2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

QueenJess

Gosh @gettingthrifty sounds like you need a hug.

So firstly all this stuff didn't come into the house in 2 minutes, so it will also take time to leave the house.  Give yourself a break on that count.  I do agree with you on the selling front.  I've almost put a price on my time and unless I have something worth selling (e.g. profit of £20 or more) then it goes out the house in the easiest way possible (usually Buy Nothing as they pick up from my doorstep!).  Yes I could make a bit of money, but I don't want to spend years for a small amount of money when I could be using my time doing the things I love.

I haven't had a medical emergency, but when my daughter was ill and also when you go on holiday with a few things, I come back and wonder why on earth I have all this stuff.  Although I don't have the fear you describe I often feel utterly overwhelmed with it all and feel like I can't do anything at all.  I try to shut this down in my head, put the blinkers on and find one small/tiny area to deal with, be it a single drawer, 1 shelf, or even part of a shelf or whatever.  I ignore everything else and only think about that tiny area.  I go through it and once I am done I feel calmer and I can keep opening the drawer or staring at the bit of shelf which makes me feel good.  It brings back focus, reminds me why I am doing it and gives me motivation for more.

I have some things I have learned on the way which isn't quite how the online videos show it and might help:

• There is no need to "perfect" each area before you move on.  Decluttering is a moving feast and you might feel differently about the items you kept in a drawer in a few months.  The key is to keep going through things regularly and just making a start anywhere.  Before I moved house 7 ish years ago, I went through everything.  Then when I had done, I just went back through everything again and couldn't believe how much I still found I didn't want that missed the first round.  I'm probably on my 25+ round by now!  Plus, as you start to declutter, you do get better and better at it.  Slow and steady still wins the race.

• There is a reason you have so much stuff.  I mean partly culture doesn't help.. my DS came home from Beavers with a "free" bag of tat.  I just know it's all going to be binned in the next month or so.  I find it so frustrating people push stuff on kids.  If you can slow the amount of stuff coming in, then you will be able to dig your way out much easier.

• My logical brain (and online guides) tell you to start in X place and then do X etc.  I would love to plan like that, but the reality is that I declutter best when I do it on my terms based on how I feel that day or in that minute.  Right now for example, I really don't want to deal with memory boxes (I'm tired, so too draining), but I would love to run out to the shed and filter through the flower pots.  If that is how you want to work then that is fine.  I know which areas I need to tackle most, but I do them when I really want to and feel up to tackling it.  Also no shame in tackling a big area in lots of bits.  Decluttering can be emotional and I just go with what works for me that day.  Some day I do tons, other days I can't be bothered at all and that's fine.  As long as more is going out than coming in, it is going in the right direction.
• 
  
• Getting rid of stuff really does take up time.  Find the method which gets it out of the house fastest and easiest for you.  For me it's normally my local active Buy Nothing group as I put it outside and they pick it up.  Stuff just disappears!  For you it might be your local charity shop or whatever.  Just find a way to get it gone as fast as you can.  Once things start to make a difference, you do get a bit of momentum.  That's why starting with a small area or something you can stare at is a good motivator.  I also think about what I want from my life.  The thing I have least of is time and I want much more of it for hobbies and spend time with my kids.  I do not want to be spending time on stuff (tidying it, cleaning it, organising it).  I often imagine in my mind my end goal of more time to keep me motivated.

I'm sure lots of others will be on here with tons of other useful tips.  You can do it! X

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

Thursday is another overcast day with a chilly breeze. I was up by 11:00 but am in my dressing gown & drinking my first cuppa. DSis was already up so no alone time 😉 DH is still in bed at the moment 😔but will go shopping later. The big news is that we are off to France tomorrow meeting up with approximately 20 other motorcyclists 🙂 This used to be an annual occurrence pre-Covid & someone has now revived the trip 👏 (Last time DH & I went was 2019 😔) We meet up at a pre-booked hotel on the Friday, dine together then spend Saturday pottering/exploring either alone or in groups, dine together in the evening & return to England on the Sunday. Sadly numbers are reduced (in previous years there would be 40 to 50 people 🤩) due to a combination of things - getting older, hassles at borders due to Brexit, poor exchange rates & possibly even lack of funds due to cost of living crisis 😔Fingers crossed that we have good weather 🤞 So today will be getting riding gear together & packing. Passports & Euros ✅ 

