2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

grandmanerd

I killed the toaster a couple of months ago and just put it outside. Mrs Builder put it on the concrete block by the car park entrance and it has now gone (scrap man or someone who thought they could fix it). I asked her on Monday to look through the junk in the backs (strictly speaking it's not my responsibility, it either came from next door - number 2, empty and up for sale - or from number 8, now with a new owner but the builders left a load of junk everywhere - the poor man couldn't put his bins out because they were all full to overflowing with builders' junk). I asked her to look for any metal bits the scrap man might take and put them out.

I have spent a lot of time over the past 2 years clearing the backs (next door's back wall fell down due to some self seeded trees that had been allowed to get out of hand - old man who lived there was taken into hospital and had stopped making an effort a long time before). I always used to litter pick the end of the back - a metal fence divided us from the shops on the big road, so we got litter coming off the car park and litter blown in from the big road. When the wall came down it made it very hard to get around (I had been avoiding it as I knew it was bellying out and had told the old man to get his landlord on it). I can't do as much as I used to and I'm very slow but I want to try and keep it in some sort of order (ideally grow plants up it and thread ivy through the metal bars so litter from that direction is stopped.

Anyway another 7 pieces of metal are awaiting collection, the toaster went, I took a library book back (longest walk so far), 4 more bin bags/ recycling out. I finally plucked up courage to use my new air fryer/ convection oven and have been decluttering things that have been in the freezer and a few special bits I bought for my birthday (normally anything left over from Christmas does for my birthday but I was so ill I didn't bother getting anything) so ice cream, summer berries, chicken dippers, chips, spicy prawn lollipops, happy hog pigs in blankets, smoked mackerel, lamb kebabs all eaten. I have taken two 'block meals, out, added easy chillies (they were a bit bland) and chopped broccoli, red pepper and mushroom to bulk them out, I have a bag of onions as I want to make bacon soup and another batch of chicken broth (with cabbage, celery, carrots and leeks from the fridge). So a good shuffle round, my stuff being used and enough space for DS3 and Beloved's shopping (I had to go under the stairs and play with the tall freezer as DS3 said I was the only one 'thin' enough to get round the corner (he paid me in mini rolls).

Another 21 items out (not counting ingredients) so current total 139/ 2026. I may have also decluttered half a house but haven't checked my bank account yet (my grandma's house but my brother owns the other half)

ilovetea

Hello every one.

Haven't done much today at all.

97 posted an e-bay sale.

98-99 2 more old magazines recycled.

100 cardboard box broken down and in recycling bin..

Phone has decided to stop working properly. only had it 6 months. Friend is returning it to the shop for me.

Had doctors appt. Went and am being refered to another doctor. Who knows when that will be.

Never mind. Tomorrow is another day!.

ilovetea xx

Green_hopeful

I have been working on mounting my husband’s relatives’ WWI and WWII medals. I watched a YouTube video and i am swing mounting them. I got the bars and invisible thread online. Well here’s the thing invisible thread is quite hard to see. Its a fiddly job but trying to control the invisible thread takes some patience. I have done 7 medals and have another four to go tomorrow. Then I need to work out how to display them in the frame I have found.

I brought my needle and thread upstairs to repair my new rug where the naughty cat has been chewing the corner and i lost the invisible thread from the needle. Oh my. I retraced my steps and got a young person in to look but the thread has gone. Hoping I can find it tomorrow in the daylight. It’s plastic so I don’t want to leave it on the floor.

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, a couple of bad days here. Yesterday I felt proper off, no real reason but just bleurgh and struggled to do anything. I did get to the bank though and sorted out a couple of things, one was a frog. There is still one thing to sort but the person I wanted to see wasn't there, some sort of training day so completely different staff in the branch 🙄. A bottle from the bathroom uu emptied and recycled. Today I felt slightly better and went for my hearing test. There appears to be a discrepancy between the ears and the audiologist thinks it needs further investigation so I have a letter for my gp for a referral to ENT and an nhs audiologist. I would benefit from hearing aids apparently and I could have bought them there but I think I will investigate the nhs ones first as they are quite expensive, still got the kitchen to pay for and honestly I don't think it's that bad. I did try some while at the shop and I was impressed with the technology so we shall see 😁. The blister packs I found were dropped off and after tea I made a start on a new knitting project, a cowl which will be a gift for a friend's son, probably for next Christmas 😂. I found a hand written pattern that I have obviously found somewhere but I think it's using chunky yarn and I have dk so I am making it up as I go along a bit 😂. The pattern is for fisherman's rib and I remember thinking it looked quite good so we shall see 😂.

@Vulpix Ilove the idea of lavender in your sunny front garden, I love lavender and there are so many varieties you could go mad with them 😁. I do have rose cuttings put by for you if you still want one, or more 😂. It's a white with a pale pink edge rambler and I think it's pretty indestructible, lovely perfume and prolific flowerer but you would need some sort of frame, wigwam or whatever to tie it to. I have it in probably the sunniest place in my garden and it never gets watered or fed really 😁Have a think about it 😁.

