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

Monday: I managed 2 x 3 hours of sleep before waking up @ 07:30.Came downstairs to have a cuppa & read a bit then went back to bed. Managed another 2.5 hours of sleep then got up & dressed. It is grey & overcast here but at least there is no rain 🙂

QueenJess, thank you for sharing your Decluttering Journey 😊 Hopefully sqwiffy will find some useful ideas, as will a few of us 💐

Liverpool_Anne, pleased to hear that your B12 jab has already started to work ☺️ Lovely cheerleading as usual 👏

I am enjoying the conversation about decluttering - both the reasons for starting & continuing the decluttering journey & the methods used so would like to thank everyone for their input 👏 It not only helps our newbies but also those of us who have been on the decluttering journey for a while 😊 Reminding us that if we continue chipping away at the clutter we WILL reach our goal of a clutter free home & life 😊

Florenceem, hopefully the nurse will have some suggestions for gentle exercises that will help MrF build up his strength 🙏

florianatwobob, thanks for the useful tips about selling 👏

vulpix, sorry to hear sorry to hear about the stroke but very thankful to hear that you are home again 🙂 It is also a ‘pleasure’ to hear that the NHS treatment & care was so prompt & efficient 🥹 Hopefully the visit from from your son & grandson + your daughter won’t be too tiring 🙏 And once they have all gone you can retire to bed with MrV looking after you 😊

Another page caught up 😉 but still several pages behind 🙊 I do hope that everyone is having as good a day as possible & that all our poorlies are getting plenty of rest 🙏

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 215/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

vulpix

basketcase and soontobeoap I live right in the middle of you both in the Peak District. Does London1 come to your group soontobeoap?

basketcase, My DD1's OH is from Aberdeen. I will ask when they next plan to visit. They are at a wedding in Edinburgh on Saturday but I don't know if they plan to go to visit his parents. I know they are going to the Shetlands in March so I imagine they will be getting the ferry then. As an aside , I did a Social Work placement in Aberdeen in the dark ages. I was there 5 months, loved it. I will get on the case with DD1. It is a shame to post if we could be passing by. The OH's sister also visits more often and lives down South. I will get back to you.

I slept 13 hours and I am still in bed. I will have a bath and potter about, putting the house back together after the 17 month olds visit. We got him a rocking horse from marketplace. He loved it. He has  named it Baby Bell.

 Vx

Soontobeoap

Another wash down of the bedroom wall today to be sure that I have removed all of the mould. Just one small patch on the ceiling that I can't reach so DH will do that for me. Started to tackle the absolutely shocking amount of craft stuff that I found in and on top of the wardrobe. Over 2 bin bags Full to go to craft club this afternoon I will sort it there. At least it is out of my house. 🤣

vulpix

For chuffs sake! I can't remember owt!

weenancy, I am prescribed asprin too. The double vision thing is hard, I get fireworks in my blind eye, fluorescent white pink and blue. I am hoping that is the optic nerve trying to fire up. The consultant said he doesn't want me to have false hope. Stranger things have happened.
 I hope your rain forecast turns up as a downpour.

 Vx

basketcase

@vulpix and @Soontobeoap I'd like to share the yarn between you, if possible. It's mostly 1 or 2 balls, but often a few on the same colour range.  Some machine washable, some not. 

@vulpix
I'm actually in Edinburgh on Saturday, staying overnight so would be there till mid-afternoon on Sunday.  If your DD & her OH will be around.  Failing that, I could either keep it or deliver it to 'the in-laws' for the next time he's up.  You can even have the underbed storage box thrown in, if you like...
@Soontobeoap
I've been to the IoW a couple of times and enjoyed it.  Lovely place.  I suppose the delivery difficulty could be worse.  I could be in Shetland! 🤣 I don't mind posting the yarn to you.

Do either of you have any preference for colours? I have:

• pastels
• darks
• brights (even the occasional neon!)

Also types/weights of yarn? These include:

• baby wool
• DK
• Aran
• fluffy (in burgundy or gold) suitable for a small stuffed toy or 2)
• chunky

Let me know and I'll sort it out.

QueenJess

Busy day, so just a quick check in... continuing to chip a little bit away every day with digital photos being reviewed, the library being cleared up, emails being cleared down and bits of frogs being tackled.

2 things to declare in today - summer shoes for DS (a hand me down from one of his friends) and some slipper socks for me from Buy Nothing as I get very cold feet and live in them at least 6 months of the year (mine have been sewn back together so a spare would be handy!).  Still more out than in

Digital:
10 - photos deleted

Physical:
1 - bathroom stuff I don’t like (Buy Nothing)
1 - craft supplies used up
5 - paperwork recycled
1 - packaging reused
New total = 454

New use up total = 19

Net physical things in/(out) = -2

kiss_me_now9

Suffolksue said:

Our carers were fantastic and enabled me to keep my DH at home during the whole of his devastating illness .
his only wish was to die at home and he did ( it was all through the lockdowns and to me the saddest thing was he never saw a carers face .)
Generally the first 6 weeks out of hospital is free ( used to known as an enablement service . (kiss me now will know the current rules ) .

