2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

short_bird

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

 Wandering off at a tangent, I am just wondering if there was ever a time when all clothing companies used the same sizing system 🤨 

can confirm sizes were random in the 70's, Wallis and Marks and Sparks were always more generous, smaller boutiques not so much...

Dfw38

Back again! Apologies but it is keeping me motivated!
Ds back from nursery, now having a tiny nap so box 6 has been filled and emptied.
To the charity shop tomorrow:
Board game - caused more arguments than enjoyment between 2 dds.
7x kids books
Train 
Kids tambourine 
Kids hair accessories 
Reel of crafting ribbon
Kids swimming costume (brand new)
1x kids pj's
A marionette puppet from my childhood.
Baby doll accessories and clothes
Wooden blocks (we have 2 sets of these so have kept 1 set)
Toy farm animals- cheaper to buy a big bag in Toy shop than individually but we only gave 1/2 to 2nd dd for Christmas because we really don't need 6 of each animal 🙄
Sports bra
2x teddies
3x kids vests
Toy truck that ds finds very frustrating 
Kids Jumper
Kids hat
Kids reward sticker set
A dress I wore to a summer ball 16 years ago - really lovely and in immaculate condition but I will never wear it again.
My old christening gown. Obviously I will never fit in it again! and it doesn't hold any sentimental value to me.

Binned: 
Kids 1/2 made crafts that they have shown no interest in finishing
2x nail varnish. I am not a nail varnish kind of girl so why do I buy it every now and again 🙄.
3 mini tubs kid paint - most staining paint I have ever known. Stayed on there hands after 3 baths. Happy they are gone!

Right I will stop posting for a while and go and liberate my 2 dds from school. Have a lovely afternoon and evening! Keep up the good work all! 

Blue_Doggy

vulpix said:

 I read every post honest. I have no recollection of wax recycling. I googled and got nowhere. Can you please tell me the information again? I threw masses of wax away last year when I used up my candle stash. Oh btw, went to Aldi last night and the assistant was just reducing a set of 3 scented candles to 99p. Good sizes too. 

 

 I need to stop cat snuggling and do something. 

 Vx

@vulpix (and anyone else interested) this is the link to the website for the Recycled Candle Company . They also take the aluminium containers tealights come in.
 

This thread moves so fast that if something interests me I dive out and look it up there and then & bookmark it if I think I’ll follow it up. The original hint about the candles was pages & pages ago.
 

Cat snuggling is good! I’m dog snuggling at the mo.😄🐶

regnbue

@Flowerpot thank you for the flowers

Afternoon all

Skied to the charity shop and dropped off the following items this morning:

17 books
11 dvds
2 boxsets
2 prs second hand shoes never worn (by me)
2 pieces of unworn jewellery
recipe holder - purchased last year at a cs but only used twice
3 new reels of cotton
birthday bunting - too long to fit in any room I have
7 local guide books
unused dishwasher accessory

Fancy pencil re-homed to workplace
3 mags read and recycled

I count a pair of shoes as 2 items so 53 items and 44 papers recycled (counted as 4) = 57 in total

Major frog dealt with by ringing current and future broadband providers as contract ending.  New contract is £13 per month cheaper - wa-hey.

Also proposed home insurance renewal was a £21 increase but used comparison sites and saved £20 with a better quote with a different insurer.  Kerching.

The not so good news is, whilst decluttering, I have found 6 more photo albums, 2 mags and 3 cleaning products (groan).  I have adjusted my totals below but staggered I've got rid of 241 items and it's still only January.     

Keep going everybody!

Decluttering 241/500           Photo albums    /16                Nail polishes 1/45     Cleaning products     /28
Magazines       3/50             Hair mousse     /11                 NSD Jan       /15       Make £100 in 2023  £33/100

Regional Xmas Tree Wrestling Champion 2022 🏅⭐️💐

"The only time I'm happy is when I'm doing absolutely nothing" - Ava Gardner

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks

2. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ I have an acronym - I.R.I.S. being Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off

3. Implement a new sleep/wake up regime - start going to bed earlier (target before 2:00 a.m.) get up earlier (target by 9:00 a.m.)

