2022 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

vulpix

 My Mum used to have a labrador who she rushed home to as she didn't want her to wait an hour for her dinner when the clocks changed. She didn't give her her dinner an hour later when the clocks went the other way though! The thing about Labradors is any time is dinner time.

 I feel somewhat better today, still taking it easy whilst waiting to see a Dr though.

 Vx

basketcase

roundtuit said:

Morning all xx

Morning rt!

And have you ever tried explaining to a persistent budgie that what was 10 o'clock and bedtime yesterday is only 9 o'clock today so not bedtime yet. (Although it might be bedtime at 9 o'clock tonight as I'll have been awake forever by then 🙄)

What's the problem with the budgie?  Is it anything a threat with the rotisserie would cure?

Not entirely true but my bah humbug head takes over and skew-wiffs reality.

Have you considered a black santa hat with Bah! Humbug! written on it?  Got one for ex-Miserable G a few years back.  Much amused and he wears it every Christmas!

Does decluttering anxiety with another brew count? 🤔

Absolutely!  There are whole books on mental/emotional deculttering but IMNSHO it should always start with the brew of your choice.  In fact, most things should...

Rxx

I've been reading, but decided not to post progress until it was noticeable to me.  Also I had my Covid booster/flu vaccination and was, a previously, rather ill.  So not much done then.

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger, the wedding sounded great and the christening cake was amazing.  Far too good to eat.  Sorry to hear of all the problems people have had, but have been silently cheering all the successes. 

@roundtuit I love the attitude you've developed of wondering what's in the box/bag you're emptying.  Far more positive than my dread of trawling through yet more rubbish I should've binned ages ago with the occasional "Ooh! I'd forgotten that..."  I'll adopt it, if I may?

Declutterwise I was following Katie Berry's book.  It's good, but I think she starts from a far less disorganised home than mine!  (Think Augean Stables and Hercules diverting the River Styx! )  I'm making a fair bit of progress and one thing I do find useful is sticking to a programme.  Restricting activities to one at a time - even if it takes a few days - is good for me, as I tend to 'graze' then get depressed because, if anything, it now looks worse.  I think the process is going to take more than one round of clearing, though.  So I'll try it again for Round 2.  Or 3.  Or 4...

On the upside, the kitchen and pantry are now properly sorted - drawers, cupboards, freezer, the lot - and everything's been reorganised into logical areas of use which, so far, are working.  Of course, this also means restocking the pantry, getting containers filled, labelled and organised etc.

So I had to clear and reorganise a double-door cupboard in the hall, making sure it was now used for longer term items like bottles, long date tins, TP, kitchen rolls, toiletries and cleaning stuff etc  Plus finding new homes for vases, candle-holders, jars etc that couldn't live there any more

That led to the bathroom being done and one of my (now freed-up) rolling trolleys going under the sink with cleaning supplies and toiletries.

I've nearly finished sorting my clothes.  I found sorting and ditching fairly easy, but I felt the need to wash my off-season stuff before I put it into vacuumed bags under the bed.  Now done, but took longer than you'd think because I haven't got (and don't really want) a tumble dryer and it takes a while to dry at this time of year.  I also want to add an extra clothes bar to my wardrobe and have ordered that and a clothes rail for the hall.  Just got to pick them up from Ikea.  BUT the car's brakes need doing and it won't be ready before the end of this week, so I had to reschedule my slot.  (There's no direct bus and I ordered a few candles and stuff too. I really don't fancy lugging them on 2 buses).  Aargh!

So In the meantime I've started on my paper - filing, magazines etc.  2 bags done, mostly old stuff and magazines which could be recycled.  Think it'll be more efficient if I drag out the shredder and shred as I go.  It makes really good floor covering for the rabbit's cage.  And, for some reason, she likes the noise and comes out and watches.  Quite why a 'nervous' prey animal like a rabbit is attracted to shredders - and the hoover for that matter - escapes me, but it provides mental stimulation...

Sorry to rabbit on.  Erm, sorry...)  Better get off and get on.

bit_by_bit

Popping by to report two bags out . One to the cs, an in and out (thanks vulpix) and another to DiL with repaired clothing, papers for DS1 and an iron from the cs as she has lost hers. She is very happy. Her mum brings toys and clothes for GS3 all the time. I am more useful for practical bits.

Also a frog has been dealt with this morning and another to be done this afternoon plut taking MiL to docs as cough not cleared up. It sbeen at least two weeks now. Covid test negative thankfully. 

