2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

Soontobeoap

@oceanspirit you have made my day. I had a good giggle at you ending up at a 4 yr olds birthday party by mistake!

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. Don’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 was a dry, bright day with blue skies, fluffy white clouds & sunshine although very cold 🥶 with a high of 6°C (feeling 1° colder due to NNE wind) & a low of 1°C. When I got up there was a lovely bouquet of flowers from my DH waiting for me 🥹 

Another day of watching the Winter Olympics, knitting & napping. DH filled the bird feeders then spent a couple of hours in the freezing cold garage tidying & decluttering. One good find was a couple of bags of soda crystals, one of which has been decanted into a container (as I add a couple of scoops to every wash load to reduce the amount of washing gel I use) I retrieved a garlic bread from the freezer to accompany the spaghetti bolognaise I made for dinner. Wudupa.

315 - 321 Kitchen recycling, cardboard packaging, 2 glass jars, 2 cardboard boxes, drinks cans - recycled 

322 - 326 Kitchen detritus, quarter of a tyre, 2 bird food sacks, bag of garage detritus - binned

As an aside, the recycling wheelie bin hasn’t been emptied for 2 weeks 😖 even though DH put in a complaint & got a reply saying that they were going to be emptied by 11:30 Friday 🤔 

Now I will try to catch up with the cheerleading starting with Friday (as it has fallen by the wayside whilst I watch the Olympics 😅)

Florenceem, you certainly had a very busy Friday 🤩 Excellent decluttering & quite a few decorating & furnishing plans set in motion 👏 So handy having both a J & an R helping out 🥹 Another Gold star ⭐️ is on its way. Sorry to hear that the officer is being so insensitive 🥺 Is there any chance your best friend could have a discreet word on your behalf 🤔 especially as the officer seems to be so lacking in empathy. 

daisy_1571, thanks for the information about disposing of paint 👏 I will have to check details with our Tip 🤔 

Ms_Potato_Head,pleased to hear that your DS had a good birthday 😊 Great work sorting out your bedroom & creating a sanctuary 👏 A medal🏅 is on its way 🙂

Nice to see you back DundeeDoll 👋 I hope you enjoyed your time in India & have come back with lots of different spices 😉 Great work getting back into the swing of 26 minute decluttering/tidying sessions 👏

Moorviews, hope you had a wonderful holiday & that the weather was kind to you ☺️ I completely understand This “I need to decide what to do with tourist leaflets, maps etc. I know they should go straight into the recycling 😂 I get weirdly attached to them though and sometimes use tickets as bookmarks. Nice reminders, or clutter?” My usual method is to put them in a box with previous years maps etc & then once in a while I go through the box & find that I can recycle a few bits 🙊 The original plan was to make scrap books but that never quite materialised 😉 It certainly was wonderful & I am still buzzing 🤩 I am so lucky especially as DH is not a particular fan although he did enjoy this years production 😊 A sympathetic & empathetic response to Florenceem’s post 🥹

Liverpool_Anne, no need to sneak back in, sometimes you just need a break from decluttering 😉 Your friend was definitely calm whereas I would have been with you 😖 The only reason I record is because I can fast forward through & if something catches my eye (that I might not necessarily watch e.g. the cross country skiing) I will stop & watch. I have seen some remarkable performances + I get to fast forward through all the boring chat 😅 Your kitchen plans/design sound like they are coming along nicely 😊 One thing I was grateful that we did decide on was extra sockets & under cupboard lighting as well as the warming drawer 😊 I am looking forward to seeing a photo of the picture as it sounds wonderful 😊Hope the audiologist appointment went well 🤞

vulpix, I did have to smile at your impromptu trip to Chinatown 😆 MrV sounds like my DSis 🙊 

Wednesday2000, how wonderful that you still see school friends even if there has been a long gap 😊Good luck sorting the kitchen drawers 🍀 & I hope you find the missing cable 🤞

_Dolly_Rocker_, no need to confess - I would have done exactly the same thing ☺️ True bargains are very rare 😉

DundeeDoll, hopefully now that you have cleaned the cupboard & boxed everything, your mouse visitor will head for pastures new 🤞

Soontobeoap, pleased to hear that you are on the mend 😊 However please don’t do too much before you are fully recovered 🙏

TC77, fingers crossed that the door will soon be fixed 🤞

GrannyKate, so much for a quick trip 😟 but pleased to hear that you made the best of it by making several useful purchases 👏 I am rather bemused to hear that it is going to take a week to switch your bank accounts 🤔 but will keep everything crossed that it all goes smoothly 🤞 Sorry to hear that DS2 & DiL had such an horrendous start to their trip 😔 4 hours to get through passport control is a travesty 😖 

