2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

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

Wednesday is another very overcast & dull day with a chilly breeze making it seem colder than 8C 🥶 I did manage to get up just before noon, got dressed & whilst having my first cuppa decided on my MMiM - locate my “HENG Balance Lamp” Unfortunately for me it turned into a MARATHON MiM (3 x23minutes) & I still didn’t find it 😱 I got a bit disheartened at my lack of success BUT decided to turn that around & spent (3 x 23 minutes) sorting out my filing cabinet 🙂 So apart from not finding the lamp, I actually had quite a successful day 👏 Starting with the cupboards in the wall unit 2 x 4 cubby holes: found all sorts of items forgotten & remembered - old magazines, DH’s half hunter watch & chain (his retirement present from work), a commemorative PG Tips tin celebrating 75 years, my silver wedding anniversary present from DH - a silver rose, a box of small glass & china ornaments, my collection of fridge magnets - now all together rather than scattered around 😉, boxes & albums of photos, a few books, my remaining DVDs & loads of CDs. Also found a 2nd copy of Book 11 of the Shipyard Girls 😬 Eight reasonably neat & tidy cubbyholes but no sign of the lamp ☹️ - plenty of projects e.g. sort photos, display ornaments & fridge magnets, go through CD collection etc but I need to focus on the visible clutter 😔 Before moving onto the filing cabinet I wrote a note to the milkman to cancel the next 2 deliveries. The contents of 6 drawers have been rearranged & tidied into 5 drawers + each drawer labelled with its contents, found 2 fountain pens which now have new cartridges & will be brought into use as I write better with a fountain pen 🙂 Spent 10 minutes looking in a couple more places for the elusive lamp but no joy 😔 Also sorted out the contents of the footstool. Dinner was fish’n’chips for DSis & me, kebab for DH. Wudupa. 

Wednesday was the first day of DH’s walking challenge & he was all excited when he set off at 12:15 😊About an hour later he phoned - had to stop walking as his heart rate had very worryingly shot up to 193 😟 He stopped walking until his heart rate went back to normal & then made his way back home on public transport. Not a single episode during February with all his training walks & then the first day of the actual challenge & this happens. He went to bed for an hour or so then put in a request for a doctors appointment. DH eventually managed his 11,000 steps with 3 more walks just looping around the local area, with no problems at all 😥 

705 - 719 Kitchen recycling, 7 magazines, 2 cardboard boxes, handful of leaflets, 2 lots of cardboard packaging, glass jar, drinks cans - recycled 

720 - 724 Kitchen detritus, broken pair of reading glasses (DSis), bag of detritus from wall unit & filing cabinet, 2 non working pens - binned

725 - 740 Bubblewrap, book, still wrapped little book of sticky notes, unopened scrapbook kit 🤷‍♀️, commemorative tin, bracelet, 2 empty, sturdy ornament boxes, 2 Fitbit straps, 5 black biros, bookmark - CS bag

So much for catching up on the cheerleading - I will make that my MMiM for Thursday 😉

Dfw38, well done on keeping your loft tidy & almost clear 👏 Probably a good idea to keep DH away from your decluttered areas - some people (my DSis & DH are two of them) seem to delight in putting stuff on clear surfaces 😖 I have written a list of 31 MMiM, so I will join you  🙂 What a very busy Monday 👏 no wonder you are exhausted 😩 

Florenceem, it must be a good book if you stayed up until 2:00 a.m. 🙂 Hope your Monday rest day has gone some way to alleviating your exhaustion 🤞

roundtuit, what a great practice MMiM 👏 The thing is that I think Flying & Decluttering go hand in hand 🙂 Flying is more difficult the more clutter you have 😉 No wonder you felt 😇 as that was an excellent 23 minute session 👏

Sorry to hear that you are still so unwell weenancy ☹️ & that your roommates are still not really pulling their weight 😔 No reason to be envious of lofts, attics & basements as all it means is that we hide our clutter - out of sight out of mind 😂 Although it is a real shame that your garage storage is not vermin proof 😔 What an odd cat - collecting towels 😱 I know you said it is yellow towels this month but does he collect other colours?  Does his sister cat ever accept any of the towels 😉 Not really a good way to lose weight, so I am sending gws wishes your way together with “get your ar**s in gear” messages for your roommates 😉 How is the roommate who is in hospital getting on? Hope he is on the mend🤞

