2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

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

Oh dear, forgot to come back on Wednesday 🙊 might have something to do with the Olympics 😅 First time in months that the wheelie bin wasn’t emptied on the correct day 😞 Watched more Olympics & have now crossed off Taekwondo. Really enjoyed watching our 51 year old in the Men’s Park Skateboarding 🤩 - not sure I was that fit even at age 21 🤣 A few more medals but sadly lost out on a couple of golds ☹️ I made spaghetti bolognaise from scratch - one of my better tasting meat sauces 😉 Wudupa. DSis & I caught up on the Track Cycling, Speed Climbing & the Athletics - some brilliant performances 🙂 

1285 - 1289 Kitchen, office & DSis recycling, drinks cans, coffee tin - recycled 

1290 Kitchen detritus binned 

Paid the milkman before I went to bed. Thursday is very dull & overcast with a rather chilly & strong wind. I was up late (12:15) 😔 Rain was correctly forecast - from 15:30 to 16:30 ☹️The good news is that the wheelie bin was emptied this morning - only a day late and the recycling wheelie bin was emptied as well 🙂 Wrote a small shopping list for DH & he was only out for an hour so traffic must have been light & went early enough to miss the rain 👏 Watched the morning session of the athletics but kept nodding off so it took rather longer to watch than it should even though I was fast forwarding through most of the commentary 😉 Team GB finally went past 50 medals 🥳 My highlight of the day was the men’s javelin competition 👏 Well done Arshad Nadeem 🤩 Talk about complicated - I am watching The Men’s Omnium (Cycling) 🤔 Dinner was pie, mash & green beans for DH & DSis whilst I had the leftover spaghetti bolognese. I am still ‘vaguely’ trying to empty a freezer in order to defrost 😂 Wudupa.

1291 - 1292 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 

1293 Kitchen detritus binned

Brie, what a wonderful idea 🥳 Perhaps to start with we could make a list by county & country 🤔 Definitely very brave of you so one lollipop 🍭 &  a rosette 🏵️ are on their way 🙂

London_1, how lovely that 3 of your grandsons have given you the seal of approval for your new home 😊 Hopefully Wednesday was a lovely sunny day & you managed to spend time with your DGS 🤞

Excellent work dealing with your emails QueenJess 👏 Good luck with the last 62 🍀 Excellent decluttering & well done on finding it easier to keep your home tidy 👏 A direct result of all your hard work 🥳 Great ratio ‘1 in to 17 out’ 🤩 

Lovely cheerleading Liverpool_Anne 😊 Some excellent decluttering & task completion 👏 Hopefully the weather perked up on Wednesday so that you managed to get the border finished 🤞

vulpix, sounds like the house/bungalow hunting is going well 😊 Everything crossed that the viewing of your house results in an acceptable offer 🤞🙏 Hope the dentist visit went well 🤞

GrannyKate, hope you got the call for the viewing 🤞Congratulations to DGS1 on passing his driving test 🥳 You now have your very own chauffeur 😉

I have caught up a little but it is rather late 😉 so I am off to bed 😉 Cwtches to all 🤗 

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

DH Awards: IS A 💎🏅 🌟 🥰 🏅🏅

DSis Awards: 🏅 💐 💐 🤗 ⭐️ ⭐️

Decluttering Target 2024: 1293/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £303.85

daisy_1571

Not sure with the time difference if its still your birthday weenancyinAmerica but hope you had a good one and it wasn't all about you doing things for other people 

Daisy xxx

Ps could your housemates try to arrange their appointments at the same or a similar time so you don't have to keep going back and forward?   That would be a lovely present for you going forwards  😄 xxxx

Wednesday2000

Happy belated birthday Weenancy.

regnbue

@weenancyinAmerica Happy Birthday for yesterday and hope you got some home made cake.

vulpix

 Many Happy returns Weenancy, enjoy your time with your sisters. xxxx

Pennypincin

Happy birthday 

QueenJess

@weenancyinAmerica Happy Birthday!

A few more bits out as I just scoured DD's and DS's rooms quickly and managed to fill another charity box.  Almost had heart failure when I came in the other night and there was stuff all over the floor.  Turns out DH was voluntarily going through his stuff and decluttering!  I found the evidence in the charity box, the bin and a huge amount in the recycling bag.  Then today I did another charity box and DH announced he is about to go through and get rid of a load of clothes.  What is happening?!  Is it a blue moon?  Did anyone see a pig fly past? 

A few more things in to declare (ignoring anything in/out that are replacements for broken things etc)...

