2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

short_bird

876: foldable crate collapsed 🤬 so picked up the cd's off the floor and found space in a cupboard... Crate to the bin.

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

Dinner was delicious, I added mixed vegetables from the freezer - gradually getting the contents of the freezers down 🙂 Wudupa. DSis & I have just watched Graham Norton & spent all our time drooling over Hugh Jackman 🙊😊

620 - 623 Kitchen recycling, cardboard box, paper packaging, drinks cans - recycled 

624 - 625 Kitchen detritus, pair of DSis’s socks - binned

vulpix, what a lovely compliment, thank you ☺️ Hopefully the more you are here on this thread, the more we can help you to stop overthinking 😉 How exciting vulpix - your DiL & DS must be so happy 😊 I can just imagine the size of the grin on your face 😁 Great cheerleading 🙂 I think I remember you mentioning  Lincolnshire previously & how Covid scuppered all your plans ☹️ Such a shame that your Mother kept so much for best & hasn’t used her items 😔 but it sounds like that this was the final push you needed to declutter even more of your possessions. You have given this a lot of thought & by sharing with us you have given us plenty to think about as well so thank you 👏 and a medal 🏅 is on its way for putting into writing what I feel but is all muddled in my head 👏Shame about the missing pan but who knows - it might still put in an appearance when works starts on the kitchen 😉 

Lovely post Crazycatlady2 😊

Excellent decluttering Happy_Kitties 👏

retiredinfrance, not sure who would declutter our house but I definitely wouldn’t want everything put in a skip 😱 Not so much because it is all treasure but more because a lot of it could be useful to others 😉 It must have been really lovely that your children wanted some of your treasures 😊

Nice idea 2Scratters 🙂 Would be very MSE if it works 🤞 Great decluttering of the car 👏

vulpix, a very compassionate post. All this shared wisdom & experience makes this thread such a lovely place to be that I would like to thank you all 😊

Brilliant news EnergyShifter 🤩 Now that both cataract operations have been successfully completed I hope that you are obeying doctors orders for your recovery 😉 Hopefully now that you have reassured your DS & he is on his way, he will thoroughly enjoy himself 🤞 & will come back a more confident young man 😊 Great decluttering 👏 but now I INSIST you return to the TLC Carriage & recover fully before you do any more decluttering 😉🙏

Great sales Florenceem 👏 & what a good idea to sell online to raise more monies for the SA 🙂

Muddy_Walker, I always think Welsh cwtches sound so much more comforting than hugs - hopefully Siebrie does too 😊 Good for you going back to work on a Friday because you were better & I admire your reasons for doing so 👏 Excellent work tidying & cleaning 👏 & pleased to hear that your dogs are helping with the decluttering 😉

Well done on all the early spring cleaning wort 👏

Now that is not what I expected at all Dfw38 🤔 No idea at all how that comes about 😉 You definitely have some interesting times ahead 😉 Great work dealing with 2 more 🐸 🐸 👏 

Florenceem, now that is what I call great organisational skill 👏 Are all your 6 children good declutterers now 😉

Dfw38, nothing wrong with wanting a quiet life 😊 I am sure there will be bigger challenges ahead 😔

Good work Florenceem 👏 you are still ahead of your target 🙂

Now, now Brie - all I can say is that you & vulpix are going to be stripped of your ‘superpower’ - you both need to take a pill to forget 😉 The book might have been awful but what a great idea 👏

Dfw38, I like it, telling your “DH that he isn’t sparking joy at the minute” 😂 Hopefully he will come out of hiding & do the wallpapering 🤞after all it is only one wall & you have already done all the prepping 🙂

Sorry to hear that your husband is being made redundant, Crazycatlady2 ☹️ 

Excellent decluttering short_bird 👏

charlies_tribe, well done on getting your DD’s passport application sent off - a medal 🏅 is on its way for persevering 👏 I remember how easy it was to let a week off slip by without doing any of the things I had intended ☹️ & always wondered why time off passed so quickly & time at work dragged 😔 So well done on getting DH to help with the lining wallpapering 👏 Fingers crossed that you get the decorating done before DH returns to work 🤞 Almost 100 items left your house so I think that counts as excellent decluttering 👏

