2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Florenceem

QueenJess - no Mr F doesn't claim to be a minimialist - his parents were hoarders - mine weren't. My Dd saw my messy craft room on Saturday and said that I was a hoarder! The only stuff that I accumulate is craft bits which I use in my fund raising for the SA. I am not a collector of certain items.
florianatwobob - Mr F doesn't like spending money so there won't be any surprise parcels coming here. I am going to be very strict after all my hard work - everywhere stays tidy - I am not prepared to go through this journey again.
The washing machine is on and I have some ironing to do. Then I will finish cleaning/sorting the fridge.

Dfw38

What a scorcher of a weekend! We had the paddling pool up -pirate ship themed 😆 and the dc had a great time in that. They never even  complained the water was cold (the usual complaint) so they must have been feeling the heat! 
With you in solidarity @queenjess, although I am currently a sahm it seems we have very similar 'issues' and challenges. Dh has stuff he took with him when we moved here 8 years ago and he still won't get rid, even though he hasn't used/looked at the stuff 🙄. I have got a busy couple of months  lined up with one thing and another (including both dds birthday parties) and might have a quick pass through the areas I have already done. Got a blood test today and have had a letter from the hospital that my procedure is going to be the end of July 🥳. Need to crack on and clear as much as I can otherwise it will just be left for when I have 'recovered' and I don't need that aggro. Hope you all have a lovely productive day and some 💐 for you all. We are all steadily improving our environment and our lives and although it is challenging at least we make progress. However slow it may be, it is progress! 

2Scratters

@QueenJess re DH has it ever come up in conversation about him having to clear his parents house at sometime in the future? Also as many of us will have been told I want doesn't get and he does not clearly need all the shoes he wants. You have my sympathy with this issue. I am my own worse nightmare and am working on improving my bits of stuff. Nothing in particular is collected by me - oops there are the handkerchiefs, but they are in use. My DH has some justins but they do go periodically as he finds if his workshop/shed gets untidy things just don't work in his life. Clearly keeps his brain tidy.
We had a massive downpour saturday night, it was so needed and appreciated. Lasted for over 2 hours and filled up my 2 water butts 1000litres ready to go again.
Not sure if I'd posted about some excess & visiting tupperware being collected along with some economy light bulbs. Only took an hour. Happy with that, small things please. Did home shopping too and UU OOD jelly again. 

2 Scratters xx

roundtuit

Good morning all xx 

@Dfw38 the 💐 made me smile 🙂

I've made a little progress already today....some of it in the 'wrong' direction, but not to worry.

Small bag of toys (aeroplane/ people/ suitcases/ etc) that's been sat under the coffee table in LR since the autumn declutter has been taken back up to RoD1 (wrong direction 😳 but will be dealt with in the future ie washed and given to cs.)

Two books belonging to a set of children's classics taken from a pile in LR and put with more of the same in RoD1.

Cushion cover measured and measurement noted. Cushion cover placed in drawer in my bedroom until inner is purchased.

So they went up.

In relocating the books I found a Mr Man book in RoD1 so I've brought that down to add to the collection on the TARDIS shelf.

My BR:
Dutch doll given to me by Pops in 1971 laid in drawer and disintegrating holder binned.
Bath foam unpackaged and placed in bathroom. (The shower gel in there is on its last gasp and I don't want to be left soapless midshower). Packaging binned / recycled.
Deodorants unshrinkwrapped and packaging binned.

And I've researched whether the local tip/ recycling centre takes old clothes (not wearable). It does. So I'm going to ask P if he will drop off two full cs bags of 'rags' for me. One sat in LR, the other in kitchen....and has been forever. 🤫. That'll be another step nearer the door to the cupboard of Doom. And more floor 😊

Keep cool. Stay hydrated.
Take care
Rxx

vulpix

Hi,
 I know your frustration with reluctant decluttering partners. I used to feel overwhelmed with the amount of stuff Mr V brought with him when we got married. There was a full 3 bed house of stuff plus a massive studio contents. There were 20,000 records in the loft. I used to feel oppressed knowing they were over my head as we lay in bed. Luckily he saw sense and donated them all to the hospice shop. If ever he does disco work now, everything is digital. The look on the old guys faces when they came to collect. The boxes half filled the garage. He saved very few, the very first picture disk etc. people think records are valuable. Not unless they are special in some way and unused. He loves buying stuff but can see now that we have to keep stuff to a manageable amount. 

 Plenty of thunder yesterday but we missed the rain. I did plant out the poor specimens into the garden that have been waiting ages. 

 In other news. The builder came and will start work on taking the pantry and kitchen out at the start of August. The ceiling will be coming down so he wants us to move out for a week. We are thinking of going up to North Yorkshire. 

