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Just a warning that I was bawling throughout the last episode 8! Very good show and there is a second series, apparently. It is like Sort Your Life Out.
I'm going to go through my handbags again and my footwear.2025 GOALS
15/25 classes
19/100 books8 -
QueenJess said:I had an ingenious thought... I've run out of boxes and bags for charity again. Rather than asking the charity to send me more bags, I'd rather reuse. I've asked my parents for empty boxes... should be win, win as I get boxes to go to the charity and if they bring them up, they can't fit as much other junk in their boot. I can at least hope right?!I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Debt Free Wannabe, Old Style Money Saving and Pensions boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
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"Never retract, never explain, never apologise; get things done and let them howl.” Nellie McClung
⭐️🏅😇11 -
Brie said:QueenJess said:I had an ingenious thought... I've run out of boxes and bags for charity again. Rather than asking the charity to send me more bags, I'd rather reuse. I've asked my parents for empty boxes... should be win, win as I get boxes to go to the charity and if they bring them up, they can't fit as much other junk in their boot. I can at least hope right?!2025 decluttering: 3,550🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
2025 use up challenge: 309🥉🥈🥇💎🏆
Big kitchen declutter challenge 92/150
2025 decluttering goals Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 50010 -
TC77 said:Hi, Ionafan and Daisy, thank you. I've found it and started watching.
I've stopped bringing things in (.mainly) and picking up free stuff , identifying where fear of scarcity came from, but I don't want to accept stuff I have bought / inherited is really rubbish.
I think the woman in the first programme early on said something similar.
I like the idea of emptying a room and only putting back the things I want- the dilemma the is that while I don't want the things in that room I will struggle with passing some stuff on.
This lovely group though helps tackle these matters with sensitivity, humour and encouragement.
Just to say tlc carriage is well stocked with flapjacks, cake , scones, fruit and cam rustle up any special requests. X
Are you there? Can you see it? Can you rest there a moment and enjoy it ? Look around and see your lovely loved things.
Whe you are ready. Walk outside the room. Can you see the items there? Is it a big pile? Is it overwhelming? Is it a couple of small piles? Is it manageable?
Back out of your imagination - can you describe (to yourself) the feeling of the cleared area and the feeling of looking at the items you no longer need. Are there things there that are genuinely broken or no longer usable. Anything that you know should be allowed to go free and be used by its next owner. Items that bring uncomfortable thoughts or feelings - you know that has to leave your house.
Are you still watching the programme? Some of the things they say might really help your thought processes on moving things on. Something might click that reveals why you find it so hard.
You don't have to share anything here, I just wanted to try to help. You are already helping Future TC77 having to make the same decisions by stopping bringing things in. One of the things they say is recycling is bad for the environment - much better to reduce, reuse, refuse so well done you
Daisy xx
22: 3🏅 4⭐ 23: 5🏅 6 ⭐ 24 1🏅 2⭐ 25 🏅 🥈 Never save something for a special occasion. Every day is a special occasion. The diff between what you were yesterday and what you will be tomorrow is what you do today Well organised clutter is still clutter - Joshua Becker If you aren't already using something you won't start using it more by shoving it in a cupboard- AJMoney The barrier standing between you & what youre truly capable of isnt lack of info, ideas or techniques. The secret is 'do it'13 -
Not only did we jaunt to Aldi but also Ikea We ate there too. I wanted some toy pots and pans for DGS but they were out of stock. All I bought was a whisk and some plastic cutlery for his mud kitchen. He can have some things from my kitchen cupboards which will help me de clutter.
Gardening for me tomorrow whilst the weather is nice. Now we are on the move my frog list has shrunk. No need to put up more bird boxes and a new washing line etc. There is a whisper that DSS is visiting next week. If nothing else I would like him to help get an oak door from my brothers stable. It's been there 9 years, time to use it or sell it.
