2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

vulpix

 hello everybody. Welcome Holmefarm.

 Before I forget. gettingthrifty, the cat Russian dolls are a lovely idea,just strange that they have no ears ! Some look like seals and some like owls. Anyhow, I am grateful for the gift but liked the perfume better.lol.  

 Safe trip bit by bit.

 I am about a week behind you all as we had Christmas a week late. I am just about getting straight. Decorations down and put away in the pantry of doom. Most excess food eaten up. Lots of boxes ripped up and in the recycling but I have to confess to keeping a lovely box DD1 had a gift in. I will use it to keep Christmas ribbon etc in. The house seems very bare as I had packed all the sitting room ornaments up when I thought the builder was coming before Christmas. Lots of washing done,dried and put away. Apart from a pot of pens and the cat ornaments my gifts were useful. Clothes,slippers,earrings etc.

 This year I will try very hard again like last year to not buy any clothes,shoes,bags or jewellery. I will also use up all toiletries and cleaning materials before buying more. I am also going to try to use up store cupboard foods. If we have new kitchen the present one will have to be packed up so the less to do the better. I don't keep a big stock of food but there are some random things that I must have thought were a good idea. I will also lose some weight. Not even going to start till after the builders have been next week. There are a few wants not needs that I will look out for second hand for the house. There is a beautiful bead light shade at the top of the stairs, it is too dark, something lighter needed. I will also do a carboot sale when the weather gets better. I can't wait to get out in my garden, It was freshly made last year where previously it had been a yard and wasteland. Further work to be done on other land if I am up for it.

 DD1's suitcase came home tonight in a taxi looking very sorry for itself. It looks like it has been caught in a machine,the handle end is mangled and cut open. Sadly some of her Christmas gifts were damaged. She has put a claim in.

 10. Turkish bowl
 11. grey throw

  Vx

DundeeDoll

Right i've got the hang of the thread now - read but don't worry about thanking individually - you are all awesome and you are all thanked
Today's 23 minutes: have almost cleared DD2's office, moved the unhung pictures upstairs and stacked, moved some stuff from the 'airing cupboard' to the attic (aka 'the room of requirements') - now this may sound like moving the deckchairs while the titanic sinks, but this is all needed in this case before the next big initiative - helping DD2 declutter her stuff. Tomorrow's 23 minutes should finish and clean dd2's office so she can start moving things back on Sunday. 
Also Christmas cards taken down and recycling sorted. 

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks

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 daily mail immediately 

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 turning out to be quite nice outside - although cloudy it is bright & the sun keeps trying to put in an appearance. I have taken down the cards & the string & pins are already put away. Just about to go through the cards for any details to update on my records & anything to reply to. All done ✅ recycled plain cards & binned glittery cards + have 3 letters to write including 2 in French. Now 11:15 so just going upstairs to get dressed, wake DH & come back down with our washing 😬 First load of washing on 11:28 & yes I am dressed 😉

Sadly it is raining so no line drying 🙁 However 2nd load washed & 1st load in the td. Since I signed off from my previous post I have had lunch, done I few little jobs in the kitchen including decanting soda crystals from a large bag into a more convenient jar. I put soda crystals in every wash - reduces the amount of washing gel & gets clothes cleaner & smelling fresher 👏 I have also been knitting whilst clearing down 3 episodes of an old favourite which is being reshown - Person of Interest with Jim Caviezel & Michael Emerson. I have finished knitting another beanie but will sew it up later. Beanie sewn up 🙂

DH left for the hospital @ 1:40 p.m. & got home 5:15 p.m.  M was feeling a lot better - she was awake & chatty for a couple of hours. She didn’t remember yesterday at all - didn’t know that DH had sat by her bedside for 4 hours or that she had been taken for a scan & Xray. All in all she ‘lost’ 36 hours. So DH was very relieved at how well she looked - contacted rest of the family too in order to put their minds at rest. He also had a nice surprise discovering that there are 4 free motorcycle bays in the hospital car park 🙂 He used the money saved to buy himself a coffee 😉 

