2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Florenceem

Suffolksue - make sure you take it easy.

Question - if something comes in and then goes out fairly quickly - do we count it as a decluttered item?

Keiths_Mum

Thanks for the frog explanation @GrannyKate and @charlies_tribe, I think I probably have more than my fair share of frogs. Procrastination is my middle name!

sillyvixen

Back on the decluttering wagon - fell off in lockdown!! We got rid of loads of stuff in the Christmas cleanup! Other bits and bobs got stuffed in cupboards - I have just found where hubby hid my sat nav, needed for monday to go to a funeral! 

This week I have donated 17 books (finished another one and found 2 more to donate - so another bag started), got rid of 2 black bags of clothes to charity (I have more but parking is not nearby and couldn't manage all of it in one go - I need to bag up the rest and put in my boot for when I am in the area), we missed a recycling collection due to snow before Christmas so I am glad all my recycling has been collected - there was loads of it!

Today I defrosted the freezer, having run it down before Christmas - luckily it only contained a few half bags of frozen veg and some chickpea tagine that has no flavour. The chickpea !!!!!! is in the food recycling, the frozen veg has been defrosted and topped up with some fresh veggies from the supermarket (I am really happy with my 1/2 price reduced organic mushrooms - cheaper than non organic - I have used 2 today. Using up beans, lentils, veggie stock and herbs and spices I already have I  made 2 large slow cooker loads one of 8X lentil veg mix (that will make 2 portions of veggie lasagene or shepardless pie) so 16 meals and 10 portions of veggie chilli. So loads of food from my stocks with about £6 spend!! 

I have a bread maker (with instructions) i got given by my mum 8 years ago (mum got loads of use out of it, but became too Ill to use it, and gave it to me - I used it once and it was not for me it's been taking up cupboard space since, I used it again a few weeks ago to check it worked. I have a work colleague who wanted and would have got a bread maker from his partner for Christmas if their oven had not died late November and they had to agree no presents as they needed to use the pressie budget to replace the oven. He is over the moon I have a bread maker I want rid of - I won't see him for over 10 days but am happy to wait to see it go to someone who really wants it.

I have a few electricals (kettle, iron & broken Christmas lights) if you put them in a carrier bag small items like this are collected with our recycling - due to the backlog due to snow they were not collecting this time but I will put them out next time.

Finally Christmas decorations taken down and put away, minus the Christmas lights hubby broke on Christmas day!!

mfwin2019

Getting ready to declutter both DDs back to their universities on Sunday so very hectic today. 
I spent 23plus minutes asleep in the chair with a cat on my lap this evening - very relaxing.
Have a few items ready for charity shop but not counting until they actually leave the house 
Very impressed with everyone's progress it is very inspiring. 

weenancyinAmerica

@Suffolksue - Take care of yourself. Taking blood thinners and falling can be make even a slight fall more dangerous.  Given the number of times the dog or the cats have knocked me over, I would be afraid to even consider blood thinners right now for me. Both of my parents were on them.

24 - took out a bag of kitchen trash today
25 - finished new class on zoom, did my homework for the other class
26 - did the weekly grocery shopping and got it put away
27 - paid our gas bill today. I was afraid of how high it would be, but it was less than last year. Of course, we have been avoiding using the oven and the roommates have been avoiding using the washer and dryer, but we have had colder  than normal weather this last month so our heater has been working more often. I did turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees (without telling anyone else - no one has complained). It was three times what last month's bill was, but it is usually four times the December bill. January through March are the most expensive months on this bill for us.
28 - one roommate paid half of her rent today. I have them paying so much per paycheck as it seems to work out better for them that way. 
29 - it really poured here yesterday. Worst storm of the last 5 years. My roommate that works at one of the amusement parks here (not the one with the Mouse) was off work as they closed the park for the day - all of the rides are outside. The Mouse park almost never shuts down even in bad weather as many of the rides are indoors. Backyard water was about three inches deep.
Had planned to go grocery shopping yesterday, but waited until today when the sun came out.  

