2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

QueenJess

Not much happening here as I’m working loads to make sure I can finish my work in two weeks and can take my four weeks off for the summer.

i have been using up some of my one sided paper stash though as I’ve been taking lots of notes. Also got most my pile of stuff taken away. Just need a trip to the charity shop with the rest at some point.

Oh and I finally spotted a mini yellow orchid, so I bought it. It’s lovely and cheery in my bedroom.

Decluttering efforts:
2576 - a pencil (can’t remember using up a pencil before, but it was so short I couldn’t actually sharpen it anymore! I have a pencil extender)
2577 - plastic bag
2578-87 - paper

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 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 night’s dinner was delivered - sausages & chips for DSis, fish’n’chips for me & kebab for DH. Wudupa.
Saturday was another hot, hot, hot day 🥵 I did precisely nothing whilst DH was quite busy - filled the bird & squirrel feeders, fed the worms, added 2 bags of compost to the small raised bed & spent an hour tidying the garage. Dinner was pasta shells with hm bolognaise sauce. Plenty left to bag up in single portions for freezer. Wudupa.

1063 - 1066 Kitchen recycling, cardboard packaging, cardboard box, wine bottle - recycled 
1067 - 1072 Kitchen, office, garage detritus, 3 empty compost bags - binned

mhagster, you are working so hard that I don’t think it will be long before you are nearly finished 😉

Great work Wildrose 👏 Really hoping that you will post a photo when the vintage tool box is fully restored 🙏 How lovely that your children can talk to you ☺️

EnergyShifter, good news about your DS 🙂 & well done to exH 🙂 Sorry to hear that you are still suffering with your stomach ☹️ Good decluttering 👏 & well done on returning the badly made item 👏

CynicalPinnacle, please take the time to look after yourself 🙏 Six different types of vinegar 😬 & none for your chips 😔 Great decluttering especially donating food 👏 Hopefully you can get a good price for the baby items 🤞

vulpix, I am hoping you will post a photo of the front garden when it is sorted 😉 In the garden until 10 p.m. - no wonder you are as stiff as a board 😥 Perhaps a relaxing bath before going to your neighbour’s barbecue 🙂

mhagster I was absolutely exhausted reading about all the decluttering you have done 👏 - you definitely deserve a snooze & should sleep really well tonight 🙂 I am always surprised that the smallest rooms seem to contain the most clutter - along the lines of a Tardis 😂 

teachergirl, well done on sorting out a Major frog in such a timely manner 👏 Excellent decluttering at MiL’s house 👏 As to the rather shoddy & appalling treatment from P……….. (is it the one with a ‘d’ in its name), it appears that you have tried absolutely everything & should not have to cope with the stress that they have caused 😖  You have not hijacked the thread at all, just reminded us of potential problems - me in particular. DH & I need to sit down and go through all our financial paperwork, write wills etc & get all our ducks in a row ☹️ 

Thank you to everyone who has posted about this very thorny subject 👏

Sorry to hear that the family crisis has escalated, GrannyKate ☹️ & the phone problems have made it even more difficult 😣  Good decluttering 👏

Well done on the food decluttering, teachergirl 👏

TC77, paddle boarding & kayaking - how adventurous 🙂 

Yippee to getting 2 job interviews accidentalglixch 🥳 Keeping everything crossed that you get offered both jobs 🤞Remi is turning into a wonderful dog & your happiness shines through 🙂 Excellent decluttering & well done Husband 👏

Good work QueenJess 👏 especially like that comment about using up a pencil 🙂 I usually just lose mine 😉 Congratulations on persevering & finally finding a yellow orchid 😁 Any chance of a photo 🙏 