Florenceem, J is doing such a wonderful job helping you that I am awarding him another Gold Star ⭐️ Also as R is being such a help I am awarding him a medal 🏅 How nice to receive monies rather than paying out 😊 I will keep everything crossed that your drive does NOT have to be dug up 🤞More excellent decluttering 👏

TC77, sounds like you are going to be rather busy over the next couple of months, so please make sure you get lots of rest & take time for yourself ☺️ Good luck with the inventories & the multi year frog 🍀

Great decluttering DundeeDoll 👏 & I am loving that you keep finding useful items ☺️

Excellent work on your six part frog oceanspirit 👏 Accidentally ending up at a 4 year old’s birthday party set me off chuckling 🤭 & I am struggling to stop 😉

Excellent decluttering greent 👏 I am especially impressed with the decluttering of weight 🤩

Soontobeoap, me too 😂

All caught up (whilst listening to & watching the 3 programmes ‘Love Songs at the BBC’) so off to bed. Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐💐 

DH Awards: 🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 326/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £41.00

weenancyinAmerica

@Moorviews - Our family history society likes to get maps as it is easier to find places on a larger map than what you see on the computer or phone and see what is nearby. I use a lot of the maps I have for that reason.

Florenceem

Morning all - cold and wet here.

Off to Church later.

2Scratters

Morning Peeps,

as yesterday got me a bit diverted with unexpected visitors (always nice to see) delayed me in some of my planned activities. Anyhow off on a rolling start today. Small chest freezer emptied and contents tetris sorted into the up right freezer. Dragged the chest freezer outside of the house I'll drag it onto the front when I get dressed. Nowt to sure that DH will pull his face at me doing this on my own. It really wasn't heavy to drag 😉 Hoovered up, hoovered the air purifier filter and put back together. It's happy again it can breath and continue doing a great job. It certainly works with collecting the floating brick dust. Hung up a wash load onto the air dryer.

Off to visit a friend this afternoon who is having an issue with a multi national company that designs and sells kitchens and other stuff.

Fortunately is has not been paid for yet.

Will get the low down on that debacle.

This week is general waste bin day and I like to make good use of it. The bin lads will be missing the weight this time so will bulk it out. It always make me look a bit harder for stuff to go.

Have a good day

2 Scratters xx

London_1

Good Morning chums , gosh it been a busy week here. A bit of decluttering, a good bit of knitting and nattering, and some jigsawing the Killler jigsaw.

Plus it feels like the second flood as its been so wet and grey

Yesterday was sunny at least and dry, but rather chilly . Today the rain is back with avengence once more :(

Monday was U3A games afternoon which was good, as I play Cribbage and really enjoy it.

I thought instead of driving I would use the bus,but as there are so many road closures on the Island at the moment the buses are running late all the time so an extra 20 minutes to get into Ryde

The Ryde to Newport bus is quite good around every 10 minutes so that wasn't a problem, then returning to Ryde again was fine, but the bus froom there to where I live was 30 minutes late, and sitting at the Esplanade bus shelter with the rain hammering down, and the wind blowing a hooley wasn't great fun, and I was absolutely frozen time I got home.

Wednesday I took my car to Stitch and B**ch at Ryde still raining :( will it ever stop ! Rained daily since the start of the year :(

Thursday, I decided to bus it, and got the 'long bus ride'number 3 to Newport which goes all around the houses to get there normally about 1 hour 20 minutes, I left in plenty of time, and thought when I get there I'll have a cuppa before the meeting I was going to. Nah, this time because of the roads 2 hours ! so no time for a cuppa :( It was a U3A monthly meeting and the talk was about 'Island Erosion' ! ! !

I think the IoW is a bit like an Alka Seltzer, and is slowly decluttering itself by the year into the sea

The constant rain isn't helping as the chalk is just soaking it up. Freshwater lost some of its cliff in the past few days and sadly there will be more landslides and cliff falls I think.

Yesterday the sun actually came out and although very chilly it was nice to see a glimmer of spring hopefully

This morning its back to grey skies and pouring rain again,I'm glad we live fairly high up so flooding isn't a worry .

But walking through Newport the other day all the shops seemed to have sand bags stashed just in case

On a brighter note DGD Holly texted me to say her and her chap had just got engaged, and I'm really pleased as her first marriage ended acrimonisly

Bless her she was heartbroken, as he went off with someone else after 6 years together,and only a years marriage.