 Mr V went to the supermarket and came back with a cleaner! Our neighbour has a cleaning business and he had been talking and hey presto. She starts Wednesday. He is concerned about my arthritis and he has bad knees so I am happy to give some one work. 

 These developments mean some streamlining in the house. First a sweep of the house to send more ornamental stuff to the chazzer to make it easier for the cleaning lady. Secondly take the large garden table and 6 chairs to my son in Oxfordshire. That will empty my small shed and the stuff in the pantry can go in there. The kitchen needs packing up and also moving into a shed. Exciting times. 

 Beautiful weather to be touring North Wales on a motorbike Mr SD. I am most envious. 

 Vx 

 

roundtuit

All pots WUDUPA.
Empty ice cream tub WUDU and recycled.
Coffee caddy WUDU and stood on the draining board in the sun to make sure that it's dry dry before I decant the coffee into it.

Bank statement checked and filed. Receipts filed or added to shredding pile as appropriate. 

Rxx

QueenJess

I've woken up this morning with a thumping headache (probably the heat), which doesn't bode well for a full on work day and DH is out all day and evening so I am in full charge of the kids later.  Before work this morning I photographed a bunch of stuff for Buy Nothing to start clearing the library and put some stuff outside that people are picking up today.

My investigation into why the bedroom is messy has started.  I found a t-shirt on the side that I was meant to sew up (it had a hole in it).  I tried it on and checked I still wanted it first, then sewed it up.  I'm now wearing it.  Whilst I was sewing it up, I realised I have loads of needles despite only really using a couple, so I put them on Buy Nothing.  I also convinced DS to get rid of his lamp rather than have it in the cupboard for 4 years just in case we need it for DD..  I also found a kitchen container I don't use as the size doesn't work for me which is also on Buy Nothing.

More tidying and bedroom sorting later in work breaks.

15,608 - kitchen container I don’t use (Buy Nothing)
15,609 - bedside lamp (Buy Nothing)
15,610 - cupboard overstock used up
15,611-15,628 - sewing needles (Buy Nothing)

@2Scratters Yes, both me and DH are fully aware of the nightmare we will have clearing their house.  There is probably about 10 sentimental things DH wants to save and the rest is going (minus taking out financial info we might need/will need to shred).  Finding it will be the problem...  DH's brother cares about nothing material and will want nothing and also wouldn't help as he would happily call someone to dispose of everything in it.

DH isn't really a hoarder and his parents are just in a league I've never seen except on TV.  DH has tried to help them in the past, but nothing seems to work.  I am more concerned about their day to day quality of life and moving around the place safely than what happens later at the moment.  They also continually buy and get parcels which makes it worse all the time.

DH doesn't really buy anything at all, so his stuff never really gets bigger.  I just want everything to fit in nicely and his stuff is generally contained, but just rammed in.  If I open his side of the wardrobe, he has all his work stuff hanging up that takes all the space, so his leisure stuff is just in folded piles underneath.  That would irritate me as I doubt he sees everything that is in there.  I don't mind if he has more stuff and uses it all, but I know he doesn't.  I think he needs encouragement, but can be pressed to get rid of things.  I did manage it with his DVD collection when I redid the furniture in the living room.  I still think he has a bit too much, but it all fits in nicely and he got rid of enough that it does file away properly and it doesn't bother me.  He just needs hand holding and the whole process you go through in your brain when you get rid of one item you have to have with DH in person but twice as long.

Siebrie

Husband and I tried to dismantle the pull-out sofabed into wood - metal - fabric. But it was just too sturdy, and too hot outside! We gave up and will pay the €10 fee at the recycling centre (if we had succeeded, it would have been free).

We gave the electric blankets a good airing and they're now in the attic.

We gave the down duvets a good airing, and they are also in the attic, all in sturdy, lidded plastic containers.

We had 6 'inners' for the IKEA Expedit room divider, in white and red, that I thought I maybe wanted to try selling, but then just couldn't be bothered and put them at the roadside. They were gone within the hour! Dustbunnies and all!

1 pair of socks in textile recycling; 1 T-shirt in 'for Africa' box.

Florenceem

Change of plans here - electrician phoned and came to give a quote for my electric garage door - working here now plus installing a new outside security light.
Fridge has been deep cleaned.

roundtuit

Two cs bags of clothes for rags have now left the building. P was happy to oblige and has taken them to the recycling centre at the tip. Woot woot.

Coffee has been decanted into the clean caddy - it wouldn't all fit in, so coffee jar now in cupboard ready to top up caddy at a later date.

Post: letter from leccy provider put in shredding pile. Renewed driving licence filed.

Now...let's see what is in the two carrier bags that were hiding behind the rag bag in the kitchen.

😊