2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

EnergyShifter

EnergyShifter said:

Tasks Completed:

- Renewed 60+ oyster card

-  An hour spent sending New Year messages to friends & family

Stuff - IN: 

0

Stuff - OUT:

1. Tinsel

Most of today has been about me getting my head around returning to work tomorrow.   Sent appointment reminders to clients - I was convinced I'd have lots of last minute cancellations but no, everyone's raring to go for the New Year! 

For those who don't know me I'm a self-employed Coach and work from home.  I used to have a little (box-room)  office but my DS got ill in 2021 (mental health) and moved back home -  I donated my office to him as I didn't want him to spend all day in his room - a decision I still feel is right.  So I now work from the living room.  Over Christmas I've made a decision not to bring my PC back down to the Living Room as I've really enjoyed not having it dominate the space .  Instead I will be using a laptop I bought 2 years ago and hardly used as my teeny tiny ancient mac air has kept on going against the odds.  So I spent some time setting that up and it was really enjoyable to have a new toy & made me feel better about starting work again.  

Popped up to the High St & bought a couple of things I needed and remembered that I've got a 1 in 2 out rule - so even though I wasn't really in the mood I did a scour of my wardrobe & stored clothes.  I got off to a slow start but once I found a couple of T. Shirts that were an easy "yes" I got into  a flow and have shifted more things some of which are lovely items & still fit but have not been worn for years as they are not "quite" right.

So ..... 

Tasks Completed:

- Set up "new" laptop

Stuff - IN: 

1. door mat

2. Rug for bedroom

Stuff - OUT:

2. cardi/jacket
3 & 4 - 2 x dresses
5 & 6 - 2 x T Shirts
7. Summer top
8. Coat

Slinky

The box of paint samples was collected today, so that was 15 items gone. We spent a lot of time in our new extension which we have just finished painting the walls. Dragged out all the furniture which was absolutely filthy with plaster dust, cleaned it off, put down some carpets salvaged from other rooms, and put the furniture back. Does getting rid of large amount of dust count as decluttering?

Spent some time in the garage tidying so that the builders can access the back wall they started rebuilding before Christmas. Various bits of grot binned. I caught up with my ironing and decided 2 of OH's shirts are not fit to wear so they have gone in a 'clean rags' bag to go to the charity shop for them to sell to the ragman. Found another bag of clean rags in amongst the clutter in the extension.

Some friends who were visiting the area dropped by and picked up our leftover gluten free beer from the party we had before New Year, 6 bottles gone.

Went round the house and wrote a snagging list for the builders.

welshspendthrift

Hello new to this thread, serious decluttering needed! we are putting the house on the market later this month so we can downsize to help with my retirement this year. Also I may be accused of being a hoarder and daughter and my friend want to get a skip 😂

Plan  ( start of one) 
get all the clothes on Vinted that are piling up in spare room. 
clear loft conversion , sell what I can. 

Sort wardrobes ( probably more for Vinted) 

hope to get more ideas from others on here! 

Thank you 

Happy_Kitties

I kept decluttering last year even though with RL getting in the way I wasn’t able to update my totals on the thread to keep me on track.
Aims this year, to keep posting!!

Declutter 500 items
Send on their way 350 neutral items 

and I’m off…..
1. Old purse that was falling apart along with random bits of paper-binned. Important things transferred to new purse given to me for Christmas
2. Old hot water bottle out that was leaking. Using new Christmas one.
3. Used ink cartridges into recycling collection point

Blue_Doggy

@Keiths_Mum for things with sentimental connections which you can’t keep but equally can’t bring yourself to get rid of, perhaps consider taking a photograph of whatever it is and making a note about the item. That way you’ll keep a record of the memory, but not the thing itself. You can even make a note of how you disposed of it, so you don’t go searching for it some time in the future. (Been there, done that!)
Not a lot of things decluttered tidied or cleaned today, as I spent the afternoon with friends, but:

• Last of Christmas chocolate decluttered
• bottle of wine - it was pretending to be a full bottle left over from last Christmas until I opened it yesterday and found only two glassfuls left
• Christmas wrapping paper (received) binned as I decided it was not worth stashing to reuse
• Half-a-dozen or so emails relating to this afternoon deleted

Keiths_Mum

Caramac said:

Keiths_Mum said:

Over the years I have tried so many times to go through my parents stuff and I have got rid of a few things but often I will open one of the boxes and close it after a very short while as it quickly becomes overwhelming. I have mentioned to my brother that i want to get rid of a lot of it and he said he would like to see what I'm getting rid of in case he wants it. He also took a fair amount of stuff at the time and has got rid of some of it. I might wait until the next time he is here to sort my parents stuff out, although I feel he is more sentimental than me, so not sure how helpful this will be.

As for cards, I never keep them myself but my sentimental old Dad kept a whole box mainly from me and my brother and other close relatives, even though I don't really want them knowing he kept them for years makes it so hard.

The thing is I have lots of stuff that belonged to them that is useful or decorative that I use everyday or is on display, so I don't need this extra non useful stuff.

