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

Tuesday: overcast & chilly with the high of 8°C feeling like 2°C due to a chilly wind. Forecast low of 4°C 🥶 I have my first cuppa & am going straight into cheerleading:

Good luck with painting the ceiling GrannyKate 🍀 Excellent work dealing with the committee papers frog & on a Sunday 👏 Will Mr & Mrs Toad pop back now & then to check up on their potential offspring? or is it survival of the fittest 🤔 Mind you it should be interesting for DGS4 to watch for tadpoles - nature in the garden rather than on TV 😊 Pleased to hear that DS2 is helping out with the heavy work 👏

dND, painting the potting bench will be good practice & will get you into the right mood for painting the ceiling 😉🤞

Pennypincin now that is what I call decluttering 😊

Dizzycap, apologies for the delay but as QueenJess advised I do keep a record & at this point you have a Gold Star ⭐️ & 3 medals 🏅🏅🏅

What a lovely compliment QueenJess 🥹 & thank you for my gold star ⭐️  Just 30 items from your parents & DSis - seems like they are finally learning 🤞Congratulations on reaching your 52 items used up target  👏 - a medal 🏅 is on its way 🙂 

Jellybaby, This “Every day next week I’ve got someone coming to either repair, install or renew something in the house or garden!  My plan is while they’re here working I’ll clear out a drawer or a box of random stuff I’ve been keeping in the garage for when that just in case moment happens” sounds like an excellent way to build up your decluttering muscles 👏 Good luck 🍀

Dizzycap, much as QueenJess would like to do that, I do believe that most of the items are for the DC & if they see the items then QJ has no choice but to go through a whole process of evaluation etc.  😞 This “My mother recently turned up with a car boot full and I quickly asked her if she wanted me to sell it all online or pop off to the local tip and dump her clutter for her to save her a Tip Trip on her way home? She hasn't done it since 😉” had me in absolute fits of laughter 🤣 so much so that my ribs are aching 😂 I thoroughly enjoyed Crufts this year & for the first time ever I recorded ALL the programmes not just the evening ones 😉 - one of the reasons I fell behind with the cheerleading 🙊 I see you managed to update your signature with your awards 👏 although not sure why your gold star ⭐️ is shown as a 🥉 

One page caught up 🙂 Off to make myself another drink & will be back shortly. Hope everyone is having as good a day as possible 😊

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 474/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

Yoshimi2025

@_Dolly_Rocker_ best laid plans hey, Son1 popped around and I forgot to give him all his tools 😣🤗 

Just uprooted 3 dead plants from garden and Son3 helped carry them to the car, so heavy but pretty easy to get out, now the top of the garden is a blank canvas apart from bulbs which I love so it’s handy to see where they are and I can pop some stakes in so I don’t accidentally declutter them later ☺️

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

Straight back to cheerleading:

Florenceem, sorry to hear that you were too unwell to attend church on Sunday 😔 but am pleased to hear that you were feeling slightly better in the afternoon 🥹 Please continue to rest as much as possible until you are fully recovered 🙏 Your poor overlocker - unused but presumably ready for action when the sewing machine needs a bit of a rest 😅 Sounds like you are zooming along with the curtains 🤩 Shame about the broken eBay sale 😞 Good luck to both J & A 🍀

Brilliant post Dizzycap - great cheerleading & thanks for the timely reminder of the 10/10/10 method of decluttering 👏 Excellent decluttering & lots of it 👏 I loved the picture you painted of babyface munching on pork crackling & chatting to the fox 😊 sent me down a rabbit hole of wondering what babyface was saying 🤣 Something along the lines of ‘you must be jealous, I am warm indoors AND I have pork crackling 😜’ apologies 🙊 What a rebel you are - but as you say if going against accepted convention works for you & you get a decent number of hours sleep then that is all to the good ☺️

Last of the cheerleading for Sunday, so now that I have a fresh cup of coffee I can start cheerleading Monday’s posts 🙂

vulpix, relieved to hear that you have solved the mystery of why you have been sleeping so badly 😮‍💨 - hopefully you slept very well on Sunday night & woke up bright eyed & bushy tailed on Monday 🙏 What a great result from your first viewing 👏  completely different from last year 🤨 Hope that the telephone appointment with the nurse went better than you expected 🤞

