2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

QueenJess

Just did an absolute ton of tidying (including in DS's room) and the house still isn't perfectly tidy.  I'm starting to think we still have more stuff that needs to be weeded out.  Getting worried about DS's party here next week if I can't get it tidy!  Some more things did leave the house today though:

Digital:
6 -  items removed from favourites list

Physical:
2 - packaging, reused
11 - DS tat recycled
1 - coat hanger binned
2 - DS stuff (Buy Nothing)
3 - micro green plastic tray with parts (Buy Nothing)

New total = 2,251

My parents are coming tomorrow, so fingers crossed please that they won't bring much with them At least I know my sister (who is also coming) wants lots of cardboard boxes, so I will be offloading as many as I can to her!

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger you are right - it is 11.5 days of work left.  I only have 2.5 days of it next week as I have lots of holiday to take and need to take time to prep for DS's party next week (including making a cake).

TC77

@EnergyShifter well done on having a good builder, and @QueenJess , your house sounds very tidy - perfectly tidy sounds a very tough ambition esp with kids.
With just me I have to face how despite trying really hard to be tidy I just struggle to keep things in their place, those gremlins again.
Did drop off CS bag, adding a new but not fitting me bra, and pink storage box, and posted a sold item, and used a box I was going to use for storage so another item out, old bra to textile bag, bank frog, got tyres checked while getting licence plate light checked - just a loose wire so they kindly didn't charge me, also sent tax return (mostly done before). Did buy a new to me pair of trews from the CS but has my donations included others feels ok esp as not counting ins!
DB rang me to say my niece's boyfriend could help with getting things from my dad as DNephew was busy with uni work and I wasn't ready. Still not ready and the fear of someone I don't really know coming in my house is very scary. Deciding if too early but he gets a shift pattern for a few weeks so either in 2 weeks or maybe March. I would like the desk and feel that would help me organise stationery etc. Have another couple of folders etc to pass on. Only 6 physical items so 141. 
Will start another CS bag tomorrow hopefully

wishus

What I'm counting today: a glass in a gift bag, crushed by a fainting husband. He's okay, it was a few days ago. And two bottles of disgusting herb cola. We weren't ever going to voluntarily drink them, so pointless keeping them. 

Not counting: funky dead mouse. That's a stinky mouse not a disco mouse. Located under the bed. Thanks, cat...

Dizzycap

mehefin said:

This is what 153 boxes of books looks like !!

WOW! I do know from past experience but a refresher course is sometimes needed on the neccesity of decluttering!

LOL!

Well, I don't know what's happened but I have decluttered the house completely and given it a good spring clean!

Thank goodness for the cold and bad weather as it gave me a chance to get my head down to get the place cleared out and useable again! 2 trips to the charity shop and 4 trips to the tip with the last on Monday! I'll admit I still have one large box of items I'm trying to shift on eBay as a part of my make £2024 in 2024 challenge. Made just under £100 so far, so please with that:-)

I just can't believe the space and it's wonderful to be able to open bathroom cupboards and wardrobes without stuff, usually hoarded junk, falling out.

Tomorrow I'm having a day to myself. No cleaning as I've got nothing left to clean and all the rubbish has been cleaned up ready to wake up to a clean decluttered house tomorrow......

The next decluttering challenge is the shed and the garden but mainly tip stuff. I'm not starting the main clear out until February. Got some old garden furniture which has died a death and been put up the side of the shed, along with a broken hoover, no less! All going to the tip on Monday. I'm just sick of the sight of it tbh!

Time for some sleep, so well done all with the decluttering challenges. keep up the awesome work everyone xxx

weenancyinAmerica

Backyard worked on by missionaries. Paid them in oranges and candy bars. They brought someone else with them with his weed whacker and saws and filled 8 big black bags with plant stuff to go. One more session will do it I think.

After they left, Bella and her new owner came for a visit along with her 2new husky friends. Quite a handful. I needed to sign the papers for changing the ownership over. She bounced up to the door and was happy to see us, but hopped back in the car when it was time to go. She is looking better. We will go see her at her new home later taking some more toys with us.  

Took G to the pharmacy again - for pain pills this time. Shoulder may have torn rotator cuff. They are still checking. 

