2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

WickedLady4

TC77 said:

morning,
Mrs SD and @Brie thank you as I missed the suggestion for the drawers. I had thought of bicarb but have run out but love the idea of using tissue paper to put it on. I do line drawers - using up vintage wall paper. Will order a large tub as I ran out last year but half way through a 5 litre bottle of white vinegar!
Cutlery drawer has been taken out of CS bag and in a desk drawer as can't find anything there. but emptied bedroom bin and small bits in there so won't change nos for now.
Any thoughts on what to do with xmas cards - do charity take or a group for crafting - or just recyling?
Also have some xmas wreaths and don't know if CS would appreciate - as some people will buy up xmas stuff still for their next year as they have boxes still out.... did a cull in late nov/early dec so could be sold for this year but rather not keep bulky things I don't want but don't want to give cs things they can't use!

Someone near me has said they take wreaths and Christmas cards to a Care Home, as the residents will happily use them for craft sessions during the year.

QueenJess

TC77 said:

morning,
Any thoughts on what to do with xmas cards - do charity take or a group for crafting - or just recyling?

Post them to me?  I turn all our xmas cards into new xmas cards by removing the written on piece.  Too stingy to buy xmas cards when the kids want to send them to the whole class, plus I hate the waste!

nannywindow

Hello all, hope no one is snowed in ! We had about 3 ins of it and it looks very pretty but it's still hanging about. We had the snow plough up our road early this morning but now there is only one track clear and it's a bit of a slalom to get through some parked cars. I hope the snow is gone by tomorrow as we're taking dad to an optician appointment as he broke his glasses over xmas, so I booked him in for an eye test too. I've already had a phone call from the opticians today to clarify some details about him even though I sent all it in online when I booked 🤷‍♀️
Dh had already started taking the tree and decorations down by the time I arose this morning. He packed the boxes wi**y nilly and now I don't know what's in what box. I had a method and every one was labelled plus I wanted to sort through the stuff we hadn't used for a while and declutter it 😠.
I did manage to recycle a light up stars box, they were really fiddly to put back in and we gave up. I've put some food waste in the caddy including some OOD cheeses that weren't eaten, I'm not a great cheese lover and left it all to DH, DD and the DGC to eat 🙄, luckily 3 weren't opened so they are in the freezer.
Several food boxes have been emptied or decanted into other containers and have been recycled. Also gone in the cardboard recycling bag are the xmas cards as I decided I didn't need to cut them up for tags this year as I have plenty already 👼
Another chipped glass and an empty liqueur bottle have gone out plus several batteries from the xmas lights which just managed to hang on this year without being changed. Also out the TV mag which DH reads and then declares every year that there's nothing on worth watching 😂
Florenceem hugs to you and MrF at this worrying time.
BlueJay those snowy pictures could have been taken in our village ! 
Hugs to anyone in need 🧡
nan 
 

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

Sunday: Even later getting up today - must have been the alcoholic cream 😂 Another dark dreary day & the ground is still wet so must have rained this morning. Although the bright spot is that it is a lot warmer with a high of 13°C forecast- almost t-shirt weather 😅 I hope no-one is snowed in 🤞but if you are I hope you are warm & have a full larder/fridge/freezer 😉

Excellent decluttering kayjay1809 👏

MadamMim2013, lovely post & what a great way to spend NYD 😊 Loved This “May this year be whatever it is you need it to be, hopefully with a dash of kindness, courage and compassion for yourself!..💗” 🥹

Welcome back BudgetingBelinda 👋 Another member of the Maintenance Decluttering Club 😊 Good luck with the decorating 🍀

Well done on the sales Florenceem 👏

Brambling, sorry to hear that you woke with the sniffles & a headache on NYD 😔 I do hope you were well enough to volunteer at the NT bookshop on Thursday 🤞& I also hope you managed to resist the temptation to buy any more books 😉

charlies_tribe, I think I would describe your NYD as busy with quick blasts of laziness 😅 Excellent work with both the cleaning & the decluttering 👏

An excellent start to your decluttering campaign DundeeDoll  👏

TC77, the train is definitely speeding along & you with it 😊 You have had a turbo charged start to this year’s decluttering campaign 👏 Hopefully work wasn’t too busy 🤞

Welcome aboard the EDT PollyWollyDoodle 👋 Lovely to see you 😊 Very impressed that the downstairs of your home is Maintenance Mode Decluttering only 👏 As you have managed that, I have absolutely no doubt that you will manage to Declutter & tidy the upstairs as well 😊 Good luck 🍀 P.S. I had heard of Justin Case but Mike Uminandi is a new one & very, very clever 😂

