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2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD
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Good luck allmannerofthings - sounds like what I have been dealing with here. I moved back in with my parents when they needed help caring for my brother with muscular dystrophy. And brought all of the apartment full of stuff I had with me. He died almost fifteen years later and I ended up caring for both of my parents instead, so never left. After they passed away, I ended up alone for about six months. First roommate was having to leave the house she lived in with her parents because the trust fund for her was running out of money. Everything from that house was moved over here - and it is still here. Garage and former garage filled to the brim, stuff everywhere. Then I took in two homeless men who had lived next door until the house owner moved her sister in and threw everyone else out. They didn't bring much stuff with them - but have acquired a lot since moving in here. Then a friend of one had his girl friend from England stay here awhile - but her stuff never made it back to England - fills up one closet. Then the daughter of one the men, who was in foster care in Missouri, ran away and came here. It is her room I am cleaning up. She has Autism, gets migraines, and has other problems - nothing has been thrown away in two years literally. I feel like starting the Swedish death cleaning thing. It doesn't help that four of us have ADD either. There are days - sigh.16
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Thank you for the welcome and good wishes
WeeNancy - my goodness you have a lot on your plate. I hope all the people you help appreciate you.13 -
i have been decluttering following retirement and up coming party (sons) so his friends staying over. I have only our bedroom wardrobe to do now. My hubby very good at binning stuff. Today when i sorted out airing cupboard i found 20 towels for 3 adults is that too many? I wondered how may towels others have.21k savings no debt12
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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 bedSorry it took me so long to come back 😉 I had a flurry of activity this afternoon - vacuumed upstairs; gathered together dirty clothing & towels - 2 full loads of washing done & dried in td (not very MSE 😔) + folded; cleared, cleaned & sorted the clutter spot on kitchen counter; emptied, cleaned & re-stocked Brexit/Covid double cupboard - contents of top shelf also listed (need to list contents of the other 2 shelves) which led to sorting spice/condiments cupboard - 2 of the 3 shelves emptied, cleaned, restocked & contents listed. Will finish both cupboards tomorrow as well as cleaning outside & underside of those cupboards. DSis had a bath, DH’s arm still painful. Dinner was spaghetti Bolognese. Wudupa.
615 - 617 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, cardboard packaging - recycled
618 - 619 Kitchen detritus, plastic packaging - binnedGrannyKate, lovely welcome to ZolaBuddy 😊 Well done on the great decluttering you have done prior to DS2 & DGC moving in 👏 Shame that your maintenance decluttering is delayed but it is for a good cause 🙂 Child labour - love it 🙃😉😉 God work on keeping up with daily decluttering 👏
Welcome back basketcase, lovely to see you 👋 No need to sneak back in 😉 Sorry to hear that RL has been challenging & exhausting but well done on staying sane & Covid free 👏 even in the face of such bad reactions to the vaccine. I did smile at the comment about your DD feeling normal 😉 Great work keeping hold of the allotment - I must admit that I would have thought the committee would have less stringent rules over the last 2 years 😞 What a great result for your DD 👏 As to her Dad what a plonker 😂 A good plan going forward - 15 minutes a day will get you back into the swing of decluttering 👏
Nice to see you Guineapigsqueaks 👋 Good luck with tackling the frogs 🍀 I see 2 frogs tackled successfully - Tip run & car seat restoration 👏 I’ll pop round later for a portion of your tuna & pasta bake 😉
Welcome aboard The EDT allmannerofthings 👋 lovely to see a new face 🙂 It is never too late to join our decluttering family 🙂 Thank you for sharing your story & reasons for decluttering 👏 Very pleased that you have found us - we are a friendly bunch 😊 & hopefully we can offer encouragement & praise as you start your decluttering journey 🙂
Very well done on setting out a plan 👏 and remember every item decluttered is a win 🙂 All you need to do is start 😉 Good luck 🍀
