2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

QueenJess

Work is completely mental and I feel totally out of control at the moment. People keep asking for my help and I can get nothing done!  Hoping I can get through the worst of it this week so it goes back to busy rather than crazy.

A tiny bit of tidying and some using up got done. Trying to do tiny bits everyday as I am behind so at least I don’t get more behind!

Failed on getting clothes to the school for their collection, although I reminded DH multiple times to get me his bag to pack them in. So will have to find time to post them to the charity shop instead *sigh*. Apparently it is my fault 🙄 as I should have hunted round the house to find where DH had hidden them.

33,371-33,372 - store cupboard overstock used up 

33,373-33,374 - medical supplies not needed (binned)

33,375-33,381 - paper (reused, then recycled)

33,382-33,383 - worn out sheets (recycled)

33,384-33,388 - DS paper recycled

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

Tuesday has been a lovely bright day albeit a tad breezy on occasion 😉 Got up very late 😔 so did nothing on my list. Watched 4 episodes of Silent Witness. Strangely there are 2 episodes of Series 1 missing from BBC iPlayer 🤔 My DB phoned DH - everyone well & DB has lost 15kg by going to the gym every day after dropping off his boys at school 🤩 His older boy has been fishing & caught a large trout which was dinner for 6 👏 Our dinner was a full roast dinner - pork with crackling, roast potatoes & carrots, Yorkshire puddings, broccoli & cabbage 😋 Wudupa.

2051 - 2054 Kitchen recycling, cardboard box, drinks cans, newspaper - recycled 

2055 - 2056 Kitchen & lr detritus binned

DundeeDoll, what a lovely compliment  - I am blushing ☺️ Shame the trip to Pakistan is for work but hopefully you will have some time for sightseeing 🤞 It sounds like you & your mum have the decluttering well in hand 👏 Perhaps next year you could both hire yourselves out as professional declutterers 😉 Keep up the good work 😊

Fallen behind with the cheerleading again but have just noticed the time so I am off to bed 😉 I will catch up tomorrow 🤞

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 2056/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £469.00

DundeeDoll

Last night's 23 minutes declutter was spent decluttering the front garden - so nice to have my porch back - it got rather a lot shoved in it when the outhouse was being reorganised by the builder - we have of course just shoved everything in the shed but mum and I have agreed that's Sunday's job as Saturday is rather busy.
Glorious sunny morning, porridge eaten, lunch packed, time to trot off to work for another day of craziness for me too queenjess

Siebrie

Currently re-training husband on being in our household: no food upstairs, bring dirty dishes to the kitchen before you go to bed, plump the sofa and fold the blanket before you go to bed, spray the shower wall after showering (his soap suds go everywhere!), put the dry dirty linen in the basket, put your stuff away after you've used it....

---skip text below if you don't want any extra frustration----

For the last couple of months I was wondering where some of our tools were, the tools we use most often; I just couldn't find them in any of our 4 (!) tool boxes (husband thinks tool boxes will do the work for him, or something...). When I handed husband and daughters the bag of items for the bicycle repair session on Sunday, I realised that husband had put the spare parts to several projects in individual bags, WITH the necessary tools!! They were in plastic baggies inside a bag-for-life on a high-up shelf! (Can you feel my frustration??)

Every time I try to sort through the tool boxes I get halfway, then get interrupted, and husband chucks everything into them again and shelves them. He bought a tool suitcase with any tool you could need a few years ago, and wanted me to throw out the others without checking, but I didn't trust the quality of the new tools, and I was right, they are all rusty. My original tool box was complete, good quality, carefully collected, mainly second hand.

As another example of my frustration: do you know these sets where you have 1 handle and then several bits to put on top, that come in a holder by size? He removes those from the holder and chucks them in the toolbox, throwing away the holder. I just don't understand! Why purposely make everyone's life 20 times harder? Chores can be fun if you find the tools quickly, just 5-minute jobs that give satisfaction.

GrannyKate

Morning all.  My 'free' week has not happened as poor DGS4 still unwell.  Think it is novovirus.  Two days without sick and planning to go to school today but more vomiting last night all over freshly made bed.  Like a laundry here this week but at least duvet not 'caught' last night and I managed to wash everything rather than throw some out as I did on Sunday.  DS2 had a very local start job today so he could take DGD4 to school. DS2 did start on our trees at front.  We bought a small chain saw but it may not be powerful enough.  Not massive trees but I have not attended to them since DH died really and they have got too big.  The first few cut branches I have stripped off and got in garden bin for collection tomorrow.  Just the main branch bits to go in car to tip.  

Mrs SD - I have been recording recent re-runs of Silent Witness which are on TV really late at the moment.  I watched the 5 part drama The Inheritance but felt it fizzled out at the end.  Running alternatives round and round in my head re how to relocate study so we can use room as a bedroom.  DS2 won't start as I keep changing my mind.  Still only 2 frogs done from list of 10 which I wrote a couple of weeks ago. 

