2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

weenancyinAmerica

@Brie - I am worried about those in BC too - I have relatives in Salmon Arm area and they have just canceled their Festival because of the wildfires. Saying a lot of prayers. 

We've never had a hurricane here in my lifetime - so don't know what to expect. Will be bringing the dog in, but I am worried about our feral cat - may have see if I can entice him into our back storage area.  Very nervous at the moment.

Soontobeoap

I havnt decluttered much for several weeks as it had been school hols and Dgc have been staying. But I can report that finally DH had cleared a big bin bag full of rubbish from under his desk on the landing! This means that the chair does not stick out and I no longer need to squeeze past it on the landing. The house is now looming much tidier and is much easier to clean
I have now got to tackle the craft shed again as I have been clearing my crafting down there everytime i have had to clear it quick for next intake of boarders. After next week I can settle back to normal and wirk my way throygh the food cupboards as well

kr147

Wow I've chucked a load of stuff out the last few weeks. Probably 3 bin bags plus other things like crappy old duvets we don't need. Also have had a humidity issue in the kitchen so needed to get rid a lot of food too. That partly wasn't great but has got me into the spirit of being ruthless!

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

Oops, it is a lot later 🙊 DH fed the birds & the worms 🙂 Meanwhile I dealt with a frog - hand washed a skirt which dried out on the whirligig. Spent the rest of the day on completing the audit of Decluttering awards I have made to date 😊 One huge project completed over the course of 5 days - I am going to award myself a medal 🏅😉 Quite pleased to learn that I only made 7 errors over the 7.5 months of the thread 🥳 Interesting fact that of 152 people who expressed an interest in joining the 2023 Decluttering Campaign, exactly half have received at least one award 🤩 Dinner was a mish-mash - the last of the cheesy leeks + risotto from the freezer. Each component was delicious but they didn’t really go together 😉 Wudupa. It stayed sunny & warm all day 🥳

1851 - 1854 Kitchen recycling, magazine, drinks cans, large plastic bottle - recycled 

1855 Kitchen detritus binned 

QueenJess, sorry to hear that you have been unwell this week 😔 I hope you are finally on the mend ❤️‍🩹Well done on dealing with some health frogs 👏 Fingers crossed that your first visit to a dentist is not too traumatic 🤞I love that you are teaching DD to declutter at the tender age of 2 🤩 I am awarding her a medal 🏅 to encourage further decluttering 😊 Excellent decluttering as usual 👏 & as I was remiss in making an award at 30,000 items decluttered, I am awarding you a Gold Star ⭐️ now 😉

betasam, well done on decluttering magazines even whilst having an hectic & tiring work week 👏What an excellent Friday afternoon’s work - so much decluttered & you found ‘treasure’ as well 🥳👏 I do love the notion that you are now on ‘maintenance reading’ of this thread 😊 You are doing so well that you have already gone past a quarter of the way to your target of 500, thereby earning a Gold Star ⭐️ I am very impressed 👏

oceanspirit, I am still pondering what form the ‘talc carriage’ should take 😂 Excellent decluttering of frogs & admin 👏 Good luck with your stated aim of decluttering more admin over the weeken 🍀

Excellent decluttering & LDFPA Liverpool_Anne 👏 Very impressed with the 700 emails deleted so one medal 🏅 is on its way 😊Hope your team have a good result with the footie 🤞

weenancy, what a great result from this months book sale 🤩 Keeping everything crossed that Hurricane Hilary actually bypasses you completely 🤞but if it doesn’t please stay safe 🙏 

What a lovely post deni_debt-free_dreamer 😊 Hope you enjoy the rest of your mini break from FT work 😊 Very well done to DSis #1 - you are obviously a good influence 👏 Great work on the shredding 👏

Vent away QueenJess - you have every reason 👏 Not sure I could or would be so restrained 😖 Both your parents & your DH are showing a great deal of disrespect - so I need to think of a suitable penalty 😉🤣 🤨 Hope DS is better now 🤞 Well done on breaking the 32,000 barrier 👏

Brie, wouldn’t that be great if we could send the rain where it was needed 😉 Hope your brother is staying safe 🤞Good luck with the great t-shirt declutter 🍀 Great decluttering of foodstuffs 👏

Excellent work in your bedroom TC77 👏 It will soon be a clutter free haven 😉

You have been busy Florenceem - both at SA & doing your crafting 👏 Yet another beautiful piece of work 😊

Very impressive decluttering betasam 👏 Well done on tackling your stationery stash 🥳 even though you felt anxious 😊 440/500 has earned you 2 more Gold Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ I can confirm that I have made a note of your new target 😉 Very pleased to hear that you managed to have time away from the decluttering & I hope you enjoyed the brass band concert as well as your stroll in the sunshine ☀️ 

EnergyShifter, how lovely to spend the day with your friend & it sounds like the weather was fine 😊Pleased to hear that having overworked your dodgy knee on Friday, you took Saturday to rest & relax 😊 Well done on keeping your numbers ticking over 👏

You are very welcome TC77 😊 Well done on reaching a decision to dispose of some items of clothing 👏 Hope the weather stayed good for your friend’s BBQ 🤞Don’t forget to count the wine in your numbers 😉

Thanks for the photo betasam - a very tidy cupboard & so large 👏 I have cupboard envy 😉

weenancy, keeping everything crossed that the weather is not as bad as forecast 🤞Also sending lots of good wishes that last feral cat stays safe 🍀 Please stay safe 🙏

Soontobeoap, at least with the DGC staying you have probably decluttered lots of food 😉 Well done to your DH for clearing a bag of rubbish & making it safer for you 👏 I am sending a medal 🏅 to him in the hope that it will encourage him to do more decluttering 🤞

Lovely to see you kr147 👋 Well done on such great decluttering 👏 Shame about having to bin food but better safe than sorry 🥳

Off to bed now 😴 I have set the planner to record THE football match as I seriously doubt I will be awake at 09:30 😂

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 1855/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £299.00

weenancyinAmerica

Praying for my relatives in British Columbia as their town of Tappen is being evacuated. I have been up there for several family reunions. Here we are about to be inundated with rain - 2-3 inches expected tomorrow afternoon. Hugs that everyone is staying safe.