TripleH, sounds like your other half is the hoarder 😉
Great work sorting out frogs 2Scratters 👏 Hopefully you are getting paid extra for working the whole bank holiday 🤞
weenancyinAmerica, I am putting you up for a sainthood 🙂 You have dealt with so much in your life that I am astonished that you are still standing. What a generous and kind soul you are - sharing your home with such an eclectic mix of people 🙂
Excellent work otb666 👏 Perhaps when you have sorted out your wardrobe you can take bookings from those of us who would appreciate your decluttering skills 🙂 As to the towels - depends on what sizes the towels are as to whether you have too many 😉 After all there are guest towels, hand towels, bath towels & bath sheets 🙂MrsSD 🏅🏅🏅🏅 🌟 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️I AM A STAR 🌟
Decluttering Target: 619/2022
2022 - 1p Savings Challenge: Running Total £74.92Be Kind. Stay Safe. Break the Chain. Save Lives. ⭐️2025 Savings Pot Challenge: As a monthly amount, running total = £379.00
Jan £5.00 Feb £12.74 Mch £23.26 Apr £32 May £43 Jun £50 July £62 Aug £71 Sep £80 Oct Nov Dec Grand Total £14 -
There are also beach towels and swimming towels! I am not someone to say how many is too much. I'm trying to use some high up space to store things that I might miss or may go with dd2 who is the only one now at home with me or DD1 needs replacement ad tends to lose things each time she moves. Took dd1 to a/e as v unwell suddenly , turns out covid despite negative lft the day before. I'm negative but feel can't go to my dads to start sorting things in case needed to drop things to her. No decluttering .11
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Until very recently I used to subscribe to a number of streaming services, such as Netflix, Now, Sky, Amazon, Disney+ and one or two others.
I really don't recall why I subscribed to so many in order to fill my spare time with "entertainment", but I felt it was something I needed to have in order to keep up with events, as well as lambast the rather poor choices from the usual terrestrial channels.
However, not only as a cost-cutting exercise, but also the realisation that I really don't need any of them to keep me entertained, and I subsequently cancelled all of them.
Admittedly it does feel funny not having the extra choice, but I have also come to the conclusion that there are far better things to do rather than having the TV on as nothing more than background noise.
Digging out those dusty old board games such as Monopoly, Cluedo and Scrabble, have kept my partner and I entertained for hours now, not least for the human interaction required, but also to keep one's brain ticking over.
And that rare elation of my partner landing on Park Lane with a hotel, and then Mayfair with another hotel is an absolute joy to behold!
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TC77 said:There are also beach towels and swimming towels! I am not someone to say how many is too much. I'm trying to use some high up space to store things that I might miss or may go with dd2 who is the only one now at home with me or DD1 needs replacement ad tends to lose things each time she moves. Took dd1 to a/e as v unwell suddenly , turns out covid despite negative lft the day before. I'm negative but feel can't go to my dads to start sorting things in case needed to drop things to her. No decluttering .@TC77 Glad the Covid test was negative and hope DD1 is better. Did they actually say what it was? (Not asking to share if you'd rather not - as long as you know!)I sympathise with your storage. This is how I came to have 4 tin openers (the white ones that sit on top of the tin IYSWIM). 1 for use, 1 for DS in case he moved out (he hasn't as yet!), 1 for DD in case she moved out. DD did, but I'm storing it until she gets a place of her own, so it's back here somewhere. Oh yes! I kept a spare (in case 1 broke, of course...) At a pinch there's also the one on the very useful Lazy Susan implement set DD got me years ago. It's not very good opening tins, but it takes no space there and is part of the set and the gap would offend more than the object. Do you think I need help?BTW, the problem was solved by my taking 1 to work, giving 1 to DD and we did need the spare - so there!:p The not-very-good one is still not taking space on the Lazy Susan, plus it has a hook which is really useful for releasing the vacuum on jam jars!A budget is like a speed sign - a LIMIT not a TARGET!!
