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

Nothing much to report other than I finally got around to watching the 2nd series of Christian (Italian with English subtitles) Really hoping there is a 3rd series 🤞More space on TVPlanner. Dusted & washed 2 more cuddly toys from M but unable to hang out as it drizzled on & off all day 😔 One more mini task was to cancel the milk for a week as we have built up a bit of a glut 😉 DH & I used an HF recipe card & made lamb meatballs with cheesy mash, chantenay carrots & an onion & redcurrant jelly gravy 😋 DH did the washing up, I dried & put away. 

1486 - 1488 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, cardboard packaging - recycled 

1489 Kitchen detritus binned

Monday is a sunnier day than yesterday but there is quite a stiff breeze blowing. I only got up just after noon but I am descaling the kettle 😉 

Florenceem thank you for sharing your plans for the last stage of your marathon decluttering challenge & reminding us that MrF was not really one for locking himself away in his office 😊 Has it really been 10 weeks 😣 I imagine now that MrF’s physiotherapy is going so well he cannot wait to get home 🤞but only when everything is in place 🙂 Hope today’s visit went well & the equipment needed will be in place soon 🤞

weenancy, great result from the Saturday book sale 👏 Must be odd having cooler weather than the U.K.  🤔 although you would think it would at least have the decency to rain overnight for a couple of hours to keep the gardens green & plants watered 😉 Sounds like your eye surgery has been a complete success 🥳 Hopefully your roommates will pitch in with the House of Doom cleaning & decluttering so that you can get to that happy situation of only Spring cleaning & a pre Christmas tidy up 🙏🤞🙏 Well done on keeping up with the day to day decluttering 👏 Everything crossed that the weather in California picks up soon 🤞Please take care weenancy & don’t do any heavy lifting 🙏 

florianatwobob, ‘vigorous encouragement’ of DBro to declutter 🤔 all manner of thought crossed my mind at those words 😂 At least it worked & he has made a start 😉 I did have to smile - you were so keen to declutter that you forgot about a night out with friends 🙊 Sounds like you had a great time 🥳 

Lovely supportive post bit_by_bit 😊 The EDT is still moving along at breakneck speed - last year 523 pages =‘d 24th December 🤩 Great work helping DiL with Mount Washmore 👏 You & MiL are both saints 😇 It sounds like DS3 might have to pitch in a bit more whilst DiL is getting her feet looking after an 18 month old & a baby 😉 You & MiL can only do so much 🤔 Pleased to hear that you managed to find some time to finish crocheting the blanket 😊 It is beautiful & you have definitely captured ‘sunset over the sea’ 😍 

Muddy_Walker, love the pictures - beautiful plants In beautiful pots 😍 Good luck with trimming dog2’s ears 🍀 The arrangements of succulents are so clever & impactful 🤩 & the pink garden is stunning 🤩 

Time for a quick break 😉 The kettle has been thoroughly rinsed & is already back in use 😅 DH has just appeared & is chopping up vegetable peelings to feed the worms & will also fill the bird feeders 🙂

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1489/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

roundtuit

DVD / Game holder - dusted and added to pile for DS
Piece of mdf - binned
Cardboard- recycled

That's it. That's the floor under, behind and to the left of the kitchen table cleared. There's a shoe rack to the right that needs unearthing, and a couple of boxes in front....one of which contains cleaning products   the other a bird table / planter that's waiting to be assembled..... but I'm keen to make a start on the CuoD.

Half excited / half daunted now. And breathe....

I apologise now if I start taking up the thread with lists. And, please send in a search party if I disappear. 😳

I'm going to tackle it one thing at a time to avoid overwhelm. I wish I could show you the 'before' photo but I'm going to need DS to unblock whatever I've accidentally blocked first.

Rxx

vulpix

Siebrie I am also a failed veg gardener. I do like growing a bit of fruit though. Strawberries are my favourite. 

 Liverpool Anne, I am sorry to hear about your friend. I am up for our new business. How about calling it goatsRus?

 Wish me luck I am about to empty the pantry of doom. It all has to go somewhere else as shortly there will be no pantry. 

 Vx 

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

14:00 DH just popped in from the garage to show me the the broken plastic insert where the blades of the blender have broken off 😖 The sweetcorn stalk proved too much 😔 The blades & lid have been binned & DH will order either a new blender or new blade insert 😔 So to cheer himself up he has used the pressure washer with patio cleaning brush attachment & cleaned half the patio 👏 Now that the sun is properly out & there is a wonderful cooling breeze the patio should dry quickly 🤞Then a quick sweep & return garden box & contents back to its place. We should also be able to store most of the kindling & chopped wood (for the chiminea) 🥳 so less visual clutter in the garden - win win 😊

Liverpool_Anne, so very sorry to hear about your friend 😔 My condolences to you & her family. Thank you for the lovely supportive post 😊