EnergyShifter

Got a second wind so did an hour of decluttering.  

Tasks Completed:

• fixed new toilet roll holder 

Stuff - IN (running total 5): 

0

Stuff - OUT: (running total 17)

18. Bundle of refund receipts that had been mixed in with work receipts - it'll make things easier when I start my tax return. 

19. drawer detritus

20. touch screen stylus

21. & 2 - 2 x books

23 & 4 - 2 x badges

25. Completed notebook

26. ood Foundation

SuffolkSue - ouch - I hope you feel better soon 

TC77

@SecondStar , everything you say about decluttering things that represent a part of us that have imagined but not got round to. My DD1 at 25 has been diagnosed with ADHD and she points to me as the source- so undiagnosed if I were young now I am sure I would. I flit abit, and have craft things, but now are going to sewing classes and next week digital photography - and these are things I meant to do 20 years ago. I think it's a matter of whether you have the space and whether you can have them somewhere but not mind them there so it's not dragging you down that there time hasn't come. Getting rid of make up, jewellery and clothes meant letting go of this person who might dress up and go places!  If this now happens I take the view they would be dated by now but I found it hard letting go but haven't missed these things. Still have clothes but v little make up.

I have a large stash of stationery (one of my weaknesses)  DD1 told me should would need lots of printing done a long time ago and I bought 5 reams of paper, and has now sent me lots of stuff to print in advance of exams - 100s of pages so will declutter paper, and thankfully she wants a folder, dividers, highlighters, pens and stickies so will count these when out tomorrow. hopefully now ADHD will get student funding and get her own printer!
9. blood test
10 bank rang and took my complaint down - agreed 10 key points and a knock on effect. Quite impressed with the complaints person but not the many people that led to the 10 point complaint!!
11. carpet man came to do quote
12 rags collected and will go out tomorrow
Will write my nos down or I will miss some.
13 almost ood and just ood food used up
14 decorations and most away

diminua

Christmas decorations down yesterday and as I bought extra this year opened an old storage box to see if I could squirrel some in there and found yet more unused notebooks and assorted post its, and cards. All the cards - postcards from Rome and Brighton I bought and never used (was I saving them for next time??), 'sorry you're leaving' cards from when I left my last job, old birthday cards I thought were too pretty to chuck etc - in recycling or bin (glitter). Counting that as one item out.
Most of the cough sweets out and counted as another item.

One plastic England football pencil sharpener in and out again – arrived as a freebie with my fountain pen and is now in the modest stationery drawer at work by the printer. Because we’re meant to be paperless we don’t get things like pencil sharpeners or pens delivered to our floor anymore, so it should save someone a walk downstairs to the post room at least. 

I've got the landlady coming next week so had a bit of a clear out today when I got home: an old dressing gown, a flower pot I never liked, some hard soap that was nearly used up and getting manky, a plastic spatula for plaster, post its, the lid of a pot I broke ages ago, a metal coffee canister that's quite pretty but which I don't really need, a watch, a paintbrush, a pink tupperware, some sandpaper, and a dried up tin of paint. 

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

Sadly it has clouded over & the temperature has dropped 🙁 Having got dressed I had a small flurry of activity & have dealt with a few froglets. Yesterday’s laundered clothing has been put away; the cash from last years 1p Savings Challenge is now in my handbag ready to be spent 😉; have started the 2023 1p Savings Challenge; started knitting another beanie; bagged up scarves, beanies & wrist warmers to take to CS; gathered together all correspondence that I need to reply to & lastly did some shredding. DH visited M for a few hours. She was chatty but still a bit sleepy & a bit vague. DH & I  had the second HF meal - Spiced Pork Noodles with stir fried Pepper, Lime & peanuts. Very tasty but not particularly spicy. DSis had lasagne & garlic bread as she is not a fan of spicy or cooked peppers. Wudupa. P.S. I used my new electric shoulder & neck massager - a present from my lovely DH. It is marvellous 🤩 

