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

DH & DSis got back just gone 12:00. NO SCAN 🙄 a lung function test & now DSis needs to book a scan - you couldn’t make it up 😔 I have been gone rather longer than I intended BUT I have made use of my time by reading the site that Liverpool_Anne recommended 👏(https://www.thesimplicityhabit.com/slow-declutter-method/) 

weenancy, sorry to hear that Di has tested positive for Covid 😔 Absolutely everything crossed that you are negative 🤞 I am continually amazed at your positive attitude to everything that life throws at you - you definitely embody that old adage of “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” 😊 Virtual hugs 🤗 & flowers 💐 winging their way across the Atlantic 😃 Hope the cat gets well soon 🤞

Lovely to see you Moorviews 👋 Thank you so much for sharing the positive outcomes of your decluttering journey 👏 - it gives us all hope that if we work steadily & consistently we will notice not only an improvement but will also form new habits 🥳 I am also pleased for you that MrMV is now fully onboard the EDT - it is always gratifying when other members of your household join in on the decluttering journey 😊 One Gold Star ⭐️ coming your way plus a medal 🏅 for MrMV 👏 I would also like to thank you for my medal 🏅 which has already been added to my signature 😊

Excellent decluttering nannywindow 👏 I agree you should be stopping DH’s pocket money especially as I imagine he is NOT working on the ‘One in, one out’ principle 🤣 

Lovely post Gers 😊 I whole heartedly agree with your ‘wish’ for weenancy 😊

2Scratters, I did smile at the “I went to look for a safety pin yesterday as was being lazy and not at this time wanting to get the needle and thread out.” 😆 Your supposed laziness ended up being a rather good mini decluttering session 👏 Well done to DH for cleaning out both cars - a medal 🏅 is on its way to him. So very sorry to hear that the diamond from your ring has gone walkabout 😔 Let us hope that vulpix’s words reach St Anthony & that you can find your diamond 🤞

Lovely posts vulpix 😊

Forgot to put the timer on but have caught up on another page 😉 P.S. DSis has managed to book a scan for tomorrow 👏

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 2047/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00

flamingo747

Hope everyone's day is going well. DS is off school with a cold that he brought home from DNieces oops.  I've started pulling around living room for skirtings and deep vac, uncovered 5 things down the back of radiator from when DS was a toddler, decluttered. Also passing on a poker set to craft club. 

Plumber came to replace leaky tap unit  new one acquired, old one decluttered.  

Best get on with the living room nut lost momentum as had to do groceries

Brie

short_bird said:

I read somewhere that one family had different coloured dots which they stuck to anything they were interested in. So, if something didn't have a dot, it could safely go. I wish I could remember how they resolved the items that everyone wanted or if it appeared that someone wanted everything, thus reviving childhood patterns of jealousy. 

All us 4 have read the book "They Left Us Everything" which is about death and decluttering.  In that they had an auction.  As I recall they each said they had $20k and could bid on anything they wanted.  If someone bid on the same item they could have a bidding war - as long as they had the "funds".  It meant that they had to decide what they wanted, and how badly they wanted it.  

This would work well if we were talking large expensive items but we're talking about is a basement full of old preserving jars, cider jugs, skiis, canoe paddles.  Basically the sort of stuff you see decorating hipster avocado serving coffee bistros.  

Floss

short_bird said:

I read somewhere that one family had different coloured dots which they stuck to anything they were interested in. So, if something didn't have a dot, it could safely go. I wish I could remember how they resolved the items that everyone wanted or if it appeared that someone wanted everything, thus reviving childhood patterns of jealousy. 

Me & my siblings had a similar process when clearing the family home but we were all together so had heaps. Those things more than one person wanted were bartered for! 

Sadly, my middle brother lived in such squalor that when he was taken into hospital after collapsing with a perforated ulcer, everything in his flat had to be destroyed including some of our parents' things.

vulpix

Phew. Contents of the uninsulated shed brought in the house. I am on a mission. Someone is coming to collect the empty boxes tomorrow. I am glad it is all in, the boxes feel a little damp. Some more oak work top found at the back of the boxes. We have contacted the man who bought the previous lot, to give it him. He makes chopping boards. 

 Thank you for my stars Mrs SD. I am certainly not going minimalist 🤣 no fear of that!

 Siebrie, I agree, plant milk can be awfully sweet. My preference is unsweetened oat milk. 

 I love the glitter ball. Mr V bought it me when we first got together. I have thought about putting it in the garden. But I can’t think just where! I had a brain wave the other day and thought it could go in the studio. 

 Ugh, washing to bring in and put on the airer. Found some plasterboard dumped in the garden which has disintegrated in the rain. Need to clean that up. Grrr. 

 Love to all Vx 

 ps more stuff to the chazzer. New number 947.

Florenceem

I didn't look at my messages yesterday - really am bad at that - found one this morning about counting money with my SA officer. So spent quite some time in his office doing that.
DGs J is coming tomorrow to strim the back garden - hopefully be the last time as I have accepted the quotes for paving in the back garden and side alley - Mr F even said that he would pay!
I have enquired about the cost of a double wheelie bin container.

