2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

weenancyinAmerica

@Mrs.SD - sorry to hear the news about your ex-BIL. Sending hugs to the family.

We get rid of so much here it would be hard to list everything. Well over 200 items out this week alone just from one room. That's why I gave up counting. Social workers came out to visit one roommate today. He goes on drinking binges and doesn't eat. I make him food and he still doesn't eat it. Still trying to get him into rehab. 

Other roommates all giving me problems - not sure how to handle any of them. Feel like I would like to be a turtle and crawl into my shell. Actually have a drawing of one on my wall.

Tomorrow I will be 78. I feel like it too. I think I am getting the little old lady routine down pat when I am out - people keep asking if they can help. 

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 was a bright day although the sun struggled to appear. Forecast high 23°C, low 15°C & humidity currently 54% I was up before noon today as DH & DSis were supposed to be going to Battlesbridge Antiques Centre & I was getting a lift to a DLR to head into Lewisham (finally dropping off CS bags 😉) However, trip cancelled due to DSis suffering from backache & struggling to walk very far 😔 So I changed my plan - 13:08 caught bus to pharmacy & picked up meds then bus to P.O. & posted bank cards to DB (recorded delivery), bought a supply of Europe stamps & withdrew some cash. Bus home & indoors by 13:50. DH filled the bird feeders & fed the worms before he & DSis went to sm for the weekly shop & I am now waiting for a delivery for DH + will take the opportunity to descale the kettle. A couple of things I forgot to mention yesterday - I repaired a belt loop on DH’s jeans - photo attached showing abysmal repair from a few months ago & the better repair this time around 🙂 

Also reinforced a previous repair on another belt loop. DH went for a longish walk before dinner & popped into A**a to post my letters & do a bit of healthy snack shopping for himself.

Back to Thursday: Updated my accounts & added September’s 1p Challenge amount to my Terramundi Pot. Kettle has been descaled & thoroughly rinsed & has a new filter. DH & DSis got back 15:45 (delay due to filling up with petrol) - I have put most of the shopping away but not all as DH was making himself a stir fry & DSis was making hot drinks. I finished putting away the shopping whilst cooking dinner - chicken pieces fried in a little oil & butter with boiled potatoes & mixed vegetables. Wudupa

1446 - 1449 Kitchen recycling, magazine, newspaper, drinks cans - recycled 

1450 - 1451 Kitchen detritus, broken peg - binned

TC77, DH tried BHF & several other charities but no joy. As to Freegle & freecycle DH is not a fan 😕 Good luck with the clothing sort out 🍀 perhaps for every 3 items you declutter you could buy one item that you want/need to make an outfit work 🤔 

vulpix, This “Yes TC I do think it would be helpful to put all your clothes together. Worth taking a days holiday to do it if you can. I would also try everything on and if it doesn't fit properly or it does nothing for you ,get rid of it. I have got a lot of clothes and do this probably every season. I always find things I had completely forgotten about.” is a great idea & not just for TC 👏 Also love your observations for Liverpool_Anne 😊 Good luck recovering the dining chairs 🍀

suzeesu2000, excellent work decluttering the sideboard 👏 a medal 🏅 is on its way. Your mention of badgers reminds me that my DB (in Germany) phoned DSis today & he saw a couple of kits when he was walking his dogs 🙂 Fingers crossed that your DH puts up an outside washing line in the not too distant future 🤞

I have fallen behind with the cheerleading & have no excuse as I stayed up all night to wake DH at 06:00. He left at 06:30 as heading off to South Wales on an RBR trip. He will be back tomorrow evening. 

Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️ 🏅 

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1451/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00

TC77

@weenancyinAmerica Very Happy Birthday for tomorrow - or it may be today now! I do hope you accept help (when helpful) and I am in awe with how much you do for others, and so sorry that housemates causing such hard work    I do hope , I think it's your sister who was helping abit.

Trying to find time to go to upholsterer about covering some pieces of a headboard - trying to think what might work, and also my dad's sofa and possibly a couple of lloyd loom blanket boxes - I covered badly and as I need a van to take the sofa thought I could ask about other items as he was (and hopefully still is) reasonable and very good.

DD1 waiting to hear if she has any more 'hours' to give the NHS before being able to apply for her nursing registration - unfortunately no jobs now for newly qualified nurses:(  She's going to cat sit for a day or two next week so I can go to my dad's and I'll leave a selection of items for her to choose to take or let me know she may want at some point and I can then release.

I quite like the idea of 'releasing' items.

