2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Soontobeoap

Have decided that I will clear out all bedroom cupboards and wash down contents to make sure no more damp is lurking in the house. With everything out on show I am then adopting a Stacey Solomon approach of bin/keep/donate before putting back. Got very involved yesterday and there is so much stuff over spare bedroom floor waiting for DH to look through his stuff. Another half bin bag thrown so far.

Meanwhile last night, DS and family decided that they would pop over to island for a day visit. Absolutely no regular house work has been done this week (although if they had looked under the beds they would have been impressed! 🤣) so DH and I spent 2 hours charging around the house with a hoover, some bleach and cleaning cloths to get the house into some sort of order! We all had such a lovely day. Walk along the seafront, a lovely meal and special time with my lovely Grandaughters and their Mum and Dad. It was worth it but we are pretty shattered now.

QueenJess

Apparently I am on a major decluttering spree today... watch out as nothing is safe (DH looked very scared!) 

Digital:
106 - emails deleted from permanent folders (bolstered as I discovered I had a pile of emails not in any folders as I deleted the folder, but not the emails properly)
10 - files from download folder deleted
1 - notes deleted

Physical:
1 - gift bag reused
2 - paperwork shredded
2 - useless tiny cloth bags from kitchen (recycled)
1 - broken plastic lid (binned)
1 - rubbish kitchen cloth (recycled)
1 - DD destroyed trousers (recycled)
1 - DH’s yoga mat not used for at least 10 years & convinced him to get rid of it (Buy Nothing)

New total = 5,282

ilovetea

Good evening everyone.
Not much done to today, just one of those days
562-563  Rubbish and recycling out. 
564. 100+ e-mails deleted.
565. Cross stitch charts. Found in a box of doom
566.  Tangled mess of threads.
567.   Cardboard box in recycling.

Hugs to those that need them. Take care.
ilovetea  xx

Pennypincin

After being successful with decluttering, I've 2 more items going out tomorrow
Although trying to re-home something I bought by mistake has been difficult as I've been given the runaround by someone who wanted it. I'm hoping to have it rehomed soon enough and have a tough lesson learned with being more careful about what I'm getting.
Although the lure some of the bits in ikea was too much on a recent visit with family.
Hopefully not too much damage done and will continue to try and declutter and get back on track.
I'm really going to have to double down now as it's getting silly.
I've not done much decluttering or getting my place as tidy as I'd like to.
I think 1 of the few things I will be bringing in is storage for paperwork and helping to store stuff in the living room.

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 

My late lunch/early tea was tasty 🤤 Got distracted by watching a couple of episodes of Father Brown which I missed. I have also started writing a proper To Do list - having fallen off the bandwagon 🙊 Someone (May have been this thread) recommended using a window squeegee blade to clear the stairs of fluff prior to vacuuming. I have just done this & was astounded at how much fluff there was 😳  so much that I am counting it 😂 Although next time I do it I will remember to wear a mask 😷 

332 - 333 Kitchen detritus, Fluff & dust from stairs - binned

Now back to cheerleading before I fall even further behind 😉

Please be kind to yourself Florenceem 🙏 You have a lot on your plate, so the room of doom can wait 😉

Excellent decluttering GrannyKate 👏 I would definitely include house move frogs in your numbers 😊 - it will keep your motivation high 😊 Good luck with your house hunting 🍀 

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏

Muddy_Walker, yippee to silencing the very unhelpful inner voice 🥳 

Lovely post retiredinfrance 😊 Perhaps we can get you to work your charms on MrF 😊 Great decluttering 👏

Excellent decluttering ilovetea 👏 you certainly made up for a couple of days of relaxation 😉

Florenceem, the side alley looks brilliant - the builders did an excellent job 👏

Excellent work on several projects Crazycatlady2 👏 You are doing so well that I am awarding you a Gold Star ⭐️ Keep up the great work 😊

Moorviews, not as productive as I should have been but I am making headway on emptying both freezers 😉 Excellent work in the spare room & dealing with frogs 👏 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way. I am making the most of being home alone as I have joined you in bringing less in & using up what is already in the larder/fridge/freezer 🙂

