2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

BlueJ94

vulpix said:

Blue J, I would pay the minimum on the large amount and throw everything I could at the small amount then once that is gone ,throw everything at the remaining card. It would be satisfying to watch the smaller amount whittle to  zero.

See this is what im thinking, even if i get it cleared withing say for example 3 months I got 3 months left with 0% i could transfer some of the larger debt onto that card too!

Willowtree222

Two frogs dealt with today. 

Cancelled one policy for car and house insurance and renewed them both separately. Got it £8 cheaper overall, but then got £84 cashback on top of that so well worth the effort this morning. 

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, had such a lovely day yesterday meeting up with E. We had a proper catch up over several cups of coffee and a slice of lemon drizzle 😁. Sun was out and we sat outside topping up our vit D and chatting non stop 😁. Some minor decluttering also achieved, 1LDFPA which I managed to get on the line before I went out, book taken to the NT bookshop while I was there, bathroom bin emptied and I remembered to take OH's linen top for E to repair, that was a frog lurking 😂. E has a much better sewing machine than me and an overlocker plus she likes to do little sewing jobs, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it 😂. OH was out for tea so I watched the footy on tv and did some crochet 😁.

So far this morning all I have done is have various text conversations about footy tickets, friend M's DH who is still in hospital, our next meet up with ex colleagues and ln's birthday next week 😂 but I need to get another load into the car for the tip so that will be my first job after posting.

@Mrs SD thank you for my medal 😁

@BlueJ94 I would transfer the 1200 from the bigger card into 0% interest card, pay off the remaining £10 and freeze or cut up that card. Then I would pay the minimum on the 0% card and throw everything at the other card until you get that cleared then pay as much as you can off the 0% card while looking for another 0% card to transfer any remaining balance into. A few years ago I had got myself into a similar situation with a run of unexpected expenses. This is how I cleared the debt, I hate paying interest, and I now have a regular saver account that I can use for unexpected things like when the fridge suddenly died etc. Good luck with sorting it out, hugs.

Right it is starting to cloud over so I better get weaving loading up the car otherwise I will be soaked 😂

Hugs to everyone who would like one

1265 LDFPA
1266 book
1267 bathroom bin
1268 OH's shirt repair.
Take care everyone
1268/2025

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

Wednesday: well that went a bit wrong 😑 I woke up at 11:15 & instead of getting up straightaway I thought I would just have another 15 minutes in bed only to wake up 2 hours later with a splitting headache & 😞 Rather than taking a tablet, I will have a cuppa & see if that works. Although there is one silver lining…… I missed the rain 😉 High today is 19°C, low 15°C, humidity 70% with a 65% chance of further rain. Timer is on & off I go: 

Excellent decluttering vulpix 👏 At this rate you won’t be taking anything with you to your new house 😉 Now that your fabric stash is, to all intents & purpose gone, I see you are determined to reduce your yarn stash 😊 Good luck 🍀 I am keeping everything crossed for Thursday 🤞 including my eyes which is making typing a tad difficult 😁 

BlueJ94, thank you for being so brave & sharing with us 🥹 & well done on taking the bull by the horns re your CC debt 👏  Very MSE & as Willowtree222 mentioned it is just what Martin recommends 😊 Also well done on previously doing enough to repair your credit rating & be accepted for the 0% card 🥳 A wide ranging conversation with several of our Declutterati family including daisy_1571, Moorviews, MadamMim2013, vulpix & Liverpool_Anne offering you ideas & advice & sharing their experiences 🥹 Wishing you every success 🍀 

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏 & well done on finally using up the moisturiser 🥳

GrannyKate, thank you for sharing This “…. the vases in the cabinet mostly have a memory attached - I have kept them where other knick knacks have gone. The tall red and white glass I bought on my first trip to Prague.  It was in a display cabinet at the hotel and I admired it every time I went past so DD said why don't you just buy it - so I did.  The rose bowl came all the way from Austria by train as a wedding present 55 years ago - packed in straw in a wooden box. The coloured cat bowl, even though late DH thought it was hideous, he still bought it for me at craft centre many years ago.  I try not to buy anymore but I am sometimes tempted.  Swarovski collection includes a tiny ink pot and quill DH bought when I had a story published in a national magazine and the pram my sister sent when my first DGC was born 20 years ago.” I love the memories attached to each item 🥹 How talented you are - a published author no less 🥹 Sounds like now the plasterer is there, he is getting a move on 👏 Fingers crossed that the new plaster dries quickly & all the finishing touches of skirting & architrave are completed by the end of the week 🤞Good luck sorting the “last random things”in your bedroom 🍀

Breaking off to say that DH started mowing the front lawn (14:30) & typically the heavens opened but only for a few minutes 😞 Fortunately he had completed over five sixths of the mowing (it is not as big lawn 😉) unfortunately the rain was heavy enough to get DH rather wet 😞 The rain might have stopped but the darkness has remained 😒 Although DH has managed to finish the mowing & has tidied up after himself he is still rather damp 🙁