What a thoughtful post daisy_1571 😊 & a great suggestion 👏 Just a slight change in perspective can lead to great in all things not just decluttering 🙂

GrannyKate, really curious to know about DGS4’s homework that requires pictures of random hazard signs 😉 Great work cleaning & decluttering 👏 Also thanks for the reminder re planting seeds for kitchen windowsill 👏

Dfw38, I think I should employ you to do some cheerleading 😉

bit_by_bit, hope you enjoyed your holiday & came back feeling rested & relaxed even if only for a couple of hours 😉 It has been non stop busyness since you have been back 😔 Hope DS1 is now recovered 🤞 Great work dealing with frogs, finances & unexpected cleaning 👏

Excellent digital decluttering QueenJess 👏 Well done on all your previous decluttering which has put you in the of hunting for things to declutter 😊

Dfw38, you have a bargaining chip now 😉 by not having wallpaper in your room, DH should be more than happy to wallpaper your DS’s room 😉 Hopefully the universe can tell me to ‘focus’ especially on a few frogs that I am allowing to become cane toads 😱 by not dealing with them 😔  One Gold Star ⭐️coming your way for completing the decorating in your bedroom 🙂

Excellent frog munching GrannyKate 👏

Excellent decluttering short_bird 👏 Well done on putting your mind at rest re the undelivered tickets 😊

Great decluttering Florenceem 👏 are you carrying forward the extra items decluttered? 

Great work clearing out more books skogar 👏

Great decluttering TC77 👏 Fantasy you - do tell 😉 The ‘doing things as you see them’ can be a good way to keep the motivation high as you see immediate results 😊 Yah boo to the carpet fitter 😒 

DundeeDoll, a cloth maze sounds interesting 🤔 

vulpix, sounds like you had a great university experience 😊 I hope leaving it so long to revisit Dundee wasn’t a disappointment 🤞That is almost 8’ long 🤩 no wonder curtains are not your favourite sewing project 😉 vulpix, please don’t be sorry about talking about your Mother 🙂 So sorry to hear that she was so upset & that she is finding it so hard relying on other people even if it is her own children 😔Being independent for so long will make it especially hard for her but hopefully she will get into a routine & be well enough to carve out some independence again 🤞That is a very old Teddy, not quite an antique but definitely vintage 😊 I love that you are arranging for the wooden desk & chairs to go back to the school they came from 👏 Fingers crossed that you have managed to finish the curtains 🤞

Just breaking off from cheerleading to take delivery of the vegetable box which arrived at 03:50 - poor delivery driver - he looked 🥱 As it is so late, I will post this & go to bed 😉

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

DH Awards: 🥇 🏅

Decluttering Target 2023: 740/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £43.00

Wednesday2000

Mrs_Salad_Dodger said:
About an hour later he phoned - had to stop walking as his heart rate had very worryingly shot up to 193 😟 

Oh no! That is very worrying.

diminua

I'm sorry your DH had to abandon the walking Mrs SD. Very sensible of him to accept the warning signs and stop and rest though. 

regnbue

I have 2 or 3 things that I have been specifically looking for whilst decluttering one being a cream arran type jumper, worn once around 3 years ago, and never seen again.  I remember it being particularly warm and, with the temps getting very cold again, I would like to find it and wear it again rather than have to buy a new one this late into winter.

I popped over to another town yesterday for a hosp appt (wore my xmas jumper) and on the way back to the train station walked past a big clothes shop that was closing down.

I went in and found a rack of "Icelandic" type jumpers originally £36 reduced to £25.  Some of these had labels further reducing to £21 which is still a bit pricey and unfortunately the one jumper in my size only had the £25 label attached.

I apprehensively approached the cashier for them to check knowing that if it was £25 I'd feel obliged to buy it.  I asked if it was £21 like the others.  He scanned the barcode and shook his head.  Then he said "No. It's £10.80".

Kerching.

I'm wearing it now - it's so warm and soft.  I bet I find that cream arran one now too.  

vulpix

 Kerching indeed regnbue,You are right the Arran jumper will present itself now you have a new one.

