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

Thursday continued: Decided that, whilst it was still fresh in my mind, I would tackle my supply of glass jars & I was quite brutal 😅 As I had created space, I moved 4 boxes/tins from the kitchen cupboards - which contained jar labels & string; cake decorations; icing syringes & nozzles; concertina type plastic icing tools. Put away the shopping when DH got home. Dinner was pork steaks, salad potatoes & peas. Wudupa

1302 - 1317 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans, 2 newspapers, 10 glass jars, glass bottle, plastic jar - recycled 

1318 Kitchen detritus - binned

It is 03:00 with a temperature of 19°C & humidity of 86% - no wonder I am sweating 🥵 

BridgetTheCat, that all sounds quite scary not being able to use the pavement 😟 Hopefully the footpath will be open the next time 🤞

QueenJess, I love the way you mix & match methods of decluttering, tidying & cleaning 😊 More excellent decluttering 👏 I am also exceedingly impressed at your solution to the contents of the containers drawer - very elegant 🥹 Hopefully your time spent pondering how to rearrange the contents of the kitchen cupboards will bear fruit & you will come up with a similarly elegant solution 🤞You might have noticed that you inspired me to declutter my collection of glass jars 😉

London_1,fingers crossed that you get quick sales re the toaster & food mixer 🤞

Excellent decluttering Brie 👏 Re the raclette cheese, perhaps bin the one dated 2022 🤔 

weenancy, what an impressive feat by your brother 🤩 

Excellent decluttering Soontobeoap 👏

vulpix, yippee to not needing any dental treatment 🥳 & double yippee to an uneventful blood giving 🥳🥳 Hope you have a lovely time at Haddon Hall with your DD1 & MrV 🥹

All caught up so off to bed. Still no rain & humidity is 85% 🥵 Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1318/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £299.00

QueenJess

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger I'm glad you were inspired   I have not used anything from the box yet, so we shall see.  I did switch two cupboards over in the kitchen yesterday evening, which includes a slightly bigger cupboard for the baking stuff.  It's probably 50% sorted, but I'm now considering the best way to store the things I've put in there.  I also went through a few things in DS's room and tried to get him to start thinking about rearranging his displays of things to limit quite how much is out.  He wasn't very receptive though, so I will try again later and possibly give him hard and fast rules as he seems to do much better with those.  We have the top of the bookcase and three shelves above his desk to deal with.  Then it's just going through some drawers and clearing up the general mess left on the floor.

This morning I did 10 mins of tidying upstairs and then 10 mins of cleaning in the bathroom.  I cleaned out the toothbrush holder, the soap dish and then did a proper clean around the edges of the floor where the mop can never get to (and round the paintwork of the door).  No idea what the kids do to make it quite so dirty.  Definitely more to do, but want to limit these jobs to 10 min stints.

Some more bits gone - definitely more storage containers will be leaving the house at some point from the kitchen and there is still some food that needs using up and won't come back.  There is a longer task of using up spices/herbs I don't often use, but I'm not thinking about that yet.  I might target using a different item each week, but not fully decided yet.

17 - DS tat recycled
10 - DS tat (charity bag)
1 - packaging reused
1 - bathroom supplies used up
1 - recipe book I don’t use (charity bag)

New total 3,265
Use it up total 273
Mini kitchen challenge 46/50
Big kitchen declutter challenge 67/150

In a week I've got rid of 608 things!

You'll be pleased to hear I have given myself some time off today and am going out for a long lunch with DH.  I went back to gym this week after my op and absolutely everything hurts today.  Sitting up in bed is a definite challenge right now!

Edit: Forgot I finished the seed cake in the freezer that no one else liked yesterday, so that's another long term freezer item used up.

TC77

Overwhelming mega frogs with one not urgent now  needing action.  Going into office to focus on work. Have a day bed to.pass on and decided a good to clear??? Boxes of stuff on and under and found bits missing from the underneath bed... should be somewhere but no idea where. Maybe see if someone will take as is or I'll put boxes back..... abit of work creation to avoid.other things..
Have sent off to different government depts to move on one frog so not going to hold.my breath

Dizzycap

Good evening all - Nice to have a litle time to pop in this evening! Some wonderful sorting and decluttering going on folks - Awesome work  I really hope everyone has coped as well as they can with the ongoing heatwave! 

