2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

QueenJess

Still drowning in work over here, so mainly decluttering paper at the moment due to the number of notes I write (and probably a pencil before the end of this project!).  Anyway, only reason I logged on was to note that I opened a kitchen drawer to take out the weighing scales for my morning porridge as I do every single morning.  I suddenly realised that we had 2 cutting boards in there which we never use as we have a third one in use all the time.  Those are on Buy Nothing now.

I think that's often the problem - we get used to how our homes look and at some point we don't notice the things that are there anymore.  It makes weeding out things we don't need harder.  That's why I like decluttering after being on holiday as you see your home in fresh eyes again!

Decluttering:

13,212 - paper (reused, then recycled)
13,213 - bathroom supplies used up
13,214-13,215 - chopping boards (Buy Nothing)

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

Up & dressed by 11:30 on this not so nice Friday 😔 Put away yesterday’s folded washing before I came downstairs 😉 It was overcast & dark and then at 11:55 the heavens opened + thunder ☹️ DH spent 20 minutes hanging on the phone having called the surgery re his prescription 😔 All sorted 🙂 The intention today was to do some gardening but I do have plenty to do indoors including sorting out my To Do lists 😉 So far I have dealt with today’s mail. 

Florenceem, fingers crossed that the rain bypasses your Daughter’s school so the children can enjoy their Coronation tea party 🤞

GrannyKate, pleased to hear that your son in law is feeling better 😊 Hopefully the insurance claim will be dealt with swiftly 🤞 ever the optimist 😉 How odd to think that DGS1 was reading too much 🤔surely there is no such thing 😉 Although I do remember DH telling me that his mum was told off by the teacher when he first started school because he could read, write & do his sums 😔 Needless to say the teacher got short shrift 🤣 Excellent decluttering 👏 Fingers crossed that the weather perks up for your grandchildren’s Coronation party 🤞

Wonderfully supportive post Liverpool_Anne 😊 You have been busy 👏 Hope OH’s Dr appointment goes well 🙂

Fizz2015, fingers crossed that the weather is kind so that only the evenings are spent in the caravan 🤞🤞 Good luck to you & OH now that he has taken the leap to self employment 🍀 Exciting but also a bit scary. 

Lovely post Soontobeoap 😊 Thank you for sharing your experience of DH going self employed 👏

Thank you oceanspirit for sharing your experience of going self employed 👏 Fingers crossed that the home valuation goes well & that it helps you decide whether or not to move 🤞

Fizz2015, Sounds like your OH has made the right decision for your future lives 😊

Well done on emptying the car 2Scratters & donating to more than one charity👏 The little leather purse sounds beautiful & so many memories will come to mind every time you use it 😊 What a great & useful idea - gifting rather than lending 🤩 Thank you for mentioning it 👏

Brie, thank you for such a kind & considerate post 😊 I really don’t think anyone will think you are nagging 😊 Just gently reminding Florenceem & the rest of us that we need to remember that we are only human & as much as we would like to believe we could manage there are people who can & will help. Thank you again 🥹

QueenJess, sorry to hear that you are still drowning in work 😔 but the upside is you are decluttering lots of paper 😉 I love your observation “I think that's often the problem - we get used to how our homes look and at some point we don't notice the things that are there anymore.  It makes weeding out things we don't need harder.  That's why I like decluttering after being on holiday as you see your home in fresh eyes again!” So, so true & inspirational 👏 - I have added “Go through kitchen drawers….again” to my To Do list 😉

All caught up so will have another cuppa & transcribe Wednesday’s notes into my ‘To Do’ notebook 🙂

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1103/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £74.70

EnergyShifter

Feeling in a lot better frame of mind in spite of returning to work.  Tired though so a chilled out weekend.  We're trying to book a week away at the beginning of June.  My default is always a lovely little Town on the southern coast of Spain but we were thinking we might try somewhere different but I find it really stressful - blooming "b**king.c*m" keep changing the prices which is driving me bonkers - I'm very tempted to default to the place I normally go.  

No luck with getting the charity to pick up my stuff - apparently they only collect large items now (it said large & medium on the website) - I don't have a car otherwise I'd be happy to drop them off.  I would have thought it would have been worth them collecting as its a flat screen tv, digital piano & a brand new electric patio heater.  I'll have to find another charity to take them instead and if not offer them on "Buy Nothing".  

Got a response to my email to IAPT - they are "stepping up" my treatment so 🙏

Tasks:

- Got smart meter fitted

- Registered Nectar Card

IN (running total 84)
0

OUT (running total 383)

384. Cushion

385. luggage tag 

386. Table top chopped up & put in wheelie bin

- I've been finding it hard to catch up so only skim reading posts - apologies for not responding to specific posts - sending love to all  

short_bird

1760-1761: 2 bottles prosecco out to a celebration of life
1762-1767: 300 emails deleted
1768-1770: items to recycling
1771-1784: 14GB data deleted
1785-1788: 3 records and 1 record box out
1789-1839: items to bin
1840-1844: 5 binbags out

And it's nearly time to get ready to go to work.

TC77

Work still taking over, but hoped to pop out at lunchtime and couldn't find my bank cards (small wallet the size of them) Spend time turning the house upside down, phoning wherever I've been (Many don't answer or have to call headoffice) only 3 hours later to find it under my work ID card  as I'd been in the office yesterday and put them down together!!  Totally overwhelmed by stuff. 2 weeks and DD1's stuff will arrive (although need to arrange van). Hoping to put some stuff on fleabay, free sites and take to donation level but will still be working around the edges!