Oh, the EA came, great catch up, scandalous gossip over a glass of orange juice. The house has been valued at 140 k more than we bought it for. We did spend about 30 k on the renovation but I am pleased with the profit. Well potential profit, we have to find someone ready to part with money for it first,
Vx:16 -
Already did my decluttering today by going through a drawer with kids toys in that I knew had stuff in we didn't use. DD agreed to get rid of things, so more gone. Hopefully Buy Nothing people will pick up today so the house is slightly clearer when my parents descend this weekend.Might do some more later to at least clear up some of the mess.3 - DD tat binned
6 - DD toys (Buy Nothing)
1 - bathroom overstock used up
1 - paper, reused then recycledNew total = 13,900July In: 24, July Out: 713Hoping to get lots done today as I am sick of me being the person to sort out everything in the house and for the kids and always using my days off to do it. DH has a half day today, so I sent him a big list of things to do and he's promised he'll do all of them today.2025 decluttering: 3,550🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
2025 use up challenge: 309🥉🥈🥇💎🏆
Big kitchen declutter challenge 92/150
2025 decluttering goals Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 50011 -
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: A bright, sunny & warm day ☀️ Temperature is already 24C at 12:30 & is set to rise to 27C 😊 DH & DSis have just left for the Dental Practice 13:00 - they are both seeing the hygienist & then DH is seeing the dentist. When confirming the appointments on Monday the receptionist rather surprisingly & sensibly arranged to bring forward his dental appointment from the 24th 😮 To show willing I have stripped the bed & left to air. Finally time to bring out the summer bedding 😉 Whilst I was upstairs I put away the laundry & also went through my sock drawer 🙂 I have been quite ruthless - 20 pairs of pop socks which will be used as stuffing + 4 pairs of thick winter socks to add to CS bag. The drawer is now only 2 thirds full 🙂 First half of the bedding is in the wm. Dried on the whirligig. 2nd load washed. Vacuumed downstairs. Dinner was gammon shanks, chips/fries, baked beans for DH & DSis, I had a couple of fried eggs instead of gammon. Wudupa. P.S. forgot to remake the bed 🙊
1170 - 1174 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, 2 newspapers, plastic bottle
1175 Kitchen detritus binned
Friday: Bright, sunny & hot - 23C at 09:30 & set to rise to 31C 🥵 Before I went to bed I put out the 2nd load of washing & the 3rd load has just been started. I will check with DH & see if he would like motorcycle gear washed & re-waterproofed.
QueenJess, it sounds like your day off was even busier than your normal day 😥 You have just described both my freezers 😔 However some excellent decluttering 👏 & if you are finding it harder to find things to declutter & easier to tidy up then you must be almost done 🤞Thanks for the information about silicone freezer bags, I had almost forgotten I asked 😉 The smoothie ice lolly was most welcome 😊
florianatwobob, thanks for sharing your story of RSJs 👏 Fingers crossed a similar solution can be found for dND 🤞
TC77, I see that several of our declutterati family have advised where to find the Swedish Death Cleaning series 😊
vulpix, I really didn’t mean to make you cry 😔 Sounds like your builder is worth his weight in gold 😊 So lovely to have photos of yourself when you were young 😊 The most impulsive purchases we ever make are motorcycles 😉 Sending lots of positive vibes that everything goes smoothly with both the house purchase & the house sale 😊 Hopefully you & MrV can declutter the shed village without too much difficulty 🙏 My thought would be to take bit_by_bit’s tree with you 😉
TC77, I have the same ‘challenge’ with a few David Winter cottages 😉 although I did actually buy them & still love them. I am hoping that the Swedish Death Cleaning programme will give me a few ideas to help kick start my decluttering 🤞
Floss, what a great idea to have a “holding area” for items that you are undecided about 👏
QueenJess, I had to read your comment several times as when I wasn’t fully concentrating I got it into my head that you were going to declutter your parents 😂 🙃 Very sneaky of them to get you to do the work with their decluttering 🤔
Floss, had to smile 😃
Muddy_Walker, sorry to hear that you were in a “bit of a grump” on Wednesday 😔 so I am hoping that you spent yesterday in the TLC Carriage eating flapjacks & washing them down with your favourite tipple 😉 I am still working on the ‘Orient Express style’ trip but had forgotten about the Olympic Games 😔 everywhere is just so busy 😧
daisy_1571, I did have a little cry during the 2nd episode of TGAofDC 😢
A perfect place to break off from the cheerleading for a few minutes as I can hear the recycling wagon - only a day late 😉 + I need a 2nd cuppa 🙂 Temperature is now26C 🥵
MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 🏅 💐 🎖️ 💐 ⭐️ 💐 💐 🥇 ⭐️ ⭐️
DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 🏅🏅
DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 ⭐️ ⭐️
Decluttering Target 2024: 1175/2024
1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £303.85
Be Kind. Stay Safe. Break the Chain. Save Lives. ⭐️2025 Savings Pot Challenge: As a monthly amount, running total = £299.00
Jan £5.00 Feb £12.74 Mch £23.26 Apr £32 May £43 Jun £50 July £62 Aug £71 Sep Oct Nov Dec Grand Total £15 -
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
Back again 😉 The last load of washing is on the whirligig & 3 of the 4 items previously hung out are dry 🙂 Disappointingly the recycling operatives made a hash of emptying my recycling bin - still half full + a dozen items all over the road 😔 😠 DH is finally up 11:40 & has his first cup of coffee 🙂 I have dealt with today’s mail including putting DH’s next cardio appointment in my calendar - July 2025 😉
1176 - 1177 newspaper, cardboard packaging - recycled
1178 plastic packaging binned
Thanks for the link ionafan 👏
TC77, I also like the idea of emptying a room but have nowhere really to empty it to 😔 Thanks for stocking up the TLC Carriage 👏 Just had a scone for my breakfast 😊
Excellent decluttering suzeesu2000 👏 You have really got into the swing of things 😊
oceanspirit, well done on tackling your To Do list 👏 rather successfully as well 😊 Hope yesterday went well at your DSis’s house 🤞
Lovely post ruby_eskimo 😊 Everything crossed that the building work etc is all completed before you move in 🤞
vulpix, you definitely have the bit between your teeth 😅 Hope the valuation went well yesterday 🤞Perhaps you could persuade your neighbours to move as well 😉 after all ‘bin monitors’ are very hard to come by 😂 Good luck with the balsam bashing 🍀 How wonderful that you have an EA that you can trust to do a good job 🤩
Wednesday2000, that episode sounds really interesting 😅 Just hoping that they loaded up 8 trucks & left everything at each kid’s house 😉
QueenJess, I have everything crossed that your parents will accede to your request & will bring so many cardboard boxes that they don’t have any room for anything else 🤞🤞🤞 Great decluttering 👏 I did love your comment about your DH 😉 & it does rather sound like it might be time for him to start tackling his own clutter 😉 especially as both your DS & DD are on board the EDT 😊 Your numbers are still moving along nicely & you are doing really well on your July Challenge 🥳
Excellent decluttering GrannyKate 👏 Good luck with today’s frog list 🍀
Wednesday2000, I was really hoping that they would come to the U.K. for the 2nd series 😔 Good luck with the handbags & footwear 🍀
Brie, great idea re banana boxes 🙂
Lovely post daisy_1571 😊 with lots of ‘food for thought’ re decluttering 😊 I have to confess that I was unaware of the new 3R’s “reduce, reuse, refuse” 🤔 Although thinking about it, it does make sense 🤨
vulpix, sounds like DGS is a budding Jamie Oliver 😁 Hope the weather is pleasant & not too hot as I noticed that you did NOT remove balsam bashing from your To Do list 😉 Great news about the valuation 🥳 & how marvellous to have a multi-talented EA who can provide scandalous gossip 😂
QueenJess, more great decluttering 👏 Do let us know if/when DH completes the To Do list you have given him 🙏 He might be in line for an award especially if he doesn’t complain 😉
All caught up, so will find something to do 😉 Temperature is now up to 29C
MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 🏅 💐 🎖️ 💐 ⭐️ 💐 💐 🥇 ⭐️ ⭐️
DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 🏅🏅
DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 ⭐️ ⭐️
Decluttering Target 2024: 1178/2024
1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £303.85
Be Kind. Stay Safe. Break the Chain. Save Lives. ⭐️2025 Savings Pot Challenge: As a monthly amount, running total = £299.00
Jan £5.00 Feb £12.74 Mch £23.26 Apr £32 May £43 Jun £50 July £62 Aug £71 Sep Oct Nov Dec Grand Total £14 -
Hi all,
@Mrs SD thank you for my starI am behind target but more confident I will make it this year
@Vulpix I know it's your thing but I can hardly bring myself to think about the mess we will have with the new kitchen never mind a new house. I thought you were going to keep this property as a holiday let but I suppose that would be a lot of work if you are moving a distance. I think it's a great idea to plant some of the saplings from bit_by_bit's tree, perfect solution. I must say after our little holiday in the national forest area I did think it was a really lovely area so I can see why you would be attracted to it
@GrannyKate I could just throw myself into that pictureand that cat looks vey happy
@ruby_eskimo good luck with the move. I hope all the asbestos removal and wiring goes ok.