34 - 42 Kitchen recycling, office recycling, cardboard packaging, XMas TV magazine, brochure, empty sweetie tin, 3 plastic takeaway boxes & lids - recycled 

43 - 45 Kitchen detritus, office detritus, 0.5” shredding - binned

46 - 47 Scarf (unwanted by DSis from her friend), handbag diary with pen into CS bag

Soontobeoap, your decluttering has already come up trumps - you have found your lovely wallpaper & can decorate your now empty under stairs cupboard 👏 Thank you so much for sharing your & your sister’s experience of decluttering your Mum’s house 👏 It sounds like that experience is standing you both in good stead for decluttering your own homes 😊 You might be interested in a decluttering  system called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning  😉

MadamMim2013 sorry to hear that you have had a stressful few days & are feeling discombobulated 😔. Excellent decluttering 👏 Hope you & OH have a lovely few days in Bude 😊

Lovely post donna73 & I am blushing 😊 Excellent & eclectic decluttering 👏

Lovely to see you retiredinfrance & I have noted your target 👋 You must be so fit, running alongside & jumping aboard - Superman eat your heart out 😉 An excellent start to your 2023 decluttering campaign 👏 Like your mantras for the year 🙂 & thanks for the reminder that if we make decluttering fun it will be easier 🤞

A lovely supportive & encouraging post QueenJess 👏 Well done on going with the flow - still decluttering & not getting stressed 👏 As to books my head tells me there is such a thing as too many but my heart tells me there is no such thing as too many books 😊

A great post Floss - thank you for sharing your experience of dealing with sunk financial & emotional costs 👏 Good work decluttering & hope you enjoy your chat at the cs when dropping of your donation box 😉

Excellent decluttering of your wardrobe mhagster 👏

Excellent decluttering 2Scratters 👏 Love the repurposing of the Christmas tree as firewood - lovely smell of pine 😊 I am also excited about the contents of the button box 😆 I have my fingers crossed that you will post a picture 🤞 

Great work joanie 👏 I am really enjoying reading about fantasy selves  🙂 What a great thought - keeping something doesn’t make you richer just as getting rid of something doesn’t make you poorer - that will definitely help me when I attempt to declutter my ornaments🤞

Oh poopy, Liverpool_Anne not the sort of decluttering you had in mind 😔 Good luck with your 2 jobs 🍀

Thanks for the mention of the Nick Knowles programme roundtuit 👏 I have set up to record the next episode - hoping to be inspired 🤞Excellent decluttering 👏 Good luck with your weekend plans 🍀

MuddyWalker, we do allow self motivation 😉 so well done on your contortionist skills 😂 Sorry to hear about the cancer & that your injection will wipe you out for the weekend. Hopefully you have enough energy to pop into the TLC Carriage with the dogs for a nice cuppa 🙂

The travelling sounds completely exhausting  😩 thriftyscotslass  but the funeral day sounds like the perfect way to celebrate a life well lived  🙂 Would love to see you in the TLC Carriage - hopefully we can see off your flu 🤞

Off to bed now & will try to catch up with the rest of the cheerleading when I get up 😉

MrsSD (a superwoman) 

Decluttering Target 2023: 47/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

QueenJess

Florenceem said:

Suffolksue - make sure you take it easy.

Question - if something comes in and then goes out fairly quickly - do we count it as a decluttered item?

You can make your own rules for what does and doesn’t count. I count lots of individual little things as it spurs me on to keep going.

If it helps, my rule is that if it’s something that’s come in and would always be straight back out (e.g. envelopes from the post/junk mail) then it doesn’t count. If I’ve decided to keep something/would normally keep something/intended to keep it, but then changed my mind it would count even if I haven’t even put it away yet. I do count things like magazines though as even though I don’t keep them, they do hang around for quite a while waiting for me to read them first. 

Hopefully that makes sense.. I think it was clearer in my own head!