@dND I agree I don't want plants that fight back but I do love my holly and roses 😂

Right time for bed

Hugs to everyone who would like one

159 bank frog

160 uu bottle from bathroom

161 blister packs recycled

Take care everyone

161/2026

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Daily To Do List - written the night before
2. Sort out sleep patterns - initial targets: bed by 03:00, up by 10:30
3. Do’t put it down, put it away + deal with mini tasks as soon as they are noticed e.g. refill olive pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc.
4. Commence ‘Operation Financial Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter
5. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed
6. Plan & Execute ONE Major Project - 2026 New Bathroom
7. Target 2026 items out

Friday started raining after 01:00 rained on & off to 09:00. A damp, dreary day with a forecast high of 10°C (feeling 2° colder due to SSE wind) & a low of 4°C Although I did go to bed I couldn’t sleep so was up at 09:20. I finished another hat, see pic

I had several drinks & watched some TV. DH had a bath as he was going out to lunch with an old colleague. He left 12:20 & I stirred my stumps & went upstairs. Finally put a new duvet in the duvet cover then braved the Room of Doom 😉 Found another old pillow which has been binned (184) & also a large bag of bubblewrap which has been sorted with most bagged to go to CS. A small bag of bits of bubblewrap binned (185) & a small bag kept for Justin. I also went through my bedside cabinet & binned four pairs of no-show socks & 2 sets of bra inserts (no idea why I kept them 🤔) taking me to 191/2026 DH got back about 16:30. There had just been the two of them & DH stuck to his dry January by having a Dr Pepper. Rained on & off all afternoon & evening. Ordered in & had chinese for dinner. Wudupa

192 - 196 Kitchen recycling, plastic bottle, plastic sweetie tin, cardboard box, paper packaging - recycled 

197 Kitchen detritus - binned 

TC77, sorry to hear about the unexpected taxi ride 😔 Fingers crossed for the viewing on your dad’s house 🤞

Green_hopeful, thanks for the flower suggestions 😊

Lovely post MadamMim2013 🥹

mehefin, nice to see you 👋 Good work donating the blow up camp bed 👏 No ideas re the hessian type aprons 😔

Good job submitting your tax form pixtotts 👏 Great decluttering 👏  A little tip - I would count the boxes separately as they take up so much space 😉 Enjoy your weekend 😊

_Dolly_Rocker_ sorry to hear that you still have the cough 😔 Fingers crossed it stays dry whilst you are walking the dog 🤞

vulpix, hope you have lots of fun planning your gardens 😊

London_1, what a lovely treat & so nice that you didn’t have to disturb your garden display 😉 Crikey, the years have flown by - are you sure Mikey is really finishing university this year 😧 Good luck with mission tidy up leaves 🍀

Useful tips Floss 😊

Excellent & patient work sorting photos ionafan 👏

Muddy_Walker, This “it may be the last working day of the month but I’m sure it took a week!” very droll 😅 Nothing at all wrong with disappointing Rogan once in a blue moon 😅 Hope you get a good night’s sleep 🤞

Excellent decluttering & cleaning Pennypincin 👏

Excellent decluttering QueenJess 👏 & well done on tackling your craft stash 😊

suzeesu2000, loved This “Everyone should know that there are 15 months in a year and three of them are January! 🤣 Sorry to hear that the medication dosage change made you feel even worse 😔 Yippee to getting signed on at a local NHS dentist 🥳 Great work filling the recycling bin 👏

GrannyKate, great result with the car valeting 🥳 especially as I imagine the glasses were probably quite expensive 😉

Great post dND 😊 thanks for all the gardening tips 👏

Another busy day Florenceem, excellent & eclectic decluttering 👏 Hopefully there is not too much more paperwork to sort out 🤞

Excellent work clearing other people’s garden rubbish grandmanerd 👏 A medal 🏅 is on its way 😊 Excellent decluttering & well done on using up freezer contents 👏  second medal 🏅 is on its way 😊 Congratulations on the house sale 🥳 Hopefully the sale monies are now in your bank account 🤞

Great decluttering ilovetea 👏 Remember every item out is a wine specialty if you are getting money in 🥳 Grr to the phone not working 😖  & Fingers crossed that you get a quick referral 🤞

Excellent work with the medals Green_hopeful 👏 Keeping everything crossed that you find the invisible thread 🤞 & can complete the sewing 😊

Liverpool_Anne, sorry to hear that you have been feeling “bleugh” 😞 Sometimes there is just no rhyme or reason 😞 Despite that well done going out & dealing with a financial frog 👏 Hopefully your slight hearing issue can be sorted out inexpensively 🙏 Good luck knitting the cowl 🍀 Btw thanks for the recommendation for lavender in a south facing garden ☺️

Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐

DH Awards: 🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 197/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

florianatwobob

@vulpix i have a southwest (ish) back garden and my front garden gets a lot of sun in summer too.

The plants that do best are salvias (Hot Lips, Cherry Lips, Royal Bumble), lavender, rosemary, choisya, wisteria, Japanese anemones, tulips, and bluebells, peony, mahonia (the berries are very popular with the blackbirds).

