2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

MadamMim2013

Afternoon..
Thanks for the kind wishes & hugs 🤗  & for my much appreciated 🥇..☺️

My clean space in the garage has not lasted.. My wonderful DS1 has filled it with 4.. yes 4 different golf bags, trolleys and accompanying accessories that go with it 🫨 Oh and some other different machinery! 😬 

Thankfully, it’s all going to be sorted over the weekend and most gifted to charity.. 😮‍💨

My wonderful OH this going to clear out some more bits with me and do a tip run (weather depending!) 🥳
I want to get it properly cleared and organised before Autumn arrives!

Have only decluttered time with a friend so far today, it was long overdue and I feel so much better for it ☺️
Gave a box on the landing that needs filling with things for Vinted.. that’s my next “to do”

☺️

QueenJess

Now I'm working full time, I'm trying to scale down how much I do each day.  Currently I'm trying to find 1 thing to declutter and 10 things to tidy away each day in the hope things continue to improve.  To be fair, my house isn't very untidy, it just has bits and pieces on most of the surfaces that need to be dealt with, so I am hoping these will decline.  I think most of the decluttering needs to happen in the kitchen, but I'm not obviously seeing what needs to go at the moment.  Decluttering was generally identified from tidying up what was lying around.

1 - trousers that are really uncomfortable when I wore them to work (charity bag)
1 - broken tag I never use (binned)
1 - paper reused then recycled
1 - plant pot not needed (charity bag)
1 - packaging reused

New total 3,984
Use it up total 340
Big kitchen declutter challenge 113/150

Nothing in the kitchen used up this week (although I am close on a few items), but I do have a chocolate marble cake and sultana flapjacks for the tlc carriage.

Bananabreadyum

Brie, I think you did very well. I would find it very hard not to be extremely tempted by the nice artwork and supplies. I think considering, you are very restrained 😁

Took a car boot full to the charity shop today. Had a large suitcase from my mums and a lot of bits and pieces from all around the house!
Also picked up a prescription and got a birthday parcel posted. 

Came home and faffed about, 😄did a bit if work, writing a coulple of reports. Then took passport photos and reapplied for new ones. Fingers crossed they accept the pics and come back soon. Lots of little odd jobs ticked off! 

Now to relax this evening 😍

Floss

@Brie I can quite understand why you fell for Thomas!

StickyTheStickInsect

@vulpix thank you, we are taking a day at a time, it's been a bit harder since I moved as instead of being a couple of minutes walk, I'm now a 20 minute drive but I'll find a new balance!
@Brie the painting of Thomas is beautiful, I'm easily convinced to buy anything cat related!

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: I was up slightly earlier today 😉 Another bright sunny day with a high of 28°C, low 18°C & humidity 56%. I wrote a medium sized shopping list as DH & DSis will go shopping on their way back from Battlesbridge Antiques Centre. They left at 13:05. As today’s mail was all for me I have dealt with that very quickly as it was just filing & am now in the process of sorting my accounts including phoning my bank to arrange a transfer to M - my first cousin once removed (wedding gift) & ordering a cheque book. Quickly phoned my cousin R to advise monies sent. R had a visitor so will call me back later. Accounts finished & do tally 😮‍💨 DH & DSis got back about 18:00 - unusually DSis didn’t buy anything in Battlesbridge. Salad for dinner. Wudupa. R obviously got busy so didn’t call back.

1490 - 1494 Kitchen recycling, glass bottle, plastic pot, drinks cans, cardboard packaging - recycled 

1495 - 1496 Kitchen detritus, DH Sunday sock - binned

Lovely to see you StickyTheStickInsect 👋 You haven’t missed the potential London meet up. So very sorry to hear such shocking news about your mum 😢        I do remember that you were trying to move earlier in the year to a specific school catchment area, so am very pleased to hear that you have been  successful 😊 Some excellent decluttering despite being so busy moving & helping your mum move 👏 So here goes with your awards 😊

The 7 bags in May took you to 52.5 bags so a Gold Star ⭐️ 

The 100 bags in June took you to 152.5 so 3 Gold Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (i.e. 78, 104, 130)

The 48 bags in July took you to 200.5 so 2 Gold Stars ⭐️⭐️ (i.e. 156, 182)

This means that now you have 7 Gold Stars in total 🥳  I will make your next award at 208 bags & have noted your new target of 312 - so potentially another 4 gold stars 🤩  Also very well done on the car boot sales 👏 As to This “…….. 155 bags, which is an eye watering number and made more concerning by the lack of dent it has made in the amount of stuff we still have in the container!” I think that you are probably being a bit harsh 🤔 Good luck with your continued decluttering of the storage unit 🍀

Liverpool_Anne, well done on starting the ‘union’ thing 👏 hopefully it can be completed quickly 🤞Lovely post & some good decluttering 👏 The issue with your OH’s car has turned into a nightmare 😠 I think that your OH is keeping remarkably calm by concentrating on gathering information & investigating no win, no fee solicitors 🙏 Sounds like you have a lovely weekend planned ☺️ 