3 - DVDs
4 - Xmas presents for kids/packaging
3 - needed DS clothes & packaging
1 - small gift for DD as she was ill and missed a day out

Digital:
1 - online accounts deleted

Physical:
5 - DVDs that just don’t work anymore (binned)
1 - bedside table (Buy Nothing)
1 - pillow slip (recycled)
1 - instructions not needed (recycled)
1 - pen recycled
1 - craft stuff used up
1 - DD book (charity box)
2 - DD clothes outgrown (charity box)
1 - DD soft toy (charity box)
1 - DD tat (binned)
4 - DS tat recycled/binned
1 - DS soft toy (charity box)
1 - packaging reused

New total = 14,545

August In: 29, Out: 285

crazybunnylady4

Afternoon all
Turned out very warm and sunny here today - last night was quite damp by comparison.

Today, have dragged the summer hutch out and put bedding in it, in preparation for the heat on Sunday/Monday so I can plop Mac into it before I head to work both morning. No doubt he'll be a grump both mornings 🙄

Took DMum to her dentist appt this afternoon and on the way back, stopped off at the post office to drop off the fleabay parcel. Last sale for a while I think. Arrived home and wondered what to do...ended up sorting work snacks/lunches for next two days, so that's done. 

The big news today is that I will be decluttering my job. I had some news from a colleague yesterday that has downright angered me - I am already looking and applying. I have put up with a lot the last year or so but yesterday's news was the straw that broke the camels back. 
Hopefully I can find something soon, hoping to see some decent vacancies posted since we are nearing the part of the year where businesses start to think about their hiring needs given the new academic year.

QueenJess

Why does stuff always happen right after I post?!  I asked DS if he still wanted the same pictures up in his room as they've been there for years and it led to DS asking for a box so he could get rid of some stuff.  So I just hurriedly sorted and tried to re-home another box of stuff.

We definitely aren't as minimal as I would like, but we are getting pretty good at getting rid of things and I'm trying to be very selective with buying stuff.  We don't buy things for the kids that aren't actually needed (e.g. clothes, pens/pencils etc) outside of Xmas and birthdays and I am trying hard to think very carefully about what is brought in as presents - quality over quantity for sure.  I am dealing with years of excess from my parents hoarding of stuff and overbuying and a few years of me overbuying as well, so it won't get there overnight, but I've made so much progress over the past few years and it is all going in the right direction.  We aren't minimalists for sure, but we don't have more than the average amount of stuff despite having a larger than average house.  I think if we are careful what we bring in and continue to declutter more than is coming in, we will eventually be quite minimal.

Interestingly, I see a big difference between DD and DS in their views of material stuff and I'm not sure if it's because they are so different or because I've always been minimal with DD, but switched to it with DS.  DS still always wants loads of stuff, but as he has to deal with wants with his pocket money, he is starting to be more selective about what he buys.  DD however wants almost nothing and often leaves shops empty handed quite happily.  When she finds something, she never changes her mind and knows it is what she wants - however, if you say it's too expensive for the money she has, she isn't bothered about putting it back immediately.  It's definitely interesting to watch the difference between them.  DD just enjoys looking at the stuff in the shops and touching things, but isn't bothered about owning things in general.  DS wants to own lots of things.  It will be interesting to see if that changes as they get older.

Enough waffling for today...

Physical decluttering:
1 - soft toys (Buy Nothing)
10 - DS tat recycled
17 - DS toys (charity bag)
2 - packaging reused
3 - DS toys (Buy Nothing)
2 - DS books (charity box)

New total = 14,580

August In: 29, August Out: 320

Edit: I'm not counting DH's decluttering as he's doing it on his own and I spend almost no time dealing with it.  Will only count it if I have to go through the process or spend ages sorting it.

daisy_1571

QJ we have seen lots of declutterati over the years who have partners who are hoardy hoarders but once they leave them alone and concentrate on their own areas, ive lost count of those who eventually say much what you did.  Huge surprise as the partner begins to sort through their own stuff out the blue.

I always reckon if someone is trying to make you get rid of something, your hands clasp round it and aint nothing going to make you give it up.  However, once the house starts getting emptier and more streamlined, something changes and it becomes more about seeing what you want to keep and beginning to let overstock go.  Always interesting. 

And will be interesting to see how your children develop and change as they grow.  Some people never change, its like their personality is there right from being a baby.  Other folk definitely change as an adult and begin to embrace the direct opposite of their childhood ie becoming hoarders if they didn't have much as a child, becoming minimal and ultra clean if they grew up messy or dirty etc.

Good luck with the potential job change crazybunnylady

Daisy xxx