QueenJess, sorry to hear that you have glue ear as like you I thought that was a childhood thing 😔 You might think you have come to a natural lull in your decluttering but you are still decluttering loads 👏Especially impressed with how many podcasts you have decluttered 👏

Crazycatlady2, that is good news that your health issue has been diagnosed & can be treated 🙂  

That is good news that your stepdad is now home Fizz2015 😊 I hope your Mum can find a little bit of time for herself as she is coping with such a lot. I would like to reiterate Dfw38’s comment “It sounds like a lovely celebration of life for your nan”

Excellent decluttering skogar 👏

Lovely supportive post Dfw38 😊 Good luck with your weekend 🍀 hopefully your DH will step up & get the wallpapering done which will in turn mean that your DDs will be looking forward to going to school to tell all their friends about their beautiful bedroom 🤞😉 I am quoting the following “We are all in this together, cheering each other on, consoling each other and celebrating successes big and small - every single one counts”  as you have put it so well & succinctly. There is also a medal 🏅 coming your way 🙂

Sorry to hear you have been feeling a bit yuk Blue_Doggy 😔 Great decluttering 👏 I think you are just warming up to tackling the paperwork 😉 Each time you  clear the dining room table, take a day or so to admire your handiwork & the move onto the next task 🙂 I know you can do it - be brave 😊

Excellent decluttering daisy_1571 👏 at this rate you will be setting another target 😉 What a thoughtful & compassionate post towards Siebrie 😊

Keiths_Mum, I do love shredding as there is something very final about it 😉 Your paragraph about how we deal with our own clutter & your observations of how we deal with our families possessions was both thoughtful & well written & I would like to thank for taking the time to write 😊 Excellent decluttering 👏 especially the ground nutmeg 😉

Sounds odd vulpix but as this balloon gadget works it is a small price to pay to get rid of glue ear 🙂

QueenJess hope your balloon arrives quickly so you can hear properly asap 🤞

😒 to Unintentional decluttering short_bird 😒 Hope none of the CDs were damaged 🤞

And breathe, I have caught up & now I am off to bed 😊

Wishing everyone as good a weekend as possible 🙂

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

DH Awards: 🥇 🏅

Decluttering Target 2023: 625/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £43.00

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all just popping in to say absolutely nothing done today . Another lovely lunch with an ex colleague who I haven't seen for about 18 months. He is my ex head teacher so doesn't get invited to the usual round of catch ups but I had a very good working relationship with him when he came to the school as a teacher and as he progressed up to head I was able to maintain it as well as working with him with my union hat on to sort out some tricky issues. He does get bouts of the black dog at this time of year which he sometimes needs medication for so I was very pleased to see him in such good form. As usual we put the world to rights and talked through some of the problems in school. Then we went to see his allotment which is his safe place and although it is not the best time of year I could see how productive it is and also how good it is for him. He has a lovely view from his shed right across to the Welsh hills . Just what he needs after a day wrangling with kids, staff and parents I didn't get home until nearly 7 having missed the turn for the Mway so had to drive around the country roads until I got to somewhere I recognised in the dark . Then I did nothing except watch some tv and eat Back to it tomorrow.

@Dfw38 and @vulpix thanks for the tip for the fridge, I will try it out on Sunday when OH is here as it might be a 2 person job to move it as it is quite a big fridge freezer. I will have to clear the top of tomorrow

@Siebrie oh my goodness I don't know where to start, you have such a lot to deal with. I think all I can do is echo what others have said, take some time for yourself and try to remember that it will get better, hugs

@EnergyShifter glad your op went ok

To everyone else who is stressed, ill or looking after others hugs.

Take care everyone
Still 345/2023

stellata

An exercise thing, never used, to the new chaz, ditto a kitchen chopper thing. Tried to Freecycle a bag of jars but the person never turned up so those went in the recycling, disappointing. Family stayed last week and took away a few useful things (but not enough!). 