Excellent decluttering over the weekend esmf73 👏 How fabulous - a wedding in India 🤩 Wishing you every success in becoming foster parents 🙏 

Dizzycap, what a very busy Monday you had planned 🤩 Keeping everything crossed that depriving Mr Rat of a food source will mean that he moves on to pastures new 🤞 I read your list of tasks but didn’t see any rest breaks factored in 🤨 so I do hope that you didn’t overdo it 🙏

charlies_tribe, excellent work over the weekend especially decluttering the dog of his thick curls 👏 Sorry to hear about the car ☹️ & I do hope DH managed to get it fixed & that it wasn’t too expensive 🤞 A belated Happy Birthday to your DGD 🎉 🥳 🎂 - 3 is a lovely age ☺️ Good luck to your two children who are taking their mock exams 🍀

Good luck with the decluttering of cupboards, drawers etc CRANKY40 🍀 Fingers crossed that the frost stays away so that your roses can put on a beautiful display 🤞

Dizzycap, when I saw the picture I thought it was an April Fool’s joke 😥 Now we just have to keep our fingers crossed that they lose so many customers that NONE of the other sm chains think it is a good idea 🤞🙏🤞

GrannyKate, well done on tackling painting the ceiling 👏 Hopefully it won’t take too long to tackle the mess 😉 especially as you will be feeling so proud of yourself for having painted the ceiling in the first place ☺️

Excellent work in the garden florianatwobob 👏

Dizzycap, congratulations on getting 95% of your outside tasks completed on Monday & all before 10:30 👏🥳 Good luck with your indoor task list 🍀

Nice to see you LittleMissDetermined 👋 It is a bit difficult keeping up as the EDT is definitely motoring along 😥 However you have done some excellent decluttering 👏 & as you say “better out than in” 😊 

As I am now only on 50% charge, I will post & run 😉 DH has gone out for his walk (15:00) & has a couple of birthday cards to post as well as a bagful of monkey nuts to feed the local squirrel population 😉 See you all later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 474/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

Florenceem

Moorviews - I used chunky nuts and washers from Wilk. before they closed down. Yes I love the attachable extension table - really helps when making curtains.
_Dolly_Rocker_ - I think the feather design curtains are going to look great when Dd comes down stairs in the morning - dining room is opposite the staircase.
I had a bad time with Mr F last night - getting him to come out of the bathroom.  In the end he fell - I think he was just so cold and stiff after sitting on the toilet for an hour and a half - yes - we have been here before! I have phoned the local referral unit in the hopes that a nurse telling Mr F that it is bad to spend so long on the toilet will be accepted - he isn't listening to me. Mr F didn't hurt himself when he fell in the bathroom but I had to put him to bed as he couldn't move easily.
Today C our computer chap came - no problem opening up the computer! C could see the deterioration in Mr F.
I worked on the curtains this morning.
Walked into town to buy heavy interfacing - I couldn't find D rings in the shop so will use curtain rings from my stash.
I got a bus home as still feeling weak.
We have a taxi booked for our visit to the Drs for Mr F's ECG later.

daisy_1571

Oh florenceem,  sorry to hear mr f is having more night time shenanigans 
Dxx

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

DH got back 16:15. Whilst he was out I had a sudden urge to go through my jewellery box & was quite brutal 😉 - anything ‘dainty’ has been ousted together with anything I will not ever wear again. So I have packaged up the following for my next visit to the CS (so not counting until then): 4 pairs of earrings - 2 gold & 2 costume; a costume ring; a pendant; a very long beaded (pearl type) necklace; a white metal chain; a dark metal bracelet; a gold bracelet and lastly a matching gold necklace & bracelet - 12 items in total. Feeling very chuffed with myself 🥹 See below for pictures 

My next task will be to clean ALL the remaining jewellery & actually start to wear it 😅 

The sun finally came out & most of the clouds have gone although it did rain for a few minutes just as DH got back. Now settling down with a hot drink ready to do some more cheerleading:

