2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

nannywindow

Hello all, hope everyone is well, hugs a plenty here if not.
Yesterday I decluttered an empty bottle of antibiotic mouthwash which my dentist gave me before xmas and I had shoved it back in the bathroom cabinet, ooops! Also out an empty zoflo*a bottle and box and a sponge cake made by me, which was as flat as a pancake 😲 My second one was better but not as risen as usual either and normally I have no trouble making any sort of cakes. I think my oven has finally decided to give up the ghost, well it is 25 years old and so I think it's done it's time, now I'm on the hunt for a new one. Our printer is also playing up, so I'm waiting now for the third thing to need replacing 😏. Out today a large box from m&s flowers and chocs, a mother's day pressie from DD 🧡 The family will visit later and I'm looking forward to that as we haven't seen each other much lately.
Hoping everyone has a good day, take care all
nan 

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 

Friday was another sunny day 🥳 Made a soup using up los & bendy vegetables which DH peeled. I did a 2nd Friday frog - wrote cheques & a note for each of my 6 ‘first cousins once removed’ - a helping hand which I am in the fortunate position of being able to do 🙂  The 3rd Friday frog was to find my grandfather’s family photo album to give to my uncle. Sent DH & DSis up into loft to find it - no joy ☹️ I looked in lr wall unit & also in 2 crates in the room of doom - no joy. DSis then pointed out 2 more crates by the side of the wardrobe 😱 Lots of hoiking boxes, ironing board etc out of the way & then success we found the album - a rather large & heavy volume with 2 metal clasps 🥳 Have added ‘room of doom’ to the To Do list 😔 
Dinner was pork steaks - oven cooked with the last of the bendy parsnips & carrots, mash, Choi sum & peas 😋 Wudupa. I had a relaxing bath then went to bed once hair had dried.
P.S. DSis went to Turkish barbers & had her hair cut short - was fed up with growing it long 😉

517 - 522 Kitchen recycling, large cardboard box, 2 plastic bottles, drinks cans, newspaper - recycled 
523 Kitchen detritus binned 

Saturday dawned bright & sunny 😎 DH had a bath & we all got ready for a visit to my female cousin (R) the other side of London. Left at 12:15 & had an uneventful though crowded journey by bus, tube & train - all 3 of us masked - as opposed to 95% of the other passengers ☹️ Stopped off to pick up a few cans & some wine then a 15 minute walk. First to arrive, followed by eldest cousin & his partner, uncle & 2 long standing family friends, R’s daughter & her partner & lastly R’s younger brother, wife, 4 year old son & new baby son 12 weeks old - 18 of us in all. A lovely family party - plenty to drink including an alcoholic fruit punch & lots of lovely home made food including lasagne, vegetarian lasagne, peperonata, chicken schnitzels, hot chicken wings, potato pie & a tomato & feta salad. Absolutely delicious. The weather was warm enough to be able to eat in the garden. More importantly lots of laughter, chat, cooing over the baby & reminiscing. My uncle was particularly chatty & we learnt a lot about how he met his Italian wife - a chance meeting as his parents had bought a farm in Italy which needed work & were renting an apartment meantime. My uncle (an architect) had drawn up all the design plans. The apartment was on the 2nd floor & my aunt to be was living upstairs with her mother & 2 sisters. My uncle still has all the letters they wrote to each other during their courtship - he was in England & she was in Italy. Sadly aunt died almost 10 years ago 😢 DH’s & my Life Batteries are fully recharged - family visits are such a joy. Walked to the train station, train into London Bridge then black cab the rest of the way, indoors by 21:15. Small snack, watched TV & then off to bed.
Sunday is overcast & damp & have had to turn the heating back on ☹️ No plans as yet 😉

TC77 isn’t that just the way 😖 but at least you can declutter some more items 👏 

What an excellent post -taff 👏 As you say we all have different methods of decluttering but are all working towards the same goal - less clutter & an easier life 🙂

Great work Baxtersmum 👏 Liberating is a really good way to describe decluttering 🙂

Sorry to hear about the fridge freezer bargainbetty ☹️ Hopefully you can get a replacement quickly & relatively cheaply 🤞

