2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

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

I managed a couple more hours sleep & was up & dressed before noon. It is quite dark & overcast but no rain is forecast 🤞 

StickyTheStickInsect, excellent work decluttering “huge frogs” aka ‘Cane Toads’ 👏 I will keep everything crossed that “DD’s EHCP application” will be sorted out more quickly & smoothly than you anticipate 🤞 Sorry to hear about the new medication & I do hope that you don’t have to take it for long 🙏 

Liverpool_Anne, excellent decluttering on Wednesday 👏 This “Also popped out to fill up the petrol in the car as a local garage had a 12 hour sale, down from 1.39.9 to 1.10.9 per litre. They don't advertise but they do this every once in a while and the word is spread by the driving instructors and the taxi drivers 😁, as it is very local it is worth sitting in the queue for 10 mins to fill up” had me smiling especially the bit about taxi drivers & driving instructors spreading the word 😊 Hopefully today is the day that you are getting your B12 jab 🤞 & you will start feeling a lot less tired 🙏 Great cheerleading 😊

oceanspirit, good work especially transcribing notes from November 👏

Great decluttering 2Scratters 👏 & what a lovely DH 😊 Very well done on not wasting food by converting it into bird food 💐

charlies_tribe, sorry to hear that both you & DH are unwell 😔 What do you think about ‘From’? DSis & I are currently watching the 3rd Series - very weird it is too 👻  I am sincerely hoping that when it ends, it doesn’t let me down like the ending of ‘Lost’ 🤞

florianatwobob, I love the description of your shed becoming a little “distraught and dishevelled” 😂 Great work by you & DSis getting it tidied 👏 I think DBro2 should be banned from entering now that it is all sorted out 😉

Another busy morning Florenceem & some great decluttering 👏 It sounds like you & MrF are getting into a routine that works for both of you 😊 Fingers crossed that MrF’s slippers have arrived 🤞

I am interspersing sessions of cheerleading with a bit of reading & it seems to be working as I am gradually catching up 😉 DH is finally up 😉

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 205/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Willowtree222

After what started as a slow day for decluttering, I got some momentum. 

Sorted through the old appliances paperwork and realised I didn't have most of them anymore. That all got recycled. 

Gave away a ukulele.

Sorted bookshelf and found two more books for my friend to read. I'm seeing her Tuesday so they're ready to go. 

Also found a local person who wants books. I have a bag full that he can have if he wants. I've messaged him to see.

Decluttered my DD for the day. She's been at her friends so house has been nice and quiet. 

Sorry to hear so many pm here are not well or having difficulties, sending virtual hugs and hope. X

Brie

@Florenceem
Sorry to hear about your comrade.  Well comrades.  Shocking how sudden things can happen.

And sorry about Mr F's slippers.  What size does he wear by chance?  I only ask because I had bought my MiL a pair of sketchers when I was in Canada a couple of years back and they didn't fit her.  I've tried them on and they're too big for me - I take a size 7 UK, 7-8 Canadian, EU 41.  The ones I have are a size 9 Canadian and may be men's (MiL had swollen feet too).  Anyways - they are as good as new and have been in an envelope in my car for the last 3 years (trying to declutter!!!) so if they are any good for Mr F just say the word and I'll post them to you.  Just PM me your address.  fyi - they are a kinda gray knit look with a fleecy lining.

And I'll hold the offer out to anyone else who might want these if they go unclaimed - I do need to clear out my car!!!  Been meaning to ebay/vinted them but just never get round to it.

Florenceem

Brie - many thanks but Mr F is a size 10.
I am sorting stuff to fill my shopping trolley and a bag ready for Monday.
We had another easy dinner courtesy of SA - mash/brocolli/carrots and nando. chicken.
I will have to see how much stuff I have for the £2 shop - if I can bear to keep it until they are accepting donations again. The other charity shop doesn't sell children's clothes as not enough profit.
There is another charity shop that I could take stuff to - further to walk but I could still get a bus home.

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

I have finally mended a small black bag/case & added it to the CS bag

 together with some bubblewrap. Nothing being counted until I visit the CS 😉 DSis spotted a sparrow hawk on the hedge & I managed to get a quick snap on my iPad 

DH & I have finished the hm soup. The sparrow hawk has put in a second appearance but sadly no picture.

