2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

Moorviews

@Muddy_Walker and @Dizzycap I am sorry that you are both feeling down and tired. I can only recommend the restorative powers of rest and treating yourselves kindly. I can completely sympathise with the overwhelm. Hoping the beautiful furry companions will also give you comfort as mine do and that you have a better day today. 

@TC77 - great decluttering 👏
@GrannyKate - sorry to hear about the falls. I hope that it is just that you are doing too much but it is something to take notice of if they keep happening. 

@Liverpool_Anne - somehow that ‘surveyor’ was never going to come good. 

I am so easily distracted! I must crack on …..

charlies_tribe

Good morning! Just a quick post as skip is arriving today. DGD refused to go home last night, told her mum to bring her suitcase 🤣 as its the school holidays she can stay as long as she wants. So I'll be supervising the children with my list of what's going in the skip while DH is in the shed (great excuse, I've seen the spiderwebs).
There was a huge bag of deteriorated underware went in the bin yesterday, will add numbers to my list 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

Tuesday: bright day but less sunshine & some wispy white clouds, high 15°C & low 3°C Straight into cheerleading- you never know I might actually catch up 🤞

CRANKY40, loved This “.. the cat's real name isn't Greedyguts……. She comes if my son calls her but then she's his cat or he's her kitten (grew a bit bigger than she was expecting though).” is so funny 🤣 Excellent decluttering 👏 Good luck when you tackle the ‘Cupboards of Doom’ 🍀😉

Excellent advice about decluttering QueenJess 👏 especially This “It gets easier the more you do it... just focus on the end goal 🙂

ionafan, thanks for the reminder about Dana K White 😊

Muddy_Walker, sorry to hear about the depression over the weekend 😞 Sending you many cwtches 🤗 Keeping everything crossed that the ‘medical things’ go well & that the results of blood tests etc are all good news 🙏

Lovely post TC77 🥹 

CRANKY40, I think we would probably need to hire our own plane to visit weenancy 😊

vulpix, love that you & Jenny Bond are best mates now 😅 Although I am wondering where MrV is 😉 - is he perhaps doing the DJing 😉

Florenceem, a very busy Monday morning 👏 Fingers crossed that all the books find new homes 🤞 Pleased to hear that MrF managed a short walk & hopefully he will enjoy Tuesday’s visit to SA 🙂

Brie, hopefully the new drying rack lasts as long as the old one 🤞 & that your OH is OK after his fall 🙏 Congratulations on the Premium Bond win 🥳

Excellent decluttering TC77 👏 & well done on creating some clear spaces in anticipation of DD2’s arrival 😊

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏 Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to get a piece of cake 🙁 

Concentration is flagging & I need another cuppa, so will post & run. Hope everyone is having as good a day as possible 😊

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 💐 💐 💐 🏅🥉🏅 🎂 🌟⭐️⭐️❤️ 🍫🐾 😍

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 642/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

QueenJess

Trying my best to declutter one more thing than came in every weekday in the aim of very slowly making progress.  It might be a bit of a challenge when some new things come that I've ordered (kids shoes/clothes needed).  Anyway, I am reporting a win on that front today and  a bit of tidying progress (more to do later). 2 bits of packaging in today (actually in last week, but only just counted as I've only got round to dealing with it now).

1 - packaging reused
1 - paper, reused then recycled
1 - candle used up
1 - potty (Buy Nothing)

New total 1,111
Use it up total 81
Net physical things in/(out) +79

Ooh - what a pleasing total of 1,111 items out this year

YBR

Moorviews said:

@YBR - welcome and good luck with your downsizing plans. You sound very organised 😊 We have always done it the wrong way and taken everything. Not to be recommended!

That's my engineering side which I can't turn off - I over-think things - Also explains the scale drawings, @Mrs_Salad_Dodger

I'm sorry about MrF, and Liverpool_Anne's Wrist, hoping for smooth recoveries.