DH & DSis had the 2nd half of Wednesday night’s Chinese. DH did the washing up 👏 I have finished another beanie 👏

29 - 30 Huge bag of plastic packaging & bubblewrap binned by DSis

31 - 33 Kitchen recycling & detritus, drinks cans

You are very welcome DrCarrie 🙂

Excellent use of your daily 23 minutes DundeeDoll 👏Although I suspect it was probably a little longer 😉 & well done DD2 for helping you move the tables - far easier to do with 2 of you & less likely to cause injury 🙂

What a good idea to leave the funeral service brochure behind wort 🙂 Although someone did point out that often there is a beautiful photo of the deceased 🙂 Thank you for the extra information about the coat hanger method of decluttering the wardrobe - very useful 👏 Wow, you were very busy wort - 2 rooms thoroughly cleaned & bedding changed 👏🤩 I will keep my fingers crossed that when you do your laundry you have a perfect drying day - dry & breezy 🤞

Moorviews, like you I think it is a great idea to use sleepless nights to sort emails or some other quiet task like writing letters, knitting or even dusting 🙂 Not sure my DH, DSis or the neighbours would appreciate me vacuuming at 5:00 a.m. 🤣 At least you made a start after your unexpected visitors left & you were rewarded for your diligence 👏

The froglet tickling sounds great GrannyKate 🙂 If you are visiting a bank it will probably be 2 x 23 minutes - they are not known for their alacrity 😉 You have a busy end of week in store 🙂 I would like to thank you so much for sharing your journey re inherited sentimental items - it is both a blueprint & a How To Manual 👏 & I have taken the liberty of copying it for when I eventually tackle the thousands of photographs I have 🤞One medal 🏅 is on its way for being kind enough to share your experience 😊

You have definitely been inspired ~FlowerPot~ listing jobs to make yourself accountable 👏 Good luck 🍀

Thanks for the recipes -taff 👏 I was rather sad that I didn’t have any cheese or turkey to have a go 😉

Excellent & generous decluttering diminua 👏 How exciting - a fountain pen 😊 🤔 I might have to locate mine - my handwriting is so much nicer when I use a fountain pen 😉

I think you are correct vulpix - it is a bullet train 🚅 - no wonder I am struggling to catch up 😉Although keeping the telly off means I am not getting distracted 😂 Re the bathroom decision - I think you are safer with a shower if your home does eventually become a holiday home  🙂 but that is only my opinion. I also agree about the husky that weenancy has inherited - unfortunately she has been trying to rehome her for months & is not having any success at all 🙁 Sorry no suggestions about the unwanted/unloved gifts as I also struggle to know what to do 😔 Usually I leave them in their box/bag, shove them in a drawer/cupboard & after a few months/years 😬 donate to a cs 🙁

Now on page 41 & am changing tack - I will cheerlead by person up to and including page 47 🙂 Wish me luck catching up 🍀

ruby_eskimo, well done on somehow persuading DH to deal with the hallway of Doom 😉👏 Re saving the wicker basket from landfill & repurposing (especially with DH’s approval 😉), I am awarding you a medal 🏅 Enjoy your new knife block/utensil holder - potentially a large decluttering session 😉👏

What a great post re unwanted gifts Liverpool_Anne 👏 I sometimes wish I could just gently explain to the gifter that something is just not my taste & I will be passing it on to a cs but there are people who no matter how gently you explain get very offended 😔 Life is too short & I hate causing offence & the sulking that comes with it 😔 Great cheerleading 😊 Thank you for the compliment - I rather like the idea of being ‘a superwoman’ - think I will add it to my signature 😉 What a very frustrating day - reliant on so many people none of whom appear to have been that accommodating 😔 Definitely wishing you good luck finding a new dentist 🍀 We are still using our dentist in Acton even though we live in East London 😉 Well done on the decluttering - every little helps especially when you spent so much time trying to organise appointments 👏 Keeping everything crossed that you managed to see at least some meteors 🤞Yippee 2 meteors 🥳 DSis & I both love the look of huskies but as you say they take a lot of work. I have never understood why adults have pets without researching their care needs 😔 