4. Deal with daily mail immediately 

5. Don’t put it down, put it away

6. If I spot a mini task deal with it immediately e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc

7. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed

I was gone slightly longer than intended but mail sorted including reading & recycling the magazine & also finished writing & addressing the birthday cards for the 1st three months of the year. Also updated my contacts on iPad. Finished reading a 2nd magazine which is now in DSis’s stack of to be read magazines 😉 Also had the last of the hm soup for lunch & DH has had the lo linguine + the lo breaded chicken escalope. Must mention that DSis is feeling decidedly unwell - she has a stomach bug which on the heels of the severe headache she had yesterday leads me to think she is very rundown 🙁 Hopefully she will recover quickly because she won’t phone the surgery - always a long time in the queue & then getting fobbed off by the receptionist is not conducive to keeping her blood pressure in the realms of normal - she just gets angry 😡 DH has had a spurt of activity - blended a bag full of kitchen peelings & teabags & fed the worms & put excess in compost bins + has filled the bird feeders. He has also been in touch with M who had the ‘joyous’ task of sorting out her drugs regime - sadly it her 2 hours as she has many to take 😔 However she is very happy to be home 😊

269 Magazine read & recycled

Lovely informative post, Floss 👏

Great work decluttering a couple of frogs TC77 👏

Brie, Thank you for sharing your experiences of dealing with stressful work situations 👏 Good advice to Florenceem 😊

Millie2008_2, not ‘too long’ a wait for your appointment 🤔 obviously the person who initially advised a week was a new person who still had hope of quick turnaround times 😉 Excellent decluttering 👏 always nice when the decluttering mojo stays with you 🙂

No, no, no, no, no daisy_1571 😳 I think the mascot should be either a hedgehog or a Thunderball or maybe a box/tin of buttons 😂

nannywindow, decorating always takes soooo long 🙁 (I remember those halcyon days, long since gone, when we could stay up most of the night to get the work done 😔 🙂) Nowadays it is a choice between pressing on then not being able to move for 3 days OR taking it a bit more slowly to allow your body to acclimatise 😅 Excellent decluttering 👏 The charity bag being collected was a real bonus 🙂 Also well done on cooking once & eating 2.5 times 👏

Florenceem, the course sounds tough but hopefully made slightly easier by MrF’s attendance. Excellent decluttering 👏 - another couple of days & you will have reached the monthly target 😊

GrannyKate, that is what I call good use of your 23 minutes 😊 Good decluttering 👏 As to the GP appointment I am sending good luck  & nerve busting vibes 🙂

What a wonderfully thoughtful, supportive & considerate post Dfw38 😊 Does anyone remember “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge 🙂 Not too sure any of you could put up with me if I started singing it though 😅

One more page done so will take a 12 minute break & do some knitting 🙂

MrsSD (a superwoman) 😇 🎖 💐 🤩 🏅🦸 🏅💐

Decluttering Target 2023: 269/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, caught up wow this train moves quickly, you wouldn't dare get off for fear of never catching it again

On the subject of left over bits of candle was I make fire lighters from it. I'll try to take a pic and post in a bit. Just having a tea break

OH declared it a half snow day, roads mostly cleared now. The car was taken for a valet as there is a pupil test at 9am tomorrow and the examiners get a bit cross if the car isn't immaculate. OH is expecting the test to be cancelled though looking at the weather forecast for tomorrow as it is an early test but the car needed to be cleaned justin.

So today so far I have continued with the washing, drying and stacking of the take away containers but I had a break from that to do a tip run. I managed to squeeze a few more bits in the bag and collected old xmas tree from ln. It was basically green metal with fake snow all over and came in 2 pieces, the main stand bit and a binbag of branches. I also loaded up a massive cardboard box from her new tv and the 2 dead light bulbs. I have wizzed around the house and filled the kitchen bin with carp and the recycling bin, where does it keep coming from, I seem to clear a surface or space and it just refills again. I have almost dealt with the post. I got a letter from bg saying they had made a mistake on my dec dd due to the govt grant thing so had not taken the dd and could I please phone them to pay the outstanding amount, just less than £20. My initial reaction was to pick up the phone straight away but then I thought about it and got suspicious as I thought well they could just take that through the normal system and decided to check it out a bit further. I checked first the account number with a previous letter and it is different so I am going to put it to one side and contact them on my usual contact number, not the one on the letter. It may be genuine but the more I thought about it the more suspicious I got. If it is a scam they would then have all my card details. I will update when I have more info on this.
137 - 151 plastic bits counting the washing machine pod containers individually but the rest as 1
152 - 153 xmas tree counting as 2 because it has shed fake snow all over my car and it will take ages to clean
154 - 155 light bulbs
156 cardboard box
157 kitchen recycling
158 kitchen bin

I wasn't sure how I would get on with this counting thing but I like it an added bonus for me is that as I jot things down to be posted I am also using up some note pads, and I have a lot

Take care everyone
158/2023

Millie2008_2

I have been pondering today about clutter in my life and the purpose it serves (and my reluctance to 'let go'). I would like to move forward this year, in some aspects of my life, including my career and I do think that the clutter somehow holds me back, as I mentally carry it around...