Floss, pertinent information as usual 😊

Lovely post vulpix 😊 Good luck with the wardrobe decluttering 🍀 Great work with the sit ups - nearly two months isn’t it 👏 

florianatwobob, love it 😊 

Will try harder to catch up with cheerleading tomorrow aka later today 😉 Sleep tight everyone 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️ 🏅 

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1496/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00

TC77

Just popping in and see far more than a flurry of dexluttering.well done folks.
@Happy_Kitties so yiu have a local British heart foundation or similar charity which will collect?
@StickyTheStickInsect sorry to hear about your mum.
My diy friend came to help at short notice so have most of my pictures up, door stops, holes in plant pots which for some reason I couldn't drill, a tricky downlighter mended and a couple of other things as he set aside half a day for me.
Abit down yesterday as just feel the chaos won't change unless instead of finding things to declutter I start saying I can have x plates or y duvets etc. It's get very cold so I have a 15 tog duvet,  also 10.5 , 7.5 and 3.5 . The 10.5 is usually for guests and have found I've used the 7.5 and 3.5 this year. .I've never had luck with vacuum bags but maybe the way to go for these. 
Have to catch up with work at weekend as laptop issue and rebuild at work took most of one day, poor WiFi at my dad's and then time sorting our new visitor permit system and popping out to get supply for DIY help. I'd tried and friend tried and still can't get to the battery in one smoke alarm so continues to beep! 
Old bulb and broken covered coat hanger, which got squished when moving things.
I have so many charging cable and can never find them so as I find them have allocated a large  drawer to corral them and then decide what to do. I see little being done until the end o August as have to tackle some frogs.

CRANKY40

Good morning folks, 

Yesterday I organised my yarn tubs (only two so not as bad as it sounds) and made my craft shelves tidy again. This is the room where I spend the most time awake so if it looks messy I get a bit antsy. There is a pile of things that needs to be put away in other rooms so that is a job for today.

My bedroom is beyond help just now. I did two washloads yesterday so there is a pile of clothes on my bed waiting to be sorted into an ironing pile or put away. There is a pair of denim shorts belonging to ds that needs to be mended, some throusers belonging to me that need to be tried on to see if they fit and then ironed if they do or put away again if they don't. The trousers that I wore earlier in the week are two sizes too big so I need to find something to wear instead of them. I'm a bit scared to get rid of the big ones in case I gain weight again. 

Also on the ottoman at the bottom of my bed is a crochet throw that I made for my bed but I don't need it yet. Everywhere else is full though so nowhere to put it. I think the suitcase on top of my wardrobe is empty so I will ask ds to get it down and the throw can go in there for now. I'm formulating a plan which will inviolve spending most of tomorrow in my bedroom. I want to move the furniture around but the bags of "things " in there need sorting out first. 

I've been keeping up with the "five a day" junk removal but not much else. I have been weeding the garden every day too for 20 minutes while the kitten has one of her many garden outings (lead and harness so safe). I've done some pruning too so I have a black bag full by the time I've finished. Total decluttering since I last checked in is another 20 mostly smallish "things". 

@TC77 I solve the duvet problem by having just the two. A king size 7.5 that is on my bed all year round and a single 13 tog that goes along the bottom of my bed like a throw. In this weather the single can be folded back at bed time but in winter I leave it where it is. If I wake up too hot it takes a few seconds to grab it and throw it to the other side of my bed. 

@Brie Thomas will look good framed and on your wall 😊

Matty246

Liverpool_Anne  Might OH have some legal cover with the car insurance that he's forgotten about? 

vulpix

 TC, I don't know that you have to be so strict with yourself with numbers of things, if you use something you still need it. I think putting like with like is a big help. Rome wasn't built in a day. You are consistent with your decluttering, remember how much has already gone.

 I was being hard on myself last night as the kitchen is a complete tip with half packed boxes and stuff lying about. I then realised that I had covered 5 chair seats ( and very smart they look too), done loads of knitting. chopped loads of veg and made a meal, washed up, emptied and re filled my wardrobe, done my sit ups, had phone call from Mum,had phone call from Estate Agent ,had 3 phone calls from the Solicitor,done a load of washing and pegged it out, Packed a big box with Mr V's extensive coat collection, etc, etc, etc.

Mrs SD, sit ups started on June 1st. I only know as I started on 5 a day. Increased to 10  for July,now on 15 a day. I will try to keep increasing by 5  a day every month. I don't have an end figure. Don't think I want to be like my son who does 100 press ups every night before bed though.

For the charity shop on Saturday
massive bedspread
3 jackets
1 dress
5 tops
2 coats
small rucsack

Today I will knock some order into the kitchen,go to Mum's house to take gas and electric readings, visit Mum, take keys to Estate Agent, squeeze some packed boxes into the studio,do some knitting, possibly wash the sofa covers and Mr V wants to go out. He hates staying home. I forgot to say he is having some time off from one of his very time consuming jobs so he will be here more and wanting to go out more! Honestly it's on par with deciding what to make for dinner every night, where do we go out to? 

Laters Vx