2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD

Siebrie

@QueenJess Can you make a flowchart for your husband and stick it on the wall where you/he take ds's temperature? For instance: 37-37.5C -> all's fine, give ds a cuddle and something to drink. 37.5-39C ... 39 and higher: wake me and call a doctor.

London_1

Good Morning chums half way through the month today One bag of socks (30 pairs) decluttered plus two pairs of PJs that are far too large for me now since losing so much weight last year.I couldn't believe how many pairs of sock I had of all different colours and designs I only have one pair of feet for goodness sake Many were bought for me and never worn actually still in a packet so they will go into the local Sally army bin next time I go across to the precinct. Also a big bag of photo frames not needed or used. Loaded into my car for when I go out tomorrow I do a round trip on a Tuesday Up to Dobbies, then to library, then to precinct to drop off bags of stuff to CS, then a quick shop in Tesco's for bits on my shopping list, then home by 1.00pm. I find doing all of the outside stuff on a Tuesday means I can stay in the warm for the rest of the week as its due for some very chilly weather in Kent by mid week.

Plus I can carry on decluttering more bits to be got rid of. Even though its really cold today the sun is shining brightly and there is a blue sky, just freezing cold as well  

Right time for a cuppa I think 

  JackieO xx

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 

DH & I eventually left at 12:09 & although the roads were busy it was a good ride down apart from the cold 🥶 No matter how warmly you wrap up the cold still manages to penetrate 😔 We arrived about 13:05 just as the buffet lunch was being set out 😉 There were 20 of us (age range 27 months to 89 years 😊) Lots of lively chat catching up as we hadn’t seen each other for a few months & the food was delicious. The 4 youngsters (cousins - 3 boys 1 girl) oldest boy five & half years old who took charge, all played nicely together either in the living room surrounded by adults or the spare room which was designated a play room. The buffet was left out for grazing & we spent the rest of the afternoon in conversation with various family members as well as mini chats  with the little ones & this time around I got lots of cuddles 🥰 from all 4 little ones - I was in seventh heaven 😊🥰😍 The party started to break up about 17:30 as family groups began to leave until there was just our hostess, DH’s niece S & husband C + DH’s DSis W & DBiL T. A family gathering that feeds the soul & makes you so happy that you feel fit to burst 🥹 W&T went home i.e. next door - were supposed to return about 20:00 for a late dinner but decided they were ‘all peopled out’ so just 4 of us sat at the table - fish pie or cottage pie + vegetables 🤤 DH & I in bed by 00:15. An OK night for me as I only got up twice during the night (even though the sofa bed is not particularly comfortable 😉)  Final bathroom visit 08:00 & now snuggled in bed typing 😉

London_1, you really are determined to thin out your book collection 😉 Hmm 6’ by 4’ with 6 shelves X 2 …… 2 shelves = 4 bags - 24 bags potentially if you didn’t keep any books 🤔  Thank you for sharing more family history - the love shines through 😊 I agree that decluttering can be very cathartic - bad memories can be decluttered with the ‘stuff’ & good memories can remain, with the loved items, as treasures ☺️ I am never quite sure about estate agents motives - “don’t bother sprucing up” seems to me like an invitation to potential buyers to offer less than the asking price 😔 

Excellent decluttering TheEmerald 👏 Plus very impressed by 7/14 NSD 😊

A bit of a dismal attempt to catch up, not good at typing in bed 😉 & I need a cuppa 😊 Might be back later but might leave it until we are home & I can sit at the table 😅

MrsSD: I AM A ⭐️ - 🥇 🎖️ 💐 🌟 

DH Awards:

Decluttering Target 2023: 76/2024

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Wednesday2000

I meant to say that after we got our new mattress the pillows felt really flat so we got the two spare pillows out of the box above the airing cupboard to have instead. I am using the old pillows as cat beds now so they will have to be binned after my two eldery cats wreck them. I assume they will!

I didn't find anything to declutter in the glass/cup cupboard, but I did find an out of date packet rice that had to be binned, annoyingly. The tins that have BBD this year have been moved to the front.

I am off to get my eyebrows dyed/shaped this morning. I am going to wrap up warm.

TheDoolallyDilly

Morning all, hugs to those that need it, and lots of you are tearing on with the decluttering!