Structurally I have 2 lilac trees in the back garden which are 50+ years old too. One of them was actually my neighbours but it got the hump and moved under the fence to live with us instead. We gave some of our peony tubers to neighbours on the other side. They migrated back under the fence too….. I’m not sure what that says about my neighbour’s gardens, or ours…..

Ms_Potato_Head

Morning all and happy weekend 🌞 I have been through my upstairs storage cupboard and made some more space - mostly by tidying but there was also some decluttering. Also a little bit of recluttering after a shopping trip but overall, moving in the right direction:

Bags of miscellaney: 1

Household items: 9 (4 in, 13 out)

Cleaning products: 1 (1 in, 2 out)

Paper work: 3

Clothes: -3 (5 in, 2 out)

Net total for 2026 so far: 57

MPHx

greent

Very quick update:

Declutter 2026

107. Shower oil uu, replaced from stash, bottle recycled (I don't myself shower products, as I get plenty for bday/ xmas/ mothers day, so they're all nicer than I'd buy if I was buying them myself! 4 children means I sometimes get a stash buildup, though! 😆)

108 - 109 2 x. Yank33 candle fully burned/ uu

110-111. 4 tealights uu (counting as 2 things as I used 2 at a time and they're titchy)

Digital Declutter 20026

894 - 899. Email subscriptions unsubscribed

900 - 901. 2 apps deleted from phone

902 - 1101 - 200 emails deleted. Thousands still to go…

Includes 11/26 unsubscribing target

Declutter 26lb

Another 1lb gone! (Running total 5/26)

Am so busy at work that I'm doing stupid hours and am shattered. Also had physio appt that left me jn pain for 2 days, so not feeling like doing much above work/ minimal housework. Its half term in 2 weeks, so (as usual) I have a plan to sort my life out that week (I always crash and burn, but usually make decent progress in the first few days) Hopefully I'll also get a few more things sorted this weekend 🤞🤞

GrannyKate

Morning all - just reporting in. I am trying out my new glasses - I usually only wear them around the house for the first few days. A few jobs lined up for today and I need to pop and get some salad and fruit for DS2 who should be back here around lunchtime tomorrow. Done some tidying up and a few frogs lined up for today. It's not raining but it's still cold.

166 Sorted through my carrier bag full of gardening/decorating clothes as I found a small underbed drawer that was empty so that is now their home - one pair of trousers binned.

167 Turned handbag out and binned tat. Moved some odd change to 1p saver.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. Daily To Do List - written the night before
2. Sort out sleep patterns - initial targets: bed by 03:00, up by 10:30
3. Do’t put it down, put it away + deal with mini tasks as soon as they are noticed e.g. refill olive pourer or salt cellar, stitch up a hole in a garment etc.
4. Commence ‘Operation Financial Frog Tickling’ using the acronym - I.R.I.S. (Identify, Research, Implement, Sign Off) - One per quarter
5. Continue to keep kitchen clean & tidy - before going to bed
6. Plan & Execute ONE Major Project - 2026 New Bathroom
7. Target 2026 items out

Saturday, I was up before 09:00 because I couldn’t sleep 😞 It is cloudy but bright with a forecast high of 10°C (feeling 2° colder due to S wind) & a low of 6°C. Rather than my usual turn the TV on & veg out I have been quite productive 😊 Whilst I was making my first cuppa I emptied one of the deep kitchen drawers, swept out crumbs & then refilled it neatly (guess what …….. there is space!) I have kept out a couple of tea towels & a couple of single oven gloves (I don’t get on with them at all 😞) which I will wash & donate to CS. Also found a box for the digital scales (why, oh why was I keeping it 🤔) & various packets of wipes which I will relocate. Then concentrated on the area beside the sofa - one Justin cardboard box (kettle) dismantled. Next was to deal with this week’s mail. 

198 - 207 Newspaper, paper packaging, cardboard packaging, 1.5” thick catalogue, magazine, 4 cardboard boxes of varying sizes, 0.25” paper - recycled 

Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil I emptied the second deep kitchen drawer. Nothing decluttered but a couple of items kept out to be used. All a lot tidier & can now see all the contents 😊 Now that I have my second cuppa, I will do the cheerleading:

florianatwobob, I loved the description of your garden ☺️ & had a fit of the giggles imagining the lilac tree & the peony tubers escaping from your neighbours gardens & tunnelling their way back to your garden 🙊Then had my flight of fancy wondering which one of the tree or the tubers was Charles Bronson 🤣

Excellent decluttering Ms_Potato_Head 👏 Well done on creating more space in the upstairs storage cupboard 👏 I am always surprised at how much space can be created if things are tidied & kept tidy 😊

Excellent decluttering greent, especially the 1lb 👏 As you are so busy at work & shattered, please remember to pop into the TLC Carriage for a rest ☺️

GrannyKate, the problem with new glasses is that everything is so much clearer & you start noticing even more areas that could do with some decluttering attention ☹️😂 Well done relocating your gardening/decorating clothes 👏 Now you just need to remember where they are 🙊

I will wish everyone a lovely weekend & will see you later 👋 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐

DH Awards: 🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 207/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00