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Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering
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Ahhh @Florenceem. I’m so sorry for what life is throwing at you atm. High levels of infection can turn someone into a version you don’t recognise. It happened to my Mum. It’s scary. Let’s hope that they are able to help MrF and you get some peace of mind soon. Please accept all offers of help as it will make things easier for you. Even the strongest person needs help sometimes, it’s not a sign of weakness xx.Sorted out our hats & gloves box yesterday. Who knew we had so many. Managed to cajole DH into parting with 3 grotty hats and 1 unworn into the cs bag. I exited a very scratchy scarf and a pair of gloves that were too tight. Don’t wear hats. They are too itchy. A small dent in the declutterring, but a dent nevertheless.
We have freezing fog here this morning. What better excuse than to stay in and sort some stuff. Even the dog doesn’t want to go out in it!! 🐶🤭
Have a good day all17 -
Good morning from a very chilly East London 👋 Thought I would surprise everyone with an early post 😂 I hope everyone has as good a Saturday as possible & manages to stay warm & dry 😊 I will see you all later when I post my first lot of cheerleading 😉
MrsSDBe Kind. Stay Safe. Break the Chain. Save Lives. ⭐️2025 Savings Pot Challenge: As a monthly amount, running total = £299.00
Jan £5.00 Feb £12.74 Mch £23.26 Apr £32 May £43 Jun £50 July £62 Aug £71 Sep Oct Nov Dec Grand Total £24 -
We started the decluttering!
In the kitchen, I used the sweet potatoes up that I'd bought a bag of for a recipe and the others had been sitting there for months. Also used a recently ood spice packet, I'm gluten free and it had gluten in. I was out for dinner last night, so cooked it for DH, DS and DD.
Used up a serum sample packet from my stash of beauty.
We cleared out a storage cupboard in the hall. 5 pairs of worn / broken shoes to the bin. I'll count all the ones to CS when they leave the house - they have gone into the playroom, doh.
DD started a sort on the playroom, she binned lots of complete craft kits (I counted as 1 as no idea how many). Large pile of unwanted stuff now on dining room table, need to sort what to do with it.
Why does it look worse, before it looks better?Decluttering target:
Beauty product - 11/52, last item - bubble bath used while I shaved legs, 2 conditioners sachets from used hair dye boxes
Play room - 41/52, last item -
Clothes - 23/52, last item -
Food - 13/52, last item -17 -
Good morning Mrs SD! I thought we had a white car parked outside when I looked out but it was just the heavy frost.
Yesterday we decluttered the 2 day old bowl of chicken soup and had it for dinner. Then DD sent round a pile of baby clothes so will be sorting those out today. I'm actually running out of bags to put things in so will have a think about that.17 -
BiddyMcGregor said:QueenJess said:Count me in! After decluttering relentlessly for a couple of years, I finally reached my correct level of "stuff" in the house. The kids seem to bring in a lot of things still, but it is looking like grandparents have finally calmed down a bit..My aim for 2025 is to live frugally and try to use everything I have to the maximum usage (plus work through some overstock I have). I will need to do some decluttering as I still haven't finished my digital photos sort out and my kids are young so they will be growing out of clothes/toys etc. I also need to finish actually rearranging the library as I was part way through about 3 months agoTargets are difficult, so as always I will have a complete stab in the dark, but with multiple targets. This way I am happy if I reach the bottom level and anything above that is a plus. In theory my figures should now all be very low given I am in the right place, but I still need to be vigilant with stuff coming in and ensuring things don't build up. I tend to think very carefully about bringing anything in given how long it took me to declutter, so I'm hopeful it'll all work out.2025 decluttering goals: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,0002025 use up challenge: 🥉12 🥈26 🥇522025 decluttering goals: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,0002025 use up challenge: 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52I don't like yearly targets and so I break things down. My minimum decluttering I hope for is 365 things this year (for which I will award myself a bronze medal) and then I have the next target of 750 ready to go etc. Just avoids me having to amend my targets in the year when I find I've actually got them all wrong!This year I am doing similar for using things up as a reminder to actually use stuff up that I have and not hoard it!2025 decluttering: 3,5045🌟🥉🌟💐🏅🏅🌟🥈🏅🌟🏅💐💎🌟🏅🏆🌟🏅
2025 use up challenge: 306🥉🥈🥇💎🏆
Big kitchen declutter challenge 91/150
2025 decluttering goals Use up Challenge: 🥉365 🥈750 🥇1,000 💎2,000 🏆 3,000 👑 8,000 I 🥉12 🥈26 🥇52 💎 100 🏆 250 👑 50017 -
Good morning. It's been a couple of days since I've posted but I've been reading along.
I hope MrF starts to feel better after the antibiotics Florenceem.
There's still snow about and a really really thick frost this morning. I've really struggled the last couple of days and spent most of it curled up under the blanket with a hot chocolate, I hate the cold.
