2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

charlies_tribe

Good evening/night. I started well this morning and cleaned some of the kitchen. Put a potato sack into recycle. I don't usually count food packets etc (we have so many, I'd have passed the target in a month) but this bag has been sat well over a month as DH wanted it for something and now the next one is almost empty. 

Went for a walk with DD1 some of the teens and the DGC. It was freezing and took longer than normal as DGD walks slower than a snail. We did all stop for a while to watch the Highland cows.

And since getting back, I've done nothing except make dinner and watch Missing You. So 1 short today but I do have a pole of boxes waiting for the recycle bin to be emptied. 

6 Tea towel with damp/mould patches binned
7  Potato sack to recycling

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

Since my last post, I put the beef in to slow roast & prepped everything else. Read a bit & did some puzzles then started the cooking - a full roast dinner - beef, roast potatoes & parsnips, roasted honey glazed carrots, green beans for DSis, sprouts with bacon & chestnuts (DH) for DH & me, Yorkshire puddings & hm gravy (DH). I did all the cooking apart from the items marked DH. Absolutely delicious 😋 DH is now making soup using the last of the bendy vegetables, a few lo sprouts & roast potatoes. DH washed up the pots & pans & I dupa then did the rest of the wudupa. 

9 - 12 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, booklet, magazine - recycled 

13 - 14 Kitchen & lr detritus - binned

Lovely to see you Brambling 👋 Congratulations on your retirement 🥳 I do hope that you have spent some time enjoying yourself, catching up on your sleep & generally looking after yourself 🙏 Good luck with the weight loss 🍀 & hopefully your hip operation will be sooner rather than later so that you have plenty of recovery time 🙏 Although I am quite jealous 😉 that once you get back to fitness & fully into the swing of decluttering, you will be creating a Crafting room. Looking forward to following your Decluttering journey 😊

Welcome back -taff 👋 Congratulations on your retirement 🥳 even though it appears to have taken a little time to realise you are officially retired 😉 Fingers crossed that the remainder of the building work won’t be too disruptive & that you can fit your decluttering in during quiet times 🤞Also good luck to you & your sister decluttering her house of your parents things 🍀 Please remember to both be kind to yourselves as it is bound to be very emotional 🙏 Thanks for the timely reminder about charity shops taking bags of rags 👏

Nice to see you D123456789 👋 and a huge welcome to LO as declutterer in chief in your family 😊 An excellent amount of decluttering by LO 👏 which has the distinction of meriting the First Award of 2025 - a very shiny Gold Star ⭐️ Please thank her for being so generous 🥹 I am expecting great things from you as you now have a lot to live up to 😂🙃

Welcome aboard the EDT kayjay1809 👋 & very pleased to see that you have found us 😊 Thank you for sharing your life with us 👏 You & your husband have taken the first step on your decluttering journey by recognising that the amount of ‘stuff’ you have is making you unhappy 😞 Please, please don’t feel  ashamed - it is all too easy to acquire too much stuff & almost before you realise you are drowning in stuff 🙁 I can see that several of your new Declutterati family have offered some very useful suggestions & rather than overload you with any more ideas, I will just say that each time you clear a surface, organise a drawer etc remember to pat yourself on the back & acknowledge that you are a successful declutterer 😊 Also please remember that we are here to support & encourage you as you join us on the decluttering  journey 😊

Lovely post weenancy 😊

CRANKY40, welcome aboard the EDT 👋 Thank you so much for sharing your background 👏 It sounds like you are an experienced declutterer, so now that you are concentrating on decluttering I foresee plenty of success & a clutter free home 🔮 I am looking forward to hearing about your progress 😊

tibawo, a timely reminder that decluttering is a marathon not a sprint 👏 Also thanks for the reminder that one can get a lot done in 10 minute sessions 😊

Of course you can join us tiddles 😊 I have made a note of your target & am looking forward to following your progress 😊

Welcome aboard the EDT pollys 👋 Lovely to meet you 😊 Congratulations on your early retirement 🥳 You sound very organised & I can foresee a successful decluttering campaign 🔮 I do hope that the building works for your new kitchen & new bathroom are not too disruptive 🤞The before & after photos are a great motivation & I am hoping you will post at least some of your photos as an inspiration to us all 🙏

Lovely to meet you C_Charlie 👋 So pleased that you have taken the first step & moved out of ‘Lurkdom’ to jump aboard the EDT 😊 Whilst I am catching up with the cheerleading I am happy to let you borrow ‘my decluttering mojo’ - I am currently only using the minimum amount on a daily basis 😊 Your decluttering journey starts with the first item you dispose of & will continue until the last excess item has gone 😉 Remember the more you declutter, the more you will want to declutter 😊

