2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

YBR

A bit of progress today:

The old shed has been taken to the dump, along with our old laptop. 

I've packed a couple of boxes with books and sheet music, so just a small start but packing is officially starting.

I've got out the pile of paper to shred now that we're in a new tax year, which will be done gradually and mixed into the compost heap.

And there's a sermon and presentation ready for Sunday's service - just need to double check sound for one of the videos, so a successful day.

GrannyKate

Slow going with the kitchen so not finished yet.  I am away from tomorrow until Thursday so hope it gets done Monday and Tuesday.  I am surrounded by chaos and can't wait to get kitchen stuff away.  Units are all in place and some doors, shelves and side panels. Sink was an issue as it needed to be turned round and wasn't reversible.  After chatting with fitter I went with him to get a different one.  I think everything is here except the tap. Dentist today but no work needed.  

464 Emails read, deleted, answered, filed etc 
465 Cards posted out
466 One bag of extra decorating rubbish fitted into bin before itv was emptied today

I'll catch up when I am back 

QueenJess

Just a very quick check in as I'm absolutely exhausted after fitting in 2 or 3 days of things into one day.  Lots of stuff picked up for free this week, which is good as it means I don't need to buy any of these things.  +1 car seat, +1 DVD, +5 sheets, +1 packaging.

Some things still leaving, so it isn't all lost!  Over halfway on my mini kitchen challenge and I don't think I've ever seen my cupboards this empty!

Physical:
3 - kitchen cupboard overstock used up
1 - DS tat binned

New total 1,301
Use it up total 120
Net physical things in/(out) +34
Mini kitchen challenge 26/50

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, busy and warm day here today. The gardener was late arriving so I was up and more than ready when he got here. He had forgotten what it was I wanted him to do so I explained again, dig out the bamboo and the old buddleia root. After much humming and haaring he went to get his spade and I made him a cup of tea. He made one attempt at the bamboo and said he didn't think he could do it all in the time he had so I said well make a start and we will see how it goes. Meanwhile I was chopping the very last of the rose except what I am keeping and can tie onto the wires on the back fence so he can get to the buddleia root. He decided he would do the rose despite me saying I could do it 😐. Then he had a bit of a go at the buddleia root. This proved to be a problem for him as well as he said the root was going under the fence. Well just chop it off at the fence then. Then he said it was too hard and I needed a couple of young blokes to to the digging. Well yes thats what I thought I was paying him to do  , roll of 👀. He was about 40 and I know when I was 40 I'd have given it a better go. He then said he'd have to come back next week and he would text me to let me know when, not holding my breath. He was here less than an hour and said really what I should do is get a mini digger and rip everything out and start again, that's not going to happen. He did say I had some nice plants though 😁. I am going to investigate alternative gardeners 😐.
After he left I had a go at digging up some bstd brambles and got a couple of big roots out and some other bits of ivy, managed to fill the green bin and a big bag for the tip. Collected together some dead solar lights for the tip and then loaded the car with 2 big bags of logs, the bag of ivy etc the solar lights and a bin bag of hard plastic. By that time OH had arrived home so we had a coffee and ice cream with ln over the fence and then took it all to the tip 😁. Also managed to get a load of washing on the line which dried by about 7 so got that in after tea 😁. The kitchen bin was emptied and the kitchen recycling which I had to put in ln's bin as mine was full.  Then I wrapped 2 presents to go in the post, hopefully tomorrow, using paper and wrapping from my stash and wrote a birthday card from stash 😁. One of the presents contains 2 tubes of unopened hand cream from my stash as extras 😁. I will count these when they have been posted 😁
I am feeling quite tired now 😂

@Vulpix sorry to hear of the family troubles, hugs to you all and thanks for my medal 😁

@Dizzycap lovely photos of the swans.

@GrannyKate hope the kitchen is sorted soon, I do sympathise having had various things done here, it is hard going when everything is all over the place, hugs.

@QueenJess well done for getting so much done, hugs.

Right off to bed now 😁
Hugs to everyone who would like one

662 garden waste to the bin
663 garden waste to the tip
664 & 665 bags of logs to the tip
666 bag of hard plastic to the tip
667 - 670 dead solar lights to the tip
671 LDFPA
672 kitchen bin
673 kitchen recycling
Take care everyone

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 has been a lovely sunny day with a high of 18°C & a low of 7°C but with a chilly breeze. So much for working harder to catch up with the cheerleading 😞 Another very lazy day & all I have done is complete the puzzles in my weekly magazine & cook DSis’s dinner - chicken & chips & heat up lo pea & bacon linguine for me. DH reheated the 2nd half of his Chinese. Wudupa

823 - 828 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, 3 plastic takeaway boxes & lids, newspaper- recycled 

829 - 830 Kitchen & lr detritus - binned

Liverpool_Anne, apologies but I will quote daisy “Oh Liverpool_Anne that had me laughing sorry 😆 especially the unexpected friendly new friend lol  hope you are ok xxx” Thank goodness you had a fairly soft landing 😮‍💨 Some excellent decluttering especially in the garden 👏 Very pleased to hear that your OH decided on a chippy tea 😊

Excellent decluttering ruby_eskimo 👏 & brilliant work by your DH 👏 Just wondering what you are going to plant in your massive raised planter - once it is is filled with compost 🧐 The amount of work you have already done in just nine months is amazing 🤩 Well done on dealing with so many tadpoles before they turned into frogs 👏

CRANKY40, good work by you & DS in the garden 👏 I love the picture you paint of the starlings scaring the cat into the house 😂