Excellent work on the deep cleaning Wednesday2000 👏 especially as you have saved lots of money by doing it yourself 😊 A medal 🏅 is on its way 😊 Re your weekend away perhaps smart trousers & two tops 🤔 

Lovely post daisy_1571 😊

Excellent decluttering CRANKY40 👏 Brilliant numbers - you are almost through February’s ‘5 a day’ as well 🤩 Please accept a well earned Gold Star ⭐️ Sorry to hear that you are still in pain 😔 but hopefully you can rest over the weekend & recover completely 🤞

Florenceem, so pleased to hear that the community nurses are doing such a good job 🥹 Excellent decluttering down from 26 bags to 7 👏 Please, please try to get some rest 🙏 

Lovely post ionafan 😊 Sounds like your family tree is coming along well 👏

Great decluttering TC77 & well done on sorting out the phone frog 👏 Please be very careful not to hurt yourself whilst moving furniture out of DD2’s room 🙏

2Scratters, brilliant news 🥳 not so much the getting older 😉 more that you didn’t have to do the chasing 😮‍💨 

Great work QueenJess 👏

Blue_Doggy, Even though you were tired yesterday you still managed to get a lot done 👏 Hopefully you are feeling better today 🤞

Another page caught up & perfect timing as I need another drink 😉

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 205/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

GrannyKate

Quite a busy day today and I resisted the urge to go out and waste money.  DS2 and DIL called in with a toy for Sox - a bird which chirps and which you put catnip inside of.  He went bonkers with it.  They also bought me flowers. Tried to start bringing some order to garden but lots to sort and money will need to be decluttered.

188 Cleaned cobwebs, old nails, bits of wood, bricks etc out of workshop. There is an old cabinet in there which needs to go but too heavy for me. Needs work in there but I have moved garden tools from garage into there along with plastic pots and tools.  I plan for it to be potting shed but need to clean more.  New roof and power and lighting already done. 
189 Greenhouse emptied and various items put like with like in garden.  Need to clean it now.
190-199 At least ten things in rubbish from workshop and greenhouse
200 Two bushes cut down from front garden as they were pushing front boundary wall - need to dig roots up now.  Managed to get most in the brown bin for collection next week.  
201 Toolbox sorted out as things had fallen out of cases and all muddled up.  Discovered my heavy duty measuring tape in there.  
202 Booked rubbish collection for next weekend jointly with DS2. 

Neighbour bought his keys round for me to watch house along with a plant to babysit.  Only a simple tradescantia that his mother grew 40 years ago.  Hope I don't kill it.  He is away for three weeks from tomorrow.  Feeling a bit stiff after the gardening but pleased I have made a start outside.  Not much I can do indoors until trades come.  I contacted a fencing company who asked when they could come to look but they haven't come back with a date yet. 

redofromstart

Lovely to get the sparrowhawk picture @Mrs_Salad_Dodger
I think my lowest point was spotting mould growing on the anti mould stuff @Soontobeoap, we used some dryzone anti mould additive in dulux easy care bathroom this time which seems to be working well.  

I am still decluttering, just been busy and then away post skip collection. 

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

I have done a bit of reading + watched a bit of TV - an old episode of QI + an episode of TWD. 

Good decluttering oceanspirit every bit helps 👏 Those thermals sound really well made 🤩

~FlowerPot~ , excellent work with the decorating & baking 👏 I hope the weather has been kind today for your visit to see your Mum & I do hope that she was well enough to go to the café with you 🤞

Liverpool_Anne, 😠 to OH ignoring the meal plan - I will put him on the naughty step & give him some extra reading tuition 😉 Hopefully you are starting to feel the benefit of today’s B12 jab 🤞

StickyTheStickInsect, good luck with your EHCP application 🍀 

TC77, just pleased that the ‘dentist activity’ was only financially ouchy rather than physically 😣 Steady decluttering 👏

Dizzycap, sorry to hear that you are now on full bed rest 😔 However I am pleased to hear that you are following doctor’s instructions 😊

GrannyKate, pleased to hear that you have managed to declutter your tummy bug at long last 😊 Your renovations are coming along well & hopefully not too much disruption for Sir Sox 😉 Although it does sound like Sir Sox is keeping you on your toes 😊

Great work decluttering another kitchen drawer SuffolkSue 👏 I will keep my fingers crossed that the weather improves for your mini break next week 🤞

Off to start cooking dinner & will be back later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 205/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

basketcase

My goodness – I didn’t realise the EDT was a bullet train!  I alighted a few days ago and it’s moved on so far. I haven’t been (completely) idle though.  In fact, if you’d looked back you might have noticed a handcar with someone furiously pumping away like in a silent film.  That was me!

