2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, I was up early to chauffeur OH home from the garage, there is a problem with the squib and like most garages you have to drop off at 8am and wait for the phone call to say it is ready. Despite scrubbing my hands yesterday I woke up with a splodgy orange hand. Checked the gate on the way out and although it needs another coat it doesn't look too bad . OH took me for breakfast as a thank you for dragging myself out of bed at sparrow o'clock and then we had a look at the park to see if the Marie Curie daffs were out, some but not many yet. It is now raining so having a read and a rest , no chance of painting. I will consult my list and hopefully be back after doing something
@Wednesday2000 that wardrobe looks fab.
Take care everyone
Still 407/2023

vulpix

Wednesday 2000, hahahahahahahha,I wish. Well done. I am not ready to release all my clothes yet. Still hanging on to fantasy self in the clothes department. I am not ready to admit that I am old, short,fat n hairy!!!!
 It still stings a bit to take stuff to the chazzer, I am used to buying everything second hand and using to destruction or reselling.

 Moorviews, I was you 10 years ago. It has taken me a very long time to be able to allow myself new nice things. I was so stuck in the I am so poor,I cannot spend money on myself mindset. It hurt at first to eat out or buy myself something new but with Mr V's help I can almost enjoy it these days.

 LiverpoolAnne,I got a standard Olive tree from Aldi a couple of years ago, it was only about £20. I sold it when I moved here because We don't get enough sun at this house. They don't need much,just plenty of sun and dry feet. They are quite happy in a large pot. If I see any bargains ,I will give you a shout.

 https://dedicateatree.co.uk/findus.html   This is the tree place in Wales.

 Today is the day. I am going to my Mum's house and having a go at taking the bedroom contents to her at my Brother's. Will only be back seat of car as the boot is full of sound equipment for Mr V's work. I will show willing,anything else Brother will have to do,he does have a 4x4 afterall. Their 2 houses are on the same side as the bridge which is closed, we have a silly route to navigate round to their side. Oh,even better,the ongoing work on the reservoir dam has had 3 way temporary lights at the top of our road. Of course everyone blocks the top of our road in the queue so it is even more difficult to get out! Be easier to just stop at home and swear at curtain material.

 These curtains are hanging over my head. I feel under a lot of pressure to get a lot done before A. DD1's visit in March and B. DIL and DS's visit at Easter.  I also have online stuff to do for some voluntary work I do. That has turned into a frog which will probably turn into a two minute task.

 Before March I want to have these new curtains hung and have a tidy up of the garden and a good clean in the house. Doesn't sound much but I just never seem to have any spare time.

 Before Easter I want the rocking chair and tallboy to be finished. DS is hiring a van and we will get everything of our families from Mum's house,fetch it here and sort it out. There is a cot in the loft,also a moses basket,high chair, a lot of pictures that I don't have enough walls for. DIL says she wants the cot,really? My Grandad made it for me, every child in the family has used it. Won't be offended if she wants something nicer. The Moses basket is beautiful. My Mum made a stunning broderie anglaise cove r for it. The high chair my Grandad made for my Mum. The old teddy bear usually sits in it.

 One day,one day all my stuff will have been assessed and organised. Actually this is the last leg of it all.

 Vx

Brie

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:

Brie, I am transmitting the following message (on repeat) to your OH “You will take everything to a car boot sale by the middle of May 2023” 

Hah!  If he complains of buzzing in his ears I'll know who to blamethank!

Floss - we all need reminding about stuff at times.  And some might never have considered the chemist at all!!

Meanwhile ....

I was looking for something that was supposed to be in my bedside cabinet and of course couldn't find it.  I did however find 3 pairs of prescription glasses that I have worn in years (will take to the optician for charity repurposing), another set of airplane earbuds (unopened so the charity shop might want them so added to that box).  Plus old cough sweets and, sadly, a portion of a cat's collar complete with name disc - both into the bin.  I've had the cat disc for at least 6 years (pre move!) having found it in the garden and tried to find out who it belonged to but never succeeded.  I do hope Lulu got home safely.  