Moorviews, does MrMV have his own dedicated room/space/area? If yes, then I would just bag everything he leaves lying around & put the bag in his room/space/area 😉😅 It might work after an initial period of grumpiness 😉

2Scratters, I like your idea for stellata re her nn 😉 Quite wicked 😈 

Florenceem, 🤩 you have been busy 👏 Good luck with the OT visit 🍀 

Nice to see you ruby_eskimo 👋 Very pleased to hear that you have had almost a week at home & have managed to get a few bits done for yourself 👏 Seems to be a theme with DHs - many of them don’t quite understand the concept of decluttering & tidying 🤣 Picking things up off the floor & putting them on a higher flat surface rather than putting them away is not quite grasping the idea 😉 Many people, not just DHs 😉, seem to have a very high tolerance for visual clutter 😔You had an extremely busy weekend as garden labourers 🤩 & it sounds like you are noticing a huge difference in both gardens 🤩👏 One Gold Star ⭐️ ⭐️ each for you & DH 👏 Also well done on finding such a great ‘waste management’ chap 👏 Lovely to hear that your Mum is on board with not only the decluttering indoors but also sorting out online tasks 👏 One medal 🏅 coming her way 🙂

Wednesday2000, cooler weather does make such a difference to our ability to get a good night’s sleep 😊 I trust you accepted your friend’s compliment with a smile 😉 Good luck with your decluttering 🍀

I have caught up a bit more but will be joining DH in the garden shortly to make the most of the nice weather 😊

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1489/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

QueenJess

Back again!  Trying to press on and do anything as I know it is always better than doing nothing.  Eventually it'll all come clear to me again and I'll go through another big decluttering session.

So back to this darned Lego.  I much prefer to buy DS bits of Lego as he makes amazing things from his imagination.  Sets play with your mind... so DS has one set in particular where he won't build it again and doesn't use the large pieces (and wanted to get rid of those anyway).  He is using some of the smaller pieces in his builds currently as they are useful.  Obviously he could make some money by selling them on, but he wants some of the pieces (and not others).  I refuse to keep the larger pieces and the instructions forever more though for no reason.

I will double check with DS, but assuming he is happy, I will make a big random Lego bag of bits and see if they are worth selling by the 500g/1kg for him and separately the instructions.  If not for either, I'll give them away on Buy Nothing.  I'm going to do the same with the other instructions.. why keep them if he doesn't want them, just because they are in a set of 3 instructions, there is no reason not to get rid of the 1 or 2 he doesn't want.  This plays with your mind.  I just have the words of Marissa on atozenlife in my head where on one video she says just because something came in a set you don't have to keep everything if you are never going to use some of it (her example was a kitchen gadget that came with some accessories she would never use and so sold them on).  I find this particularly hard as I've always been taught to look after things and keep them together.

So the long plan is to make a pile of instructions DS doesn't want anymore and then identify with him the ones he is happy to let all the pieces go.  Then after that, just see if there are any other random pieces he doesn't want (he already has a bag full of those).

In the meantime I have more stuff out for Buy Nothing and need to package up a couple of things to post that I've sold.  I will still be sorting out bookshelves with DS later and I've started a bag of random Lego bits to sell on.  I have to go through all the bits and identify if any are broken/useless first and double check there isn't anything in there DS would need.  I also have a couple more things to list for sale if I can face it today!

After using my own Lego reorganisation today, I still don't think it is quite right.  However, broad categories and lots of space to sift through Lego is definitely the way to go.  Just have to get the containers etc right and figure out how it would work with the desk I was looking at online.

16,810-16,812 - badges (binned)
16,813 - puzzle (Buy Nothing)
16,814-16,815 - broken piece (binned)
16,816-16,817 - packaging (reused)

Edit: Sorry to bore everyone rigid on the trials and tribulations of Lego.... I have no one else to chat to about it really.  DH usefully says "I know you'll work it all out".  The struggle is real

Wednesday2000

Didn't Dilly organise Lego by colour?

Floss

QueenJess, I think that expressing one's thoughts helps to clarify things, and it doesn't matter if that is by vocalising or writing 😉 Sounds like you are working towards a plan for DS?

vulpix

Oh yes, the struggle is definitely real! 

 Behold. 

You can’t even see it all in this pic. 

 I think I need to get on with it. 

 Vx 

Floss

I've not done much apart from decluttering some of my wardrobe on Vinted & Ebay. I do need to have a darn good tidy up though, and as it is cloudy & occasionally raining today may be the day.

Re the goat venture: "4-Legged Gardeners"?

QueenJess

Wednesday2000 said:

Didn't Dilly organise Lego by colour?

Yes, but DS hates that as he looks for pieces by type not colour.  I still think colour is a bit mad.. too much sorting out for my liking.  I could see me going mad trying to re-sort colours all the time!

@Floss Thanks   I am working on a vague plan.  It is distracting at the moment as I just want to get it sorted in my head and then start getting on with it.  I don't like indecision!

@vulpix I'll still happily take that over Lego!