2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

QueenJess

Morning.  Feeling slightly upbeat this morning (considering I am back to work and it is Monday) as the cleaner is in today and I tidied/moved not a single thing for her to come in.  It isn't tidy, but it is tidier and the floors are clear.  Surfaces are not, but I do my own dusting,

Yesterday could have been worse.  Parents brought a few clothes for DD and DS (all filed away immediately), a couple of puzzles for me which I will do, a few puzzles/games/books from my childhood for the kids and then a random bag of "craft" stuff they don't want anymore.  I have a feeling their attic is slowly being emptied into my house..  I do need to go through the craft stuff and decide what to keep and what to give away on Buy Nothing (there are a few people that collect up all this stuff for local kids clubs/old peoples home etc).

Anyway, onwards and upwards.  I am very slowly going through all my bedroom drawers and wardrobe finding anything that needs to go.  I am definitely scraping the barrel on bedroom stuff, so it'll take ages to consider everything carefully.  Kitchen and using up of bathroom/packaging etc is ongoing, as is the tidying.  Hoping to go through the bedroom and tidy as I go so it can be a calm oasis.  Must also get round to a number of dull frogs I keep putting off.

Not much to declare from yesterday:

2313 - broken toy (bin)

2314-2334 - permanently deleted emails

2335 - bathroom supplies (used up)

grandmanerd

Sunday - Continued with work in the garden. Nearly all the empty containers are neatly stacked by type on the cleared side of the garden - 6 more broken up for binning. Added bird seed and meal worm containers (very large, bought after mum's shed acquired a visitor), poultry manure pellets, a large curly hose, the newer polytunnel cover, a long curly hose and several  50 l flexitubs (after emptying them with a 10 l bucket and watering all the trees). Not sure how to  count it but must have cleared at least 5 of the 2' x 2' flagstones (so can get at the next lot to be tackled) so 5 for space cleared and 6 broken containers.

Satisfying but tiring so came inside to eat and rest and later came upstairs (think I'd fallen asleep but was woken by a loud noise - worked out it must have been one of the chinchillas pounding on the wheel then taking a flying leap when it went too fast. Made my way upstairs and put the mask on in case I fell asleep. 

After a while I decided to look through some drawers with my new 'critical eye'. Drawer one 12 items out and 1 for the cs. Drawer 2, another 12 items and 4 for the cs (I'm letting go and letting someone else have the benefit rather than hanging on until they fit me). 1 large box emptied and sent downstairs for breaking up. Remaining drawers yielded 2 pairs of trousers and a lightweight jumper for the cs. Bottom drawer was empty so it's now holding 2 cushions that are definite 'keepers' but not going anywhere near DS3 (he's so big he destroys things just by being near them). 

Moved my old batch pills and condensed them into a container 1/3 the size of the previous one (kept one pack front and one instruction leaflet per pill type and the  rest went to the paper bag. The shuffle round left half an empty drawer - enough space to hold 2 embroidered cushions I'm still hoping to complete sometime.

Two drawers were very full (a mixture of craft, baby stuff and non-urgent paperwork that needs to be kept) but I think I need to allow half a day to get things out and sort properly. bottom drawer is gift wrap so added another label I'd found. Another 47 so 577/ 2023

Blue_Doggy

@QueenJess @vulpix thank you for your suggestions re plastic flowerpot mountain. Sadly none of the local garden centres take them, one used to have a bin for them but it vanished when they changed ownership. But it could be worth asking them. B&Q used to take them, but last time I took a load the assistant wasn’t aware of the scheme (but took them anyway). 

 

I’ve just looked up Buy Nothing, there are some locally but not my actual village. I’m not on Facebook though, so would have to join. I may need to have a little think.
 

Thank you both.

vulpix

Blue_Doggy, at my previous house where I had passers by I left a big tub of them on the wall with a take me sign. They went. How about a notice on the board at your local supermarket or contact your local allotment society.Schools sometimes have a gardening club. It's such a shame to have to resort to landfill. Good on you for trying to avoid that.

Wednesday2000

I went through my list of bills each month and rewrote it as we cancelled Disney Plus and then some of the monthly charges have increased. I don't know why I put that off for so long, but I think I will have to do it again soon as I'm sure prices will go up again!

I keep getting lots of spam emails lately so I blocked them all today and then deleted all of my emails. I have a bag ready to go to a charity shop tomorrow. I have also written out a meal plan for the week to make sure we are using up food as we have tons of food at the moment. I am eating out tonight as I'm meeting my brother in London, but after that I want us to just eat at home the majority of the time.

