2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD

GrannyKate

Lost my post so will do it again later.  @Liverpool_Anne do go on the MSE Travel and Transport Forum and look at Motoring - parking - loads of helpful advice from experts.

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, back rather ‘later’ than I intended 😔 I did finish writing all my Christmas cards bar one 🥳 & they are ready for posting. Just waiting for R to send me her brother’s address in Australia 🤞I will deliver the neighbours cards sometime tomorrow. Watched The Girl Before - quite odd but enjoyable in a weird way. Dinner was breadcrumbed fish, oven chips & baked beans. Wudupa. Paid the milkman before going to bed. The two weeks comes around so quickly 😥 

2489 - 2491 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, magazine - recycled 

2492 Kitchen detritus binned 

Wednesday is another dark damp day & colder than of late - only 4C at 08:45. I am up & dressed with my first cuppa, timer set & starting the cheerleading 🤞

vulpix, I did have to smile at your tale of your mum’s alarm bracelet 😄 As you say at least it was proof that the system worked although it probably gave you a few grey hairs 😔 Sounds like you had a lovely time with bit_by_bit on Monday 😊 Great work decluttering some of the squatter’s stuff 🥳 Your DD’s tenant sounds like a bit of a nuisance 😔 Hopefully it will be the only request for extra work 🤞 Please be careful when you & MrV start lugging around a heavy mattress 🙏 Hope you have seen the PM I sent you 🤞

charlies_tribe, sorry to hear that the lovely snow has been replaced by flooding 😔 Please stay safe 🙏  Fingers crossed that the shed is now delivered in the New Year 🤞 Good luck with project ‘Empty Conservatory & Tidy Up Before Christmas’ 🍀 December seems to have whizzed by so I am keeping everything crossed that your family pitch in with the tidying & decluttering so that you can have a relaxed Christmas Day 🤞

Liverpool_Anne, sorry to hear about the blood test results 😔 but hopefully once you have started taking your new tablets you will start to feel better 🤞How lovely of your DSis to send a surprise package & your nephew to send you an unexpected gift 😊 I hope you were gentle 😉 as he obviously loves his auntie 😊 Lovely chatty 2nd half of post & everything crossed that your offer to be a key holder is accepted 🤞

Siebrie, I love that your DD’s take over the weekend cooking 👏 & it sounds like your eldest will soon be able to be completely unsupervised 🤞

Lovely post bit_by_bit 😊

Brie, sounds like a wonderful idea to have the doctor & emergency services as key holders although I imagine quite difficult to manage nowadays with both services being so busy 🤔 Although I did have a quiet chuckle at your comment “…. but the nurses from the surgery would show up and let themselves in if they needed to take a blood pressure reading or whatever.  it's a great system for those that live on their own.  Also a bit disconcerting if you also live there and suddenly hear someone chattering away to MiL when you are stepping out of the shower....  We did ask the nurses to ring a day ahead so we'd know but somehow that didn't often work!” Disconcerting indeed 😅

Floss, thanks for the suggestion about the shingles jab 🤞

vulpix, well done on getting the door curtain sorted even though it took longer than anticipated 👏 You must be so pleased that you have made your last ever curtain 😉 Some lovely encouragement for charlies_tribe to visit the cave 😊

I remember that idea from my childhood & early adulthood “the cook doesn’t do the washing up” Didn’t really work in my case as I rather like doing the washing up 🤣

What a ‘bleep, bleep’ nightmare GrannyKate 😡 Everything crossed that the bank card wasn’t used 🤞🤞 

2Scratters, love the story about your friend 😊 Just goes to prove that you should always wear knickers rather than a thong 😂 Sorry 😔

~FlowerPot~, I could almost ‘hear’ the relief in your post that the working week was done & you could do some housework 🙂 Then almost ‘heard’ the disappointment that you had so much else to do that the housework would have to wait 😔 Maybe DS1 could lend a hand 😉 Although I am sorry to hear that he has quit uni, it might be that it is not quite what he expected 🤔 Reminds me that my DB didn’t enjoy the experience first time around but went back a few years later & got his degree 🙂 So there is still hope especially as his gf is continuing her studies 🤞Maybe you could get your youngest to do all the washing up 😉 it might concentrate the mind that doing the cooking sometimes is far easier 😅

