2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

wishus

@sqwiffy big hugs to you. 

@Florenceem also hugs, and wishing you all the best. 

@GrannyKate late to the party, but Sox is gorgeous.


Hello everyone else. Just updated my signature and forgot something, didn't I!

Adding to the decluttering total this week:

2 more books
1 dead balloon whisk
3 hi-vis
1 pair sticks
New total 109!


We have also gained some kitchenalia because I went to a marketing event and came back with a couple of branded bottles and a bento box, but one is already being used lots and I must just remember not to put it in the dishwasher like the other one!

Heatherweed

Florence I didn't want carers either but in the end before the home I had 2. Yes there was a couple mot suitable (being kind ) I just sent them away and complained to agency and social worker.
Ended up with 2 lovely carers who became friends as well.
They still go to visit him I'm the home and they cried with me when we had to let him go.in a home.
As you say.it is the nights that are hard. I was getting very little if any sleep.
Take care you are in my prayers x

Heatherweed

Sorry your name is spelt wrong my phone keeps changing things and I don't notice until to late sorry

Dizzycap

Good morning all

Started with my usual HH rubbish bin clearing and wiping over the kitchen surfaces while waiting for the kettle to boil before decluttering the first cup of coffee of the day.

Plans for this morning include:

Check the guttering at the front of the house this morning and remove any leaves or debris as heavy rain forecast later and all day tomorrow I checked the back a couple of days ago and there wasn't much to clean out, so hoping it's the same with the front.

Take a trip to the charity shop with my full dolly trolly and I'll take baby face with me as she loves a walk around the village high street and saying hello to everyone - 2 birds, one stone

Declutter a parcel off to the postie - another item out of the house

Check my bedroom radiator cap as it seems to have stopped working

Plans for the afternoon include:

Put out the wheelie bins & large recycling bag for decluttering tomorrow

Going through my monthly budget to see if there is anything I can reduce or declutter off any outgoings / planned spends.

Sort through & declutter more items from behind monster wardrobe door 4 - hopefully the dolly trolly will be empty

Prepare some new listings & hopefully declutter items out of the house soon!

I hope everyone has a great decluttering day! Take care

GrannyKate

Morning all - over the worst but still a dicky tummy slowing me down.  

170 Bags dropped off at CS - items already counted
171-172 Two bags of old wallpaper to tip
173-174 Two large cardboard boxes (one from cat tree and one from table) to recycling 
175 Birdwatch results submitted.  Sox has taken up birdwatching as well!
176 Table collected and DS2 put it together - inexpensive drop leaf table - much better in dining area than current large garden table.  Garden table in outhouse
177 Bag of plastics to SM
178 Random old coasters in bin
179 Reviewed some plans for kitchen and bathroom - uninspiring
180 General junk binned in kitchen/diner tidy and clean
181-182 Two frogs dealt with
183 Calendars and diaries updated

I thought I only had one birthday in February now but suddenly remembered new great great nephew in US who will be 1 on 3rd. will get a card posted today although it will probably be late.  I have a 'birthdays' only calendar which I copy across every year but of course he wasn't on last years.  

daisy_1571

Aw squiffy thats the silliest thing ive ever heard.  Yes to lots of people in the outside world he was just a bird, in exactly the same way my dog was just a dog, my cat was just a cat and people are just people.   As suzeesue says he was your friend and you were his person who looked after him, thought about his needs and his little likes and dislikes and catered to them, had routines with him.  Its absolutely awful clearing away a lost pets things knowing they don't need them anymore.   Take your time, hugs xxxx

Grannykate glad your feeling a bit better.

Mrs sd you wouldn't be caring about someone in your home, youd be too busy clearing out someone else's home and making it b-eee-utiful for them arriving back home  😀 

Daisy xxxx

oceanspirit

Love the idea of swapping homes - it’s so much easier to be objective with other people’s things.  In reality, could I let someone declutter my home?  Probably not, but I would be happy to have someone with me to assist with the more difficult decisions as OH always persuades me to keep things if I’m not sure.  Yesterday I decided to start a small box for things I can’t decide on at the moment (Dawn of The Minimal Mom YouTube channel suggests doing this) and I will go back to them another day to see how I feel about them then.

OH went out all day yesterday so was able to get much more done than usual. The place doesn’t look any better but it feels better.  Didn’t get any big things done but lots of little admin tasks, tidying up jobs, a couple of small cleaning things done and lots of small things off the reading pile (that has grown back recently having been caught up previously) have made a difference.  The frog that missed its deadline is on its way to being sorted out and a bit more can be done on that today.

vulpix

Hello declutteratti,

Mrs SD, I have screws and pins everywhere (spine), I am the original bionic woman. When I first had them I could feel them all the time but your brain tunes out after a while. If I concentrate I can feel them all !!!