I was about to start cheerleading when I noticed the ‘banner’ about a new text editor 😔 These changes never appear to go well for MSE, so I am not looking forward to the roll out 😔 Oh well, it is what it is 😉

Florenceem, lovely to hear that you are feeling positive today 😊 An 8:00 a.m. haircut 😥 Good luck with the decluttering & I hope the weather stays fine for your gardening 🍀

Lovely post Fizz2015 😊 Good luck sorting the Lego 🍀 Are you sorting by colour like Dilly or by ‘set’ ? Hope tomorrow’s return to work goes well & you don’t get too tired 🤞

Florenceem, do you have a nice neighbour who can help with the wheelie bin? Your comment “Not regretting a thing that has left the house.” is inspirational 👏 

~FlowerPot~, sorry to hear that RL has scuppered your plans 😔 However, please don’t be too down 🙏 as the 4 rooms that you sorted earlier in the year are proof positive that you are a successful member of the ‘declutterati’ 👏 Perhaps a quick revisit to get them back to their decluttered state will set you up for your next round of decluttering 🤞starting with the Lego 😉 Thank you for the praise re the cleaning 🙂 I believe that there is a tip that helps with the tops of kitchen cupboards 🤔 Oh yes I remember - once cleaned lay a layer of newspaper, then the next time you spring clean just remove the paper & bin. The tops should then only require a quick wipe before putting down another layer of newspaper. Not sure if it works or not as I keep forgetting to do it 😂

Florenceem, what a great idea 👏 Unfortunately I never thought of the cleaning challenges when I had my kitchen done 😔 I was just excited to have plenty of storage space, a double oven & a warming drawer 😉😂

Brie, good for you not leaping in but still offering your services to take stuff to the Tip 🥳 

Yippee Florenceem, what a great find  🥳

A quick break from cheerleading to pack away the vegetables from this weeks Oddbox & to note down DH’s new weight - he has lost another 4.5lbs & has gone down into a new stone bracket 🥳  The wm is on as DSis spilt tea all over her slippers so I added all the cleaning cloths & some towels & tea towels to make up a load. Also the window cleaner & his wife turned up - always nice but highlights the need for me to clean the windows inside 😔😉 14:15 DH just checking tyre pressures then off shopping. 

GrannyKate, I never find even 5p 😔 Excellent work dealing with frogs first thing 👏 Shame about the dishwasher but how very organised finding all the paperwork & arranging a repair 🤩 I got slightly depressed reading that even someone with a law degree can be a bit flummoxed when dealing with legal paperwork - what hope for the rest of us 😔 Hope you have a lovely time visiting DD 😊

Nice to see you Liverpool_Anne 👋 The EDT has still shown no sign of slowing down - this time last year 391 pages wasn’t reached until early September 🤩 You have been busy 👏 so well done on finding time for some pleasurable activities 😊 The venue you visited sounds beautiful 😻 maybe a visit every month because as you say it is a bit far for a weekly visit 😉 Always lovely to hear a success story 🙂 Fingers crossed that bt have got in touch 🤞 Good news about your tax situation even if it did take time away from other tasks 😊 Peace of mind is worth it’s weight in diamonds let alone gold 🥳  Very entrepreneurial of your friend - Martin would definitely approve 😉

Florenceem, that made me smile ‘rebellion by the cordless cleaner’ 😂 

Thanks vulpix 🙂 I am not a fan of cleaning either 😔 Thank you so much for sharing your reasons for decluttering 😊 Several of them strike a chord 😉 Also really nice to hear that MrV is fully on board - makes life so much easier 🥹

Well said regnbue 😊

Will be back later as my concentration keeps wavering & I have taken 3 hours to write this much 😔

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1067/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

Siebrie

@QueenJess "the reality is that I declutter best when I do it on my terms based on how I feel that day or in that minute.  Right now for example, I really don't want to deal with memory boxes (I'm tired, so too draining), but I would love to run out to the shed and filter through the flower pots.  If that is how you want to work then that is fine.  I know which areas I need to tackle most, but I do them when I really want to and feel up to tackling it." YESYESYESYES!