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

Back again 😉 I have made up risotto cakes & salvaged the last of the lettuce for tonight’s dinner. Then watched the first 2 episodes of Series 1 of Silent Witness with Amanda Burton. Will not be binge watching as there 26 Seasons 😬 Now back to cheerleading - timer set & coffee made 😉

flamingo747, shame about the lost diamond from your engagement ring 😔 but at least you had your new DS to distract you 😉 Well done on getting the passports sorted out on Saturday 👏 - have passports, will travel 😄 Excellent work cleaning the living room on Sunday 👏 Good luck with the carpet cleaning 🍀 May I ask are you doing it yourself or getting someone in? I love the idea that you are more excited about Disneyland than your 11 year old son 😂 but then as you say he is a grownup now 😉 Early birthday greetings for Saturday 🎉 🎂 You do know that you can start counting backwards now - so next year you will be 39 😉

Florenceem, so pleased that Saturday’s barbecue went so well 😊 & how lovely that the lo cakes were shared out on Sunday morning 👏 I do hope you managed to get some rest in the afternoon as it sounds like you have a very busy week ahead of you.

Liverpool_Anne, thanks for the recommendation of the simplicity habit website. I am enjoying reading it - lots of useful hints & tips & very well written 👏

QueenJess, very pleased to hear that your stupendous amount of decluttering this year meant that it was a quick job to tidy up before visitors arrived 👏🥳 Good luck with the maintenance decluttering & completing your tasks for the week 🍀 Well done on keeping your numbers ticking over 👏

daisy_1571, I have been enjoying it too - a relaxed writing style makes it so easy to read 😊

Excellent decluttering/tidying & sorting of tadpoles florianatwobob 👏 Let us know when you & DSis have finished the decorating as I will book you up to do our house 😉😉

🤩 EnergyShifter, that was a busy week 🤩 Getting to & from the course might have been tiring but it sounds like not only was the course fantastic but you reinvigorated yourself with your lunch time walks 😊 Hopefully this week will not be quite so busy 🤞

flamingo747, a busy Sunday - lots of cleaning & you still managed to do some decluttering as well 👏

Fizz2015 it seems quite a few of the declutterati are enjoying the link from Liverpool_Anne 😊 Hopefully you & OH have cleared the air & the threat of applying to Sort Your Life Out has been rescinded 🤞 I am sending you hugs 🤗 & flowers 💐 Sending good wishes to your family member for continued recovery from their stroke 😊 Well done on decluttering weeds & half the ironing pile 👏

Great work on the digital decluttering oceanspirit 👏 Reminds me that I need a quick go through of my emails 😉

One more page caught up 🙂

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 2047/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £469.00

Happy_Kitties

Many thanks for my two gold stars Mrs SD. I was really happy to drop off the neutral items knowing they are going to make a difference. If I can do 400 items by the end of the year I will be extra happy. The room where the items were stored looks empty even when they were tidily stored away. I still haven’t done the hoovering in that room. 

Generally I have been plodding along. In the process of decluttering the neutral items I found two boxes of Lindt chocolates out of date by a couple of months. They tasted slightly stale aswell but have stuck with them, using one dropped in my porridge every morning which was really nice. 

So general total
*266-267 boxes of Lindt chocolate x 2 eaten
*268-269 christening photo frames x 2 that DD doesn’t want as they look a state and very tarnished-recycling
*270 fluffy moneybox in DDs room that fell off the wardrobe and plastic broke inside. Monies donated to charity, the plastic went in recycling and the fluffy outer bit, the rag bag.

off to update my signature with my gold stars!

weenancyinAmerica

My Covid test showed a pink line still. Vice-President of Friends of the Anaheim Public Library doesn't really like to hold meetings - so today's meeting was cancelled. Hope everyone is well by next month as the Library is providing cake for National Friends of the Library month. Our head librarian really loves the idea of overseas members so much that she has a wall chart with the information. We have books in Chinese, Korean, and Arabic on the online site too. Our community is so mixed. At one point my father had 27 languages in just one of his math classes. The schools here provide translators for 54 languages if needed. You can eat out at a different country's restaurant everyday for over a month if you wanted too. Effect of Disneyland being here. It makes life so much more interesting this way. 

City will pick up the sofa we are getting decluttered of thanks to cat. Will probably give just the push to redo the living room a bit any way. I don't think cat is sick - I think something scared her when she was using her kitty litter box and she is afraid to go near it. So will need to put a box for her in another place.

Just wish that when you had nothing on the calendar except the normal cleaning and laundry, you also had the energy to clean. That never seems to match up. Making to do lists instead interspersed with a little cleaning. We are still having warm weather. Of course, we have some all year round here so can't pack away a summer wardrobe because even in the winter we will have one or two weeks of warm weather each month. Except they are predicting a wet and cooler winter. Who knows - I may have to find the box of sweaters. I've been only using a couple that I hadn't packed away, but this sounds like it will be a sweater year. I bought a number of them in Scotland and Ireland I am looking forward to wearing. 

Hope everyone has a better week than last. 

Soontobeoap

Dh has suddenly fiund his mojo and has spent the last 2 days cleaeing his dexk and filing. He had filled 2 bin bags with paper rubbish for recycling! I didnt know that his desk could hold that much paperwork!

I have started clearing my 5 big carrier bags of plastic bottles. 2 bags are now empty and one is full of Santa boots that have been made from them. The remaining bits have gone in recycling bin.

The craft shed is beginning to look much clearer but the house is full of crafting bits again so a bit of reorganising is going to happen again tomorrow. Family are coming fot weekend so I need to get a bit straight before then