I did gey a message from one of the children the other evening saying they'd looked everywhere but couldn't find their homework, so I used it to my advantage and made them pull absolutely everything out from under the bed and then I swept it out. LOTS of clothes and a whole bag of rubbish but no homework.
Yesterday I told the kids it was use up from the freezer day and they couldn't decide what they wanted. I'd been wanting to sort the freezers anyway so I started emptying it on to the worktop. Some lollies that had gone 'slimy' to the bin. DD1F chose some chargrilled chicken that had been there a while as my lot had stopped eating them and I found a small bag of chicken pops at the back, so used them up for the boys. I did feel bad after when I went to put the rubbish in the bin and spotted they were 18 months OOD! Boys didn't say they tasted funny and they're both okay this morning, so I'm guessing they were still okay. Still have some of the second freezer to do.
Shopping being delivered about 1 but no other plans for today.
43 Broken plastic box lid
44-47 OOD dog treats
48-53 Items from freezer 1
54 Bag of rubbish from younger kids roomLBM in April 17 - Starting card debt £33554
Mortgage@1 June 18 - £76350
Total debt @june 18 £102311
Debt Jan 25 £8282
Mortgage £51215. Total debt now £5949718 -
- Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks
- Concerted effort to sort out sleep patterns - Realistic targets: bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 10:00 a.m
- Continue dealing with mail & email on a daily basis
- 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
- Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter
- Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed
Saturday: Not sure anyone will quite believe it but I woke at 09:05 for a bathroom visit & rather than getting back into bed I got up & dressed. It is a crisp cold morning with a current temperature of -4°C with an expected high of 0°C 🥶 It is now 09:30 & I am settled with my first cuppa & about to continue with the cheerleading 😉 Still replying to posts dated the 7th:
I will take this opportunity to again thank all our lovely Declutterati family who are keeping Florenceem & her beloved MrF in their thoughts & prayers as well as posting supportive messages 🥺. I have taken the decision that there is no reason to respond to those particular posts on an individual basis.
Tjh1412, a pity that work is so manic & is ‘interfering’ with your decluttering 😅 so well done on decluttering more books 👏 I do hope you were successful in decluttering several items from the imaginatively labelled “misc random bits” box🤞
EcoIntent, the day to day decluttering is just as, if not more important than bigger decluttering projects as you are keeping clutter out 👏 Well done on the sale of the vintage cookbook, more space on the shelf & a nice amount in the coffers 😊
Muddy_Walker, how unkind of your hubby not to let you use his home office windowsill for more plants 😂
Siebrie, sounds like your Mum is making full use of any assistance available & is enjoying life to the full 😊
Blue_Doggy, well done on consciously listening to your body when it tells you to doze/rest 😊 I love that your dog gets the benefit of extra cuddles when you devote a little less time to decluttering 😊 This “The only practical things I’ve done, apart from the normal chores, are to put four sheets of packing paper into the recycling bin (they’d got into the Christmas decs box when I put them down out of my hand in a hurry). This is a massive win, as usually I’d have smoothed them out, folded them carefully, and put them aside for future use” put a big smile on my face 😄 definitely a huge win 👏
Another page closer to starting to respond to posts dated the 8th 😉
MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅
DH Awards:
DSis Awards:
Decluttering Target 2025: 60/2025
1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00
Be Kind. Stay Safe. Break the Chain. Save Lives. ⭐️2025 Savings Pot Challenge: As a monthly amount, running total = £299.00
Jan £5.00 Feb £12.74 Mch £23.26 Apr £32 May £43 Jun £50 July £62 Aug £71 Sep Oct Nov Dec Grand Total £21 -
Good morning Mrs_S_D, fancy seeing you here so early 😁
Florenceem I'm glad that you have so much real life support as well as the virtual hand holding from here. How lovely of your daughter to add a special treat to your shopping too. I'm also glad that somebody is looking at Mr F from a medical point of view - I was so upset when the nurse dismissed it as just being dementia.
I'm having to be careful with the decluttering. Our general waste bin was emptied 4 days early before Christmas and we haven't seen a bin lorry since. They were supposed to collect last Wednesday but have said they will be collecting on their usual schedule next week but will start with general waste instead of the recycling one which should be collected. They're not taking any extra bags either even though it will be almost 4 weeks since the last collection. I'm keeping the extra in the garden bin for now and I'll filter it into the general waste before I need to use the garden bin again. The bins are frozen to the ground and some bin ninjas are sneaking up on other people's bins and dumping their rubbish in and next to them. Mines full so no danger of that here 😊🤣
I did declutter 10 items yesterday by bagging up the charity shop pile ready to go in the car. It's not part of my previous declutter count - it's things that got shoved into a bag once my sister (visiting before Christmas) had picked out what she wanted. I may do one of my bedside table drawers today if I'm feeling brave.
