as I would like to be.

Floss

Deni_debt-free_dreamer said:

Ooooh Floss - my Hetty hoover would be envious of a home like that !! 

Lol! The only trouble is Henry likes it so much in there he rarely comes out! 😂😂

daisy_1571

Primrose 

Great ideas there from Ocean spirit, Floss and Energy shifter.   

Over the years theres been a fair number of people on these boards who start off with an oh or kids who fights every step of the way or is indifferent to wanting to declutter/tidy/organise/sort but there have been a significant percentage who report after a while that the oh/kids has cleared somewhere or sorted a drawer or some other change of perspective.   

From memory, I think the most important aspect is when the poster decides to do their own stuff/own space.  I get the impression that removes the 2 'sides' that have maybe come up over time.  I think the psychology is that if you get told you have to remove items you automatically think no, I don't want to, its all precious and MINE.  If you aren't told that and you see someone else clearing spaces and gathering like with like and organising things a little bit at a time,  all the various ways that we use, it seems to quietly spur them to think some of their things are in fact surplus and not the most precious thing after all.  

I tend to go with the Marie kondo idea when looking at a pile, is not to say 'what can go' but to say 'what would I like to keep'.  It helps identify favourites and useful things in a way that looking for items to chuck suddenly makes you want to keep everything.  Call it a trick or a shift in the way of thinking but it just makes you feel less defensive, whether you are doing it on your own or with another person.  So if you have someone not yet on board, asking questions about things to be kept and showing you understand this item is significant to them but maybe this one is less of a favourite?   Maybe that kind of language would help not make them anxious that its all their stuff thats getting chucked out ?

Good luck.  It must be frustrating to not be in control of taking things away, but keep at it and hopefully you will be surprised.  Let us know how things go

Daisy xx

Gers

weenancyinAmerica said:

TC77 - sorry to hear about your Dad. Yes, you always feel like you should have done more, but you did what you were able and that is what is important. After 16 years, I still have some regrets but I realize that what happened is past (took some years of therapy though). Take it easy on yourself. 

I've held onto my parents' war diaries to pass along to nieces and nephews. If they decide they don't want them, I can pass them along to the World War II Museum in New Orleans. I would think the Imperial War Museum and Eden Camp would be interested if anybody there has diaries to pass along. I've done research at both. I also have had diaries from relatives back in the 1800s I have been passing along to various museums. Otherwise, there are several museums here collecting diaries including current ones - which will soon be ancient history (that includes our diaries of the pandemic). One hundred years from now when another major pandemic hits that will make interesting reading while people are waiting out the next siege. 

Funnily enough I posted on the OS board this morning about my late DM's wartime diaries - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6336532/old-style-daily-sunday-20-february-2022/p1

It's a particular joy for me to know that all the documents she kept and treasured are now going to be useful. I've decluttered a lot of the things I know that she particularly treasured - well, she treasured everything really but I mean that they had a special emotional tie to her.  The graduation gown and hood have gone to a provider of those garments, her mother's fur coat gone to a film / TV production company, same with her 1930s German drinking glasses (so beautiful and delicate) as well as her 1930s horsehair three piece suite - I'm keeping my eyes open for a period show to spot them. 

So, decluttering but repurposing.  I'm not quite done yet, it's difficult emotionally, however, it's right - memories are not in things though they may trigger happy thoughts.  I've just made a huge pot of linseed soup which my DM made every week, the very smell of it has taken me right back to my childhood, and I didn't need her soup pot!  Mind you, I have kept my great-grandmother's wooden spoon, not to use it as it's really well worn, but to look at.  It makes me feel happy to have it in my kitchen drawer.

 

notmy1sttime

Today I tidied the tupperware cupboard and pan cupboard and got rid of the spare lids, tubs with no lids and odd random pan lid that no longer has a pan. Done all the laundry and changed beds, put all laundry away (except large ironing pile currently cluttering the corner of the room).