2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

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

Tuesday we left home at 11:50 & arrived at the restaurant 12:45. Our table wasn’t quite ready so our friends had gone for a walk around the block. Met up outside 12:55 & seated by 13:00. Ordered drinks, chatted for a while & then ordered our meals when the drinks arrived. So simple - as we were in The Flat Iron on Denmark Street & they have an easy menu - a choice of 3 types of steak & 5 sides including chips 😊 The four of us kept it simple - medium rare bavette  steak, chips & we shared 2 bowls of green salad + a couple of drinks each. The food was delicious & the staff were excellent + the company was convivial - lots of catching up, chat & laughter. J beat DH to the till & paid for our dinner. The meal included an ice cream cone 🍦 which we ate on our walk to a coffee shop. We then retired to a pub - The Angel on St Giles High Street WC2 where we had a couple of drinks & continued chatting. We had a wonderful time & were home by 19:50. DH made bacon sandwiches for himself & my DSis. Wudupa. P.S. we were lucky with the weather - no rain where we were 😉 but it rained on the IoD 😔

Wednesday - I was up early just before 09:00. It rained slightly but ended up as a dry day & we even had some sunshine 😊 Pottered about, did some knitting - I have started a new scarf & watched TV. DH & DSis went out in the car - did a bit of shopping & also went to B+Q for compost & and picked up an indoor watering can. Treated me to some flowers - tulips 😊 Dinner was shop bought pies, mashed potatoes & peas. Wudupa

775 - 783 Kitchen recycling x 2, drinks cans x 2, booklet, 3 newspapers, foil trays - recycled 

784 - 785 Kitchen detritus x 2 - binned

Lovely cheerleading post Liverpool_Anne 😊 Fingers crossed that OH will help you move the lr furniture so that you can get the whole carpet vacuumed 🤞& can get rid of any moths before they cause an issue 🙏

Excellent work Moorviews 👏 Also well done to MrMV for sorting out the garage without prompting 🥳 I did smile at your comment “….. now discovering that things just rot when ignored for years. He seemed surprised.” 😀 Good luck with your clothes decluttering 🍀 Definitely getting down to the “nitty gritty of decluttering!” 👏

Excellent decluttering GrannyKate 👏 That caravan site sounds idyllic 😊 & I was pleased to read that your dogs were unsuccessful in their attempts to catch the rabbits 😉

Good luck with your clothes decluttering Floss 🍀

Florenceem, pleased to hear that you managed to sort out the SA accounts 😊 No wonder you were tired - 4.5 hours of counting & concentrating 😧 

Excellent work clearing & packing up the garage mhagster 👏 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 😊

Just noticed the time so am off to bed 😉 Sleep tight everyone 😴 

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

DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 🏅 

DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 ⭐️ 

Decluttering Target 2023: 785/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.85

London_1

Good Morning chums I seem to be a lot more active first thing . this morning I packed two lamps.One was one of those ones with big chunks of orange salt it.It was a Christmas present from my eldest DD a couple of years ago and as yet had not really found a good place to plug it in, but I'm, taking it as I know on the top landing of our new house

There is a plug, and a decent space where DD wants to put her old pre-war wooden polished box that her late grandfather made as his apprentice piece when he was doing his carpentry apprenticeship in the 1930s.

 It been used for a myriad of things over the years, from a blanket box, to a toy box for both my children and all of my seven grandchildren.
I also used it in the 1970s when we had the 3 hour blackouts from the electricity, and would pack it out with pillows and a duvet and make a 'hay box' to cook a casserole in Its earned a place in all our hearts and is referred to as Granddads toy box although its a decent size .My eldest daughter lined it with padding a couple of years ago when all the grandchildren had grown out of their toys and I've used it to stash my knitting wool and patterns in. So it will now live on the top landing and will have the very pretty salt lamp on top as it gives out a nice soft glow when lit.

The other lamp weighs very heavy and was given to my OH and I about 50 odd years ago by his best friend when him and his wife were up in the highlands on holiday
 It is a big grey chunk of granite rock but so beautiful and it reminds me of my OHs best friend whom we lost far too early to cancer.

He, like my OH, were the two funniest men I've ever known, together they were the Morecambe and Wise act of Dartford where we lived at the time, and kept us all laughing like drains through to tough times of the 1970s. Every time I turn it on it reminds me of them. I'm sure if there is a heaven the pair of them are together, still laughing and joking.
When your moving you can't always take everything, but certain things are so full of memories you just have to take them and those two definitely are, probably not worth very much financially but to me they are priceless.

Anyway I was worried how to pack them then had a brainwave.I have two small swing top bins that are empty so I lined them with some tea towel sand popped a lamp into each one then tightly packed more tea towels and pillow cases round them and sealed the tops tightly and marked on the outside 'fragile lights' and gave them a wee shake and nothing moved so fingers crossed they will survive the trip.two jobs done and the tea towels have come in useful to wedge them in so they don't move.