Wonderful cheerleading as usual Liverpool_Anne 😊 Not sure I agree with your comment about “slow decluttering” 😉 You & OH have got a lot done - all your laundry, OH batch cooking (& no doubt leaving you to tidy up the mess), going to football Plus planning for the builders visit & hunting out items to be decluttered to OH’s niece as well as pottering about in the garden  👏 Fingers crossed that the builder’s visit went well 🤞& you can firm up your plans for the toilet under the stairs 🙏 I must admit I am looking forward to the RBR this year although I do need to start getting bike fit 😉 

Jellybaby, love it 😊 When the ‘decluttering mood’ takes hold it is best to go with it 😉 Excellent decluttering 👏 & fingers crossed that your shredder is up to the task of shredding three black bin bags of paper 🤞A bit of a shame that you didn’t find the instruction manual ☹️ Now you just have to remember NOT to fill your now empty cupboard 😂

Lovely cheerleading vulpix 😊 Yippee to both a good night’s sleep & the unexpectedly productive phone appointment with the nurse 🥳 Happy Birthday 🎂 & I hope you thoroughly enjoy your first ever beauty treatment ☺️

Brie, never would have thought of that 😥 

Yoshimi2025 thanks for the extra information about the Boots scheme 👏 I thoroughly approve of This “plus my grandaughters bring me their used up make up empties, pays to train them up into the frugality from the get go  🤣🤣 xxx” 👏

Dizzycap, all I can say is well done Gateshead Tesco customers 👏

Floss, I read the article & alighted on the comment about ‘treating all customers the same’ which I read as ‘treating all customers as potential thieves’ 😬 Whilst I appreciate that shoplifting is a scourge there must be a better way to catch the thieves without alienating their honest customers 🤨 

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏

Blue_Doggy I apologise unreservedly 😢 what was I thinking - I will go & sit on the naughty step for a while 😉 Good news about your bulbs in tubs especially the anemones 🥳 Great decluttering 👏

Excellent decluttering especially the Die cutting machines Florenceem 👏

Great decluttering QueenJess 👏

Florenceem, very pleased to hear that you were feeling better yesterday & managed to get out of the house for such a good cause ☺️ Thanks for the information about Gütermann threads 👏

Just noticed the time so will break off here & cook dinner 😉 See you later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 474/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

weenancyinAmerica

@Vulpix - Happy Birthday - hope it is "just right". At my age, each one is exciting just because it happened.

@Brambling - I have the same problem with adding books - but in my case it is the books for sale at the library. There are always something I would like to learn more about, interesting mystery books to read, or I would never have known about that look really good. I do read the mysteries and take them back, but some of the others stick around after I read them.

Store over here have been putting locking doors over things that are stolen a lot or that they think will be stolen a lot  (dog collars and leads, pet flea meds, batteries, flashlights, aspirin, laundry detergent - really?). I have a tendency only to buy them on the days when they have left the doors open or go elsewhere to shop when I can as there is usually a long wait to have someone come and help unlock the doors. One day I was buying batteries and a flashlight, a flash drive for my computer, and pet flea meds - and had to wait for three different people to come (seems the keys only work on certain doors too). Added a couple of hours to my shopping. Getting out of hand.

I sent my friend in Colorado a box of matches today. Her local stores had run out and it was snowing. She was down to her last three matches. Found out I could send them by surface mail. I put them in a metal box before wrapping them up. Cost more for the postage than for the matches. I hope they will last her for a long time. So decluttered a box and my metal box at least.

Roommate Di decluttered a stack of papers yesterday. Progress. We have about twenty cardboard boxes to put out to be decluttered, but every trash day they are either predicting rain (three weeks in a row, but it didn't rain) or it did rain (like yesterday). Next trash pick-up day is also a rain day (as is every day between now and then). This, by the way, is not our normal weather for this time of year. 

One cat loves cheese. But looks like the other cat may be allergic to it or something. He threw up again after eating the cheese - in a hard-to-access spot so will have extra work do today. And make sure that spot stays accessible as that is where he always goes to throw-up. Right now it involves moving the computer table. Cats are fun they keep saying.

Keep on decluttering everyone. Have a good week.
 

vulpix

Thank you for Birthday wishes. xx

 I am sorry to hear that Mr F is not well again. Hopefully you can get directly to some help and nip it in the bud Florenceem as you have been here before. xx

Yes, 5 pairs of black trousers, all the same size, they would fit if I didn't need to walk, talk, sit or breathe whilst wearing them. 3 weeks till we go away, I will have to have a concerted effort to loose a bit more weight. Don't want to have to buy a pair of black trousers!!!