CHALLENGES
2025 Declutter:
1 CONTAINER (box/bag/folder etc) per day; 50/365
1 FROG (minimum) per week; 6/52
WEIGHT I'll start with 25 lbs (though I need to lose more!) and see how it goes...🤔 0/25
2025 NSDs: 15 per MONTH - FEB 4/15; JAN 21/15
2025 Fashion on the Ration: (carried over from 2024) 10+66 = 76
2025 Make Do, Mend & Minimise No target, just remember to report!
AWARDS 💐⭐10 -
Afternoon everyone
I'm on leave this week so have actually done some decluttering yay!
I've decided to try to focus on sorting my bedroom. So far i have sold my dressing table & stool on Fb, put quite a bit of stuff in a bag for the CS (not counting it as decluttered till it leaves my house), thrown away various items including an old chewed-up retainer & grotty ripped duvet cover and put lots of paper and card in the recycling bin. I have also put all packaging items in one box and a load of various sized boxes in a tub. I cleared out one handbag - just random till receipts mainly but i also found £14 in my old purseHave decluttered lots of emails but that's an ongoing battle. Still loads more to do but i've made good progress....
I would love to be at the maintenance stage but it's a long way off for me. My motivation is to be tidy and have a space that i like to relax in rather than sees piles of unnecessary stuff and dust and mess. I will never be a minimalist, i love books and candles and photos and throws. I also have 4 paid jobs, 3 of which i do mostly from home so i want to have an office space rather than a tub of paperwork and files in my bedroomI actually have one spare bedroom now so i can use that as part office/part spare room - first it needs to be transformed from a dumping ground. I find it hard to get rid of sentimental items such as birthday cards and probably have too many clothes. I have only bought one skirt and one cardi this year - the skirt was from the CS. I'm trying not to buy anymore clothes (may make an exception for DD2's graduation) and have started using the library rather than buying books.
Good luck everyone
love Deni xx
LBM - October 2018; finally debt free on 16 March 2021
2023 Mortgage Free Wannabee #92023 Mortgage free in March 23 !
Decluttering Campaign member 2023🏅🏅 🏅⭐️⭐️
Decluttering Campaign Member 2024 🏅🏅
Decluttering Campaign Member 20258 -
Sunday 10th
Ate mash potatoes with SW gravy, butterbeans and carrots (was going to have mixed veg but it remained in a solid block even when bashed on the table several times). Put mixed veg (for rice salad), broccoli, carrots into 2 saucepans to defrost (probably pasta bake and a curry). Chopped off 3 more buckets of side branches (rest will need sawing) and another clump of ivy from my garden.
Cleared a large area in the front room including the cover and pieces of frame for the new polytunnel (on the last trip made by car we had a time limit so shoved in as much as possible and then shoved it in the front door at my house). Even tackling the pile bit by bit, it's been much less effort than it would have been for me to lug it here alone. Didn't want it outside until I'd done some other jobs out there - needed to get under and behind things and need it not to become an obstacle course.
Lots more garden stuff done, moving tubs, scraping soil from the path and outside the 'gate' (space where normal people have gates). After doing the accounts I've put the plan for buying a gate and a trellis panel on hold for this month (but keeping to that plan - the alternative 'make do' arrangement will take so long painting and then using various bits to make it fit is not worth it, especially if it's only for a couple of months).
Put the raised bed boards and the support for the mini greenhouse (too frail for intended purpose but made excellent plant support last year) underneath the garden table, which freed up the dustbin they'd been transported in. Put the buckets of sifted soil (all weeds and rubbish removed) into the bin which gave me x 40 l buckets to use for other jobs. Went to little Arseda to scoop up ys veg and after a short break went to see if the huge trolley I'd seen the day before was still there.