Apart from three bedside cabinets and two chest of drawers and one double bed the rest of upstairs is packed so its downstairs that need packing.But I found if I do about an hour or so at a time its not too bad DGS Ben is coming down from London on the bank holiday weekend before we move so I will borrow his muscles to move boxes etc down stairs to the conservatory so the movers will have less to bring down They are coming to my house first as I have less to stack than my youngest DD my kitchen is all fitted so its only stuff from the cupboards and pots and pans to pack in there and not a great deal to pack from the sitting room thank goodness thank to all the decluttering and tip runs thats been done. 

Just waiting for one more piece of paper to come from one of the solicitors, then all the paper work is done, and it will be exchange of contracts and confirmed moving day we are still hoping for the end of this month.
I've already had some post delivered to my house for the new buyers I've saved it on the window ledge in the sitting room for them
Today I will sort out the guarantees, and instruction booklets for the cooker, washing machine, Boiler and fridge freezer  and put it with the letters altogether for them

Hope the weather perks up a bit its looking very murky at the moment 

Cheers chums 

JackieO xx

QueenJess

I'm trying hard to get rid of all the stuff cluttering up the rooms that are now designated to go after yesterday.  So many things on Buy Nothing that I've had to write out each one, who is picking up and the time/date of that as I'm going to lose track very quickly!

I've processed some of the books from last night DD got rid of, DS's Lego and then went to get one thing down from the loft that DS said he didn't want anymore.  And yes, you guessed right, I popped up there for a minute and brought down another car boot worth of storage boxes I was keeping "just in case".   I'm really trying to break this mindset... I haven't needed them in the last 3 years+ and if we had an urgent situation where we needed storage then we could just pop out and buy something.  However, given we are minimising I just don't see this happening.  Still got 1 just in case plastic box up there, but it takes time to shift mindset.... I'm slowly getting there!

Digital:
1 - notes deleted

Physical:
2 - baking overstock used up
1 - DS clothes he doesn’t want (charity box)
2 - food cupboard overstock used up
1 - food tin (food bank)
2 - DS books he doesn’t want (charity box)
100 - DS pile of Lego he doesn’t want (charity box)
1 - plastic bag reused
14 - DD books she doesn’t want (charity box)
13 - storage boxes various from loft (Buy Nothing)

New total = 8,872

May mini kitchen declutter challenge = 23/25

May/June clothes mini declutter challenge = 110/200

I was watching a minimalist video the other day where they had basically given away everything they owned to move a long way away.  It keeps sticking in my head of how hard that would be to give away or get rid of everything down to spoons, glasses and all the tiny things you have.  It's a worse thought even than moving house!

Wednesday2000

I just dropped off the donation bag with the jewellery, a handbag and two books. Well, the books I dropped off at the free library box first. I did get a Jeffrey Deaver book from there too although looking on Amazon it doesn't like my type of thing so I might get my husband to drop it off at the other free library box near me later. He is going out to Aldi and to drop off and pick up my library books and I saw that there is a free library box outside the library too. I also had a GP appointment this morning.

I decided to go out tomorrow and so we are going to a restaurant and to the cinema and then to meet our friend Mike in London. My husband has a gig tomorrow so I can go out with my friend and then meet my husband after at the O2 and then we can all travel back together.

I don't know if anyone watches Come Dine With Me - The Professionals but my local vegan restaurants are on there. I just called them to ask what episode it was, but the girl on the phone didn't know! I did see it is in Essex today so it might be on today. Channel 4 at 5.

I just saw on Instagram as well that they are filming the new Sort Your Life Out already in Wales.

I'm going to go through my handbags again as I do have quite a few and I only use about 3 of them!

Pennypincin

First gcse maths exam decluttered, plus the cost of a return train ticket.
I didn't want to risk being late and it was easier to get the train than sit on the bus for at least an hour and a half.
2 more to go, with revision to declutter.
I can then concentrate on tidying up more once the other 2 are done.
I've started another charity shop bag and have 2 small rolls for chicken wire waiting to be decluttered Sunday.

QueenJess

I am sat here today feeling really overwhelmed again and not better for starting the declutter as I am surrounded by this mess of stuff I don't want.  Just shows I guess why I need to get rid of stuff in the first place as it affects me to have so much of it.  Trying hard to pick people on Buy Nothing, contact them and get all this stuff gone so I can continue decluttering   (and get rid of it before DH notices at the weekend and suddenly decides he wants things in case.  I can guarantee he won't notice any of this has gone).

Brie

Have just decluttered a donut.  Was given 4 bags of assorted "treats" donuts, brownies, cakey squares at work.  I was only going to take one but remembered the gardeners are coming this afternoon (expected any moment) and they are 2 young hard working lads so will burn off more calories than I can so I'll be passing the majority on to them with their cuppa.  