QueenJess

Back again.  Finished work early as have been working all hours and am frankly too tired to be effective.  I finished the deadline for today and will be back on it next week for more deadlines looming.

In the meantime, DS's school have sent him home with a bag to fill up with clothes etc to send back to them next week to sell on for cash.  So my next mini challenge will be to fill the bag up.  I've already half filled it with DD's clothes that are in a semi-permanent state of being changed over from one size to another depending on which brands have bigger sizes and if they are tops/bottoms etc.  I don't know why they make it so complicated..  I've also moved DS's drawers around so he can see all his tops and pull out the one he wants instead of messing up the piles.  Not sure I am perfectly happy with all the drawers, but I can continue to tinker with it.  I still need to split the top drawer into two drawers (as I now have an empty one), but that's for another day.

DH is picking up the kids and I'm putting my feet up as I'm absolutely exhausted.  Chopping boards already picked up from Buy Nothing!  I was going to put them in a plastic bag, but when I looked I realised I had very few and they were ones we actively use.  It's nice when you realise your decluttering has been making a difference!

I'm trying to tidy the mess in the house in little bits every time I get up.  It's slow progress, but as I hate tidying, the reason for things not being away is usually because either it has no home or the home it has is too full/needs to be reorganised and so it is too hard to put away.  In both cases I've realised a lot of the stuff lying around doesn't even need to go away and should be ejected from the house, so tidying does also lead to decluttering for me.  Still putting off the memory box sort, but it is definitely looming closer on the to do list as I have random bits to be filed lying around and they are annoying me now.

Physical:
13,216 - paper (reused, then recycled)
13,217-13,225 - DD clothes too small (charity bag)
13,226-13,227 - belts I don’t wear (charity bag)

Florenceem

Popped round to SA first thing.
My DGS J worked so hard this morning - I was out there with him - we filled 6 black sacks with garden waste. J helped me carry a fridge outside - I think there is too much for one trip to the tip - hoping scrap metal take some of the stuff before Sunday. J is not good with money so I gave his Mum money for him when she brought me home today.
I visited Mr F - a SA friend took me. I told him that I won't visit tomorrow. I looked for a Psychiatry or Mental Health Dept in the hospital - isn't one. I will phone our local MH team on Tuesday.
The children and parents had a lovely tea party in the sunshine.

Florenceem

Brie - both Mr F and I agree that he is not fit yet to return home. He needs some sort of rehabilitation. When he goes to the toilet - Sara Stedy - 2 Nurses have to accompany him - it is written up by his bed.
I am so tired - I was decluttering and cleaning before a mornings gardening and then visiting.
Garage door man came and I have ordered a new one - the one we have is 50 years old and the up and over sort - we need easier now. Plus the new one will not need painting and is insulated plus flush to the ground - so no more mice coming in when it's cold. I haven't told Mr F about the new garage door!

weenancyinAmerica

Been so busy with school, library, and Family History Center that I didn't even get a chance to come on MSE for a couple of days even just to read. Today will be working at the library about 5 hours, but was able to brush the dog for awhile this morning and do the usual decluttering and cleanup in the kitchen first. Redid the bed for the outdoor cats and washed their bedding.

It not only rained here in California overnight the last two days, but we had three tornadoes touch down about 30 miles from here. Real climate change - we never used to get tornadoes in California. No one has basements here or shelters. We don't even know what to do in a tornado - people were out filming the things instead of getting inside to safety. Going to do some emergency preparedness this month. Even my church has told us to get in water, toilet tissue, and paper towels as a start this month. We are expecting more rain this next week. We are still getting snow in the mountains - only happened in May twice before in the last twenty years. At least I won't have to water the yard or put water in the pool for now. Just wish it would warm up enough to use the pool soon. Currently the only one getting in it is the dog.

Tomorrow get to take a roommate grocery shopping (did mine for the next week on Wednesday) as he gets his Food Stamps then. Followed by a party at the local branch library to celebrate the new renovation of the children's library (which our Friends of the Library group helped pay for). To our local pharmacy to pick up prescriptions, which is in our discount store, so will get the rest of the shopping done then. Other then dog and cat stuff (bones, canned food) should be it for shopping except for milk, eggs, cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, and bread until the end of the month. I don't like to shop so get it over with in one major shop as much as possible. 

@Florenceem - I hope your hospitals are better than ours about helping arrange follow-up care at home. Three times they have promised they would after roommate G has been in the hospital - and they didn't even contact us once. This last time he was in, I got proactive and called them when the promised care didn't happen. Finally have someone coming out to check, but rest of care has been missing. I wish you luck. NHS seems better at that than hospitals here. 

Hope you all enjoy watching the Coronation. It comes on at 2:00 am here, so will be recording it and watching it later. Have a good week.

GrannyKate

Not best pleased as no dishwasher repair.  When I rang about 4 they said it was cancelled because I did not answer phone but no missed calls, texts or voicemails today.  I have had other texts so I know it is working.  Rearranged for Weds.  Their subsequent text confirming the appointment for Weds came straight through. I think he was using the wrong number.  They now also have my correct landline number as well.  

594 Caught up on competitions and surveys
595 Shredding done
596 Items downloaded and sent to a family history friend

Torrential rain, thunder and lightning here now.