2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Florenceem

Siebrie - awful time for you.
Freegler turned up and took the 2 items that she had asked for plus she took some of the items that I had put out on the drive.
I am working now on the office - lots of empty files and card document folders to dispose of.

Dfw38

Sorry to hear your news Siebrie. 😔

QueenJess

This is an example of my slow progress…. the cupboard upstairs had a whole shelf full of packaging, wrapping paper (all saved from gifts to be reused), gift bags and a box that holds greetings cards. The packaging and wrapping paper had a huge box each (next to each other), but at the start of the year I managed to get this down to two boxes half the size.

I’ve now ditched the wrapping paper box for a magazine rack (made from an old cereal box wrapped in brown paper). The aim is to get rid of the packaging box and just have 1-2 bits max filed with the gift bags, then eventually not even need the magazine rack as I have a roll of brown paper. Actually I have two rolls plus DH has a roll or two of wrapping paper (which I stopped buying 10 years ago). I will be using these up rather than ditching them, so it’ll be very slow progress. I love my card box so that will stay for a while yet. Slowly making space in there, but still tackling similar things with toiletries etc. I keep challenging myself as to whether I still need everything I have left until I find the right amount for me. It’s definitely a journey and this is just one tiny example! 

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

hi everyone
@Siebrie - sending hugs.
@QueenJess - your cupboard has a level of organisation I aspire to acheive! I have loads of packaging, DD1 is selling clothes on v!nt-ed so she does use it but i still have loads (& I rarely buy online or new clothes etc so it will get used up eventually ...)

Love Deni 

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

Tuesday is another overcast & dreary looking day. I was up & dressed slightly later at 11:00 a.m. I have my first cuppa & am settling down to do some cheerleading 🙂 DH got up about 12:30 & the sun came out 😅

Good luck decluttering Covid Crazycatlady2 🍀 You must be getting excited for your first weekend away in 4 years 🥳 

Good work with the fence panels 2Scratters 👏 although a bit of a shame at the unexpected expenditure 😔 Well done on only allowing items in from your parents house that will be useful & already have an allotted destination in your home 👏 You should be very proud of yourself that you went with a list & didn’t deviate 😇 Pleased to hear that DS surprised you, in a nice way 😊 Hopefully you & DSis can clear the rest of the items out as quickly as possible so that the house will be ready to market & will sell quickly & at a good price 🤞 I rather liked your suggestion for QueenJess 😅

Excellent decluttering Florenceem 👏 Fingers crossed that everyone turns up on time to pick up their items 🤞“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” not too sure that I would describe vintage dress patterns, vintage box of buttons, sun loungers as junk 🤔 Although I suppose amending the word ‘junk’ to ‘excess but serviceable items’ doesn’t have quite the same ring 😂

Brie, I like those Sudoku calendars but had never thought of tearing off pages & not doing them straight away 😉 Like you I am usually quite good at completing the medium difficulty puzzles but often struggle with the easier ones (I tend to rush & not concentrate 😔) & I generally leave the harder ones to DH 😂

QueenJess, I remember you previously mentioning that your DH is what I will call ‘a hoarding minimalist’ I do believe your DS would love to help his daddy 😉 You might not have done any decluttering on Sunday but you were very busy sorting out food cupboards & listing Buy Nothing selections 👏 Good luck 🍀 As you are so tired at the moment please, please try to spend some time in the TLC Carriage 🙏 

Florenceem, 😖 to the shredder breaking down in less than 2 months 😖 Hopefully it will be replaced without any problems 🤞

Fizz2015, well said - Florenceem is indeed a superwoman 😊 Sounds like you enjoyed your Sunday walk/hike in the rain 😉 although not the visit to the sm 😬 Hopefully when you got the shopping home & put it away there was more there than you first thought 🤞I hope you did manage a nice, relaxing Monday 😊

Now, now vulpix - just because the bridge is open after 5 months of work doesn’t mean you can’t still go the long way round 🤣 Only joking 🙃 Munching Frogs on a Sunday is a great idea as they wouldn’t be expecting it 👏 😅

Excellent work Florenceem 👏 You have had a very busy Sunday 😊

EnergyShifter, pleased to hear that you have been resting & enjoying the company of a friend 😊 as well as making use of the TLC Carriage 😊  Great decluttering especially the trainers 👏

Dfw38, hope you managed to get some bargains at the garden centre on Sunday 🤞Good luck with your gardening project 🍀 Any chance that you could  be the project supervisor & get DH to do the planting/digging etc 😉 Thanks for the reminder re MMiM - I haven’t done my list yet 😔 but I have a feeling it will rival your list for length 😂  Also good luck with your weight loss challenge 🍀

You had a busy Sunday florianatwobob 🙂 Well done to you & DSis on finding even more stuff to declutter from the shed 👏 Hopefully DBro’ cull of DVDs & books will generate a goodly amount of pennies 🤞

