2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

basketcase

Hi all!

The EDT is zooming away.  There’s definitely been some major decluttering going on.  Also there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel (sorry…) for many who are having a rough time.  Hope this builds for everyone who needs it – and in the meantime I left some gluten free flapjacks and a jar of hugs in the TLC carriage.  Both are bottomless, natch.

 

Feeling a bit off-colour over the last couple of days, so taking it easy.  I’ve been puttering about re-establishing my cleaning routine to keep it manageable, as this felt like the best use of a limited stock of energy.

I’ve long found that the best way of keeping the kitchen and bathroom clean is to have a short list of ‘dailies’ - eg in the bathroom I clean the sink, bath and loo, including the surrounding area, and sweeping the floor.  Then add a Plus 1 – today’s is tidying/wiping the windowledge and frame and bleaching the drains and loo.  (Which isn’t as much as it sounds – but it impresses me! 🤪).

I decided to extend this to the living room/hall and bedrooms.  They have similar tidying/straightening dailies and now have a Plus 1 too.  I try to keep similar actions together when possible.  eg today is doing all the windowledges and frames, Friday Vacuum/mop the floors.

Dragging through an entire room per day doesn’t always work for me.  It depends on energy levels.  This way all major rooms get cleaned weekly.  In theory.  It’ll get progressively easier as I declutter.

 

Admin plus Tadpole:

Not that much done (Still, every little helps - as some SM or another says - so I’m taking it!): Paid for a conference, booked a free talk at the Uni; quick query with Octopus sorting out why last month’s DD hadn’t been taken.  As I suspected it was because I’d changed it manually, causing me to miss the debit date.  I reckon the 3 together count as a frog.

General decluttering:

Not much in the way of ‘specialist’ decluttering, just the usual domestic stuff.  3 loads of washing, 2 bags recycling; fridge/freezer decluttered as stock and leftovers combined to meals.  BUT – clutter’s clutter, innit?! 🤫

 

NSDs

Sunday and Monday were both slightly spendy but yesterday wasn’t.  So, 1 additional NSD.

 

TOTALS

February– NSDs = 2/15. Containers = 4/28. Frogs = 2

vulpix

Hi,

I forgot to say LiverpoolAnne , would you wear your tee shirts if you fold the neck rib in half to the inside and sew it down?

Very encouraging that Mr F is getting a little better.

Already gone to the charity shop today. 4 hand knit kids hats, 2 knitted kids cardigans and the coral necklace. I am concentrating on finishing off various knitted things before starting a new one.

 I have deleted all my emails, just got 3 saved. Deleted unwanted email contacts, unsubscribed things.Deleted lots of photos from my phone, more to do. I have also deleted not needed phone numbers from my phone.

I am doing stuff from my frogs list whilst I don't yet feel up to much. I mended a throw, been meaning to do it for a year. I will no longer win any sewing prizes but it's finally done.

Used up all the  8p Christmas veg into a massive pan of soup.

I watched a big tree fall from the wood onto the flats roof opposite. Very slow and gentle. It's still there, I tried to phone the town council and emailed the local councillor. I don't know who should be informed about such things. I don't know if the people in the flats would notice, It's on the corner sort of on the gable end.

 I love a list too, I have a long term frog list, a job list and a a sort of shopping list. Not foodstuffs but things like a jumper bobble shaver which I bought recently. Some of my frogs have been there literally years. I suppose they are wishes rather than frogs. Some things are time critical and in my experience not as bad as expected once I have girded my loins and started it. I particularly don't like having to phone people and put it off till the very last minute.

I have to shake a leg.

Laters Vx

regnbue

Hi everyone

I've been using up and sorting various areas so far this year.

Used up a bottle of perfume.  I love the fragrance but can only smell it for the first 20 seconds after I've sprayed it so not going to buy any more perfume.  I have purchased one of those fragranced body sprays instead - smells like air freshener so we'll see. 

I'm also not buying any more calendars.  I barely look at them except monthly when I change the picture.

I've had quite a few sales on fleabay, surprising as it's January = no money, but these are all re-listings from xmas and I've reduced the prices, so pleased they are being bought up.

My numbers for January are:

Used up/recyled/donated/binned

1 writing paper
2 perfume
3 conditioner (from surplus)
4 body lotion (from surplus)
5-7 pens
8-9 nail polish
10 clear nail polish (counted separately from my coloured nail polish mountain of 28)
11 sock
12 artificial xmas tree
13 emery board
14-16 bags of soft plastics
17 broken clothes peg
18 calendar
19-28 xmas cards
29-31 travel brochure and 2 mags
32 enormous 2024 wall planner
33 necklace
34 pillowcase
35 old loyalty card
36 battery
37 small broken plastic tray
38 pot of make up glitter
39 tiny dictionary from 1981 falling to pieces
40 razor
41 broken plastic bag clip
42 roll of brown paper
43 huge amount of bubble wrap
44 roll of parcel tape
45 pack of hardened dishwasher powder - been meaning to break this up with a hammer for years!
46-53 items sold on fleabay
54-59 boxes used up for fleabay
60-64 metal scourers
65-89 tealights used up
90-95   62 pieces of paper - counting as 6

Items given to a friend:

96-101 food items
102-103 two big floor lamps
104 a whimsie

I will post my "ins" separately.  Unfortunately I have been quite naughty...oops

Keep going everybody.