It's been a working day today so not so much else done. Since my last post, DH has cleaned out some of the gutters, and I've opened a large old trunk which I don't think we opened in 10 years: 4 white damask table cloths and 4 flat single bed sheets, with a very large knitted or crocheted bed cover. They're in the process of being washed and stacked for the yard sale.

Now the trunk has a mattress topper in, which I will lose after my Godmother visits, and some neatly packed blankets that we shouldn't need until next winter.
Next the lego has all been crammed into its box (and any more that comes to light will be disposed of). Tape that closed and move on ...

It's very motivating to be giving a running commentary, Thanks

Muddy_Walker

Thank you for your good wishes. It’s the waiting and hanging around! Normally I’m ok …..spent the afternoon out the front. Pacing myself by doing bit by bit ….. it will take a while but there again I’ve not done anything for months.
Left the dogs out the back and my neighbour said that hers and mine have been yelling at a large crow…..now that I have sat down with a coffee, Rogan is telling me all about it…

Muddy_Walker

Telling me allllllll about it 🤣

suzeesu2000

Deep clean and declutter for the kitchen this morning. Found pans i havent used since 2019! Have recycled so much including plates and dish covers, plastic spoons, a bag of plastic bags, beakers, little china bowls. Have cleared a whole worktop and organised the other one much better. Feel super encouraged to get on with more tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday xx

Florenceem

QueenJess - your cake sounds delicious.
Muddy_Walker - gorgeous dogs.
Mr F got a text today - an appointment at the elderly clinic - not heard of that before.
Up early - volunteers were due at 9.30 but we went for 9 - one was outside waiting. We were at SA for 5 hours - did 9500 + steps - shattered! 
Donated food sorted by volunteers and food parcels made ready for Friday.
Lots of out of date food items today - one was 2019. 
I sorted the crates in the alley then started on the mountain of donations in the foyer. I told C that I would clear it while he was away.
A willing chap carried stuff upstairs for me. He also emptied the recycling bins and put out rubbish. When he left - another chap helped by putting rubbish in the outside crate.
We stopped for tea breaks but really just worked hard to get everything done. A chocolate Birthday cake was cut and we enjoyed a slice. My friend was given a chocolate orange - she doesn't like them - who doesn't love them!!! Mr F and I just enjoyed a segment each.
My friend brought some clothes along for me to list on V. I have one sale on V today. 
I have donated toiletries to take to the charity shop tomorrow when I post the parcel.
I put some toys and clothes outside with the children's books. Just going to pop round and take in the leftovers and print a label.

Brie

Decided that asking the OH to do things like going to the dump with XYZ wasn't getting the results I wanted so when I came home from work I just told him he needed to drive me to the tip.  (cue the groan....) A short time later I was asked if I was ready to go and found him loading a stack of cardboard into the back of his monster truck.  I added the moushed drying rack and then a big trug of plant pots.  Only took us about 15 minutes total and that included me having to walk back and forth at the tip as I'd told him he didn't need to get out of the car (otherwise he'd have put on a nice outfit including a fedora or similar).  Didn't have room for the 2 trugs with garden waste but they might go in the bin on Thursday, if not stuff will fit once they're emptied early on Friday.

Cleared out a bit of green cheese from the fridge - I was going to have it for lunch but it didn't look very appetising.   Also need to check the freezer for sausages as my client for tomorrow morning has cancelled so I can WFH which means I'll have time to have some breakfast!!!  (unlike today when I was munching some oatcakes on the way across town!)

And speaking of food decluttering......OH has taken umbridge about me tutting when he used some of "my" honey and so now refuses to use it and buys his own.  Thing is I bought a large jar the last time I was in Canada and am wondering how much of this I can eat before I go back to Canada late May.  Normally I don't eat a lot of honey but when needs must.....  It's buckwheat honey which is the nicest in the world and I've never been able to find any in this country so have to import it.