Liverpool_Anne, you might have had a couple of quiet days on the decluttering front but you certainly made up for it on Monday 🤩👏 Real frogs are so much more fun than the frogs we need to deal with 😉 Just wondering who was more surprised - you or the frog 🙊 Hope M’s DH is OK & will soon be out of hospital 🙏 Also hope the weather was kind & you enjoyed your time with E ☺️

Brie, This “Seize the day!!! Or in my case, the bra.” is such a brilliant start to a post 🤣 Great decluttering 👏 Those particular bras sound rather comfortable so I am wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing a link as I do need to get a couple of bras 🙏 Thanking you in advance 👏

Excellent work QueenJess 👏 Now that you have reached 5000 a Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 🙂

vulpix, yippee to decluttering the “big pile of old bricks” 🥳 Shame that you are “finding the weight” my DH is losing 😞 but remember once you have moved & start working on the renovations & decorating the weight will soon drop off 😊 This “I love nice underwear. I am ready to be knocked down and taken to hospital at any point. 🤣🤣🤣🤣” had me in stitches, good job I wasn’t drinking my coffee when I read it 🙊🤣🙊🤣 Everything is crossed re This “Our buyers solicitors have accepted the draft of whatever it is that needs accepting. We are now waiting for an appointment with an unconnected solicitor to have our signatures witnessed. Inching closer.” 🤞🙏🤞 Good luck at the dentist 🍀

Fizz2015, sorry for your loss 😢 Sending cwtches for you & your family at such a sad time 🤗 

suzeesu2000, sorry to hear about your Dfriend 😔 Who knew decluttering could be so dangerous 😱 Excellent work decluttering clothing 👏 & good luck with the listings 🍀 Fingers crossed that the weather stays fine enough for you to continue emptying the raised beds 🤞

BlueJ94, no wonder you are tired - you have been super busy 👏 Enjoy your weekend away in the camper ☺️ & I hope the weather is kind 🙏 I am also sending a request to the weather gods that good weather accompanies you in October 🙏

Lovely post Moorviews 🥹 I like your variation on my 2nd idea 🙂 hopefully it will work 🤞Good luck getting through your laundry mountain 🍀

TC77, I do hope you have managed to get your wallet back 🤞🙏 Sending positive vibes for DD1 that she gets an early date for the op to remove the metalwork in her ankle 🙏 Sorry to hear that you have been feeling under the weather 😞 Good luck with your healthier eating campaign 🍀 Don’t forget to pop into the TLC Carriage ☺️

vulpix, very impressive that everything you own upstairs is packed into 17 boxes & 3 suitcases 🤩👏 I think we would need double that just for DSis’s room 😬 & the rest of the house doesn’t bear thinking about 😱 The 2nd part of This “I haven't needed to open a box at all so obviously we don't " need " any of it. I will be ruthless when we or should I say I,unpack.” had me in stitches 🤣🤣 As to This “We are off to our solicitor to collect the document ,to take to another solicitor, to be witnessed signing it and returning it to our solicitor ! Then off to Nottingham. Just spoken to our solicitor, the woman whose house we are buying wants extra time to complete. Give me strength ! This move could break me. It may at the very least cure me of wanting to move again. I have never had such a difficult move in all my many moves before.” how ‘aggravating’ 😖 Just as you were seeing light at the end of the tunnel 😞 

suzeesu2000, sounds like proper rain 😊 I do love a good thunderstorm but only if I am safely ensconced in my own home 😉 Yippee to receiving a confirmation call from the CS so that you have more time to declutter before they pick up all those bags 🥳 Ouch to the water bill 😩 that is an outrageous hike in price 😖 

Willowtree222, that is brilliant not only saving money but also gaining money 🥳

Liverpool_Anne, what a lovely afternoon with your friend E 🥹 especially as the weather was so kind ☺️ Loved This “……I remembered to take OH's linen top for E to repair, that was a frog lurking 😂. E has a much better sewing machine than me and an overlocker plus she likes to do little sewing jobs, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it 😂” two birds, one stone - one frog being dealt with & a happy friend 😊 Sounds like you are going to be busy for a while with your calendar filling up so quickly 😉 Hope friend M’s DH is recovering well 🙏 Also thank you for sharing This “BlueJ94 I would transfer the 1200 from the bigger card into 0% interest card, pay off the remaining £10 and freeze or cut up that card. Then I would pay the minimum on the 0% card and throw everything at the other card until you get that cleared then pay as much as you can off the 0% card while looking for another 0% card to transfer any remaining balance into. A few years ago I had got myself into a similar situation with a run of unexpected expenses. This is how I cleared the debt, I hate paying interest, and I now have a regular saver account that I can use for unexpected things like when the fridge suddenly died etc. Good luck with sorting it out, hugs.” 👏 Hope you managed to avoid the rain when you loaded the car for your Tip run 🤞

And breathe 🧘 all caught up with the cheerleading 🥳 It is a rather miserable day here with on & off rain & a definite feel of autumn 😉 I do hope everyone is having as good a day as possible & managing to avoid the rain 🙂 See you later 👋 P.S. the headache has gone - I think I must have been dehydrated 🙁

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️ 🏅 🏅

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1680/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00

Willowtree222

Thank you. It used to take months for it to come through, but this is guaranteed in 60 days, which will be very handy for Christmas.

