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

Thursday: apologies for not coming back later 😕 I have fallen even further behind as the EDT has picked up speed again & my ‘mojo’ has decided to wander off 😮‍💨 DH & DSis got back about 15:45 & I put away all the shopping. 2nd week of no tins of coffee but they managed to pick up a couple of jars. DH went out later for a walk & to post the birthday card 😉 DH had the leftover pasta bolognaise whilst DSis & I had cheesy beans on toast. Wudupa.

394 - 396 Kitchen recycling, cardboard packaging, plastic sweet tin - recycled 

397 - 398 Kitchen & lr detritus- binned

Friday is bright & sunny with a high of 9°C & a low of 1°C. I was up slightly later but it was still morning 😉 Back to the cheerleading starting with Tuesday afternoon 🙊 

Excellent decluttering Yoshimi2025 👏 & well done on bagging such a great bargain coat 🥳 Wishing you continued good fortune in buying ‘new to you’ items 🍀

Lovely cheerleading vulpix 😊 Bearing in mind your recent medical issue, you would think that you would be shown the courtesy of at least one doctor’s appointment ☹️ I appreciate that the nurses often do a wonderful job but still …. I love seeing daffodils in a jug rather than a vase but that is probably just me 😂 

Willowtree222, good luck with the listings 🍀

Florenceem, fingers crossed that the non urgent phone appointment with the doctor means that you won’t need medication 🤞 Hope the curtains will be finished in time for your daughter’s visit on Saturday 🤞although I do think it is a bit of a cheek to expect the completed curtains a week early 😉 

Excellent decluttering Happy_Kitties 👏 & will keep my fingers crossed that most of the items from V are destined to be ‘neutral items’🤞 Re This “For the end of February I’m feeling pretty productive, the question is, will it last?!!!!” the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’ 😊

Yoshimi2025, I had heard of “That might come in handy’” but don’t remember hearing your 2nd mantra “‘you can never over butter toast’” although it does make perfect sense 😊

Dizzycap, I will be keeping everything crossed for a positive result to your latest blood tests 🤞🙏 Great decluttering 👏 Pleased to hear that Gorgeous Gorda is enjoying her new home 😊 

Muddy_Walker, it sounds like have managed to find a counsellor who suits your temperament 😊 as I fully understand This “…. about my depression and illnesses and she has come up with a plan that is practical, not woo-woo and very unfluffy so I am really really pleased with that. My appetite is coming back a bit so that’s good!” I am wishing you every success 🙏 Thank you for sharing tales about your spaniels 👏 to go with the tales of the Daxies ☺️ Any chance of a picture 😉

As I have caught up with Tuesday’s posts, it seems a perfect place to stop & make myself another cuppa 😉 Hope everyone is having as good a day as possible & that you are being as lucky with the weather as I am 🤞

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 398/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

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 my coffee & have left DH in the kitchen making soup 😉 Although the sun is still shining in a blue sky there is a chilly breeze so soup is the order of the day 😅 Forgot to mention that DH had ordered a couple of fluffy bathroom mats & the old mats will be cut up & added to the the wormeries. Back to cheerleading for a while & I will make a start on Wednesday’s posts:

Lovely post Dizzycap 🥹 & I am especially loving the ongoing Daxie stories with This “Where there's a daxie, there's a complete beauty salon! 😆 Babywipes, eye drops, ear drops, paw, nail & nose creams, cutton wool, shampoo, sun screen spray for their nose, ears and bellies. I tell you, it's easier bringing up a child 😆 A dear friend of mine spent her life wanting a Daxie but decided to have 4 children in preparation to get one. She says, the experience of having children has stood her in great stead to cope with living with a daxie - says it all 😆😆” being my favourite so far 😅 Good luck with your new listings 🍀 & I hope you managed to have your pyjama day 🤞 Thank you for the useful & succinctly written information about trying to avoid diabetes 👏

Lovely post GrannyKate 😊 Hopefully the plastering work was completed on Wednesday & is now dry enough to start the decorating 🤞 Beautiful picture of Sir Sox  looking very regal 😻 Such a waste of your time trying to deal with the bank online 😞 Hope you have better luck with LiveChat 🍀 as it is a great idea to set up a new account to save for a potential U.S. trip 😊 

Excellent decluttering diminua 👏 & very well done meeting your +7 target 🥳  One medal🏅 on its way 😊 Fingers crossed that you have fine weather over the weekend so that a Tip run is possible 🤞

Concentration flagging a little + need to charge my iPad so I will post & come back later. I have set a timer for an hour & will hopefully remember why 🤣 DH has headed off for his walk & as the weather is so nice has decided he will walk through Bow Cemetery aka Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. See you later…….🤞

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 398/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

SuperLooperSaver

The jigsaw comment from Charlie's Tribe amused me!