Party time vulpix - roof done & scaffolding gone 🥳 Good luck with the other tradesmen- mither away 😉 A very encouraging & uplifting comment for TC77 which we can all take heart from 👏 A timely reminder that decluttering is a marathon not a sprint 😉 Good work especially dealing with the frog 👏

iPad still playing up so will be back later to continue cheerleading 😔

MrsSD  🏅🏅🏅🏅 🌟 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

I AM A STAR 🌟 

Decluttering Target: 523/2022

2022 - 1p Savings Challenge: Running Total £42.92

Blackberrycurved

The sun is shining and I definitely feel better. Today I have cleaned the vestibule, paintwork floors and everything, cleaned the hall banister rails, paint work, hoovered and mopped. Cleaned the morning room, no that's a lie I hoovered and mopped the floor and put some dishes away but I still have dusting to do. I finished cleaning the kitchen because I seem to be doing it in 2 halves these days or it is two hours of my life that disappears from the day. I did quite a bit of cleaning the other day but today I hoovered, mopped the floors, cleaned the coffee maker, cleaned the tray that the coffee maker is on. I scrubbed the kettle did the top of the oven.  I don't know what they put in the pink stuff but my God it's good. I still have skirtings light switches and paint work to do. 

So I'm looking at the living room and the dining room and thinking can I be bothered after all it is Mother's Day, Nice Moon pig present for my daughter and I feel quite tired. I went to visit my mum earlier who has dementia and I don't know why but I always come away feeling totally wiped out. She didn't want to see me today so I might go again tomorrow and try again. 

I have a whole load of admin stuff to file what do people think do we still have to save oodles of bank statements, credit card statements, I have mountains of paper and it's just occurred to me that everything is online and do I really need all these files and it takes ages putting  holes in things and filing it away what do people think?

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

689. Glasses to specsavers recycling
690. Framed print to CS
691. Power washed a table that I am donating to CS

I hope everyone had a good weekend.  I spent most of today out - DS took me out to sushi for mother's day lunch - I did have to hint very heavily that I wanted to be treated to lunch and he got the message eventually and chose the sushi option.  We then had a wander through the City back to London Bridge.  

692. Ornament
693 & 4 - OOD toiletries
695. Lap tray
696. Sciatica cushion
696. Rucsac
697. Leggings that feel horrible on
698. Painting that I've never really liked
699. Bundle of propelling pencils
700. Clicky counter thing 

Accidental - Your new workplace sounds horrible - I will never understand how companies like that think they will get the best out of people treating them like that.  Good for you for looking for a new role.  Good Luck
Mrs SD - I'm pleased you got your life batteries recharged! 

Hugs to all  

florianatwobob

@accidentalglixch glad it made you smile and giggle  

Re your job, definitely worth looking for another job before this one crushes your spirit. I took a job, turned to my sister at the end of the first week and said it wasn’t my forever place. Despite that I spent 18 months trying to make it work (too many years thinking I need to get the time on my CV) and turning myself into a nervous wreck in the process. After one bank holiday where I’d been debating handing in my notice (with no job to go to) I physically struggled with making myself walk through the door. So I jacked it in that day, worked my notice (very hostile management though) and spent the next 18 months rebuilding myself and deciding what I wanted to do with the rest of my life whilst rebuilding my house. 

I’d not recommend taking my approach to things as it was a bit extreme but definitely listen to your instincts. 

vulpix

Hooray for family get togethers Mrs SD. Such a blessing and a pleasure. 

Accidental. Life is too short. I once had a job that I cried every day on the way to work. Grim. As has been said already, move whilst you can. I left that job to work in a paper shop. Loved it ,one of the best jobs I have ever had. ❤️

Blimmin eck BBC you are on fire today. I need to emulate you. I haven’t cleaned properly for a month whilst the roofers were disturbing Victorian dust. Now I am thinking,the plasterer should be coming soon. Is it worth it 😂As for paper work ,the paper bills n stuff that we get I just keep for a year. My office is a small pepper box from Lidl. Every subject has it’s own A4 cardboard folder. Every now and again I go through it and have a cull. Most post that comes through the door smartly turns around and finds itself in the recycling. 

 I have been to work today. Thoroughly enjoying it again. We have new staff who are nice. It makes all the difference. 

 As my Auntie Eileen used to say “ tomorrow I will knock spots off “. Great intentions to get a lot done. 

 Vx

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

Sunday brightened up a bit but still did nothing much apart from dealing with some paperwork filing & shredding + cleared down a few more programmes from TV planner.The hm soup was delicious 🤤 Dinner was fish & chips which DH had to collect. Wudupa.