MrsSD  🏅🏅🏅🏅 🌟 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I AM A STAR 🌟 

Decluttering Target: 1072/2022

2022 - 1p Savings Challenge: Running Total £228.22

weenancyinAmerica

Last couple of weeks very stressful – wish I could stay in TLC carriage. Roommate with husky still behind on his rent. He has been having trouble with sick pay from Disneyland. Fortunately, bills are mostly paid already. He has agreed that husky needs to go to a new home – now to find her one. May try the HuskyRescue group. He just won’t walk her, ends up playing with her for only about 15 minutes at 1:00 am – yes that is in the middle of the night! Other male roommate has been drunk and loud the entire time. Roommates have given him an ultimatum – go to rehab or find a group home to go to till he is sober. He has been hospitalized twice when falling outside. Last time paramedics were here, they didn’t even have to ask about ID – they already had it memorized. Even the hospital didn’t need any paperwork. Female roommate who is supposed to be looking for library books has a major problem doing anything. I insisted she get a pair of long trousers to wear to a funeral – she wanted to go in shorts. She did to the last memorial service – complete with Mickey Mouse t-shirt. She has no idea what to wear anywhere (She wears the t-shirt and shorts to church even). As far as cleaning goes – things have mainly been tossed around as she still has five library books to find or pay $150 for them. But it doesn’t look any better. Claims she can only work on it during the daytime – but doesn’t get out of bed till after noon, then does work on something else for a couple hours or watches tv for several hours and by then “it is too late”.

Did have some highlights – 5 boxes of books to the library (book sale is next week). May have another couple to go by next week (About 150 books so far). One box of books to bookstore for credit. Didn’t buy anything with it yet. Made birthday cards for roommate and sister on the computer which worked well. Enjoyed going out to lunch with two sisters (and the sister whose birthday it wasn’t paid). She also let me know that she and her husband were giving money to the other sister to buy a caravan – so I don’t have to pay back what I owe her. Been borrowing money to help with property tax. This really helps my budget. We also went to a charity shop, and I found a top which I really need for only $3. Went to an antique store also, but wandering around it, I suddenly realized that I have too many antiques at home that I need to get out where I can see them or sell them – so I just sat and talked to people coming in while my sisters shopped. Might get me going on selling on eBay or another place as I really want to clear out most of what I have. Now I have another push to declutter.

Wildrose

Successful day yesterday despite the heat. I've been taking dog out v early to avoid the worst of it.

Got back and braved the innermost part of the garage. Found the bag of sand so took a few scoops to add to compost when I planted up the succulents which have been waiting some weeks. 

Only found one thing, amongst all that mess, that could go in the bin, an empty bottle of car cleaner. Couldn't find sandpaper anywhere, I'm sure I'd been putting it all in one place when I last tackled the garage, but where that one place is I don't know.

Rolled up a length of hose which had sprawled out everywhere and tucked it away. Put several lengths of pipe up into the rafters. They had been laying along the "walkway" adding another dimension of danger everytime I went in there. 

Cleared a space to put tools from the big shed so I can get on with that.

Then I potted up 6 succulents which have been hanging around in their original market pots for weeks. Put them in 2 terracotta bowls in a mix of hm compost and sand, with a layer of gravel at the bottom of the pot and a mulch of granite chippings on top. Also potted up 3 T*sc* yellow sticker plants which are doing fine. The granite chippings are left from a project at my previous house.

Lunch was a frittata using up all the bits and pieces of veg in the fridge. Delicious.

After lunch took a walk to the nearby medieval church which was having an event and for once I could get into the building, as it's usually locked. Sat quietly pondering in peace.

Once the day cooled down I struggled my way to the back of the small shed and retrieved the lawn mower. No Mow May has persisted for 3 years here and some of the grass is waist height. I'd earlier found a sickle which had been sharpened by the elderly man who gave it to me - my own ancient sickle being blunt. So I went all Biblical and used the sickle to cut down the longest grasses then went over it with the mower. Managed to do about 2/3s of the garden before going in for a shower, the grass was basically hay and I now felt like a Hardy heroine who had been labouring in the hay meadows, covered in dust and bits of hay.

Satisfying day, although I have an amazing bruise where the lid of the cold frame fell on my arm. I can see more clearly the bones of the garden. I have a plan for my garden, I've given it lots of thought, just got to do it.

Rootle

Thanks for the gold 🌟 Mrs SD. Buzzin about that!

oceanspirit

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

oceanspirit, very relieved that you are OK 🥲 Life is being particularly unkind to you & I really wish that I could offer more than just virtual support. Please try to take a bit of time away from the cleaning 🙏 and please, please take frequent rests. 

Luckily the fire alarm did its job, woke me and I was able to minimise damage to rest of home by closing doors and getting help quickly.

Thank you all for your kind wishes, hugs and support. It has been much needed as physically, mentally and emotionally I feel right on the edge.  Will get in touch with insurance tomorrow.