My aim is to have only one box of sentimental stuff that I can look through from time to time, should I feel the need and get rid of the rest.

I think I will start with my own stuff, may be the paperwork

I’ve still got a lot of my parent’s stuff that I intend to go through again this year. My sister is more sentimental than me about keeping stuff, but doesn’t seem keen to actually have it in her house. I did sort through the photos and only kept those with people I recognised in them.
,

My brother is the same he'll say 'oh, I don't have my car, can you keep it for me', then takes an age to collect.

I think I need to give him a time limit, like 'if you don't take it within 3 months, it goes to charity'.

My Dad was a bit if a hoarder and I think we both are as a result. My Mum was the opposite always trying to get stuff out of the house, a bit too extreme, which also may have given us a tendancy to hoard.

GrannyKate

 A slow start but guests and DGCs all left at lunchtime.  Popped in Mr M and bought a couple of bits but nothing exciting.  Having a quiet evening finishing off wine in the fridge and left over food.

16 Christmas thin gummy of MiLs - a singing mouse which doesn't work - binned while children weren't looking
17 Lego sold by DS2 left with him for its new home
18 Pizza tin out - very corroded - replaced with 2 new ones from Mr M 

Tomorrow is a new day.  Nothing planned but tidying to do.  Realised I had left one Christmas item in porch when its lights came on last night.  Will take down tomorrow. 

Wednesday2000

Wednesday2000 said:

I'm about to tackle the kitchen cupboard. The last one I have left to declutter. My kitchen is very small so it didn't take very long. I don't think I will be getting rid of anything, just taking everything out and giving the cupboard a good clean, but I will see what I find in there...

Well, I took everything out of the last cupboard and then discovered we must have had another water leak as there was black mould at the bottom and the back of the cupboard looks like it has buckled. If it is it will be the third water leak in our kitchen since we moved here in April as we have already had one from the fridge and also the washing machine.

My husband called our insurance people but they haven't got back to us after the first callback as probably not the best day to have to contact them.

I went through and looked at everything and had to bin some stuff at the back of the cupboard covered with the mould and wash other things. 

Then I went through the junk drawer and threw away some other stuff and put other old paperwork into the recycling bin. I had two xmas cards left and some red envelopes (? I don't know what happened to the cards that went with them) that I also put into the recycling bin.

I then thought I would do something productive and did some more decluttering.

Added to the charity donation bag with the 4 pictures, cushion cover and lantern:

Pyrex casserole dish,
Unopened bottle of shampoo,
A wooden ornament.

We bought 4 smoke alarms this year that we didn't fit and use as our smoke alarms at home are attached to the electrics and so they are in a bag by the door and going to be given to a relative this week.

I am going to have another glass of wine and watch something like Friends to switch off. I'm going to have a bath later and use up the last of my epsom salts. I will keep the 5kg tub for storage after as it is quite a handy size.

short_bird

18-19: 2 GB data deleted
20-21: items to recycling
22-26: stuff to bin

First item from the delayed decisions:
1. Decorative paper chain bought 2016 in Paris is now in the recycling. 

skogar

2nd of January and already 31 pages of the 2023 decluttering thread.

I realise I am a little late to the party Mrs SD but must congratulate you on those fantastic holidays :-) and must bring you down to earth a little with your 2022 wish list.

“1. Re-carpet our bedroom & repopulate with new (already purchased) or up-cycled furniture. DONE - mostly" - Remembering that of course the very best interiors are not created in one single event but are developed over time. It is important to live with your changes a little as it allows you to assess what you want to do next better. The next touches will be added as and when they reveal themselves. Clearly a success here. :-)

"2. Complete all small repair jobs around the house." The problem here is that this wasn't really a "smart target" - not well defined at all. Houses are like painting the Forth Bridge - there is always some new repair job that is needed - possibly more urgent than the ones you originally had in mind. You clearly had no hope of feeling that you had achieved this one. I'm sure you could write a list of your many fixes this year. to show your sucess in this area :-)

"3. Rearrange contents of all kitchen cupboards & drawers - empty, clean inside & out,  declutter, design & build a shelving unit, get ovens professionally cleaned." My goodness - exhausted just reading this. Surely this is many different targets not just one? I've just been for a lie down to recover.

"4. Be as productive as possible in the garden." Remembering of course if you aren't there and you haven't done anything then that is as productive as it is possible to be.

"5. Self care - start walking, resume visits to Chinese Wellness Centre (new location) & update wardrobe." My goodness Mrs SD - At least 3 targets! You are very welcome to join the fashion on the ration crew for inspiration in the wardrobe department. Obviously due to the limited number of coupons that you have available and the agonising decisions to be made regarding spending them these critical decisions regarding the contents of your new wardrobe cannot be rushed hence why you have been unable to complete that part of your challenge. Hopefully your restraint in this area can be a good example to a certain naughty member of the group who has overspent their coupons this year after failing to check how many were required for a jacket.

Wishing you all a great 2023 and much successful decluttering.