Breaking off here to thank you all for your kind condolences - Florenceem, Moorviews, TC77, dND, florianatwobob, oceanspirit, retiredinfrance, 2Scratters, regnbue, carolbee, Dfw38, Fizz2015, QueenJess, Deni_debt-free_dreamer, Blue_Doggy, daisy_1571, Soontobeoap, weenancy & anyone else I missed. You are all so very kind & supportive 🥹

Florenceem, what a nice part of the world to live 🙂 Are you close to the beach?  You are amazing - over 1000 items decluttered in April 👏 - no wonder you are feeling good 😊 Sounds like MrF is doing well especially as it was MrF who instructed you to have a few days off from visiting 😊 I imagine he was looking forward to your visit yesterday as much as you were 😊 

Moorviews, now that you have ‘confessed’ to owning impossible to wear shoes, I am waiting with bated breath to hear that you have been ruthless & either listed them for sale or added to a CS bag 😂 Hope you managed to have a ‘pottering Monday’ & that your Ziffit listing went well 🤞

florianatwobob & retiredinfrance, I was comforted that it sounded like my uncle had passed away peacefully & in his own home.

I am having a little rest now as my concentration is waning 😉 Back later to continue with the cheerleading 🙂

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1087/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

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

TC77, sounds like your DB needs a good talking to 😉 If he is so keen to get your Dad’s house cleared then perhaps he ought to take some time off work & have a blitz 😅 Excellent decluttering 👏 & everything crossed that the book seller chap buys ALL the books & at a good (for you) price 🤞Hoarder is such a ‘strong’ word, perhaps you are just a collector 😉 Good luck sorting out a carpet for your office 🍀 I think your way of looking at a year by season rather than as a whole, will definitely benefit DH 😉 I think I will have to gently ease it into conversation 🤔 

Thanks for the hugs for me & my family 😊

Well said Floss, I like both bits of advice for TC77 😊 especially the idea of a photo book 👏 

2Scratters, you have had a busy Sunday & Monday 👏 Excellent decluttering & tidying 👏 When I descale my kettle, I take the plug out of the wall socket & put the kettle in the sink whilst it descales. I am always petrified of poisoning my DH & DSis by not rinsing properly 😱 Hope your DH has had no lasting effects 🤞

carolbee, I will let DH know about the chippy near Birchington - maybe next year 🤞

Florenceem, ‘Shakey Shakey’ sounds like a great chippy 🙂 More excellent decluttering of the ‘garage of doom’ 👏

Dfw38, you are so right that 2023 has had a rotten start for many of us 😔 The splitting of the year into seasons is looking more & more like the way to go to make the bad times more tolerable 🤔 Excellent work tidying & gardening 👏 

Enjoy your visit to Shakey Shakey carolbee 🙂

One more page done, so now off to join DH in the back garden to supervise his strimming 😂 I might even do a bit of gardening 😉

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1087/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

Wednesday2000

Hello all. It sounds like some of you have been having a stressful time of late.xxx

I have been spring cleaning and tidying up over the past two days. I had a lovely weekend with my husband and my brother and we saw some films and ate out. I'm so happy the weather has changed and it was actually lovely and sunny here today. I'm so glad to have the windows open, to use the washing line outside and not have the dreaded heating on!:)

I have decluttered some paperwork and reorganised the kitchen stuff today as we have the bin collections so I have got rid of a lot of packaging too.

My brother said it was unusual that I had a shelf with random clutter on it when he stayed here! I have put everything I was going to sell on ebay in a corner in my office/spare bedroom where he was sleeping. When he said that I realised how much it has been bugging me with all the stuff sitting there. I think I will keep the more expensive newer books/CD's to sell later, but donate the rest.

I have a hospital appointment tomorrow, but the next day I will lug the rest of the things to the charity shop. There will probably be two full bags.

Florenceem

MrsSD - 10 minute walk to the beach.

Went to visit Mr F - physios came while I was there - he walked more steps than on Friday - using a Zimmer frame.

Freegler turned up before I left home so more stuff gone.

When I got home from the hospital - I think the scrap man had been - rortary line and weights bench had gone.

I still have 9 items listed on Freegle.

Brie

@Florenceem Good to know that MrF is managing to get about a bit more. That's a crucial thing for coming home.

At Chez Brie the gardeners have come and gone. Decluttered a number of dead plants (lavenders and osterperums that didn't make it through winter), decluttered a LOT of grass and quite a few weeds too. I managed to deal with 2 types of morning glory seeds I'd saved from previous years (blue & red) so they are finally potted to hopefully seed and then I can plant them out. Found a packet with a dried root I'd bought - not sure it's viable but it's potted as well just in case. Seeds from the old man clematis also potted - only needed if the actually plant has died which would be a shame. Just need to sort out the herbs and find a courgette plant to pop in ….

