2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, I have been awake since 6 so I was looking for something to do that was quiet so I didn't wake OH. I have just about finished my christmas cards, a couple left that I don't have an address for but OH does so I will do those when I get their address. 
When I got back from Dorset I had a parking notice in the post. Very annoying as I know I paid and got a ticket to exit through the barrier so I appealed. I have received an answer, appeal denied. I have sorted my handbag while looking for the parking ticket but no luck. Lots of other carp binned though. I will check the car when I am dressed but I am not hopeful. I paid cash so there is no record on my bank statement so I have a feeling I will have to pay it. Lesson learned pay with a card in future so there will be a record somewhere or take a photo of it

@Vulpix re strange card senders, have you tried thinking of the names in other versions, e.g. instead of Ronald and Lorraine try Ron and Lainy etc. Sometimes people abreviate and I don't connect with the full name . A neighbour signs her cards Lucille but we call her Lucy. I had to ask another neighbour who Lucille was

Right off to make another cuppa and I will read for a while.

1578 cards written
1579 handbag sorted
Take care everyone
1579/2023

Happy_Kitties

*362 fridge cleared of bits to go into recycling, given a clean ready for Christmas items
*363-364 Duneln bags of joy x 2 dropped off. Did include extra spare bits I had in my present stash but didn’t count how many
*365-375 presents x 11 dropped off, really using up the stash of gift bags aswell in the process
*376 bauble broken-binned. Sentimental one aswell but it doesn’t take away the good memories🙂
*377 cat bed used by one of my cats who passed away earlier this year, washed, cleaned up, ready for the local sanctuary. In very good condition due to the fact she never got the hang of you could sleep in it and slept on top of it!

Told a friend not to go overboard on spending money on me for Christmas (they did last year and I felt guilty) if they really wanted to get me a present, a token present would be fine and gave them some ideas. Would rather they spent their money on their kids and if I need anything through the year I tend to buy it for myself so relatives always complain I am difficult to buy for!

Siebrie

What helps me in my declutterring is my own little recycling centre:
It’s a low long cardboard box that pulls out from the lowest shelf in my pantry. It holds:
- a paper bag for deceased electronics
- a paper bag for bits of hard plastics
- a small govt-issued box for dead batteries
- a bag for plastic bottle tops
- an old metal container for bits of metal
- old ballpoint pens
- usually (but not currently) a paper bag for miscellaneous items

As you can see, there is some overflow, but everything is still contained in or on the cardboard box.

It’s very easy to just grab the whole box when we go to the container park. All items are free to drop off, because they are properly sorted. The only items that come back are the cardboard box and the small battery box.

The plastic bottle tops are a Belgian recycling thing, where the company that recycles them sponsors a dog for the blind with every 13 million bottle tops they receive.

Paper and glass are somewhere else in the garage, and are picked up by the local council once a month. Organic waste is picked up every fortnight; PMD is picked up the other fortnight.

Any leftover waste goes in a special bin liner, that costs €2 per 30 litre bin liner. It’s well worth it to split the trash as well as possible.

EnergyShifter

I've still been very up and down with mood / energy levels. Its a Winter / pre-Christmas thing mostly. Although there are other contributing factors - ill health of a number of friends and family, an unresolved family issue  which has become more poignant at Christmas.  I really need to shake myself out of the doldrums though!

Back to work tomorrow which perhaps isn't such a bad thing - and its only 2 weeks to wait for another break.  

Tasks 

0

IN (running total 202) 

0

OUT (running total 596)

597-9: 3 x books to station library

600. Bag

601. Top

602: socks advent calendar (from gift stash) to Niece

@Vulpix - glad you will be joining me counting "INS" as well as "OUTS" next year.  It has really helped me think before I buy.  I don't count consumable items as I don't stockpile those and don't count them out.  So my 202 items represent "permanent" items eg clothes, books, household items etc.  

Thanks for the encouragement @MrsSD - I've decluttered a few things since I last posted so I am only 4 items short of my 1:3 ratio. 

Keep Warm everyone  

Muddy_Walker

Hello all.....had my treatment Friday so slept most of yesterday. Managed to get up today and do some important bits but am now back in bed. The dogs keep running in and out to see me - they want their tea - hubby is in charge of that today.
I have a Christmas quiz to write for our work buffet Wednesday and will do 3 sections - movies, music and mystery aka "hard" section.
Decluttered my virus to hubby who is not at all happy oops but rather this side of Christmas than the day itself.
Lots of cardboard has been put out ready for recycling and the house now looks much better. My lovely cleaner's last visit is this week coming I think so I want to get her a little gift to thank her for all her hard work this year.

