2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Dfw38

Thanks @floss I can't take the credit for that though, it was dd who originally wanted kiwi crush 😊.
🐸 number 6 completed - upgraded my phone contract for more data (15x amount of previous data for £1 less than  I was paying )(no new phone needed- still getting used to this one....only had it 4 years 😬) been meaning to do this since upgrade was available in.... January 2021 🤣. Off to do another coat of woodwork paint as ds is having a nap. Hope you all have a lovely day, sun is shining here! 

QueenJess

I'm meant to be tidying, but just feel utterly overwhelmed.  I've got rid of a silly amount of stuff this year, so why do I still have mess everywhere?

The problem I have is that I like drawers/cupboards etc to be tidy.  When they need a thorough sort out, I find it easier to leave things on the floor than tackle the bigger task.  This means that I have lots of things lying around that are making things look far worse than they really are, but clearing a small bit of it is a much bigger task.  This is not the easy stuff.  One tiny example is that I have the bags/wrapping paper from DS's birthday in my library on the floor.  I need to go through and decide what to recycle (or bin) and what can be reused and snip it as appropriate.  However, I know that the box of this stuff is in the upstairs cupboard of doom and really I can't even put this away if I sort it out as the box is rammed and needs sorting out.  So it gets left.

It's going to have to be tiny steps.... so aim today is to get through the tidying quota which will include the following:

• Put flowers in water from my birthday
• Go through some of the wrapping paper pile so anything to keep starts to be neatly folded in a pile rather than strewn around.  I will pull out anything I know needs to go first so it looks better with minimal decision fatigue.
  
• Sellotape the last 3/4 Lego instructions together for DS and file in his room
• Put away the spare bedding from xmas that is living on the floor.  It has to go in the cupboard of doom which needs to be sorted, but I can put it in a single pile in there as there is enough room for that and I can still sort out the cupboard at a later date.  Will make me feel much better to get it away!
• Sort out the veg box that arrived today, clean out the fridge veg drawer and put it all away neatly
• Start the massive shredding pile and use some of the packaging I have saved to put it in recycling (we have to put shredded paper in envelopes, but luckily I have some saved in the packaging pile I am trying hard to use up)

All small things, but I reason that these will make a massive difference to how the house feels (and I won't look at them thinking of the tasks I haven't done!).  Onwards and upwards...

Posting all this as I know I am pretty ruthless with getting rid of stuff, but everyone gets overwhelmed and it might help someone.

DundeeDoll

was woken up 30 minutes before my alarm by some silly woman thinking i'd believe her that there had been an issue highlighted with my Windows. so took the opportunity to do my 23 minutes declutter - another kitchen drawer sorted. also made some more fatballs for the birds which is decluttering out of date dried fruit (so rather dry but NOT mouldy i hasten to add) the birds are loving them

Dfw38

@QueenJess you are right, we all have overwhelming moments. Mine was yesterday when I noticed the chaos the kitchen and living room and hallway are in because I am decorating upstairs most of the night and no-one else is stepping up (looking at you dh) to clear up or taking on anything like putting on the washing machine or cooking so it is all left to me. Deep breaths - we WILL get there - we are all rooting for each other on this adventure 🤗

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

Woke up at 5:00 a.m. Thursday for a bathroom visit & came downstairs for a drink. Thought I might get in half an hour of cheerleading before going back to bed 😉 Just realised that I forgot to award myself a Gold Star ⭐️ for 536/2023 🙂 & that I also forgot to mention that all the chat about disintegrating shoes prompted me to wear a pair of shoes rather than my usual trainers 🙂 Guess what, I walked better & felt taller 😂

florianatwobob, sorry to hear that DBro is in hospital, however pleased to hear that he is getting better. Praise due to the NHS for their excellent care 😊 Btw, well done on dropping off a couple of bags to the CS 👏