What a great start to ‘Project Photo Sort’ ionafan 👏 Stage 1 completed on Day 1 of the new year 🤩 Good luck with the rest of the stages 🍀

Pleased to see you back jacwins 👋 You are looking really good for your age having been decluttering since the early 1900s 🤣 I apologise profusely but I couldn’t resist 🤪 Anyway joking aside, it is lovely to welcome you back & I look forward to following your decluttering journey 😊 2025 is your year 🙂

There is always room aboard the EDT gsdloopy 😊 Lovely to see a new face 👋 Now that you are aboard I am positive that you will find plenty of inspiration & more importantly encouragement from our Declutterati family 😊 Remember each item that you declutter (no matter how small) is a step closer to a clutter free life. As you build up your decluttering muscles it will be easier to spot something that doesn’t belong, isn’t useful etc & you will have no qualms about disposing of whatever it is 😊 Good luck 🍀

Betharooni, an excellent start to your 2025 decluttering campaign 👏 So pleased to see that DB1 is also pitching in 😊

🤩 Dizzycap you have been busy 🤩 Talk about getting off to a flying start - Christmas decorations on their way to a CS, parcels despatched & money earned & all on NYD 👏 

Welcome aboard queen_vi, lovely to meet you 👋 Good luck with the wardrobe declutter 🍀 & I am keeping my fingers crossed that your hubby (aka DH) will be inspired to join you🤞 1 In, 1 Out is a good start to decluttering clothing especially if you love a CS bargain 😊 

BlueJ94, yikes to the flat tyre 😟  hope it can be fixed rather than needing a new one 🤞I loved your 2nd January mention of “…….doomed tupperware” 😂 

Welcome back Chocolatedrinker, lovely to see you 👋 Sorry to hear that you started the New Year with a cold 😔 & hope you are better now. I trust the cat has forgiven you for starting her 2025 with a visit to the vets on Thursday 😂

Florenceem, eek to the gas bill 😥 Sorry to hear that MrF seems to be getting worse 😔 Hopefully you can get an emergency appointment with his doctor 🙏

Two more pages caught up but need a 2nd cuppa 😉 See you later 👋 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️

DH Awards:

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 21/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Florenceem

Last night - Mr F fell asleep early in the evening - he hadn't done anything - not been out - I had done over 11,000 steps with my trips to town etc. He was in the bathroom just before bed and fell 
I woke up to blood on Mr F's pillow - his nose had started to bleed in the night - I had an awful job getting dried congealed blood out of his whiskers.
I got Mr F ready and walked him to Church - he was very wobbly - hadn't been out since Friday.
Everybody at Church could see the deterioration in Mr F. He stayed awake for a while but then had his head down and I think he nodded off. There was hardly any interaction with Church friends and Mr F was a great conversationalist.
Back home and given him his lunch - he is asleep again - just like an old person in a care home - Mr F is 72! I am older than Mr F.

tiddles

Florenceem - I am sorry to hear about the problems with Mr F, and hope that you can get some medical help sorted out for him very soon.

Take care xx

Tjh1412

Hope everyone has had a good day and kept warm. 

It's been a bit of a mad sorting day here, after tip runs and filling charity shop bags and far too many 'why on earth have we been keeping that' moments, we can all get into our temporary beds, we all have what we need for tomorrow sorted out for work/nursery and total items out so far this year is now at 893. A lot of that was first size baby clothes/hand knitted ones which I have finally made sure made it to the local maternity wing of the hospital, hoping to use up some of the craft stash by having signed up to provide more hats as they give every baby a knitted one when they're born.

Very much in need of another cup of tea now and a sit down; then off to help some relatives declutter the last of their Xmas veg and enjoy a lovely roast dinner in the process.