@ Mrs_Salad_Dodger - Phoning the DWP for anything,  is always a nightmare  However, not quiet as bad as trying to get through to the DVLA!  Unfortunately, I've had to phone them 4 times in the last 3 months with each call takong over 2 hours So far it's taken the DVLA nearly 5 months to decided whether I'm going to get a yearly medical driving license or not, and they still haven't decided due to recent law changes! Have you ever in all your born days?!  Enough of that disaster! 

It's been very hot here with very little break from the heat but I have kept decluttering the House Hold basics, decluttered several bits in the garden piles of washing, recycling plastics, decluttering a whole load of birthday gifts off early, decluttering time looking after babyface who is now well on the mend, and now I'm decluttering some country cream paint on the office walls a little each day when I sudden get inspired to have a paint of something!  Never a dull moment here. I haven't had any decluttering sales for the past 4 days, but that's to be expected with the school holidays, so I hope to spend some time tomorrow getting a whole load of decluttering items in draft form ready to list at some point  I still have a load of Mr Sains flatpack boxes, so I've not had to stock up on those in the hot weather 

Babyface is doing very well since she pulled main left back leg back muscle and has been a total she devil today!  I had some left over plywood, carpet grip & rubber so decided to make her a couple of new internal house ramps which she's decided she loves whizzing down; typical  but hates going up for the moment!  A lovely neighbour popped over this afternoon to see where babyface was because she's not seen or heard her since last week and was getting concerned, bless her. She was relieved to see her come half running down the hallway and Missy certainly made up for her silence this evening in the back garden telling the whole world about life! Anyway, I gave her a very gentle bath tonight; which she loved along with her finally having a meal and then I had to knock her out as she's been on the go for most of the day and still needs a little more rest but it's lovely seeing her back to her usual inquisitive self  I have taken her out every day in her doggie stroller which she's loved and sits in it like the Queen of Sheba!  Naturally  :DTime for another peaceful mug of coffee before I take piggy snoring babyface off to bed - Take care all - Ta-ta for now xxxx

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: DH was up & dressed by 08:30 & on the road by 09:00 I slept in until 11:45. Gathered together all my washing only to discover that DSis had decided to do her washing. It is a bright sunny day with a high of 29°C, low of 19°C & 48% humidity. No sign of the recycling chaps 🙁 fingers crossed they turn up tomorrow as my recycling wheelie bin is almost completely full 🤞DH phoned from his hotel room just gone 18:15 - he had had a good day with about30 seconds of rain. I did nothing all day 😞 apart from cooking chicken & chips for DSis whilst I had a salad. Wudupa

Just gone midnight & still 21°C with humidity of 68% Now 04:00 & blessed relief it is raining 🥳

1319 - 1320 Kitchen recycling, glass bottle - recycled 

1321 Kitchen detritus - binned

QueenJess, good luck with the rest of your kitchen cupboards sort out 🍀 Fingers crossed that you can persuade DS to thin out the ‘on show’ items 🤞Great decluttering & great work with your 10 minute sessions of tidying & cleaning 👏 I was vey pleased to hear that you took some time off today 🥹 Hope you had a lovely lunch with your DH ☺️

TC77, sorry to hear about the overwhelming mega frogs 😞 Hopefully as you continue to plug away, you will start seeing results & mega frogs will gradually become tadpoles 🙏

Dizzycap, I will be trying to contact them again on Monday as DH discovered that there is no facility to print off the claim form 😡 Fingers crossed that the DVLA will finally grow a conscience & give you a decision 🤞Excellent work keeping up with the decluttering despite the heat 👏 Lovely to hear that babyface is on the mend & running you ragged again 😉😉 

Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1321/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £299.00

TC77

Mrs SD , thank you..for one frog where I had so many  copies of documents , then signed versions and mislaid and reprinted documents. I have sorted using plastic a4 wallets which are my go to aid and filed. Still have more to do on that one. 
Been advised to contact ex but not say too much which is always stressful and have to warn dd1 as she wants and has no contact but can trigger him contacting her.
New pillow for donation hub, washed sheet and decided for recyling, left my glasses on the train ( hoping they may be recovered).
Sadly one of  Dcousin passed this week unexpectedly although not in good health. Going to see Dcousin ( the one who helps me and I'm very close to) this pm to help her with her DB belongings.
My aunt died earlier this year the last of her generation on both sides and now the first of the next, does make me reflect on how I use my time.

