2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

Blue_Doggy

Oh dear, nearly a full month since I last logged in. I’m sorry to read of people’s sad losses, for which I send condolences 💔 also for health problems, many of which seem to be better, and sending all best wishes for those which are on-going ❤️ get well soon.

 

Not a lot done, as I wrenched my back and hip, which was very painful for a few weeks, so I was creeping round the kitchen bent double and holding onto the worktops in the mornings until my pain killers kicked in and I was mobile enough to do the exercises, then somewhere on the dopey/dozy spectrum most of the day. At the end of last week it went down to just sciatica, hopefully completely better next week or so.
 

I managed to keep on top of daily stuff - rubbish both HH and recycling into bins, WU but mostly LTD or else DUPA at odd times while kettle boiled, or puppy-wuppy was in the garden (he’s 12, but was a puppy once 😀🐶🐾❤️). 

 

Decluttered:
- a bag of “sprinkle and vacuum up” type carpet cleaner which I’d bought donkey’s years ago but then never used in case the chemicals would be bad for my dogs (I had two at that time). Anyway the bag was lurking in the cupboard under the stairs so it’s now been binned.
- various magazines to recycling
- basket of papers, (which were tidied into the RoD for Christmas 2022/3 and forgotten about) gone through, much paper to recycling rest sorted & some filed (sadly no cheques or other money found) the rest cluttered onto the dining table, which was nearly cleared but now isn’t.
- 🐸 rest of Xmas charity begging letters gone through (a frog started in January - I never find it easy, in fact it’s a job I hate because of all the sad stories, but can’t contribute to all) and one of each sort (that I would support, which is not all) kept. Vast amounts of envelopes and other excess paper to recycling, personal details removed and shredded. 🐸
- decluttered money for car service and tax, and some other bills
- hand washed puppy-wuppy’s bedding one or two pieces at a time now the weather’s a bit sunnier so they can dry in the garden

 

Also seem to have decluttered a (new - of course!) tea towel at the launderette, as I couldn’t find it while decluttering the ironing. Several bouts of ironing done (I only do one hour at a time, as that fills the airer above “dog-brushing-past-and knocking-things-off-or-getting-them-hairy” height).

Bought two new physical books, and two board games, at least the boxes and other packaging went straight into the recycling bin before Justin grabbed them. One board game went out shortly afterwards with some recycled wrapping paper and a gift bag from stash for a friend’s birthday. One of the books and the other game were silly purchases really, but related to a subject I studied at uni (nostalgia buys).
 

Garden and supper-time now for puppy-wuppy (so he tells me).Happy decluttering, everyone.
 

Ps, thanks for the tip about Boots recycling blister packs, I will look out for it at my nearest large store next time I go into town.
 

Dizzycap

Wednesday2000 said:
I have been tidying up the living rooms this morning, dusting and vacuuming and moving things around. There is an area that is dead space by the fireplace so I'm thinking of replacing my husband's large computer desk with a new L-shaped one and that would mean we could fit another sofa in the room. It was sunny, but chilly at the weekend, but today it is actually quite warm when I went outside.   

I did extactly that in my artroom / office. I had one made by a carpenter friend so it fitted perfectly in the space I wanted it too and also meant I could easily access everything on the desk by just swiveling on my desk chair and babyface daxie could have a large fleece Bunty bed in front of the radiator which she absolutely loves She has a bed in every main room with a large beanbag and her puppy bed, which she absolutely refuses to give up, in the lounge.

Decluttering update for today:

The usualy HH bins, 4 loads of babyface washing which all dried on the washing lines and smells fantastically fresh, 2 Dr surgery appointmnts and a In-App message to the Dr, 3 phone calls which were aklmost past their sell by date,

1 VET apponitment for Gorgeous Gorda who was absolutely fantastic with all her health checks etc until it came to nail clipping time and she absolutely freaked it, bless her. So an immediate no, no and obviously something has happened in the past which has caused her great distress. I will give her a couple of anti-stress tablets tomorrow morning and then we will try again to see if she can cope with it, but I won't be putting her under any unnecessary duress. I can always sedate her at the worst way. She hasn't had her nails clipped for such a long time and they really do need clipping for foot comfort and health . I also took babyface for a morning walk and an afternoon run in the woods and now I'm decluttering a mug of coffee after feeding the foxes, putting all babyface's clean washing away, wiping all the kitchen surfaces, bleaching the sink & loo before we go out for her night walk, which she hasn't forgotten about - typical daxie.

