2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, failed miserably on my to do list today but did manage a few things that were not on my list
Birthday card delivered, sorted out my stockpile of candles, I have quite a few but have made a concerted effort to use the smelly ones that people keep gifting me, 5 uu since Christmas and just got to decide what to do with the lovely jars, they may end up in the recycling if I can't think of anything in the next week or so. Cooked some lo sprouts for the freezer but managed to snack on some while waiting for them to cool, I really love sprouts while OH won't look at them   managed 1 hour outdoors today but it was very very cold, sleet and snow forecast here in the next couple of days though I would be amazed if it sticks. Dealt with a couple of things around football tickets which came up unexpectedly and a few text messages with friends. 
@-taff, some baking powder has corn starch added, if you are baking gluten free you need to check this. My SiL needs gluten free and honestly when you start looking at things it's amazing where it sneaks in.
@vulpix, happy birthday to your Mum, I hope she has a lovely day
Take care everyone

GrannyKate

Slow progress in my carriage.  Central heating did not turn off yesterday evening when at required temperature so by 8pm it was like a sauna indoors.  Tried various things with Hive but in the end turned boiler off for three hours.  Heating has come back on at 6 this morning so I hope it goes off when it should.  I hate anything related to plumbing.  Just afternoon school run to do today so should be able to get on with at least some jobs.  I am going to weigh myself before I get dressed.  Long chat with my sister in US - I have definitely got her decluttering although her DH is resistant.  

40 Bought cheap replacement calendar for study - only used for birthdays and anniversaries.  Old one recycled.
41 Downloaded some stuff on family history for a new member of group and emailed off
42 All January birthdays cards bought and some posted
43 Emails deleted/answered

My signature seems to have reverted to one from old thread. 

-taff

Liverpool_Anne said:

@-taff, some baking powder has corn starch added, if you are baking gluten free you need to check this. My SiL needs gluten free and honestly when you start looking at things it's amazing where it sneaks in.

Um...yeah, but corn starch is gluten free...

ruby_eskimo

Morning all, pretty chilly here (-6 when I woke up this morning) so will be moving around to try and keep warm today I think!

@TC77 if you go to edit your profile (click top right corner of the page on 'Profile', then 'Edit') you'll then see a list of options on the left side of the screen.  Click on signature settings and you should be able to delete the old medals there 👍

@balabooberlies You can do it with your Experian frog.  Once you've seen the numbers you'll feel a lot worse but then a lot better because you can put a plan in place to get it all sorted.  You've got this as my yoga instructor says 🤗

 Little bit more decluttering last night: 

11 - 12. 2 more boxes into the recycling that I'd been hanging on to for no reason whatsoever
13 - 14. 2 lots of packaging for some stickers that again, don't know why I was holding on to it.

All of you who are deleting emails, I really need to get back on the track with that, don't quite have 16000 but still more junk than I need in my life.

Hope you all have a good day and stay warm.

florianatwobob

@balabooberlies I agree with @ruby_eskimo it may make you feel worse temporarily but once you can put a plan in place to tackle the beastie then you’ll start to feel better. I can understand the dread you’re feeling at the moment though. 

@-taff could be cross contamination/may contain risks

wort

@-taff ,it’s possibly a may contain I am Coeliac and have to study labels to check and unless it’s definitely gluten free it’s a Nono. Unfortunately so much stuff that is naturally gfree isn’t due to manufacturing processes.

Vulpix I’m sure your mum will love to go every week. Also it’s wonderful for you to spend the extra time with her. 

My recycling of everyday things goes straight outside to the bins as We have 4 bins , a glass/plastics one ,a paper/card one ,garden waste/food, and general unrecyclable waste.

I also find keeping kitchen clean as I go , definitely before bed is the way to go for me, I also straighten the living room, fold throws and plump cushions ,before turning the lights out or even before I go out of the house. 

-taff

Ahhh...OK. ..Like you say, if you can't take the chance you can't...

Didn't get round ot my lean to clear out but have ear marked a few things to go out. There's not much point in collecting them to one place yet, I can't put them anywhere that won't be in the way...

mothernerd

86 items out yesterday making 294/ 2022

Had a busy morning, DS1and DS2 wanting to know what I want them to do and when (I also brought them up to speed on anything that had happened the day before. DS1is going back to work for the rest of the week (he's having to use annual leave for any days off). DS2 and his gf will come Monday and help with sorting/ transporting stuff to charity shops/ possibly printing and organising.

Couldn't find the pre-session questionnaire for CBT so phoned them. Nice lady sent me one soon (someone hadn't clicked something, it wasn't just me). Enjoyed the session, bit distracted during the second half (sleep habits which I have covered anyway) as my ex messaged me (and later phoned me via messenger which confused me as I've only been introduced to that possibility on Tuesday).

Stayed behind to tell the course leaders about mum. Part of our homework was to jot down what we were doing in the morning, afternoon and evening and categorise them as routine/ pleasurable/ necessary. During the discussion I'd said that it hadn't really been a typical fortnight (which they'd taken as being the holiday period). Afterwards I said that holding on the phone all afternoon trying to get help for your mother wasn't standard.

After that I didn't feel like doing anything so didn't for a couple of hours (lunch was Christmas tree shaped chicken nuggets and festive potato shapes - trees stars and snowmen). I know I'm not eating super healthily atm but I'm trying to eat regularly and with as little fuss as possible - bung it in the oven lunch was just right for my available energy level. 