Brought it back to where the ivy belonging to the furniture shop starts, sat on my walker, snipping away and letting the ivy fall into the trolley. This is my bit for the community - parents with pushchairs and other children holding the handles get pushed out into the road when it's overgrown and it grows all up the side of the end house (neighbouring house) and across his doorway. Currently very overgrown as I've been away at mum's for so long but pleased that the bit I managed in Autumn is still okay. Put my walker in the house, took the trolley round to the back.
Awarding myself 10 for the shop's ivy and 10 for everything else. Have continued to chop and bin the ivy and have now emptied the trolley (ready for the next run), 3 buckets a day (M, Tu, W 9 buckets). The bins went out a day early because of the BHs. Didn't want to do anything on Monday but persuaded myself to do 3 little jobs - taking a book back to the library, putting money in the bank and walking as far as the bus station to get information for Tuesday.
Then persuaded myself to walk to mum's (was about a 1/3 of the way there but still had the bridge over the canal which is the worst bit). Made it, went through the post box (one of the clutter guru videos I've been watching suggests 10 things for maintaining your clutter level - ie if you're ill or busy, stopping things getting any worse - one is 5 mins to deal with that day's post, well I have 2 'take this address off your mailing list' letters and a survey about my CPAP machine).
Some of my 'cabbages' had bolted - there were a few that had to wait for space until other things were harvested. So I sat by the green bin, plucked all the little leaves off and bagged them and the rest went in the green bin. A couple were sprouts so salvaged those (tiniest were only pea sized), then gathered all the whole round cabbages. Left the broccoli and kale to grow on. Put the bin out.
Collected a shower mat, a door mat, 2 telephones (will see if we still have the socket to plug them in), a load of washing, a couple of smaller spades and the apple tree that was already on the walker (left the walker I took there) Brought 5 bags and the apple tree back on the walker (of course I met a drunk on the way back) so claiming 6 for that + 1 for harvesting.
Tuesday I was going to Manchester for a meal with DS1, darling s-i-l and her mother. As I needed a ticket for that I decided I could do the trip to bring the bin back in with the same ticket. Also planned a trip to Morries to pick up ys veg and plant based meals (been getting them for 88p instead of nearly £3 - no point paying a fortune if I don't know if I'm going to like it) but a couple of snags held me up so missed out Morries and went from the little bus to the Mc bus without going home.
In Mc an hour early and needed it. Wanted to look in a couple of shops (more actually but could only include a couple in my journey), encountered pedestrian diversions which sent me into narrow alleyways a couple of times and couldn't get the free shuttle bus as DS1 advised because Deansgate is partitioned off and traffic was only allowed coming towards me not the way I wanted to go. Gave up on shopping but made my way slowly across the city with frequent pauses to sit down.
Found the restaurant but couldn't see my companions inside or work out where you were supposed to go in. The front of house man at the next restaurant asked if he could help and sneaked me in through the roped off part at the back. DS1 arrived couple of minutes later and the others shortly after. I had 2 salads, everyone else had a main meal and a dessert. Lovely food, lovely company, DS1 said they had invited me so they were paying, home by 9 pm and asleep shortly afterwards.
Yesterday was a designated domestic day - I still have the thorns and scratches from the pyracantha, I was tired and the soles of my feet were sore (did a thorough moisturise, rubbing cream into my hands, feet and all the bits of skin that have been under wraps all winter - have promised myself to do this once a week as I sometimes forget and have very dry skin). Not a lot of progress other than chopping ivy. Found stuff to eat but not inspired to cook or do much of anything.
My MH needs careful watching - I'm feeling stuck and a bit frustrated. My room is a mess again and I have been trying to make my bed properly for about 10 days and lots of other things I intend to do but struggling with everything. I have successfully ordered food for delivery today (coming Monday) for the first time since I've been back home (no deliveries for the last few weeks at mum's either as I was emptying the fridge-freezers). I have also ordered some seeds (have enough for this year, I think but had these last year and they were wonderful) and some plug plants (promised myself this as I knew I couldn't do much this year). Favourite tomatoes, mixed brassicas and some flower plants for mum's as all the plants and bulbs I planted in autumn are dying off now.
