2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Florenceem

Soontobeoap - lots of lovely makes - I love the crochet bags.
Filled the shopping trolley with stuff for the charity shop this morning.
Then I went to unlock at SA and await a delivery. Men and van soon arrived and they assembled a table tennis table. Rather worryingly - after they left - I found a screw on the floor.
Mr F had been to the charity shop and on the way home met our neighbour who had locked herself out - we have her spare keys.
QueenJess - re helmets - I throw out those that are donated to SA along with hot water bottles which don't have a recent date to be safe for use. We are given car seats which also can not be passed on.
Rehab chap came and adjusted Mr F's new chair and watched him with the wider walker.
After a cuppa we went out and tidied the front garden - my back is protesting now.
I next go back to SA at 5.30.

ruby_eskimo

I'm also sneaking back in to the thread but loved reading your update @London_1 - hope you're all going to be happy in your new home.  DH and I went to the IoW for the first time one December and really want to go back when the weather's a little bit nicer!

We're still on track with the house move (🤞) so we've started packing.  My living room is covered in boxes (most of them free from a local company) and there have been some more decluttering's happening as we go:

577. Decorative candle given to a friend as a birthday gift
578. Figurine that we've never liked donated to charity
579 - 582. Books distributed to book club friends
583. Decorative mug donated to charity

There will be lots more to go I'm sure (especially in the books department) but we're also slowly and surely working our way through the fridge, freezer and cupboards to try and use things up and not have to lug a whole bunch of food with us.  Plus it means we're keeping the grocery spends low while we do it 👍

oceanspirit

Am behind with reading the thread as have been getting ready for OH to be away for 2 weeks then back for a couple of nights then away for another week. 

Have a box of books ready to go to the village fete and have already dropped off a couple of bottles of wine to another person for the same event.

Looking forward to having the place to myself so I can really get stuck in.  

ETA Forgot to mention that I started a spring clean of the living room earlier this week - sofa hoovered and throw washed and put back on.

weenancyinAmerica

Since I've divided my "to-do" list into three separate parts, I am doing much better. Part 1 is things that absolutely must be done within the next 8 days. I have a page-sized chart with 8 days on it, 4 on top, 4 on bottom, and I list what I have to do each day and add in the want-to-do's in pencil. I mark them off as I go. This last week did them all! I have my calendar for things coming up: appointments, holidays, birthdays, special events, meetings (and I add them to my next 8-day chart when the old one is finished). If I spend money during those 8 days, I add it to the calendar so I can keep track of expenses and NSD. Then I have a card-stock list for those things I would like to do or need to do sometime. It is wonderful when I can check some of those off too. I look at it to see if any of them can be added into the 8-day chart without overwhelming me. Otherwise, they are written down so I'm not always asking myself what I am forgetting. A lot less stress involved now. If roommates would just stop passing out or falling and spraining ankles and requiring visits to the emergency room, it would be much easier. I do keep a bag of things to work on and a couple of books to read ready to go for emergencies (my last trip with someone to the emergency room required two books). Right now with our Summer Reading Program, each book finished means another hamburger or a large lemonade at a local fast-food place. But that only goes until the first week of August. The Friends of the Library group is sponsoring an Ice-Cream Social for the end of Summer Reading (my idea as President of the Friends). The Library though is handling all of the details and the ice cream and toppings. The Friends group is just paying for it. No work involved for me other than reading a few books.

short_bird

A quick check in: have mostly decluttered that second bout of Covid (last one was March 2022) but still tired and a bit limp dishraggy. 
Somewhat vague on recycling and rubbish totals for the last few weeks so this will be underestimated: haven't managed to dispose of any old physical stuff although have done quite well at clearing down digital stuff.
1916: meter readings submitted to ensure billed at correct rates for price change. 
1917: postal vote posted in plenty of time.
1918: post from communal hallway redirected
1919-1926: 400 emails deleted 
1926-2026: rubbish herded
2027-2067: items to recycling
2068-2079: binbags and bags of recycling taken downstairs to wheely bins
2080-2145: 65GB data deleted from various storage devices.
Now to clear space for the gas engineer who will be here at 11am to carry out the annual boiler check.

suzeesu2000

Welcome to your forever home London_1, hope you will be very happy here as a permanent home. Moving here was the best thing we ever did, so happy and really feel part of a community which we never did in London. 