About 3 pm I went to mum's. Still tired but had a couple of difficult/ potentially expensive calls to make and it was better to use mum's phone rather than my credit. Driver was one of our regulars so told him - he said she was fine when he brought her back from the infirmary (that would have been the 16th - her podiatry appointment). He saw the ornaments I had put out and said there was a woman a couple of streets away (another regular) who had lots of animal ornaments in her garden. He's going to speak to her. She can have as many hedgehogs, otters and deer as she wants (hoping she likes cherubs and and fake flowers too). 

My sons have made it clear that they have everything they need (furniture, matching plates, kitchen equipment) and that I should get rid of as much as I can. Having just tried to reduce the furniture in my own home and still having a pile of bin bags in the yard despite having half a small lorry load taken away, I'm happy with this.

Need to check with my niece and get her to nudge my brother although I know when he was in hospital, she and a friend did many tip runs trying to make his house liveable. I just don't want a repeat of sorting my brother's house. We did two trips where my brother was the designated driver. The first time we brought back essential paperwork (took a sack of junk mail to the SM recycling bins) and anything that might tempt people to break in. Mum and I did the return trip with computer bits on our knees/ between us/ packed around our feet. The tv was too big to fit (still tanks back then).

The second trip was my brother, me and his younger daughter and we bought back most of his clothes, put the bins out for collection (mum emptied the fridge on the first trip and we put it and the contents outside but they needed to be collected), books and other things that people had asked for (a common love of Terry Pratchett, mum wanted his clock and coasters - both made from slices of deep blue quartz).

The third trip was me on my own. Took the train down, stayed for a week, disposed of most of the contents (think I found 13 charity shops in the end) and any furniture that wasn't specifically asked for (DS3 had his desk and bookshelves, his ex gf wanted a large round glass topped table and mum insisted on me bringing home the 3 large heavy wardrobe set and asked for a cutting from the fuschia 'tree' in his tiny garden. I bought a spade from the SM, dug it out (it was taller than me), used the kitchen bin to take as much of it's own soil with it and wrapped it in 3 rolls of bubble wrap.
I even managed to sell the house.

Then when we got home, my brother started talking about all the books my brother had - why didn't he say something at the time - it would have saved me about a day packing them all and an early morning walk distributing them.

Anyway I notified our doctor's surgery (we are well known to the receptionist - it used to be nearly every month something would be missing from mum's prescription pills and until I took over she'd tell me when she was down to 3 pills, usually on a Wednesday afternoon when they were 'closed'). 

Lots of items were binned, lots more were put in saved piles. One bag of toiletries to go to the food bank (I've had a second negative result and my quarantine is up today so I can go and meet people and ask things). There are as many toiletries still to go but I'm short on suitable sized bags and boxes atm - if it goes in a bin bag fine. Decluttered a pizza from the freezer. Finally got through to mum's friend in the IOM (another intergenerational relationship) and then mum's lodger who thankfully would like to continue renting the house, if possible (it was my grandma's house).

Those 2 phone calls were lovely but emotional so decided it was time to come home. 20 - 25 minute wait so pulled all the medicines out of the cupboard (2 biggest lots were in a carrier bag and in a shoebox so didn't take long).

Plan for today is to do a Food Bank run (including the stuff I didn't get to deliver before Christmas), 3 sacks of tin cans to the recycle point and take mum's medication to the pharmacy. That would be  a convenient point to call in at mum's bank (only 6 shops away) as I'd like to know about paying for the funeral before contacting the funeral director. My brother's bank paid for the funeral from his account (direct to the funeral director) and it didn't arise in my dad's case (one bank was happy to let us have the money, only a few hundred pounds - if it's under £5000 it's at the bank's discretion to pay out on production of a death certificate and proof of identity/ relationship to the diseased) and there was a joint account with mum's name on from when they were married so she could withdraw that (it helped that we transferred it straight into my account with the same bank). 

So must get going - every bag out and admin matters ticked off counts. At some point I need to do letters for the window cleaner and milkman who will be calling tomorrow (must decant the milk in my fridge and rinse and return those bottles). I may even get round to going to Citizen's Advice to apply for stuff I should already have been claiming and filling in a long overdue health review form. Look after yourself (says everyone). I must try harder

vulpix

Yes mothernerd, look after yourself, everybody here is right about that. You are eating and resting so I will forgive you and I understand your need to keep busy. When my Dad died I was up all night and spring cleaned the kitchen and dining room just to occupy myself.

 Granny kate. Hope your boiler is behaving. We have no clue how to boss ours. The tenant came and gave us a lesson and the damned thing is still coming on at random times.

 Bala. Bite the bullet. We will hold your hand. The fear of the unknown is so much worse than knowing what you are dealing with. It might be bad but just eat that frog one bite at a time. xxxx Think how Vasco did it and how much better her life is now.

 I have a quandary. First world problems. A handy man MIGHT come today to look at a couple of jobs. Do I make a total mess and empty the pantry of doom so I can put Christmas decorations at the back? Oh to heck with it, I will. I have found myself a marker pen so intend to write the contents of the box on the outside. Oh, Liverpool-Anne, If you need banana boxes ask at Tesco. They are only too pleased to pass them on.

 I didn't intend to post today. I have nothing to report except to say how well everyone is doing.

 Vx

dollypeeps

Good morning everyone, hope you are all well.
Sadly no decluttering for me. I’ve been tidying and cleaning as I go. This is my January routine as not much is done during December.
I had hoped to free up/get rid of more Christmas decorations but I must’ve done  good job last year😔. Anyhow they’re all neatly boxed and labelled ready for the trip back to the attic.
Afternoon plans are to continue blitzing the living room and to make a start on our under stairs cupboard…
Need to sit and make some plans really so I have a direction… need to finish decorating the hall and make a start on the living room…. Is it worth me painting or will we renew some wood? And we need new carpets so I think it’s best to wait until at least Spring?🤷‍♀️