2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

TC77

@weenancyinAmerica, I'm always in awe of how much you do! Sometimes I go to.sleep.planning on what my house could be like and wake up thinking about the muddle so no doubt in my life and far from ideal. Have little areas that are clearer I find means I can look at that and calm my.mind. 
Having said that I am bringing things in from.family but have stopped wombling  and can see something I would have picked up before and say yes it's lovely but doesn't need to live in my house.

London_1

DGS Henry and I played cards last night, and I spectacularly lost to him .Much to his surprise .We play Switch every time he comes down and he loves it bless him .
He sadly has to go back tonight as its work for him tomorrow He works in the City as a merchant banker and says the budget and the forthcoming US elections are meaning extra work at the moment, but he doesn't mind he loves his job and the buzz of the City of London. Made me smile as he said he went with some pals to Oxford Street and he said 'Oh Nanny its full of tourists' He much prefers the City  

He's off to Barcelona in a few weeks for the weekend with his brother Ben, as they house share in East Finchley and he loves a sneaky weekend abroad. He has booked already a three week trip to Thailand with some Uni pals next April, they won't stay in the city though, they want to hike up into the highlands. He's also got a mate from Uni who comes from Mauritius and apparently there is a few of them going out there next November.

He's really got the travel bug and loves travelling Luckily he can arrange stuff and time off with his job. I think because of lockdown during his University time he is making up for it now. But he's a good lad and always texts me to say where he is, and that he's landed safe if travelling.

This morning I shall take him out for coffee and cake and some nattering . He is taking some cook books back with him tonight when he goes back to London so they will find a good home, as he is like his Dad and enjoys cooking so a bit of a small declutter at least.

Tomorrow the tiler is coming to tile the shower room/loo downstairs, so things are moving on, mainly waiting for the window man to come then a lots of the second fixings will be sorted.The wall plugs all went on yesterday and another coat of emulsion on the ceilings

I'm really looking forward to getting all my bits and bobs sorted into my new sitting room. We had one quote for the carpet and hall and kitchen and have another chap coming next week to quote as well.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday and it stays dry

JackieO xx

basketcase

Morning All!

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger I've been meaning to say what a creative and talented pair you and Mr are!  Your knitted set was lovely and the pumpkins were amazing. 

Also a belated Happy Birthday to Sis_SD.  What a lovely colourful bouquet.  Are they her favourites or was it the "surprise me" selection?

Lots of pain, illness and general hassle on the thread at present - and still large amounts of decluttering done by everyone.  Jaw dropping...

@weenancyinAmerica @daisy_1571 @TC77 A friend (also a chronic and acute declutterer) and I were talking about much the same thing.  I said "If you came across a set of really nice photo frames, still wrapped, what would you do?"  She said "I'd dig out some of my photos and put them on the wall". I said I'd do the same.  BUT... 

I'd been reading a post - can't remember whose or which thread, sorry.  This person said they'd found a set and were selling them on The Bay.  It struck me that I'd never even considered that, but we agreed that's the sort of mindset we need to develop .  (But I also have hundreds of photos to go through...  )

Anyway, my own efforts so far sound a bit feeble, but here goes.
Physical decluttering:

• A stack of ironing
• Gardening magazines to recycle
• 2 small storage baskets cleared
• Silver & moonstone Art Nouveau style necklace, belonging to DD, cleaned & ready to return
• 2 ice cube trays
• 2 bags of recycling

I've also joined the No!vember challenge and there's some overlap.  It includes various financial things as well as other stuff.  My biggest obstacle is I struggle with numbers (I'm dyscalculic) and, following a head injury, this extended to diagrams, graphs, symbols etc  (Flatpacks are a nightmare   ).  I can do it but it's really tiring.  So I don't have frogs so much as alligators!  Anyway, a lot of my aims include figures and this is what I've been up to.

Admin (Mental Decluttering):

• Checking an expensive banking package.  (Decided to keep it till the end of the year, because I'll need to compare all the insurances - esp travel as I'm booking a Christmas Market).
• Looking into switching bills account prior to switching
• Renewing my passport (which went missing between Passport Control and the shuttlebus)
• Applying for a GHIC
• Revising a budget, with different categories for my Banking software 
• Setting up a Fuel Spreadsheet for new car
• Redoing the Spreadsheet for Gas/Electricity

Oh - I had 1 No Spend Day on Friday and nearly had another yesterday but I decluttered £88.50 for the passport!