Take care all of you 😊
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- Write a daily To Do list - only 3 tasks
- Concerted effort to sort out sleep patterns - Realistic targets: bed by 2:00 a.m. & up by 10:00 a.m
- Continue dealing with mail & email on a daily basis
- 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
- Commence ‘Operation Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter
- Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed
Temperature is slowly creeping up, now -1°C with a clear blue sky & bright sunshine 🙂 I have remembered to take food out of the freezer for tonight & tomorrow’s dinners 🙂 Now back to the cheerleading 😉
florianatwobob, a compassionate and caring post 🥹 Thank you.
CRANKY40, very laid back of you to describe Tuesday’s travel chaos due to snow & roadworks as “interesting” 😉 It must have been a relief to get DS to his exam on time 😥 Also pleased to hear that you managed to stay warm, although I imagine that it might have been an unexpected hit to your budget ☹️
I can hardly believe it - I will now be replying to posts dated 8th January 💃
charlies_tribe, great work cleaning the bathroom, making a start on the kitchen + getting most of the cardboard into the recycling bin 👏 Sorry to hear that you couldn’t get warm on Tuesday 😔 I do hope you haven’t caught a chill 🤞
Moorviews, excellent work sorting out the bathroom cupboards & also completing a load of laundry 👏 The trouble with wearing a body warmer indoors is that because they tend to be rather bulky it can restrict movement 😕 Hopefully you can fill the gap in your wardrobe soon by finding a big, warm wool jumper 🤞
Florenceem, I was relieved to hear that you managed to have a decent sleep on Tuesday night 😮💨 although concerned that MrF is sleeping so much 😔
GrannyKate, Wednesday was a busy day for your renovations 🤩 What with electricians & roofers both in attendance, no wonder you decided to go out & leave them to it 😉 Sorry to hear about the extra expense associated with getting replacement windows 😔 More excellent decluttering 👏
D123456789, it might currently be too cold to go into the loft but it does sound like when you do get up there, there is huge potential for a massive declutter 🤞This “…….. There is a box of pictures in frames - we have lived here almost 11 years and have no pictures on the wall so I don’t see them being put up any time soon” reminded me that our box of pictures in frames has been up in the loft for about 25 years 😱 DH & I keep thinking of excuses/reasons not to tackle said box (which might actually be 2 boxes 😔) Give us another 25 years & we might just get around to it 🤣
Liverpool_Anne, your slowish Tuesday equates to a busy day for me 😉 I am innately lazy when it comes to doing anything to do with housework, cleaning etc 😂 Pleased to hear that your new walking boots passed their first test 🥳
Another page caught up 🙂 I am flagging now so will post & then probably have a little snooze whilst the iPad recharges 😉 I do hope everyone is managing to stay warm & dry 🤞
MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅
DH Awards:
DSis Awards:
Decluttering Target 2025: 60/2025
1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00
Be Kind. Stay Safe. Break the Chain. Save Lives. ⭐️2025 Savings Pot Challenge: As a monthly amount, running total = £299.00
Jan £5.00 Feb £12.74 Mch £23.26 Apr £32 May £43 Jun £50 July £62 Aug £71 Sep Oct Nov Dec Grand Total £21 -
@Florenceem I am so sorry that Mr F is in hospital again, though he’s definitely in the right place for now, hoping the treatment is swift and helps him feel a little better quickly. I so hope you’ll take some time for yourself to breathe and rest where you can, you deserve time to process what’s been occurring. Please take any and all help/support from those around you and know that everyone in this thread have you in our hearts wishing you both well..
I’ve emptied out under the stairs 😱 blimey, it looked fairly tidy too.. the amount of stuff I’ve found tucked away 🫣😬 Definitely have enough food bags and bin liners for some time! (Am making a long term shopping list and it’ll be in red for not needed!)
Have been offered a shelving unit yet sadly it’ll have to go in the garage as it’s too big for under the stairs.. so a shuffle around will be going on this afternoon & that’s always good for a declutter 😉
Broken stuffs split, some parts in recycling and the rest binned and will also organise my pots of screws etc, so most is in the garage pots instead of indoors 😇
OH watching some footie.. helping me as and when I need him, also making cuppas so that’s a bonus too ☺️
@CRANKY40 our main rubbish bin goes out every 3 weeks, our neighbour struggles as there is 5 adults in their house, they do recycle too. If we have room I put a bag in our bin for them, otherwise it ends up looking like the leaning tower of Pisa and the bin lorry might not pick it up. Sometimes the seagulls try to chuck it about all over the street and we have to pick up the mess 😬
Sad MrsSD missed out on the blackberry and raspberry jelly in the TLC carriage, will make sure there’s a replacement one for overnight along with a little warm jammy flapjack 😉
Hugs and some spoons to anyone needing.. 💗"There's a little witch in all of us"🔮🪬🧿DEBT FREE 06/2018Mrs SD’s Decluttering 2025 ⭐️ 🥇17
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