50 boxes arrived this morning for moving in a couple of weeks. Eek!

What do people do with dresses bought to attend weddings over the years? Trying all on to see if they fit would take a while.

Money decluttered to conveyancer.

QueenJess

Not much decluttering going on this week as I've felt too ill and equally exhausted from trying to organise doctor appointments and getting anyone to listen.  I have done a fair bit of work though, so lots of paper being decluttering from notes/to do lists etc being made.  4 more things in from Buy Nothing - some champagne glasses as I don't have enough for everyone at Xmas usually.

I am going to continue the in/out counting for the rest of the year if possible or until I lose count as it's a good reminder to stop too many things building up and therefore avoiding a future clutter problem.  As long as I am slightly under 0 for the year, then I will be happy with that.

Back to the tlc carriage for me for a while.  Oh - and as I haven't been feeling great, we've been making good use of the freezer and it's now about half empty.  Well on it's way to being empty enough to defrost and restock.

17 - paper, reused then recycled

New total = 758
Use up total = 43
Net physical things in/(out) = +21

Florenceem

This morning I worked on the navy curtains before popping to SA for printing. I also wanted to get the bungee cords that were left over at the table top sale last week.
It was exhausting getting the sold sewing machine and accompanying bits into the huge box and then fitting it onto my shopping trolley frame but it worked really well. I toddled down to the post office with it.
Then it was back to working on the curtains.
Daughter realises that the curtains may not be done as she is coming down a week early.
Middle daughter phoned to tell me that dear granddaughter is having tests and was very upset to get a letter about the 2 week cancer referral. Daughter thinks she may have Crohns - I wonder about a gluten allergy.
I just have the lining hems to sew now on the curtains.
More listings have finished on Eb.. so wrapping to do.

Dizzycap

@ QueenJess - Think of you as I'm feeling very much the same with the same exhausting frustrations of organising /chasing or alternatively being called to arrange appointments which are then usually changed at the last minute My diary for the first 2 weeks of March is already chocker with appointments, so goodness knows when I'm suppose to get any basic chores done

Decluttering managed for today:

Took babyface to Vet this morning for anal glands clearout and a run in the woods, decluttered a parcel off to the postie, declutter 8 phone calls and arranging tests and appointments whilst squeezing in another babyface short walk and play session, spent only 10 minutes in the garden cleaning out the birdbath and drinking bowl and filling up all the feeders before going to collect a bucket load of medication from the chemist which should have been delievered yesterday and still wasn't at mid morning today, taking pics of 2 items to list which still haven't been as I just had to have a 2 hour sleep. I've finally managed to empty the HH bins tonight, bring in the wheelie bins from todays decluttering collection, declutter 2 loads of washing to the washing machine and then out on the airer dryers. I've just got back from taking babyface out for a late evening walk whilst collecting an inpost donation for the CS and I still haven't managed to get to the CS this week to empty the half load which is now a full load in the dolly trolly.

I'm now dead on my legs decluttering a cup of coffee.

My plan of action for the weekend is: I'm not in and my mobile phone will be on silent for 48 hours with mainline phone available for any emergencies. I plan on spending most of the weekend with babyface pottering about in the back garden, enjoying the sunshine, if it's out, and enjoying being in and around nature 

I've got a few bids on eby items to declutter which I will slowly pre-pack when I have the energy

I also plan on visiting Gorgeous Gorda a few doors away as I'm delighted to hear that she's absolutely blossoming in her new forever home, as I knew she would do . She's started smiling, as daxies do when they are at their happiest, playing silly daxie girl games, has had several fruit-loop crazy run session around the garden, has started digging in the garden which daxies do when they are happy, goes absolutely fruit-loop crazy around the house when her new mummy gets up in the morning, is being pampered as she so deserves to be, and is absolutely loving life to the fullest - that above all else, has really made my week I've also spoken to Gorda on the phone, as crazy as that sounds. She listened very carefully and was very vocal as she recognised my voice - All I said was, "Are you being a silly girl?" and off she went telling me all about it