Another page caught up, so will post & head to bed. I am keeping up with the day to day decluttering & am hoping that by the time I am all caught up with the cheerleading I will be so inspired that I will tackle several frogs 🤞Sleep tight everyone 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 

DH Awards:

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 14/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

TC77

Awake far too early, misread my phone, thought 6 not 5! Been reading the thread on the train to and from work so can't recall who said what but so much going on here, lovely new people and us oldies and all the challenges and adventures we're facing.
Overwhelmed by stuff which with DD2 at home makes me what to moan at her about her chaos but then remind myself most is mine, books and small bits from my dad's and historic wombling.as well as the 10 categories I'm looking to tackle.
Have a long day at work but at home today so at lunchtime will take CS bags in so I can start a new one and with cold weather  this weekend hope to stay in and wash out the musty drawers  and also try and list some things to see if anyone wants them (vintage stuff mainly that CS unlikely to want) but  probably some at least destined for  the landfill /recycling category. Also tax form to tackle.
Hope I don't sound too negative at the start of the new.year.
An item sold so will count when packaged and posted. I have a long holiday in a month or two so need to get ahead of myself and of course still looking to move and don't want a fleet of container lorries. 
People have mentioned Dana K White and I do like her 'container' method where for example you say I have 3 bookcases for books, and any more have to go, rather than buy another bookcase or use other types of storage for books. 
DD1 has asked for more books so will make up a bag or two for her.
Wishing everyone a good friday and will be back to read later
Mrs SD, thank you again for your cheerleading which is so appreciated, but hope not too onerous and we would all understand if you do some general well dones as we speed across the country!
Loving the photos  with all the crocheting and knitting and the reading nook

TC77

45 minute frog done. I didn't record this last year but may this time. 

GrannyKate

Slow start to the year but feeling positive about all the work needed at the bungalow - if I could survive the moving fiasco I can do this.  DD and family coming next weekend - we will review where I am at.  Roofer called yesterday to say they would come Saturday early to do garage roof and other bits - electrician starts Monday - next week could be chaos and messy.  

1 Christmas tree outside ready for collection next week - decorations in boxes.  I have 4 boxes of stuff but think it could be reduced to 3
2 Christmas Doormat binned - sheds all over the floor
3 Extension cable box tidied and put in garage - there are still 18 in there plus about 6 in use in house until electrician comes.  I know I reported on finding a huge number before moving but we found yet more as we packed up.  A few have left with other people and some binned so I must have had over 30!  
4 More banking sorted.  When DH died I started using those blue A4 account books which WHS have sold for donkey's years.  I have one for my two current accounts (one at back of book and one at front) and another for savings accounts and any 'extra' money coming in.  I update these at least once a week from my phone then at the end of the month I have some simple spread sheets for monthly spends in different areas.  I then have another project book to record annual payments due each month and other things so I don't get nasty surprises too often.  This has worked well for me as I didn't get on with the online systems DH used.  
5 Roofer paid for work done so far
6 Very excited to discover I had shed 11 lbs in weight and not the measly 4 lbs I had recorded. 
7 Booked new car in to have electrics checked as interior lights not working - mechanic thought it would be a hidden on/off switch but couldn't find one so it needs a check - probably just a fuse.  Two weeks time but car is fine otherwise and they were really booked up.  

Right I hadn't planned to go out but need to deliver DGD4's iPad to her dad's house before children are picked up as she needs it for school next week.  Feels cold here but not as icy as yesterday.  DGS4 had a friend here yesterday and I walked to my nearest shop with them for sweets.  First time I had done the walk - took about 15 minutes which is probably 5 minutes longer than it took from my old house to local shop.  I have been here 7 weeks today and I really don't miss the old place which surprises me.  I have frogs to do today which must not be ignored any longer and box of filing on table to weed out stuff to go - hopefully before paper collection today.  

BlueJ94

thanks @basketcase I tried! I only started learning in November I use too much tension on my thumb though and it hurts after an hour haha! 

To do;

empty snack cupboard of unused items, anything opened and not eaten I will bin
Find odd socks, if not found bin them!

ruby_eskimo

Happy New Year All!  I'm hopping aboard the EDT for another year as I didn't really declutter as much as I wanted or needed to before we moved last year.  Plus now we're in and starting to settle, I'm realising that we (mainly me) still have too much stuff!  Thank you again Mrs SD for getting things started and keeping us on track.

