2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Morning 

thanks for the birthday wishes, I had a lovely day, DD2 came home as a surprise! Then we went to lunch at DD1s.

I decided to tackle the bathroom shelves yesterday evening and emptied a basket of old toiletries, lots were half opened so I just binned the lot - didn't count the items but must have been over 20 things. 

Love Deni 

roundtuit

Morning all xx

A star and a medal 😊 thank you Mrs SD. Do you keep a record of who has earned what? I think that's my first medal. 

Paid stuff today and the rest of the week. But I aim to keep a steady flow going. 

I didn't bring a bag down as the next one is heavy and I didn't fancy trying to heave it down as well as carrying my work bag. I might have to open the bag and divvy up the contents. The last think I want is to end up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs!

Better put on my work head (think Worzel Gummidge) and make a move.

Hope you all have a good day
Rxx

GrannyKate

Up and ready to go - not sure where.  Caught up on competitions and surveys.  Done three loads of holiday washing and 2 to go.  Looks like I can put stuff out on line which is good. 

1179 Bag of plastics to recycling
1180 E Bay sale posted for DS2

grandmanerd

Well something's working. Spent several hours downstairs yesterday (mainly plodding and sitting down whenever I needed to). Took 4 bags downstairs with me, gave the half filled rubbish bin bag, the paper sack and the cans and bottles recycling to DS3 and told him to bag all his stuff (he 'couldn't find his roll of bin bags' - hah). He said the bag at the bottom of the stairs was all paper he'd collected the day before. I put in a bung it in the oven lunch for myself (2 spicy bean burgers and the end of a bag of wedges) and put soup in the microwave to drink. Took his paper bag to the bin.

Sat to drink my soup. Collected the 3 filled bags and asked DS3 to make a pile of flattened pizza boxes and bring them to the kitchen door whilst I took the sacks down the yard (he was only wearing underpants, in case anyone wonders why I didn't give him the donkey work). By the time I returned from squashing the boxes down on top of the bags, lunch was ready and DS3 had made himself scarce). I went through my downstairs book shelf and filled 2 carrier bags for the cs (will be 3 but the bottom shelf was inaccessible). 

I'd collected post and junk mail from behind the door and gone through bits left on the drawers and bureau to add them to the paper sack. I had one proper letter. The DWP has capitulated. I asked for mandatory reconsideration of their decision (intermediate step before appealing) not to award me PIP for my mobility needs (I spent an hour documenting every stage of my epic trek across the car park with measurements and timings, a couple of hours putting all my info into a coherent order and then half an hour on the phone). They have reconsidered, accepted that I can walk less than 20 yards and I get the higher amount for mobility )all 12 points) and it's backdated to April (when I applied). 

It's such a relief. This is money I will keep once mum's bungalow is sold (the UC is means tested and will go) so after months of uncertainty I have some idea of what my basic income is going forward and it's nearly double what I've had in the past 5 years at least (we're not talking huge amounts, Carer's Allowance was @ £64 per week - I once worked out it was 35p an hour). So I can draw up a realistic budget (my share of the bungalow sale will allow me to make necessary repairs and upgrades to my house). I should also be able to get my much needed bus pass (I applied but have heard nothing but the updated info should be enough).

Right, back to sorting - another 3 sacks out to the bins.  A lot more work, the cans and bottles were dotted about and I added all the tin cans I'd opened and left to soak (makes it much easier for the bin men and recycling depot). I used a brush to get at scraps that were lining the furniture or had sneaked under drawers and between the legs of tables, not to mention getting tangled in DS3's cables - anything that was hard for me to get at. All the tape I'd pulled off boxes and the bits of packaging (air filled bits popped individually).

Next I started on the washing up (an ongoing project for the rest of the afternoon, stopping whenever my legs or back started to nag). Three bags emptied (any recycling had already been extracted), as much as possible from the worktop next to the sink and some things which have been through the DW cycle twice but still had residue. There is still more to do but the two tier rack and the remaining drainer space are covered (and a lot of thought went into the stacking to get the most efficient mix), not to mention clearing the sink, getting out the pasta/ noodle gunge from the plug hole, moving a couple of things so I could stand in front of the sink and finding the bowl. My sink isn't shiny but it's clean.