With the grass cut it's apparent the resident foxes have been eating rather well - some whole bird wings, one lamb leg bone (presumably left over from someone's Sunday roast) and other unidentified bits and pieces. Nothing gory but I think the gardener must have shifted them so as to not wreck his mower. Lovely under gardener did a great job of adding in a new lavender (forever optimistic!), a large foxglove (seems appropriate given the under shed residents) and a small flock of geranium. After they left I decluttered a large number of American sweetgum seed pods that had accumulated where I normally park my car. They are really annoying as they are spiny and get stuck to the bottom of my shoes.

And speaking of shoes…..I have finally made the leap from winter to summer and so will not be wearing socks from now until (hopefully) October. A little bit less into the weekly wash!!!

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

I did join DH in the garden & we have given the trellis 2 coats of forget-me-not blue paint but only on one side & the edges. Outside for about 3 hours including a half hour gap whilst we had a coffee & let the 1st coat sink in a bit. We won’t win any awards but at some point it will be covered with clematis 😉 It has been left to dry flat & we will put it up on the side of the shed on Thursday as we are out tomorrow. There is an empty tin which is in the garage for the next Tip run & we have cleaned the brushes thoroughly. They are now hanging in the shed & drying naturally. 

Something I noticed when posting is that the new text editor doesn’t really work on my iPad - bold & italic don’t seem to work & my trick of using ‘quote’ & then copying & pasting doesn’t work any more 😔 Oh well, I’m sure I can work round it 🤞

1088 - 1090 Pair of Sunday knickers, paint brush & empty paint can - gone

Now back to cheerleading 🙂

Florenceem, sounds delicious 🤤 

Fizz2015, you might be aching but it is the good ache after exercising 😉 A very busy Monday 👏Hopefully you managed to get everything back in the newly cleaned drawer 🤞 & managed to get all the washing line dried 🤞

~FlowerPot~, you do know how to have a good Bank Holiday 😅 Mind you now that everything has been taken to the Tip, you must have oodles of space 👏

Florenceem, I used to find quite a few dropped coins when I went out but over the last couple of years everyone seems to be keeping hold of their small coins 😉 a sign of the times I suppose 😔 Excellent decluttering of clothes 👏 sounds like more bags for the CS 🙂 Really good news that most of the items you are leaving outside or posting on the free site are being taken/picked up 👏 Hope you had a lovely visit with MrF yesterday 😊

vulpix, it was a bit of a shock as I was really looking forward to seeing him at the family party in early June 😔 However, I am grateful that it appears he died peacefully at home. Shame about the bad back but well done on working out how to garden comfortably 👏😊 Your garden sounds like it is coming along nicely 🙂 Good luck with the dieting 🍀 

Brie, what a great story 🙂 Rather reminiscent of the urban myth about a cleaner unplugging a massive computer so she could do the vacuuming 😂 Excellent work in the greenhouse & summerhouse 👏Hopefully OH will engage fully & you will be able to provide a few people with a rucksack & some hiking gear 🤞 Hope you enjoyed your Art class yesterday 🙂

Good news oceanspirit 👏 Hopefully the sale will go through smoothly & quickly but with enough time for you & OH to declutter 🤞 Sending you lots of ‘decluttering mojo’ for the coming Bank Holiday 😉

bit_by_bit, lovely post & thank you for the hugs 😊 Sounds like your visit to Portsmouth was a mixture of good & not so good 😔 Your stepmom is embracing the decluttering adventure 👏 but your DSis is not 😔 Such a shame as I seem to remember that last time she was quite good & gave you a fair bit of ‘stuff’ to dispose of 🙂 By the way, you are entitled to a day off from decluttering & a Bank Holiday Monday is a good day to have a rest 😉

Excellent decluttering Millie2008_2 👏 I am especially impressed that you are being so successful in keeping your landfill footprint so small 👏 So impressed in fact that I am awarding you a medal 🏅

roundtuit, when the 1st of the month falls on a Monday I have no excuses not to do things - logical to me too 😉 Well done on following Liverpool_Anne’s lead - prioritise, break down into smaller tasks & then get started 👏 Your wish has been granted …… you are a fully paid up member of the ‘declutterati’ 🥳 We won’t mention your renewed ‘d m’ but long may it last 🤞🙂 Excellent work with the shredding 👏 & yes I really do think you should treat yourself to a new mattress 😊 You deserve a comfortable nights sleep 🙂 Home shredders are notoriously temperamental 😉

Thank you QueenJess 🙂 Excellent work on decluttering your packaging by more than half 👏 that must mean that you also decluttered at least another 25 items that needed packaging 🥳 Excellent work with sorting the Lego 👏 I like that you do several passes at your decluttering & somehow always manage to find even more items to declutter 🙂

Excellent work with the shredding roundtuit 👏 

gettingthrifty, I see Brie has answered your question 🙂

Florenceem, fingers crossed that shredder is now working 🤞 You might have to get the strong man to move your & neighbour’s black bins 😉 Pleased to hear that MrF is fine in himself 😊 but what a nuisance that he has to stay in bed whilst his legs & feet are swollen 😔

I have caught up a little more so will post & return in a little while

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1090/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70