Still to bag up a Garmin vivofit I used to wear plus 2 replacement wrist bands.  Just needs a new battery for someone to use it as a watch/pedometer.  Also a slightly used spray bottle of Issey Miyake which smelled nice in the shop but not on me - no label on it so I'll bag it up with something to clarify.  It was a fraction of the normal price when I bought it (chemist having a clear out) so I won't be too upset at getting rid.  And I'll know to stick to the regular IM in the future.

Dfw38

You are very kind about the loft. Believe me it has been many, many hours of running through, refining over and over again. It is a constant battle to stop it from being crammed again and if I had my way there would just be a Xmas tree and decorations but there are other things that dh insists we have to store up there, which he will hopefully declutter soon. We have hardly any usable storage in this house so the result is we have a lot of surfaces with clutter on and cupboards rammed with who knows what?! I have started with out-of reach/untouched by dh areas so that they are not messed up because that would really affect my motivation. 
@roundtuit your declutter mojo has been there the whole time, just playing peekaboo! For the frog freeing challenge I wrote out 14 frogs that I really wanted/needed to get done and then for the rest I just did them or added them to the list as and when. It is very addictive though 🤭. I  might make a list of 20 and then work through it day by day and then have 11 more to work through as I go. 
Today has been full on so far. Took dds to school then off to pick up my prescription, and visit l!dl for some waterproofs for ds as he has outgrown his pram suit. Managed to get size 2-4 so they will fit him for quite a while. Also picked up a harry potter scarf and hat set to put away for eldest dd for winter as she has outgrown her woolly hat (these growth spurts!). Dropped that off at home and then back out to town (1 mile walk there) and called into bank, bookshop to pick up some learning books for 2nd dd, into pr!Mark and managed to get some summer t shirts for all 3 dcs at £1.80 each. Also called into w!lko and got some felt pens for a couple of projects I am working on for my making 10 things in March and some mini baskets for holding sachets in my pantry. Saw that the 'love local' shop has opened up so will have a look there later in the week. Booked tickets for nature reserve activities, 2x slots for parents evening in a month and cleaned and vacuumed back seats of car ready for car seats to go in later (when back seats are dry)  in anticipation for car being fixed on Thursday. I have also done one more coat of paint on windowsill played trucks with ds and watched an episode of bluey. I am knackered and need to leave in 30 mins to get dds. Think I will sleep well tonight!

 

Florenceem

I read until nearly 2am after having a nap during the afternoon. Didn't get up until 11am and still in pjs - feel shattered so will not be doing much of anything today.

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

Good afternoon from a sunny Isle of Dogs 👋 although I did manage to be up & dressed by 11:55 so no idea if it was a sunny morning  😉 DH is not here so I assume he has gone out on his 1st walk - 11,000 steps target today 😥 

I have received my 2nd lot of Swap Out stamps - form posted on the 10th 🥳 These have now been added to my rather large stamp supply which of course still has gaps - I need a supply of stamps for posting to EU 😞 DSis is still in her room but haven’t heard any coughing 🤞Couple of things that I have forgotten to mention 1) I have several clumps of dwarf daffodils, a couple of clumps of snowdrops, a few crocuses & a lone hyacinth coming into flower although there are at least a dozen with greenery 2) since the council cut back the undergrowth & trees along the main road destroying the  wildlife habitat 😖, we have not seen a single fox in almost two weeks 😭 

Will start cheerleading now as I have fallen way behind………again

Wednesday2000, always the way - you save up bulk waste for ages, get it collected & almost immediately more bulk waste appears 😔 Fingers crossed that your local Tip is nearby 🤞Shame about the salad bits but now you know & can avoid buying ‘fresh’ vegetables 😉

Sorry to hear about the migraine QueenJess ☹️ hope it goes away quickly 🤞 Great work decluttering more online accounts 👏

