2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Florenceem

 I was at SA in the morning and went into town with Mr F in the afternoon. Mr F is still not walking well after twisting his ankle so walked at a slow pace.

Day 3 -

76 Emails
Sweet Bag
Jam Jar
6 (6) RT 748

I did declutter some baking ingredients last night - made a jam sponge pudding which meant an empty jam jar.
I also made a fruit loaf - used some sultanas, glace cherries and walnut pieces but no resulting empty ingredients containers.

vulpix

 Hi, Thank you for the gold star and all the support. I feel like I am accountable if I post here. It really does spur me on.

 Happy Birthday charlies_ tribe. I hope you had a lovely day.
 
 Chuffin mirror out of stock at Ikea, still a nice ride out over the tops to get there and back.

 Thank you for the advice about renting my Mum's house out. I will go to see her tomorrow, difficult to chat on the phone as she is deaf. And so it begins. I doubt very much that my Mum has any clue as to what needs to be done before renting her house out even to a relative. I am very,very wary of my brother after the carnage after my Dad died. I would NEVER want a repeat of that ever again. I want to do my bit but... I think I will be damned if I do and damned if I don't. I am in a no win situation.

 I have been in a morose mood tonight and achieved nowt but online jigsaws. Must do better tomorrow.

 Vx

TC77

@Florenceem , looks fab and making me hungry  
Haven't caught up but will do tomorrow, want to post before I forget!
Thanks, @bit_by_bit think I'm on the mend but struggled writing a report for work so will do that over the weekend.
Trying to put like with like so box of sandals taken out of landing cupboard which has tools etc, 2 pairs of flip flops for DD2 and 2.5 pairs for me along with 2 pairs of sandals in my bedroom now, tidied and cleaned dining room table. 
2 holey socks for recycling along as DD2 underwear. Unworn bra of mine to CS along with stamps  - should take tomorrow.
Donation hub will take cables so 6 phone cables put aside with no of jars they want. 2 dresses and bag to return to friend but will count those once handed over. Other small random bits out, and others rehomed elsewhere in house. Ropey kitchen utensil binned. Now 236, plus old credit card cut up, and another one I thought I'd misplaced so got replaced found and cut up, 238.
Look forward to reading posts tomorrow, and try and be kind to yourself as I know everyone here is doing so much.

QueenJess

Managed to get everything done today (just!). Even found a few more bits to declutter; mainly in the upstairs cupboard. I think I may be decluttering it by stealth before my brain realises. Might see tomorrow if I can put away the stuff that’s been lying around since Xmas into the cupboard now I’ve cleared a whole shelf by moving out DD’s larger size clothes. 

4 Buy nothing pick ups tomorrow (fingers crossed they all turn up) and I am picking up some wellies for the next size up for DS to stash. Have to dig right to the back of the cupboard downstairs to claim the box they need to live in, so I will see if there’s anything to declutter on the way.

1,524- paper (reused, then recycled)

1,525 - packaging (used)

1,526-27 - packs of Covid tests (Buy Nothing)

1,528-29 - cleaning products (Buy Nothing)

1,530 - crafting stuff (Buy Nothing)

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, quick post as I have a union meeting early tomorrow morning. After lunch I decided to tackle another corner of the living room which mostly has OHs stuff but I did unearth a couple of magazines, some more wrapping paper and 2 wildflower seed bombs. Read through 2 magazines but 1 still left to look through, wrapping paper put where it lives and seed bombs boxed up to be sent to my sister who has a large garden with a wildflower section, will be counted when I have posted them.. Various other things binned or recycled. Emptied the kitchen bin and put a load of washing on. I also called in to ln as I haven't seen her since Monday. After tea I just did some crochet on the baby blanket. I will get back to that corner tomorrow when OH is out So
295 kitchen bin emptied
296 - 297 magazines
298 load of washing
Take care everyone
298/2023

weenancyinAmerica

Thank you for all of your responses to my friend's death. Last night I made a sign to take over to the library today to put up in the Book Nook so our regular customers would know. Several of the library staff have been e-mailing information to put in the newsletter. All we know so far is that he died in a car crash - no details of any kind beyond that. 

Started out this morning working on Frog Friday - paid my all my bills due before the 15th. Cancelled our security service which we have never used. Couldn't set the alarm as people are coming and going at all times of the day and night due to sleeping habits and work schedules. Had our class today on zoom - on Internet research. Still trying to register for next semester's classes, but having technical difficulties with their program. I am supposed to use a security code that they are "sending me by e-mail" but it never arrives. Have checked all of my e-mails (three of them), but it just doesn't come through. They are supposed to call me on Monday. 