In order to put the new phone in my room and plug it in, I had to clear out a bookshelf - but the books were double on the shelf, so over 60 books involved. I got the phone in okay. I am going to go through the books on three shelves before I put everything back on. I have already pulled five books to go to the book sale. Earlier today I finished reading my 8th book for the year (7 were mysteries).  I am taking all of the books by that author in for the book sale so will clear out about 20 books right there. I am not going to reread them ever. I have started pulling a lot of books that way that I have read and I know I won't reread. 

Added 350 more parish register entries to the Excel file. Only 30 more years to go, may finish some of them this evening. Then I will have the first film ready for proofreading.

It suddenly got warm here. 24C by midafternoon. Still expecting a deluge on Thursday and Friday. I wish the weather would make up its mind as I started out the day dressed for cooler weather and had to change. No packing away clothes for one season here. Have to have everything available year round. I don't have much though. Weeding the wardrobe isn't a problem. Don't have to weed bathroom products or beauty products either. Almost nothing to weed. Just papers and books really. Lots of books. Probably as many as mehefin's library. I used to do background research for authors. So I had a large reference collection. And I have about 600 cookbooks still to go through. Little by little. 

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks + a weekly Jettison Junk in January

2. Sort out sleep patterns - target bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 9:00 a.m 

3. Deal with mail & email on a daily basis

4. Don’t put it down, put it away + deal with mini tasks as soon as they are noticed e.g. refill olive oil pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc

5. Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter

6. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed 

Saturday was another bright sunny day but chillier than yesterday 🥶 I managed to be up & dressed before noon 🙂 DH was up & dressed before 13:15 😉 DSis had been up & about for a while as well 😉 DH was a busy bee - zizzed a large tub of peelings & used up one of the 2 packets of Ready Brek 👏  Only 1 more to go + a box of Quaker Oats & 3 kg of mite infested flour 😔 Worms fed & bird feeders filled by DH. Next task was to pull up the hg leeks & prep them - a large tub of leaves for the compost bin with a rather small crop for cooking - judging by the size, I think we planted them too close 😉

DH then repaired & strengthened the fence panel that was knocked down in the last spell of wind before slotting it back in 🥳 He did such a good job that I am awarding him his 1st medal 🏅 of 2024 😊 

Today, rather than continuing to work in the kitchen I decided to declutter some of my mending 🙂 First up was a pair of Sunday knickers ✅  Then a larger job putting new cuffs on my IofM TT fleece top. I had investigated making & attaching new cuffs (even bought the stretchy cuff fabric) but I decided it was too complicated especially as I was doing it by hand 😧 The new plan was to fold the frayed cuff & insert some elastic. See stages below. As you can see the inside is a bit of a mess but I am pleased that the ‘repair’ looks pretty good 😌

DSis is impressed enough that she has asked me to ‘rescue’ her favourite top 😉 We each had the second half of last night’s dinner. Wudupa

171 - 174 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, plastic takeaway containers, glass jar - recycled 

175 Kitchen detritus binned

Lovely post weenancy 😊 I honestly don’t know how you find time to do everything you do on a daily basis 🤩 My DSis has similar troubles with her pharmacy (about the 5th one since she moved in) 😔 Having only been given one of the items (a 2 month supply) on her prescription on Monday, she had to go back on Friday & they gave her 4 months supply of the other items 😔 She was beyond fuming as she & her doctor had taken 6 months to get everything in sync 😠 Oh well, it is what it is 🤷‍♀️ I hope Bella enjoys her visit & is kind enough to let you give her a cuddle 🤞 What a beautiful compliment ☺️ 😻 DH & I were so pleased to meet you 😊 Our meeting was the perfect start to our American adventure 😊 You have led such an interesting life that we could have spent days if not weeks chatting to you 😌 I do think 20 years is a long time to wait for a vacation, so I am sending out a wish to the universe that this year you will be able to have a few days away 🙏 Hope the weather is behaving itself & that you are staying safe🤞

TC77, good luck adding more to your CS bag 🍀

Great work shabbychic12 👏 Hope you have a lovely time on holiday & that you get some winter warmth to go with the winter sun 😊