Brie, that is a stupendous amount of crockery 😂 Sounds like an experiment is in order - no washing up until every item of crockery & cutlery is used 🤣 Although thinking about it, it probably wouldn’t work as unless you have an enormous kitchen with lots of work surface there would be nowhere to stack the dirty dishes & cutlery 🙊 Sorry to hear that MiL’s address list has definitely been lost 😔 Excellent decluttering of garden waste 👏 & you never know, someone might just be looking for a temporary trug - with or without handles🤞

Excellent decluttering short_bird, especially the digital decluttering 👏

Excellent work Soontobeoap 👏 Rather a good feeling to see the results of your continued efforts in decluttering being rewarded by having a tidier house 😊

My concentration is flagging a bit now, so will post this & come back a little later 👋 

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

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

Decluttering Target 2023: 2492/2023

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £679.00

daisy_1571

Thousands of miles away but im all in a fankle hoping that Bella's visit overnight went well     got everything crossed she was a good girl and likes her potential new pack 

Some really good works going on, some frustration too,, too much to comment but im reading along.  Im bestowing to anyone who wants a hug only hugs from a distance today 🤗  as I have woken up with a huge sore throat 😥 

Think I'll have to declutter my music group xmas lunch tomorrow as they are all older (than even me!) and I don't want to pass anything on, especiallyat this time of year.   Was looking forward to it but can't be helped. 

Having finally finished making the biggest set of curtains I've ever been asked to do, I've almost got the big room back to normal so maybe we will put the trees up this afternoon if I can summonthe energy. 

Queen jess, I recognised myself in some of the things you write,  your self imposed idea that you have to do all the puzzles before deciding which to keep.   I do stuff like that.  Impose these ideas on myself and this never ending list of things I 'have' to do sits at the back of my mind stressing me quietly.   I think im going to try to keep an eye on this and be kinder to myself from now on.  The police are very unlikely to come to my door checking if I've properly read each book in my enormous bag of books to be read before moving it on for example.   Freeing.  

Mrs sd we have been working our way through new tricks again from the first one.  Quite enjoying them and I know you like a series to work through so just a suggestion 

Take care everyone 

Daisy xxx

QueenJess

@daisy_1571 Yes, I am a bit of a perfectionist at heart.  However, many of the puzzles I got from my local buy nothing and my parents so I haven't actually made them yet.  Would like to make them once before ejecting them as I sometimes find the ones I think will be irritating to make are actually quite fun.

I should make some more decisions though as I am holding out to make some again before I decide, which is unnecessary.  I can already think of 2 that I didn't enjoy much making, so I should really get those on Buy Nothing before Xmas as they seem to be going really well on there at the moment!

vulpix

Oh Wednesday,your day can only get better 

 Everything is crossed for Bella, re homing her with new siblings to play with would make my Christmas.xxx

 Epic day yesterday,sorting DD1's tenant. As well as removing the mattress he was concerned about mould in the bay window. He is a very anxious chap. I explained that he needs to open a window when he is drying his washing on the radiator and move the sofa a little from where he has it against the wall in the bay window just to have a bit of airflow. I wiped the mould off with bleach to his amazement.
 Whilst in Sheffield I went in a couple of shops and picked up some treats for Mr V, for Christmas and he selfishly has a Birthday next week too. We have bought tickets to see The book of Mormon as our Christmas gifts and were supposedly not buying anything else. Grrrrrrr he has bought me some " surprises" even though he has promised in the past to stop buying me stuff. Anyhoo, he has a new wallet for his birthday and a giant jumbo towel for Christmas! I think I at least will be joining DD1 and BF in not buying new wherever possible next year. I do not NEED anything.

 I am going to start on some Christmas makes this afternoon. Maple glazed almonds and some marshmallow pops ( not for me).I have already made chilli jam.

 I am about to look through the bedding drawers, I have identified some duvet covers to go but I think I have excess single sheets too.

 New numbers 1445

 Vx

Brie

I realised this morning that one of the things that needs decluttering is my brain.  If I may explain.....not the actual brain but all the plans spinning around in it. 

I was getting ready for work and thinking about what I had already done (tablets, shower, coffee, cereal, present and card for friend, present and card for colleague) and starting ticking through what else I needed to do today (lunch with friend and.....???)  Well there are lots of things I could try to jam in. 

I'm making Christmas cards but won't have time to do more today, might manage to finish one started ready to post to a friend tomorrow, might manage to finish a second one to post to mom, I'll be going to the post office as friend and mom aren't in the UK so will take my passport application along to send registered but need to check I've got everything and addressed the envelope properly and Oh, since I'm going to work and there's a paper cutter there if I take my art paper I can neatly trim the cards and prep some more papertofinishmakingtherestofthecardsonFridaymorningbeforegoingtoworkat2butneedtoringthebookshopforthatpresentandandandandandand.....

