2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

weenancyinAmerica

We keep a landline here because it is the only way we can find the cell phones - at least ten times this last month someone in the family has misplaced their cellphone (today even). I have to call them from the land-line and listen for the sound of the cellphone. Usually it happens when the owners of the other cellphones are off somewhere with their phones, so we can't rely on them to be able to find the missing phones.

DundeeDoll

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

However I have not returned the rolls of waxed paper, grease proof paper etc - need to find a new place to store them. 

Don't know if any help here but the toothbrush principle says don't find a place for things because then you have to commit that to memory, rather go for where you first look for the item. It certainly works for me.

The TP is all about making life easier so also identify jobs you hate and make that easier, e.g. you wouldn't dream of having toothbrush and toothpaste in different places. So for yesterday as I emptied the poo bags from the little brown bin (for when the dogs have been in the back garden) into a larger white bin liner to put in the council bin. Well honestly how many months has it taken me to realise how much easier to first line the brown bin with the bin liner!!!

grandmanerd

I'm  pottering along (will do numbers later).  Made a frog phone call - it was just notifying the remaining cousin about mum's cousin's death. It was okay but he's  recovering from an operation in December (much delayed because he wouldn't go for it whilst COVID was prevalent as his b-i-l died that way - in for  a routine op and caught and died from Covid whilst there). His wife has been ill for a year with stomach problems - they've ruled out cancer but still have further investigations to work out what it is. She's had other cancers so they wanted to rule that out early on.

Have done several small health things - repeat prescriptions and blood test paperwork. Receptionist said I'm due to have my blood pressure done so she's booked me in for Tuesday and I can pick up the paperwork at the same time. Lots of rubbish and recycling - I've got open bags in most of the rooms and just keep adding to them as I walk from room to room and clean/ tidy things (then the elves leave the odd  bag for  me).

Yesterday I took 12 small plates to the cs (came from my ex's - I'd asked for some modern square ones as they looked 'japanese-y' and DS3 and Beloved love Japanese things - she has  an extensive tea pot collection). DS2 brought me a box with a whole pile of small plates - well yesterday they went to the cs, wrapped in huge lengths of bubble wrap (with extra bits stuffed in all available corners) in a bag for life that's reaching the end of life plus approx 15 carrier bags picked up as I'd worked my way round last week (think there were 17, mainly from the kitchen but I removed 2 that were the ones used for recycling cans and bottles).

Use ups in all categories stacking up nicely - assorted tinned beans and veg combined with most of the remaining veg to make veg curry and 3-4 other meals (all to be portioned up later). Have just decanted the remaining olive oil from a litre bottle into the salad dressing bottle used up earlier - the 1 l bottle can go out, the small bottle (250 ml half full) can go with the other bottles by the cooker to be used up. I seem to have multiple vinegars, oils, sauces (not to mention their supplies - Beloved seems to get a new bottle out every time she cooks so there are 3 or 4 on the shelf and she can't see what she has and hasn't got) so busy using/ reducing/ condensing. Over a hundred e-mails were deleted but I will  hit 200 shortly.

Today will be more gentle decluttering (hopefully getting to the restoring order stage in some places) and setting up  for the next week (which might be rather more hectic than I'd like). Managed most things on my list last week, any I didn't will go on this week's list (stress decluttering all the time)

My shoe story goes back to when I was 18, had left school but not gone on to university. I'd taken and passed the executive officer exams for the civil service and been invited for an interview. I'd chosen to wear a cream dress with brown braid on the sleeves and neckline (made by me of course). It had been made for evening wear so I'd bought a thin polo neck jumper in beige stripes which turned it into a pinafore dress. I'd already had to resew the braid. That morning I'd gone for my signing on/ looking for work appointment, the only time I  wore my actual shoes (I had a battered pair of Jesus sandals for everyday). As I waited in the queue, the buckle came off my shoe. I picked it up, put it in my pocket and got home with a shoe that kept coming off. I went through the sewing box, found a piece of dark elastic and reattached the buckle.

Went to Manchester for my interview. the board was 5 men. They thought I might not be able to get on in the civil service as I didn't drink tea (just water, I think coffee was a strange and unknown brew in our house). Later we reached the part about hobbies and interests and I'd included dressmaking. They asked had I made the dress I was wearing - yes  (I only had 3 dresses and they were all made by me). Well in all the years of interviews they had never had a girl who said she liked dressmaking who had actually turned up to the interview in a dress she had made. I didn't get the job - they thought I should be a dress designer. I didn't mention having to sew my one and only pair of shoes back together.

QueenJess

Can't seem to post anything as it all goes into the spam filter 🤷‍♀️... more stuff gone though.  Digital and some packs of seeds I know I won't use.

1,824 - 1,857 - digital decluttering

1,858 - cardboard box (recycled)
1,859-1,867 - packs of seeds unneeded (Buy Nothing)
1,868-1,870 - packaging (used)

Still in TLC carriage resting so I can spend time with DS during half term.

Neroli2

Morning folks.  Been MIA as my DM was very suddenly discharged from hospital!  Cue me making a mad dash to go and stay until interim carers in place.  Now looking at organising carers for future - very steep learning curve!  Therefore not a lot of decluttering being done what with this and catching up with work.  

