2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

Florenceem

Wet here first thing.
When it stopped raining I popped to the charity shop with 2 bags of yarn.
After our meal Mr F and I walked into town with a trolley load of stuff for the charity shop. I met the lady who sorts the craft stuff - we chatted as crafters do.
We had to post 2 Birthday cards today before we came home.
I have packed the shopping trolley again ready to take down tomorrow. I plan to take Mr F to SA early so I can run down with the decluttered craft stuff.
I have Dentist in the afternoon so will be decluttering money.

Pennypincin

Thank you everyone.
I've still not managed to do any declutter or tidy, but will keep trying.
I gave away plant pots and saucers, only to realise I needed a larger pot to re pot a plant I bought.
So 3 spider plants have come in, plus a pack of pots, saucers and a bag of compost.
I'm hopefully on a learning curve with decluttering and to stop and think about being less hasty with decluttering certain things.
Especially as I enjoy gardening occasionally, wish I could get into it more and do something with my garden so it's more than just a lawn and I've also somehow gotten into houseplants.
I've had a money plant for several years, I've accidentally killed of several couple of plants, but somehow have 5 houseplants dotted around.

vulpix

Would you just look at that! I was unable to post , or read messages and now I am all restored. I did write posts encouraging poorly people and commiserating Cranky about your cat. They just disappeared into the ether. So instead of trying to remember it all I will just press on. and start afresh.

 We bought a house. Gordon Benet, it's an online agency. We are finding it difficult to do everything online. There's a lot to be said for a local Estate Agent.

 The people buying our house came to visit and will be buying our bedroom furniture cheap as chips. Saves a huge head ache of dismantling it all to get it out of the house. Our new house has fitted wardrobes.

 The new house is a bit grim but has good bones and I can breathe life into her hopefully not needing to spend huge amounts of money. A bit of building work but I don't think there is a house anywhere that I wouldn't want to change in some way. It will be mostly elbow grease needed. I can graft, slowly but I can do it.

I haven't done much more packing as we have had a funeral and buyers visiting and, and and etc. I have found a knitting bag, some gift bags, some sun glasses and 3 items of clothes that I will be taking to the charity shop tomorrow. There is an electric watch winder, laptop cable and phone cable for the tip too.

 We are having a little trip out to Hebden Bridge tomorrow for a FB purchase. There will be plenty of them to come. I am buying some wallpaper with the proceeds from selling a gate and a sink. I will try to buy second hand for the new house where I can.

 Take care all Vx

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: very restless night - asleep by 00:10, then up 02:15, 04:00, 06:00, 07:30 & finally up & dressed at 08:30. We did most of our packing before going to breakfast at 09:00 DH had his usual full breakfast (but no haggis), juice & coffee whilst I had a bacon roll (but just had the bottom half of the roll & one rasher of bacon, donating the top half of the roll & a bacon rasher to DH), toast & marmalade, juice & coffee. Back to our room, finished the packing & were out of the room by 09:50. DH packed the bike whilst I paid for dinner & drinks. DH was chatting to someone so we ended up leaving 10:10. It was overcast & drizzling & that was the theme for the day with the wind picking up the further south we went. Travelled over the Queensferry Crossing - a wonderfully engineered & beautiful bridge across the Forth. (Last time we accidentally used the Forth Road Bridge 😬 We stopped for coffee at 14:10 - I went into the café in Biggar whilst DH rode off to take a picture of Boghall Castle (old landmark). He arrived at the café just as my order arrived - cappuccinos, toasted tea cakes & a fruit slice. There were occasional dry spells with some sunshine & there was one when we arrived at daisy’s at 16:30. We got changed then joined daisy & Mr daisy for coffee & a lovely chat. No fancy meal tonight - a bacon sandwich for DH & toast & marmalade for me 😉 We pottered for a while then spent a lovely evening with daisy & Mr daisy chatting & putting the world to rights 😊 Finally realising how much time had passed & letting them go to bed at 23:30 😉 Time to do a bit of cheerleading before I go to bed 😉

weenancy, yippee to getting the fan set up 🥳 hopefully this will mean a more pleasant & cooler living space this year 🙏 I think you have summed it up very succinctly “a dangerous idiot” Wishing you very good fortune selling (& hoping that you get NO time wasters 🤞) 🍀 A great way to declutter & earn some money 👏 Eek to New York’s weather - rain and heat - it must be unbearable 😥 

Liverpool_Anne great work getting the ironing done 👏 Hope you have a lovely time & that the weather is kind 😊

Happy_Kitties, wow you are certainly zooming ahead with neutral items 🤩 Excellent general decluttering also 👏 Hopefully it won’t be too much longer before you have your new kitchen 🤞

