2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Floss

pollyanna_26 said:

I would ask how heavy those toilet frames are you may be able to try liting one. You've carried many .bags up and down stairs so it may be something you can manage.

We need to bear in mind the NHS is under a lot of pressure and it may not be able to fund two of the frames.

I was not saying Mr  F should not have the aids he is entitled to or that Florence should lift or carry them upstairs. 

polly

This.

Please don't suggest things that are not practical, sensible or safe for a retired person to do (albeit a very active one). 

If you wish to save public monies by just having one of an essential aid, then do so, but don't expect others to have that parsimonious streak that can very easily become unsafe.

Helebore

They are NOT that easy to manoeuvre, my friend's other half had one of each at different times and there is absolutely no way they could be taken upstairs. 

Wednesday2000

My cat has been very poorly this weekend. We had to take her to the emergency vet and they think it might be Inflammatory Bowel Disease (which is usually easily handled with diet as I had a cat with it before) or worst case Lymphoma. I'm very stressed as she is back home, but looking very frail and ill as she is almost 14.

My house is feeling very overwhelming at the moment so I am going to get on with decluttering as there isn't much I can do until we see if she responds well to the antibiotics. 

At least that will give me something practical to focus on. I have a bag to go to the charity shop tomorrow and I am going to do a complete sweep of my whole house. She doesn't have the vet appointment until Wednesday so I will try and do as much as I can before then.

I did declutter £1,800 to the vet! We will get some of that back at least as we are with Pet Plan with her and they are usually quite good.

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

Good evening declutterati from a very warm room in The Trehellas Hotel just outside Bodmin 😉 We left home at 10:22 this morning in 26C heat 🥵 🥵 Unfortunately we had to cross London - 1 hour to travel 14.5 miles. The journey didn’t improve much - diversions due to accidents or vehicle fires & of course the dreaded roadworks. Finally had a clear run from Dorchester, Dorset to our hotel. Way too hot to be wearing motorcycle kit & a crash helmet 🥵 However, beautiful scenery through Dorset, Devon & Cornwall. Just the 2 landmarks - a water pump & a bridge 😉 One unusual sight on the A30 - a Chevy Caprice Classic Station Wagon with the insignia “New York State Trooper” 🤣 Left hand drive & the driver was in full uniform with the hat 🤣 Not quite what you expect to see on an English Road 😉Showered & dressed for dinner within 30 minutes 🙂 Leisurely drink in the lounge whilst we perused the menu & chatted to another couple staying in the hotel. Dinner was superb - DH had a spicy king prawn salad with a full roast lamb dinner & a trio of ice creams for dessert. I had mackerel pate, followed by grilled trout on a bed of risotto & lemon cheesecake 😋 As is generally the case DH preferred my first two courses 🤣 A leisurely dinner & then up in our room by 21:15. DH is watching the MotoGP races on his phone & I will attempt to catch up with the cheerleading as I can see there has been a lot of activity today 😉

QueenJess, if DS has that many cars maybe a one in, two out rule might be better 😉 You have conquered DS’s room so I have no doubt that you will make short shrift of DD’s room (although the clothes might take a little longer). Bearing in mind how well detailed planning of how to tackle DS’s room, was so useful perhaps a detailed plan of how to tackle the library will also prove useful 🤞With your overall plan to also tackle the kitchen, bathroom, shed & garage + attic, I am putting in an early request that you take some time each day for some TLC 🙏  I hope you recorded the conversation with DH & can wheel it out each time he reiterates that he knows the full contents of each of his office drawers 😉 Perhaps you can find something else to add to ‘the dummy’ just to reinforce your point 😂

weenancy, what a lovely memory of your Dad 😊 Sentimental & obviously very proud of his children’s accomplishments at school 😊

QueenJess, “misguided” what a gentle word 😉 I am sure that DH will rope you in to help him with the office drawers, so it might be an opportunity to challenge DH to get rid of 25% of the contents instead of the usual 10-20%  😉 🤞