Great recipe idea for lo turkey & cheese Keiths_Mum 😋 Great decluttering at work 👏 Don’t worry about the bits you brought home - some items need a considered decision - after all we are trying to declutter but without regrets 😉 Please remember that every single item out or task completed is a win 😊 no such thing as ‘not much’ when it comes to decluttering.

Well said CMD79 - we are all individuals & have our own decluttering style so should not compare our efforts with other people 😊 Another great day of decluttering 👏 I am so impressed by you counting your decluttering in kg - so interesting 🙂 I would never have thought to weigh out food 🙂 

Excellent decluttering Foofoopuppy 👏 Fingers crossed that everything is picked up & that your other items elicit interest & pick up 🤞You might be able to combine 3 tasks when you visit the next town over - drop off cs bags, find new to you furniture & arrange pick up of DH’s wardrobe 🤞Good luck with reducing your candle stash 🍀 When you light your penultimate candle you have ‘permission’ to restock 🤣 🙃

I will accept the description of being ‘a superwoman’ Blue_Doggy - One of the benefits of being retired & childless 😉 Excellent & eclectic decluttering Blue_Doggy 👏 Remember if your batteries need recharging just pop into the TLC Carriage 😉 Hope the talk went well 🤞

Excellent decluttering wort 👏

Thanks for the reminder of OLIO, donna73 👏 Lovely post to fishcakes 😊 Excellent decluttering especially the 2 cane toad sheds 👏 Hope you can find something useful in your purse & bag 🤞

Lovely post Brie 🙂

Great decluttering Florenceem 👏 Good luck with the weight loss 🍀 Good work on the tidy up of your underwear drawer - looks a lot neater & easier to access 👏 Well done MrF 👏 I never understand why people leave bags outside of charity shops or SA halls 😔 All it takes is a quick phone call to check on opening hours & whether or not donations are being accepted 🙂 Still keeping everything crossed that MrF’s wallet turns up 🤞 Great work by both you & MrF - a medal 🏅 for you in persevering in your decluttering of MrF’s clothes drawers & a medal 🏅 for MrF for his acceptance (however grudging) of your decluttering 😉

Excellent decluttering regnbue 👏 It does make decluttering so much easier when there is no sentimental attachment 😉 Good luck packing away the Christmas tree 🍀 - should be easier now that the small branch has gone🤞

Excellent decluttering mhagster 👏 & all with the help of your little doggy 😄

Great picture Wednesday2000 - all that extra floor space 🙂

Welcome aboard The EDT Soontobeoap 👋 you are very welcome to join us 🙂 You have made an excellent start on your decluttering journey 👏 Good luck with the under stairs cupboard 🍀 any chance you might find a bag of cash 😉No bag of cash then, just a bag of plastic bottles - better luck next time 😉 Now, now you are ‘a collector’ not a hoarder 🙂 

Hope the headache tablets kicked in quickly vulpix 🤞Great work on cleaning & tidying two rooms 👏 & excellent decluttering 👏 Your poor MiL - not only unsafe but probably frightening as well 😔 I hope she is OK now 🙂 Nice to know that the Husky Community will come up trumps 🤞 weenancy deserves some good fortune 🤞Oh wow vulpix - what a skeleton in the closet 😱 I feel so sorry for both wives & their children especially wife no.1 😔 Not only a legal nightmare but how awful to have to sell both families’ homes 🙁 How lovely that you have been able to hand over the responsibility of the family tree to your nephew 😊 Sounds like it will be in safe hands 🙌 