CRANKY40, excellent work by both you & DS in rearranging the living room & decluttering as you go along 👏 Good luck with the “ironing mountain”🍀 

Brie, This “I think summer is a great time for a change of eating habits - it's too hot to cook hefty meals, you are too hot so you drink loads of water and something like a nice light salad just makes sense for a change.  Well at least that's what I'm telling myself!!!” makes so much sense 😊 that I am tempted to take a leaf out of your ‘salad’……… sorrrrry 🙊 

QueenJess, if anyone can “use up 50 food cupboard items” you can 😊 especially as you are using it as an incentive to rearrange your kitchen cupboards 👏 Loved This “DH asked me to look out for some vaseline lip balm as he had finished the tin.  DS then chips in with saying that loads of the girls at school have all the different types, but they don't even use them. "What's the point of having them if they don't get used?".  That's my boy!” - definitely his mother’s son 🥹

Florenceem, pleased to hear that you had a relaxing Sunday afternoon & evening 😊 Although I see that you had a busy Monday & got a lot done 👏

YBR, a busy few days with some excellent decluttering & packing 👏 Loved This “I think for tomorrow I will target …….. and decluttering the Pantry as there are some dark corners that need investigating” 😉 hopefully there is nothing too dreadful lurking in the dark corners 🤞

charlies_tribe, very pleased to hear that you are enjoying watching “The Handmaid’s Tale” - sad to say it feels like similar things are happening now in America 😞 - just hope that no-one tells a certain person who is in charge about the series or he might get even crazier ideas ☹️ Sounds like you have had a busy & expensive few days 😉 Hopefully with so many birthdays coming at once it will mean that the rest of the year will be less expensive 🤞This “….. we’ve done lots of shopping for the holiday as noticed shops starting to get rid of the summer clothes” is a particular bugbear of mine….. why do shops insist on fast forwarding the season’s clothing by selling summer clothing in spring, autumn clothing in summer etc 😡 I don’t know about you but I can’t predict the weather so really don’t know what I will need 3 months ahead of time. Rant over 😉 Great decluttering especially the school uniform 👏

One page caught up but as I am nodding off I will post now & try again tomorrow. I am having a day off from landmark hunting - DH is heading off on his own & will be back in the afternoon. Sleep tight 😴 

P.S. Decluttered 2 small glass marmalade pots to daisy 😅 1050 - 1051

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’

DSis Awards: ⭐️ 

Decluttering Target 2025: 1051/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £228.00

weenancyinAmerica

I wish they only hurried up the seasons by one season at a time - Our local store had bikinis out the day after Christmas - and no sweaters until last week - just in time for summer. 

Got up and fed cats. Then went and bought gas for the car, then did some shopping - needed bus tickets for roommate, to pick up prescriptions (4 for one roommate, 9 for the other), and to do some grocery shopping before roommate J took car to his work.

My sister came over today to pick up a check I had for her. Took me out to lunch first, and then she drove us to the bank and I transferred the money into her account so it would go faster. Came home and she helped roommate DI work on her room. Sorted out two bags of laundry - for me to do for her. Sister took home a giant picture frame and two bags of books. Did some more shopping online - expecting 8 packages over the next three days. Easier this way as I don't need the car for a couple of days. Just have to find someone who wants some boxes. Tried to make phone calls today, but kept getting cut off with Roommate Di's doctor's office. Then they called and postponed my appointment again - the 5th time in three months. I may never get in. 

Our temperature has been wonderful the last few days. Starting to finally warm up. No rain however - I will need to water the front plants tomorrow. 

So far I am still a human. 

Moorviews

So many things that you do for others @weenancyinAmerica. Sending you a big hug xx
@vulpix - it is very exciting that you are buying a new house! I really look forward to reading about the work that you will do. 

@YBR - what is it with those collections of keys that we end up with? I know I have a bagful somewhere that I have hoarded. I will recycle them when I next come across them!
@Pennypincin - stick with us and you will get the hang of decluttering but don’t be hard on yourself. I always need to start small and with unimportant things that could be replaced if required. Like @QueenJess I am using things up. Buying things is fine if I need them but I try to declutter an equivalent amount when I get home. Pairing bringing in with sending out feels much easier now. 

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger and @daisy_1571 - I love the thought of you all having a good natter and putting the world to rights!
@BridgetTheCat - love the flowers! Lots of gorgeous sweet peas to cut and enjoy in the house. The perfect scent of summer!
Right, what have I been up to? Washed a set of curtains and nets and washed the window and frame. Lots of weeding. Cleaned out a fridge and sorted food for using up quickly. Removal of junk around the garden continues. Mostly I am doing lots of gardening whilst it is somewhat cooler. Sadly, two of my favourite blouses have gone into the CS bag as they now look too tight across my back. I am getting quite disciplined about this sort of thing these days. 