Fizz2015, very kind of your friend, I think 🤔 You had a busy day - decluttering the washing, the planting of bulbs & cleaning the Guinea pigs hutch 👏 Anything else will be a bonus 😊

Brie, I must admit that I am at a loss as to why all the debris wasn’t taken away each night after they finished work 😔 With just the oven & dishwasher taken, I think the 2 chaps might have been scrap merchants 😉 I know when we had our kitchen done a while ago all the scrap metal ‘disappeared’ from the skip overnight 🤷‍♀️ No idea how they knew as we are hidden away so no chance of them just driving by 😅

Crazycatlady2, not quite sure what to make of that 🤔 although if DH wants the kitchen sink moved then it might be better to have a full kitchen renovation 🤔Just wondering if he actually realises that moving a sink can be quite an expensive undertaking 😉 

Brie, great idea to start with accessing an online design programme & then get a professional in to see if the ideas work  😊 

Liverpool_Anne, sounds like the kitchen decluttering/tidying is going well 👏 Now you just need to ban your OH until you have finished as he seems to be more hindrance than help 😂 Lovely cheerleading 😊 The plan is that G & her husband sell their house & live on the canal boat, seeing the countryside by travelling up & down the waterways 😉 It is a long held dream so I am sure they will love it 😊 Thanks for the compliment although rather than a medal I think   💐 would be lovely 🙏

Dfw38, maybe year 10 will be the charm in persuading your DH that you have been patient enough & you would now like to have your new kitchen 🤞Sorry to hear that you are feeling overwhelmed 😔 but as you are feeling energetic maybe a whizz round with the vacuum cleaner & you might notice a clutter hotspot that you could tackle 🤞

flamingo747, keeping everything crossed that it is a swift & inexpensive fix on the car 🤞 🙏 

Wednesday2000, sorry to hear  that the anaesthetic made you ill 🤒 Hopefully your time in the TLC Carriage has helped your recovery 🤞”The Missing” is very good although my favourite character was played by Tcheky Karyo 😉 There was also a 2nd season of “The Missing” followed by 2 seasons of “Baptiste” Please take it easy over the weekend & make sure you are fully recovered 🙏

vulpix, you are so talented - the tote bag is beautiful 🤩 you obviously inherited your talent from your Mum 👏 Her tapestry is wonderful 🥳 I love that your cats prefer a concierge service 😅

Just noticed the time so will post & run 😉

MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 🏅 💐 🎖️ 💐 

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards: 🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 175/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00 

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, awake at silly I'clock for a trip to the bathroom and can't get back to sleep so I have made a cuppa and thought I'd check in .  Yesterday was quite productive. 3 LDFPA and 2 loads washed and on the maiden. Bathroom bin, kitchen bin and kitchen recycling emptied. Another box of tea bags uu, post dealt with and OH's put on the couch . Sink area and another chunk of kitchen work top cleared and half a big corner cupboard cleared. I hope to get to the other half tomorrow. Lots of hard plastic into the bag for the tip. A candle uu but the jar cracked so I couldn't wash it out and it has gone into the bin. Several flasks packed away as we don't use them often at the moment and there are a few things I can see that will probably go in the cs bag when I get to them. OH went to the sm for bits, bananas and milk were requested and 3 big bags of stuff came through the door . They are still half unpacked on the kitchen floor, I didn't even look in them. The fridge is full of meat and I suspect some batch cooking is on the cards for tomorrow as OH is going to visit dniece and baby on Monday as dsis has covid after a trip to see the German branch of the family. OH will be on childcare duties while dniece catches up with herself . I am going to the footy tomorrow so all I will say is that I expect the kitchen to be clean and tidy when I get home or there will be words spoken

@Vulpix I lived in Lowestoft for a while and when the wind gets going it is quite fierce but it is a nice place and I have some nice memories of sailing on the broads and visiting pubs that you had to walk about a mile off the road to get to, they catered for the sailors and had their deliveries by boat . I love the bag, maybe you could ask the cousin for some others back if they haven't been used for anything yet. I'm sure she can't have dealt with a draw full already

@~FlowerPot~ good work with the logs, I have a pile that need moving but like you I have to empty some out of the log store to get it in. The whole log store needs sorting really as OH just threw them in willy nilly, the job is on the list along with some chopping