grandmanerd

A productive morning. Things I'm counting
1   Run out of drinks (was going to ask DS3 to bring me some but he was asleep) and my clean dress was on a hanger at the bottom of the stairs
2    Went down taking a new pack of fairy lights (had them about 4 years but never used), scissors and a bag of recycling) (3)
3    Found the tape which I'd seen in the front room (went with parcel tape in case I need the tough tape for something else)
4    DS3 had not filled the bag I gave him yesterday so I sat down to do that. Opened the curtains and top windows. collected 5 forks then found another 2 later whilst collecting the pizza box sauces he'd piled in front of the tv
5    Gathered up bedding and dirty dress and set the WM off (DS3 has put my previous load in the TD and I'm not complaining because I'm one step away from running around sky clad)
6    Filled the DW with pots and cutlery (DS3 set it off later as it wouldn't work for me -it's old and moody, you have to hold the door until it sets off)
7    Fished things out of the sink included tins I'd left to rinse (outside now but not taken to the bin because still not got my dress on)
8    put the things that were too mucky to go in the DW to soak (left too long)
9    Went under the stairs and started to tape fairy lights diagonally across the 'ceiling' (under side of the stairs) having plugged them in first to make sure they worked.
10  My original plan was to continue up to the top but 3 rows seemed to give enough light and the kitchen paint was repelling the tape so I moved on to doing the 'hidden corners' (triangle where the shelf meets the under stairs is always dark) and then working my way along a shelf (bottom of the fourth one up).
11   It took quite a while (I drank 2 drinks and sat down when I could)
12   Next I took the 'pointy end' (furthest away from the plug ) and wrapped it round the pole suspended from the underside of the kitchen cabinets (the spice rack and 2 pot lid holders hang from it). Kept the loops long and tucked some behind the spice jars.
13   At the end I turned it round and fed it back through one of the pot lid holders (it ends 3" away from the hob and no chance of it dangling onto the burners (back ones are used least nowadays).
14   Part way through I came upstairs to use the bathroom and set my mask to clean. have since rinsed and it and wrapped it up to dry
15   Still have a large loop of lights in the middle to use up. Pondered taking them across the kitchen (would need to take them up to the ceiling or down to the floor to get across the doorway/ arch but think taking them across one set of lower shelves and back across the lowest shelf will be best.
16    Back upstairs for what is now definitely brunch. DS3 gave me a mug of soup he wasn't keen on and I'm going to have fruit loaf toast. I brought drinks upstairs, a bag containing two large tins holding my sewing stuff and miscellaneous bits and a large fake book (present from DS2) which I'll use to hold some of my hobby stuff/ work in progress.
17    Asked DS3 to bring up the clothes in the dryer (I brought the dress to put on with me - need to put some medicine cream on first). The bundle of clothes has arrived so I'll put them on hangers and hang them from door hooks and knobs.

Let's say 20 which is 709/ 2022.  more this afternoon but I'm going to start on transferring stuff from old notebooks and setting up my mid-year diary.

ETA my pantry looks wonderful with all the tins in their groups and the little lights setting it all off

roundtuit

@basketcase - feel free to adopt my attitude to bags and boxes that need sorting. If it helps I'm happy to share. 😊

I don't eat meat so Sweetie knows he is safe from that threat. 😉

DS's Dad has a black bah humbug Santa hat. He can get together with G for a photo shoot 🤣

And spurred on by the knowledge that I have had a positive influence on a fellow declutterer, I'm going to wade through a plastic container of toys which has stood in the living room for eons. Rolling my sleeves up in anticipation 
Rxx

roundtuit

DVD - added to DVD stash
Sneezy and Grumpy - mmas bag
Pirate - cs
ActionMan torch - cs
Doc - mmas bag
Boy's sunglasses with visor - cs
? Plastic strip  - bin
Mike (Monsters Inc) - cs
Unknown (Monsters Inc) - cs
Pumbaa & Timon (broken) - bin
Simpsons figure x 7 - cs
Boys sunglasses  - cs
Ant (Bugs Life?) - cs
Pez holder x 3 - DS
WWF car x 2 - DS
Plastic figure x 2 - cs
Plastic figure (parachute missing) - bin
Bugs Bunny - cs
Plastic bits and bobs - bin
2 small wrestling figures- mmas bag
Penguin - mmas bag

Nearly done but need a brew. 
Rxx

roundtuit

Spiderman & vehicle - cs
Truck with driver - cs
Pair Comms headsets - cs

Plastic basket is actually 2 baskets stacked together. I threw one out the other day as is was bent totally out of shape. These two will be kept...for now. 

Rather a lot of dust has been disposed of. Sneeze 

And that's a little bit less rammel in LR.

Woot woot
Rxx

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

917.  Returned item to TK Maxx
918.  Hung Kitchen Clock up.  
919.  Dead portable charger

This morning got off to an abrupt start - I've been trying to get a GPs appointment on and off last week without success.  I was determined this morning so rang on the dot of 8am only to be given an in-person appointment at 8:20 at the branch which is 15 mins away.  I just about made it and was out by 8:30 so decided to go to B&Q before I started work.   

No cancellations today so it's been quite full on, and I took some stuff back to TK Maxx at lunchtime.   They were cushions so quite bulky & I just wanted to get them out of the house.  Then DS & I dragged the old sofa into the front garden for collection tomorrow.

I will sleep well tonight!  

920.  Returns to TK Maxx
921.  Doctors appointment
922.  dead iPhone case 

grandmanerd

Shredder gone, broken terracotta plate gone, toaster gone (it was a cheap cs fill in - broke last week, got it to work so it got a reprieve and it broke again today.  2 bags to the rubbish bin and 3 of recycling (went round here, there and everywhere rooting out bits that had fallen between or behind things and rolled under and gathered up all the small collections. Another 8, 717/2022. still in love with my pantry shelves, feel like Mother C'mas.

TC77

@grandmanerd and @basketcase and others , in awe of all your progress.  
RL taken over but made Dd1 dr appt , just outside the 2 week promise , went to work thing , luckily borrowed a dress from friend for party ( didn't wear as really work wear) but used as even safety pins didn't make proper clothes fit! Something has to change - didn't eat any of the food at the work thing but did buy some jumpers ( one thing I don't have lots of). Also send pdf  of form dB couldn't open and posted 3 items reported yesterday.  Bought a great 2023 diary with appt slots and going to set out 30.min ( or 15) min ahead to target as if a meeting after work to see if that helps in 2023.  And will record nos again anf target of 2500 including frogs. 
Wore a long Cardigan for the first time that  I bought before lock down and felt very smart so pleased with this