Have needed a stay in TLC carriage 😀. At the moment am going to concentrate on decluttering digital devices - loads of bookmarks, docs and emails no longer needed and an easy thing to do in between other things.

Hope you are all ok and hugs to those going through challenging times.

vulpix

 My shoe story isn't mine. My friends son got an interview at a college in Oxford. He had a suit that still fit and she bought him some very expensive new shoes as he had huge feet. He went down on the train. Left his bag on the train never to be seen again,including the shoes that had never even been worn. He had overnight accomodation at the college and went to his interview in jeans and completely worn out trainers. His only concern was his hair. He managed to use someone's hair products who was in halls for an interview too. I would lament the loss of the expensive shoes forever.

 Mr V has emptied the storage shed whilst I have been doing a jigsaw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has binned some electrical leads. I will assist now to get DS's giant leather chair into the back of the shed and have the boxes with the new bathroom radiator and vanity unit at the front. Poor Mr V, the storage shed was supposed to be just  for his PA equipment.

 There seems to be a bit of a theme appearing. I am going to my Mum's house in a bit to collect the kids stuff that has been stored there. I will then house this stuff and they will have lovely clutter free houses. Chairs,bikes,boxes of lego,knex,meccano, sylvanians,beanie babies, cuddly toys and my little ponies. When they next visit they can take it with them. Actually DD1 is visiting next month. She can't take stuff with her back to The Shetland Isles but she can sort it out and we can do a car boot sale if the weather is good enough.

 Vx

Brie

Shock!  Horror!!!!  The OH has emptied both the kitchen bin and the recycling bin!!! 

I think I need to go lay down in a darkened room.  

Rootle

6/52 - 8 pairs of trousers (mostly DHs) and a top to charity recycling.

7/52 - a jigger and child's notebook returned to owner.

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

Sunday is another overcast day but definitely feels warmer. Up & dressed before 11:00 a.m. & just about to sit down with my first cuppa. No plans today apart from catching up on the cheerleading 😉So here goes 🙂

gettingthrifty, so rude registrar wasn’t even good at his job 😖 but well done to your GP who has done such a good job 👏 & hopefully gone some way to restoring your confidence in the medical profession 🤞Excellent decluttering 👏

EnergyShifter, nice to see you in the TLC Carriage 🙂 Sounds like you had a lovely lunch with your cousin 😊 Great decluttering 👏

Great decluttering GrannyKate especially three quarters of DS2’s legal frog 👏 At least if the cleaner is unpacked there is a good chance it will get used 😉 Please don’t forget your marvellous hiding place for your scissors 😅🙃

Excellent decluttering short_bird 👏 The huge amount of digital decluttering is worthy of a medal 🏅which is on its way as I write 🙂

QueenJess, I was impressed too 😯

bit_by_bit, so sorry to hear that you were bullied at school 😢 but thank you for sharing your experience. Sending belated hugs 🤗 Hopefully something can be sorted so that Dfw38’s DD doesn’t have such a prolonged period of bullying 🤞 Great decluttering especially tackling your notebook stash 👏 

Dfw38, I have no words just tears 😔 & lots of hugs for you 🤗🤗 Not sure I would call the current situation ‘school politics’, just nastiness & bullying of a different type which makes me so angry I could spit 😡 

TC77, thank you for such a lovely empathetic post 👏  The Tupperware box of bits to sort later is a good idea 🙂  Re the late return of boots, that is what I call customer service from HQ 🙂 Good decluttering 👏 Hope you find somewhere that will take the spent ink cartridges 🤞

Excellent decluttering Keiths_Mum 👏 Good luck with your glasses cull 🍀 I have a soft spot for sherry glasses 😊 but don’t know why as I have never owned any 🤔 

Dfw38, a rather sobering thought that bullying was & is still so rife 😔 Still now words just an overwhelming sense of sadness.

short_bird, I really am not tech savvy - most of that went straight over my head 😉

DundeeDoll, your ceilidh sounds absolutely glorious 🥰 I love listening to the accordion (possibly my favourite instrument of all time) - brings back childhood memories of being in Italy & attending village dances with the main instrument of the band being an accordion ❤️ Your very generous gift to the young man merits a Gold Star ⭐️ because as far as I am concerned there can never be too many accordion players 😊

weenancy, 2 x 23 minutes sessions of decluttering by your roommate 🥳 Fingers crossed that it will be 3 next week 🤞 I understand that having too much food means more work passing it on to others but far better than having too little 😥 Great work keeping up with the day to day decluttering 👏 An elegant solution to form your own group in school, but again a sad reflection on society 😔

Liverpool_Anne, nice to hear that the funeral went as well as could be expected.  A lovely observation about immediate family being comforted by a full chapel 😊

First session of cheerleading completed 😉 Back shortly - will set my timer for 23 minutes & do something else 🙂 Has got very dark outside 😬 

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

DH Awards: 🥇 🏅

Decluttering Target 2023: 557/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Liverpool_Anne

@Brie I would need about a week in a darkened room if that happened in my house has been known to put another bag on top of the bin when it needed emptying rather than actually empty it   . Well I better get moving, just been catching up and reading a really boring book on my kindle. It's about King Arthur and the round table and is just full of various knights riding around looking for adventures and killing each other with the odd damsel in distress thrown in. It's a good job it was free but I am not sure I will get to the end of it before I declutter it
Take care everyone