@Brie, elf and safety warning, please don't put heavy things on high shelves, much too dangerous unless you have safety steps, can cause all sorts of injuries to backs quite apart from the danger of them falling on you when you get them down . I am sure someone will have written a paper about it

@Moorviews OH uses the rescue remedy for pupils who go into panic mode before a test. I have used it myself in times of stress. I don't know how it works but it does, magic I suspect

@QueenJess I think the only houses that are perfectly tidy are show houses where nobody actually lives. I am sure ds's friends will be too busy enjoying themselves and making a mess to notice

@Mrs SD, love the leeks, such a versatile vegetable . Mr SD did a great job on the fence panel, looks very good and as for your repair, genius solution I will keep in mind when I have to do something like that
If 💐are what you desire you can certainly have some you definitely deserve them 

Ok the moon has gone so it must be nearly time to get up so I will have another cuppa and a read, might even get a bit more sleep . Hugs to everyone who would like one

146 - 148 LDFPA
149 kitchen bin emptied
150 kitchen recycling emptied
151 bathroom bin emptied
152 t bags uu
153 post dealt with
154 candle uu
155 chunk of worktop cleared
156 half a large cupboard emptied.
Take care everyone
156/2024

TheDoolallyDilly

@vulpix that bag is stunning 🤩 What a wonderful way to use your Mum's tapestry. You're very talented.

I had my follow up appointment with the consultant this week, apparently I shouldn't still be sore and bleeding 😔 I woke up at 4 am feeling uncomfortable. She's asking my GP to prescribe me something, but my surgery is quite chaotic, and then my prescriptions go to my local B00ts, who are very efficient, but only open 9 to.5, Monday to Saturday,, and I work miles away 😕 will probably have to leave work early so that I can pick it up. Sorry, this isn't a health forum 😂 Ignore my moaning!

My plans for today involve taking a return to the PO (which is helpfully open on a Sunday) and another sort through my jewellery box, as I know there are things in there I don't wear.

Happy Sunday all!

Madbat60

Just popping in to say hello.  I'm lurking.  DP had a heart attack on the 30th December, so everything has been a bit rubbish.  At the moment applying for benefits has taken up most of my time.  We now have the dreaded PIP form to fill in but I have a plan for that.  

Anyhow, I've managed to do some sewing to use up my fabric stash.  I've got a fleece sweatshirt on the go, just the cuffs and bottom band to attach.  Yesterday I sorted out a load of scrap fabric and wool for my local Mencap scrap store.  I also had a good sort out of a load of paperwork, trying to find DP's medical letters.  He's so disorganised and leaves everything in a pile.  He starts his cardiac rehab soon, which is good.  We've been living out of the freezer this month.  January seems to have gone on forever and been so expensive, what with hospital car parking and a 72 mile round trip to see DP.  Oh and someone crashed into my car.  

Anyhow, onwards and upwards.  Today I'm going to make some sort of meal plan and do some sewing.  Have a lovely Sunday all.

EnergyShifter

Dizzycap said:

Well, I don't know what's happened but I have decluttered the house completely and given it a good spring clean!

Thank goodness for the cold and bad weather as it gave me a chance to get my head down to get the place cleared out and useable again! 2 trips to the charity shop and 4 trips to the tip with the last on Monday! I'll admit I still have one large box of items I'm trying to shift on eBay as a part of my make £2024 in 2024 challenge. Made just under £100 so far, so please with that:-)

I just can't believe the space and it's wonderful to be able to open bathroom cupboards and wardrobes without stuff, usually hoarded junk, falling out.

Tomorrow I'm having a day to myself. No cleaning as I've got nothing left to clean and all the rubbish has been cleaned up ready to wake up to a clean decluttered house tomorrow......

The next decluttering challenge is the shed and the garden but mainly tip stuff. I'm not starting the main clear out until February. Got some old garden furniture which has died a death and been put up the side of the shed, along with a broken hoover, no less! All going to the tip on Monday. I'm just sick of the sight of it tbh!

Time for some sleep, so well done all with the decluttering challenges. keep up the awesome work everyone xxx

Congratulations @Dizzycap - that's super impressive and I can hear how much you are enjoying the fruits of your hard work and perseverance.   Enjoy your well deserved day off today 💐