Found a fake credit card (where they are trying to get you to order one) in the mail. I was hoping for one as the one I had in the kitchen disappeared. They are perfect for cleaning pans, especially the ones that I have made scrambled eggs in. 

Took a friend to pick up his medicine and then to the grocery store. Managed to sort a box of magazines while he was in there - 65 magazines. Some to go to specific people and others to go the library. Took him home and then picked up prescriptions and dog bones at the store. Had so many prescriptions that we got a $5 discount on the dog bones. Then did my big monthly grocery shop. Like most people who do a big shop, supposedly will only need milk, bread, eggs, and fruits and veggies for the rest of month. Eggs were $4.99 a dozen today, limit 2, after being over $6.00 last week. So I bought 2 boxes. The dog and I use them the most, but we will hard-boil one box for egg salad sandwiches which everyone likes. I shopped at Aldi's which has stores here in California. 

Home to get other roommate to go to library to drop off sign. Then sorted cart of books and looked for a specific dictionary that was requested by one of the library patrons. Amazingly it fell off the bottom shelf of the cart right next to my foot! So left it with the librarian and a note for the patron so the patron can come in and get it. Then went to bank and another other grocery store. I didn't spend any of my money here but picked up food for a couple of roommates that they were paying for. Home and put the groceries away including those dropped off by the minister after the food bank day at the church. She worries about us, so brought two boxes of food by. We share it with several other people. 

I feel the shock of the high gas bills people are getting - ours was $34 in December, $104 in January, and $179 on the new bill! Fortunately we live were it is fairly warm - so I turned off the heat. Everyone has a duvet and I crocheted several blankets for everyone last year. So we will be okay. They need the gas more in New Hampshire where the wind chill is supposed to be -106 F(-76C) tomorrow - the lowest ever recorded in the United States including Alaska. Our east coast is freezing. I hope this isn't on it's way over to you - it is downright scary and dangerous. Everyone stock up and take care of yourselves.

GrannyKate

Felt a bit off yesterday with some tummy ache but know that it normal.  I now need to distract myself so I don't think about any potential results from biopsies etc.  Will probably spend lots of time in TLC carriage eating cake.  Some gentle cleaning and putting back started with hall and small bathroom.  DS2 had done pictures and hall furniture.  Just dusting surfaces and tidying drawers and cupboards.  Lots of things had just been stuffed out of the way.

187 Big frog eaten - my family history programme needed updating and I bought that back in September.  I finally managed to work out (Google helped) how to externally back up existing data and I could then install update.  Very pleased with myself. 
188-190 Half used, out of date pots and tubes of ? from bathroom binned
191-194 Four hand towels from bathroom cupboard (I had 10 in there and there are loads in the other bathroom) - I will see if local dog sanctuary are taking them 

short_bird

Morning, all, found this and thought it might be interesting to read when you stop for that cuppa: especially that final paragraph.
‘It’s a control thing’: why are we so fascinated by super-organised homes? | Homes | The Guardian
However, if you're in a tl:dr situation (too long: didn't read) here's the bit that resonated with me.
"When I speak to Rendall, she’s in the process of reorganising her office – pink Post-its adorn 12 white drawers, marking the future homes of her possessions, which lay jumbled in baskets and boxes around the room. “This makes me feel a little bit on edge,” Rendall says, looking around. “But I know that once it’s done, I’ll sleep easy.” "

Meanwhile:
546-552: 3 to rubbish and 4 to recycling

grandmanerd

Big hugs for everyone and sorry for my absence. Not a lot done but all useful bits. Not feeling great and I keep dozing off a lot (must get those long overdue blood tests done) but achieved quite a lot of gentle activity.

Over 4,000 e-mails deleted (and a few extra since) and between 12 and 20 unsubscribed - still a couple of sites that don't give you the option, just send you round in circles. I'm awarding myself 1 point for every 100 e-mails. I do try to keep them under control but since my computer decided to rearrange them alphabetically, they seem to have multiplied (previously I would just delete recent ones after/ without reading).  Over a week I worked my way all through the list and I'm now down below 250 and a large proportion of those are are quarterly water bills and monthly gas and electric bills/  statements of annual use. A new yearly statement came in January and I am in credit. I despair over the price rises but realistically until DS3 and Beloved leave, there is not much I can do about it (I used to go downstairs and click the CH off every time they put it on), then it should plummet (CH will only go on between November and February and only when needed). 

At least 20 bags of rubbish and recycling out over the last week (5 per day on Thursday and Friday) and DS3 noticed that a neighbour had not put their brown bin out for collection.  Ours was overflowing so he put the extra bags of bottles in the neighbour's bin and put that out too.  Last time I emptied their bin out (they keep putting soft [plastics in it and they have to be recycled at SMs), put their bottles and cans back, added some of ours and put their rubbish in my black bin.