Firstly though, I have been keeping up with everybody’s posts and the first one I opened was @sqwiffy who I haven’t spoken to as yet.  So I responded to her sad news about Aussie.  I was going to mention everyone individually, but the list goes on and I didn’t know where to start.  The TLC carriage is stuffed to the gunwales and I wish it was real instead of virtual.

So many of us are going through bad times – ill health, loss of family and friends (human and others), cold, fire floods, power cuts, supporting others (often when there isn’t much in our own tanks), not receiving the support we need – especially from people who should know better. 

As it is, I can only offer virtual hugs to anyone who needs one, a virtual drink and food of choice in a comfy chair to those who need rest.  Also virtual smacks around the head aimed at all those like the therapists causing @florenceem such grief or the people wearing @weenancyinAmerica to the bone.  (There may be extenuating circumstances, but is that a real excuse?).

 

DECLUTTERING

I stepped out of the train a few days, partly because I just needed a change of scene and partly to hunt for my mojo (last seen waving at me from the platform, you may recall!).  I also had to return some library books and ask how to use Borrowbox, so I bussed into town and had a walk around.  I decided to treat myself to a slightly decadent - and very non-MSE - chai latte and slice of lemon drizzle cake.  And I didn’t care.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  So😝 .  (I’m a little rebel, me!)

I sat there, mojoless, working out why he (my mojo is definitely a he) had run off.  We used to be able to get so much more done. For Heaven's sake, I used to organise as part of my job - and I was considered very good at it.  Yet what needed doing was starting to feel overwhelming.  

So the first thing that needed decluttering was my brain,  Far too detailed aims and far too many ‘categories’.  Including, but (as they say) not limited to: declutter, organise my flat, revise my budgets/spending, get back to a proper cleaning routine, start ‘make do, mend and minimising’, meal planning, become more frugal...  All good, sensible aims.  But all at once?  Really?

And there he was.  My mojo was back (even if it was only to share the lemon drizzle cake!). Me a bit tired, him a bit rebellious, but still plugging away.

Admin Amphibians:

One frog which I ate in 3 parts.

I also disposed of another one which wasn’t even frogspawn – more chucking a bucket of water over the prospective parents.  Read the letter in the hall, telephoned immediately and sorted it out in 15 minutes.  Go me!

General decluttering:

I didn’t think I’d done all that much of anything – but it’s surprising how mounts up.  I’ve included laundry baskets, ironing, lots of emails, subscriptions etc and various types of containers.  Plus another selection of stuff moved to the car to take down to DD’s and a very old slow cooker (anyone remember You Are What You Eat?).  Noticed that the ceramic bowl had a long vertical crack.  That bit’s now holding a couple of plants, and the rest has gone.  So not quite as dismal a performance as I thought.  In fact, I’ve been counting items, purely for interest, and was staggered to see a running total of 978!  Mind you, that's cheating really, as a few hundred were electronic items - photos, emails, filing etc

NSDs

What with bad weather, eating the freezer and just not wanting anything, I’ve managed a fair few days with no unplanned spending.  I’ve beaten my target of 15 per month.

TOTALS

January – NSDs = 21/15. Containers = 39/31. Frogs = 3

 

basketcase

 @Mrs_Salad_Dodger  I hope the most painful part of your dental “experience” was paying for it.  That's an awful lot for a hygienist though...
Well done on mending the bag and catching the sparrowhawk.
 

@Muddy_Walker 
*waving finger emoji*
You are not, repeat NOT, an "imposter".  Hospitals, indeed all health professionals, are there to stop you joining the "many many people who are worse off" than you. And they've caught you early enough to do that.
 I hope I don't sound rude or preachy - it's more a reminder of something you know really, but is easily forgotten when you're feeling fed up/not wanting to feel a fusspot.
I do understand where you're coming from (in fact, I'd probably feel the same), but I bet they'd be delighted if all the patients they saw were at the small or stage 1 level.

I think @Soontobeoap had some great suggestions for keeping your mind occupied while your body rests and recuperates.  My only problem if I were in that position would be that I'd keep thinking "I'm not really ill.  I could do more than this".  It's hard. (OK, confession time.  I have been in that position and done that.😳 Sometimes I got lucky, sometimes it set my recovery back...)

Take care of yourself. 💐