Fayolle, it is difficult keeping up with the EDT as it is still vying with the Japanese Bullet Train 😅 Thanks for reminding us about the poor teddy who is in hospital & no I cannot remember who posted that 😉Fayolle, it is always lovely to know that mother & daughter share a hobby 😊 but I do hope that your cuddly toy collections don’t get any bigger 😉 Must have been lovely to see DD especially as she added to your decluttering numbers by relieving you of food stock 🤣 Excellent decluttering 👏 but a shame about the slow cooker 😢 I hope you managed to retrieve the contents & still had dinner 🤞Do please let me know if the CDs work as pigeon scarers as we always seem to have dozens of pigeons in our back garden 😠 Not sure when we got the olive tree 🤔 but I think it is almost 20 years old so would be a shame to leave it behind ☹️

Dfw38, sounds like you are speeding along with decorating your bedroom 👏 Shame that there was no wallpaper that said “I’m perfect for you” 😔 Was your DH singing as well 😉 Your sewing machine lead is probably hiding until the decorating is finished 😉😅🙃 I do love my olive tree but sadly the last couple of years of odd weather have meant no olives for pickling either that OR the pickling process didn’t work 😭 Maybe I will be luckier this year 🤞 Absolutely everything crossed that the Easter play date is a resounding success for both you & eldest DD 🤞

Oh dear short_bird - big hugs for your 6 year old self 🤗 & even bigger hugs for your adult self 🤗Thanks for the advice about ‘vintage’ stuffed toys 👏 Good decluttering 👏 even without your get up and go which has probably skedaddled to warmer climes for a holiday 😉 I am sure it will be back when our warmer weather turns up 🤞

Excellent decluttering of both emails & stress DundeeDoll 👏 Your home office sounds like a quite tranquil place - paperwork filed & just one bag to go through 😊 What a stunning picture & such a great way to relieve stress 🤩 

Good luck roundtuit 🍀 sounds like Dfw38’s  “Mini Missions in March” is striking a chord 😊 I am still giving it some thought 😉

Oh wow Brie 🤩 thank you so much for telling us about the magnolia tree 👏 Just proves that where there’s a will there’s a way 😊

Thanks short_bird 👏 I just watched the video so am now very happy that if a tree that size can be moved my puny (by comparison) olive tree will be a doddle 😅

As I am finding myself easily distracted I will post this soon 😉 However although the sun has gone in & it is now freezing outside (although it is supposed to be 9C), I am happy as DH phoned about 14:00 (left at 11:00 after trying to wake me to say goodbye - apparently I was answering in ‘gibberish speak’ whilst still asleep 🤣) - he is on his way home after walking diagonally across Hyde Park 👏 + I have received a response to the email I sent to my friend/ex colleague 😊

See you later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🥇 🏅

Decluttering Target 2023: 677/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £43.00

roundtuit

In my practice MMiM I wrote my list - and I had 10 minutes left so I  filed a pile of receipts,  then unblocked the shredder and did 5 minutes shredding.

I got a bit carried away and have 33 mini missions on my list  - but shredding is one of them so it can piggy back like it did today.

This afternoon- after my first trip to Mr T's since before lockdown (I had a voucher to use that ran out tomorrow!) - I set my timer for 23 minutes and set a bowl of pots to soak, put away the milk and recycled the box, put some cans of pop in the fridge and recycled the box, washed up - still had some time on the clock so I decided to dry and put away until the timer beeped. Put the last dried mug into the cupboard as the beeper went. So I wiped down the draining board, put the dishcloth to soak in bleach and felt very 😇. I guess that was more flying than decluttering but the end result is the same - less mess 😊. 

It's quite surprising what can be achieved in 23 minutes. 

Rxx

weenancyinAmerica

I envy your lofts, attics, and basements - we have none of those in my part of the country. We use our garages for storage instead, but our garage isn't vermin proof. Used to have an alley cat that would catch and eat the mice. Miss him. Our current feral cat just likes to bring us towels instead. All alike - so I don't know who is losing towels at a rapid rate - 6 bright yellow shop towels this month. I also don't know if he is bringing them to us or to his sister cat who lives on our front porch. 

