2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

vulpix

soon to be oap, same goes for living in a National Park, never short of visitors. 🤣

Great minds think alike Daisy. I used to have loads of those wimsey animals when I was a kid. ❤️

Everyone has been so busy but not as busy as Yorkie1. You have had a weekend to remember!

Florenceem, I have decided on that claret colour you have for the dining room when the time comes.

We are on the way back from Nottingham. Been for a meal with Mr V’s old bandmates.

I have been given a bag of old tray cloths and table cloths. Most are damaged. I am looking forward to making them into something and giving them a new life. Be a change from decorating.

Vx

Brambling

loving that colour Vulpix and the rabbit thrown.

Very little done over the weekend and I was annoyed by a telephone conversation with elderly friend so stepped back for a few days, she didn't apologise but did say it was said because I was the only one she could say it to! I did go back tonight to pick up two bags of books for Petworth tomorrow and I will finish what I started as there isn't anyone else although she is threatening again to come home so she can die there.

My sister came around yesterday and we filled the garden wheelie bin and wheel barrow clearing some of the back garden and sorted the greenhouse. My sister tackled the brambles taking over behind the greenhouse. She wants payment in tomatoes from the green house and bean, courgette and cucumber plants I'm growing on from seeds.

As it's that time of the year I dealt with one financial frog and have another which I'll probably look at and complete on Thursday.

suzeesu2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81954010#Comment_81954010

Trouble is, Dizzycap, I’ve been doing that forever. I try to buy in bulk and have got to the point where buying meat is starting to become a luxury unless it’s greatly reduced. We’re trying to not spend and certainly no supermarket spends for a while. I can reduce my mobile phone bill down to sim only at the end of this month and will do same for DH when his contract expires in a couple of months. I’m wondering do we really need to keep the home phone? I don’t use it to make outgoing calls and only about 3 people ring us on it so I’m thinking of letting that go. It’s not a huge saving but all the little bits add up don’t they. If eBay and Vinted would pick up it would be a great help. Got lots of people “favouriting” lots of things on Vinted but no one’s buying, just the odd bit. We don’t have any subscriptions to anything, no TV things, we don’t buy magazines, we don’t buy alcohol, we have no children to pay anything for so I am at a loss. It will all come out in the wash, I’m sure. Time to pull my big girl pants up and get on with it, no good maudlin. 😁

suzeesu2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81954044#Comment_81954044

As my lovely old boss used to say “we don’t deal in problems, we have the solutions” and we usually did! Nite nite xx

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

Tuesday was a gloriously sunny day with a high of 19°C & a low of 7°C with a light E wind during the afternoon. However the wind picked up & now feels 3° colder. DH spent some time trying to sort out a fault on the bike - ABS light on - but with no success. Seems to have occurred since the alternator issues 😞 I spent the afternoon sorting out paperwork & reading booklets & magazines for recycling.

Dinner is rump steak with dauphinois potatoes & garlicky green beans. Wudupa

614 - 620 Kitchen recycling, plastic bottle, magazine, 3 booklets, drinks cans - recycled 

621 - 623 Kitchen, lr & office detritus - binned

Excellent work decluttering books weenancy 👏 Finally seeing spaces emerging on your book shelves confirms how well you are doing so a Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way. Sounds like you had a lovely Sunday at your sister’s despite the overly hot day ☺️ Yikes to all those bills you have to pay & all at once 😱

Deb4, good luck with your listings 🍀

suzeesu2000, a busy day & great work getting so much done 👏 I hope you have saved me a slice of quiche 😉

Dizzycap, fingers crossed that you slept through the night 🤞

Florenceem, such a shame that your DD probably won’t recover in time to run the London Marathon 😔 Hopefully she will be allowed to defer until next year 🤞 Hope your middle daughter has a lovely holiday in the Maldives ☺️

florianatwobob, wow that is complicated 😱 Excellent work in your garden 👏 Good luck sorting the sheds 🍀

suzeesu2000, at the moment we are as lucky as you with just the 2 bins which are/should be emptied on a weekly basis & a separate garden waste collection 😊 There is a food waste bin available but the local foxes are in the habit of knocking the small caddy over & scattering the contents everywhere 🙁

florianatwobob, hopefully nothing will change 🤞

BlueJ94, hope you enjoyed your warm day 😊

Deb4, hope you enjoyed your farm visit & that the weather was fine 🤞

Good luck with Project Pan BlueJ94 🍀 as well as with your top tasks for 2026 🍀

Florenceem, thank you for the lovely compliment 😊 Please to hear that you had another pain free night 🥹