Crazycatlady2

Argh I made a mistake anc it’s next Saturday the bed is coming 🤦‍♀️so it’s back in but at least the part I’m selling is photographed and several years of dust from under anc behind is gone. Next Friday we can take out everything again but just leavdd we the mattress on the floor for 1 night as no empty bed as teens back on tue/wed 

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

weenancy, I am joining you in your prayers that everyone in B.C. stays safe 🙏  Still keeping everything crossed that Hurricane Hilary dissipates before reaching Ca. 

MrsSD

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Crazycatlady2, 😬 I suppose the upside to the confusion is that you have had a practice run at dismantling the old bed 😉

MrsSD

~FlowerPot~

WeeNancy ~ also sneding prayers 🙏 out to those affected in BC. I also hope you dont get too much of the wind and rain.

MRS SD~ you continue to amaze me with your efforts to help keep us all motivated and decluttering. Please take a bouquet of flowers 💐 as a gift of gratitude xx

Yesterday was cleaning day (VERY very overdue) I did the upstairs and should be doing the donwstairs today, but currently watching the football! Managed to go through the bookcases on the landing and have ousted several piles of books About 30 kids books and at least that many of my books too. Now I just need to ensure they dont sit forever understairs and get out the house!!

QueenJess

Thanks @Mrs_Salad_Dodger.  DD is very proud of her medal and DS is all back to normal again.  I feel like I'm on an odd bit of my decluttering journey with much of it done, but it never seems to be complete.  Yes, I know it's an ongoing process, but there is still a bit of a list.

For one, my house is not completely tidy, although it is way better than it has ever been.  It's all down to the fine details now really.  Much of the outstanding stuff relates to things that need to be used up, although I'm getting much better at not overbuying food (it is a work in progress, but at least nothing is being wasted).  Things I have too much of and need to be used up include:

• Some cleaning materials
• Some bathroom stuff (will take years to get through all the floss picks my parents gave me!)
• Food in cupboards/freezer
• Notebooks for work (people keep giving them to me and not sure yet if to keep and use them all or donate some.  For now I continue to work through them incredibly slowly)
• Seeds - a million microgreen seeds that are going to take years to use up!
  
• Gift wrap (I've not bought any for over 7 years as I usually use bags which have been gifted to us and then reuse them again and again.  I should use up what I have, but I find it hard to use any at all!), xmas cards and ties for gift tags.
  

There are also other things such as reuseable batteries which eventually stop being able to charge, some light bulbs that will eventually be used up and stuff like shoes that I have too much of and won't be replaced when a few go, but are all loved and used currently.  Projects left (aside from frogs which are mainly now my health related) are:

• Puzzles - I need to slowly make the big pile my parents gave me and then donate the ones I don't want to make again.
• Digital photos - there are still around 10,000 to go through, but currently lost my mojo there.  Then I can set up my digital photo frame.
  
• Emails - I've not quite got down to inbox zero and figuring this out.  Might be a 2024 job.
  
• Digital storage - to switch to a different one (my one renews in December, so there's still time for that)
  
• Upstairs cupboard - need to finish sorting it out and finalising where things in it will actually live
• Puzzle books - need to work through them then recycle
  
• Tidy and work out why the house isn't ever quite tidy and if it means better organisation, training kids/DH and/or some decluttering that has been missed.
  
• Books - I need to finish cataloguing my books, but I also have a big stack of books I need to read and then decide if I want to keep or donate.
• Garage? - Query as it's not my domain really and DH has done loads already.  Just need to see if we can make it any better in there.
  

These are the main things to work on, but decisions take me a long time when it comes down to organisation etc and working through stores will also take a long time.  Some of the projects will run in 2024 for sure, but I will press on and see where I can get to by the end of this year.  Oh - and I actually started sewing up my jeans that have been sat around for ages in the bedroom.  I suspect there are pending things like this which is why the place isn't completely tidy.

Currently my attention is on using up food, keeping the place tidy and very slowly considering various areas in the house.  I've still not decided what to do with the plants I put in DH's study when we were on holiday as I think I prefer the empty space in the living room.  They end up somewhere else, but not decided yet.  When the weather turns I'll recheck the kids clothes (and mine!) to see if anything needs to go, but I think it's all quite stable at the moment with neither of them anywhere near growing out of anything much until the end of winter next year.

Digital:
32,041-32,044 - text conversations deleted

Physical:
32,045-32,051 - random stuff from DS’s room (recycled)
32,052 - DS random junk (charity bag)
32,053 - fabric bag (textile recycling)
32,054 - toys (charity bag)
32,055-32,056 - books (charity bag)
32,057 - puzzle (Buy Nothing)
32,058-32,059 - pictures (charity bag)

Summary: The house is not perfect and not minimal, but pretty much unrecognisable from where I started at the start of the year.  I'm feeling about under control at the moment (at least until my parents visit again.....) and I would not longer be embarrassed if someone popped over without any notice in any room (apart from possibly the library which still needs some work)!