Up early today to make phone calls and arrange everything for the Board Meeting today - that I won't make due to still being very sick. Have lost over 5 pounds this week. Not the way I really want to diet. 

My biggest problem in cleaning is that I am the only one up before noon - one works until after midnight so stays up until 4:00 am and the other two seem to be inclined to the same schedule until they go back to work. So anything too heavy for me gets put off until later. And by afternoon, my fibromyalgia is really being felt so I tend to not want to do anything major in the afternoon. I may need to invite help to come in the mornings. 

Keep reminding myself that even a little progress is still progress.

daisy_1571

Moorviews said:

I’ve been managing to read along but not post. Every time I read though I am inspired to do more decluttering so thank you all for helping to keep up my motivation. 

@Dfw38 - Those loft photos are my vision of how I would love mine to look in the future!
@Mrs_Salad_Dodger - Such a beautiful olive tree 😍 It must love your garden and your green fingers. I really must give my poor almost leafless twig some TLC!

Every day I am getting rid of things, tidying something and maintaining the cleared spaces. It is really starting to make an impact now and improving the appearance of the rooms. Still further to go though and quite a bit of difficult stuff to push through to get where I really want to be. 

Since last posting:
Another drawer of the desk is empty. New homes found for some things. Unused cards and craft items to CS and lots of paper and card recycled. I am developing a pile of sentimental items which I shall go through again and work out how I would like to store them. Just the one drawer with dvds and vhs tapes left (most of those will go) and then the real horror of what is packed behind the writing slope and in all those little drawers and cubbyholes. 

My under bed drawers gone through and tatty old stuff ragged, otherwise charity clothes bin. 

Both dressing table drawers emptied out, old makeup and hair brushes binned, along with OOD meds. Decent but unwanted hair accessories to charity shop. Unused makeup bags to CS. Spectacles recycled at the optician’s. Now everything fits in the drawers so I don’t have any extra things sitting on top. 

Bedside drawers - I have taken out almost all the costume jewellery as I no longer wear any and that has gone to CS. I am pretty happy with the bedroom now and gave it a good clean to celebrate 🎉 

Large sideboard- emptied out and only put back the things that I really like plus a few that I will pack up for CS. Random bits of tat binned. Unused candles to CS. Now I just have to find the remaining pieces of an unwanted dinner service and find somewhere to recycle that to. 

A kitchen drawer emptied and given a new use. 

This process results in reflection while I am engaged with clutter busting. My home is untidier than I would like because I haven’t been ruthless enough about getting rid of things and they have filled up the available storage space, which means I can’t put everything away. I then find cleaning a chore because I have to move and dust so many things. I have real difficulty deciding something isn’t useful or wanted anymore. There is something of the puritan in me that causes me to think that I should be using everything until it falls to bits and that getting new, nicer things is frivolous or extravagant and something to feel guilty about. Possibly it is as a result of financially very tight times but I would like to loosen up a little bit and feel that I haven’t got to hang onto everything in case there isn’t any money to buy new when, or if, I need something in the future. 

Moorviews, if you are no longer in financially very tight times would it help to remind yourself that others might be in that period of their life now and if you release something it might be the very thing they need or better than whatever they are currently using?  Would that help assuage a lingering guilt that you haven't used it to destruction?   Perhaps just a small shift in thoughts might help you enjoy something new/new to you or 'nice'. 

Daisy  xx

GrannyKate

Popped out for an hour but otherwise I have been doing some cleaning 😇. Stopped on the way home to take pictures of random hazard signs for DGS4's homework.  Got some odd looks. 

291-295 Giving myself 5 points for cleaning bathroom, kitchen floor, lounge, hall and porch.  Odd tat binned along the way.  
296 Safely disposed of box of OOD covid tests taking up a large space in bathroom cupboard (cupboard tidied and wiped out)
297 Letters and cards posted
298 More tomato and small cucumber seeds planted on kitchen windowsill

Need to do quiz questions for Thursday, download photos and do shredding.