2025 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN MrsSD - The Joy of Decluttering

daisy_1571

This thread is linked on martins email   


Hugs to all xxxxxxx

mehefin

was recycling day today and a 3 weekly black bag collection. Our generous council had said we could put out 6 bags this time after the Xmas glut. Our last collection was Xmas Eve so there was plenty to go.
Took the opportunity to attack a bit more from the loft (saved me a tip run) so out went 6 lampshades: various empty cardboard boxes with other empty boxes in them ( they must have been from a previous owner as they were for stereo bits of a make I don't possess); a big plastic bag labelled 'kitchen drawers' which must have been stuffed up there when we moved here nearly 29yrs ago!! There were some real treasures in that including all the cards we received on the birth of DS (1993) plus various birthday cards; a pair of table tennis bats and a net, a pile of homewine making kit ( recycled to friend)  and a host of other things -  mostly junk and skipped. However, there was an absolutely gorgeous pair of tiny child's trainers ( size 2) which I shall  embarrass DS with on his next visit -just because I can lol. Also a handmade horseshoe which Dawn's great grandfather had made when he had a forge in Melbourne, Cambridgeshire. I will have to find a way to mount it on the wall with the sepia picture of the old chap outside his forge, and the copy of his advertisement from when he took the business over. How on earth this stuff ended up there I shall never know - but the majority has been suitably attended too now. There is still a heck of a lot of stuff to go, but it was blooming cold up in the loft so it can wait for another day. Keep picking away.
To top it all I decluttered a dinner plate onto the kitchen floor which shattered into a million bits, typically after the blackbags had gone!! It will have to wait another 3 weeks in the bin before it is considered 'gone'.

Tjh1412

Hope you have some better news soon Florenceem, it must be awfully worrying for you.

Mrs SD, thank you very much for the second gold star, it has been mad at work this week but it has motivated me to get another 22 bits hone this evening before I settled down with tea and cake to watch the MSE show.

Finally completed an inventory of some of the bathroom stock too, targeting the multiple half packets of paracetamol etc and all the mini lotions and potions from gift sets first is my plan. Should have the first one gone tomorrow, as I have been working through a part box of cold and flu tablets to keep me going. 

DD was up at 5.45 this morning, full of beans and bounce so think it's safe to say she is on the mend. She also managed to 'assist' in the decluttering by knocking over a rather hideous mug, so that's now gone to commune with the rest of the dustbin detritus. 

Will have a couple of items in later on this week, have managed to score a dining table and chairs on a local buy nothing group which will be perfect for new house, and took advantage of January sales for a new set of saucepans, as my old ones were donated. They do have a lifetime guarantee though, and were 75% off so an MSE win if not a stuff reducing one. 

One more ball of wool finished, and I now have 8 hats so should hit my target there; slow going on getting through the craft stash with those though. May have to start making blankets for the friends and family babies due this year to accelerate the process. 

Tomorrow I have my sights set on decluttering another mysteriously labelled box, this time it's 'doodads and gizmos'. Must have words with DP before packing commences if we ever move again.

Hope all have had a good day and managed to keep warm, still very chilly here 

weenancyinAmerica

Roommate Di still in nursing home, now has a sore throat and threw up last night; I was supposed to visit her today but I was too dizzy to drive. Hope nothing new is making its rounds. I did wear a face mask when I visited there last.

I've been busy decluttering a little by wandering around downstairs with a paper bag, sitting down and cleaning the area around where I am sitting. Hope to fill two or three paper bags by the time I finish. Will make a dent in the problems. However, cats have knocked several boxes over in roommate Di's room, will need to clean up and declutter what was in those by the end of today also. Have done the usual things - fed the cats, changed their water dishes, done our dishes, cleaned up fingerprints (I tackle a new area every day), swept part of a room (a section a day). Can only stand up for a few minutes at a time so break everything down into bits of time. Did have one success yesterday - the young man who helps do handyman type work in exchange for using our driveway came and patched the bathroom wall and repainted the whole room. Two things taken off my to-do list. 

Cat is trying to type on the computer so will need to stop.

TC77

@Florenceem hugs and thinking of you and Mr F.
Moving a few things from DD2's room before work and after work , a few small thing out (count as 2), unsubscribing, a little paper declutter and hairbands, 160

TC77

Forgot I broke a glass putting a bowl away leaning over other things - clearly too many belongings, and just realised that  I cut (very minor ) my finger and in getting out first aid kit for a plaster things fell out  let's hope changed by the end of the year (earlier would be good).

thorntonx

We're moving house this year, and I had a baby 2 months ago so hoping to use my maternity leave to declutter before the big move (around keeping a human alive) so getting inspiration from this forum is great!

