2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

TC77

Following along esp the can opener strand!
Found a canteen linked to work with bargain soup so having a hot and spicy bowl at the moment. Usually taken lunch in but eat it too early and very bread/ sandwich  based .
Up early and some buts out, hairbands and toiletries that have given up, mouldy bath rack etc another 8 to take me to 96. 
Decorator coming 27th Jan hopefully to do dd2 bedroom but need space in other rooms to move her stuff out
Dropped off cushion I'd bought dd1 so can't cou tit, but gave her an old blackberry phone ( it's hers) , a lip pencil and some sweets so 99. 
Hope everyone wrapped up warm and staying cosy.

Happy_Kitties

Neutral items -another 45 items sent so that is 91 items received by the charity so far. I’m conscious that bec some items do have to be stored until October for another good cause, the rest is in danger of overtaking me. So when a large box became available, it was snapped up and well used. I also have another box ready to send aswell. 

General decluttering
31) first item of the year sold on V

WickedLady4

@Florenceem; it might be for the best if you can both get the help you need. You must be absolutely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

On the decluttering front we have done well today. I have a Next throw awaiting collection later today plus 2 bags of stuff to go to the charity shop. DH has thrown away a small container from the garage and two old flower pots plus reshuffled a bag of screws he saved from some old cupboards. He has also taken the rubbers off the bottom of my spare pair of clogs and I'll be donating them to a step clog group in central London for anyone new to use. I can't see that I'll be dancing step clog again; too out of practice

A couple of bags have also gone back into the loft, mainly Christmas wrapping.

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: managed to get up & dressed 11:40 with only the one loo break at 09:00 (which was a bit too early for me to get up 😉) Not as bright as yesterday & only set to reach a high of 1°C with a low of -3°C 🥶 Still warmer than Scotland, so I do hope our Scottish contingent stay warm 🤞I have my first cuppa & have just finished the last 2 Sudokus of the book so

57 Completed Sudoku book recycled 

I am still responding to posts dated the 6th:

Excellent decluttering Happy_Kitties 👏 It looks as if you have found a method that works for you & combined with the ruthlessness that you have acquired, should mean that you continue to declutter at a good speed 😊 I noticed that your cats are doing their bit to help with the decluttering 😉 now you just need to train them to do their bit cleaning & tidying 🙃

Welcome aboard the EDT bimaculatus 👋 (great name which I looked up 😊) Lovely to see a new face 😊 A great start to your decluttering journey 👏 One small tip that might come in useful if you ever stall a bit in your decluttering would be to open the sock drawer once in a while just to remind yourself that you are a ‘successful declutterer’ 😊 I look forward to seeing you every now & again as you continue on your journey to a clutter free home 🙂

More excellent decluttering florianatwobob 👏 Hope you managed to get the notebooks archived without too much trouble 🤞

Florenceem, pleased to hear that the meter reading error has been sorted 😮‍💨 

redofromstart, unfortunately I am not quite keeping up just yet 😉 as everyone has got off to a flying start 🤩 However I will continue to plug away & apply the same principle to the cheerleading as to decluttering - slow & steady wins the race as per Aesop’s Hare & Tortoise fable 😊 How kind of DS1 to gift you his cold 🙃 but I see it hasn’t stopped you from cleaning & decluttering the bathroom 👏 Re This “Absolute joy to have a clean and declutterered bathroom finally.  It was the current work in progress when we lost Mr Redo, and until today it was still full of tools that I was cleaning round like some kind of odd memorial in the hope that he would magically come home and finish it .  Daft really, and I told myself to get a grip and enjoy the nice room he had been working on for me.” - not daft at all, just human 🥹

Tjh1412, you might have gone back to work but you still managed an excellent amount of decluttering 👏 Fingers crossed that the house sale is completed & also the mortgage so that Friday’s ‘shredageddon’ can proceed 🤞🙂 I also hope that you weren’t too tired to do some baby knitting & eating of biccies when you got home on Monday 😉

Blue_Doggy, were you as surprised as I was that they kept all the potters going into the 2nd week? 😮 Excellent decluttering on Monday 👏

I have decided to post each time I complete a page of cheerleading 😉 Hope everyone is having a good day & is managing to stay warm & dry 😊 A special shout out to weenancy, hoping that you & your family are staying safe 🙏

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 

DH Awards:

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 57/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

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

Still replying to posts dated the 6th 😉

Apologies weenancy 😔 So far behind that I hadn’t realised that you had taken roommate Di to the emergency room & that she was moved to a care home ☹️ I hope that she is on the mend & that you have managed to get help sorting out her room & the living room 🙏 Also hoping that the cat has forgiven you 😉

Oops BlueJ94 🙊 Hope the trousers were a good fit & you didn’t need to go to work in summer clothing 🤞

Excellent work MadamMim2013 👏 Long may you be successful with your Vinted listings 😊 Nice to earn a bit of money but please be careful when going out to post your sale items 🙏

Great decluttering SuperLooperSaver 👏 Hopefully the weather will have warmed up by the weekend so that you won’t get too cold dropping off the CS bags 🤞