Excellent work Rootle 👏 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way for reaching the first milestone of 2026 😊

What a gorgeous room vulpix 🤩 so well decorated & furnished 👏

daisy_1571, your ‘housey display boxes’ are wonderful 🤩 I especially love the “wimseys” & “random childhood stuff” 😍

Floss, I totally agree with This “vulpix, the walls look fab with that paper underneath.” ☺️ 

I really must get back into the habit of posting early p.m. & late evening to keep up with the cheerleading 😉 Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐💐⭐️💐❤️ ⭐️🎖️

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 623/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £73.00

Florenceem

Morning all - lovely day here.

vulpix - the colour is F&B Radicchio. It says it is modern crimson tempered with magenta. I am going bold with colours in this round of decorating.

vulpix - looking forward to seeing what you do with the old tray cloths and table cloths.

Brambling - your elderly friend is probably so traumatised and scared at having to leave her home.

suzeesu2000 - everything is going up in price - I have to budget really carefully now there is £1400 per 4 weeks not coming into the house.

Dizzycap - you do so much - in back and neck braces - wow!

After a lot of pain during the day yesterday - I was okay when I went to bed. However I was soon awake with pain - took painkillers and got another freezer pack. I went to bed early - watch says that I had nearly 8 hours sleep - it of course doesn't pick up pain levels during that time.

I am worried about the delivery - will need help. I have put notes in my phone case - bribery for the courier.

Wednesday2000

It is such a lovely day again. Yesterday was also gorgeous weather wise. I walked the 40 minute walk home as it was so nice listening to music on my headphones. I talked to a few lovely new people yesterday while I was out.

The cleaner is here at the moment and when she is finished we have two donation bags to take to the charity shop and then we are taking my dog for a walk.

[Deleted User]

@Wednesday2000 - Really makes such a difference when the sun is out doesn't it!

GrannyKate

Afternoon all. Lovely day here. Windows all open and washing out. Painter came and finished off woodwork this morning. Sox was pleased to see kitchen being put straight although I have made a few changes. The kitchen is now complete except for filling up a picture frame. I can also find pictures for bedrooms and hallway. Now the new loft ladder is in place it should be easier to find all the pictures which went in the loft when I moved in. That will be a post holiday job. Meeting decluttered this morning - a few frogs to do post meeting but will get them sorted this evening.

Bedroom 3 carpet coming tomorrow. I think I will do the outer hall next and get the flooring laid - lounge may have to wait for a while but at least I know the ceiling is good and only needs a coat of paint - what is under the wallpaper remains to be seen but painting over it won't work as walls channelled out for rewiring. I love all those darker colours people are picturing and plan to use one in the loo and possibly the bathroom. Will go for white sanitary wear and light colour tiles but some darker paint elsewhere with towels to match. Painter said he will be able to come and do outer hall when I am ready and I have enough paint left over in the correct colour as only small areas of wall.

A little bit of gardening done but taking it carefully. I don't want to be stiff and sore for the plane journey.

395 Desk papers sorted and tidied away or recycled

396 Case fully packed and taken to DS2's house along with my passport. Hand luggage and travel outfit ready

397 Lots of stuff around the house put away

398 Empty paint tins out and left over useable paint in garage (Labelled with room names)

399 Old carpet underlay out

400 Damaged wooden unit out for recycling

401 Old curtain poles and other wood out for recycling

402 Parking badges (NT and EH) put in car and the old ones recycled - been sitting on desk for weeks

403 Painter and decorator decluttered. Awaiting bill but worth every penny

404 A small amount of weeds pulled and in recycling

405 Set of keys to my neighbour who will keep an eye on the house.

florianatwobob

After decluttering the crispy strawberry patch pot last winter (it hadn’t enjoyed last summer) I bought some new strawberry plants last weekend and potted them up today.

I had become aware of an escapee strawb that had rooted itself in the flower bed and thought to myself ‘Oh I’ll dig that up and add it to its new friends’….turns out that one plant was actually 9 which were lurking amongst the violets.

So now I have 15 plants!

Please ignore the weeds (feeding the bees) and I’m slowly stuffing the gaps with some of the thuggish violets. The violets here do not shrink and certainly aren’t shy.

Bin store has been ordered.

Peas have been planted.

I now need to find a home for the courgette now that I have 2 strawberry patch pots!

I may also have to find a new pot for the tomato too……