One bag of items to the cs, plus 2 phones and their cradles - I couldn't remember if we still had the spare phone jack from after the chinchillas ate through the cable so brought them back from mum's. Months later I've decided the effort of moving the couch out enough to check is not worth the effort. Similarly I've used lots of 'medical' bits which came from mum's and my ex's but decided to bin the remainder (one was a support bandage which mum and I found in a tin under her sink - it was her partner's size, we washed it but it's still rather unsavoury and too big for most purposes so out it goes).

I have tackled some outstanding bits from mum's estate - claimed the Council Tax rebate (waiting), paid the water bill and submitted the final meter readings. Pleasant surprise - yesterday I received a cheque from mum's energy company. Still talking frequently on the phone with the recently bereaved daughter of mum's cousin. I'd warned her she might be exhausted after the funeral (it's tense even when you don't have a bunch of toxic people making things worse) but also pointed her in useful directions. Like me her mother took a different size of clothing and not her size. No sentimental attachment to any of it, so bag it all up and take it to the cs.

She was worried about her mum's sideboard/ display unit - cost a lot of money in the 1970's (blah, blah, blah, heard it all before) but is both cumbersome and not particularly useful - small cupboards at the bottom but beware of back pains and the shelves aren't even any use for books. I reminded her that this might be her new home (abusive husband has left his current gf and now wants to move back into the 'marital home' - think they're divorced but house is still in dispute) and not  a museum to her mother. The bedroom has fitted furniture which she described as looking like 'Sindy furniture'. She's decided to pack away her mother's ornaments and hide them in case the toxic cousin descends on her - he may have a key to her mum's house and won't hesitate to nose around uninvited (why else is he thinking about a 300 mile plus journey - that's one way).

I've also trawled through my diary entries for the past year, picking out unlisted expenses and more detail on some items ( lots of bedding plants bought and put in when the bulbs I planted in autumn 2021 had finished flowering and some taxi fares - and some where I have the receipts but the new biodegradable ink is no longer legible) so the accounts are nearly complete. They were made up to December 5th but then we had all the will the sale complete/ no it won't shenanigans and I was catching up on all the appointments I'd postponed due to ongoing illnesses. Hope to meet with my niece soon and I'll let her go through it with my brother.

I'm going to have a quiet weekend - I have several 'next steps projects' that I need to start breaking down into small steps and sorting into this month, next 100 days and longer. DS1 has suggested that I buy a property near them. I'm not sure -moving to a new area in later life can be a big mistake but I know trekking back and forth to North Wales to sort their dad out  was very difficult and I don't want to worry the boys. So I've looked at ground floor flats and bungalows online but need lots of additional info.

However it has kickstarted a new zeal for decluttering. I've decided I need to call someone in to remove the old back wall (still mostly in the backs). I did have plans for reusing the bricks and did well in December. However I've hardly managed anything in January (still not completed sorting 'materials' from debris ready to start) and decided there are other things I need to spend my limited energy on. However if I'm going to call in the Waste Wizards (they will pick it all up - I don't need to do any heavy lifting) then I'm looking again at things I don't want to keep and seeing if I can get them out of the house now - spare drawers from the broken down wardrobe, the wardrobes I hate and a cube unit that is under the stairs which is over twenty years old. 

I'm still adjusting to having the option of getting rid of things/ paying other people to do jobs (very slowly) but when I thought about moving, even very tentatively, I suddenly realised there are things I would not want to keep and wonder if I really need to try to repair the broken polytunnel cover for the umpteenth time - I've probably spent enough on repair tape to buy a whole new one (or have my much wanted lean to greenhouse instead). I'll keep the frame but use it to support the climbing rose and other things.

So lots to think about but my current total is 19441/ 2023.

Wednesday2000

short_bird said:

Morning, all, found this and thought it might be interesting to read when you stop for that cuppa: especially that final paragraph.
‘It’s a control thing’: why are we so fascinated by super-organised homes? | Homes | The Guardian

That was interesting. I did start getting into decluttering and minimalism when my husband was having cancer treatment. I think it was definitely a control thing for me too as she says in the article as tidying and decluttering was a way of controlling my home environment. I used to lie awake and thought what I would do if he died as I would have a whole house full of stuff to deal with. Back then we hadn't paid off our mortgage and I might have had to downsize to a flat on my own.

Back to decluttering, yesterday I made the call to have the bulky waste picked up. Very quick and painless and it is being picked up Monday which is great.