Liverpool_Anne, yippee to having a lovely local pharmacist 🥳 I know you were concerned about potentially cancelling the appointment 😔 Alls well that ends well, so now you need some time in the TLC Carriage whilst the B12 jab quicks in 😊 Well done on doing the washing - LDFPA 😉Hopefully you can have a more leisurely catch up with ln now that she is home 🤞 I am becoming more & more enamoured with the idea of having a jade plant - so have added it to my wish list 😉Great observations & addition to the discussion re employing a cleaner 👏 I confess that I would sooner go to the dentist than clean but needs must 😉 - maybe I should consider getting a cleaner at some point 🤔

dND, well said 👏 your following comment is so true 🙂  “One thing I’ve discovered, that I think we all do, is discount the things we do every day, cooking, shopping cleaning etc.  These things take up time and energy and we need to acknowledge this.” It sounds like you have done an absolutely superb job of decluttering & getting ready to move back to the U.K. 👏  As you say, the end of your Adventure in France, but the start of a new adventure in South Wales 😊 A couple of things that I will comment on - 1. surely someone can offer you at a camp bed or maybe use of a sofa bed rather than you having to sleep on the floor 🤨 2. The weird form forbidding you to dispose of your own household goods for 12 months 🤔 Not quite sure how they would enforce that 🤨 Sounds suspiciously like someone has made a deal with a storage company that they can recommend will look after household goods 🤣😉 Good luck with the actual move back & I am looking forward to seeing you soon at the start of your great Welsh Adventure 😊

Fizz2015, that Brexit Form does seem a bit odd 🤨 & I agree with you that it seems unlikely they will check up in 12 months 😣 A busy Saturday - not sure I would have had the energy to iron on a hot day 😉 so well done you 👏 As to your clothing glut - start small & just dispose of one item that either doesn’t fit or has bad/sad memories/associations attached to it 😉 When you have realised that you can do that, repeat the process

Florenceem, hope the start of the craft room declutter went well today🤞Re the toilet frame, I am hoping that a quick word with the OTs will result in you getting the two toilet frames you need 🤞

Excellent decluttering by you & DSis, florianatwobob 👏 H&S will be pleased that you have removed the potential hazard of climbing over ‘stuff’ 😊 Re DBro, perhaps in a couple of weeks the 3 boxes can be brought to his attention & be reduced to two boxes of ‘treasured possessions’ 🤞🤞 Please factor in some NON decluttering time during your week off 🙏

I am nodding off but there is one discussion topic that appears to have got a little out of hand 😔 Not intentional I know - so I would like to thank anyone who commented on the provision of ‘medical aids’ for the home but would also like to draw a line under the subject & close off any further discussion. 

Hope everyone gets a good night’s sleep & is fully refreshed & ready to jump back into their decluttering 😉 Tomorrow should be a shorter day travelling around so I will try to catch up with the cheerleading then 😊

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1539/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

Florenceem

Morning all.
Another lovely day - I have done a list for today - love a list.
Yesterday DGd M was at lifeguard training - photos.
The last photo is DGs S.
The family spent all day at the beach.
(Removed by Forum Team)

roundtuit

Good morning all xx 

I was up at work o'clock even though I don't work on Mondays.  It feels fresher this morning- hope it stays that way 🤞

I finished the last of the Sudoku book and it has been recycled. I've retrieved a crossword book from the TARDIS and will work my way through that next. I'm rereading Jane Eyre which will then go to cs. It's not exactly light reading so, in between, I'm working my way through the pile of magazines, which are recycled when read.