Enjoy your weekend turkey pasta bake nannywindow 🙂 How unfortunate that DH doesn’t like vegetables - there are so many delicious ones to choose from 🙂 Excellent work & well done on finding your trousers 👏 even though they did try to hide 😉 Hope you & your DD have a lovely time in Cardiff 😊 Good decluttering 👏  How on earth did they expect your late SisiL to look after herself whilst unconscious- sounds like a complete failure of common sense 🤔 

Excellent decluttering PurpleJay 👏 & well done on dealing with a frog before it became a cane toad 👏Re a potential tip run - I think it warrants a bit of investigation as you may need to book an appointment & you will certainly need to take a proof of address 🙂

Having a bit of a break before continuing 😉 Now on p43 - slowly, slowly catching up.

MrsSD (a superwoman) 

Decluttering Target 2023: 33/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, decs down and mostly put away but feeling very tired and a bit p.o. today so I just tackled a mess of paperwork in the living room. Filled the recycling bin in the kitchen and lr. I managed to contact the dentist and have an appt booked for next week which is a weight off my mind. Visited ln, (lovely neighbour), for a coffee and a chat, 2 of her friends were also there. 1, J, is recovering from a cataract op on Tuesday and so finds everything too bright and is wearing sunglasses so I gave her a lift home as it was quite dark by the time we were leaving. OH said takeaway for tea which was just as well as I had been going to do a potato salad and mozzarella burgers but hadn't even cooked the potatoes . Arranged to meet up with an ex colleague in Feb half term so I am really looking forward to that
34 & 35 recycling from lr & kitchen
36 dentist appt made.
36/2023
Take care everyone

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks

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 daily mail immediately 

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

Back again & yippee I have completed cheerleading up to & including page 47 🥳 When I get up I will make the final push to catch up completely 😉

What a great idea gettingthrifty - addressing the behaviours that contribute to your cluttering 😊 I am very, very impressed at how successful you have been 👏 So impressed in fact that I am awarding you a medal 🏅Congratulations 🥳 I beg to differ gettingthrifty - working on NOT being a people pleaser is definitely decluttering 😊 Learning to say No is very hard especially when your inclination is to say Yes - so keep up the good work & remember the good feeling of setting boundaries - hopefully it will get easier 😊

Excellent work the_cross_rabbit 👏

Excellent decluttering GrannyKate especially your 23 minute froglet 👏 I am very impressed with your decision to set a target of earning an extra £100 per month 🙂 I am keeping everything crossed that each month is as successful as December 🤞Great decluttering 👏 & I like your planned 23 minute froglets 🙂 Well done on keeping up the momentum of your decluttering & dealing with your 23 minute froglets 👏

Great decluttering Ginmonster 👏

What a great idea DrCarrie 👏 Wishing you every success 🙂

A great start to your decluttering journey gm2917 👏

Excellent work ~FlowerPot~ 👏 4 out of 6 tasks completed is an excellent start to conquering your feeling of overwhelm 😊

Great decluttering Kittikins 👏

Well done on staying focused Moorviews 👏 We are going to have work on your confidence 😉 You have 2 reasons to be very proud of yourself - one you stayed focused & two you completed the task 👏You now have a clear corner in your bedroom 😊

A very timely reminder about how to deal with ood medicines, Floss 👏

Pleased to hear that the pool is now cleaned weenancyinAmerica 🙂 Did the husky help with the decluttering again? Oh I see she did by destroying another toy 😉 You are so busy weenancy that I am a bit concerned that you won’t have  any time to sleep 😔 Sorry to hear about the torn rotator cuff - hopefully physio will help for the short term 🤞Your poached eggs in the microwave with added vegetables sounds very tasty 🤤 Very generous of you to feed drunk roommate. I am keeping everything crossed that husky can finally be rehomed now that the roommate who brought her home has admitted that he cannot cope 🤞You are definitely doing everything you can to rehome the husky & fingers crossed your persistence will pay off 🤞