Thanks for all the inspiration everyone, reading about what you are all doing really helps 😊

QueenJess

@pennypincin The decluttering does get easier as you do it more. It helps if you have a clear idea of why you are decluttering and where you want to end up. For me, I was working full time with two small kids and I absolutely didn’t have time to deal with all the stuff. I felt overwhelmed all the time and just wanted to be able to live without dealing with stuff all the time. My limit for stuff is much lower than others as I hate tidying and I only put things away if it is really easy to do so (so empty ish drawers etc are needed). As a result I was aggressive with the decluttering and now am on stage 2, where I have only slightly too much in certain categories, but I am now trying to bring less in/maintenance declutter and use up what I have. I couldn’t have used up in stage 1 as the amount was too overwhelming.

My advice is to start somewhere not emotional to you… kitchen cupboards, bathroom or whatever works for you. Leave anything you find difficult to the end and you’ll have enough experience by then to be able to tackle it. Also have a plan for how you’ll get stuff out of your house so it doesn’t pile up in bags/boxes as another task for figuring out how it exits the house. 

Good luck - we are all rooting for you!

Florenceem

@pennypincin  - as QueenJess says - it does get easier to declutter.
Having said the above and after watching hoarders videos - you do have people who really struggle to get rid.
I know personally a hoarder M who is meant to be decluttering for a specific reason but is going through each item. I feel she is not in the right mind set for the huge task. M thinks there is value in items when really there is not or it may be such a small amount and not worth keeping things in the hope of selling.
I made a lot of money for SA on V - selling new and top brand items that had been donated. I haven't done much donation sorting at SA lately as I am not doing V at this time. 
Mr F is no longer able to venture out on his own so anything that comes into the house is down to me.

vulpix

Hi, so nice to be back.

 Mrs SD, I think Biggar is a lovely place,also the Forth bridges. I worked at a children's home in Edinburgh and we used to take the children for walks in the shadow of the bridges. Have a lovely time with Mr and Mrs Daisy.

I'm glad your sister is still coming to help Weenancy.

 I was given an Ikea bentwood chair,you know the type they are everywhere. It had a stain,I think tea on the seat which the lady had washed but couldn't get out. Soaked it in the bath overnight with washing powder and a little squirt of bleach and it's come up like new. I have also been given a lot of white ceramic door knobs. I want to change the handles on the fitted wardrobes. I know it's keeping and moving this stuff but It was an offer not to refuse. I am using my Mum's house to store the chair.
 My plan is a tried and tested plan to get rid of a lot of big belongings before we move and just have stuff that I am given or buy cheap at the new house whilst it is being renovated. Then I can get what's needed second hand for the finished house.
 We are going out today but I must actually start and sell some stuff. We don't have lots of funds for this renovation so I need to be sensible and not give everything away as in the past. I will donate anything that I think is worth less than a fiver,it's not worth the hassle for less than a fiver.
 The house we are buying, the lady isn't a hoarder but from talking to her I can tell she values everything, but strangely doesn't look after things. There is stuff everywhere on every surface and the floor. She will have a time of it to pack it all. 
 I have very little attachment to stuff, I think that comes from moving house so much and travelling when I was younger. You can't keep everything if you are carrying it yourself. I have always bought second hand and I think that helps to let things go when you haven't spent a lot of money on something.

 Vx

London_1

Yippee !  the Patio man is due to start at the end of the month, and we hopefully will have a 6 yard skip on the drive so a fair bit of decluttering will go into it and save us a trip to the tip.

My son-in-law will be at work, so DD and I will declutter a fair bit as he is a bit of a hoarder bless him
Once its gone he will forget about it. I think seeing it go is what he's not keen on as he is a "just in case' keeper  

I'm relaxing with a book today and maybe some knitting this afternoon as I kept waking up for no apparent reason last night, so its possible I may be reading the back of my eye lids at some point

DD is off to meet a friend after lunch so it will just be me and the two dogs this afternoon

I'm looking forward to next Monday when Wimbledon starts as I do enjoy watching the tennis plus I will be knitting at the same time (multi tasking )  

I'm hoping the we can sort the kitchen cupboards out this week as well as a lot of stuff is unused, so DD will put it on Marketplace and any cash raised will go into the decorating pot

Three tomatoes on the plants so far, and all the spuds are looking good, so will start digging them up shortly. Bit breezy today but not cold 


Have a good week chums half way through it already 


JackieO xx