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

Friday: an overcast dull day with a stiff breeze, high 16°C, low 9°C DH has been out for his walk & was very disappointed as other people were feeding the squirrels 😉  Only because yesterday the friendly squirrel was extra friendly - see photographic evidence 

As I am in photo mood here are my flowers which also have a lovely scent 

Very late starting the cheerleading as my DSis has a wordwall game on her phone which I have been playing - I am hooked & she had to wrestle her phone away from me 🤣 Filled in my competition entry form & made dinner. Fish, chips & peas for DH & me, chicken & chips for DSis. Wudupa. The weather didn’t improve - a couple of short showers through the afternoon & evening. 

709 - 713 Kitchen recycling, 2 newspapers, magazine, drinks cans - recycled 

714 Kitchen detritus binned 

TC77, good luck helping DD2 🍀 I think that you have made a good decision in concentrating on your things & letting DD2 tackle her things 😊 Excellent decluttering 👏

GrannyKate, your kitchen looks a decent size 😊 & it sounds like the work is progressing well 😊 Love Sox’s water fountain 🙂

TC77, good luck with the cables 🍀 & fingers crossed you find the errant remote 🤞

BlueJ94, gorgeous photos of both your dogs & the very friendly fox 🤩

vulpix, hope the viewings go well 🤞 & good luck with the “house with massive potential” 🍀 Sorry to hear about the vertigo 😞 hopefully you are OK now 🙏

BlueJ94, good luck filling your storage boxes & hopefully decluttering a few items 🍀

Excellent decluttering Florenceem 👏

I have caught up a little so am off to bed. Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 714/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £116.00

TC77

@Dizzycap well done in sorting the last of your office paperwork, and interesting listening to music you want to get to the end of.  When dd2 goes back to uni I'm going to have a plan for tackling different categories/ areas.
Mrs SD love the photos.. amazing photo of Mr SD and the squirrel ... he must have create a sense of calm and trust with the squirrels. 
Beautiful spring flowers. 
Up too early again ( well.awake)

Moorviews

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger - fantastic photo of Mr SD and his squirrel friend! Your flowers are gorgeous and you have all my Spring favourites in there. You made me laugh with the game and your sister having to wrestle her phone back  
@BlueJ94 - absolutely gorgeous dogs! That handsome fox has cleverly sussed out the possibilities of visitors for food donations. Good luck with sorting into drawers and the MOT. 
@TC77 - our parents were always asking us about stuff and I often didn't really know whether I wanted it or not so agreed to keep it. I am still moving things on now as you know. You might be saving her a job later by not asking your daughter even if she later remembers the odd thing that she would have liked. I too relied on a lot of given items in my first home, even old carpets, but I am not sure that way is how the young do things nowadays. You are doing really well though with your decluttering. 
@vulpix - I have my fingers crossed again on the house!
@Brambling - craft things do seem to multiply when I am not looking. I am impressed that you have now have space! I used to live in your area and enjoyed that town very much. 
@Fizz2015 - sorry to hear about your very ill family member. I hope they are comfortable despite everything. Well done on managing to do a car boot sale in the middle of it all.
@CRANKY40 - well done to your son with an exam passed already. I have to tackle clutter in manageable chunks. I try not to look around me and get distracted or disheartened. 
@Dizzycap - it is fantastic that you could donate to the art therapy group and help make a difference to people's mental health at the same time. A dedicated Art room sounds wonderful though! I hope you catch a glimpse of those fox cubs soon.
@Florenceem - good idea to keep a record of Mr F's falls. I was reading recently about developing a fall protocol where we practice falling in as safe a way as we can to avoid injury. 
@sqwiffy - I have an office come craft/sewing room too. It isn't very big and is very hard to keep on top of. Mostly I don't manage and it ends up too full too. Good luck with gradually getting through it all. Your DH has made a beautiful job of the table!
@QueenJess - thank you for the link regarding junk mail. I always end up with food I should have used at the back unless I turn the cupboard out. 

Yesterday was rather heavily wet here and hopefully the gardens, fields and trees all had a good drink. It was the perfect day for tackling piles of paper stuff that had accumulated around the house. I went through all last year's receipts too and then enjoyed setting light to them in the fireplace. It was a stressful year so was very cathartic although somewhat triggering going through them. I dealt with a few frogs at the same time. Also, got an online return sorted out. My paper recycling bin is going to be very heavy for the next collection! A rough menu plan has been done to make sure I use things up in the next week. It definitely suited me to have a quiet and more meditative Good Friday as we had visitors earlier in the week.