 The kitchen designer came yesterday and I did listen and go with a lot of his ideas. I am prone to being a bit stubborn like my Mother! We are having kickboard heating which I didn't even know was a thing. Not much more expensive than a fancy radiator. We are waiting for the builder to take the pantry out,plaster the ceiling,add electrics etc etc ,My builder is inundated with work. I don't mind waiting.

 I took the bull by the horns and registered with Mr V's dentist in Nottingham. I sacked the other dentist off too. Just need to eat my other frogs of doing some online stuff for my voluntary work and change the address on my premium bonds.

 I hope Mr SD is ok today. I would like to third LiverpoolAnne's comment about how much time you spend cheerleading Mrs SD. I have long thought that it is like a full time job for you,I wouldn't mind at all if I was missed out of despatches. Saying that,Thank you and everyone for the understanding about my Mum at the moment.

 I am going to eat my frogs now. 

 Vx

vulpix

Online stuff took seconds. Doh!

Moorviews

I am also hoping that Mr SD is feeling okay after that worrying episode yesterday 🤞He has done so well with building up carefully too. Like others, I worry if the cheerleading ever takes its toll or feels burdensome at times and truly lovely, inclusive and appreciated as it is, I wonder if you could enjoy some holidays from it sometimes.

@regnbue - that was a fantastic bargain for a lovely sounding jumper, well done for enquiring. I have very occasionally struck lucky like that and it felt so exciting!

@vulpix - I shall look forward to the beautiful new kitchen photos 😊

QueenJess

Just a quick check in as need to squeeze a lot of things in for today.  @Mrs_Salad_Dodger I hope Mr SD is ok now.  *hugs*

I have been trying to blitz this online account/password malarky, but getting ahead of myself a bit and am a bit overwhelmed with email follow ups for deletions etc!  Hoping to get the bulk easy stuff out the way as quickly as I can and then clear up the harder stuff.  I'm below 300 now (originally above 500, probably more like 600).  Just want to get through it all so it's no longer on my frog listing.

Decluttering progress:

2,792-2,797 - online accounts deleted

2,798 - packaging (used)

2,799-2,805 - stationary and stamps (donated to school).

I can see that gold medal looming... only 195 left to declutter for that one.

Soontobeoap

Hi @Mrs_Salad_Dodger I really hope that Mr SD is OK and gets a drs apt very soon. I am going to try to write once a week to make it easier to track my progress. You have set yourself a gigantic task and I love reading your posts but would be more than happy for you to cut them down if you felt the need.

I have had a very successful week of decluttering. 7 teapots taken to the auction rooms yesterday for an auction later this month. A bed frame that was in the garden has been broken down. Some of the wood has been used to make a trellis ladder for a honeysuckle and the mdf was taken to the tip along with some shelves, a pushchair and a stair gate that have been through 6 granchildren and were 2nd hand when we got them. They have seen much much better days. I make that 12. An added bonus is that the repurposinf, sawing and lifting has kept us warm. 😂 Changing duvet covers this afternoon! 

GrannyKate

Hugs all round as needed.  Hope Mr SD is okay today.  DGS4's homework about hazards signs.  He is only 7 but they get to choose three topics from about 9 each half term.  This was to find out about hazard warning signs and do a poster.  He had fun working out how to do a picture of a yellow triangle on my computer and then wrote a slogan on it for the middle of his poster.  We cut it out and stuck on A3 paper along with pictures we had taken out and about and around the house. Bleach, sub stations, white spirit, dishwasher tablets etc.  He wrote what they were and then finished off with lots of different small yellow triangle pictures I downloaded from a website selling signs for businesses.  He cut those out and stuck them on poster. School trip today including train ride so he was very excited.  His age group have really missed out on trips due to covid.   

I'm fairly sure your balance lamp will be be hiding somewhere with my large box of blank postcards MrsSD. I think I have the house to myself at the weekend.  I should go swimming again but still feeling the effects of Tuesday across my back and shoulders.  I have lost 4 lbs which is good.

314 Hair done
315 Cards posted
316 Quiz done and papers recycled - I resisted the flapjack they sell at the centre where we have the quiz
317 Paid up for pie and pea quiz later in the month

Just remembered I downloaded some survey money from Paypal and discovered that an overdue payment had also been made so £15 to start off this month's extra income.  Also received my prize voucher for £150 - will use to do photobook probably.