Look at the time I need to try and get some sleep - ta-ta for now xxxx

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

Slipped up again - nodded off & ended up having yet another lazy afternoon 😔 DH thoroughly enjoyed his walk - apparently at least half the time he was in the Cemetery Park all he could hear was birds 😊 DSis went out to pick up her meds - missing one …. again 😞 I received a call from the surgery offering a pneumococcal jab which I have booked & a shingles jab which I rejected as my records confirm that I have  never had chickenpox. Dinner was fish in batter, oven chips & peas. Wudupa

399 - 401 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, brochure - recycled 

402 Kitchen detritus binned 

Liverpool_Anne, glad to hear that Tuesday’s funeral went well 🥹 some good decluttering especially the uncomfortable shoes 👏 Lovely cheerleading 😊

Lovely picture vulpix 😊 I do like the colour of your knitting 😍 & yippee to MrV finding the vase 🥳 

Dizzycap, pleased to hear that you are getting plenty of rest & that babyface is keeping you on the straight & narrow 😊 Thanks for the information about diabetes 👏 & how fortunate to have such a good doctor 😊

Yoshimi2025, This “…. I decided to get rid of my green wheelie bin as our council now charge £50 to collect it” is such a shame 😕 Good luck with your listings 🍀 I hope everything sells quickly 🤞

Brie, thanks for the extra information about diabetes 👏 

Dizzycap, excellent work selling the contents of the mega wardrobe of doom 👏 Sounds like it won’t be too much longer before the wardrobe itself can/will be decluttered 🤞

Excellent work making the curtains Florenceem 👏 Pleased to hear that MrF is continuing to improve & attended friendship club for the first time in a while 😊

Excellent decluttering Yoshimi2025 👏

Dizzycap, sorry to hear that you were feeling tired & fatigued on Wednesday 😔 Hopefully you got a good nights sleep 😴 

sqwiffy, This “I cannot see how you don't buy plastic nowadays! It's almost impossible. You find only 1 or two vegetables that aren't covered with it in the supermarket and practically everything you buy is wrapped in it. I try not to buy single use or at least reuse it somehow. It seems to be getting harder despite supermarkets saying they are doing better.” is very disappointing & you would think there would be some way to hold supermarkets to account ☹️ 

Dizzycap sorry to hear that you didn’t get a good nights sleep ☹️ Although well done on using your time so productively 👏 Gorda is gorgeous  🤩 

esmf73 hope that the sitting room clearance went well 🤞

Tomorrow I will be starting the cheerleading for Thursday’s posts. Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 402/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

BudgetingBelinda

Loads decluttered in the last week. I got the bug again. 4 bags to the charity shop and some old big bits and bobs gone. House felt a bit echo-y afterwards 🥴🥳🌟

Floss

Todays task alongside the bits of shopping was taking the plastics to the tip, along with some bits of garden rubbish. I've pegged out 2 wash loads & spent half an hour cutting back & tidying in the sunny back garden. I have cut back my willow, and am hoping to make something with the trimmings when they're a bit drier. 

Crocus, hyacinth & daffodils are all out in the garden, along with a deep purpley helebore and the viburnum bush which smells lovely.

GrannyKate

Morning all - lovely day here.  Got outside and filled bird feeders and just generally tidied round.  Water meter was changed yesterday and when I came back from my meeting it was really cold.  I realised after a while that boiler had gone off due to water pressure dropping.  I fetched one of my oil filled radiators in and went to bed early.  DS2 has just been and topped up water in boiler system (or something) and it is all working now.  

Planted some seeds but realised it will be an issue for Sir Sox - he likes all the windowsills!  I need to make myself start on the bedroom painting. 

310-312 Three items of DGS4's clothing to CS bag
313 Plasterer paid
314 Monthly Banking done
315 Two frogs started
316 Bought some premium bonds
317 Membership renewed
318 Oddments in CS bag
319 Tidied cupboard, threw odd bits away and put some boxes in garage on shelving
320 Filing done
321 I made a list of jobs to tackle in house and garden - starting with ordering my kitchen next week
322 Jodhpurs to DIL to sell if possible
323 Calendars and diaries all updated
324 Last of March cards purchased 
325 Greenhouse shelves ordered to collect tomorrow

Onward.  Hoping fence man comes soon as he is going to clear a corner near the fence of bushes etc and hopefully I can sort the random pots and other things spread throughout the garden neatly in that area.  DS2 will sort my new hose out for me tomorrow so I can get on with cleaning greenhouse.