I've made a new start on the "like with like" and am horrified at how many sheets I own. 

GrannyKate

Morning all - hugs to all who need them.  Not much done as small people here until this morning.  Hoping to persuade them to go through their clothes with me before they leave.  Plumber contacted me back and boiler service booked for Monday.  Some Mr T vouchers received and I have set aside to use to renew railcard end of June.  They will cover £21 of the £30 due. I will get that £9 back on my first rail trip which will be 30 June. No news from hospital yet - they said three weeks for an appointment post procedure which takes me to 23 February so expect to hear something early next week perhaps.  GP was every impressed that I'd not only heard from hospital but that I'd already had procedure done.  

243 Afternoon trip to local park/estate and annual pass renewed for a year.  
244 Swimming and beach towels relocated to airing cupboard after decorating finished

stellata

I've had another coffee and decided I am going to take a box of clothes in to the new chaz in the high street today. I spend too long deciding what to take usually so this time I'm just going to grab half a dozen things and go. I've got loads of clothes, still trying to lose weight so being a bit careful not to give away things I may need but there's a limit to my wardrobe space. Have to go and feed Ex's cat too which is never fun as the house is a proper tip. (Ex is away seeing family).

Gers

Unintended declutter yesterday. I had a delivery of new cutlery so took out the drawer insert to wash it (and the drawer).  These items were lurking under modern day things.

A toffee hammer - shades of Christmas in the 60s and 70s when big trays of toffee were received from 'Santa'.

My late DM's pastry cutter wheel - so many memories attached to that.

The Christmas nutcracker - Brazil nut shell everywhere for weeks.

My late DF's beer bottle opener which doubled up as a piercer for tins of condensed milk.

And my very late GM and GGM's wooden spoons.

I'm stuck between weeping at the memories and rejoicing in them.

Madbat60

Morning all

@Gers I have stuff like that, the only thing I took that was my Granny's was her grapefruit spoons. I took all my Mum's sewing stuff from her house as it was so personal. I gave the embroidery threads to my friend who embroiders all the time. She made me a Home Sweet Home picture from the threads. That really made me cry and my Mum would've loved it.  

Decluttering the summer house went really well yesterday. Lots of stuff put in the bin and I now have somewhere to sit and have my lunch.  Today I shall potter about I think, the weather's lovely. 

Soontobeoap

@Gers you have inspired me to start my kitchen decluttering as I have a cutlery drawer that needs looking through too.

The GSs went home on Thursday, I took a day in tlc carriage yesterday to recover. 😅. Just did some washing and general  tidying and caught up with call the midwife.

So today a gentle kitchen tidy. I might even manage the baking cuoboard as well. The oven needs cleaning but think that will wait until Monday. It is my least favourite job. 

@Siebrie so sorry that you are going through so much all at once. You are coping so well but as others have said please make sure that you take time for yourself. We often forget.

We have now got a courtesy car untill ours is fixed. Insurance company have finally taken note after we went through an official complaints route. It only took 4 weeks of emails and phone calls and hanging on the line being told that my call was "important to them!" It was exhausting but we are mobile again which is making our life a lot easier and we were able to take DD and her boys out for a meal on Thursday to celebrate.

bit_by_bit

Huge hugs @Siebrie. It all sounds overwhelming. Even the little stuff becomes hard to handle when it gets like this.  Luckily nothing stays the same forever.

Just caught up with most posts as I have been down to London for a few days. DD and BF were visiting the Shrek experience and I went to St Pauls Cathedral. I always wanted to go but was always doeing something else. Yesteday the young ones went to the tower of London and I to the V&A. Looked at the China and Japan halls and visited the Hallyu exhibition which is about modern South Korean popular culture. Really enjoyed that. I really wish they would get an older person around the exhibition to check out the route and the signs. Had to epper at most of it with the light being dimmer than average.

Came back late last night.

Today I am packing to go to Wales for a week with DH and DD with BF. We have scared him with London now we are going to wow him with Wales. He is not a lover of crowded places and Shrek was definitely too much for him esp as it is half term.

Right. Off to get some stuff done. Have a great day all