2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

dND

Thank you so much for my medal @Mrs_Salad_Dodger 😁😁 

With the fence line I now have a letter from the owner of the adjoining property saying that he doesn't object to me reinstating the fence to the correct line, subject to no damage and at no cost to him, which is fair.  He guarantees access, by prior arrangement, for works on the overhanging guttering and in return I keep the outflow from some of his guttering that feeds into a downpipe on my property.  The latter I think works in my favour as I'm planning to put water butts under that downpipe.  My solicitor is also arranging an easement indemnity which is a backstop should the owner sell next door, (it's a rental at the moment), and should also aid the sale of my place when the time comes.

So, I see no problem but, as yet I don't have the contract to sign.  Hopefully that will be forthcoming very soon.

Buoyed up by this I have decluttered more money!  This time for a random-orbit sander which I'm going to need once I get in.  It's £13 below the Black Friday price and very limited stock so I think it's a model about to be replaced but it's one that gets very good reviews.  I now have to try and stop buying more stuff until I'm actually in. 🤣

Florafauna

Have decluttered some money for a new kitchen mixer tap but got £5 off in the sale. I have also decluttered an apron to the CS and some very OOD seeds to the green bin.
Back to work tomorrow after a sick day, think a good night's sleep will get me fully back on my feet 

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 

Back again 😉 Cheques & coins banked + popped into M&S for a loaf of bread & some biccies (as requested by DH 😉) Buses were a bit thin on the ground today so I was out for over an hour 😞 Whilst I was out DH made a soup with quite a few ingredients from the freezer - so I am getting some wiggle room 😉 It smells quite spicy so fingers crossed that it isn’t too spicy for me 🤞 DH has had a reply from George advising  that they have the garage door spring in stock & costing the job. Quote accepted & he is booked for Wednesday after 12:00 🥳 The 2nd bit of news is that we are going to buy a car 😉 Second hand of course. DH has done his research so he &  DSis are heading off to a dealer tomorrow to have a look at a few cars. They will be the ones driving it so my interest is negligible as long as there is enough leg room in the back, I’m easy 😂 I do have a driving licence but it is over 35 years since I last drove 😨 The world can do without me getting behind the wheel 🤣 Now to settle down & play catch up with the cheerleading 🤞

mehefin, the refurbished library looks great 😌 With a facility like that available it should be busy all the time 🤞

What a lovely cheerleading post vulpix 😊 DH’s worms are certainly enjoying life although rather than growing big they procreate wildly 😉 🤣 Hope the weather is kind for your little holiday 🤞

Excellent decluttering TheEmerald 👏 & great work defrosting the freezer 👏 Hopefully now it is done, the issue of it icing up so badly over Christmas will be resolved 🤞 Probably due to constant opening & closing & being packed full of XMas food 😉 Thank you for the lovely compliment about the leeks 👏 I agree that home grown produce tastes so much nicer than shop bought 🙂 Just wondering if you do the same as me when eating hg potatoes - I cook fewer of them so that I can eke out the crop 😉

Great decluttering diminua 👏 I have a feeling that if I counted Ins as well as Outs I would be shocked as well 😥 especially if I incorporated DH & DSis’s INs as they seem to have something delivered practically every day 😱 

Excellent decluttering Floss 👏 I hope you kept enough bedding for yourself 😉

~FlowerPot~ the lean to looks so much better & 156 items decluttered is brilliant 👏 That deserves another medal 🏅 I must confess to being slightly jealous - I would love a lean to & would probably use it as a greenhouse/nursery as my kitchen windowsill doesn’t really provide enough space to start off my planting 😉

Excellent decluttering sammy_kaye18 👏 What with that & spending time planning your indoor decluttering campaign, I am awarding you a medal 🏅 Keep up the good work 😊

Brie, definitely agree that a whole body is preferable to a partial one 😂 Anyone reading that out of context is bound to get the wrong idea 😈

Excellent decluttering bamboo_socks & all done whilst waiting for pancakes to cook 👏