Hopefully now Mr F seems to be ‘coming back ‘ he will improve now he’s home .

Roughly speaking, yes. The idea is that assessments are carried out at home to allow people to get out of hospital quicker and reduce the bed stays in the NHS. It's called 'discharge to assess' and if anyone fancies some light reading... https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance/hospital-discharge-and-community-support-guidance The funding side is a bit tricky but my understanding that everyone is entitled to at least a free period of time of assessment, whether that is a full 6 weeks or not may depend on your local area and the individuals needs (though I must be honest, that's a social work issue and one we don't get fully involved with). My general line at work is "up to 6 weeks" as I'm never quite sure and there are always exceptions...

I have met some incredible carers, people who put their heart and soul into their jobs, but also have met some who made you wonder why they bother getting out of bed in the morning. I think it's very easy to forget that if you're able bodied and of sound mind yourself, having a carer in for your loved one can feel very imposing. It is a very individual choice and everyone deals with it differently.

Back on topic, I must get on with decluttering our office (aka my craft room, where I've dumped all my odds and sods for the last 5 years we've been in this house) as someone is coming round on Friday to take photos to put our house on the market. It's the last room we really need to tackle, everything else is just tidying. 

MadamMim2013

sqwiffy said:

@Madam Mim 2013 - What are jammie duffins?

They’re very yummy donut muffins 😋 (a hybrid of the two, if you like) they can also be made with chocolate spread in them ☺️

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all,

First off @Vulpix, omg what a shock, please take care and if there is anything I can do to help just message me 💗. As you say it could have been a lot worse but even so very frightening. I can imagine the stairs were not easy the first time and coming down more so as they are so steep. I hope you had a nice day with the family yesterday and you were spoiled rotten, big hugs

I delayed posting as very little done yesterday, started well but went downhill after I had swished 3 loads of washing 😁. The weather turned out not good enough to line dry so they are on the maiden and the jeans are on the radiator but hopefully some will be dry today. Kitchen recycling emptied and a broken coat hanger into the hard plastic bag. I have been sorting through my chest of draws as I realised when putting the ironing away that the draws are a bit rammed so I have rearranged some things. 2 small sock draws combined into 1 with the newer socks being put in a cloth bag in the wardrobe so I can continue with the wearing until they are dead older socks 😁. I have been working on this since covid and some of these socks appear to be virtually indestructible 😂😂. I honestly don't think I will need new socks for years 😂. I have passed on unworn socks but I feel these fall into the same category as underwear that no cs would want so I will carry on with them until they die 😂. After that I tackled the pj draw which I have already cleared once and taken loads to the cs but I am trying to fit everything from a large draw into a small draw 😂😂. It is currently in a heap as I ran out of energy so that is my first job today and some things may go to the cs but some will have to find a home elsewhere 😂. This will free up a draw for the ironing pile 😁. I know I just have too many clothes but I will get sorted eventually 😂.

Welcome to @Iloveyoutoo, and @I_Love_comps, lots of lovely people here with tips to help and I am looking forward to following your journey 😁.

@Florenceem there are special lifting techniques, ask the physio or occupation therapist to show you to save your back. I used them at school to help some pupils who were much taller and heavier than me and they do work, hugs

@Squiffy LDFPA means a load of laundry dried, folded and put away 😁

@Dizzycap just to clarify, is baby face a dog? Sorry if I have missed the post where you have told us 😁

@Brie interestingly our council has specifically asked for plastic bottles and tins not to be flattened, must be something to do with the sorting machines 😁

Well I got totally distracted watching the squirrel trying and finally succeeding in getting to the fat ball holder 😂 so funny to watch and I don't mind the raid as I think if s/he is eating here it will leave food elsewhere for the birds 😁

Right better post and get on with something
Hugs to everyone who would like one

178 kitchen recycling
179 coat hanger
Take care everyone
179/2025

Wednesday2000

The blinds in the bathroom are now very clean. I'm going to wipe them down every week to avoid having to deep clean them.

The wardrobe doors are off and I went to tidy my husband's side of them. He was storing the mould traps there so I took them all out of the Amazon boxes and put them behind his boots and shoes. I accidentally ordered loads of them so we have about 15 mould traps!

I cleaned the blinds in the front room and they weren't dirty at all, just a bit dusty.

I called up to book the bulky waste, they haven't called back yet.