2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

GrannyKate

Just catching up.  Some frogs done before I get dressed.  I have been working outside painting new fences and some planters.  They were very expensive when we bought them and I was tempted to get rid of them but it seemed a waste and they have come up really well.  Will post picture when they are in new place and filled up.  I have moved lots of soil - last bit to do today then I need to wait for someone to help lift the planters.  I need to buy a wheelbarrow and a water butt for newly done area so may do that today.  I have a trip out this afternoon.  Talking of sugar craft I'm posting a picture of some of my mother's work which I have in cupboard.  Probably the last one she made c 30 years ago.  Green has faded but flowers are beautiful. 

649 Tip run with various tat and recycling
650  Plastic to SM
651 Large root finally dug up from front garden and in recycling
652 Untidy and not particularly attractive climber removed from fence
653 Scratched pyrex jug binned replaced with shiny new one
654 Bedroom 2 finally emptied - screws, plaster, general tat binned
655 Broken goggles binned
656 Eight fence panels painted - I have about six different types of border fence with 5 neighbouring properties so think it will help if all the same colour
657 Three wooden planters (very heavy) cleaned and painted to match fence
658 banking done
659-661 Three frogs done this morning
662 Honeysuckle planted in cleared corner
663 Area cleared out of soil, weeds, wood etc
664 Collection of metal put together from garden (old posts etc) - DS2 can take to recycling
665 Kitchen blinds ordered

I need to do some house cleaning etc but will leave until the end of the week.  Sox is not happy that some of his 'servants' are away and is cosying up to new neighbours and their visiting family.  I cannot see myself reaching anywhere near my target this year but I'll keep going.  I need to go in loft to find pictures for my bedroom and the kitchen but think I will wait until someone else is around.  

daisy_1571

I didn't know sugar-coated items would keep for so long.  Lovely pics Liverpool_Anne and Grannykate 

Dxx

vulpix

Cranky, Southport is showing a little bit of decline since we last went 7 years ago. A few empty shops on Lord street which is a shame. It is still a lovely day out though.

 So, I filled 2 banana boxes. I emptied what I call the brown drawers which hold little bits of gubbins, plasters, batteries stuff like that. A good handful of bits of paper and stuff ousted. The other box was games, things I keep to entertain visiting children.

The brown drawers are also home to the office, a plastic box with A4 folders. It feels extremely heavy so that can be a job for another day to thin that out.

Mr V is in the studio now, breaking down the equipment and packing. So far there is a box of electricals for the tip and 2 bedside drawers to list on thrift ( used for storage) and a large pile of paper that doesn't fit our printer. The paper will keep someones kids in drawing paper all of the summer holidays.

I spent a lot of last night chopping veg to batch cook some lentil loaves. So cooking them is on the cards for today. Also more washing. There's always washing.

 The intention is to get up to my Mother's house this afternoon and give the furniture another coat of paint.

Thank you everyone for posting, it really does spur me on and make me think about what I need to keep.

 Vx

suzeesu2000

Had a wonderful start to my week.

Finally managed to sort/declutter under the bed. I have an ottoman bed and its brilliant for hiding all manner of detritus. Found 2 boxes of home made cards with envelopes and a stack of white envelopes still in packets. They came down to go in the sideboard so I can easily access and use them. 

Now just have 2 big black sacks and a box to bring down for the bins and the bedroom floor will be totally clear of stuff. One of the boxes I emptied today will be reused as I have stuff to send to mum.

Only real job left in there is to go through a stack of plastic lidded storage boxes to see if I can reduce contents of them. Would like for at least one to be emptied. Emptying 2 would be ideal as I could utilise one for my shoes thus removing them from the wardrobe. 

Very happy with todays achievement. 

On a seperate note, since starting this clearance of the bedroom, I find I am getting much more restful sleep. Tidy room = tidy mind!!

Hope everyone elses day is going equally as well. xx

Willowtree222

I am still going slowly. 

One bag of books removed from the house. 
X

suzeesu2000

I’m on a roll. Managed to completely empty two lidded plastic storage boxes. Found fabric I didn’t know I had plus a cushion. Everything that’s to go is definitely leaving the house tomorrow morning. 

After a couple of days rest, the dreaded landing and airing cupboard are next. Am determined to be ruthless. Have a great evening all xx

vulpix

You are on fire Suzeesu.

 Orange rock cakes do sound rather lovely.

 granny Kate that is very intricate work by your Mum, she had a talent there.I am enjoying hearing about your new house and garden and of course Sox.

 A big bag of soft plastics taken to the supermarket for recycling.

 My lentil loaves turned out lovely. Sometimes my cooking experiments are only enjoyed by the birds! I am using up store cupboard ingredients which is all less to transport.

 Mr V has finished getting the millions of staples out of the dining chairs. I have given the bedside drawers and the bed head another coat of green paint. I will give them one more, third coat. Next will be to paint some drawers green and cover the dining chair seats. I gave the sewing machine table another coat of linseed oil today. That is now finished. Still to do, sand and paint a dressing table top, it was rather more rustic than I thought and sand and wax another pine chest of drawers. That will conclude the revamp of free and very cheap furniture for the new house, for the time being.

1st of August I am starting operation bread belly,or trying to get rid of my bread belly. Bread is my favourite food but I do want to feel comfortable on holiday in November. I have maintained my weight since my last weight loss. Another stone off would be good. I have been doing sit ups for the past couple of months every day, it has shaped my waist but not the bread belly!

 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

Monday: woken by the sound of shouting from the unpleasant neighbour who swears at everyone - ashamed to say that it was gone 13:00 so I suppose I should be thanking her 😉 Quite a dull day but warm with a high of 24°C, low of 15°C & 46% humidity.