See what I mean?  So told myself to stop being in such a rush and that it was better to do 2 or 3 things properly than making a mess of several. 

Big sigh of relief.  Got through lunch with friend and exchanged gifts (his to me is extensive and wrapped marvelously and mine is a cheap fun thing chucked in a gfit bag - but I will not feel guilty) and now I'm going to relax and let someone cook me a nice dinner.  

charlies_tribe

Good evening all. A busy few days. I've been trying to clean conservatory while entertaining DGD as DD1 is cleaning the mould from her bathroom before the landlord cones to fit a better fan.

I've got a huge pile of rubbish at the bottom of the stairs and every other room is crammed full but the conservatory is ready for the tree and lights at the weekend.

Top pictures are the conservatory at the beginning of the year (for those that didn't see the junk room) and today, table currentlypushed in to the corner as DGD has smacked her eye off every corner already. The bottom pictures were today's job! The kids say it doesn't look any different though 🤣 The pile of books under the window (it goes right under the table) are waiting to go. Just the top shelf that I can't reach and the windowsill behind the shelves that I can't reach.


Today I've realised while sorting the shelves,  I've bought DS2 the same jigsaw for Christmas that I've bought 2 years in a row, he still has one already sealed 🙈 wonder if I can take it back without the receipt, I only have the collection email, I don't think he needs it a 3rd time!

Just a small list of things that have actually left the house already.

2310-2314 500 emails deleted
2315-2316 2x pairs trainers washed and returned to DD1
2317-2326 10 x Delivery boxes recycled 

QueenJess

A bit more progress today, although I'm already struggling to keep the tidying up with the amount of decluttering I find.  Once everywhere is slightly tidier, I may tweak the ratio a bit.  For now, I'll keep it as is and see how it goes.  If it gets too hard, I'll drop to 1 declutter for 8 items to tidy. 

Everywhere is being tackled now... my bedroom, the kitchen/diner and the library.  I even ventured into DS's room.  These are generally the hotspots.  I have a feeling I may have a bit more decluttering to do than I thought.  To get to 40,000 items, I would need to get rid of another 1,200.  I'm thinking 200 physical and 1,000 digital could work, which would be about 12 a day physical and around 60 digital to get me there.  Will carry on the tidying stuff for now (and still need to finish the sewing activities), but may restart the digital work in the evenings as you can only do so much at once before it gets boring/overwhelming.

Digital:
38,777-38,778 - items deleted from favourites list
38,779-38,791 - alarms I don’t use on my phone deleted

Physical:
38,792-38,793 - paper (reused, then recycled)
38,794 - broken card binned
38,795-38,796 - Puzzles on Buy Nothing
38,797 - DS tat recycled
38,798 - old lab book recycled
38,799-38,800 - packaging reused

EnergyShifter

Well I've made it to the end of my working week - including the extra day.  My energy levels (& mood) have been really up & down all week, but this afternoon / eve I appear to be on an "up".

Work has finished on the bathroom for Christmas.  It's not 100% completed but nearly there.  I will be having a heated towel rail put in next week and the the boxing and flooring will be finished in the New Year.  

Today I have been able to return things to their proper places - there is no longer a bath screen behind the TV - its actually on the wall of the bathroom & the ironing board, broom etc (& numerous items) are back in the under-stairs cupboard !!  

Tasks 

A mega - returning things to their rightful places session....  

IN (running total 204) 

0

OUT (running total 605)

606 - Lucky cat ornament

607 - folder

608 - pack of insoles

609 - lamp shade

610 - blue pallet collected

611. Radiator left outside the house for scrap

 

Nearly back to my 3:1 ratio !! Thanks for the encouragement @Mrs SD

Muddy_Walker

I’ve had a very up and down week…..the quiz was very well received, my new team loved it 😊

my steps are not so good -  I want to hit 500 miles this year and I’m on 475…..so close yet so far

and the biggest disappointment was my charity fund raising. For years I have fully supported all charity events and stuff at work and really thought that when it came to me I would do well. Never met so much apathy in my life. I’ve only raised just over £100 with my snowflakes and the majority of that were 2 big purchases from a relative and a friend. I’ve made a loss and feel absolutely gutted. Like a smack in the face. I’ve brought the snowflakes home and left them in a bag for now, can’t even look at them. All that time and effort……

sorry to be so negative but I was so hopeful! 😢