524 - 525 Kitchen recycling & detritus

Wow you have been busy EnergyShifter 👏 Very impressed that you have started the process of clearing such a huge frog 🙂 Getting double glazing will help mitigate energy costs 🤞 As to demolishing the shed with a crowbar & mallet - how very therapeutic regardless of any aches & pains 😉

bit_by_bit, sounds like a wonderful holiday 🙂 Wales is beautiful. What a great method of decluttering - inside in the a.m. & then the reward of working outside in the afternoon 👏

nannywindow, hopefully the builder will be as good as his word 🤞Excellent decluttering 👏 Sorry to hear that you are still hoovering up glass fragments 😔 As to bank closures it seems to be the way of the world 😖 & we are worse off for it 😔

Wow you have been busy weenancyinAmerica 👏 I must admit I am rather annoyed at the roommate that brought the husky home & seems to have abandoned her. However the husky is lucky to have you 🙂 Hopefully with all your hard work the 2 day book sale will raise loads of money for the community 🤞 Your work on ancestry sounds fascinating & you must be ‘excellent’ to find so many relatives 👏🙂 

Excellent work on the decorating preparation TC77 👏 A great result finding missing GCSE certificates 🥳 Well done on getting several frogs moving 👏 Yah boo to the roofer  😒 

Excellent decluttering marrob 👏 especially dealing with a financial frog & losing 2lbs 👏

Great work florianatwobob 👏

Good work short_bird 👏 sorry to hear that you are still testing positive ☹️

Great work EnergyShifter 👏 Enjoy your bath which will hopefully ease your well earned aches & pains 😉

TC77, that is the problem with decorating - sorting out all the prepping 😔 it always takes longer than envisaged. Great work on the decluttering hitting 509 means one Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 🙂 

Nice to see you Happy_Kitties 👋 Excellent decluttering 👏

Ha ha oceanspirit - you must have laughed your socks off reading that a loft ladder was the solution to decluttering 😂 Good decluttering 👏

Remi is definitely growing up accidentalglixch 🙂 Great work starting on the spare room 👏 I am surprised you have stuck out the new job for more than a day - it sounds absolutely awful 😣 Good luck with finding a good new job 🍀 

Good work nannywindow 👏 Shame about the sponge cakes but your oven has given you sterling service for 25 years 🙂 Hopefully the 3rd breakdown will be something small 🤞 

You have been extremely busy Blackberrycurved 👏 Great work 👏 As to the admin stuff as long as it is NOT business filing, I work on keeping 3 months worth of statements & do my filing monthly 🙂 Not sure how much you have to keep if it is business paperwork ☹️

Sounds like a lovely Mothers Day, EnergyShifter even if you did have to hint heavily 😉😉 

Great decluttering 👏 

florianatwobob thank you for sharing your experiences of a soul destroying job. Very impressed that you were brave enough to quit but sorry that it took so much time & effort to regain your confidence 🏅 As you say extreme action but I think in your case you did need to do it that way & it made you a much stronger person 👏

So true vulpix - family get togethers are a pleasure & a blessing & well worth celebrating 🙂 Thank you for such a lovely supportive post 👏

MrsSD  🏅🏅🏅🏅 🌟 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

I AM A STAR 🌟 

Decluttering Target: 525/2022

2022 - 1p Savings Challenge: Running Total £42.92

florianatwobob

Thank you for the medal Mrs SD. It was a very worthwhile 18 months as I got to explore lots of different things I’d not had the opportunity to try before. It had been a few years of hard slog up to that point and I definitely needed a break. 

I’m now in a role where I’m appreciated and described as ‘a joy’ and ‘the most effective spend out of that budget’ (which I’m taking most definitely as a compliment). I’m also able to make a real difference for people rather than make money for other people. It makes a difference to me, and I don’t complain about the pay rise either!

Blackberrycurved

vulpix cheering you on to knock spots off it today. I was awake walked a little way instead of taking the bus all the way to town so feeling proud of myself. Currently I’m nice eatery with a pot of Earl Grey and porridge. I’m aiming to be at my desk by 9 and going to hammer it until 2pm then I’ve scheduled in an hour cleaning my dining room. Before doing a bit more work at home. I love Mondays by Thursday I’m too tired to speak. Well done everyone 

GrannyKate

Greetings and hugs to all who need them.  Lovely Mothers Day flowers from DS1.

I won't say much on here but pretty awful weekend as DS2's relationship (10 years) seems to have fallen apart.  It is the children I am most worried about as you can imagine.  Not slept well but trying to be there without interfering.

Went to seaside yesterday where it was overcast and cold but children walked a long way and played on beach and we had fish and chips lunch.  I'm taking them away for 2 nights next weekend which was already arranged and paid for. 

House badly needs cleaning which I should try and do this week.  Lots of marks and sticky fingers round and about.

381 Family history zoom talked attended - interesting but a bit basic for me
382/3 Front lawn raked and mowed
384 Random leaves and weeds binned
385/6 Bags of mixed plastic to recycling x 2
387 Jigsaw to recycling.  Bizarre faults - left side of picture was on right and vice versa - consequently the middle of picture fitted together shape wise but with completely the wrong picture on the pieces.  I thought it was me at first.  It was from a charity shop a long while ago. I still have two new ones to do from Christmas.