You are very welcome bit_by_bit & I am rather chuffed that your DH is pleased with his medal 🙂 Did I forget to mention that it is a self polishing halo 😇 😉 Great work sorting out all the paperwork for the in-laws cruise. Good job you were on the ball 👏 What a lovely idea for fundraising 😊 Excellent decluttering 👏 I do love a nice bookmark 😊 Good luck with completing all your chores  especially the Covid tests & the printing of in-laws cruise paperwork 🍀

Good work short_bird 👏 Enjoy your early night 😊

TC77, I agree with you - diaries & letters are such a personal thing that I would be reticent to share them with others. If bonfires are a no-no, perhaps a long soak in a bucket of water might do the trick 🤔 Good decluttering 👏 I believe Friday is the last day to take down Christmas decorations 🙂

Excellent decluttering shabbychic12 👏 Good luck with the auction 🍀 What a lovely idea to have the jewellery re-fashioned into a new piece 😊

It is very hard to keep up charlies_tribe 😉 With all the family visits & to & froing to appointments I think you have done a great job decluttering so many emails 👏

Excellent work EnergyShifter especially delivering the bags to the cs 👏 Good luck with enrolling new private clients 🍀

I never really considered the family ancestry aspect of diaries & letters -taff 🤔 Wishing you every success in your food decluttering & rather hoping you will share your meal plan 😊 I hope you don’t have too many cookery books - we might not see you for weeks 😅

Enjoying the conversation about ancestry & family trees, florianatwobob 🙂

What a superb & informative post daisy_1571 😊 Thank you so much 👏

Excellent work in the sewing room plumduff55 👏 & now you know how lovely it looks when it is tidy it is an incentive to tidy away the Christmas decorations ‘tout suite’ 🙂 Excellent decluttering of emails 👏 I am quite excited about your food decluttering challenge - hoping you will share your recipes 😉What an excellent day of decluttering & tasks completed on Thursday 👏 

joanie, I really liked the description of your decluttering muscles developing really well 😊 Great work decluttering the Vax vacuum 👏 Not sure I have ever heard of anyone being SABLE in vacuum cleaners 😂 Good luck with decluttering the hall cupboard & photos 🍀

Well done Deni_debt-free_dreamer - sounds like sorting MSE notifications is a massive win 👏  Small steps soon translate into a giant leap 😊

Well done on completing a full days work & still finding the energy to tidy the kitchen, popthekettleon 👏 Excellent work sorting the photos 👏 - hopefully most of them will be taken by the family 🤞

Good point Siebrie 😉 Great decluttering 👏 Really like the idea of “not here” & thank you for explaining how it works 👏

mfwin2019 what a great way to embrace the 23 minute method 👏 

P.S. Washing all dried & folded (will put away when I get up) & I have just paid the milkman so am  off to bed 🥱 

MrsSD (a superwoman) 

Decluttering Target 2023: 33/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

JingsMyBucket

Hi folks, this thread moves so quickly! I'm actually overwhelmed and don't know where to start. I think like some others on here, if I set a number then I may get obsessed with tracking. Also, I may be more task based in terms of tracking, rather than items. We'll see. The point is just to start!

Based on that, I'm going to set myself a goal of doing the following today: 

• Try on M & S and Boden clothes to see which ones to return 
• Package up the Boden items to return by mail 
• Package up the M & S items to return in the store with a walk into town this weekend. 
• Unpack a delivery box of items and put them in correct place

Right, off for some self care and to start the day. Thanks so much everyone for the inspiration!

daisy_1571

weenancyinAmerica said:

@daisy_1571 - I know. It is especially hard to bring her in on really bad weather days because she gets into everything. I have contacted the Huskyrescue group but I may need to put up some notices. I have even been known to stop people who are out walking their huskies.

