2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

YBR

@QueenJess @vulpix @suzeesu2000 Thanks for sharing your decluttering stories, so helpful.

My father was always "keep that just in case it becomes useful" and as well as a workshop full of offcuts and worn out tools, still had copious records such as correspondence from the 1960s when he died 7 years ago.

My mother is the opposite and her immediate way of coping/not coping with dad's sudden death was to throw out or sell so much stuff. I rescued some of it, and some of that I subsequently let go of when I was ready. (Having said that she also reclutters into my home).

I can't say I understand it fully, but this and my attempts to get DH to agree to reduce clutter has highlighted to me how much we can have emotional attachments to stuff that has no use and no beauty. This is often the hardest work of decluttering - dealing with memories and fantasy life, as vulpix said. I also seem to have a vicious circle if it gets too bad: when home is too untidy and cluttered it makes me feel down and overwhelmed, which both drains my energy and means that I can't see where to start, so it doesn't improve. It's also difficult to see the progress made so there's little positive reinforcement. 

This "By this time I had joined this thread and one member said if it was worth less than £5 she wouldn't go to the trouble of trying to sell it. I took that and ran with it. My local charity shop has benefited from my donations ever since." 

There's a bit in the Bible about not "gleaning to the edge of your field" so that the poorest can gather something to feed themselves. I see the modern equivalent is not having to wring every penny out of the things I no longer need since I'm fortunate enough not to need to: instead of eBay, Vinted, Gumtree I use Freecycle, Trash Nothing, CSs ...

One trick we do is that we put a tag (just a small slip of paper) in every book, and when the book is read, the slip is removed so we can see which books have not been read. After a time (probably when we next move house to be honest) we can use that to decide which books we really use and want to keep. Might work with CDs, DVDs, and other things.

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger “……….but I spent time at my desk with things for the role I start on Monday, and with sewing nametapes on uniform.” & thought you were sewing name tapes on Your uniform"

I don't routinely name my clothes, but on occasion, such as branded fleece coats from my previous employer, because they were all identical. I do still name the DDs' clothes, particularly for school.

House and garden progress: A flat-pack has been built enabling stuff to be put away, so inevitably there is more card to be got rid of. DD1 has finally tidied her room , DD2's room got tidied for her ☹️. DH's office, now nicknamed his "oubliette"   is a lot better. Between the showers I have filled 4 more trugs with garden waste and discovered we have Persian Ivy to add to the list of uncontrolled shrubbery 😞!

Brie

Had a bit of a revelation this morning.....we got talking about the game monopoly at breakfast this morning (as you do....) and I mentioned that we have it in the carport with a lot of other stuff.  OH was completely surprised by this.  I mean it's not like he never goes in the carport - it's his standard route when he's been shopping and needs to put stuff in the garage fridge.  So he's been walking past this for 6.5 years without noticing.  

I don't know if this is just another example of male patterned blindness but I wonder if that means he hasn't noticed anything else that is there.  And if he hasn't then I could simply bin a lot of it.  This might include the selection of photos of his dad that were put together on a A1 clip frame for his memorial service.  It would also include a lot of his paperwork from his phd thesis including a huge piles of floppy discs and a defunct laptop that needed them to run.  These things are hard to shift both mentally and physically.  

Brie

Oh and on the wider decluttering front.....or maybe it's just clutter redistribution??

Anyways - art group on Thursday and one of the leaders brought in bags of art stuff - inks, Artist mags, watercolour sets - all retrieved from a arty friend's home following her death.  The group had a great time selecting bits and pieces  - I restricted myself to one magazine that has some good paintings in it that I will add to my "inspiration" file.

But we decided that we would have 1 meeting each month when we could bring in anything that was in excess to our needs - frames, pens, paper, paint, whatever - and that others could make a donation to the group if they took something away.  It's a good way to try a new medium at a minimal cost and will help us all look at our overbuying habits a bit more closely.  

suzeesu2000

Mrs_Salad_Dodger thank you for my gold star! a yay me. 

Cats protection coming in the morning to collect.
Put shoe rack together and fits in gap next to chest of drawers. Moved my shoes and found 2 pairs I didn’t know I had. One pair were still in the bag they came in. Now on eBay!
Made one sale on eBay this morning too.
Plan for tomorrow is to start the pantry shelves. I went through the glass jars this afternoon and 12 of them are going to be emptied tomorrow and the jars will be put in the recycling. It’s made a big space so I shall have fun reorganising tomorrow.
Have a good evening all xx

BlueJ94

Just a quick update - tackled the room of doom. Managed this so far in a total of 45 minutes as well as me uploading items to vinted.