In between, sitting down jobs included stacking cans of drink in one of the cube cubby holes (another 4 boxes flattened and recycled), rearranging the cans on the shelves and noting how much has been used up (baked bean gap refilled from excess stock in my room) and assessing the under stairs cube shelves (a very old, past their best set, 15 -20 years old) and noting gadgets and stored items to ask them about (has it got all it's bits - some have been replaced - are they taking it when they go and if not how are they dealing with it). l also ventured next door and filled 2 bags with cut up bits of tree (and handfuls of leaves and smaller twigs but avoiding any with nettles underneath). It had stopped raining but was very wet and the only place I could sit was extremely uncomfortable so 2 bags was more than enough.

I have started bagging up my own kitchen stuff (including mum's pan's, my mixing bowl and my grandma's 4 plates) to bring upstairs. I have 2 empty cube boxes from the last restock of kitchen cans (which I put in the best position for refilling) and will have 2 more if I can shuffle things around under the stairs to accommodate cans and dry goods (plus my tools etc). I think I can profitably spend anything from 2 days to 2 weeks sorting, rearranging, stock taking and making notes. I might even manage to get some fairy lights set up as temporary lighting - even with the 2 remaining 'sort of working' light bulbs it was too gloomy to even think of going in the kitchen after 6 pm.

So totals, 6 sacks or rubbish and recycling plus one pizza box stack, 2 bags of tree bits, 3 boxes of books (going to Oxfam and I decided it was too wet to venture that far), 4 more boxes and 3 bags of washing up (probably 5 bags worth but only counting 3 - if I keep adding more bags I'll never get through my original 15. Nineteen to add to the previous total of 614, 633/ 2022.

I've woken up, not exactly full of the joys of spring but possibly as near to it as I will get these days, I had my shower before I'd even had my pills (breakfast next). There are mountains to climb but it feels 'doable', I can nibble away at my herd of elephants. Go me, go plodding and baby steps, come on folks, we can do this.
 

2Scratters

@EnergyShifter well done on good enough! that's a great place to be.
@Floss sounds like you have lived round the corner from me.

Just the general stuff moving out I can't say anything extra has gone out. I have a couple of items to donate to a lady and her family in the village need to get that arranged. 
I have started to load up in readiness for selling some items on ebay. 
Trying to find a pair of ankle boots so I can declutter my other boots but having problems as have broad feet and high instep :

2 Scratters xx

Wednesday2000

I woke up last night and I couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and started to tidy and rearrange my chest of drawers and a cupboard. I threw away some things from my toiletries drawer that I never use. I went through the medicine drawer and realised I had forgotten to buy more paracetamol. I could have sworn I did stock up for winter but it definitely isn't in there. That was so boring I fell back to sleep about an hour after I started. 

My Fitbit said I had done over 1,500 steps when I woke up this morning just from walking around my house in the night!

Siebrie

I've misplaced (at least, I think it was me) my container with cards. Of course, I only found out when I wanted to write a card for our Minister, who has accepted a post as a street preacher in a different city, about an hour's drive away. I'm really sorry to see her go.

Floss

@2Scratters I lived on the edge of that famous Lancashire coastal resort, about 1 mile inland from the Big One. Now I'm back in the lovely leafy Cheshire suburbs 😁

short_bird

4336-4337: 100 emails deleted
4338-4345: 8 carriers to delivery driver
4346-4361: items to recycling
4362-4384: items to bin
4385: complaint to supermarket as a couple of items arrived with broken packaging (rolls eyes)

Hurrah, the chirping alarm and the faulty socket have been attended to this morning. 
Out tonight and away tomorrow so need to pack and get a train ticket...

nannywindow

Hello all, long time no see, sorry about that but RL keeps getting in the way. I've only just about kept up with daily detritus leaving the house but yesterday we had our gutters cleaned out by a local odd-job man, it's a job that's needed doing for a while. We also decluttered another wedding anniversary and celebrated my Dad's 93rd birthday. We had a roast lamb dinner followed by a joint cake that was much enjoyed by everyone. Today I finished the last of the roast dinner with hm lamb burgers while DH had chips with his. 
Today I found the leads for the PS that has already gone, so they have been binned too. The TV planner has been culled and about 300 programmes have been deleted forever, unfortunately there are still plenty left to go 😕 In my defence I had been deleting programmes but didn't realise they just sat there in the background! Oh well I've learnt something new. In the recycling box 2 broken takeaway containers and lids, also gone some OOD otc meds. 
I can't keep up with you lovely people, you're amazing and all doing so well despite dealing with problems /illness etc. but I'll just plod on.
Take care all
nan