But her chap adores her and she is very happy, and I couldn't be more pleased for her.

Declutteringwise I did a great deal of paper and photo decluttering and even have sorted out a bag of wool that I'll never use for a friend who will take it to the local hospice knitting group, so a good home found for it

Two of my teaching DGS are coming over for a few days this Wednesday as its half term so I'm looking forward to seeing them

Ben (my gardening one ) and Jack my ( jigsaw and techy expert :) ) I've had my instructions already they must be met with HM Melting Moments biscuits and some HM leek and tattie soup at Wednesday lunchtime

They do like to get their orders in quickly :) I'm hoping Jack will get the killer jigsaw a good thrashing :)

Just finishing off the charity blanket I knit, then I have a big sewing together job for a friend, of lots of crocheted squares, 2 bagfuls) and then I have to knit a border around it as its a blanket for a mutual friend who has very little, and we want to help her out, so a group of ladies did lots of crocheted squares and I voluteered to sew them together then bind them with a knitted border all around :) I think I will lay them all out on my double bed and arrange the pattern of them then take a photo and refer to it as I'm sewing them together There are an awful lot of them :)

I was pleased that one of my little presents I gave to eldest DD, who is a great procrastinator, she is actually using

I found it in a shop in Newport and its a notebook entitled

'The Things I Have To-Do' note book :)

and she is actually using it daily now and ticking things off as she goes, which is good as she normally is complaining that she never manages to catch up on things :)

This week hopefully will be a bit more relaxed ,well until the boys get here on Wednesday I expect :) :)

Onwards and upwards chums

I may have to build an Ark if it keeps on raining :) :)

JackieO xxx

Floss

My brother & sis-in-law came over yesterday mid-afternoon, and we began looking at the family history stuff they stored. We had 2 breaks for food, and went to bed around 12:30am! They've left it all here so I can sort, read & re-type some papers from an uncle.

Some recluttering has taken place - bathroom blinds & plants from IKEA, a couple of new books and a new hoodie for my holidays. I did take several bags to the chazzer last week, and will be sifting my clothes again before I pack.

I'm aiming to take a smaller case than previously, as I don't wear half of what I take. It's only a week, all inclusive and not warm enough for beaches, so will plan carefully!

DundeeDoll

Thanks @Mrs_Salad_Dodger - as well as moving food compost to closed box and disinfecting the whole cupboard, I asked Google for some advice - it suggested strong smells like peppermint or clove oil. I happened to have some out of date olbas oil (ahem 2018!). It also suggested blocking any gaps with iron wool and caulk. Don't have any caulk but did find some iron wool, soaked it in olbas oil and stuffed it into the gap by the pipe. no mouse droppings this morning so fingers crossed. oh it smells good though every time i open the cupboard.

#32 back to the office - the best find, the floor!!!! still a way to go, but if i get it all sorted by end of February I shall be very happy.

oceandreamer

Have decluttered under the kitchen sink today. Considering I avoid housework like the plague, I had an impressive number of weird and wonderful, very old, products. I have completely streamlined and only now have what I might (!) use. There just seems to be endless places in the house to declutter. Keeping plodding on.

Florenceem

MrsSD - absolutely no chance of my bestie speaking to the officer - breakdown of relationship - all the officer's fault. Officer didn't speak to my bestie at COL. All very sad behaviour from a Christian minister.

I went to my bestie's corps today and really enjoyed it. I do watch my local corps service and my old Church one.

I have carried on with the sorting and decluttering. My black waste bin was emptied on Friday - already put a full black sack and ledger covers in there. I am on my last red paper & card bag.

I have emptied the top shelf in the lockable cupboard now. I need to catch up with a chap who is into coins as there are so many from that cupboard. I also have uncirculated £1 notes and commemorative crowns

Today I found a club ledger that was started in June 1960.

I have been moaning at Mr F about the mess he has left for me to sort.

J is coming at 8 tomorrow morning. I think I will get him to paint the kitchen ceiling and then the cloakroom one while the white emulsion is open. Any other areas done will be a bonus. I will cook J some lunch - don't want to put him off working for his nan.

I have someone collecting shelves, tena pants and a freezer basket tomorrow. Later on someone is collecting a bag of old keys. Carpet shop are coming to measure the bedroom.

No one has asked for the chest of drawers yet on Freegle.

My paint arrived today

I did find yesterday to be a hard day without my Mr F..