I would love to be an organiser, I could be Dilly but I draw the line at organising biscuits in a jar. I imagine it would be a job that needs a lot of diplomacy and skill to not impose your priorities and values on someone else. I enjoy it so much though, I would do it for free!

Found 2 necklaces to go, one fake pearls for someone who makes jewellery and the other an antique coral from MIL. I will never wear the coral even though it would have been harvested many years ago so it is going to the "good" charity shop.
 Also out an ancient tape measure which is split.

 Mr V has sold his big speakers £300 Thank you, kerrching. This is significant. It means that he has actually retired from big jobs. Not working New Years Eve for the first time in 50 odd years. He won't know what to do with himself.

 Gotta fly, yoga

 Vx

foxandflowers

Have been reading along but haven't had much to contribute. Thinking of Florenceem particularly, hoping for a good outcome now Mr F is home.

Enormous frog tackled today and shed has been emptied and front garden has been cleared of all rubbish. Almost tempted to do a victory lap. 4 dining chairs, 1 dining room table, a desk, a single bed, a giant bookshelf, a dart board and stand, a box of misc electrical junk, about 10 black bags, plus the tonne bag full of junk in the front garden have all been removed. Counting as 30 things. Which sort of off-sets my little shopping related slip and the 17 things I have brought in since 2025 started! 

 

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks
2. Concerted effort to sort out sleep patterns - Realistic targets: bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 10:00 a.m 
3. Continue dealing 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: good morning from a bright & sunny but oh so cold 🥶 east London. I was up & dressed before 10:00 as I have an appointment with the dental hygienist today - in west London. Surprisingly I slept quite well as I have been dreading the visit - my pain threshold is very low when it comes to my teeth 😣 & this is the first time I am having an hour long appointment. Oh well it is what it is. Fortunately DH is accompanying me 😇 

Florenceem, pleased to hear that both you & MrF slept well 😊 Hopefully now that MrF is home & has extra meds, he will start to recover & regain his strength more quickly than being in the hospital. You are both in my thoughts & prayers 🙏 I hope that the weather stays dry for your trip into town 🤞

Great decluttering wishus 👏

Lovely post Heatherweed 😊 Fingers crossed that if Florenceem needs to get carers in for MrF that she will be lucky first time & get good ones 🤞

Dizzycap, you have a very full day planned 🤩 I hope you have factored in some rest & relaxation time 😉 Good luck with your continuing mission to clear items from behind Door 4 of the mega wardrobe 🍀

GrannyKate pleased to hear that you are over the worst 😊 although it sounds like you are still not 100% ☹️ Excellent decluttering 👏 Thanks for the reminder about birthday cards for February - I just have the 5 😧 & need to get my ‘arris in gear to top up my supply of suitable cards 😉 I will keep my fingers crossed that the card arrives on time 🤞

Lovely post daisy_1571 😊 & thank you for such kind words 🥹

oceanspirit, This “Love the idea of swapping homes - it’s so much easier to be objective with other people’s things.  In reality, could I let someone declutter my home?  Probably not, but I would be happy to have someone with me to assist with the more difficult decisions as OH always persuades me to keep things if I’m not sure” is very well put & could be describing me (apart from the last bit as my DH doesn’t really express an opinion 😉) Excellent work with getting various tasks done & remember that if it ‘feels better’ then it definitely looks better 😊 it is just that as you are tidying, cleaning sorting you tend to forget how it looked before 🙂 Perhaps before & after photos might help 🤔 Meanwhile a medal🏅 is on its way 🙂

vulpix, sorry to hear about all the “screws & pins” 😔 It must be ‘fun’ going through airport scanners 😉 Definitely a ‘Bionic Woman’ when it comes to decluttering 😊 Dilly is wonderful, bless her cotton socks but biscuit sorting is a step too far 😂 Excellent decluttering by both you & MrV 👏 Definitely sounds like MrV has finally retired after so many ‘false starts’ 🥳

foxandflowers, you should definitely be doing a ‘victory lap’ after all that decluttering 😊 Excellent work 👏 and worthy of a Gold Star ⭐️ which is on its way 🥳 Keep up the good work 😊

I am about to have a 2nd cuppa (small one this time) whilst I get sorted for the visit to the hygienist 🙂 Hope everyone has as good a day as possible especially Florenceem & MrF 🙏

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 💐 💐 💐 🏅🥉🏅 🎂 🌟

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 194/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00