Liverpool_Anne, pleased to hear that the union visit went well & that you have almost finished sorting the attendant paperwork 👏 Excellent work tackling a bag of doom especially as some of it dated back to 2013 👏 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 😊 Hopefully the empty plastic envelope files will provide an incentive to OH to deal with his paperwork 🤞Great cheerleading as usual 😊 If you are quick there might be an apple pastry left 😂 P.S. hope the B12 jab doesn’t take a week to kick in 🤞

tibawo, hopefully now that you have thoroughly cleaned your ‘new to you’ blue bin, it will remain in your possession & not do a disappearing act like your original one 🤞Sorry to hear about the headache & earache, I empathise as whenever I had h & e it was always down to gum/tooth infections & I am now missing both Top no.6 teeth 😔 Great news that DD1 & DD2 decided that a holiday would be nice 😌 - a lovely surprise especially if you don’t have to do any of the organising 🥳

Wednesday2000, hope you are having a lovely weekend in Kent 😊 Sounds like you are narrowing down your search area 😊 

London_1, with so many viewers it won’t be long before you get an offer 😊

Good luck with both the ironing pile & the oven cleaning florianatwobob 🍀 Hope you have a lovely time on your few days away 😊

vulpix, those kitchen worktops look great (said in a Tony the Tiger voice 😉) In fact the whole kitchen looks fabulous 🤩 & I especially love the bunnies tea towel 😊 Hopefully now that MrV has his ‘new to him’ sound desk mixer it won’t be too long before he sells all the other ‘mixers’ 🤞Excellent decluttering 👏 & well done on being almost on a 1:4 ratio for Ins & Outs 👏

SuperLooperSaver, a busy day before I was even up 👏 Congratulations to your friend 🥳 & fingers crossed for a hen do in the not too distant future 🤞

Excellent decluttering QueenJess & well done on sailing past your 🥇 target 👏 One Gold Star ⭐️ on its way 😊 Good luck with your first full week in your new job 🍀 

Excellent work florianatwobob 👏 Perhaps some soda crystals in the water might help when you steam the oven glass again 🤔

nannywindow, that will teach you to catch up on your sleep 🙃 Joking aside, thank heavens DH wasn’t injured 😮‍💨 I always had a soft spot for Worzel Gummidge 😉 Sadly not enough apple pies for the TLC Carriage but next time I will make more 😊 Best wishes for your op & a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹 

~FlowerPot~, lovely cheerleading 😊 I must admit I am very pleased that I wasn’t well enough to go 😉 I am definitely feeling a lot better, thank you 😊 DH’s vitreous fluid decluttering sounds a bit gruesome 😥 Great work both removing the old hedging & planting up the new hedging 👏

Wednesday2000, oh my goodness - that is one very cute ☺️ puppy 🐶 

Great work Happy_Kitties 👏

Great decluttering GrannyKate 👏 Wishing you every success getting rid of the ants 🍀 Sandy soil & way too much rain - no wonder they are invading your kitchen they just want to stay dry 😔

Soontobeoap, a good start to your bedroom cleaning & decluttering 👏 Sounds like you are enjoying the process 😊 Now just the unenviable task of getting DH to quickly deal with his stuff - good luck 🍀 What a lovely day spent with your family 😊

More excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏 No wonder DH was looking scared 😆 although it might encourage him to be a bit more helpful around the house 😉🤞

ilovetea, some good decluttering 👏 you are still managing more than I am 😊

Pennypincin, some good decluttering 👏 Please don’t be too hard on yourself for bringing in a few bits 🙏 Just a thought, is there anything in your home that can be used as interim storage for your paperwork whilst you are decluttering? You will then have more of an idea as to how much, if any, extra storage you will need 🙂

Finally caught up, although I did break off to have a Serrano ham sandwich & make a cuppa. The motorcycle jacket is on the airer in the kitchen but am hoping that I will be able to hang outside tomorrow- weather dependent of course 🤞 Currently watching the last hour of The Godfather before going to bed 🙂

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

DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 

DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 

Decluttering Target 2023: 333/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £43.00 

dND

Thank you @Moorviews.