Muddy_Walker, sorry to hear that you are reluctantly spending time in the TLC Carriage 😔 but well done on recognising that acceptance is better than trying to plough through a serious illness 😊 Meanwhile you have done some great decluttering 👏 although dog 2’s fetish for new socks could prove to be expensive 😅 Thanks for sharing your authors list 🙂 - several of those sound rather interesting 🤔

Floss, good luck with your PDR 🍀 Hopefully you can get your views across & at the same time get the support you need to make your current role more enjoyable 🤞

Excellent decluttering Wednesday2000 👏 & what a great way to keep the duvet cover around for a little while longer 😊 Charismatic is a really good word to describe Baptiste 🙂

Brie, ah yes I do remember you mentioning the large kitchen sink 😉 My DH is usually quite good at cleaning up after himself when he has been cooking 🙂 although I notice that today he has been rather lax - presumably his mind is full of thoughts of buying a car 🤣

~FlowerPot~, okey-dokey DH & DS2 are excused 😊 As to DS1 & DD I will have to have a little think about a few ‘carrot & stick’ incentives 🤨 

Florafauna, I hope you are feeling better after your dental op 🤞 Take as much time as you need in the TLC Carriage 😊 

I am off to make myself a cuppa & will be back shortly.

MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 🏅 💐 🎖️ 💐 ⭐️ 

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards: 🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 178/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00 

Brie

Clearance company finally came this afternoon and took the kitchen debris away.  Well actually they took most of it away leaving a couple of random large things (a bin lid and one of those pressure spray things - no idea where it came from) plus chunks of plaster board, cardboard, paper, old wood trim all over the drive and in the garden.  Not impressed given that on the company's website they claim to do a full sweep up service.  I shall be telling the DIY place that our gardeners will need to be paid £40 an hour to clear what's been left.  And will be checking what damage has been done to the actual plants.  

Restocking the kitchen is happening slowly.  I discovered that by starting at one side of a pile of stuff and going all the way down to ground level before moving over to the next pile is quite satisfying.  I've also got into the habit of taking something to the right spot and checking if there's anything nearby that's in the wrong spot and then moving that along as well.  

One of my quandaries though is how to adequately clean wooden things that live in the kitchen.  Namely the knife block and breadbox.  Now I know I want to keep the knife block - they seem the most practical and safe way to keep knives.  The breadbox I'm not too sure as it's big and so takes up a lot of counter space.  But both have acquire that dusty slightly gluey layer that only living in a kitchen will get you.  So how to clean??  I know that soap and water won't suffice so am wondering about using some of the pink stuff spray.  Thoughts?  The other quandary is whether or not I actually want the microwave back in the kitchen.  OH said a week back that we do want it but I'm still not sure.

London_1

Altogether 4 big bags went to the CS this morning ,and I have 5 boxes left to declutter which are in my sitting room, Luckily having a stairlift meant I was able to put stuff on my lap and bring it down like that.

 Tomorrow morning is coffee morning at Dobbies, and dustmen and recyclers come at 7.15 am so an early start as we aren't supposed to put anything out until 7.00 am.

So Family history research will hopefully be organised in the afternoon (a nice sitting down job )

 I have a chap coming on Thursday morning to do the floor plan and the EPC for my house.

Upstairs is cleared at least, (well apart from the wardrobes and chest of drawers for clothes )But that can be done on Thursday after the surveyor has gone.

Friday morning I am tied up as its my friends husbands funeral in the morning, Gosh its getting closer and closer now  

   JackieO xx

Floss

@Brie have a look at Nancy Birtwistle on Insta or Fb - she's really good at answering questions 😉

Also, I would suggest taking & sending the DIY company photos to illustrate the non-full sweep service - and maybe a Trust Pilot review?

