2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

retiredinfrance

Many thanks, Mrs SD , for my gold star. Halfway through now and plenty of clutter still hiding. 

DH was delighted to be awarded a medal - the first he has ever got- real or virtual!

Mind you , as a friend of Justin he has some way to
go to join our happy band.
Now at 187
Pile of junk from 2009 from bottom of handbag - last time I used it! No fivers, just receipts and a letter from a parent to excuse their child’s absence. 

So 187/365
Hugs coming over to you Florenceem and MrF and for everyone who would like one.
Keep safe everyone.

Pixie_Cosmo

Crikey, I've been trying to get inspiration from this fab thread, but there's a lot to read through! I'm on a mission to declutter and I've made good inroads this year.

Main problem is our bin collection is every third week, and the recycling centre is 25 miles away. I've managed to get rid of some furniture and things on local 'give away/sell' sites, plus a load of books, clothes and dvds to the charity shops. I have inherited a lot of 'stuff' from both parents and just want to have a tidy house. I'm having to be very ruthless.

charlies_tribe

Hope MrF is better on your visit today @Florenceem.

Just a quick post. Spent the day in the bedroom going through more things. The decision to get rid with quite a few bits was taken away as the damp is worse than we thought and things are actually wet. DH is going to look at why. 4 bin liners of stuff put with the skip pile and a bag of wrapping paper that was damp put with the paper pile. The room smells damp now it's been disturbed. Did find £30 in £5 notes, just a shame they're old ones and some bags of 1, 2 and 5p's and some euro's from 18 years ago so not sure theyre any hood now.
Bedding washed, line dried and back on and actually managed to finally get to my drawers and put washing away.
Shopping arrived and put away.
Just doing a roast pork dinner and the fight to get the girls ready for school tomorrow will commence.
Yesterday I listed some old towels on the free site and they went straight away to next door but one and some bedding sets but the lady that asked for them has never replied, it's been over 24 hours so might offer to next person.

869-874 600 emails deleted
875-894 20 towels of various sizes

vulpix

Welcome pixie cosmo. We are all happy to hear about your decluttering journey. 

 Well hello everyone. I have been busy. Thursday picked up the new to us car. Friday we went to Oxfordshire to drop stuff off at DS. Yesterday I was on a stall at the community centre spring sale. Mil bought a lot and I mean a lot of items to give to tombolas etc. We have had them at 3 sales and made about £500 just selling for donations. The remaining stuff we boxed up in several big boxes and took them to the church shop. The manager was telling me mil’s collectibles have made a lot of money so far. One clock selling for £75. We are so pleased. Today we bagged up a load of bathroom tiles and went to the tip. This afternoon I have done some washing and tidying round downstairs. A friend coming to visit tomorrow. I work best under pressure. 🤣

 The bathroom is functional. Just bath panel, flooring and skirting to do. Because the house is so small we feel like we have to go out all the time to get from under the plumbers feet. 

 A couple of little holidays have been arranged. One to Edinburgh and one to Paris to the rugby in October. 

 Things have been added to my declutter list. Oh by the way, I love declutterati. Inspired. 

 Strength to you Dfw38 and Florenceem. 

 Vx 

Florenceem

I went to Church this morning then a friend took me to the hospital. Mr F was hooked up to a monitor today - when I spoke to his nurse - she told me that it was because he had another seizure this morning.
The man in the bed opposite told me that he had to call a nurse in the night as Mr F pulled his urine collection bag off the bag and pulled the tubes out so there was urine everywhere.
Today he didn't know me but I managed to get him to drink water from a beaker - I call it a sippy cup. Then he stuffed his fingers in his mouth and started to suck them and I couldn't get him to remove them.
I went home early as I couldn't do anything for him and he didn't know that I was there. I went to the SA - to be with Church family - we watched a film and had some food.

QueenJess

Just popping in quickly.  Am utterly exhausted checking on DD 24-7 because of her very high temperature, including 30 mins through the night for the last 3 nights.  She has finally got rid of it and is starting to be on the mend.  As I had to keep myself awake, I did end up doing some digital decluttering to keep myself awake (I had no energy to actually get out of bed myself to do anything else in the house).  Hopefully back to normal next week.

