2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

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

Monday is another gloriously sunny day - already 24C at 10:00 a.m. Woke up long enough to say goodbye to DH who left about 7:00 after making up a flask.

Once I have had my first cuppa & am properly awake I will try to find a few things to do - apart from watch TV 😂 Made a small effort - have emptied both office bins 😉

1444 - 1445 Office detritus & recycling dealt with

nannywindow, shame about the iron - hopefully it had previously given good service & was at least a few years old 🤞 Good luck with the rearrangement of bedroom clocks 🍀 Juggling with a fridge shelf 🤔 perhaps you could make it into an act for BGT 😉 Excellent work with the fence painting 👏 I think that once  Florenceem’s MrF is home & has settled back in, Florenceem could start a small business advising on ‘Kitchen & Bathroom Cleaning’ e.g. types of cleaning cloth for each task, cleaning products and a mini exercise regime to get us fit enough to attain her high standards 😊 Thanks for the encouragement to get on with my decluttering, nannywindow 👏

Brie, it might not be as quick as tidying & potentially decluttering some of your art supplies BUT in the long run I think sorting out the box of bills & bank statements will give you more satisfaction 😉 You might even find an unbanked cheque 🤞🤞🤞

Excellent work decluttering your jewellery QueenJess 👏 Very impressed that you have managed to declutter so much that you only need to keep the smaller jewellery box 🤩 Your 30% decluttering target is definitely working for you 🥳 😯 a tractor fair, sign me up 😊 although I do find it hard to imagine a 2 year old expressing such a preference 😂

Excellent work in your garden Soontobeoap 👏 & how lovely that nature provided the watering in 😊

2Scratters, lovely surprise to find an item to sell 😊 & hopefully you can find the accompanying pieces to put a few more £££ into the coffers 🤞 Tupperware & sturdy paper bags out - definitely a win win 👏I was wondering if you have any siblings who could help out with your Dad? Good luck 🍀

Excellent advice Brie 👏 & giving items a 2nd life is not only very MSE but also ecologically responsible 😊

EnergyShifter sounds like you had a lovely day - sunbathing & finding time to declutter 👏 

Oh Florenceem what are you like 😉 Lugging around heavy items 😔 No wonder your back started to really hurt 😢 although I am relieved that you stretched out & nodded off 😊 Sorry to hear that MrF was a bit down yesterday 😔 but a definite improvement on how he was feeling a couple of months ago. 

Well done on your Bedroom Blitz florianatwobob 👏 & yes I did start humming & singing Ballroom Blitz by Sweet 🤣

One page caught up so will post & do at least a couple of things before coming back 😉

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1445/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

leftatthetrafficlights

Dd has been and the wardrobe in the spare room has been decluttered of her stuff - still need to put a few of our bits in but they need to go on the top shelves that I can't reach! Dh can do that tonight. I've moved a couple of my kitchen appliances that I rarely use (and were cluttering up my kitchen worktops) onto the shelves that became free so although there is still stuff in the wardrobe, it's useful storage, not just junk! 

House has been cleaned too, plus I've rehomed some other bits and pieces to their rightful places! 😁

Brie

Art stuff mostly sorted and on shelves - hoiked the big art books out of the front room bookcase where they are never noticed and put them with my art stuff.  I'm more likely to look at them for inspiration if they are near to hand.  Only problem with that was the Emily Carr coffee table size book is massive and meant the next shelf up needed to be one notch higher than any other book required.  But given that's the one I'm most likely to look at it seems essential.  Other minor problem is throwing away dreadful art efforts.  I think "well I can always use the other side" but if that other side turns out to be a masterpiece (ha!) then I'd be embarrassed by the mess on side 1.  Need to resolve that.....

Should anyone ever get to Vancouver I do recommend looking at the VAG collection of Carr paintings.  This is one of my favourites.....

Dfw38

Love your coasters @Mrs_Salad_Dodger! Lovely  cheerful colours.
😊 @roundtuit I am glad I made you smile. 
2 🐸 done today: 35 crowns made for dds party in a few weeks (we are having a decorate your own crown table, handy for the kids that don't like to party) and 35 gift bags filled..... becoming a full time job this party planning 🤣
I have run through 3 boxes on our unit and cleared 1 out of cushion covers to go to cs. The other two have been cleaned out and any junk bits removed (old cards from dcs birthdays) and a pack of phonics cutouts to the cs as well..... only 7 more boxes to organise and all of the non-boxed spaces too 🙄  I forget the name of the unit but we got it from the Swedish shop. It is in our room of doom.

QueenJess

A few more bits out over lunchtime.  I became brave and got rid of some of my undecided clothes.  It's a bit outside of my comfort zone and I probably have some more items I will think about this week.  Added commentary to what I'm getting rid of as people don't often give examples of their thought pattern and it might really help someone on here, or even remind myself how to reduce stuff!