I tidied up my garden a little bit at the weekend. The decking is ruined with all the debris and dust from the roof repair so I think that needs to be restained. The guy decorating our house said he would do it so I will get that done when the weather gets warmer. I might get him to paint the fences too. I noticed that my table and chairs in the garden are getting rusty so I will try and do something about that this week too.

I'm off to clean the shower and get ready to go out later.

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

So much for cheerleading when we got home 😉😂 but you will see why as you read on 😉

The glorious sunshine continued all day. The birthday lunch (1:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. at The Mercury Great Danes Hotel) was a resounding success 😊 24 of us including the birthday girl W - 80 years young 🎊 All W’s direct family attended + most of her elder brother & M’s family except for one who was ill & the usual family of 5 as the mum really struggles with big events 😢 Good food & good service, good company, plenty to drink - even the kids had a good time - running around after lunch & all fascinated by the resident peacock & peahen strutting their stuff outside 😊 W received lots of flowers (including an orchid) more cards, cash + a Radley handbag from (& chosen by  🥳) her son. As we had been a bit ungenerous with the gift of an engraved stone 😅 lunch was our treat. DH quelled any objections with a gentle reminder that it was actually a present covering all W’s previous birthdays as we usually only send a card 🙂

I should mention a couple of especially lovely things that occurred during the afternoon 😊 1. DH’s niece M looked so much better - she is almost fully recovered from her stay in hospital apart from getting tired more quickly than she used to ☹️ 2. DH’s great, great (5 year old) nephew instigated an approach for the very first time - he ran up to DH & asked to be lifted up & cuddled - DH was fit to burst with happiness 😊🥰 not sure there is an emoji to cover how happy DH was & still is 😉

Got home 8:45 p.m. as trains up the spout & didn’t leave S’s house until gone 6:30 p.m. Cooked some oven chips when we got home & had chip butties. 

626 - 627 Newspaper, cardboard box- recycled 

628 Broken coat hanger binned

Monday is dull & overcast. DH is about to go on a walk & DSis is about to have a bath (as she has an actual doctor’s appointment later 👏) I have unpacked our bag & will consider what to do - if anything - whilst drinking my cuppa 🥲 

Will try to catch up with the cheerleading over the next few days - wish me luck 🍀

I will be back later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🥇 🏅

Decluttering Target 2023: 628/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £43.00

gettingthrifty

Afternoon all

90 - 46 items of paperwork shredded/binned/filed or recycled
91 - another belt BINNED I had kept just in case for years finally put to use..it had perished  
Seeing glimpses of the bottom of my in tray.. when its empty i may get rid of it too, its a magnet for paperwork which have turned out to be my frog resting place  Frogs should be moving shouldnt they ? will ponder that

QueenJess

gettingthrifty said:

Afternoon all

90 - 46 items of paperwork shredded/binned/filed or recycled
91 - another belt BINNED I had kept just in case for years finally put to use..it had perished  
Seeing glimpses of the bottom of my in tray.. when its empty i may get rid of it too, its a magnet for paperwork which have turned out to be my frog resting place  Frogs should be moving shouldnt they ? will ponder that

This reminded me that I keep seeing lots of decluttering posts around where people have overstocked on things.  On finally getting round to using them, they have then perished.  The latest example I saw was shoes where they had them for 10 years, but they disintegrated when they wore them.

It reminded me that it is pointless overstocking on loads of things as most things eventually perish.  Things aren't made to be stored forever "just in case". I'm trying to keep this in mind as I go through another round of decluttering.

Just email deletion for me today, although I've started steps to try and swallow a very obese frog.  Wish me luck... it's been ongoing for 2 years

2336-2375 - emails permanently deleted

daisy_1571

Queen jess - good luck, plus fingers crossed your parents are going through their attic.  Hopefully you can dispose of it all gradully as they bring bits to you leaving them with a lovely empty space when the time comes for them to move to another house or whatever their plans are  


Mrs sd, party and weekend sounds like you all had a lovely time 


Daisy xx

Florenceem

I needed a good total today as I wasn't far ahead with my monthly figure. Thought the airing cupboard would yield some stuff and it did. The most urgent area of the house is my craft room but that takes more time and energy than I had today.
Mr F took 3 bags of stuff to the charity shop today - leaving 1 started bag in my hall but - I have filled another so 2 bags are loitering.

Day 20 - 

Sauce Bottle & Lid
Colour Catcher x 13
Jumper
Paper Plate x 2
Mug
Duvet Cover
Tee Shirt x 3
Christmas Serviette
Dress x 4
Cardigan
Cushion Cover
Fitted Sheet
Webbing x 2
Cord
Piece of Fabric x 7
Double Sheet 
18 Messenger Posts
4 Newspapers  

Today I am at 255 against aim of 210