Not been feeling great today so haven’t decluttered anything other than half a bag of chips cooked for dinner! Every little helps😁

crazybunnylady4

27 items in for me! That would be 27 balls of wool! From the lovely Floss! One ball of dark blue gone into my work bag with a crochet hook!  
My best "friend" at work (ie the least boring person) is away on annual leave and comes back Monday. I am going crazy without her. And then I ran out of crochet so the last three days has been a slog! 🤣

Recycling and garden waste is waiting for binman tomorrow morning. 

Not a lot else going on here - I did finish the latest blanket but need good light (and 5 mins to myself!) to get a decent pic! 

ETA: oooh love the crafts @Soontobeoap. Especially the donkey!

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks + a weekly Mini Mission in May

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: What a difference in the weather 🙂 I was up & dressed before 11:00 & it is currently bright & there is even some sunshine 👏 The recycling wheelie bin was actually emptied on the correct day 😉 DH was already up & out as he had an appointment for 10:30 with his cardiologist.  I now have my first cuppa & will settle down to cheerlead before I continue collating my To Do lists. (A quick reminder to everyone that a new series starts tonight - The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning 9:00 p.m. on Channel W) DH phoned 11:30 - he was seen by the head man for the first time who was apparently pleased enough with DH’s progress that his next appointment is in a year rather than 6 months 🥳 DH got home 13:00 having got miscalculated his bus routes 😉 Regardless of the sunshine I did precisely nothing today apart from watch TV. Dinner was mushroom risotto & very tasty it was too 😋 Wudupa. DSis & I watched the first episode of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning - it is certainly different 🤨 We will watch the 2nd episode but I must admit to being mildly disappointed ☹️ It stayed dry until about 20:00 at which point it started raining & has rained on & off ever since. Oh well, at least it meant that I didn’t have to water the plants 😉

1125 - 1131 Kitchen recycling, 3 plastic takeaway boxes & lids, newspaper, empty wine bottle, drinks cans - recycled 

1132 Kitchen detritus binned

daisy_1571, looking forward to hearing you play your recorder 🙂 Thank you for the wisdom tooth tale 👏 A great relief that it was all done & dusted so quickly 😮‍💨 I am in full agreement with your decision that cat cuddles must take precedence over anything & everything 😊

D123456789, excellent decluttering by LO - she is obviously a very able student 🥳 As an encouragement to her to continue with the good work, I am awarding her a medal 🏅 Hopefully we will see a bit more of you over the rest of the year 😉

TC77, I must be very odd as I have never really seen the appeal of breakfast in bed 🤣 Good luck with planning your 7 Day strategy for decluttering your home 🍀 

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏 I see that you are successfully keeping a very tight rein on bringing items in 🥳 I was quick enough to have a taste of both the rye bread & the shortbread 😋

Florenceem, wow you were really busy yesterday 🤩 I do hope you managed to get at least some rest in between all your running around 🙏 I really hope that today has been quieter & that you have managed to get some rest 🤞

Soontobeoap, stunning crafting 🤩 I love the donkey 🙂 but my absolute favourite is the bees 😍

suzeesu2000, DH is a very talented man 👏 Does he also play? So pleased that you have found a decluttering method that has motivated you & pleased that you have found some encouragement here on the thread 😊

Beautiful post London_1 & thank you for sharing 😊 One thing struck me, the symmetry with the years ‘62 & 62 🥹 Good luck with the unpacking 🍀

Liverpool_Anne, very restrained of you to only get one new outfit to attend the wedding 😉 Lovely cheerleading post 😊 Tuesday sounds like our Monday - monsoon day indeed ☹️ Although you got far more done than I did 👏 Excellent decluttering in the conservatory 👏 definitely a bit more than “a mooch” 😅 Like you I have trouble with disposing of certain things as it does seem so wasteful sometimes 😔 Re the tatty gift bags, is there a local crafting club for children during the summer holidays 🤔 

A wonderful post vulpix ☺️ & what a lovely neighbour 🥹

Nice to see you charlies_tribe 👋 You have been busy 🤩 Excellent decluttering & I hope your new bedroom is big enough 😉 Re the cycle helmets I agree with daisy_1571 that the safest thing to do is dispose of them.