I have a plan for how I will set up the other long wall of the garden. Maybe I should work on that as it's something for me and can use stuff I already have for most of it. I have lots of ideas for embroidery but not getting anywhere with the things nearing completion (worried that it is finally time to stop).
Adding 36 onto my previous total so now on 1378/ 2022. Good news is that yesterday I had a letter from Probate saying they had scanned the documents I sent and were returning them (so hopefully I'm getting to the top of the queue) and my little helper elf has cut short her visit to USA and is available to help from Monday. Problems with the structure of her m-i-l's house and after moving to a cousin's house and then to a hotel for 5 days she decided to come home (should have been there another month).
Decluttering, gurus, methods
On my 'stuck' days I've been watching a lot of declutter videos. I like 'A slob comes clean' except I can't do the take it there at once bit - atm I'm having to carefully plan what I take up or down stairs on my one trip a day, one bag a day (mostly putting on a step in front of me and lifting it up one step before I step up myself). I recently discovered the 'Clutter Fairy' who has some good tips (the 10 x 5 mins tips for maintenance were hers).
I love Clutter Clarity who talks mainly about decluttering to downsize. It's aimed at the over 50's and advocates doing things slowly, to avoid overwhelm - start with 2 hours a day, don't force yourself to do it, give yourself time but start now whilst you are still able to lift, carry boxes, make decisions. If you leave it until you can no longer do these things for yourself you will no longer be in charge. If you have to ask your children, they will hate it because it means thinking about your death, you may fight over what stays and what goes. Accept that your children probably do not want or need your stuff. Worst of all, if you wait until you have a fall or stroke that hospitalises you and have to be moved in with your children or into sheltered accommodation, decisions will be taken behind your back and you get no say whatsoever (when they moved to the bungalow, mum complained that I had saved/ thrown away the wrong pair of navy sandals - she hadn't been able to wear any of them for about 10 years and I only had her vague description to work on).
One of the minimalists said that clutter is anything that no longer fits your present life. I think I've already mentioned minimalist mom's reasons why we keep things, especially 'fantasy you' - one day you're going to host tea parties in the garden (when your 4 boys stop using it as a football field)and will need the dainty cups and saucers, glass cake stand and lacy tablecloths. Or keeping the stuff from an old hobby you mean to take up again, except you have started 2 other crafts and pilates since then and struggle to get through each week.
Clutter clarity said things that make you sad are clutter. She gave the example of a woman who had saved an old dress which she loved, but it reminded her of her mother, with whom she had a difficult relationship and so it made her sad. Going to stop now as I've nearly lost the post once. Back to doing little bits - what can I do between here and the bathroom and do I have a handy rag to make a start on the sink when I get there.My mission in life is not only to survive,but to thrive and to do so with some Passion, some Compassion, some Humour and some Style.NST SEP No 1 No Debt No mortgage13 -
mothernerd - you are very busy & productive, glad you had a lovely eve with DS1 & co.
Those suggestions about dealing with post are good - i like the idea of touching mail only once - ie touch it and deal with it at once. A lot of my clutter is paperwork .
I have decluttered a mini jar of 5ps to the local CS - you fill it up and it should total £2; i took another little jar to fill again. I also bought a dress in there which i'm happy with and can wear to DD2's graduation ! Also bought a square vase. I never seem to have the right size and shape of vase but i will put one old vase in the CS bag to make it net zeroLBM - October 2018; finally debt free on 16 March 2021
2023 Mortgage Free Wannabee #92023 Mortgage free in March 23 !
Decluttering Campaign member 2023🏅🏅 🏅⭐️⭐️
Decluttering Campaign Member 2024 🏅🏅
Decluttering Campaign Member 20258
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