2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

oceanspirit

The loft things were put away yesterday.  OH has started moving his things in and I haven’t finished clearing the shelves for him, or the shed.  Going away tomorrow with a friend - not good timing but I am looking forward to it nonetheless.  The rest of the clearing out will have to wait until I get back as I need to conserve energy now for the trip.

Excess furniture was collected by charity this morning so house is nearly empty.

I will do some tidying in the kitchen and living room so OH can cook and eat a meal and sit down afterwards!  It’s not too bad so shouldn’t take long.  It will be good for OH to get settled in and chill a bit without me here.

QueenJess

Quite a bit done this morning.  I pulled the hangers out of the attic and since I was in there I put one box of stuff back in.  I have more things to go up there, but am trying to limit to a one in one out type of policy, so will leave those for another day.  One box of hangers to go completely.  The other box has nicer wooden hangers, but honestly I'm wondering if we need all of those as well... my brain can't quite cope with this next layer of decluttering so I will stick to the one box and consider it in the next round or maybe another day if my brain catches up.

Still on the clothes decluttering and I've almost finished the wardrobe.  I now have 16 hangers completely spare.  There are still a few things in there I wasn't 100% sure about, but I think I'll wait and see on those ones to see if I wear them.  I still feel as though I have too much in there to be honest, but will see if it looks like I wear everything.  I might turn all the hangers backwards to see.  I need to go through some drawers next (and the shoe cupboard), but I think this is a multiple day declutter for me.  If I had nothing else to do I'm sure I could blitz it all in a day, but I am fitting it around work, kids etc so it isn't practical.

I went through work clothes, which is a tough one.  We don't have to dress up for work, but most people do business casual.  However, I work from home and only go in about 6-8 times a year.  But then my job will only last for another few years (or worst case much sooner) and then I'll have to find a new one (or I may decide to leaver sooner) in which case I may need business dress.  It's a headache.  I tried everything on and ended up with 1 skirt, 1 dress, 3 tops and 2 trousers which are business only stuff.  I have a few other things I usually wear that fits into business casual as well.

I also washed the spice jars, so they are now on Buy Nothing and in my decluttering totals.  Absolutely tons left to do clothes and kitchen wise.

Digital:
15,349-15,364 - items removed from wish lists
15,365-15,368 - apps deleted
15,369-15,398 - photos deleted
15,399 - online account deleted

Physical:
15,400-15,402 - jumpers (charity bag) - 30% of 10
15,403-15,405 - deflated balloons (bin)
15,406-15,409 - disposable cutlery that DH keeps picking up unnecessarily (bin)
15,410 - hat (charity bag)
15,411-15,412 - skirts (charity bag)
15,413-15,414 - dress (charity bag)
15,415 - blouse (charity bag)
15,416 - box (reused for Buy Nothing)
15,417-15,467 - hangers (Buy Nothing)
15,468 - trousers (Charity bag)
15,469-15,478 - spice jars (Buy Nothing)

Siebrie

My dds are really coming into their own. DD2 has recently had 6 sessions with a psychologist, who focused on 'responding as a hothead, a whimp or a champion', which has already improved her behaviour. We hope to have it straightened out before she starts secondary school in September. She will go to a technical school, the only girl between 59 boys...

DD1 is 14, in 3rd year of secondary school, training to become a 'carer', either for babies to young children or the elderly. She is in a class of 10 girls, 8 of which are already vaping, smoking joints, drinking strong alcohol, and trying out boys and girls. We have agreed that the single other girl who is not partaking in all this fun will be her friend, and so far, that has worked out

Brie

Successfully have moved the old water butt with a small leak to the front of the house and the new water butt from the front to the back.  It's mostly assembled but it's a 2 person job to ensure the tap is screwed tight enough and I'd have to be an orangutang to reach that far to both in and outside the butt.  So will need to wait for OH to get home from shopping and the rest of the set up will take about 2 minutes.  Just now need to slap the old butt (snerk!) on freegle to see if anyone wants it.

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

Never did come back yesterday 😅 DH went out for a small shop & I watered the garden whilst he was out. Dinner was home fried chicken with boiled potatoes, sweetcorn & peas. Wudupa.

1430 - 1433 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, plastic bottle, cardboard box - recycled 

1434 Kitchen detritus binned

Friday is another bright, sunny & warm day. I was up about 11:00 & am enjoying my 2nd cuppa. DH has just taken delivery of 2 new shirts & has given me 2 old non fitting shirts to rag & remove buttons. Which has prompted me to add a project to my To Do list - make up small jars of buttons that I will never use & donate them to CS 😉

Excellent decluttering Dfw38 👏

Brie, everything crossed that your young cataract stays young forever 🤞Great news that your old prescription glasses can be used again to help others. Were the sunglasses useful as well? A really serendipitous find & you have saved a lot of useful items from landfill 👏 

Thanks for the link QueenJess 👏 I rather like her & whilst I might never be minimalist I really enjoyed the ‘10 items you don’t need in your wardrobe’ video 😊 I have bookmarked “A to Zen” & will be tackling my wardrobe (& DH’s 😉) in the not too distant future 🙂