I'm feeling a bit more myself today, at last. I only have two items to add to my declutter total - a set of old mystery keys, I have no idea what they are for, they don't fit any doors in this house, or my previous home! In the bin. And one book from my already thinned out bookshelves. That brings my total to 57/100.

London_1

I'm probably keeping perhaps half of my book collection, but half of it is definitely going to go. Reducing one of the book cases to zero will help me focus on what I really want to keep. 

Possibly another 8 bagfuls to go. Luckily there are a good few CS in my town so I will share the love between them all  

JackieO xx

tibawo

For some reason my phone didn’t charge last night so although i’m refreshed it has altered my plans for today!

DD2 is also not up, quite interesting reading about the anxiety as hers is linked to ADHD. She also struggles getting up. Her school were terrible trying to bribe her that if she was on time for a week they’d get her a mcD! Saying she had an attitude  etc. So glad we went doctor and got diagnosed.
TBH this lateness is something we’ve had long chats with as people just see it as being lazy. DD and doctor say it’s not that but kinda of you want to get up but your body doesn’t. I’m still getting to grips with understanding it. 

Back to decluttering… hopefully in my next update I will have been the tip and also started on a box of things. These ‘things’ have been in it for months so can’t be that useful if i’ve never  needed them?!

foxandflowers

Forgot to count my Ziffiting in my total, and giving myself a bonus point for email unsubscribing. I need to start keeping a list somewhere as I am doing very badly at keeping count. Despite not setting myself an actual target as yet, I still want to know how I am doing!! So 15 books on Ziffit & 1 bonus point for emails = 60 + 1 things. 

Big shopping bag for the charity shop has been brought to work with me, instead of lurking in my office, and includes a coat for my one in / one out idea. 4 more books to charity, a pair of slippers, coat, and 3 tops = 9 things, and I sold 4 bits on vinted last night, bringing new total to 73 physical things +1 bonus.  Have decided it makes sense to count Vinted sales separately, I am curious as to how much it actually makes me - but on £56 for the year so far, so not doing too badly! If I can get rid of the multiple storage boxes of clothes, that will make space for me to store things appropriately in the garage/attic, and then hopefully I can get rid of the bigger shed in the garden, and replace it with a picnic bench for summer barbecues. I would like clear 2024 things, and I will include my bonus points in the final tally. 

I remember last year there was a discussion around deleting photos from past years - and you can search for the day you are on and clear out the photos from that day from previous years. So today being the 15th January, I will have a look on lunch and declutter all the previous years photos from the 15th January. I hope that makes sense, and maybe can be a useful tip for anyone else that is overwhelmed by digital clutter as well as physical. 

I think my main aim is I would like to declutter the sense of dread my home gives me. If I was to have an accident and had to have ambulance crew into my house, I would be mortified by the piles of laundry, and rubbish stacked next to the bins, and the general state of things. I would like to be like @vulpix and be ready at a few minutes notice. 

oceanspirit

OH taking 3 books and a t-shirt to CS this morning plus a couple of other town jobs off my list.  Will have a go at putting decs away whilst he is out.

Sorted through food box and took out a couple more tins that need using this week - they are on menu plan with first being used tonight. Lunch is from fridge use ups.

QueenJess

Siebrie said:

@QueenJess Can you make a flowchart for your husband and stick it on the wall where you/he take ds's temperature? For instance: 37-37.5C -> all's fine, give ds a cuddle and something to drink. 37.5-39C ... 39 and higher: wake me and call a doctor.

This sounds far too logical!  I definitely need to try again.  The thing is that I never use the thermometer (although we do have one) as I know the usual temperature of my kids and just do it by feel.  I know when they are getting worse and when to be concerned and also when they are on a slow improvement path.  I also know how they both react, although DD is usually the worst for it as she gets dangerously high temperatures very quickly.

I tried to teach DH my way to do it, but for an intelligent person, he seems to struggle.  I lost all confidence when he told me DD was fine when actually she had a very high temperature that needed medication.

For DS he should be able to use the thermometer, but DD will hate it and it would also wake her up in the night.  I can quickly check without disturbing them.  I will have to retry my crash course, but unless I am very confident DH has it, then I won't be able to sleep anyway.

DH is now in bed ill, so looks like I am holding the fort together today .  At least I have lots of portions of hm soup in the freezer for easy lunches.