Will need to declutter stuff on my phone as dd2 is sending so many photos, airplane food, her uni flat, the city ar night and now the zoo and animals she's not seen before (.Biology major so.v excitied).hadn't seen a red panda before . Luckily all.going well.but she hasn't started uni work yet! 

Hope to report progress over the weekend.
Hope one is too affected by the downpours.

Dizzycap

Good morning all   

@ Mrs_Salad_Dodger - That drives me nuts when printing links etc don't work and no-one has even bothered to check them before them going live. Such a frustrating waste of everyones time! 😡😡. 

Finally there is rain at 9am after 3 hours of threatening to with the lightest drizzle ever known!  It gave me enough time to dehead plants & give them a feed, so lovely garden decluttering already today  I thought I might be inspired to continue painting this morning but the thought makes me feel nauseous, so I'm going to stick to house hold cleaning & bin decluttering chores. Thankfully all the washing is totally up to date and I just need to put a couple of items away    Babyface is absolutely full of it  but sulking because it's raining and she wants to go out in her stroller. It does have a waterproof hood but as she will want to get out and have a slow sniff around, rain just isn't a Daxie thing thats tolerated! 

Time for another mug of coffee before I get on with some more decluttering & decluttering listing chores. Wishing everyone a super decluttering Saturday!  Ta-ta for now xxx

TC77

@Dizzycap I think indoor chores and cleaning is the order of the day.
Trying to do one thing at a time or in freze mode - found more bags that dd2 brought back from uni- how can she have so much? Then look round and see how much I have... and difficult to know where to start. Putting things away to start with and found too much linen so duvet  over for donation hub. I prob have 5 I should let go but have to do in bits and do need spare sets for guests  and dds. 

vulpix

 Hi, it is still very close here but raining on and off which is lovely.

 Yesterday was just a girls day out. It is hard to comprehend the age of Haddon Hall. The wear of almost a thousand years on some of the steps! Afterwards we went to the brewery tap and pizzeria. Me and my 1/4 pint of Jaipur.   Probably a much nicer time than RHS Wentworth Woodhouse, no crowds at all. We toyed with the idea of going to Chatsworth garden centre but we came home for coffee and a sit down. DD1 brought the green velvet curtains to recover the dining chair seats. I will put them on the list.

 Our house buyer has just been with an envelope of cash for the furniture we are leaving. Handy as we are just about to go and collect our jewellery repairs.

 Mr V is champing at the bit. Laters Vx

suzeesu2000

Finally sorted underwear drawers last night. Been threatening to do so since last Christmas! Out have gone the 6 absolutely useless vest type thingies which are no good to woman or beast, followed by some knickers with very little elasticity left in them. Also decluttered quite a number of tumble dryer sheets. Once used, I put them in with the clean laundry and they stay in the drawers to retain that nice scent. Cleared all down the hidden side of the bed and found a stack of wet wipes. Won't be buying any more for at least two years I would think. But declutter of bedroom now well on track. Have given myself until the end of July to complete and then shall move on to the airing cupboard which I have allowed to become a complete disaster area. 

Now that we have a beautiful side opening bath with integrated seat, I no longer need the small step and bath seat - just wondering who best to forward on to? Facebook freebies seems best place so hopefully they will go very soon.

Had a teeny drop of rain this morning when it was so much cooler but the sun is now out and its warming up again. This side of the Island doesn't get anywhere near the rain they do over on Jackies side @London_1

Hope every one is having a great start to their weekend xx