I hope you all have a good Easter weekend and that you get a bit of a break.

YBR

Good morning all, Happy Easter for tomorrow.

My silence was owing to being away, so it's all laundry today, and re-packing for me as I'll be at college next week. Typically my younger Daughter is not even dressed as yet, while I've just put the 5th load of laundry on!

Apologies that i'm not even attempting to catch up with the 100+ pages from the past week ... back again in a week's time I expect.

Crazycatlady2

Just jumping in to say we did indeed declutter the house successfully 🎉

Health wise my husband has been worse 😢 GP is sending for tests now.

I've been chipping away at the garden and have reduced 2 massive bushes by half so far and discovered a rockery area as I fell off it as it was buried. I'm removing everything that is prickly mostly and taming the rest 

Have been asked if we want some kittens when they old enough in a couple of weeks...I'm trying to decide ATM as much as I do want them as I feel weird with no cat I'm torn as it could be extra stress that I don't need atm

Dizzycap

Good morning all

What a lovely Spring morning  

@ Mrs_Salad_Dodger - Have you named your squirrel yet? Nathan the Nutcracker  Love the beautiful flowers

@ Moorviews - WO you've been very busy on the decluttering front and bravo with the paperwork, it's one of my personal pet hates, but I've started a new mind set on it which seems to be working well, so far!

@ TC77 - Glad that you've decided on a decluttering plan which I'm sure will work for you xxxxx

@ YBR - Thank you so very much for the Easter wishes, and you too!

@ Crazycatlady2 - Absolutely awesome going with decluttering the house, but I'm so sorry to hear that your husband isn't too well at the moment.

@ sqwiffy - The table looks absolutely fabulous! A good job well done

Coffee break time: Can you believe that I've caught up with all the washing and for the first day in around 10, all the washing lines are empty? Babyface has been absolutely full of it this morning and she's into everything and anything. Finally burnt herself out 20 minutes ago which means I have free personal time to catch up on decluttering todays mail & making a couple of calls, which are now all done & everything either filed in the bin or in folders xxxx Babyface has just woken up and my shadow has come to join me in the office which usually means she's wants to get up on the desk and do some typing on the laptop while I'm using it! She's decided that her Bunty bed with a hidy fleece thrown over her is far more comfortable and inviting I'm still having to encourage her to rest as much as she's suppose to be easing into things again, but in true Daxie style, when she feels well there's absolutely no chance of moderating her activities, unless I become a decluttering prisoner in a single room with helper or go to bed and watch the iPlayer / have a nap - Guess who rules this house? Or thinks she does I'm hoping to pay gorgeous Gorda a visit over the Easter weekend as I have a bag of homemade treats for her and a large Easter Egg for her owner. She continues to thrive in her new home and is now walking off lead and socalising with others dogs with absolutely no problems. She's still a little put out with the Shetland ponies but only due to their size, but is relaxed & happy to potter out the back and share the huge back garden space with them  Gorda continues to extend her vocal range & sing louder on a daily basis and has everyone laughing at her crazy antics and vocal opinions, especially as being a Daxie, she has to be the centre of attention on all matters Her new owner is absolutely smitten with Gorda and can't believe she's only been with her for 2 months as she's settled in like she's been their for her whole life I knew it would be a match made in heaven

Well it seems that my coffe mug is now empty and requires a top up before I go and potter about again. Wishing everyone a super Easter weekend - Ta-ta for now xxxxx

Brie

Dizzycap said:

The foxes are about but I still haven't seen the cubs live yet. I can hear them whistling & screeching in the garden but their being well hidden in the darker parts and if I put the lights on to see them, they go away, so better to be patient Well it's getting very late & it's time for me to try and get some sleep - Take care all & ta-ta for now xxxx

We had 6 kits in our garden 2 years back.  First very shy and while we never could approach them they didn't dash off quite so quickly as they got old and bolder.  And then one evening as we sat watching TV we noticed one of them had come right up to the lounge door and was watching us!!  Not sure what it thought - whether we were not real or didn't know that the door could be opened or what.  Dreadfully cute though!!

Florenceem

Brambling -  Mr F uses a zimmer frame indoors but falls off his office chair - somehow.
Dizzycap - the thought of music through headphones does not appeal to me. I think my Meniere's disease may be activated.
I still haven't found how to watch season 2 of The Chosen on Ytube.
I wrapped a parcel and popped to SA to print labels.
I walked down to Al.. to get some of the 8p potatoes and carrots. The date on milk in there wasn't long so I got some in As.. on my way home.
I made pastry this morning - turned into 2 smoked mackerel quiches.
I am taking Mr F into town this afternoon for fresh air and exercise while I post parcels - we will get a bus home.
It has gone chilly here - back to a wind off the sea.