Nothing decluttered sale wise today, which tbh, was a relief as I have been up to my neck with everything else. I've had no time or interest to take any more pics and list, but then it's another one of those strange months when not much spending on non-essentials is happening. I noticed today that most of the shops were unusally, empty!

Righty-ho, time to get babyface walked before she goes into a full Daxie grump  Wishing everyone a very peaceful night and I hope everyone rests and sleeps well xxxxx

 Bye-de-bye for now xxxxxx

EDIT - Crazy Time:

Came back at 11.30pm after babyface walk, which she loved, and I suddenly felt better. Decided to decluttered a hair dye on my hair that I spotted a couple of days ago lurking in the bedroom along with 2 mugs of coffee while waiting for the dye to take, washed off and had a lovely shower . Strangely enough, I'm feeling as though my physical well being has become stable, but I know I must still take it easy, or as easy as I can

I found babyface's spare Harris Tweed Handmade Collar & Lead, so will be giving that to Gorgeous Gorda tomorrow, as she deserves it and needs to be pampered

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

Forgot to mention that DH also topped up the windscreen cleaning liquid. I have broken down & decluttered 3 cardboard boxes & some paper packaging 426 - 429 recycled

430 - 431 Lr & bedroom detritus - binned

18:00 - DH has just left for his walk & to post some letters. Now starting the cheerleading for posts dated Monday.

vulpix, hopefully as the weather warms up the urge for people to move will increase & you will find your forever home 🤞

charlies_tribe, excellent work sorting out the pantry 👏 a medal 🏅 is on its way 😊 & I am keeping my fingers crossed that it stays tidy 🤞

Excellent & eclectic decluttering jacwins 👏 This “Still struggling with beauty. I've cut hand creams that don't squeeze anymore, but they seem to go on forever.  Although my favourite shampoo, shower gel finish quickly! “ one of those unanswerable questions 😉

Brie, if you can tidy the chaos, decluttering the dust & fluff should hopefully be easier 🤞

Pennypincin, nice to see you 👋 An excellent start getting back on track with the decluttering 👏 well done on not having to throw anything out 🥳 Re the bulk buying, perhaps you could put up a sign “No More Bulk Buying” 😁 Good luck emptying the freezer ready for defrosting 🍀

Brie, I think ‘someone’ should be doing more than dusting “the high bits” 😉 I think another Two tasks would be fair 😅

vulpix, I suppose the soup will be filling 🤔 Good luck with the frogs 🍀

Excellent decluttering Happy_Kitties 👏 & more great work with the neutral items 😊

Florenceem, another busy day & lots more decluttered 👏 Sorry to hear that MrF has had another fall/slip 😔 Hopefully the doctor’s referral to the Hospital Falls Clinic will be more successful this time 🤞

Pennypincin, sounds like fun having an allotment with your mum 😊 Just wondering who had the greener fingers 😉

DH was out for an hour, untypically his walk took him past 3 postboxes so my letters have been posted 😂

vulpix, hope your daffodils start blooming soon as I do love a yellow & white colour scheme 😊 DH gets bored just walking so visiting/passing through all the London overground stations is a way of keeping his walks interesting 😉 Re the ‘spotting animal fleeces’ not crackers at all, just just a way of making journeys more interesting 😊 When I am on the back of the bike not only do I animal spot when riding around the countryside but if we are on a motorway I pick a suitable number plate & see how many words I can make using zero as letter O & 1 as letter ‘I’ 😂 Well done on persisting with the DVLA frog 👏 Although why they needed to keep you on hold for 1.5 hours & then decide to send you a form for completion rather than just send you a form when you went online is bizarre 🤔 Also well done on starting the 2nd frog 👏 Great work on the weight loss 😊

Great decluttering QueenJess 👏 Apologies for not noticing that you went past 750 items out 😞 so I owe you a Gold Star ⭐️ which it is on its way

Excellent decluttering last week Florenceem 👏

_Dolly_Rocker_ so sorry to hear about your brother & how it is causing problems for your mum 😞 Hope this can be resolved 🤞

Excellent decluttering Dizzycap 👏 So wonderful that Gorda has settled into her new home so quickly 🥹 At least your postie got his steps up 🤣 although it sounds like he needs a bigger mail trolley 😉 Hope you managed to get a good night’s sleep on Monday & woke up less fatigued 🙏

Only a day behind now 🥳 Dinner was shop bought pies with mash & frozen mixed vegetables. Wudupa.