Setting myself another 50 items target as I try and clear up as DD1 worries about me in my chaos. Have another frog to sort this weekend too. 

Hoping everyone takes time to be kind to themselves and as always remember the 24/7 TLC carriage. 

Moorviews

Back from holiday and trying to catch up on here. I have prioritised it over doing the washing! Everyone is doing amazingly and I would like to thank the Declutterati for being so inspirational 😊🙏

Mrs SD - I am sad to hear that your ex bil didn’t recover and send my condolences 💐xx
@Liverpool_Anne - enjoy your time with your niece! You have earned a good break!
@YBR - hope all goes smoothly in these last few days 🤞
@charlies_tribe - fabulous reshuffling of rooms and all made possible by your decluttering work!
@weenancyinAmerica - Wishing you a very Happy Birthday 🥳 🎂 and sincerely hope that someone makes you feel special and puts some effort in for you xx

Looking like a decent drying day so I had better get onto the washing pile!

Wednesday2000

Sorry about the sad news MrsSD.

Happy Birthday Weenancy.

We are decluttering our old bathroom radiator today with a new one.

QueenJess

Sorry to hear the news @Mrs_Salad_Dodger

I stopped being able to see things to get rid of in the house, so I opened up the loft and had a quick scout through it.  Lots more now gone!  I'm sure there's more in the house to go, but not quite seeing where they are right now as most the stuff I am seeing are things that are waiting to be used up.  I'm sure they'll show themselves soon.

Digital:
10 - photos deleted

Physical:
1 - sellotape that won’t peel off (binned)
1 - storage bag I don’t need (charity bag)
8 - saved clothes from DS that Dd won’t wear (charity bag)
1 - banana tree we don’t use (charity bag)
1 - reusable freezer bag I don’t need (charity bag)
2 - DD puzzles (charity bag)
2 - storage boxes I don’t need (charity bag)
3 - stationery used up
13 - random stuff binned
4 - cardboard boxes too small to be useful (recycled)
1 - box reused
1 - bathroom supplies used up

New total 3,896
Use it up total 333
Big kitchen declutter challenge 107/150

suzeesu2000

Mrs_Salad_Dodger Thank you for medal.

Nothing decluttered today but did wash the white bathroom towels & mats. Did a few kitchen jobs and ironed a shirt for DH as he has gone out to play.

Will be, intermittently, working on family tree again and decluttering notes to online tree and proper sheets. Finished one line on DH side now right back to 0890. Think I have to learn Latin as it was so hard to work through the records, especially as from 1095 back to 0890 they are all French! Been really good fun though. Started in 1996. 

have a fab Friday everyone and an even fabbier weekend! xx

London_1

I have had an excellent declutter today as I decided I would try to find a nice top that seems to have vanished somewhere.I went through all of the drawers in my bedroom and its a lot I have a long chest of drawer with 8 large drawers plus a tall one with 7 in plus tow large ones in the bottom of my double wardrobe 
I decided as I was looking for something I would tidy and declutter as I went along so spent the whole morning doing it.

I now have a carrier bag full of knitting patterns and knitting books to go to the local library for their knitting groups or to put on their free table for anyone who wants them.

Plus my drawers have been decluttered of two thin hats that I used when I had no hair the winter when I had chemo, they are going to the CS plus some photo frames and some pictures that I no longer need. I discarded some old out of date paper work. I think letters from 2004 can be discarded now  

I decluttered about 6 pairs of socks and four pairs of slippers, the slippers can go to the CS as for some reason  I get at least 1 or 2 pairs given to me every year and have had for the past 15 years or so Once you get to a 
 'certain age' everyone thinks you live in slippers  

I also found a pattern for a friend who wants to knit the unicorn blanket that I made three of, for my great granddaughters

She's more than welcome to it I'm certainly not knitting any more of those they take about 6 weeks to knit as every 166 stitch row is different
I finished the last one in November  2023 while I was in hospital and the nurses kept saying you can't go home until its done as they knew it was going out to the USA to New York where she lives with my grandson and his wife  

But my elusive top is still missing I am hoping my DD has perhaps got it in her bedroom somewhere.

but a very productive morning all told .I'm off to Ryde shortly to buy some white thread and some tape to edge a large bath towel thats frayed a bit at the edges ( a bit like me )

Happy decluttering chums 

JackieO xx
PS Happy birthday WeeNancy

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Happy Birthday weenancy 🥳 🎂

MadamMim2013

Happy Birthday @weenancyinAmerica 🥳🎁🎈🍰 Wishing you a lovely day.. Please do something for you!! 💗