@dND lovely to see you back, I am not surprised that you have been a bit fed up. I well remember the chaos of builders and the never knowing when / if they would arrive. The builder that did my conservatory expected me to wait in until 8.30 to speak to him but I had to leave the house at 8.15 to get to work. He couldn't seem to grasp that there is no flexibility with starting times when you work in a school. On the other hand the plasterers I had I trusted with a key and even went on holiday to the NE and left them to do the hall stairs and landing while I was away. Is there some kind of compromise you could make where you leave a key somewhere safe that they can get to if you need or want to go out? It is also frustrating having everything still in boxes and not being able to get settled. I would have a word with the vet about the cat. My niece had a similar problem with one of her cats when she had builders and the vet suggested something that did work though I can't remember what it was, sorry
. Good luck with the fence move as that will at least enable you to crack on with sorting something. As others have said I think a call to a building engineer might be your best bet.
@Muddy_Walker big hugs
@QueenJess my only fear about asking the parents to bring boxes is that they will be full when they arrive. This might be a bonus though as the children might not see what is in them and you might get a chance to move stuff on without them knowing
fingers and everything else crossed for you
Well not posted for a couple of days but did manage some stuff on Tuesday and Wednesday. Yesterday I took ln and her friend to Tatton flower show. Some really lovely plants but I resisted everything except some allium bulbs and a bird feeder shaped like an acorn that was just too cute to resist. Ln and friend got 5 plants and some allium bulbs. We had a great day, arrived at 10.30, walked our legs of and left at 4.55, 5 mins before closing time. The weather was warm which made the floral pavilion a bit uncomfortable but we managed. We had 3 short breaks for an ice cream, a sandwich and lastly for a coffee and piece of cake that ln insisted on buying me
. Although the weather was warm I was very pleased we decided to go yesterday as it wasn't so crowded as I know it will be at the weekend and we were able to find places to sit when we had a break. I would have been happy to sit on the grass but ln has a very tricky knee and probably would have struggled to get up again
. Lovely day out we all agreed. Next year they are moving the show to Sheffield to try to cover more of the country but I notice the southern based shows are not moving so I am a bit miffed as I think they should do a show in tatton and Sheffield but I don't suppose that will ever happen
I have a load of washing on the line, another just finished swishing and another load waiting to go in so I better get that sorted and I think I will tackle the garden as the sun is out.
Hugs to everyone who would like one
1025 + 1026 frogs dealt with
1027 bedroom recycling
1028 kitchen bin
1029 car decluttered of carp and hoovered
1030 handbag sorted, lots of carp recycled/binned
1031 - 1033 LDFPA
1034 ironing
1035 kitchen cupboard emptying started, things OH wants keeping put in a box
Take care everyone
1035/2024
9 -
Liverpool_Anne said:@QueenJess my only fear about asking the parents to bring boxes is that they will be full when they arrive
. This might be a bonus though as the children might not see what is in them and you might get a chance to move stuff on without them knowing
fingers and everything else crossed for you
Oh no... I hadn't thought of thatBetter cross my toes as well!
@Mrs_Salad_Dodger DH has finished the whole list already and asked if there was anything else. If only he could do the thinking behind what actually needed doing as well, then I would save more time.... I think I need to start a list of my phone of to do's and then I can give him a massive list whenever he has time off!2025 decluttering: 3,550🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
2025 use up challenge: 309🥉🥈🥇💎🏆
Big kitchen declutter challenge 92/150
2025 decluttering goals Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 5008
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