GrannyKate

Morning all - skim reading but thanks to everyone for their good wishes re moving.  At least I know the house I am moving to is being emptied (unlike this one which was full of furniture and personal items following completion).  Moving has not been a smooth experience for me which is probably why I waited 25 years to do it again.  Thanks for the stars Mrs SD

1497 Bundle of garden tools to recycling
1498 Random garden stuff binned
1499 Plastic pot binned - I never liked it and things don't grow well because of shape - why did I keep it?
1500 Last of kitchen cupboards emptied
1501 Window cleaning kit back to DS2
1502 On line meeting decluttered and papers shredded
1503 Hundreds of emails deleted or saved during meeting above which went on a long time
1504 Dentist and money decluttered
1505 Banking done and CC paid 
1506 Empty project book found and new list for boxes etc written in a readable fashion.  I will start my change of address list in there as well.  
1507 Meat from freezer gone to DS2 - should do 3/4 meals this week.  Mostly just tat in there now which I will throw out if I can't use it up. (I ate the choc lollies!)
1508 Old cereals binned as soggy when I tried to eat them. 
1509 Packing tally 80 boxes and 12 bags

DS2 and family due in minute to clear the last of his stuff which is here.  Just hope I actually get to exchange contracts this week. Packed too many spoons and keep having to wash one up.  Dishwasher is going to tip at some point.  Never been right despite several repairs.  No room for one at new place until I do kitchen.  

vulpix

Brie, nice to hear George is home.

 I am sure someone mentioned watching the film,Testament of youth. Not seen the film, but have read the books, initially because of the local connection. Epic, I imagine it would make a very good film.

 TC, I quite surprised myself ,buying so much. I feel that it's ok to buy stuff these days. I am just not attached to stuff anymore so it's easy come, easy go, and is just donating to charity really. Once when I buy it and again when I donate it back again. You have had a good day, getting rid of a sofa is a big declutter. I do have a loose rule of one in one out these days which stops us from keeping stuff that we have forgotten about because we have too much. This obviously does not apply to Mr V's sheds. All's fair in love, war and sheds in his eyes.

 weenancy, I actually did move to a house the size of a dolls house. Admittedly in stages. From a 5 bed to a 3 bed and now a one and a half bed. ( the room just fits a single bed) It does concentrate the mind to know in x number of days you are moving and can't physically fit everything into the new place. It is so much easier to release stuff when they have a good home to go to though. I think the buy nothing group will be very helpful for you in your quest. Do they take excess housemates btw? Just imagine for example on January 1st, I am moving to a room half this size and see if you can give away what isn't needed by then. I would so come and help you if you wanted me to. I know just the manhandling of stuff can be huge. Would the Mormons give you a hand with heavy lifting? Along my journey I have become almost completely unattached to stuff and if I found the right person I would pass stuff on. At the moment I am thinking about some embroidered postcards that my Grandad sent Nanna from France in the war. They take up no room but when I find the right person, I will give them away.

 Granny Kate, that is interesting to hear the number of boxes your possessions have packed into. That has activated the nerd in me.

 Our family have tried to only buy second hand this year. We have on the whole done it.I have forgotten a couple of times but I forgive myself. DD1 can't wait till January to get some new trainers. There is no reason why we shouldn't continue, underwear and running trainers excepted.

 Had such a lovely time with DD1, we cooked a curry together. Sent her away with a jar of peanut butter to save me from myself and some cherry liqueur with a request for her to make her legendary black forest type cake for Vulpixmas.

 Love to all Vx

vulpix

 Mr V has just eaten a frog. He has extended the waste pipe from the kitchen sink to go further down the drain. Previously the speed of the water coming out made it spray over the yard which will be a skating rink when it gets cold. The excess bit of pipe binned too. In the past it would have been kept for justin.

2Scratters

Congratulations @Deni_debt-free_dreamer into your shiny 60's. Sounds like you've had a fab time so far

DH and myself have done an easy declutter of some Puffin Poo! 

A bit more gone out via the bay and more getting listed. DH has also given me an item to list to help.

I have spent the last 2 days procrastinating about the madness and sadness of events in the world. Need to give my head a wobble and keep pushing forwards.

2 Scratters xx

Siebrie

It’s the last day of the half term break here in Belgium. I’ve spent the first four days at my Mum’s, together with my 2 dds and a friend. I’d asked her to make a chore list and I’ve managed quite a bit: returning unneeded lightbulbs, returning window shades (she bought 3, then 1 had a hole, she got a new one after much complaining, which was a different colour bath, then after two months of complaining finally got 3 new ones. The shop wanted the old shades back), we sorted out her linen cupboard, we planned her funeral (hopefully not needed for a good long while yet). We went to restaurants for 3 of the 4 days and I gained 2kgs!

Husband took the opportunity to sort our house out, which boils down to: stuff everything in bags and dump those in the spare room without any system or order. The living room looks nice, at least.

Floss

@vulpix have you thought about IWM North for the postcards? We have some notes from our Grandpa's experiences with Italian PoWs in South Africa which they are interested in.

florianatwobob

One bag off to the charity shop yesterday. 

New boiler has been installed….it’s very quiet compared to the old one! 

Now just waiting for the usual
plumbers to do my toilet upgrades. I’m hoping they remember to bring ‘the big drill’ as my walls like to put up a fight. The British Gas chaps discovered that this week as they were heard to mutter ‘they don’t build houses like this anymore’.