Sorry to hear that you are not sleeping well Liverpool_Anne 😔 You & OH were both very busy on Thursday & what a lovely thing for OH to do 😊 Sounds like you have lots of baby snuggles in your near future 😊 Hope today’s union meeting went well 🤞 Good work with the decluttering - keeping things ticking over 👏

weenancy, very pleased to hear that your 2nd cataract surgery went well 😊 but even more pleased that you are rigorously obeying doctors orders 👏 With all these books coming in for the book sale & other projects, it sounds like a huge number of people are decluttering 👏 That sounds like a very useful waste programme & hopefully you can persuade ALL your roommates to participate fully 🤞Excellent work decluttering emails 👏 & really well done on persuading roommate Di to participate 👏One medal 🏅 coming your way 🙂 I had a rueful grin 😉 at your comment ‘Already I can see new places that need to be cleaned that I couldn't see before. Everything is a lot brighter that I thought.’ Fingers crossed that the weather improves & the sunshine appears earlier than 2:00 p.m. each day 🤞

Florenceem, sorry to hear that you are so exhausted 😩 That is good news that MrF’s catheter has been removed 🙂 Hopefully your conversation with the ward matron will be relayed to the doctors & they will increase the diuretics 🤞Not being able to walk comfortably is not really conducive to getting fit enough to come home 😔 Please, please take it a bit easier today 🙏 You need to be fighting fit when DH comes home 😊

Liverpool_Anne, sorry to hear that the meeting has been cancelled again 😔 What a pain, as I imagine you had planned your day around the meeting 😞 Fingers crossed that it will be third time lucky 🤞

Lovely message to weenancy, Dfw38 😊 Might be ‘pie in the sky’ thinking but perhaps one day other members of your family might embrace the decluttering 😅 It is always easier if there is more than one person on the decluttering journey 🤞 I have seen that film - only watched it because I am a fan of MNS 😉 A rather disturbing film but I think I might revisit (without my DSis watching as well 😉)

Losing concentration now so will post this & find some bits & pieces to do.

Hope everyone has good weather & finds time to enjoy it 🤞

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1434/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

GrannyKate

Not much happening today.  I went to get new glasses adjusted this morning and picked up a few bits from Mr T.  Children decluttered until next Thursday so no excuse for not doing things.  DS2 off work and seems to have gone to seaside.  

857/858 Two pairs of children's trainers to CS
859 Ten random items put away
860 Calendars and diary updated for numerous school events in next few weeks
861 Bags of coins to bank - had to pay in then take money out again at machine 1p challenge on track

Florenceem

Plumber failed to appear! I gave him an extra hour then went out.
Went to town and then to surgery to collect my blood test form.
Decided to get a bus to the shopping centre - I wanted another pair of trousers for casual SA uniform.
After I decluttered all the stuff in the bathroom - looked so bare so I treated myself to some ducks and an expensive toothbrush holder.
Got 2 large storage boxes for food storage in the garage when I get the new door that stops mice from entering. - really difficult to get home with my shopping trolley on the bus.

regnbue

I've inadvertently ended up in the TLC carriage due to my painful hand.  Physio said it was down to "wear and tear".  I asked if age was a factor.  He said no and then promptly gave me a booklet entitled "Osteoarthritis of the hand and wrist"!  I've been doing the exercises but still working which doesn't help.  I've 10 days off from Tuesday so hoping the rest will be beneficial.

I've been diligently reading all the posts every day and aside from all the tremendous decluttering going on I must say I am extremely envious of all the reports of hot weather, hours spent in the garden and many washing loads completed.  I am on the east coast and the temperature has not been above 13 for almost a month.

I am absolutely perishingly cold but apparently it is our turn tomorrow although I remain pessimistic.

Hope you all have a good weekend and pleasant weather whatever you get up to.

QueenJess

I've done a bit more clothes, and now just odds and ends, some things I'm thinking about and shoes to go.  I also made a comment about all DH's bags in the wardrobe and he actually went through them and got rid of some (not nearly enough as he still has things he never has and probably never will use).  I am counting these as mine since I had to go through them with him and I'll be in charge of getting rid of them.  That's it for today and I'm considering my next clothes/kitchen move.

15,479-15,480 - plastic bags (recycled)
15,481 - instructions (binned)
15,482-15,483 - compression socks & box (charity bag)
15,484 - shorts (recycling)
15,485-15,486 - shorts (charity bag)
15,487-15,488 - general gym wear (charity bag)
15,489-15,492 - sports bras don’t fit (charity bag)
15,493 - sports top (charity bag)
15,494 - spice jar used up (recycling)
15,495 - game (Buy Nothing)
15,496-15,501 - DH’s bags (Buy Nothing/Charity/recycling)

Blue_Doggy

I’ve been reading along and massively impressed by the amount of decluttering being done.
@regnbue commiserations on the painful hands, I have arthritis in mine too. Not fun.

I haven’t done much on my own account this week, just the usual domestic rubbish, recycling and garden rubbish to the respective bins. I was asked at short notice to give a talk to my history group yesterday as a swap with someone else who was unwell. Luckily I had started preparing something, but having to bring it forward meant some late nights and early mornings completing the research and writing it up. Today I was a bit shattered so just rested. 

 

A few things got done: 

- a bowlful of dried bay leaves from when I pruned my tree last year which were never put away 😔 went in the garden rubbish bin

- some opened turmeric found in the cupboard bb 2006 binned
- turmeric packaging recycled

Hoping to get back into action tomorrow. Best wishes to all.