I have been thinking about what I want to achieve in 2024 - much more walking and some of those lovely Welsh mountains...........getting the garden under control but I've been saying that for years lol. There are also 2 RODs to tackle which are hubby's domain but he gets overwhelmed and then makes things worse...

During the Christmas break I'll be looking at my pension.

Anyway take care all!

Brie

@vulpix
The sheet is not particularly old (less than 5 years) and so not very thin.  I've found a piece of iron on fabric and may use that to glue it together and then stitch some more.  It was from John Lewis so one has a certain expectation of quality.    And I'm loving the bear tree and the other decorations as well.

Meanwhile OH has done a complete tidy of the linen cupboard getting rid of some bed linen as well as towel sets that he decided he didn't like.  He also cleared out a kitchen drawer that had acquired the picnic cutlery and napkins so that's been added as well to the charity bag.  Nice to know that we are now down to a mere 3 very complete sets of cutlery plus only another 6 or 7 sets of matching knives and forks.  Some day I'll have a proper look at all of it if only to determine how many dozens of people we could invite for dinner before needing to wash up.  

And I have done some minor bits - found my TD cash card which had expired so that's been chopped and binned.  Went through my "all my info" book and took out the pages that were way out of date (things to do after FiL died which was in 2017 etc).

Really sad one - binned the Christmas card addressed to MiL.  She died Sept 2022 and after that I decluttered her old address book, not realising that I no longer had the spreadsheet with her Christmas card list.  So the card received this week was from her old friend Marian and of course has no return address on it.  I would love to be able to write and explain as simply not getting a response is very sad to me.  I expect there might be a couple more cards received - which freaks the OH out completely - if it didn't I would have put the card already here up on display.  

QueenJess

Parents brought a load of stuff up, although not quite as much as usual and they have stated they only have 20 boxes left in their loft.  Fingers crossed it all gets easier from here then!  I sorted out half the stuff they brought up (got a big pile of games to probably play and decide which to keep) and then packed up the charity bag and a box of books I can get £5 for that DH can take tomorrow.

Trying to tidy at the moment with a 1:10 ratio (1 thing to get rid of for every 10 things tidied).  I'm relatively decluttered, but hoping this will keep me thinking and ensuring the maintenance decluttering still happens.  Found I had 5 puzzles stashed under the sofa still, so I am really going to have to get rid of some.  Will take time as I need to make them to decide whether I want to make them again or not.  Will try and pick the ones I think I won't want to make again to do first.

Digital:
38,558-38,569 - items deleted on online favourites list

Physical:
38,570-38,579 - parents stuff got rid of prior to arriving at my house!
38,580-38,583 - my clothes (charity bag)
38,584-38,729 - tiny toys got rid of (charity bag)
38,730-38,743 - toys from parents loft (Buy Nothing)

Floss

@QueenJess well done on managing the incoming stuff 😁

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Evening all
Not been able to properly catch up, think I've only been away from the thread for a few weeks but got about 20 pages to catch up on! 
I've continued to declutter paperwork and soft plastics. I've also decluttered some OOD stuff from the freezer when I defrosted it. It was so iced up I couldn't get one of the drawers in there so it was on the kitchen floor for months! It's now in place in the freezer where it belongs
DD1 tried to sell a small sideboard of mine on Fb but without success; one person messaged and seemed interested but it didn't happen so it will go to the CS hopefully before Xmas. I've got a bag of stuff to take as well.
I've got my tree and decs up and have hand delivered one card; I took my cards away with me for a long weekend in Sherwood Forest but was too busy having fun and eating chocolates to write them oops!
I'm counting down the days till I can declutter work and enjoy the festive break
Love to all
Deni x

bit_by_bit

A  quick whizz though the thread since last writing as I am heading off to bed.

I have been doing some more sorting but the house is now in a terrible mess again desptie the hoard definitely going down.

DD went off to Canada yesterday so I am using her bed to put everything for the loft on.

I have allocated bags for the CS, a charity stall in spring run by a friend, more books for the charity shelf at the garden centre and the charity shop,

Finally I went through all my card and gift paper stash.Some has been thrown, some used. I have a nice big box of the wrapping that comes around flowers and some baskets which are also going to the spring charity thing. I will be passing them on in between Christmas and New Year.

DH took a bag of DVDs and CDs to the charity table at the supermarket today so one bag counted out. 

Having a pause tomorrow as vulpix is coming for a visit