Digital:
12,010-12,234 - emails permanently deleted
12,235-12,241 - apps deleted
12,242-12,259 - photos/videos deleted
12,260 - online account deleted
12,261-12,264 - text conversations deleted
12,265-12,277 - digital files deleted
12,278-12,280 - digital notes deleted

Physical:
12,281 - packaging (reused)

Edit: This site has a useful list of digital decluttering areas to think about: https://www.thelifestyle-files.com/the-ultimate-digital-decluttering-calendar/

Dfw38

Hi all, @Florenceem I am so sorry to hear that MrF is so poorly. Please take care of yourself, stress can wreak havoc on us. It might be worth asking the hospital if they have any little sponges on sticks (I don't know the proper name) but they can be used to moisten lips and for adding liquid in the mouth without worrying about spilling liquid down MrF. We used some for my dad and they made a world of difference to his comfort. @MrsSD sorry to hear your news and hope your relative improves soon. @Muddy_Walker congratulations on the new job! I hope it will be a lot more pleasant for you. I went to my dad's yesterday to start clearing some stuff and it is epic, I just stood there for a few minutes feeling absolutely overwhelmed. Dad was a hoarder and in bags and boxes we have junk mail, old post, ornaments and then precious things like photos. It is going to be an uphill struggle to clear the house. I managed 3x tip runs and we bagged up 20 bags for a special collection from my dad's council. Also found a couple of boxes of my old toys so I have taken them back home to see if there is anything to pass on to my dc or give to the cs or if it is only fit for dumping. Went for my last long walk/run today, managed 20 miles but it was a struggle. I kept being hit by waves of grief and felt like I was having a type of panic attack a couple of times but it was just overwhelming emotions. Spent a least a couple of miles ugly-crying. 
A bit of a hard week ahead, it would be dad's birthday tomorrow, we have his funeral on Tuesday and them I have the marathon on Sunday. Need to get my run finished by 12 because both my dds are doing their first St Georges day church parade at 1.30. No pressure! 😳 Hope you are all as well as can be and I will pop back soon, I aim to continue the decluttering in May and am thinking of making it a month of frogs.

EnergyShifter

Still in the TLC carriage and sleeping a lot but I have started to feel better  for the last couple of days -  I have managed to get out for a decent walk a couple of times, caught up with washing,  had a little tidy round & caught up with some light studying (listening to audios).

Tasks:
Renewed professional indemnity insurance

IN (running total 74)
75. Pack of bralets 

OUT (running total 320)
321. Book

Thanks for encouragement Mrs SD & Moorviews
Florenceem - 🙏
Hope DD is on the mend QueenJess 

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, a few wins today, uu soap in the bathroom replaced from stash. This was a posh soap in a box and looked like quite a large bar but after removing from the box I found a plastic platform under the soap which took up at least a third of the depth of the box. What a swizz, I know it's a marketing thing but I am sure the person who bought it for me thought it was a big bar as well so note to self to never buy that brand of soap as a present . I found a candle in the soap draw so that has been put into use this evening. We spent some time at OHs house today and I managed to fill a bin bag of blown litter and leaves from the front garden so it does look a bit tidier but I need to jet wash the path and trim the large bush in the half barrel by the front door. I checked the back garden and there is quite a lot to still do there but it was raining by then so that will have to wait for another day. I spoke to OH about some of the rubbish in the garden, broken bird feeders and rusty plant supports etc etc that I keep coming across. OHs Mum was a big bird fan and OHs Dad was a bit of a make do and mend in the garden. I have never felt like I could throw anything away as it was all sort of sentimental but OH has said yes get rid so hopefully I will be able to take a lot to the tip on my way home from the next visit. Not sure when that will happen as it needs to be reasonable weather and on a day when I have nothing else on but it needs to be soon or the back garden will be overrun again. Emptied the bedroom bin. Made a nice pasta sauce thing for tea with either veg from the 2 good to go box or previous boxes put in the freezer. In the latest box we got a big bunch of fresh basil which I love but rarely use as OH likes oregano but OH said it was very nice and I have a portion left for tomorrow. We are meeting a friend for lunch and taking a look around the Tate North. I use to go fairly often but haven't been since before covid so that will be interesting. I am not always a fan of modern art but I usually find something I like there and sometimes they have good exhibitions on.