I decided that I would look up my premium bond numbers to see if there were any historic unclaimed wins. Threw out a few  pages of paper from the "office". Not a single outstanding million pounds to be had. Still it's early days, only had them 66 years. My Grandad bought them when I was born. It must be a record, to have never won a single penny.

A bag of blister packs recycled.

DSS coming tomorrow to faff about in the sheds with Mr V. Never in the history of sheds has so much tidying taken place and it never actually be tidy. 

 Vx

Dizzycap

@ Brambling - Lovely to see you

It's sounds as though your decluttering is going well, and I do understand the dilema when it comes to good quality items that you know in your heart of hearts, you just need to keep. There's nothing wrong with that as decluttering is about you you need to keep and not just keeping for the sake of having it

I do understand and feel for you with the wheelie and your hip. A few weeks during the year I have to put out my wheelie bin(s) a day or even 2 early because I know I'm struggling with movement which is unlikely to get better anytime soon. Fortunately, I'm allowed to do that but it's not often. However, this week maybe one of those weeks when I'll have to

Declutterin Update for Today:

I managed to complete everything on my planned list but it's taken me all day to be able to complete it with breaks in between one task and another and I've only just got there. I didn't manage any bed rest but I felt I didn't need it this afternoon. I've also managed to list another few items and decluttered another 2 parcels this afternoon before babyfaces run in the woods. She's been bubbling with energy and joy today and has just stopped, crashed out & is snoring away with her swan in her mouth while wagging her tail after an hour of soft toy baby playing and killing. The only issues is that she'll suddenly wake up in about an hour and carry on exactly where she left off! I've already put my phone on silent while I have my last cup of coffee in peace before heading to bed for an early(ish) night - It's buzzed a couple of times but I know it can't be important because my rule is no one calls or texts me after 8pm but if it's urgent /an emergency, the landline is available

Wishing everyone a lovely peacful evening decluttering or otherwise, and lovely peaceful sleep - Nighty, night xxx

Edit: @ Florenceem - I'm so sorry to hear that the night shenanigans with Mr.F have started again. Is there anyone you could call for advise before it gets out of hand?

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 I relocated several pieces of jewellery from our bedroom back to the jewellery box 😉 Dinner was mushroom risotto 😋 Rather than making my usual large amount so we could have risotto cakes, I scaled back & there was enough for just tonight’s meal. Wudupa.

475 - 476 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 

477 - 479 Kitchen, lr & office detritus - binned

Excellent work completing the bulk of your task list Dizzycap 👏 Your weather on Monday sounds awful 😣 I do hope it was warmer on Tuesday 🤞 Gorgeous picture of babyface 😍

_Dolly_Rocker_ lovely cheerleading 😊 “I had a lovely weekend away with my Mum and Niece to a hot tub lodge in Ayr.” What a wonderful way to spend the weekend ☺️ Hope you had enough time to have a cuppa before you headed off on your dog walks 😉

Florenceem, those pattern weights are beautiful 😍 Do you mind my asking what is inside them? The material for the curtains is gorgeous 😍

Lovely to see you Brambling 👋 & absolutely no need to “sneak back in” 😉 Congratulations on getting the spare room fit for purpose 👏 Also great decluttering 👏 - 2 large bags for CS + jigsaws & 2 bags of clothing + some books 🤩 A medal 🏅 is on its way 😊 Pleased to hear the dieting is going well & hopefully you are on the list for your hip replacement 🙏

Dizzycap, “….. picked up a free unwanted wide chest of drawers with 4 easy sliding glider draws which is an absolute godsend to keep the remaining stash I know I will use in” what a great find 👏 Hopefully you will find time to do some crafting soon - once you have finished decluttering by selling 🤞 Sorry to hear that you didn’t sleep too well Monday night 😔 so I was very pleased to see that you have factored in some bed rest/sleep into Tuesdays Decluttering Plans list ☺️

Although I haven’t caught up, I am off to bed - an early night for me 😂 Sleep tight everyone 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 479/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00