DSis got a call from her son this morning, his dad had a stroke last night whilst holidaying in France - only 65 years old. Apparently he is being moved to a larger hospital a couple of hours travel from my nephew’s place. I dealt with my mail which generated 0.5” paper recycling & also went through a bit more paperwork.

The weather has brightened up considerably & the sun is out so DH should have a pleasant walk. Dinner is a choice of lo cheesy pasta or spaghetti bolognaise. DSis had cheese & crackers whilst DH had cheesy pasta & I had the bolognaise. Wudupa

1384 - 1388 Kitchen recycling, booklet, 0.5” paper recycling, drinks cans, large plastic bottle - recycled 

1389 - 1392 Kitchen detritus, polystyrene packaging, pair of DH’s jeans (not even suitable for rag bag), shredder bin emptied - binned

Dizzycap, you might have had to push yourself but you still got a lot done 👏 Hope Monday is a good weather day so you can get babyface’s bedding & toys washed & dried🤞 Very pleased to hear that babyface is almost back to her old self 🥹 although I don’t think you will be her favourite person when you start reducing her food intake 😂

TC77, excellent work reviving the laptop bag & bringing it back into use 👏 Love This “Into repairing/ making use of things or they can't stay.” what a great approach to decluttering 🥳

weenancy, what a lovely idea 😊

TC77, they were delicious 😋 - only 5 left out of 26 - although 10 were gifted & the other 11 were shared out between 5 people 😉 

Excellent work with both dealing with frogs, decluttering & getting so much painting done GrannyKate 👏 Cats can be sooooo fickle 😂 Hope you had a lovely time this afternoon 😊 Very pleased to hear that you are NOT going in the loft until someone else is present 😮‍💨 Your mum’s sugarwork is amazing 🤩 

Excellent decluttering vulpix by both you & MrV 👏 Hopefully you managed to get to your Mum’s house to continue painting the furniture 🍀

Excellent work in the bedroom suzeesu2000 👏 & so pleased to hear that it is having such a beneficial effect 🥹 Definitely merits a medal 🏅 which is on its way. Good luck decluttering the contents of the plastic lidded storage boxes 🍀

Great decluttering Willowtree222 👏 Nothing wrong with going slowly - remember slow & steady wins the race according to Aesop 😊

Brilliant work suzeesu2000 👏 You are definitely on a roll 🥳

vulpix, excellent work painting & upcycling the furniture ready for your move to your new house 👏 Good luck with Operation Bread Belly 🍀 Can I ask what type of exercise you are contemplating 🙏 as I also have the same issue ☹️ 

Before I sign off for the night I thought I would give a shout out to those of our Declutterati family who haven’t posted in a while. A few names that come to mind are  dND, Siebrie, retiredinfrance, basketcase. Hopefully it is just that RL has been busy rather than anything more sinister 🤞 It would be lovely if you could pop in just to let us all know that you are OK 🙏

On that note I will wish you all a good night 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1392/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £299.00

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, sorry not posted again for a couple of days and I am awake at silly o'clock so thought I'd do it now 😁. Sunday was quite productive even though we were out for lunch 😁. We were home in time to watch the lionesses win 😁. 4 LDFPA luckily it didn't rain and I got it all in at half time and folded and put away after the excitment at the end 😁. The kitchen recycling and bathroom bin were emptied and a large cardboard box was recycled before OH could have a chance to decide whether to keep it or not 😂.  Yesterday I got a car full of wood to the tip, counting as 2 as I could barely see out of the windows 😂. A couple of big pieces will have to wait until OH can come with me as they were too heavy for me to lift into the car and I would never have been able to get them into the skips at the tip. OH had gone out to take dgnephew swimming and had also taken some batch cooked food from the freezer so a bit of space made there 😁. When I got home I was quite knackered so only managed to give the kitchen floor a wipe over but the rag was binned 😁 and then checked my emails, 200 deleted and a couple needed replies so they were dealt with. Also booked a hotel for an overnight stay when I am going to the football at Wembley. My dniece will be travelling south on the same day so I should be able to give her a lift 😁.
@Mrs SD you asked if OH batch cooks for us, sometimes but not often to be honest. OH makes a very nice veg lasagne which does get batch cooked but it is often in too large a container which means I have to eat it for 3 days as OH won't eat the same thing 2 days running. The other thing that get made is lemon possit, put in little pots in the freezer but often given away as well as for us 😁. Part of the issue is that OH doesn't really like vegetables so often resorts to something like chops and chips and then does something with a jacket potato for me 😁. I never cook meat so OH often just has to put up with what I cook 😁.

I am slowly catching up with everones posts but not there yet so sorry if some replies are a bit slow but I will get there. Meanwhile hugs to anybody who would like one

1025 - 1028 LDFPA
1029 kitchen recycling
1030 bathroom bin
1031 & 1032 wood to the tip
1033 rag binned
1034 & 1035 emails permanently deleted
1036 hotel booked
Take care everyone
1036/2025

YBR

Finding it hard to think what I've actually achieved in the last couple of days ...

Finished a UFO for DD1 so that I could pack most of the blankets, and stitched a couple of name tapes, but more to do.

DD2's bookshelves are cleared, but not yet unscrewed them from the wall. 

DD1 still hasn't cleaned and tidied her room, but some books are packed. so the volume is reduced. 5 days of telling so far ... Teenager!

DH and I have done some recording for his online church service this Sunday (last one), he now needs to edit it all together.

I listed the frogs I need to do today and got permission to fill my neighbour's bin while they're away.