BlueJ94

Afternoon all

I made a start on the room, nearly finished it but was distracted by watering and cleaning out my plant units! I had an orchid that I thought had died so I popped him into some water a few months back and hes finally bloomed ! he's happy sat in an old coffee jar in the windowsill! Some plants have died due to me not watering them oops! But lots of the plants have new leaves etc. 

I'm at work and finish at 4pm today, I keep sneezing which has now turned into a headache! off to the shops to pick up the veggies that are on deals at the moment. 

Also going to pop into Dunelm to see if they have an ottoman on offer as Rory has chewed through the past 3 we've had!  

HAPPY EASTER too all that celebrate it and I hope you all enjoy some nice choccies and family time!

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

Saturday: slightly brighter than yesterday but also cooler with a high of just 15°C & a low of 8°C although no rain forecast. Starting cheerleading from posts dated Thursday:

Florenceem, another busy Wednesday at friendship club especially as your friend wasn’t there. I hope she is OK 🤞

TC77, it sounds like leaving DD2 to declutter at her own pace has worked a treat 🥹 Such a lovely surprise that she enlisted a friend to help her 😊 Also seems  like you had a useful conversation with DD2 - so going forward it should be easier for you to understand how to help her ☺️ Excellent decluttering between the two of you 👏 Nice of your cousin to offer assistance & hopefully when it is most useful for you 🥹

Excellent work Brambling 👏 especially as you have an empty shelf in your new cupboard 😊 Even better news is that you have decluttered enough stuff to be able to move things around 🥳 Good luck with thinning out your fabric & yarn stashes 🍀

Lovely cheerleading Dizzycap 😊 Wow you have been very busy - excellent decluttering especially as you got all the ‘stuff’ out of the house immediately 👏🤩 I am delighted to be awarding you another Gold Star ⭐️ Also sounds like babyface has been thoroughly enjoying herself being spoiled by everyone 🥹 Shame you haven’t managed to see the fox cubs yet ☹️ but it sounds like they too are enjoying themselves ☺️ Hopefully it won’t be too long before you get a chance to see them 🤞

TC77, hopefully your list & drinking your coffee gave you time to plan your Friday  😊

CRANKY40, congratulations to DS for passing his first exam 🥳 & fingers crossed for a good result for the 2nd one 🤞Excellent decluttering- worthy of a medal 🏅 which is on its way 🙂 Loved These two comments “TC77 if you can't decide where to start first of all give yourself a base....mine is my chair in my craft room. Open a drawer that has things that need to be sorted and grab 5 or 10 things. Sort through the items - I have 4 piles. One pile is rubbish/recycling, one pile is charity shop or selling, one pile is to be put away where it belongs and the last pile is to go back in the drawer (but not until you've been through the whole drawer/shelf/whatever or you'd be sorting the same things over and over). Snack and drink breaks can be taken as required. Remember that for this part of decluttering the cost of the item is irrelevant. If it doesn't bring you joy and you don't use it then get rid or sell it.” great advice 👏 I especially liked This 

“The best advice that I've seen this week is from Cas at Clutterbug. She said that if you're sorting your clothes or wardrobe just sort a few at a time and don't just pile it all on the bed (I did) otherwise you may not be able to find your bed at bedtime. That goes for everything really. We didn't accumulate all of this stuff in a day so it makes sense that it's going to take a while to get shot of it.” The last time I piled all my clothes on the bed I ran out of time to sort & shoved it back into the wardrobe - rather defeating the object of the original exercise 🙊 Does your DS also build storage solutions as well as suggesting them 😉

Fizz2015, you know it is Easter by the rain 😅 Sorry to hear about the family member, I will keep everything crossed that the op is successful 🙏 Excellent decluttering 👏

Excellent work TC77 👏 This “I'm at the dining table but I am easily distracted and do many things at a time but find that as long as things are moving forward it helps although don't get the same buzz as a whole area sorted!” sounds rather familiar 🤣 Good luck 🍀

One page caught up 🥳 DH has been a busy bee - he went to MrS on the bike to pick up a couple of items I accidentally left off my shopping list & to fill up with petrol. Got back & filled the bird feeders & water bowls & has just headed off for his daily walk. DSis has just run a bath. As I am now replying to Friday’s posts, I will take a short break. I hope everyone is having as good a day as possible 😊 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 714/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £116.00