432 - 435 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, cardboard box, glass jar - recycled 

436 - 437 Kitchen & office detritus - binned

Sleep tight everyone 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 437/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

Dizzycap

Good morning all

Another very cold and frosty morning but sunshine out later, so really can't complain, even though I feel like it! 

Not much happening here as I did most usual HH decluttering late last night before going to bed, so decluttering a large mug of fresh coffee while catching up on MSE. @ Mrs_Salad_Dodger - DH was out for an hour, untypically his walk took him past 3 postboxes so my letters have been posted - Has reminded me to post 2 cards which have been sitting on the table for the past 2 days which I've forgotten to take to post when I take babyface out for a walk. They are now sitting on the hallway chair ready to be decuttered but no doubt, I'll forget them being there too!

No appointments today, hooray! Taking Gorda back to the Vet this morning to see if we can get her nails cut and then I'm going to take her for a run in the woods before returning home and introducing her to babyface  then I'll walk her back to her home a few doors away Once she knows where I live, she'll be pottering round when it takes her fancy, no doubt. Nothing like an incoming Daxie 

Just decluttered the car out of the garage and now it's time to make another mug of coffee and head back to bed for an hour with babyface who is still snuggled up and snorning away with her tail going half to the dozen

I will check in on the swans today at some point as the nest is built and the sun direction ect has been fully checked, so no doubt eggs will be arriving soon:-)

Wishing everyone a wonderfuly decluttering Wednesday xxxxx

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, quick post today as OH has a hospital appointment and I am chauffeuring as there is no parking close enough for OH to walk.
@Vulpix I feel your pain re waiting on the phone. I made the mistake of trying to contact HMRC yesterday as I wanted to pay my tax bill but couldn't find the letter. 5 hours in total I spent on that and still failed. 3 different phone calls and some time failing to get into my gov gateway. They denied I had an account linked to my email despite me having an email from them and I was told to open a new one. Couldn't do that either as they needed 2 of 3 security things. Passport, yes, photo driving licence, no I don't have one of those, date of when I applied for a credit card, ummm sometime around 1980 ish 😂. They had no plan b for those of us who can't meet those criteria. I left it at that point as I was in danger of getting cross with the person on the phone, the online help person, who didn't really know what he was doing and kept telling me to do things that I had previously been told I couldn't do 😏. Considering I was trying to give them money it beggars belief.
Apart from the tax office debacle all I did yesterday was deal with the post and empty the bedroom recycling and a random empty cardboard box from the back room put into the recycling.

Right time to get moving, hugs to anybody who would like one.

282 bedroom recycling
283 cardboard box
284 tax not sorted but I am claiming as it took so long 🙄
Take care everyone
284/2025

vulpix

It was lovely to see my friend, we met at school when we were 11. 55 years and counting. I was telling her about one of the houses I like and she said "O, you've liked that one for years" It's set me off again! I have to be sensible and stick to the plan. Or not!

Liverpool Anne,I don't know why dealing with large organisations has to be so difficult.You can talk to different staff and they all tell you to do different things! This is why Mr V pays an accountant to do his taxes, he says it is worth the money to him to avoid the stress and getting in trouble for unwittingly doing something wrong.
 My phone contract has ended, groan. I would like to leave but from experience I know it would be possibly easier to leave a cult. Putting that one off for as long as possible.

Off to Nottingham today to the dentist and then meeting up with Mr V's friends for a curry. More research for the book idea. if I got my skates on I could nip into the Estate Agent's on the way out, just for a chat of course.

I don't know what to wear. I want to look smartish but it's chuffin freezing here and it will be loads warmer in Nottingham. There seems to be a gap in my wardrobe for a smart short jacket/coat. Hmmmm. 

Laters Vx

 

regnbue

Hi everyone

Sending hugs to all those struggling and/or in the TLC carriage.

For the first time for this year I did say I was going to declare my "ins" as well as all items going out.

I've been surprised how many items I've had come in.  I did order some not very exciting things via a couple of deliveries but think that is out of my system now.

Also something caught my eye on fleabay.  There are, I believe, nine in the series.  I have so far purchased three but they are hard to find so I'm not fussed with whether I find any more.  I am delighted with the ones I have, they fit into the palm of my hand and are already on permanent display and make me smile every time I walk past them.

I also purchased a very large print of the Sycamore Gap tree and a frame which I've had my eye on for some months.  A Christmas present to myself and buying it after Xmas gave me a discount.