Siebrie

@gettingthrifty Maybe the Marie Kondo method is useful for you? Collect everything of a certain item together, select which ones you want to keep (based on whether you actually use it, find it pleasant to use) and get rid of the others. For instance: if you have a knife block and a drawer full of knives, which ones do you actually use and find easy to use? Keep those, and get rid of the rest.

Also Dana K White's (youtube) advice: a container is 'to contain', fill it with whatever you like (she uses pens and felt tip pens as an example), get rid of whatever doesn't make it into the container. Do not put a second container next to the first

bit_by_bit

Just caught up on over 200 posts as I had a little R&R over the last week.  

Loved the cat/dog pics. Made me smile.

I am amazed at the amount of decluttering going on, especially for those of us with ongoing difficulties.

Great advice @QueenJess

So I have been stuggling with tiredness and have given myself a good talking to about bedtime. I cannot stqy up bingewatching a K drama until 4 in the morning and then expect to run on all cylinders.

On a better note over the last week I have got rid of 1 large item, a huge roll of plastic tubing passed on to a fellow gardener, 2 bags of in and outs and 1 bag of my stuff. Also donated three stools to friend who has hurt her back. Two are low so she can put her foot on while standing in the kitchen and office. 

DH and I decluttered some jobs at the allotment which have been hanging on for over a year.

I am off for the weekend to see my  2 Sisters in Porstmouth and hopefully help the hoarder by taking more stuff away. Looking forward to catching up with them.

Right I will be back when I am back. Hugs to all 

retiredinfrance

Mrs SD , thanks for the kind words. I really don’t know how you can keep up with all the cheerleading . Here’s a virtual bottle of champagne! And you have your nieces’ illnesses to deal with as well . I think your wee trip to France is very well deserved.
@QueenJess, yes, I’m on the flowerpots now - old plastic ones to the tip and only useful ones, generally terracotta ones being kept.. The advice about a focus on a decluttered space is so true . Here in the salon DH currently has stuff on 6 sites. Two side tables , box on floor stuff elsewhere on furnishings . But if I look left I see my neat and tidy little Arts and Crafts table with just phone, diary , notebook and one book and my coffee and lots of wood visible . 

I mentioned a handbag some posts ago , cleared out stuff in it from 2009. I have three very expensive bags -it is one of them . I don’t use the others now - they were part of my working life but……@Vulpix has bitten this bullet but I don’t know how to deal with them. DD is taking the dearest one, but Charity shops here have no way of he getting the value from them. I am halfway to taking them to a vintage shop in the UK and if that shop doesn’t buy them then I’ll give them to a UK CS that has an online system. I’ve already given away some good ones, but these are tugging at my heart. 

Anyway,
10 books 
2 magazines 
pile of plastic flower pots 
2 tax years admin for Admin Action in April 
3 uu toiletries 
total- = 18+ 187=215/365

Hugs for all with troubles and keep safe everyone.

retiredinfrance

I did my first edit and now a pink message saying Body is required!

D123456789

Hello everyone, just checking in. We have been a poorly household this week and I have to say it really doesn’t take long for the house to become a tip ! Following the same maintenance routines every day has really worked for me but just a few days off and the place is a mess.

Let’s hope we’re all feeling a bit better soon, at least it’s a long weekend to recover. 

LO Is really embracing her room cleaning and organising. She does it every Saturday morning! Today was school strike day, I think she thought it was the weekend. The duster came out and everything was reorganised, she also found 2 new swimsuits in her drawer and tried them on. Good timing as I have a habit of forgetting about things then when I find them she almost outgrown, she is keeping me in check!

Brie

retiredinfrance said:

I did my first edit and now a pink message saying Body is required!

Yeah - it can be a bit wonky at times.  Sometimes drafts get saved, and sometimes not.  maybe you edited, saved and then tried to edit again which never works for me.  Can't suggest anything further except to try again.

retiredinfrance

Thanks, Brie. The message disappeared after I told everyone that Bodies?? Are needed.