You'll get there, the perfect home will appear shortly im sure,take care ❤ 

Daisy xx

ruby_eskimo

Morning all.  Thank you very much for my medal @Mrs_Salad_Dodger 😁😁😁  I shall wear it with pride!

As I've been skimming the thread and everyone is talking about how fast the EDT is motoring along, I had the strange thought that it would be fascinating to know how much stuff we'd all got rid of by the end of the year, but then quickly dismissed it as it would be a complete nightmare to keep track of 🤣🤣

Not a lot of decluttering happening at the moment as work has been busy the last few days; we still have all our Christmas decorations up as I just didn't have the energy to take them down yesterday evening.  Will do it tonight and hope that no bad luck befalls us for the rest of the year!  

I think it was @vulpix who mentioned about using up all the toiletries and cleaning products before buying new ones and this is something I'm trying to focus more on this year.  When it comes to toiletries I tend to get into the "stocking up" mentality which definitely comes from my parents because that's what they do.  But I don't want to have to then store all those things so making a conscious effort that I will only purchase something when I have to replace it this year. 

One particular area I have struggled with in the past is makeup and have what can only be called a "collection", inspired by the old days of Youtube beauty gurus where you had to have the new and exciting products to make you feel better about life.  I haven't really bought any new makeup in the last 5 years as I've been trying to work my way through all the existing products but I've realised that there is still way too much stuff for me to use before a) it goes bad and b) some of it just doesn't suit me so I'm using it in hate and it doesn't make me feel good about myself.  I think I'm erring on the side of actually decluttering all these things this weekend but the thought of it is making me feel anxious (mainly due to the sunk-cost fallacy) which is ridiculous because it's just makeup 🤷‍♀️😂🤔

Just thought I'd share my ridiculous existential crisis with you all because I know you might be able to understand 😂 

florianatwobob

Morning All,

My first non-working day of the year (a 3 day start to the year is a wonderful thing). 

I’ve treated myself to a lie in, showered, had breakfast and now have today’s to do list written out.

It’s a bit ambitious and includes my tax self assessment. If I can submit that today great, if not at least I’ll know what gaps there are and chase that info up/locate it in the bundle of papers!

I confess to being a bit slack (I blame the pandemic and house upgrades) on organising my tax info for the 21-22 tax year but bucked my ideas up for 22-23 tax year. I have acquired a very cute folder that may encourage me to organise the tax papers better! I’m a sucker for stationery. 

Right, onwards and upwards else the list won’t get even half done! 

-taff

ruby_eskimo said:

One particular area I have struggled with in the past is makeup and have what can only be called a "collection", inspired by the old days of Youtube beauty gurus where you had to have the new and exciting products to make you feel better about life.  I haven't really bought any new makeup in the last 5 years as I've been trying to work my way through all the existing products but I've realised that there is still way too much stuff for me to use before a) it goes bad and b) some of it just doesn't suit me so I'm using it in hate and it doesn't make me feel good about myself.  I think I'm erring on the side of actually decluttering all these things this weekend but the thought of it is making me feel anxious (mainly due to the sunk-cost fallacy) which is ridiculous because it's just makeup 🤷‍♀️😂🤔

Just thought I'd share my ridiculous existential crisis with you all because I know you might be able to understand 😂 

Well, if you can't bear to throw things out [you can recycle them at John Lewis and get some money off vouchers I think, have a google] then why not use them every day? Have a look at the frump to fab thread in the beauty boards, I skim read it the other day and it sounds like a great idea, because the premis is, you do some self care...So you could use up your stash whilst practicing self care so double winner whammy And if you do that, youll identify sooner what really doesn't suit anymore and what can be used...

Today I'm decluttering the christmas tree, mostly the trunk though, I'm keeping the branches for firelighters, the baubles will be reduced to only the ones I actually like or don't hate, and a good rootle through the decoration boxes should yield up some chuck give aways