I’m not sure if I’m on my head or my heels! So much has come into the house replacing all the white goods that I didn’t ship back from France and the very old items that were due to be replaced anyway.  I’ve managed to get the correct recycling bags for where I live and the first black bags were collected on Friday - although the 3 I'm allowed per collection barely scratched the surface.  The garage is half full of broken down, damaged cardboard boxes and so much polystyrene!!  I need to find out about booking a tip slot for sometime when I’m not sitting in the house waiting for deliveries. 🤣

Box unpacking is progressing slowly but progressing.  I’m gradually collating stuff and there are things that I think will be going.  I have to start with the duplicates first as I find that the least stressful.  I’m shocking myself with just how many boxes I have that purport to contain stationery. 😱

I was going to send the lampshades from the ceiling lamps to the charity shop but as I came to take them down my fingers went straight through them as they are so old.  I need to find out if the tip has metal recycling for the frames.  The decluttering is going to be long and slow as I really don’t want to just landfill it.

Good luck to all those moving and planning moves.  If you know where you’re going and what your life will be like, my advice is declutter as much as you can before.  Not knowing that in my case meant that so much was packed for Justin and May.  As a result, I won’t be listing individual items or even bags as so much will be going that if I stop to list it, I won’t be getting rid of even more. 🤣

I’m aiming to take it a bit easier today as my brain is fatigued from all the decisions and my hands still feel swollen despite finally finding and taking some Ibuprofen last night.  Turns out my body isn’t as young as my brain thinks it is. 😱🤣

Love and hugs to all. D💕

Florenceem

Wednesday 2000 -   as someone who lives near to the - up and coming area of Cliftonville - my opinion is that the property people were trying to convince themselves as well as others - locals would not concur. 
I had a lie in yesterday then a busy day. I went to buy flowers for an elderly Church member - we have a list for people who want to supply flowers for the Holy table - my friend is nearly 90 so I get them for her.
I popped to SA - loads of donations to sort and as I was sorting - more arrived. I needed to clear the foyer as we had a piano concert yesterday afternoon. + £1,500 was raised for our SA Corps.
I was at the hall from 2.15 to 7.30 for the concert and after as I offered to lock up so the officer could go off to a meeting. A food delivery was coming between 7 and 7.30 so it wasn't worth going home.
Washing and ironing are my decluttered jobs this morning before Church. 

Pennypincin

Thank you Mrs salad dodger, I will have to look indoors. It's a very sensible idea.
I've managed to condense 2 largish drawers and 1 small drawer into just over 1 large drawer.
It will be a work in progress to Keep it that way while decluttering.
Several items I listed in the church recycling group and promised to people will be going out today. Approximately 8 items, with any 5 possibly going in the week.
I'm going to try and start listing what and how much is going out next year, I imagine it would make it easier to know what and how much is going out.
I've managed to also declutter part of the clothes washing onto airers to dry, the bed will be stripped and fresh bedding put on, a pile of dirty washing up will be also decluttered, left to air dry and whats dry put away.

Florenceem

vulpix - lovely kitchen.
Wednesday2000 - very cute puppy.
dND - same here re brain and body.
I had squirrels in my loft in 2019 - that was sorted by pest control and £2,500 + spent on new soffits and fascias. They got into the loft through a hold in the fascia.
Now I have had rats in my loft!  More pest control - went to the same company but they proved harder to eradicate than squirrels. Found some holes in the house brickwork which have now been sealed. I have lived here since 1997 and until 2019 - had no vermin problems in the loft. 
Easy to tell rats from squirrels - scurrying instead of little jump sounds.

Wednesday2000

Florenceem - my cousin said the same about Cliftonville yesterday! She said to avoid it.  She said Palm Bay (?) and Botany Bay are nice. I am going to look around Margate later today anyway just to see what I think.

I have to tidy up the Airbnb and leave quite soon. It is so quiet here compared to where I live. All you can hear is birds.