Lovely to see you D123456789 👋 Excellent sales 👏 especially the 2 items of clothing sold, packaged & sent before you could change your mind 🥲 A bit of cash for the coffers is always a good thing 👏Good luck with your toiletries decluttering 🍀 Not sure who inspired me but pleased that the inspiration has been passed on 😊

Great news GrannyKate, always lovely to receive cash rather than paying it out 😊 Congratulations on your win 🥳  

Excellent decluttering DundeeDoll 👏 As to the number of pairs of scissors a house needs 🤔 oh yes, one per person for each room of the house + one for luck 😂 Only joking of course, or am I 🙃 Nice to hear that you have inspired   Dr M to declutter 😊 he is obviously trying to impress you 😉

Nice idea for displaying hand made quilts, vulpix 🙂 Yippee to the joiner for turning up & finishing the work on the fireplace 👏 I like both versions 😉 & thanks for including your gorgeous cat in the picture 😊 I can tell who is in charge in your home 😉

Have had my half hour & am back to bed 🙂 Hopefully the next time I wake up it won’t still be dark 🤞Managed to sleep another 2 hrs 15 mins before another toilet visit. Now 7:45 a.m. - it is light but very overcast 🌫️ 

EnergyShifter, does a quiet work day seem quite long even if you are getting paid? Perhaps the other job could/should set up a no show/late cancellation compensation payment - after all it is not your fault🤞 Well done on ‘gently persuading’ DS to get rid of his prom suit 👏 even if you had to sacrifice your lucky Chinese cat 😉 Good luck in your future efforts to get DS to declutter a few more items 🍀 

🤔 regnbue 11 pairs of trainers 🤔 A tad excessive but should last a good few years so I will err on the side of you being very MSE & time saving 🙂 Well done on sorting out the under stairs cupboard & finding your dad’s hammer - true treasure 👏 As to the job you needed it for, you obviously found an alternative solution 👏 Excellent decluttering 👏 & fingers crossed that the laptop has a new lease of life 🤞

Another 30 minutes gone so am back to bed to give my DH a cuddle 😊 Woke up again at 10:40, got dressed & came downstairs to find DSis up as she is feeling poorly, although she did do the washing up 👏 Sitting with my first cuppa & about to start cheerleading again 😉

Belated Happy Birthday QueenJess 🎂 Sounds like you had a lovely morning with some successful browsing in Charity Shops 😊 Sorry to hear that the nursery rather spoiled your day by not doing their job properly 😔 You would think that they were professional enough to realise that very young children like routine & also that they could tell the difference between a child being clingy or wanting attention 🤔 Your DD sounds like a very bright young lady 😊 What a nice neighbour you are 🙂

Dfw38 I really hope that the lime green bedding stays in the shop 🤞so that you do not have to prove a mothers love 😉 DH should count himself lucky that he has such a lovely & capable wife who only gets him to assist with the finishing touch of wallpapering one wall 😂 Perhaps DH could join you in implementing the 23 minute technique 🤞 

Sounds like a lovely day all round, bit_by_bit 😊 

Great decluttering Florenceem - you are still 2.5 days ahead 👏 Hope the SA lunch went well 🙂

retiredinfrance, I was pleased to see the table still had a place - peeking out by the side of the right hand side chair 😉

Sounds like Soontobeoap & Floss will be moving in with vulpix 😉

That colour looks beautiful Dfw38 beautiful 😍 What was it called ….. oh yes, dusty fondant - 🤔maybe that can be the new wardrobe room aka Room of Doom colour 😅 I did go to bed earlier 😉

Excellent decluttering short_bird 👏 and well done on 6 out of 8 no spend days 👏

I agree Floss - definitely an ‘inspired choice’ of colour 🙂

Keiths_Mum, I hope you can persevere with learning to play the ocarina & then move onto the harmonica 😉 I did manage to learn to play the recorder at school but my practising was almost as painful to listen to as a novice violin player eek 😬 😱 I moved onto the clarinet but gave it up as I wanted to play like Acker Bilk without all the practising of scales 🤣 (Down the rabbit hole as I just took time out to listen to him playing Stranger on the Shore 😌, my all time favourite ❤️) Thank you for the William Morris quote 👏

“ ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful' “ A useful reminder when trying to declutter 😊 Good luck with the shredding 🍀 My fear is not so much getting rid of too much but accidentally getting rid of something irreplaceable. 

skogar, I call using up wool proper decluttering 🙂

charlies_tribe, your girls are obviously growing up 😊 I would definitely make the most of their new found decluttering zeal 😉 & long may it continue 😊 Leaves you to declutter other areas 😉 Excellent decluttering btw 👏 

I am being a bit slow today, so will take a break from cheerleading to make a plan for today’s decluttering 😉

MrsSD (a superwoman) 😇 🎖💐🤩🏅🦸🏅💐🏆 💐🍰🍾🌟⭐️

DH Awards: 🥇 🏅

Decluttering Target 2023: 536/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

short_bird

The correct number of scissors in a household is:
enough for everyone else +1 well concealed pair of fabric scissors 
  

Wednesday2000

I have been weeding out quite a lot of toiletries lately. Hand wash, toner, cleanser, shampoo and conditioner. A lot of things seemed to run out at the same time.

I have been putting the empty plastic containers into the recycling bags we were given from the council. I just went to the shop to buy dog treats with the loose change I have as I'm trying to get rid of that too. A man was picking up litter with one of those grabber things and I wanted to put my empty wine bottles into the recycling bin next to him. He said to put them in the rubbish cart he was pushing as all rubbish goes into the same bin in the end and they don't recycle anything! I have heard this anecdotally before.

I did bin an old t-shirt today as I finally did my roots this morning.

charlies_tribe

Happy belated birthday QueenJess.
This afternoon I've made the girls do another drawer each, they still wouldn't let me help. They are definitely going back to school tomorrow, they seem to have had miraculously recovered an hour after school started (still poorly but sure they could have managed it).
They've done a make up drawer, no idea why they have so many makeup drawers when neither of them actually wear it. I've just been up to see how they are doing and they have a pile of stuff to bring down, I'll fetch it later but did bring this box down with me. 72 nail polishes! All dried up/separated/gone funny

I did sort through the cup cupboard while looking for a cup for my tea. We have about 10 cups we use and a load of the cups that come with easter eggs that only get used if i need a small cup of Gravy. A lot were really dusty so theyve gone in the dishwasher then ill decide what to do with them.

Ill be back with my list later when ive fetched what tge girls have sorted from their room.

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, managed to drag myself out of bed and get showered and dressed by 8 as this was the earliest the engineer could arrive. Hoovered the lr and hall. Emptied the hoover twice and moved on to the porch where I successfully blocked the hoover with dead leaves. I was in the process of standing over the open wheelie bin poking a cane down the hoover pipe when the engineer arrived . New fibre optic broadband sorted but I haven't noticed any difference yet but then my laptop is about 14 years old . Since he has gone I have rehung the coats on the rack, put a broken hanger in the hard plastic bag, put a load of washing on the line as it is sunny and blowing   though cold, fingers crossed. I have had lunch. Just testing the t'internet now and having a cuppa before deciding what to do next.
317 Hoovered
318 washing on the line   first time this year
Take care everyone
318/2023 

vulpix

I came across loads of scissors when I had my craft supply boxes out. Some from my bedside table, some from my old school pencil case which I have washed and donated and dispersed its contents. 

 I now have a pair in the gift wrapping drawer, a kitchen pair in the cutlery drawer,a pair of fabric scissors in the craft box, a tiny pair in my sewing box and a tiny pair in a manicure set. The rest can go. I don’t know where to yet. I would like to give them away rather than bin them. I don’t think children’s organisations will want them as they are not rounded ends. 

 I love the pink fondant. Much more relaxing than lime green 🤣
 

PS chatting to bit by bit yesterday we were talking about striving for perfection. It can stall our progress. Sometimes something is better than nothing and that is progress. 

 Vx