So onwards we go....
60. 2 of DD's old ballet headbands (charity shop)
61. Old sunglass cases
62. Random rubber bands
63. Old, tired hair bobbles
64. Temporary tattoos (whhhyyyy?)
65. Incense kit - new (charity shop bag)
66. DD's old inhaler (to be recycled)
67. Paperwork from my little holiday in hospital over Christmas- I don't want a souvenir from that
68. 2x handmade by me seaglass pendant necklaces- for a charity fund-raising sale

I've been through DD's ballet bag and sorted out her exam hair grips, etc, so they are all tidy in a little pouch. I have put to one side a few pairs of ballet shoes for her to try on and I'll charity shop any that are outgrown. I've also unearthed her shortie wetsuit (she spends half of the summer in water! and beach shoes, so I'll get her to try those on and pass them on if they don't fit

Ohhh and the lady came to collect The Coat, which is for a local refugee and she (collecting lady) was delighted with it and she said that the recipient would be over the moon. I'm so pleased I saw the Facebook post now and if I weren't on this journey, I wouldn't have unearthed the coat in the first place- happy

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, pic of the fire lighters I make. I have loosened the cake case so you can see better.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks

2. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ I have an acronym - I.R.I.S. being Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off

3. Implement a new sleep/wake up regime - start going to bed earlier (target before 2:00 a.m.) get up earlier (target by 9:00 a.m.)

4. Deal with daily mail immediately 

5. Don’t put it down, put it away

6. If I spot a mini task deal with it immediately e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc

7. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed

Back again but 45 minutes later 😉 I have started my 3rd ear-warmer headband & DH & I have put in our HF order - their last chance to get it right 🤞

Liverpool_Anne, lovely comments especially about children’s clothing 🙂 So you were a tomboy then 😉 Excellent decluttering 👏

Millie2008_2, thanks for allaying Dfw38’s concerns 👏

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, ideas & memories Paspatur 👏 What a wonderful way to deal with the potentially emotional clutter - ask those concerned if they want it & also have the mindset to keep precious memories mentally rather than physically 🤩 Welcome to the family you are already slotting aboard the bullet train known as the EDT 👋 Hope to see a bit more of you 🤞

SecondStar, my DH has helped me visualise 31 square metres & from my perspective it would be too small & that ‘miniature’ is a fairly generous description 😉 Brought to mind the old saying of ‘It’s so small there’s barely room to swing a cat’ 😅 but having said that you did point out that it has a large garden attached 🤔 So rather than trying to decide in your head it might be time to break out the paper & pen and write down your list of requirements with a 2nd list being your Pros & Cons for each place you view that you are interested in. Jot down every thought that comes into your mind & then as you refine your requirements and P&C lists you can cross off odd thoughts that might not be relevant. One thing I would say is that I would make a note of how you ‘feel’ when first going in. Sorry I have prattled on a bit 😔 I can see as I read more posts that several people are more practical than me & are generously sharing their experience & knowledge 😊

Good work gettingthrifty 👏

Great points raised short_bird 👏 very succinct & SecondStar will probably appreciate your more succinctly put observations 🙂

Floss, another well observed post that should prove very useful for SecondStar 🙂👏

Must say I am enjoying this conversation about buying a new home & I hope it is proving useful for SecondStar.

Moorviews, Lovely sentiments regarding mumf’s situation 😊 Great work on your decluttering journey 👏 & good luck with your ‘Use it Up’ approach to your food stocks 🍀

Lovely conversational post, Dfw38 😊 I had a quiet chuckle that “warthog” might make an appearance on a future decluttering thread 🤭 More useful input for SecondStar - such a wealth of knowledge & experience 😊

Excellent decluttering ilovetea 👏 

I am off again - another 23 minutes of knitting whilst watching the TV 😉

MrsSD (a superwoman) 😇 🎖 💐 🤩 🏅🦸 🏅💐

Decluttering Target 2023: 269/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Ginmonster

My decluttering today took the form of throwing things in the bin:

5 out of date beers we'll never drink were poured down the sink and the bottles and cans recycled

4 slightly battered gifts bags chucked

123/2023 items gone now.