2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

short_bird

SecondStar said:

I’d love to get a packing service in, but I think it would be too difficult with both of our things all mixed in together right now.

I bet they've worked in exactly this situation before...
Might it be worth getting a small storage unit for the stuff that is yours so it's completely out of the shared space?

SecondStar

Floss said:

SecondStar said:

It’s tricky, because I’m moving out of the house I’ve owned with my ex. He is still living there, and so it feels hard to start going in and ripping the place apart. There are things like the flatware and cutlery and bed linen and towels, which are mine, but he is still using because they’re there.

Things like ornaments and pictures are still up which belong to me, and I might not want to bring them with me when I move, but it feels wrong to throw them out when they’re making up part of what is now longer ‘our’ home.

Been there, done that and it's hard x

However, if things are yours, i.e. you brought them with you, you inherited them or they were given to you, I classed those things as mine to go with me. So the pictures I inherited / were given came off the walls & with me, my parents bedroom furniture came with me, my Kenwood mixer came with me - right down to the small things like my dad's pickle fork & mine and my parents Pyrex collection. Those things small enough were all taken out of cupboards & packed.

I also took all the (bought by me) frames for our wedding photos but kindly left the actual prints & wedding album for him 😁

Don't forget you can always change your mind once you're in your new home about whether that picture you brought is right on the new wall, but that decision is YOURS to make IN YOUR OWN TIME and not in a rush as you move out. Better to have too much & then reduce, than realise you're missing something you left behind.

This is true. I anticipate I may be tripping over boxes in my new home for a while! I’m thankful that I have 2 lovely friends with garages, who have offered to lend storage space if I need it. If my Stuff is out of that house at least, then I can go through it all at a more leisurely pace later on.

I am looking forward to owning less Stuff, truly. But it it also tempered against the old ‘but what if I NEED it’ chestnut, that I think we all have to wrestle with occasionally.

The psychology behind owning Stuff/wanting to be rid of Stuff is fascinating.

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

HI everyone

Not managed to catch up on all news, just the last few pages. RL has been busy and I am working lots so I can declutter my mortgage this year....
Tackled a frog on Friday and rang HMRC about the WfH allowance during Covid which I have never claimed, they sorted it out for me while i was on the phone, so grateful! Also popped into town and had scary photo taken so I can apply for a new passport !!
Was glad to see the recommendation about the Nick Knowles programme as I managed to watch one episode yesterday. I was also hoping they would return 6 months later to see how the couple were getting on but nevermind. I'm looking forward to the Stacey Solomon prog this week. 
I have finally put all the xmas wrapping in the recycling plus the xmas cards! The tree got collected by a local charity last Saturday.
I was also inspired by the Nick K prog and went into my garage for 30 minutes and filled 2 x CS bags which i dropped off in town. I also took all my plastic bags to the recycling.
I brought a small tub into the house and sorted out all the paperwork - some shredding but most just went in the recyling bin.
This morning i have zapped some books on the z!ffiT app so I need to find a box for them, they don't count till they have left the house as I've zapped some of them before and never parcelled them up!

Hugs to anyone who is struggling.

@Dfw38 - good luck for the meeting with school tomorrow

love Deni xx

joanie

I had a quick 5 minutes this morning and decluttered 21 nail varnishes and other manicure type stuff. I only kept a French polish set and some nail conditioner etc. I find wearing nail varnish, even just on special occasions, ruins my nails and they all break a few days later. As a long time nail biter who is currently ‘cured’ I find broken and uneven nails can send me back to nibbling again!  

Things are getting a bit more difficult now the easy stuff has gone. I’ve identified a large box of tights, pop socks, etc that I will do tomorrow. 

I’ve got my nose stuck in a book now (Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth) so unlikely to do any more today.

Keep going everyone. 

daisy_1571

Secondstar, I was also going to suggest a wee storage space but I think you should make use of the garage space.  It actually makes it easier that you aren't trying to clear the whole house as your ex will still be able to use stuff left in the house even if he replaces it in time for stuff to his own taste. 

If its yours and he doesn't want it then either you could take it to tip or if he is agreeable he could, but either way, once decided upon best get it out house otherwise you'll end up re-deciding things you've already agreed on. 

Pack up and remove things from the house as you go then 1) you are not tripping over stuff and 2) you can see what you still have to do.   Number the boxes and keep a list of whats in each one.  Maybe also list what you get rid of and what you decide your leaving.   At some point down the line one of you is going to check with the other 'what happened to....' and its surprising how difficult it will be to be sure if you've got it, it was left or it got sold/chucked. 

Depending on the amicableness of the situation you could start with non essentials ie the pictures and ornaments, the majority of your clothes leaving just maybe a 2 week supply, any kitchen stuff as long as it leaves enough for you both to use on a day to day basis,  Xmas stuff. Imagine youre on holiday and only have a few combination of outfits, or youre in a caravan with just a small amount of kitchen stuff.  It might start making the house seem a but unlived in but your ex will have the space to decide for himself how he wants the place to look once its fully his. 

One tip I would always give is to use clothes bedding towels etc for packing.   No point buying stuff to wrap things in which will then be discarded at other end and use more boxes to move clothes bedding towels etc.  We put ornaments in socks, fleeces at the bottom of breakables boxes, tshirts between plates, towels round pictures etc etc.  

Good luck with it all, deep breaths and you'll get into your new life    

Daisy xx

daisy_1571

Target 1106
8/1/23 to 22/1/23
Books 1
Cd 2
Jewellery -
Craft 71
Kitchen -
Household 8
Clothes 5
Bags -
Footwear -
Xmas 2
General 46
Huts 20
New target 951

Daisy xx

QueenJess

Just a quick run through of DS's stack of drawings today and he decluttered loads.  Whilst I wait to finish DD's bedroom next week, I've started thinking about what we need to tweak further in DS's room.  No conclusions yet and continuing to declutter in there as much as possible.

