2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

regnbue

@TC77 Can I just say how impressed I've been with all your decluttering this year.  Your posts list so many items gone, especially big things like furniture, you must be proud of your progress.

Well done! 

suzeesu2000

To add to the boiler breaking down on Christmas Eve, thankfully mended same day, our stairlift broke down on Saturday morning. You don’t realise how reliant you are on equipment until it’s not available. 1st job Monday is call the repair man and hope he can come same day. Weird as it’s been serviced twice this year.

Finally got around to inventorying my 2nd freezer onto white board. 

Went through some papers and got rid of 2 empty notepads, by empty I mean no paper left in them.
Yet another flipping cardboard box, where the heck do they keep coming from?? 

Used the left over half pack of cocktail sausage, sweet peppers, mushrooms, onion to make a sausage casserole and it was blimming lovely.
Got half pack of streaky bacon to use so found a pack of liver in 2nd freezer; liver, bacon, onion tomorrow.
Have just planned 5 weeks worth of dinners. Will definitely need to buy veg and bread, but lovely friend works in Tesco so she will get for me to save me from having to do a shop.
Anyone else feel like this “dead space” between Christmas and New Year is REALLY dragging this year? I am not enjoying it at all. 

Hope everyone has had a good weekend, sleep tight xx

TC77

@regnbue that's very kind of you and it only with your and others on this journey led by the wonderful Mrs SD that its been possible.
I am proud of myself and sometimes tinkering around the edges works and sometimes focusing on survival and self care until we can dive into decluttering for even a while is important.

Looking forward to being with everyone on the 2026 adventure 😀 

florianatwobob

I had a bit of a sort out of knitwear today and found a couple that I like in principle but just don’t reach for so they’re off to the CS tomorrow. 

DSis & I have started a new Ziffit box which may or may not leave this year of be the start of next years decluttering. 

I’m also itching to have a rummage through the bottom of the wardrobe and the baskets on top of the wardrobe this week. 

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

Sunday I was up a lot later than yesterday having slept rather better in my own bed 😉 Rather than getting dressed I am snuggled up in my dressing gown 🤭 Having rained in the early hours of the morning it is now dull & overcast with a forecast high of 8°C (feeling 4° colder due to a chilly NE wind) & a low of 5°C🥶 

Being a bit naughty, rather than catching up with the cheerleading I have been clearing down a few programmes from the planner whilst finishing another hat 😉 However I have one load of laundry which has been washed, dried & folded & most of the 2nd load is drying in td. Dinner was bubble & squeak 😋 Wudupa

2368 - 2369 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 

2370 Kitchen detritus - binned 

Now for a spot of cheerleading starting from the 26th

London_1, thank you for sharing such a poignant memory 🥹 What a lovely way to spend Boxing Day ☺️ I would definitely have opted for the pub 😂 I was surprised to hear that there were still some sausage rolls left 🤭 The record fair on Saturday sounds wonderful 😊 Talk about well organised already planning your planting 🤩

GrannyKate, those polar bear candles sound very cute ☺️ & so nice that they remind you of Happy Christmases 🥹 It sounds like you have had a fantastic Christmas week 🥹 & how lovely that you will have seen all your children & grandchildren 🥹 I think you will love the Royal Albert Hall - a beautiful building & a great venue. Loved This “DS2 and family got me a Swarovski miniature poinsettia - he said I couldn't kill that.” 😅 I don’t have a lot of luck with indoor plants either 😉

weenancy sorry to hear that sickness & rain are delaying your Christmas celebrations until Sunday 😔 although I am pleased to hear that you are spending time doing things you enjoy 😊 Very impressive decluttering of books & magazines 👏 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 😊 I do hope middle cat is OK 🙏 Sending you many cwtches 🤗🤗🤗

Lovely to see you StickyTheStickInsect 👋 So very sorry to hear about your DMum 🥺 please accept my condolences & please be kind to yourself after such a tough few months 🙏  Re the decluttering - very impressive numbers & reaching 281 bags merits another Gold Star ⭐️ (which was actually due for 260 bags 🙂) I can confirm that there will be a 2026 Decluttering thread which I will be putting up on Monday 😃 

BlueJ94, fingers crossed that your day at work on Saturday passed quickly 🤞 Very impressed that you are already organising 2026 birthday & Christmas gifts 🤩 Good luck with decluttering in the spare room 🍀 

Lovely post vulpix 😊 Hope you had a lovely meal out with your friends & that your stepson & gf’s visit went well 🥹 Well done on resisting temptation in As*a 👏 Enjoy your Christmas dinner on Sunday 😊 & hopefully you will have enough leftovers to have a picky bits lunch on Monday 🤞This “Went to see my Mum Christmas eve. She was telling me what a good cook my son's wife is. When he went to visit her I asked him to take a gift I had made!  Dgs1 had stuck stickers on a gingerbread house box and added sprinkles to melted chocolate on some cookies. There were also marzipan stuffed dates and hand made chocolate all beautifully and artisticly wrapped! Hahahaha good old DIL eh?” did make me chuckle 🙊 

Floss, pleased to hear that Meg followed the cup of tea with a glass of wine 😊 At least most of your Christmas gifts won’t be cluttering up your home for too long 😊

Brie, sending gentle cwtches 🤗 

MadamMim2013, although sorry to hear that your “body wasn’t cooperating with anything” but relieved to hear that you had a rest day 🙂 Excellent work dealing with leftover/excess food 👏