CuoD (while the kettle was boiling for my first brew 😊):
Empty Slazenger bag / holder, ? maybe it once held football boots?* anyway it is neither use nor ornament so - bin

Love to all
Rxx

*ETA once held thigh pads according to the label. Must have been for cricket. 🤷‍♀️

roundtuit

CuoD:
Baseball cap x 5 - DS
Reindeer horn head dress - DS
Broken Reindeer horn head dress x 2 - bin
Hi vis waistcoat- to be washed and then to cs
Cagoule (broken zip) - bin
1 pr red gloves (to match scarf already found) - wash and keep

I need coffee
Rxx

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 morning here in Cornwall is a lot cooler than we have become used to as it rained overnight. DH & I have been awake since about 06:30 as the noise of a surprising amount of traffic woke us up. We have both tried to get back to sleep but have been unsuccessful 😉 Now 7:45 so thought I would try to catch up a bit before going down to breakfast 🤞

Deni_debt-free_dreamer, belated birthday greetings to DD1 for Saturday 🎉 🎂 Shame about the blocked sink but well done on doing some unexpected decluttering 👏 Sounds like you have the right idea Deni, especially as you are working so many jobs - a cleaner for the future 😉 What a nice neighbour mowing your lawns 😊👏 Are your book clubs like the movie Book Club with Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen & Candice Bergen?😉😉 Sorry I just went off into the realms of fantasy 🤣 

Great decluttering roundtuit 👏

Nice to see you calleyw 👋 Excellent start to your decluttering journey 👏 Now we just have to come up with ways to get your partner on board before he drives you to distraction 😉 Perhaps advise him that anything you find in your office that is not yours will be bagged/boxed & be either donated or binned - it might concentrate his mind 🤞😉🤣 Good luck 🍀

nannywindow, Excellent work by both you & DH putting up a new garden fence & completing the painting 👏 The only reason it took ages was because it has been way too hot for any form of manual labour 😉 Perhaps you could consider getting a small skip as a one-off or maybe a ‘man with a van’ - just to clear the current pile of rubbish 🤔 It would relieve the pressure on both you & your DH 😊Please don’t declutter any gems 💎- unless you are selling them 🤣

Liverpool_Anne, that sounds like a perfect Sunday - relaxing, listening to the radio & then out visiting with baby cuddles as an added benefit 😊

stellata, well done on cheering yourself up by visiting a local beauty spot 😊 Sorry to hear that you are feeling glum 😔 Perhaps you can spend some time in the TLC Carriage to restore your spirits 😊 Hope the hospital appointments go well 🤞

More great decluttering roundtuit 👏 At this rate the CuoD won’t know what has hit it 😉

We have had breakfast - a full English + toast & coffee & are now fully awake 😉 Setting off in a few minutes as soon as I have posted this 😉 I have caught up a little more 👏

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1539/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.90

Siebrie

Went to the tip and unloaded 1 carbootful; all recyclabe, so no charge

Made a proper schedule for this week with dds, so that they know what is expected of them on which day.

Harvested the redcurrants (3.5kg!), cleaned and froze about 1,5kg; will continue cleaning and freezing the rest of this week. They are in the fridge at the moment.

Ongoing harvest: raspberries. Eating as many as we fancy, freezing the rest in baggies lying flat so that I can break off however many I want to use. I have frozen them on baking trays before, but I just don't have the space in the freezer at the moment.

Last week we prepped dd1's hair in twists before we went to the expensive hairdresser's for the last time. The hairdresser just complimented us on the twist system, so now I'm confident that we can braid my dds' hair end of August. It will probably take a whole week for both of them, but it will save €400....

Chased the orthodontist for an extra form for reimbursement from my dental insurance. His Assistant (and wife) tried to dissuade me, saying it would only mean around €8! What nonsense! The insurance is expensive enough, I'm entitled to every cent!

Wednesday2000

I just had a blitz around the bathroom, put a few empty bottles into the recycling, threw away a lip balm I really don't like and emptied the wastepaper bin. I realised I have run out of shower gel so I repurposed two half empty hand washes I had downstairs and put them in the shower.

My office is fine, I just put all my admin papers together in the folder and wiped down the surfaces. Nothing was decluttered from in there apart from some notes.

I have just put away all the dry washing. That is one nice thing about this heat, how quickly the laundry dries outside. the winter here was a nightmare as I had to keep putting the heating on or it wouldn't dry for days.

I did reorganise my toiletries yesterday, but I didn't actually get rid of anything, just tidied it all up.

I will take the donation bag to the shop later.