Yippee to eBay sales suzeesu2000 🥳 Hope you have managed to photograph & list your craft bundles & that you are doing a roaring trade 🤞 Hopefully your postie does a better job scanning the next lot of sales 🤞 Love the idea of a reverse Advent box, very generous 😇 I am hoping that the Foodbank have got in touch & you now have a clutter free sofa 😉

Great decluttering oceanspirit 👏 I was sorry to hear about the spillage although relieved it was only water 😮‍💨 Hope you have managed to get the bedroom tidied, even if it wasn’t quite as soon as you intended 🤞

EcoIntent, a pretty good day of decluttering bearing in mind you were working 👏 Fingers crossed that you managed to find time to drop-off the bags of stuff for the hospice 🤞

Good luck with your eBay listings wishus 🍀

Brambling, I sort of agree with This “I was happy they didn't send anyone home as I always hate that they do in week one when they are still finding their feet” although some series one of the potters is so bad that they have to send them home 😨 Excellent decluttering on Monday 👏 You certainly took advantage of a rainy day 🥳 & got so much done that I am awarding you a medal 🏅 Good luck decluttering the inherited ornaments 🍀 perhaps you could take a photo for posterity 🤔 What pack of Christmas fudge? 😂 😉

vulpix, I did see a bit of Keith’s chapel restoration project & he does seem like a very nice man 😊 Excellent decluttering 👏 although from previous photos of your home I am struggling to understand how you find anything to declutter 🤨 Good luck with the bookcase & wardrobe decluttering 🍀 Fingers crossed that the price reduction on your Mum’s house will engender lots of interest & you will get a quick sale 🤞

Yippee 🥳 my next post will be starting cheerleading for posts dated the 7th 💃 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 

DH Awards:

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 57/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Janeryan

Just popping in with a quick update for January -126 items have either been donated, recycled or binned so far this month.
Well done everyone on all your efforts and sending hugs to those who need them 

Soontobeoap

Jan 9th I have been on admin all day.i have tackled a huge frog and finished working out the accounts for craft group.I did spend a worried half hour thinking that I had lost £100 before realizing that a had added up my digits wrongly. DH will check my work as he is a qualified accountant so that I will be sure. Anyway I am counting that as 1.even though I don't usually Count adminny stuff.it is a huge frog done and now I am happy. Off to fill in new calendar now!

Jan 10th Just editing to add a bin bags worth of craft stuff to go up to club tomorrow for craft group. Hopefully adding it on here tonight will save you needing to work your way through too many posts from me Mrs SD. Thanks again for all you do for us all

Editing again for Jan 11th. Baking cupboard sorted. After decanting things and throwing out containers / bags left it looks mu ch better and another third of a bin bag decluttered.😇

Florenceem

My good day yesterday ended at 9 when I tried to get Mr F up to have a wee - he had been in the bed and wasn't aware. I managed to get him stripped and into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. Then he refused to get off the toilet - I waited 2 hours and then laid down and dozed off - I woke at 1.30 - he was still head down on the toilet - 4 hours.
I rang 11 and they said they would send an ambulance - up to 2 hour wait. 
I put a blanket round Mr F but he pulled it off, rolled it up and threw it at me and just kept saying - No
The ambulance arrived - he had been on the toilet now for 5 and a half hours. He was aggressive with the paramedics - wouldn't let them take his blood pressure - fought them when they wanted to !!!!!! his finger.
The paramedics couldn't persuade Mr F to get off the toilet and said if they managed to move him into bed - the same thing will happen again - best to go to A & E.
They had to physically pull and lift him off the toilet and onto a carry chair - he fought them trying to strap him on and wouldn't bend his legs. Poor chaps - they were puffing and panting. Getting Mr F down the stairs took ages - he kept gripping onto the stair rails. The shouts of No! turned to shouts of Yes!. I could hear him shouting in the street as they carried him to the ambulance. 
I didn't go with them - couldn't face it - needed to sleep and after the trauma of the waiting room the night before - wasn't going to attempt it. The paramedics said that he needed to be at least on a trolley when admitted.
I text my SA friend who gets up early and she rang me at 4.45 - I was still awake.
I did manage to go to sleep and got up at 7.30.
I took a bag and trolley full of stuff to the charity shop - thick frost here.
I had a phone call from the surgery about aids in the home - I already have all that but it is not enough now for Mr F to be living here.
I came home and wrapped and labelled V sales and went into town again to post them.
I couldn't face going to the hospital on my own so went with my friend. Mr F had been very uncooperative and had pulled out his cannula. They wanted to do an xray and a scan but will have to give him a sedative. Blood tests showed infection levels and he was on IV antibiotics. I saw a Dr - they will do medical tests before going onto dementia assessment.

retiredinfrance

Thinking of you, @Florenceem, and sending you a big hug. You are strong and will cope.x

florianatwobob

I’m so sorry to read this Florenceem but I’m glad Mr F will be getting the support he needs. I remember how hard it is to live through and am keeping you in my thoughts and am very glad friends are rallying to your aid.  

Right now I know you’re worried about Mr F but you’re best able to help him by making sure you’re in good health so please try and get a good nights sleep and eat well.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re feeling all the emotions known to humankind and my (unsolicited) advice is to acknowledge them and then….let them go. They’re all valid, even the ones you don’t like, but don’t let them tie yourself in knots.  I saw this the other day and it summed it up nicely for me