Excellent work by both you & DH charlies_tribe 👏 Eclectic decluttering 👏 & I rather liked the idea of you shaving the dog 😉 

florianatwobob, thank you for the gardening tips re growing & keeping lavender alive 👏😊

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏

Brie, This “I call it male pattern blindness.” had me in stitches 🤣

Excellent decluttering Soontobeoap 👏 Thank you for sharing such a lovely story - made me giggle 🙊 

TC77, 😠 to the plumber not turning up 😠 What a lovely compliment for all our Declutterati family ☺️

YBR, This “I love male pattern blindness. Round here the DDs do it too - my Mummy superpower is (apparently) finding things without even looking! Maybe I put it away there, or maybe i just "look with my eyes".” is so funny 😆 

diminua, very tidy & well organised book shelf 👏 Love the robot on the wall 😊

Great decluttering Florenceem 👏

TC77, great decluttering & well done on ‘retiring the saucepan’ 👏

I have caught up a little 😉 Sleep tight everyone 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’

DSis Awards: ⭐️ 

Decluttering Target 2025: 830/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £116.00

TC77

Plumber came yesterday and seem to have fixed the dirty water from sink.going in washing machine ! But I left a dry tea towel under the sink and went for a swim to come back to.it damp.  They are coming back tomorrow but can't use the dishwasher or w/ m . Will be 4th visit and over 3 weeks!! 
Went to bed late and waking early so all.abit grumpy. 
Got one.complicated email frog off with 7 historic attachments but a multi frog related to dd1 accident. Dd1 wants to see if she can get the.plate and pins in ankle removed but a month wait to see gp to ask for referral.
Hope to.get another email frog off. 
Quotes for painting and carpet need to be chased. Not sure what to try and tackle but going for.a walk with a friend in North London later. 
Stay safe in the sunshine x

Moorviews

The swans are beautiful! It is a treat to be following their progress thank you @Dizzycap. 

A trip to the recycling centre yesterday with a carload. Garden waste and stuff from the garage, including some electricals that I doubt are safe to use anymore. Fridge cleared and vegetables chopped for the freezer. I cooked a big family meal which helped to use a lot up. The garden is still the focus while the weather holds but I am filling a bag for the CS gradually as I get clothes out and discover that they don’t look good on me anymore. 

Well done @YBR getting rid of a whole shed and starting packing. 

I hope the kitchen is ready soon @GrannyKate. It is the worst room to have out of action. 

@Liverpool_Anne - I am glad you survived your commando manoeuvre without injury. I don’t think a lot of gardeners want to do that really heavy work. They seem to prefer mowing and trimming. You might indeed be better off giving some cash to a local teenager who is willing to exert themselves. Sixteen year old boys seem to have loads of strength and energy combined with a constant need for more money! Employers often don’t take on that age group now so it is hard for them when they are willing to work.
@vulpix sorry to hear that things are difficult at the moment. 

TC77

@vulpix I hope things  become less fraught and you escape to the tlc carriage when you can.
Following stories of wildlife, moving and managing life. Didn't add nos do new total 810 which I think is 1 for every 50 emails and then other bits out. 
Gone out for walk and dd2 gone to pick up her bag of bits which I don't think I counted so will later. Dd1 called me to say when I've gone if she got a £1 for each item in the house she'd never have to work again. I pointed out that some you'd struggle to get 20p and I may have got rid of some before then- hopefully ! 

Brie

Wondering what to do with the perfectly nice collar with bell that some cat has decluttered in our garden.  I know we've got a couple that do a bit of hunting here now that our own cat decluttered herself to the great litterbox in the sky.  But as is normal with neighbours' cats I have no idea where these ones actually live.  I could put it out on our gate post in case anyone fancies it I suppose.  

fyi - I have had a look in case the cat is still here in rough shape but no one is lurking.  This is always a bit of a concern what with the foxes that seem to abound in our urban setting.  We even had a large raptor - possibly a buzzard - flying in spirals over head yesterday morning.  I expect it's so dry by the river that the mice and bunnies are keeping too much into the shade.

QueenJess

DS's room is turning into a state again and even my parents commented that it is a bit overwhelming and busy in there.  He seems to be in the stage of wanting to keep everything just because it's on a topic he likes even if it's a pointless flyer advertising something.  I currently take solice in DD's room, although I suspect once she goes to school she will start to collect more tat.  A tiny point, but DS has over 20 writing pencils, but none of us (including extended family) have ever bought him a pencil.  This is how much stuff is just given out to kids.... birthday parties, freebies, activities - you name it.  Anyway, I shall get off my high horse now I am just wondering how we even have a chance with all this stuff being pushed at kids all the time.  I think I need DH's support, but he just disappears when I try to do anything with it...  I currently am doing a daily tidy 5 things in DS's room (with DS of course) and try to get 5 things to leave (not necessarily decluttering, could be going elsewhere in the house where it should live, getting rid of rubbish etc).

Now that my house is no longer overflowing with things, I'm moving towards a phase of trying to buy very little (only if I will truly enjoy the thing or need it) and getting maximum use out of what I have.  I still donate things which other people can use, but I am also mending/fixing things so I can use stuff for as long as possible as well; as upcycling and trying to use my ingenuity (difficult for me as I have almost zero practical skills!).  It also stops you buying things when you realise how long you can use something for!

Anyway, tiny progress for the 30 mins I took a look round upstairs and now I need to get into the garden to get a few things moved around and a couple of plants into the ground before I make a rhubarb crumble.

Physical:
1 - jeans I never wear (charity bag)
1 - scrapbook DS doesn’t want (charity bag)

New total 1,303
Use it up total 120
Net physical things in/(out) +32
Mini kitchen challenge 26/50