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

Emptying just the one shelf of my food cupboard worked as I didn’t like seeing my kitchen work surface so cluttered 😅 Shelf wiped down & restocked. Managed to decant various foodstuffs & binned some out of date spices. Decluttered two lots of cardboard packaging + 2 plastic spice pots. So much tidier & everything now visible 👏

87 - 90 Cardboard packaging & washed plastic pots - recycled

Excellent decluttering vulpix 👏 Very, very impressed that 4 of 6 rooms are completely decluttered 🤩 Rather remiss of me not to have made an award this year especially as you are making inroads into the last area of decluttering 🥳 One Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way 🙂 Yippee to a councillor & someone from the flood turning up tomorrow 🥳 I do hope you have photos of the ‘ice installation’ It does sound like they are finally getting their act together 🤞

A lovely empathetic post weenancy 🥹 When you put it like This “The fires are still burning - 38,000 plus acres already. This is like half of Isle of Wight or two and a half Guernsey Islands.” it really brings home the utter devastation 😢 Please, please take care 🙏

Florenceem, good news that you have finally managed to speak to a doctor 🙂 I hope that MrF was better when you went to visit him yesterday afternoon 🙏 Cwtches to you both 🤗

wishus, a great start to your 2025 Decluttering campaign 👏

Florenceem, I am relieved to hear that you have curtailed your activities at SA & that you are starting to give yourself a bit of TLC 🥹

Lovely to see you Siebrie 😊 Good luck to you & DD re the sale of marbles 🍀 The mention of marbles brings back happy memories 🙂

Florenceem, I hope you were careful on your second walk into town & that your new footwear had plenty of tread 🤞

What a faff BlueJ94 😠 Not at all impressed by your employers 😟 I think I would have just gone straight home 😉 Hope you were successful in sorting the TV unit 🤞

DH was on cooking duties tonight - cheesy pasta with me as his kitchen assistant chopping up all the cheese - 6 varieties 😉 After many years of thinking about it, I finally wrapped each cheese in wax paper rather than leaving them in their plastic wrapping 🙂 We used a pasta called ‘Gigli’ 😋 Wudupa.

91 - 92 Kitchen recycling, drinks cans - recycled 

93 - 95 Kitchen, lr & office detritus - binned

GrannyKate, you certainly were very busy over the weekend 🤩 Proof positive that with the right help anyone can get so much more done than going solo 😊 Excellent decluttering, cleaning & loft filling by you, DD & SiL 👏 So impressed that I am giving each of you a medal🏅🏅🏅 Good luck with the sale of the specialised Olympic postage stamps 🍀

Excellent work QueenJess 👏 This “There is someone that posts with pristine and sometimes brand new unused items that is irritating me at the moment.  Their posts sound like a threat as they are along the lines of "pick up or it's going to the tip on Thursday" would irritate me as well 😠 so I quite understand your frustration.

dND, such a shame that all your hard work making the marmalade wasn’t appreciated by DS1 & DiL1 😕 How ‘weird’ that neither of them eat marmalade 🙄 Such a shame that your builders were not as efficient as London_1’s builders 😔 Also sorry to hear that you are a bit downhearted about the fact that at the moment it is more ‘crisis management’ than planned work 😢 I understand that DS1 is busy but is there any chance he could do the work in the lofts 🤞Good luck with the garden work 🍀

Siebrie, This “I'm drinking the assorted teas I brought home from Mum's, and think of my deceased Dad every time I do; trying out teas was more his hobby than hers. It's a good memory, and in a week or 3 the teas will be gone, and the tin will be recycled” is so wonderful 🥹 Daily life sounds exceedingly busy so not at all surprising that you don’t have time to post often 😉 Hopefully things will settle down soon 🤞 Everything crossed that your local authority can get something sorted for your Mum 🤞 fifteen months is a long time to wait for the upstairs neighbours to sort out the problem 😠 Wishing you good fortune re the ‘business opportunity’ 🍀

~FlowerPot~, such wonderful news that you have resumed your painting 😊 I love the white flowers painting 😍 Not usually a fan of abstract painting but am strangely drawn to the 2nd painting & the more I look at it the more I am drawn in 😊

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏

Florenceem, reading your post of the 13th, I am so sorry to hear that MrF is still so very poorly 😢 You & MrF are in my thoughts. I am praying that further tests will help with a diagnosis of what is happening & that an effective treatment plan will soon be in place 🙏

oceanspirit, that certainly sounds like a very frustrating day 😩 Although I was pleased to hear that your OH is continuing the good work clearing laundry 👏

Great work selling the ‘crafting lots’ suzeesu2000 👏 Sorry to hear that your ‘decluttering mojo’ has taken a mini break - probably headed off to warmer climes for a few days 😉 Hopefully now that it is warming up a little, your ‘decluttering mojo’ will return fully recharged 🤞

Florenceem, well done on the sorting & packing ready for delivery to the CS 👏 Enjoy your new hot water bottle 😊

Oops, just noticed the time so will post this & head to bed 😊 Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🌟 ❤️ ❤️ 🏅 

DH Awards:

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2025: 95/2025

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

addacomment

2025 ....  likely moving so need to 'redistribute' stuff! .... I'm not decluttering I'm    redistributing .... to charity shops, to family, to friends and neighbours.  Sounds so much more positive       

  Any money made is being used to support the poorest in a rural area of Tanzania through our NGO based in Njombe, and being put towards us being able to visit them (we haven't been out since 2016). 

Florenceem

Mrs SD - you are off to bed as I am getting up.
Thank you all for the good wishes for Mr F.
I weighed myself and have lost 7 lbs.
C thinks that it may be the same as before in 2023 with Mr F but there was a reason then - he was stressed about running his business. Mr F never got a formal diagnosis when he was in hospital for nearly 3 months - I called it a mental breakdown. He does seem in a worse condition than then - hopefully the detailed mri report will be with the doctors.
I will be off to town at 9. Not so cold here today.