1271 Another notebook used up - will find another one somewhere. Note to self - do not buy any stationery.
1272 Small towel with shredded edges binned - I have plenty so no idea why I kept using it. 
1273 Box found for random small soft toys DGS4 seems to have strewn round the house (the sort of things you win in arcades)
1274 Garden bin filled up with weeds, old plants and pruning
1275 One set of garden pots refilled with new bulbs (Birthday present last week) and some dwarf chrysanthemums
1276 Really thorough clean of both bathrooms
1277-79 At least 3 x 10 things put away from around the house
1280 DGD4's school shirts ironed and hung up (I count this as I never iron much and hate doing it) 
1281 Most of October's cards purchased
1282 Emails read, deleted, answered, filed etc

flamingo747

Declutter DS back to school, does that count? Mr Flamingo decluttered this month's budget, and we're going to start on next month's. Two trips in October will require extra fuel and food money, and then at some point we will have the switch from tax creds to UC which means 5 weeks of no money in from that, must build a nest egg. Then Xmas, and in Jan MOT.

This year's MOT ate up all our savings, and we haven't recovered tthem.We overspend on food (especially takeaways), and need to stop. Need to up the pin money from surveys too.

Decluttered my paperwork folder, which is a job I hate for fear of throwing away something I need later, but it was bulging.

No storm yet, but shouldn't be long. Trampoline net packed down to be safe. Stay safe folks

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

Wednesday is another fine day - sunshine & blue skies. Up slightly earlier today (11:10) & straight into cheerleading 

vulpix, congratulations to you & MrV - 15 years together 🥳 It sounds like you are on the final leg of your decluttering/renovating journey 😊 Fingers crossed that you find your cutlery & mugs as you start getting the new kitchen restocked 🤞Re the cleaning stuff, I vaguely remember someone saying that even opened bottles are acceptable but for the life of me I cannot remember where 😔 I love the flooring in your sitting room 😊 Excellent work losing so much weight - that is almost 2 stone 👏 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 

flamingo747, well done on decluttering the huge spider - you are very brave 🦸 You are doing some excellent decluttering & cleaning 👏 Sorry to hear that DS is still poorly 🤒 Please remember to count hanging up the cross stitches & Otter canvas in your numbers 😉

Siebrie, very well done on persuading DH to spend time with his daughters getting their bikes ready for safe use over the coming months 👏 Hopefully the renovations will get back on track sometime in the not too distant future 🤞 I also see that you are well into winter preparations by retrieving the electric blankets from the attic 👏  

Liverpool_Anne, excellent decluttering & cleaning/tidying yesterday 👏 Very brave to hoover up the spiders, although I do understand why OH needed to empty the hoover 😉😅 What a social whirl - I do love the idea of a “birthday week” & I hope you enjoy your abseiling 😊 What lovely gifts from your friend’s daughter 😊 & good luck to you both when you start the ACAS process 🍀 Poor learner driver 😔 such a shame but hopefully a few more lessons with OH & confidence will be restored for another more successful attempt at a driving test. 

Florenceem, what a busy Tuesday 🤩 & lovely to hear that MrF is still improving enough for you to allow him to do things on his own 😊 

Excellent email decluttering oceanspirit 👏 & well done on dealing with phone calls & ongoing projects 👏 Good luck with uu of food items 🍀

TC77, sorry to hear that you are having such a tough time 😔 Hopefully now that the very stressful ‘major frog’ is out of your hands you will be able to get on track with everything else 🤞 I am asking St Anthony to help you find your bank card 🙏  Well done on getting so many mini projects started 👏However, I think you need to pop into the TLC Carriage for a much needed break to decompress from the stress of dealing with the ‘major frog’ 🙏 Just wondering if it is at all possible to delay the visit to your dad’s house? Surely your DB can see how stressed you are 🤨 without this added pressure. Meanwhile I am sending you some virtual 💐 & lots of hugs 🤗 

flamingo747, hugs 🤗 & flowers 💐 coming your way. So sorry to hear that life is so hard at the moment 😔 

I have caught up another page but my concentration is flagging so will post this & come back later 😉

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 2056/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £469.00

flamingo747

Feeling much brighter this afternoon.  

New canvas and wall sign hung (+2). Pulled out hallway drawers for sort and purge of winter accessories (+3 for donations, +20 for rag bag). Going to add 30 for the paperwork from this morning. Tool box had a little jig around when Mr Flamingo tried to fix letterbox (+2 for brushes put from tool box into letterbox, +1 surplus old tooth brush from in there to the bin). So that's 58 today that I'll add in a mo. 

Florenceem

I kept looking at my messages last night and nothing came from the officer so thought he must be doing the food delivery. Went to bed - looked at my phone and a message was there - came after 10 to say - collection at 9.30. So Mr F and I got up and dressed - went to SA - got the food in and sorted it out at 11.15.
Today was lunch club - lots of people brought stuff in for Saturday's table top sale. Officer is borrowing 4 tables from another Church as we have a lot of people wanting a table.
After lunch club we went to the Doctor's surgery for my Shingles jab.
Mr F has gone out again to deliver flyers about the sale.

stellata

I have a new vac! It's really good I've done all the carpets before the novelty wears off. Half price in a sale, I saw it in the shop window as I was parking to drop off some stuff at the chaz, so I went in and nabbed it. Get me with my posh Hoover!

Hospital not very reassuringly tell me they know I'm urgent but can't give me a date yet. I'm resigned to it though and quite looking forward to my 4 day weekend now, it'll give me time to go through my finances and stores and see how I'm going to cope on the reduced wages. It's a huge relief despite the money aspect. 

Took a hideous clock into the chaz, glad to see the back of that.