I'm stretching myself a little this year and setting a target to remove 1000 things from my life and have already made some progress:

1. Old "curtains" from spare room (more like random pieces of material spread across the window)
2. Old curtain rail
3. Old tiles from spare room
4. Facial SPF used up

As well as being on board the EDT, I'm also following along with Jen Jordan on IG who has an organisation business but is also very encouraging and patient and runs the Orjenise 100 every January to help give people a little focus when it comes to decluttering.  So far we've done toiletries and food to highlight things we want to use before the end of the month (or declutter or donate) and today's target is tote bags...which we have a lot of and don't really need.

Anywho, glad to be back with everyone here, hoping to not disappear as much this year.

nannywindow

Another from S Wales ! There seems to be quite a few of us on here, we must be the Welsh decluttering contingent and perhaps we just all hoard more than most 🤣
Out yesterday some items from a freezer sort out, some items had freezer burn and others the label had fallen off so I don't know how long they had been in there, or even what they were ! Good thing about it is I then realised I didn't need much for an online sm shop which is arriving this morning, so just mainly fresh stuff. Sadly no eggs available so my dippy eggs and toast soldiers will have to wait 🤣 
Out today several empty food boxes but I'm glad I didn't buy so much this year as normally we'd still be eating it in April.
BlueJay loving the makes and especially the Book Nook. 
MrsSD thanks for the warm welcome back, hope I can get much more decluttering done this year. Going to push, badger, cajole and or nag DH on that one too !
Thank you all for being on the EDT with me and spurring me on. This year I need to do more book reading as I received another 7 for xmas and I already had a big stash 🙄, but I do love a paper book, I prefer them to my Kindle. I also need to get my food budget down as I was over every month last year, naughty nan ! I'm going to blame my DGC as they have ever open mouths 🤣
Take care all, hugs to anyone in need for any reason. 🧡
nan 

WickedLady4

Happy New Year all

I've had a short spurt, after an initial bout of inertia, and decided to move on a blue padded jacket that I've had for many years. I've also now unpacked and washed my new cast iron casserole - very smart looking - so have got the old earthenware one out of the cupboard ready to go to a charity shop. DH no doubt will say something, as it was his casserole from when we got married over 40 years ago but it has served it's purpose and someone else can benefit from it now.

DD has also brought round a bag of mainly baby stuff so will sort through that later.

Happy decluttering all. Off to make a chick pea curry in my new casserole dish

vulpix

Well, would you believe it? Who should turn up at our door yesterday by chance but our MP and a councillor. They were given a tour and history of our pop up waterfall in the garden.Great promises were made, we shall see.

It sounds like your husbands have seen the decluttering light Brie and Queen Jess. Mr V was spontaneously talking about selling his big speakers today. It must be osmosis.

 TC, I can see having a limit eg 3 book cases would work well. It would eventually mean like is with like and 1 in 1 out. I think I have sort of done this with my collections. I only have storage for a certain number of a kitch "mouse in a" ornament that I collect. There are more to collect but I have enough. If I find one that I can't resist, I will swap it for one of my less favourites. Same for my kitch bubble vase collection. I have one shelf to display them on and that's enough. I think a collection can get out of hand. My Auntie decided she liked penguins. At first her bathroom looked cute. It snowballed to everyone gifting her penguins and now her  whole house has more than the Antarctic. She feels obliged to keep them as they were kind gifts but tbh it's far too much and doesn't look cute anymore.

I have been through the chest of drawers, the under bed drawers and the drawers in my wardrobe, oh and the toiletries and jewellery drawers in my bedside table. several bits ousted. 2 wardrobes and 1 more drawer and a bookcase  to do in our room. I have been putting off the remaining drawer, I have shoved paper stuff and photos in there that my Mother has given me. CBA. After the wardrobes there is a large cupboard in the bathroom with a small basket of stuff in it to go through and an under sink cupboard with not much in it. We are still using up MIL's stash of body wash, should be good for several years/ decades.

I am very close to finishing knitting a jumper for my son. There is left over wool, I will make a little jumper for my Grandson to use it up. I have an idea for my next make which will use up some of my small fabric stash, a fabric storage basket to keep my knitting in at the side of the sofa.

 Mr V took stuff to the charity shop, some from last year too. It still amazes me that I can find things to go.

 yesterday's decluttering

 very out of date medicine
 an oodie type thing
 tatty sandals
 2 backpacks
 dregs of similar colour nail varnish decanted into one bottle
 a "good" shoe box, the shoes went last year
 a very out of date condiment

 It's a bit cold to be slimming isn't it? excuse, moi? I don't usually feel cold but when we get to anything under freezing I do,

 Take care folks Vx