15,629 - artwork by kids, binned (it's been hanging around ages to put in a memory box, but to be honest I don't attach any memories to it and I have no idea why I was keeping that)

15,630 - black t-shirt, charity bag (I like it, but I haven't worn it for over 5 years.  I almost talked myself out of it just in case I need something smartish to wear as it's a smart black top, but the reality is I haven't in the last 5 years and I have a different one I could use and do opt to use as an alternative.  So yes I like it, but never enough to actually choose it, so it's gone).

15,631 - white t-shirt, charity bag (I like it, but again I always opt for one of the other many white t-shirts I have over this.  I tried it on and tbh I am a bit indifferent about it, so it is gone.  I felt slightly guilty about it as I did love it before I found a better one and I only bought it a year ago).

15,632 - wrap around skirt (I like it, but never opt to wear it because although it looks nice, it's very light and I spend my time worrying about the slightest breeze that will blow it right up.  It's gone).

Hopefully I can fit some more in later today.  The bedroom is very much still the centre of my attention and I will be checking I've definitely gone through absolutely all of my stuff in there.

QueenJess

@Dfw38 that'll be the good ole Kallax unit.  I have one in DD's room, but limited her to a 2x4 and all her books and toys have to fit in it.  I do really love ours and the fact you can change them with accessories if you change the use of them over time.

Dfw38

Good to see your reasoning @QueenJess, will help both others and yourself! I was going to ask you a question if you don't mind about memory boxes. I am keen to do one each for my dc, what size would you recommend? I don't want anything too small and also not too big so it encourages excessive keeping ....so basically a goldilocks one! Would shoebox size be adequate? I have their first outfit,  hospital bracelet,  ornaments made at nursery that type of thing. Thanks in advance!

QueenJess

Dfw38 said:

Good to see your reasoning @QueenJess, will help both others and yourself! I was going to ask you a question if you don't mind about memory boxes. I am keen to do one each for my dc, what size would you recommend? I don't want anything too small and also not too big so it encourages excessive keeping ....so basically a goldilocks one! Would shoebox size be adequate? I have their first outfit,  hospital bracelet,  ornaments made at nursery that type of thing. Thanks in advance!

So I actually went for a bigger one.  I have a few around, although I haven't set up the ones for DS and DD yet. It depends on what you are keeping in there or intend to keep.  I don't want to keep loads, but the factor that decided the size of my box is that I have the odd drawing, card or lovely bit of work that DS has done which is always on A4 paper and I know it would irritate me forever more if I couldn't fit that flat into the box.  So I went for the smallest one I could that was A4 size.  The one I've actually ordered (but not unpacked yet ) is 30cmx15cmx40cm.  If I have smaller bits to go in, then I can use any other box I have lying around to contain those in the box.

I might regret the size though as I doubt I have loads to fit in there...  I'm with you on getting the smallest size you can to stop it all getting out of hand!

Edit: Oh and I do already have a place to store them and checked they would fit in the cupboard before I bought them.

You can almost hear my deliberation pain in my reasoning.  I am definitely pushing myself with this as I don't want to feel overwhelmed and stressed anymore.  No wonder people get professional organisers in to help!

Florenceem

The relatively simple job for the electrician turned out more involved. I don't remember the garage man telling me which side the switch was going - the sparky guessed - when he phoned to check - it was the other wall so cable had to be run across the garage roof. I asked him to install a new outside light - thought I had bought the same as I had (gone rusty) but it is just a light not a security one.
Then when he turned off the electric - and back on my router didn't like being disturbed. It eventually came back on. When sparky tested the system - it was registering too high so he had to find the earth - that was behind the washing machine. So he had to pull out the WM - disconnect the plumbing first - the copper had corroded so he had to clean it - then put everything back in place.
I asked him about fitting my new oven door catch but it wasn't something he did.
I did ask him to bring in his spirit level to check my new freezer - he adjusted the feet but my garage floor is not very smooth.
I have paid him by bank transfer.
Think the poor chap was pleased to leave!

roundtuit

cs bag retrieved from bag stash to use as a replacement rag bag, now known as textiles to be recycled bag 😊

1st carrier bag (kitchen):
2 x man's white shirt - torn underarms / grufty collars - rag bag
1 x man's black trousers - torn crotch - rag bag
(Possibly these are the last remnants of DS's school uniform? 🤷‍♀️ Oh well, sorted now.)
1 x empty bag for life added to bag stash

2nd carrier bag (kitchen):
bag fell apart when I picked it up - binned
1 pr Dennis the Menace socks - perished elastic in tops - rag bag
1 x boxer shorts- perished elastic - rag bag
1 x sports trousers - hole in knee - rag bag
1 x man's black trousers - crotch nearly through - rag bag
1 x black t shirt with rude slogan (GF would definitely not approve) - rag bag
1 x vest top - been worn at a paint party! - rag bag
2 x well worn t-shirts- rag bag
1 x well worn cricket shirt - rag bag
1 ' stained cotton shirt - rag bag

That just leaves 1 x LA polo shirt (DS used to work there). That can go with the other LA polo shirt,  the LA sweatshirt, and the LA coat - to be handed in at the Community Hub in the library at some point.

Rxx