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

Thursday is a damp day - definitely been raining as the ground is wet …… again 😔 Mind you, there is a silver lining as the plants are getting watered 😉 DH & my DSis have been up for a few hours, whilst I only got up at 11:30. DH is being kind (as usual) by accompanying DSis to the dentist 😊 It is 12:30 & they are just heading off & guess what it is spitting rain & is very dark & cloudy 😔 So rather than dive straight into the cheerleading I thought that it would be wise to tackle at least a couple of tasks 😅 Decided to do the laundry & dry in the td as it is now dark & raining steadily 😔 I have also paid my CC bill (which arrived this a.m.), updated my accounts & filed all my paperwork & I have updated MY calendar with all DSis’s medical appointments 😉 + swept the kitchen. I have also added June’s 1p Challenge amount to the Terramundi pot 😊

786 - 790 Magazine, paperwork envelopes etc, 3 newspapers - recycled 

DH just sent a message advising that they had arrived at the dentist just in time 😮‍💨 there must have been issues on the underground network as they had left in plenty of time. Now that I am all set with a hot drink, I am ready to start cheerleading 

London_1, more excellent decluttering on Tuesday 👏 Fingers crossed that the last bit of paperwork comes through soon 🤞Otherwise at the rate you are decluttering & packing you will have to unpack some knitting to keep you busy 😅 The Alan Bennett programme about Westminster Abbey sounds very interesting 😊

Excellent decluttering ilovetea 👏 & well done on doing the ironing - I hope there wasn’t too much 😉

Steady progress wishus 👏 Good luck with the wallpaper stripping 🍀 Hopefully you are almost done 🙏

Lovely chatty post vulpix 😊 The talk of mosaics sparked a thought about adding a rainbow to my embroidery project 🤔  - just hope I can manage it 🤞Perhaps once you are well on the way to completing your garden project, you could plan a couple of day trips to explore the countryside 🤔 I often think that DH enjoys planning the Round Britain Rally trips just as much as doing them 😅

TC77, just wondering if there was a teenage romance to go with the holiday in Haltwhistle 😂 Sorry 🙊 What a nightmare - I am keeping everything crossed that you can successfully get rid of the smell 🤞🙏

London_1, thank you so much for your lovely post about your travels with your friend 🥹 So many wonderful memories & I pray that your friend has many more good days 🤲 

~FlowerPot~, good luck with the clothes decluttering 🍀 The invigilating sounds rather stressful 😥 Sending lots of positive vibes to your DD for her exams 😊

GrannyKate, lovely post 😊 Thank you for sharing your travels with us 👏 You do remember how ‘curious’ I am 😉 - so can you share where you & your husband’s DD are heading off to this year 🙏 Fingers crossed for the viewer who loved your house 🤞 It would be great to get the ball rolling 🙂

vulpix, I agree that you definitely cannot beat travelling both at home & abroad 😊 So many wonderful sights, hospitality & interesting conversations 🥹 Hope you get an actual date for MrV’s op now that he has had his pre-op scan 🤞

I have decided to post as I have suddenly realised I am hungry 😉 

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

DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 🏅 

DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 ⭐️ 

Decluttering Target 2023: 790/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £166.85

Florenceem

Yesterday was friendship/lunch club at SA  - we had our first new potatoes of the year.
This morning I set the alarm but went back to sleep - woke up at 9.
Wet here - got a load of washing ready but will do it tomorrow as I like to put it outside for fresh air.
I managed to get some cleaning done before heading to the bus stop - Mr F had an appointment at the surgery with a nurse. He was measured for new stockings and she is ordering a butler after I told her the trouble he has getting his stockings on in the morning. Nurse thinks Mr F had knocked his leg but said to keep an eye on it.
I spoke to the nurse about how Mr F has slowed down and stoops now - she straight away mentioned Parkinsons which is what I am thinking. I have made an appointment for him to see a Doctor - it is one I saw - he is very thorough. The appointment is for two weeks time.
On our way home today we got a bit of shopping at Ald. and passing the SA - there were donations outside. So I let myself in to bring sacks in - good job as it is raining now.
I am going back to SA at 5.30 to shut inner doors as we had an issue with food being taken out of the freezer.

nannywindow

As it was dry today we went over the 'van and changed the kitchen tap, well almost, we have to go again tomorrow to finish off and try it, hopefully there will be no leaks. 🤞 I did some dusting while DH led on the floor muttering to himself 😂 Tomorrow I shall take my stick cleaner with me to clean the floor then put the cushions and carpets back in. I'll take my gardening hoe to clear some weeds too, can't wait to go away in the van but will have to till I get the nod from the hospital.
While I was in the van I sorted the cutlery drawer, again, and the odds and ends drawer, both were done last year so I don't know where the bits came from. Out went a bag of bits of wire, 1 AA battery, 1 fuse, some perished elastic bands, 1 pen top, and empty gel air freshener, and a complete guide to Devon 2018. 2 Wordsearch books were brought home, I don't know why there were 4 there. I also rehomed 2 rubber ladders for the awning. We brought home the broken tap which went straight in the shed as DH is going to do something with it, I didn't ask what, I've learnt my lesson. A broken radio has also been binned.
Pennypinchin good luck with the exams.
Vulpix and LiverpoolAnne thank you for your kind thoughts 🧡
Brie that's my kind of decluttering, Doughnuts mmmm.
QueenJess please don't beat yourself up about decluttering, it will happen. I feel your pain about DH's putting things back 🤔
Hugs to those struggling with decluttering or daily life, plus those with health problems.
Take care all
nan