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 

Straight into cheerleading now that I have my cuppa 😉

weenancy, sounds like the missionaries have done an excellent job in the backyard so now you have the fun of deciding what to plant 😊 Excellent news that they will be back in the spring to sort out the two garages aka storage sheds 👏 I see you have another very busy week planned 🤩 but please remember to pop into the TLC Carriage frequently even if only for 10 minutes at a time 🙏 Hope Wednesday’s endoscopy isn’t too uncomfortable 🤞You are definitely having some very weird weather 😨 Also thank you for sharing such lovely childhood memories - your Mum was very wise 👏 Not quite sure where I went wrong as my dear Mum was a good housekeeper but I fall squarely into the ‘relaxed housekeeping’ camp 😂

charlies_tribe, I do like a big cobweb - to my mind it is a large decluttering job 😂 as long as the spider isn’t lurking 😥 Shame about the books ruined by damp but good luck with those you are listing 🍀 Hopefully some quick sales 🤞Excellent decluttering - well ahead on where you should be 👏

Lovely post TC77 😊 Sending lots of positive vibes that the vintage tablecloths are snapped up & at good prices 🤞🍀 

More excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏 You are rapidly approaching your first goal of 3,000 🤩 I take it DH will now join in with the decluttering once the garage is his sole responsibility 😉 or am I whistling in the wind 🤨

Brambling, did you rebel when you got your own house 😉 or did you find a happy medium 🤞Sorry to hear that your sinuses have been playing up but good work finding other tasks to tackle 👏 Fingers crossed that the 2 pensions combined will be enough to consider planning your retirement 🤞

Excellent decluttering wishus 👏

Dfw38, the naughty step is getting quite crowded now that your DH has joined several other DHs, OHs & children 🙊 Sounds like an excellent decluttering plan over the next few weeks until half-term 😊 I understand perfectly what you meant about the bike ride 😊 more a case of spending time with the dcs rather than the bike ride itself 😊 So onwards & upwards 👏 & if DH pitches in I will let him off the naughty step 😉

Off to cook dinner now but I might see you later 👋 

MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 🏅 💐 🎖️ 💐 ⭐️ 

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards: 🏅 

Decluttering Target 2023: 178/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00 

Brie

Thanks Floss - I'll look at Birtwhistle.  

And yes there will be a full portfolio being submitted with comments.  Which I will endeavour to keep polite.

Siebrie

Siebrie said:

I have cleaned the chest of drawers we removed from neighbours' garage and I plan to put it in dd2's bedroom. We need to have a little carroussel beforehand: the spare roof tiles need to come down from the attic, the small shelving unit that's there needs to move to the left a bit, the doors from the similar shelving unit in dd2's room need to be removed and the shelving unit taken up to the attic. I think I'll skip my WI fitness session tonight and move roof tiles down 2 sets of stairs and out the back all the way through the house.

We did it! Husband was sighing and grumbling, but did help moving all the heavy bits and put the pantiles in an out of the way corner. I even had the energy to move a few items around in the attic; the new and empty school folders and the schoolwork we have to keep for 3 years are on 1 shelf, a double duvet that was just lying about is in a large plastic container with the other duvets, a rainsuit that was in with the box os school stuff is now in the box of rain gear on the shelf above are coats. A lot of school paper (drawn on, damaged, etc) is in the paper revycling.

Brambling

Enjoy the baby cuddles tibawo there is nothing better until they leave you a present in their nappy 🤢but as they aren't yours you can hand them back 🙂

Under new house rules the purchase of a heavy shirt bought in a sale meant an item had to leave and I decided that doesn't count the long cardigan stolen borrowed by my sister last Christmas and never returned. I have a couple of jumpers no longer worn one because it has a high neck and I have no neck so it annoys me, it's a shame as it's a lovely colour, the other fits but I've decided i don't really like it so a new bag for charity has been started.   Whilst in the wardrobe I sorted the rail adding a couple of dresses to one end whilst I decide if I ever got back into them would I wear them along with some smarter work clothes, WFH means comfortable clothes so they have hardy been worn in four years.  They will probably get picked up in the next clothes sweep.