@Florenceem hugs, thinking of you and Mr F

@Mrs SD, hope G is holding her own after her op. 3 aneurysms is a lot to deal with. Hugs to you and Mr SD and healing thoughts for G.

@Vulpix take care when you visit Paris, recent events with sporting fixtures and the french police would make me wary. Which stadium is the match in?

@pixiecosmo, welcome aboard, we will all be cheering you on

Has anybody seen grandmanerd or weenancyinamerica lately? Hope they are OK and just too busy with rl to have time to post.

Hugs to everyone who would like one
608 uu soap in the bathroom
609 bedroom bin emptied
610 bin bag of rubbish into the bin at OHs.
Take care everyone
610/2023

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks to include MMiM - do this before I go to bed

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 ‘Urgent’ daily mail immediately & the rest at the weekend

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

Saturday: Two loads of laundry washed & dried. Bed made & kettle descaled. Also cleared down several programmes from TV planner & read the 2nd book from I’s mum - “A Mother’s Choice” by Val Wood - quite entertaining. Another load washed & dried. DSis cold pork & crackling, oven chips & baked beans, added fried eggs & plum tomatoes for DH. I had a bit of crackling, oven chips, fried eggs, baked beans & plum tomatoes. Wudupa. Watched BGT with DSis & we agreed with Bruno’s golden buzzer pick 👏

Sunday: mainly dry day. Up & dressed at 11:00. DH got up abut noon, had a bath & headed to the hospital to visit G. He & her sister M sat by her bedside & chatted for a couple of hours. G still in an induced sleep & hooked up to various machines & drips. The doctors are talking about gradually reducing the sedatives tomorrow 🤞My day was spent doing the last load of washing & drying, reading the 3rd & final book from I’s mum - “The Christmas Card” by Dilly Court which I thoroughly enjoyed 🙂All 3 books now in CS bag. DH got home 20:45 & dinner was served a few minutes later. Dinner was an hm beef, onion & mushroom pie with mash, cabbage, green beans & sweetcorn 😋 The beef, pastry, cabbage & beans came from freezer; lo hm gravy, lo sweetcorn & last of the mushrooms came from the fridge. Wudupa. Unintentional declutter as I snapped the metal handle off the collapsible colander 😔DSis & I watched BGT & agreed with Simon’s golden buzzer pick 👏 

997 - 1,004 Kitchen recycling x 2, glass jar, drinks cans x 2, large plastic bottle, small plastic bottle, coffee tin - recycled 

1,005 - 1,008 Kitchen detritus x 2, pair of DH’s socks, broken colander - binned

fritzie-65, love the idea of ‘Fling Friday’ 🙂 Great work & well done on the decluttering of clothes, belts etc 👏 Good luck with the eBay sales 🍀 Wow, a shop free week 🤩 very MSE 😊

Lovely post ScarletRibbons 😊

What a great observation QueenJess 👏 So sorry to hear that DD is so unwell & that DH is about as much use as a chocolate teapot 😔 Sending healing vibes to DD & hoping that she recovers quickly so that you can get some sleep🤞

Florenceem, you & MrF are in my thoughts.

Brie, sounds wonderful 😊 Hopefully you get to visit Quebec City again in the future 🤞

Excellent work swapping bedrooms Crazycatlady2 👏 No wonder you were exhausted 😩 

TC77, Great work decluttering, tidying & dealing with frogs 👏 DD2’s clutter must be bad if you noticed hers first 😉😉

Muddy_Walker, I rather like that description - spiritual rather than religious 🙂 Pleased to hear that dog1 is getting better ❤️‍🩹 & you are not a terrible dog mum regardless of the way the vet nurse was with you ‘wagging finger emoji’ Great work dealing with admin & the garden 👏 Congratulations on your new job 🥳

Just noticed the time so am off to bed & will try to catch up on the cheerleading tomorrow 😉

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

DH Awards: 🥇🏅⭐️💐🏅 perseverance medal 🎖️ 🥇 🏅🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 1008/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70