Lovely to see you DundeeDoll 👋 Hopefully altho work has been busy it has not been too stressful 🤞What a wonderful thing to do, very impressed with your litter picking exploits 👏 I am awarding you a Gold Star ⭐️ 

Lovely post Moorviews 😊 Pleased to hear that you had a lovely family Christmas 🥹 Good luck with the fridge sort out 🍀 & hopefully you can fill the freezer & so save money in January & February 🤞

weenancy, sorry to hear that your younger sister’s family have been ill 😔 Hopefully everyone will be recovered & your sister will stay well so that you can have your Christmas dinner on the 28th 🤞Although sorry to hear about the tornado, foods & rain (hope everyone is OK) I am relieved to hear that your younger sister’s weren’t affected 😮‍💨 I will keep my fingers crossed that the forecast rain doesn’t happen so that the Rose Parade & Rose Bowl can go ahead unhindered by bad weather🤞

Kind post Willowtree222 ☺️

I have caught up a little & will make a concerted effort tomorrow 🙂 Sleep tight everyone 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅 ‘Squirrel Whisperer’ ⭐️🏅🏅⭐️😇🏅🥇 

DSis Awards: ⭐️ ⭐️ 🏅

Decluttering Target 2025: 2370/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £677.00

weenancyinAmerica

Finally had our Christmas get-together.Had a good time. With drawing names for the adults, only ended up with two presents - one from my secret Santa and one from my sister for helping put up the trees. A gifts card and two warm pair of socks, plus a notepad with family pictures along the side and magnets with family pictures to go on the refrigerator. Will put the older ones away and put up the new ones. I will probably be snugged up with the socks come Wednesday and Thursday this week. Rain is expected to start Wednesday morning and continue until Saturday morning. The gift card is for a bookstore - I may use it for magazines there instead of books or use it to fill in the mystery authors that I really like. I have gotten rid of over 150 mystery books this year and have another bag ready to go. Gave the grandniece and grandnephews a big box of books too. Included some scripts for musicals and sheet music as grandniece has been in a couple musicals already with her school and is taking voice lessons, ballet lessons, and dance lessons. 

The Rose Parade may be a bit soggy but the parade with go on and and the Rose Bowl game will too. American football games are only called for thunderstorms. Some have been played in snow so heavy no one could see the field. No chance of that here though. Pasadena has only five or so days when the parade was rained on. The football game has gone on except for war (1942 only) and covid. Even when an earthquake struck, they just kept playing. We will be home snug inside watching all of it. Don't plan on going out in the rain. People here definitely don't know how to drive in the rain. Most of us try to stay off the road when we can. It last snowed in Anaheim in 1942 - actually the only time snow has been recorded here. This is why Disneyland was built in Anaheim - they didn't have to worry about closing because of weather - and don't.

Instead we will be inside cleaning house - I hope.    

suprisinglynice

Dexluttered my Christmas tree last night. Recycling being collected today, thank goodness.

More things in than out yesterday. Before Christmas I had spotted some christmas design jars with lids, went shopping yesterday and they were reduced to 99p for four! I now have my focus for 2026 fundraising, although I may go back and buy more. I will be filling and selling these for a local hospice who looked after a dear friend of OH's this year.

I need to re stock my baking store cupboard as it was severely depleted after Granddaughters bake-a-thon. I also need to sort out a cupboard of doom and get shelves put into it.

Off to stick on my anti nausea bands and crack on. 

I hope everyone has a good day.

oceanspirit

1 pair of shoes going in the bin as they have fallen apart.  They are about 25 years old and have done sterling service.

3 tops that I can no longer get over my head due to arthritis going to CS.

Was given 2 books for Christmas, one of which is similar to one I already have.  Will compare the two when I get home and keep the best one.

DundeeDoll

Aware of the environmental impact of technology and seeing to my horror how many emails are languishing in my delete (over 350000!!!) so one of my big aims for 2026 is to sort my electronic footprint. I have been chipping away at my inbox (down 25 a day, now 850).  

London_1

Good morning chums , well my eldest DD is at Heathrow at the moment seeing off my DGS Danny his wife and little girl Daisy ,They are off back to their home in New York this morning after their trip home to see us all
Daisy, my youngest DGGD is a lovely chatty little two and a half year old who is full of life and took to flying and travelling very well Her first time in the UK. My DD is really going to miss her bless her as she is her first grandchild. But her and her OH are going out there in March so not too long to go.

DGS Ben and I have another tip run this morning as he had a clear out of the loft and some stuff from the spare room. I found some odds and ends myself that can go as well so another three or four bags I think, and some cardboard boxes as well. Makes the dustmans life a bit easier at this time of the year.

WhenI lived in Kent we had recycling and general waste weekly whereas here its waste one week and recycling the following week.Even when there is only the three of us at home the rubbish bins seem to fill up just as quickly and there has been 7 of us for the past week here

Ben is taking some books I found for the childrens book shelf at his inner city school in London back with him this afternoon, so a bit more room on my big long bookshelfs on the mid-stair landing. My eldest DD bought me 8 books as part of my Christmas present that I hadn't read, so room is needed for them.
I am a total bookworm and there are books in my sitting room on shelves, and I even have a stack in my bedroom and in the ocnservatory.

The weather is dry but a bit on the chilly side, DGS Ben went to Bembridge fishing yesterday, but even he said it was a bit too rough and very windy there.

Time to get a wriggle on I think as I want to see if there is anything else that can go in my car for the tip.

Have a good day chums and wrap up warm if you can The sausage roll mountain is no more Ben decluttered the last few last night to his tummy   

JackieO xxx