TC77

Mrs SD well done on all the cheerleading.
No sign of my wallet so freezing and cancelling cards... luckily not much cash. Should motivate me to tidy and be organised but seem to have had opposite effect and very lethargic but assume this will pass! (hopefully quickly).
While watching tv I did delete 130+ contacts from my phone. I do have to get a new phone or find the new (a few years ago , found and misplaced again) phone and transfer everything. I hate sorting out phones or more the idea of doing it and really should get a proper new more capacity phone as I can't add more apps which lots of places insist you have/need. Some bank frogs done.
Found some fabric for sofa although difficult to imagine a large sofa covered in it but will be fixed so the idea of being washable is less important. Manufacturer said don't advise spot cleaning but as I have several samples I'm going to do a home trial - with coffee and tomato based something and see what happens to the fabric

@Vulpix home the move happens soon. 

For all those more creative and artistic than me I'd welcome ideas of  the patterned fabric although on a chair and will be teal (called atlantic) and on my dad's 1960s 2.2m sofa. Washable and 100% recycled materials, subject to me checking it can be got at a discount!

StickyTheStickInsect

@Fizz2015  So sorry for your loss.

Thank you for my gold star @Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Not much decluttering to report, 1 bag of fabric recycling. My Mum has deteriorated quite a bit and DD sits her 11+ tomorrow and is quite anxious about it, I think the practice paper yesterday has knocked her confidence a bit. She did her speech to stand for Head Girl this week too, so I think it’s just been a bit overwhelming. So my mind has been elsewhere.

And a new record for all of my children, DS2 has been back at school 4 days and has already lost a PE top and a lunchbox, it is not the kind of decluttering I had in mind!

New total 246/104 (312)

Love to everyone xxx

weenancyinAmerica

Now I know why my father only bought two houses - both new. No one to hold things up. And I am still living in the second house he bought 66 years ago. Maybe why decluttering is so hard! I still have a lot of my parents' stuff around, especially Dad's tools. Keep passing what I can along to the nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews. Except for the china cabinet and dining table and chairs, all of the furniture has changed in the last 66 years as I gave most of it away. I do have one chest of drawers (in use by a roommate) and a smaller china cabinet from my grandmother's home (in my bedroom). That and a couple pieces of china in it being the sum of my inheritance from my mother' parents and a couple of small china pieces is all I have from my father's side.  Never going to get rich in my family by inheriting anything! All I have to pass along are some china and lots of books (which I have been giving away).  

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

Wednesday continued: For a while now I have been thinking about rearranging one section of my kitchen worktops to make it more user friendly & to be able to use the very nice chopping board which has been used as a storage space for bread type products ☹️ The only reason that I had delayed was that I thought I needed to buy a basket for the bread type products & as you all know I really, really dislike shopping 😂 However, I suddenly remembered I had a very nice basket in my bedroom wall unit which was being wasted as a wool container 🤔 So I gave myself a quick kick up the jacksie 😉 - retrieved the basket, cleared & scrubbed the kitchen worktop & completely reconfigured the area. Nothing decluttered apart from an unsightly mess 😂 I am so pleased with the new arrangement that I am including a photo 😊 Regrettably I forgot to take a before photo 🙁 

After that I prepped dinner i.e. peeled spuds & opened tins 🙊 to go with the sausages I am oven cooking. After dinner DH headed off on his walk - luckily not raining 🙂 Wudupa

1681 - 1688 Kitchen & office recycling, 3 cardboard boxes from DSis, drinks cans, 2 magazines - recycled 

1689 Kitchen detritus binned 

Willowtree222, very handy 😊

TC77, sorry to hear that your wallet wasn’t handed in & that you have to go through the time consuming rigmarole of cancelling/freezing all your cards 😢 Excellent work thinning out your phone contacts 👏 Hopefully the new/old phone will turn up as a stopgap until you decide it is time to treat yourself to a brand new all singing, all dancing phone 🤞Well done on sorting bank frogs 👏 Good luck getting the sofa sorted 🍀

StickyTheStickInsect, so sorry to hear about your Mum 😔 Good luck to your DD on sitting here 11+ 🍀 & I also hope that her speech was well received & that she gets elected as Head Girl 🙏 As to DS2, that is some going 😬

Interesting post weenancy 😊 Loved This “Now I know why my father only bought two houses - both new. No one to hold things up.” 🥳 This “Never going to get rich in my family by inheriting anything!” got me giggling 🤭 Hope you are well & are managing to stay cool as I see temperatures are still warm & set to rise into the 30’s again 🙏

I fell asleep on the sofa again so have already had a couple of hours sleep 😉 Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️ 🏅 🏅

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 1689/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £379.00

BlueJ94

Morning all! 

Not much going on, im patiently awaiting my new CC so I can transfer the balance, I have no patience so I hope its here soon In the meantime im going to try and work out the best solution for my other CC as thats still sitting at 37%