2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

TC77

@Florenceem hope you are managing some rest while Mr F is being looked after.
Mrs SD agree with @retiredinfrance, sounds as if you've been getting on with lots. 
Thank you as always for cheerleading us all.
Did 23 min tidying around my desk and then another 23 min. 
Picked up dd1 to help her with pip assessment. They were running over an hour late so abandoned and rescheduled. Dd1 v stressed. Also quite rightly pointed out all my clutter.  Keep looking at clothes but quite like most of them especially those I can't fit in  

TC77

I have done some paper decluttering and unsubscribed from a decluttering newsletter - not time to read it!
Several frogs moved along, all seem to be multi step. Couldn't find a pen in the car earlier then found 8 or 9. 
Someone picked up a lamp I brought from my dad's and then took back to his. People interested in 3 or 4 items which hopefully will go out. 
Does anyone else really struggle with clothes, as some are ok, and maybe the CS can't sell but I would wear or keeping it will stop me buying a similar one again.... fear that I throw out some where would I draw the line and would then need to start buying more! Am I being very negative. And I know very minor in the scheme of things,
Going to round up to 512 and will use the 23 min again, although I do get distracted
Hope people making use of the TLC carriage and all its services x

~FlowerPot~

Mrs SD, I'm so sorry you had such nastiness from a neighbour, so unnecessary. 🌷Here are some spring flowers to cheer you up and to thank you for the amazing cheerleading job you do.
Flowers x

DundeeDoll

hope your neighbour has stopped being unpleasant mrsSD 
music room is now clean and tidy hooray as is sitting room and my bedroom and my bathroom. and today spent my 23 minutes moving boxes at work with a colleague so all is still very much improving. off to Canada with work then Edinburgh with friends so decluttering will take a holiday for 2 weeks. keep up the good work everyone!

Floss

TC77 do you have space to store those clothes that do not fit if you pack them away? Then they are out of the equation when you get dressed, and don't torment you by just being there.

Also, I found that by moving non-fitting clothes out of my wardrobes & drawers enabled me to be more ruthless with things I just don't wear / like, no matter how much they cost or how lovely they are.

It also helped me to categorise things into "work", "social/ going out", "wfh/ watching tv", "chores / garden/ DIY". I had some sentimental items, such as the dress & LK Bennett coat I wore for my sons wedding, that I wouldn't wear again so they got sold on Ebay (the coat went to Australia!).

Don't worry about charity shops not selling things - they will eventually sell unsold items for rags, and you'd be surprised at what does get sold. 

It is a difficult thing to sort clothes, as one acquires things for occasions (a family event, new job etc) or because one likes the idea of owning & wearing something that really isn't going to get worn (e.g. I used to have gym wear but never went to a gym or class🙄). It can be quite emotional as one realises that the real life wardrobe needed is not the same as the fantasy life wardrobe owned.

Finally, forget about the purchase cost of the clothes that you move on to new homes - that money is spent & gone. You may get some back from Ebay or Vinted, if you persevere, but rarely what an item actually cost.  I find its easier to sell things with tags or a very few designer things, and donate high street stuff to one of my local chazzers. Oh, and don't buy more when donating!

oceanspirit

TC77 very good advice from Floss.

 When you feel the urge to buy more clothes, what is the emotion behind it? Once you are aware of that, you can then take steps to satisfy the emotional response in a different way to prevent more items coming in.

Living with less definitely has a positive impact on mental health and makes life so much easier.  Less time spent administering to stuff means more time for people and life experiences.

OH and I are both enjoying how much easier it is to keep our homes clean and tidy. It is also easier to pack to go away - less choice means fewer decisions to make. And easier to see what you actually have when you have less of it.

You are doing really well at moving things on.  Keep at it - the more you do the easier it gets.

oceanspirit

A bit of spring cleaning going on here.  More papers have gone and packaging from a hairdryer bought 4 years ago into recycling. An ornament into CS box and a couple of garden items earmarked for next tip run.

fritzie-65

I know that I have various emotional responses to my buying in the past -

panic , I have nothing to wear to an event , holiday 

fear , some one might notice I have had that on before or comment it looks worn  

mood , dark clothes in winter to go with my mood  , colour in spring - summer 

treat myself , had a rough time I deserve a treat.

I know fully this stems from childhood of very very rarely having had anything brand new , hand me downs and second hand and the absolute feeling of shame at what I wore on the last Friday of term when we didnt have to wear our uniform and always feeling shabby compared to the other girls.

But now I have reached an age and I know with the time I have left I will have a blow out now and again buy something for that little girl still inside of me and then when I have had enough of it , fling it, ebay it  or donate it because I have the choice and she didnt.  

~FlowerPot~

so decided to go through a paperwork box stored in the garage, One huge storage box reduced to 3 small paper files and everything else recycled or in the burn pile. 90% has personal info on it do needs to be burned. It goes back to my business in 2003!! also went through a large pile of my sisters bits which were in the garagre too. have now organised her bits into 2 large boxes its all radionic stuff and her research notes ~ how can you throw away someone elses reseach notes which have taken years to build up !!!!!

Feeling good though, huge amounts of paper decluttered and the boxes in the garage are in better order. Well the ones that had my stuff in. DH is great at helping me throw away my stuff, but as soon as it comes to sorting his carp stuff he gets all shirty

The sun is peeking out now, so might get in the garden if it dries up a little! HAve a good day all x

charlies_tribe

Afternoon all. Just a quick post as DD1 will be here any minute and wants to go shopping. 
Mrs SD, were not on a set timescale at the minute. DD1 went back on 4 4 hour shifts and this week she's moving to 6 hour shifts and we won't be needed until she goes back on 9 hour shifts but if we're ready it doesn't matter when she decides to return full time and we van have some practice runs before. With DH working nights lll alternate between the bedroom and conservatory depending on if he's in bed so will still be working on both.

Didn't manage anything yesterday but the bins went out today and we had a gap so managed to put some of the things I've been piling to one side ready for bin/skip in to it, its nice to see my waitingto go list suddenly shorten by quiet a bit.
DD2 has been at dance summer camp this morning and has her normal dance lessons later so won't manage much today either.

805-831 27 items binned
832 Plastic folder
833-836 4 plastic cups
837 Puzzle ball Maze, broken
838 Glass, cracked
839 Large shopping bag, deteriorated
840 Plastic wallet
841-866 26 items in bin bag
867 huge wall atlas, fell off conservatory wall but now almost colourless.
868 tomato ketchup (dd2 asked for some for her dinner, we don't usually eat it, she said it was a funny colour so checked date and it went out in 2019!)