Mother has had a stroke.  Not life changing and she didn’t need a hospital stay but she does need to change her lifestyle to avoid having another. DSis has been sorting things out for her as I just have nothing left in the tank.

Have some help coming for a couple of hours tomorrow so bathroom will get a quick clean by them plus the living room will be emptied and cleaned. That will leave just the little bedroom to do plus the kitchen.  My focus needs to be all the things living al fresco and in the shed which need to either be cleaned and brought back in or got rid of. 

Will see another friend briefly this afternoon and will ask her to come once we are sure bugs are definitely gone to rehang curtains etc.

Physio has discharged me as she cannot help with the problem I was referred for however she has been able to help with a different issue so a positive experience overall. Now need to go back to GP for further specialist investigation/support.  Not been eating or drinking enough since November so need it sorted soon before I fade away entirely!

Looking at the positive side of the current situation - decluttering has taken place at a faster pace than would otherwise have done, probably much more ruthlessly too and home has had a proper clean. I am also very glad it has happened in summertime so that things could safely be left outside.

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

738 & 9 - 2 x refillable pens
740 - returned something faulty to TK Maxx - I had to be quite persistent as the manager wasn't listening to me properly - item was miscut but he thought I was returning it because there were threads on it so couldn't see the very obvious miscut.  Anyhoo we both stayed calm and pleasant and got there in the end.  

741. hour long email responding session
742 & 3 - 2 x chairs 

Weenancy - you have the patience of a Saint
Accidental -  good luck with your interview
TC77 - your day on the sea sounds amazing !! 
GrannyKate: Sorry to hear of your family difficulties  
Teachergirl: That's such appalling service - good luck resolving this final stage.  
Oceanspirit:  goodness that must have been scary - glad you managed to contain the fire 

Floss

 WeeNancy that roommate is really taking the Mickey, "can only look in daytime"...who has to pay the fine, her or you? That's some positive news about the husky 🙂

Not much going on, decluttering some stress with counselling, next step is a few sessions with a psychologist to develop coping mechanisms to deal with the problem which isn't going to go away.

Foofoopuppy

Some overlap between frugality and decluttering the past couple of days - have been eating some things from the stores to clear some space so I can see what's in my cupboards and shelves. That is my current driving force - being able to see and actually make use of everything I have so I'm not accidentally buying multiples/ having things be thrown because they went bad and I didn't know they were there.

That being said, I had a can of chilli (that I knew had been hanging around a while), so I checked the can for dints, no issues. Opened it, smelt ok looked ok. So added it to pasta in lieu of mince meat. After I'd eaten a portion, thought to check the BBE - 2017 😱

Glad I checked after though because it was perfectly fine, went nicely in my pasta, and if I'd checked beforehand I probably wouldn't have wanted to risk it. 

Also used the last of a jar of mayonnaise, my most recent goal is to work through the utterly ridiculous amount of sauces we have before any more are bought. We bought a 5litre of tomato sauce from a surplus stock about a year ago that has finally been decanted for the last time, and is no longer sat on my kitchen floor which is nice.

Also moved a sander and a soupmaker off the kitchen floor and into the correct cupboards so the room is looking neater. 

Have also had to throw one of the sun loungers - got them out this weekend but one has broken and I cannot find the part that is missing so no easy way to repair it. But it has cleared out a little space under the stairs!

Hugs to everyone who's going through rough times, and fingers crossed that things get better for you 

vulpix

Hi. 

 I can only echo every one else’s comments about recent posts. I am so glad that we have all found a supportive place to post. 

 I know you feel at your wits end weenancy but change is afoot in your house. The room mates are making a fuss because change isn’t easy for them. Stick with it. Fantastic news about the husky. Xxx

 accidental, fingers crossed for your interview. 

 I am at work. With a jumper on 🥶❄️☃️ Constant 8• in the cave I work in. 

 I should have taken a leaf out of your book bit by bit and paced myself in the garden the other day. My back is still hurting. I wanted to get the plants in before the heat wave. I still have a few tweaks to make but I will post a pic when I am happy with it. I need to move half a whiskey barrel, a bird bath, bird table etc etc. 🤦‍♀️I don’t envy the builders, digging out an outdoor pool next week! Scorchio🥵

 out 2 mugs given to DD2

       Pegs and basket given to Dd2

 a lot leaves the house and little comes back in but I am still far from minimalist. 

 Vx