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

Friday & another bright start to the day + the wind has died down. DH was up early to watch MotoGP practices. I was up a little earlier than yesterday - 11:30 & now having my first cuppa. Finished watching Season 4 of Line of Duty & have started on Season 5. Wrote a shopping list for DH & when he returned I put everything away. It did rain quite heavily mid afternoon 😔 DH spent the rest of the afternoon putting up & sorting wiring for DSis’s new smart TV. Dinner was hm cottage pie & cauliflower 😋 Wudupa.

2034 - 2036 Kitchen recycling, Magazine, drinks cans - recycled 

2037 Kitchen detritus binned 

flamingo747, I think we all struggle letting go of items relating to our Fantasy Self 😔 So very well done selling the mannequin 👏 someone got a bargain 😉 Good luck selling the projector screen & good luck getting the passports 🍀

Siebrie, please try not to overthink it or be upset 🙏 Being on occasion a tad cynical, does  your sister want some of the flour as well 😔Apologies 😔 As your DSis can afford to buy new, perhaps she should choose a bread maker that will fulfil her precise needs or maybe she could use your old bread maker to practice. Hopefully writing down your thoughts will help to clarify your feelings. The relationship with your sister is definitely a complicated one 😔 I am sending both you & your mum lots of hugs 🤗 

Great decluttering & completion of tasks GrannyKate 👏 How exciting 2 future additions to the family 😊

Fizz2015, now that your cold has got worse I think you should definitely spend some time in the TLC Carriage 😊 I haven’t enjoyed the last 2 episodes of Sort Your Life Out - I even fell asleep a couple of times 🙊 

Florenceem, fingers crossed that MrF remained upright whilst out delivering posters 🤞The front garden looks absolutely brilliant 🤩 The workmen did an excellent job 👏

Crazycatlady2, maybe I will try one last time to grow carrots 🤔 Good luck with the weight loss 🍀

Lovely post flamingo747 😊

Florenceem, hope you have fun choosing plants for the front garden 😊

oceanspirit, poor ‘shower bits’, I bet they were really looking forward to coming sightseeing with you 🤣Great work decluttering emails & using up food stocks 👏

stellata, so pleased to hear that you won’t have to bin the books 😊

Excellent decluttering Happy_Kitties 👏

TC77, shame about the rug not being picked up but you still managed quite a bit of decluttering (is it 21) 👏 Like you I much prefer to work from printed material rather than working from a screen 😊 

Night-night 💤 

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 2037/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00

charlies_tribe

Good morning all! 
Sending hugs and condolences @nannywindow
Hugs to all who need them x
@Crazycatlady2, I'm at the same stage, 41 and looks like menopause has started. It explains a lot of my symptoms over the last couple of years x

I am finally back. We got back from a fantastic holiday last Saturday and been trying to get sorted into our new routine. It's taken me 4 days to catch up on the 30 pages of posts and now I can't remember what u was going to write.

I was so disappointed with our house when we got back. Walking in after a week away showed me how much clutter we have and why I don't let anyone through the door. We've been watching sort your life out and if I didn't have a huge phobia of cameras, I'd definitely give it a go.
Remember all the work in the conservatory? Well I can't even get in it again. Apparently the sheds are now full so all the garden stuff, table, chairs, hottub, gazebo, kids bikes.... have all now joined what was left in there. It makes me want to cry.
As I do 1 room the others just seem to fill up with stuff.

DH already collects his beer bottles (just the first one of a new beer) but on holiday he had a can of pop from an American sweets store, I got home to find the can had joined his bottles! I put my foot down on that one and it went in the bin.

Right now I'd give anything to be back in the house on the edge of the beach away from this mess but it's given me another kick to get it sorted.





2119 Pair of holey socks binned
2120 Too small underware binned
2121 Body puff
2122 Razor
2123 Bathroom cleaner bottle
2125 2x remotes
2126 Pair of pom poms
2129 3x boxes
2130 Paper bag
2131 Teddy bear and its random bits of stuffing
2133 2x postage bags
2135 2x cardboard boxes
2136 Pooping unicorn keyring- binned

QueenJess

Still pretty busy at work and I’m knackered, so I’m way behind on the tidying. Will be trying to slowly catch up on that, which usually means I find more stuff to go as there’s a reason things are not away. May do the key stuff (food, clean clothes away) and then concentrate on a room at a time so it feels like I’ve made more progress.

Anyway, some more natural decluttering to report from eating up things, work stuff and the tiny bit of tidying I did yesterday. Otherwise, I’m still on operation use up stuff in the freezer.

33,353-33,355 - paper, reused then recycled

33,356-33,357 - packaging (reused)

33,358 - bathroom supplies used up

33,359 - freezer overstock used up 

33,360-33,363 - home made dividers no longer needed (recycled)

33,364-33,365 - iron on patches (Buy Nothing)

Florenceem

Mr F gave out 30+ posters about SA table top sale to shops and businesses in town - didn't fall over and only left his stick behind once.
We weren't needed to do a food delivery at SA so had a restful evening - watched a film together about a teacher in Harlem - really enjoyed it.
Off to a BBQ this afternoon - baked some lemon & sultana muffins to take along.

vulpix

Hey hey. Peace,just me n Fomo snuggling in bed. The family descended yesterday,it was lovely. Young master Vulpix was the centre of attention. We also celebrated DD2’s birthday which is on Monday.

 Mr V went to work at 5am, taking DD2 as it is on the way home for her. DD1 left at 7am to get the train to Edinburgh where they are participating in a run.