Horror of horrors after almost 2 years of not buying clothes I purchased a top.  I am taking a bucket list trip to Japan and apparently any kind of low-ish neck tops are a big no-no.   So I have been keeping an eye out and this particular top is high neck, long sleeved and very smart. 

It did turn out to be more like a jumper, very warm and soft to the touch, but if it's too warm to wear during the day I will keep it for wearing on the flights.  No regrets about buying it.   

My "ins" for Jan and Feb are:

1  pack of metal skewers (replacement)
2 pack of long life green bags (replacement)
3-8 six cereal bowls (part replacements)
9 top for Japan
10-11 Print and frame
12-14 3 rolls brown wrapping paper (replacements)
15 ridiculously cheap eco egg (replacement)
16 wood glue
17 sooper glue (replacement)
18 travel hairbrush
10 detangler hairbrush (replacement)
11 extra strong duct tape
12-14 3 paperweights from fleabay
15  xmas shopping bag - very cheap after xmas - naughty to have bought it - not needed
16 washing up bowl (replacement)
17-21 4 lip balms in a tin (replacements and will probably donate tin when finished)
22-25 4 notebooks (1 replacement - don't need the rest but were on sale)
26 tiny tin of radiator paint for bathroom radiator when the heating doesn't need to go on anymore
27-30 4 paintbrushes (part replacements)
31 long handled grabber thingy for picking things up - given by a friend
32 mini chainsaw
33 insulated water bottle carrier (replacement)

Also given some tins of soup, deodorants and 3 large pots of body lotion from a friend which belonged to a mutual friend who has passed away.  I'm not counting these as they are already being used up.  

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      Ins 33

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

2025

2024 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅💐

2023 🏅🏅🏅 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💐 💐 💐 💐

regnbue

Hello again

My numbers (out) for February are:

Used up/recyled/donated/binned

105-106 2 chipped bowls
107 old hair dye
108 insulated water bottle carrier
109 xmas wrapping paper
110-113 4 cans wd40 to man shed
114 can of 3-in-1 oil to man shed
115-118 4 small bags soft plastics
119-120 2 mags
121 torn large gift bag
122 xmas helium balloon
123-125 gift wrapped face cloths
126-128 3 more items sold on fleabay
129 lots of bubble wrap
130 jiffy bag for fleabay
131-132 2 boxes for fleabay
133 handbag
134-136 worn out clothes
137-138 2 x darning
139 mini window sponge wiper
140 magnetic meal planner
141 bottle of iodine
142 another pen
143-144  small ornaments
145 cleaning product - first one for 2025 yay!
146 washing up liquid - last one from surplus
147-150 uud ood food

Given to a friend:

151-152 2 toy cars
153 bookcase
154 bottle of unopened tea tree oil
155-156 2 towels
157 unused bathmat
158 another whimsie

Keep going everybody

Regnbue

Decluttering 158/500     Nail polishes 2/28        Cleaning products     1/22    Hair mousse    0/7   

Make £350 in 2025   £101/£350        Sell 50 items fleabay/FB   11/50      Items in 33

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

2025

2024 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅💐

2023 🏅🏅🏅 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💐 💐 💐 💐

regnbue

Finally managed to finish sorting out my main bedroom.  

The windows desperately need replacing and over the last 10 days I have finally managed to clear the floor - everything into an already crammed Room of Doom - and hoovered.

It's a large room and although the dust bunnies (or should that be flocks of sheep) were easy to vacuum I removed the attachment and dragged the nozzle across the carpet to perk the pile up.

As it was very painful for my hands to press down it took 5 sessions over the 10 days but it looks great now and I'm so glad it's finally DONE I am going to award myself a bunch of flowers.

Now it just needs dusting and damp dusting to finish off this long time frog but I am very pleased with progress.

Regnbue

2025 💐

retiredinfrance

Liverpool- Anne, guess how I spent yesterday afternoon! No phone call as it would cost me a fortune ( Brexit), and instead of typing this I should be composing a letter to them. I ‘ m like you, only a passport. Basically , four years ago HMRC started refunding my UK tax . Why, I wrote , 4 years ago and repeatedly over the next years after repeated refunds. I have now had a reply, yes, they have made a mistake , thanked me for pointing it out and £ 50 offered. . I then tried to pay the bills but no way to pay as I haven’t got a bill . Just go online they say!! Well absolutely no joy there , back and forward I went.
Anyway off I go to my letter.
Hugs for everyone who would like one and at least I have just got a tax problem.
Decluttering continues and I’ll post my total soon.