I would like to do more, but too tired today and think I need to complete DD's room (and therefore get rid of some of the current mess not currently living anywhere) before I go to the next room properly.  My daily aim at the moment is to get rid of at least 10 things until I feel more in control of it all.  Finding that quite easy at the moment!

685-760 - kids drawing/colouring (recycled)

-taff

@SecondStar Maybe go through your things and put a limit on what you want to keep of whichever item, clothes, shoes, books, kinen,crockery, knick knacks etc, then pick your favourites first and ditch the rest. I would recommend starting now doing this because I have moved before and left everything until virtually the last minute and it was not conducive to my stress levels...DOn't keep something because you think you might need it, in the case of craft stash, work out what projects you actually have a hope of completing and keep the stuff for that, get rid of the rest, you can always get more if you need to later on.

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 think Sunday morning was bright & sunny but as I have only just woken up (1:15 p.m.) I am only guessing 😔 It is still bright & sunny with lots of blue sky but oh so very cold 🥶 DH & DSis were both in the kitchen watching either two or four squirrels chasing each other at breakneck speed - up & down trees, leaping from walls & fences & generally having a good time 😅 DH made my first cuppa & I will sit down & catch up on the cheerleading before dealing with a couple of paperwork frogs 🤞

GrannyKate, how ‘exciting’ - contractors starting tomorrow 🙂 Fingers crossed for a speedy conclusion to the building works 🤞 Hope DS2 is mistaken about the speeding ticket 🤞Excellent decluttering 👏Ouch to all the bills to be paid😣 You are so organised that you have inspired me to take a bit of time to organise my To Do list in order of priority rather than fiddle faddling around with unimportant tasks 🤣

Excellent decluttering plumduff55 👏 I rather approve of you watching all your DVDs especially as you are knitting at the same time 😊 You have made a good start - 50% keep & 50% CS 😉

Wednesday2000, it might be worth a quick call to the CS re the extra coffee table, as the last time I had a pick up they refused to take anything other than the items I had arranged to be collected 🤷‍♀️ Great decluttering especially the 

2 in, 4 out decluttering of jewellery 👏 Fingers crossed that your brother recovers quickly 🤞

SecondStar, I can see that you have had lots of excellent advice & ideas so I will not add to it apart from to say it might be a good idea to make a list of your belongings for each room/space/cupboard. Floss’s advice “Don't forget you can always change your mind once you're in your new home about whether that picture you brought is right on the new wall, but that decision is YOURS to make IN YOUR OWN TIME and not in a rush as you move out. Better to have too much & then reduce, than realise you're missing something you left behind” resonated most with me. Good luck 🍀 and do make use of your friends’ offers of storage space in their garages 😊

The following is a ‘blanket’ thank you to all of you who offered advice & ideas & suggestions to SecondStar for her big move & the start of a new chapter in her life 👏 I am sending 💐 to QueenJess, Floss, short_bird, daisy_1571 and -taff 👏😊

donna73, I am a bit ‘flexible’ when it comes to my 23 minutes of knitting 😂 - I keep ‘accidentally’ forgetting to set the timer 😉  However, many of our fellow declutterers who are more disciplined than me are making good use of this method 👏 Remember it can be more than one 23 minute session - 23 is to match with it being 2023 😊 Good luck with your sewing 🍀

Wow you have been busy Deni_debt-free_dreamer 🤩 Excellent decluttering 👏

I am awed by how much you have fitted in whilst working so hard to declutter your mortgage 😊 Good luck 🍀 I will be joining you in watching Stacey Solomon as I really like her carpenter 😉

That was a very productive 5 minutes joanie - excellent decluttering 👏 Good luck with the box of tights, pop socks etc 🍀 Enjoy your book 😊

Excellent decluttering daisy_1571 👏

Excellent work in both DS & DD’s rooms QueenJess 👏 I think you are right to finish DD’s room completely as if you start to lose steam you can open the door to her room & remind yourself of how successful you are as a declutterer 🥳

MrsSD (a superwoman) 😇 🎖💐🤩🏅🦸🏅💐🏆 💐

 DH Awards: 🥇 

Decluttering Target 2023: 287/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, waiting for my niece to call from her sunshine home in the Caribbean, so envious right now as it's still freezing here

When I split from my ex he moved out and I bought the house so I have had the experience from the other side iyswim. Initially it was easy,  we made decisions on furniture and white goods so I wanted the fridge/freezer, cooker and washing machine. He took the tv, stereo etc. 3 piece suite. We actually bought some new stuff, kettle and toaster for him to take and I sorted through things like towels and bed linen splitting them generally in half. Other things we split according to who had bought what for wedding presents and stuff his Mum gave us v stuff my parents had given us. I think the only thing we argued over was a swiss cheese plant . In the end when I said f*ck it, take it, it turned out he didn't really want it and was just arguing to wind me up, we then had another argument about why I was being so reasonable! You can see why we got divorced . Anyhow he got a firm of movers to come but didn't come to do any packing up so his clothes etc were moved in the draws they were in which the removal men thought was hilarious but I certainly wasn't going to pack it up for him. He did moan about it as he said it was stuff he didn't want but I told him not my problem. To be honest although it took me a few years to replace things I didn't really feel deprived of anything, I listened to the radio rather than watch tv and somehow being out of a bad relationship made everything else bearable.
So far today all I have done is put a load of washing on and emptied the kitchen recycling bin. Will be out later so probably won't do much else
176 kitchen recycling
Oh there's the phone
Take care everyone
176/2023