Florenceem, another busy day at the SA 🙂 Some great advice about cycle helmets & hot water bottles, thank you 👏 I hope you find time to rest your back 🙏

ruby_eskimo, no need to ‘sneak back in’ 😂 It sounds like you are & have been really busy 👏 Pleased to hear that the house move is still on track & that you have started packing 😊 I have just noticed your numbers & can see that I have been rather remiss 🙊 Therefore one Gold Star ⭐️ is winging its way to you 😊

oceanspirit, is OH away for work?  Sounds like you are getting ready for a massive declutter 😊 Good luck 🍀

weenancy, what a marvellous system 👏 You are getting so much done 😊 Congratulations on completing everything on your last week’s list 🥳 Very impressive & worthy of a Gold Star ⭐️ which is winging its way to you as I type 😊 The Ice-Cream Social sounds like a marvellous idea 🥳 

short_bird, relieved to hear that you are almost over your second bout of Covid 😥 & I hope that it won’t be too much longer before you are back to full health 🙏 Some excellent work especially all the digital decluttering 👏 Your 4th Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 😊

suzeesu2000, sorry to hear that you were feeling unwell today 😔 Please do remember to pop into the TLC Carriage - plenty of quiet places to rest & relax 😊

crazybunnylady4, ooh new wool 🤩 Being curious 👀 I am just wondering how long it will take you to use 27 balls of wool 😉 

All caught up 🙂 DSis & I are watching an awful film called Haunting of the Queen Mary - apparently it is 2 hours long & we still have 20 minutes left to watch  ☹️ It is so bad that we already think we have been watching it for at least 4 hours 😱 We have no idea what is occurring & are just hoping that something/anything will make sense 🤞However we are not holding our breath 🤣 

Cwtches to all 🤗 Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 🏅🏅

DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 ⭐️ ⭐️

Decluttering Target 2024: 1132/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £228.85

QueenJess

Just popping in to declare my decluttering for yesterday.  As DH actually had half a day off, I tackled him on some stuff that had been sitting in his room for months on end from the kids where I originally wanted to get rid of them, but he wanted to keep them just in case.  He's now realised we don't need them as the kids have never asked for them back.  So my one decluttering area was actually DH's floor!

My parents are visiting again soon .  Currently they are complaining that they can't think of anything to bring for DD.  I said, that's fine, she doesn't need anything.  Fingers crossed on that one, but I don't have high hopes...

Clearly I post on here far too much as everyone seems to think I was talking about cycling helmets; that was charlies_tribe

Digital:
1 - online account deleted

Physical:
4 - batteries (recycled)
8 - phone & accessories not needed (tip)
1 - broken cables (binned)
45 - DD toy with loads of parts (unwanted stuff from my parents from ages ago, charity bag)
1 - packaging, reused
1 - bathroom supplies used up
2 - table and chair (Buy Nothing)

New total = 13,793

July In: 17, July Out: 608

Will see if I can be brave and clear one of the sides in the bedroom.  Trouble is, all the difficult to deal with stuff ends up there, so there are difficult decisions to be made.  Will see how today's work goes.  Lots more things will have to come in soon as I'll have to sort out DS's school uniform for next year.  I seem to have a big list of things to do, but am currently not doing any of them... need to start making some inroads to the list.

Edit: Realised I forgot my own rules for July and was putting everything into "out" rather than just the physical stuff.  Luckily I didn't have too many posts to check and now have corrected the total!  On an average of 1 thing in to 35 out...  clearly not decluttered enough yet over here!

Floss

crazybunnylady4 said:

27 items in for me! That would be 27 balls of wool! From the lovely Floss! One ball of dark blue gone into my work bag with a crochet hook!  

Ah, I'm glad it arrived safely!