Regnbue

Decluttering 104/500     Nail polishes 2/28        Cleaning products     0/22    Hair mousse    0/7   

Make £350 in 2025   £71/£350        Sell 50 items fleabay/FB   8/50

Beauty face masks 0/9     Bags dishwasher salt 0/3      Puzzle books 0/12

2023 🏅🏅🏅 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💐 💐 💐 💐

2024 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅💐

2025

QueenJess

One pencil definitely used up (can’t turn it in the pencil sharpener!)

New total 460

New use up total 20
Feb net physical in/out -3

~FlowerPot~

Hi lovelies, 
I am trying my hardest to tackle a great big adminy toad, I need to get it in the post by tomorrow, so have just another hour or so on it, and I'm getting there! Hopefully another could of hopes this evening and I'll be done.
Otherwise, nothing much has left the house. DS1 had just given me some pj's that did not survive the wash! 😳
I'm going to find 10 things to declutter right now and ill edit to show my new total........

/ 2025

GrannyKate

Not a lot done as window fitters all over the house.  Three more windows done and back door although they are still waiting safety glass so have put temporary solid panel in which makes it quite dark.  Glass should be here Friday when they will come back and also do the two large lounge windows.  I have however done some admin frogs and addressed the emails.  At 11.30 there were no emails left in any inboxes, sent boxes or junk.  All dealt with, saved in folder or permanently deleted.  

213 A family history membership renewed - checked another one I had marked for January but found I pay three years at a time so next payment 2027. 
214-219 All emails read, answered, filed or deleted.  Giving myself 5 as various frogs munched up. 
220 Sorted through stuff shoved in large bathroom cupboard when I moved in.  Some ancient wallpaper used for lining to recycling and random toothbrush binned.
221-225 Three old windows and a door leaving house with fitters.  Collecting old window and door keys in a bag as I will drop them in metal recycling at tip. Cat flap fitted but locked for the moment.  Sox not happy as stuck in back room all day.  

Nice but cold here - I put some washing on the line so hope it has dried a bit.  

Happy_Kitties

86)-88) another 3 items sold on V. Determined to hit my target of selling 25 items this year, 

Neutral items, another 33 sent including a lot of Easter items so they needed to be sent 
149+33=182 items sent so far.

apologies @MrsSD for not thanking you for my first star of the year with my neutral items. 

Signature will be updated soon to reflect 2025! 

Soontobeoap

Started on the craft mountain today. Sorted card blanks from papers and trims. Lots binned and quite a bit to go to craft group. All in all another bin bag full out. And half a bag ready to go to club for group. Will soon be able to push wardrobe back in place and start putting the useful bits back in. Need to get the room set up for sleeping again this week so no time for slacking!

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

In the end I didn’t go back to bed but instead wrote a shopping list for DH & DSis & then read my 2 magazines & completed my TaB competitions entry form. Wrote a couple of birthday cards but now urgent that I replenish my stock 😥 DH & DSis got back 15:15 & most of the shopping is put away. 

🤩 Dizzycap - excellent decluttering, tidying  & cleaning yesterday & all before 09:00 👏 Good luck with your listings 🍀

Florenceem, I am in awe of how much you did yesterday & all before 09:00 🤩 please accept 💐 & a plea to rest 🙏

Wednesday2000, I hope you enjoyed both your meditation class and the cranio-sacral therapy yesterday 😊 Good luck in your quest for a dress 🍀

Soontobeoap, really enjoying the conversation about deliveries & how differently various companies treat their customers 😊

Excellent decluttering & tidying Liverpool_Anne 👏 Re the frayed collars I would be tempted to use a bit of trimming material possibly in a contrasting colour 🤔 Great cheerleading & I am also enjoying the conversations about recycling & yarn delivery 😊

wishus, great work with the sale 👏 Hopefully you are also decluttering packaging as well as books 😊

vulpix, I have read that running on adrenaline for too long can be detrimental to one’s health so hopefully now you will be able to get some proper rest & the recovery process can start 🙏 Well done on sorting out the pension frog 👏 Apparently it is red kites that have been introduced along the M40/M4 corridor & very successfully brought back from the brink of extinction 😊 Hoping you finished the jumper before you started a new baby jumper 😉 Please get plenty of rest 🙏

Excellent decluttering CRANKY40 👏

Another page caught up 🙂

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 227/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

Florenceem

@Squiffy - I am a list person too. I am not doing my normal things at the moment - must get back to crafting.
Brie - I always want to do more than I achieve. I looked at the amount that needs to be decluttered and just decided to work at it.
Mrs SD - I managed to weigh Mr F - he had gained weight but the Dr said it is fluid which has to go. My weight has stayed the same which is surprising considering the amount of chocolate and sweets that I eat. We haven't developed colds which is good.
I took a trolley and bag full to the charity shop today - woman there told me that the BNWT items go to a branch in a rich area - I suppose they can charge more there.
I posted a Birthday card off to my sister - I had one that I made last year - flowers which she will like.
After going home to Mr F - I went to SA - friendship/lunch club - it was roast pork dinner today followed by gateau. I helped serve dinners and puds then went home to see Mr F. Then it was back to SA to count with C - took over 2 and a half hours.
I came home and we had dinner which I brought home from SA. I had to pop back to SA as I had forgotten to bring home a jacket to repair for someone.
I am tired - already in my pjs.
A Social Services chap phoned today while I was at SA - will ring again tomorrow afternoon - I asked for help over 3 weeks ago!
Someone from the Endoscopy Dept phoned about Mr F's February appointment - which is booked for March!
I came home to find a delivery from the pharmacy - boxes of protein drinks and 2 bags of medication - it won't all fit on Mr F's medicines shelf.
basketcase - I have daily jobs to keep on top of things.
We will have an early night.
My 26 bags is down to 1.