The “kids” emptied the loft for me. I had no clue that they had smuggled so much up there. DS took his Lego, knex and mechano with him. The lion’s share of what is left is DD1’s. Her tenants in Sheffield are leaving in October. She will visit again and take it all and put it in her own loft. Until then it will have to go in my spare room. My stuff, I will evaluate. Some things will stay such as a high chair that my Grandad made. 

 I hope you are on the mend weenancy. Xxx

charlies tribe, lovely photos. 

 Mr V and I both had medical appointments on Friday. I have an issue with my heart which explains a lot over the past couple of years. I have increasingly become frustrated that I am unable to walk the distance I used to. Hopefully I am fixable and can stop trying to power through!

 Mr V had what we thought was a follow up from his hospital stay before our holiday. No. They did scans at the time and found cancer in his kidney. We are not telling DD2 atm as her Mum died from cancer when she was 6 and then I had breast cancer a few years ago too. There will be treatments but we intend to just carry on as usual as we did for me. 

 So apart from trying to accommodate all this new stuff we will elegantly potter at home when Mr V comes home from work. 

Sorry that the photo has popped up in the middle!

 Vx

Florenceem

vulpix - sorry to hear that Mr V is unwell.
Do I spy a Cabbage Patch doll in the boxes - I love them but never managed to obtain them for my children - couldn't afford the price.

Wednesday2000

I really liked the new episode of Sort Your Life Out. I did tear up at the end. They had so much stuff in their house and it didn't look like they did when the team first walked in! I think that was one of my favourite episodes.

I am going to organise another bulky waste collection on Monday. I have a list of 5 things so far, but I am going to go around the house and assess everything. I will obviously donate anything that could be reused to a charity or second hand shop.

Floss

charlies_tribe said:

Right now I'd give anything to be back in the house on the edge of the beach away from this mess but it's given me another kick to get it sorted.

Oh wow, that looks amazing, where did you go? x

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, just reporting in. I tried to post last night but lost it and was just too tired to redo it . Ok so the past few days have gone by in a blur of immitating a fiddlers elbow with the washing and dodging the monsoon showers. It took me 2 days to get 2 LDFPA and only then after I sent OH to the bag wash to dry the 6 pairs of jeans. I have had a couple of long chats with dsis who has been to the Drs and has had bloods taken and is booked in for an ECG as part of an mot. She is much more open to a reconciliation now and to quote her if she's not having open heart surgery she will think about going to the Caribbean. Such a drama . I told her to be positive and that she needs to tell dniece and dnephew what is going on. She did put a post on her family WhatsApp to tell them she is having tests so that is a step in the right direction. It is an ongoing source of annoyance to dniece and dnephew that she doesn't tell them if she is not feeling well. I am emotionally exhausted by it all. 
I have done very little else. OH went shopping and went mad in the fruit and veg isle so I have prepped loads of veg and it is now in the freezer and made a massive fruit salad so OH can eat it, also in the fridge. In recent years OH has developed an allergy to some fruit which is linked to hay fever. Apparently there are proteins in fruit that are very similar to the proteins in pollen which causes the problem. If the fruit is cooked or kept in orange juice which is acidic it denatures the protein so the problem is solved . I have cleared out the fridge, emptied the kitchen bin and kitchen recycling and the bedroom bin. I have another load of washing on the line which will be dealt with in a few minutes as it is dry. This afternoon we went into town as OH wanted to get my birthday present and I had to choose . Then we went to a cafe on the river side for a coffee and cake in the sunshine 🌞. After all the miserable grey we have had it was really lovely .
I am now waiting for dniece to call me and I am going to try for an early night .

@Vulpix sorry to hear about your and Mr V's health issues, healing vibes being sent your way with hopes you both make a speedy and complete recovery. Hugs

@weenancyinAmerica healing vibes also being sent across the pond with hopes for a speedy recovery, hugs.

Hugs to everyone who would like one
1302 bedroom bin emptied
1303 kitchen bin emptied
1304 kitchen recycling emptied
1305 + 1306 2 LDFPA
1307 fridge cleared and loads of fruit and veg sorted
Take care everyone
1307/2023

daisy_1571

vulpix  I think ur dd will be running right past my old house just before she gets to the sea  sorry to hear about the health issues 

Charlies_tribe photos look lovely.   Sorry to hear your conservatory is as bad as ever.  That must be quite disheartening as you were so brave showing the before and we were all so impressed by the afters.  

Florenceem I had been wondering how mr f was getting on.  Sounds like he's doing ok?  Your garden looks great 

WeenancyinAmerica hope you are feeling better today.  (feel free to ignore: Once you have recovered, I wonder if its getting time to be thinking about the longer term future for your household.  I'm sure you already have thought.   Do you maybe have a rough 5 or 10 year plan planned?  I know you dont want to chuck anyone out but its important to look out for, and after, yourself at times.   It really can't be doing you any good to live like you are forced to recently, such a responsibility and it doesn't sound like it will get any easier in the coming years.  I get the impression you either actually are, or you morally feel, completely responsible for your housemates but perhaps there needs to be a general intimation to those around them, professionally or family, that, for example,  you will be putting the house up for sale and downsizing in x number of years so they need to be planning for that.  Thats only a suggestion of one idea of course. Just my opinion from reading your updates, feel free to ignore of couse as only you know best and of course you don't need to respond in any way.  Sending hugs from Scotland) 

I'm sure there's more people to respond to but I cant remember specifics, apologies 

Thanks for the lovely comments re our new cat.  She's settling in well, slept a lot but I think she's put on a little weight as she has a good appetite for several little meals a day, she doesn't seem quite so bony to me.  Has had a few good explores around the house.  I wonder if she didn't get really deep sleep in the kennels?  Hopefully she's fully relaxed now    

Hugs to anyone who would like one 

Daisy xx