Before 



After 



The one plastic tub of draws is now empty, I've just sold two items on vinted and I got half a black bag for the bin!

retiredinfrance

Hello declutterati chums.
@Mrs S-D, thanks so very much for the for my gold medal. I’m real pleased that I reached my 365/365 and started on the next lot. 

@suzeesu2000on their decluttering journeys and so much good advice.. My mantra for this challenge is Do not bring it into the house! 

@Muddy_Walker, on your win and your perseverance. I wonder how many just give up- not the way it should be.
At this time of year I feel for all of you with children to kit out. I used to save up my family allowance for the visit to the shoe shop. I dread to think what today’s costs must be. 

I’m off to my favourite CS tomorrow with a big load of home decor books and others and some other stuff to go . I think there are only 5 decor books left.i am being tougher as to whether I might ever read some of the @ interesting “ books we are storing …..

New start to reach 365 - out go
30 books 
3 magazines 
4 jamjars
1 pile admin paper. 

1 tatty tee shirt 
1 pair tatty socks
total = 40+ 35/365=75/365’
Hugs for all who would like one and courage for all of us with troubles big and small.

retiredinfrance

Sorry, I forgot to add how much I loved all the recent photos, especially your wedding ones, Mrs SD x

Green_hopeful

So not really decluttering but stopping new stuff. My step daughter is pregnant with her first baby and trying to get her house ready. Her desk was too big for the space she was moving it to so we agreed to swap desks. I had a really small desk that I got in lockdown. I think she will want her old one back in time but it’s better that we swap rather than she gets rid of it and then buys another one. 

Our refill lady is looking for more jars for her lonely jars club. I eat a lot of polish pickles so she got two jars and I will keep washing them up for her. 

I really admire everyone’s efforts in decluttering. We seem to have been doing it forever. When I moved my five bed contents into my now husbands six bed house we realised we needed to get rid of a house worth of stuff. We have also had to clear houses for various relatives as well. That always impacts our house even if its just to sort where to send stuff. We have a couple of reliable outlets. A local charity which furnishes houses for newly housed homeless people and a local upcycler. The homeless charity are great, i email with what I have and they only take it if they have someone who actually needs it but they nearly always do. 

Its always ongoing but I realise no one wants our stuff so we need to clear what we can now. 

TC77

2 sheets, cushion, 2 cables, and cs bag dropped off,think I added a couple.more things but can't recall what. Putting  casserole dishes in a box for time being. Discovered no lid for my 3 tier steamer  - hmm I may look in the cs as no good for anyone as it is. Also have 3 spare lids , I know a couple of pans were beyond redemption a couple of years  ago but thought I'd got rid of the lids. 
A corner of the kitchen looks more respectable

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 continued: DH phoned 18:30 from his room. Apparently it had rained heavily from when he left to about 10:30 whilst he was on the M6. However the rest of the day was mainly dry with a few light showers. He managed to get all his landmarks & also the first of Saturday’s  landmarks. DH phoned again at 20:05 - he had had a prawn & chorizo starter & was having salmon fillet in light butter sauce with boiled potatoes, broccoli & sugar snap peas. He is hoping to be home by 18:30 Saturday. I cooked chicken & chips for DSis whilst I had lo bacon & pea linguine. Wudupa.

1570 - 1571 Kitchen recycling, glass bottle - recycled 

1572 Kitchen detritus - binned 

vulpix, hopefully your new house has the same arrangements for waste disposal. Great work with the knitting - you must have almost used up your stash of yarn so less to pack up when you move ☺️ I hope your DIL is doing well - not too long now 🥹

Gers, that is absolutely disgraceful that government interference has led to this closure 😡 Words actually fail me which I suppose is good otherwise I might get banned from MSE 😬

Great decluttering QueenJess 👏 How fortuitous that you have been able to source a replacement pair of boots ☺️

Green_hopeful, well done on supporting local businesses 🥹 The conversation about un-homogenised milk brought back a lovely memory of drinking ‘raw’ milk (still warm but prior to pasteurisation) in Italy in my early 20’s - one of my DM’s cousins owned a farm. I can almost remember the taste 🤤 

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏

BlueJ94, absolutely counts 😊 especially as you will be recycling the bottle 👏

I will try harder tomorrow to catch up with the cheerleading 🙂 Sleep tight 😴

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️ 🏅 

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1572/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00