Back to the routine tomorrow, so will have to try and keep the momentum going whilst juggling everything else; usually this is where I fall off the wagon for the year 🤔

Hope everyone has a good, and somewhat warmer, first Monday of the year 

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

Back again 😉 I was so engrossed that I hadn’t realised it has been raining 🙁 Now responding to 2nd January posts 🙂

~FlowerPot~ what an excellent start to your 2025 Decluttering Campaign 👏 Day 2 & you are already on 48/2025 🤩 This “DH also helped, he managed to break a glass and a mug. The glasses shattered into a billion tiny shards so he has to completetly empty the cupboard. It is huge and clean everything ~ ALL our glasses, mugs, plates, bowls. I was very happy as its a job that has been needing doing for ages. I didnt realise what was going on as I was haing a new years day lie in ~ hehe!!!!” had me laughing like a drain 🤣 Good luck selling off your collections 🍀 Reminds me that I need to sell off my coin collection 😉 only been telling myself that for 5 years 🙊 

Broke off here as DH called me through to the kitchen - we had a Jay visiting us 🥳 such a beautiful bird 😍 & a very rare visitor to our garden 🙁

Lovely chatty post (2nd January) Liverpool_Anne 😊 A busy couple of days - you got a lot done 👏 I am definitely with you on the baby name 😉 - to me Beau conjures up old black & white movies about the Foreign Legion 😂 I am hanging my head in shame 😳 There must be something in the water where you live - so many babies to be born over the coming months 🥹 Well done on using up all your excess vegetables 👏 I just hope your freezer can take the strain 😉

CRANKY40, excellent decluttering on NYD 👏 Hopefully day 2 was just as successful 😊

foxandflowers, love it “TwentyTwentyThrive” 😍 definitely sends out a positive message for the year 👏 Moving so soon after your last move would have me tearing my hair out 😅 but you are so organised 🤩 Your new home sounds delightful 😊 I have to say that reading about the storage unit & Luton vans for your move in 2023 compared to your projections for this latest move, I really can’t see that you fell off the wagon at all last year 🧐 I just think you forgot to make notes about how much you decluttered 😊 Good luck with the move & also reaching all your goals 🍀You already sound like you are Thriving 🥳

MadamMim2013, a busy 2nd January 👏 Fingers crossed that the last of the items in suitcase 1 have sold 🤞 Good luck with suitcase 2 🍀

vulpix, if the council are ignoring you (yet again) it might be time to bring in the big guns - photos of the waterfall & an interview with the local paper 😅 Well done on eating such an important frog 👏

nannywindow, shame about the slippers 🙁 but perhaps when you drop them off at the CS you might find a donated ‘too large’ pair 🤞I hope that DH has been successful with the bank & they have finally put a stop to the illicit use of his card 🙏🤞

Florenceem, re This (2nd Jan) “Then I got a message on V from a buyer - the shoes she bought have literally fallen apart after half a dozen wears. I have no idea what shoes she is talking about as didn't say. What does she expect me to do? If you bought a pair of shoes in a charity shop - would you complain to them like this?” sounds like a chancer to me ☹️ Hopefully your day picked up after that 🤞

What an excellent start to your decluttering campaign grunnie 👏 Very impressed that you started with the ‘worst’ & more importantly were so successful 🤩 After that I think everything else will be a breeze 😊

Wednesday2000, pleased to hear that you left your washing until the 2nd 😊 Good luck with both the weight loss & sorting out your clothing 🍀 I have been too scared to weigh myself yet 😟 but know I must bite the bullet & join my DH on the Diet Wagon 😮‍💨 

Look at that another page caught up 🥳

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️

DH Awards:

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 21/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Moorviews

@Florenceem - I am sorry to hear of Mr F having further falls and being excessively sleepy. I hope you will have some answers and treatment soon. 

@Muddy_Walker - thank you so much for those houseplant care tips! I do distantly remember my mother giving leftover tea from the teapot but I have never tried it myself. I had not heard of the banana peel water either so will also try that. I agree with you about potting compost and will try some topsoil in the mix. Peat free is great for environmental reasons but it is taking a while to get the hang of the alternatives. 

@oceanspirit - I hope you can banish Mr Overwhelm and tell him he isn’t welcome. 

@nannywindow - Mr MV would have done the same with the decorations if I didn’t specifically ask him to leave them for me. I can understand your frustration!
@Foofoopuppy - I do feel sorry for your parents, it must be absolutely awful to have to deal with that level of flooding. It is good that they have you to help them. 

I have put 36 magazines into recycling and made sure I didn’t start dipping into them and having a read. They are professional publications therefore not suitable material for craft activities. I emptied the small remains from a bottle of sherry down the sink as it had been open for years. Bottle rinsed out and now in the recycling bin. 
I made two different soups from vegetables that needed using up. Purchased before Christmas. Plenty for lunches this week and some for the freezer. 

LittleMissDetermined

Could I join please? After my stepdaughter came to live with us (unexpectedly but most welcome!) we hastily had to make room. My need to declutter is now overdue so I think this thread will help bolster my resolve to get things sorted! 

LMD x