2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

Brie

Lovely day today so perfect to have a chap doing some work on some of the garden wood stuff. Repaired the little shed roof and 2 coats of colour on it (apparently we shouldn't leave it 7 years between top ups!). Repaired the railing by the big shed (wrong colour but we can sort that at some point). reset the 2 garden arches that were made and put in last autumn but were wobbly and leaning. (some discussion about the quality of the work by a different chap who today's chap knows). A bit of a tidy of the garden gate (which I love) that was installed by the different chap but had swollen in the damp weather and made it difficult to open. Chap was grateful for the cold water available in the garage fridge (which he restocked) and that there was some place to keep his lunch cool out of the sun. But basically that was a solid (as far as i could tell) 8 hours work for £500 which also paid for materials/roof felt/paint. Which reminds me that the very old and nasty roof felt I got off freegle can be binned.

We were discussing how work is going for him generally (trained carpenter) and he says it's a bit spotty. Which explains why he was willing to be doing roofing and painting. I do have a project I might get him back for - some sort of hat rack for the OH's copious pork pies and fedoras. But OH will have to decide what's to be done and neither of us have enough brain cells currently due to covid. I do wonder too about getting him back to paint the large shed as well as the garden gate. We shall see. Getting the garden itself seen to is more urgent.

Oh and he removed a random bit of wooden bin thingme that had been hidden behind the little shed. It's out front of the house in pieces. I'll ask the neighbours if they want it for their outdoor fires - they'll be out there regularly from now until October so need lots to burn. If they don't want it's easy enough to pop in the OH's car to take to the tip - we need to go in any case.

Also I need to pop around to one of the bungalows behind our house - there's a letter from a pension company (I think) that we received when we were away so no idea how long it's been waiting to get to her. Not helped by our current "once every other week" postal service.

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

Wednesday is another lovely sunny day with a forecast high of 24°C with a S wind making it feel just 1° cooler & a low of 8°C Not sure if I mentioned that DH had made a soup 🤨 so despite the warmer weather we each had a bowl & very tasty it was too 🤤 

Yorkie1, ouch to your broken finger 😣 although I am relieved to hear that you have been treated & are not experiencing too much pain 😮‍💨 No more shears for you, young lady said in a suitably prim voice 😉 Hopefully you managed to transfer all the data from your broken phone to your new phone 🙏 although I imagine that you could have done without the expense 😞 Your lovely friends have made life so much easier 🥹 Good luck with your new phone 🍀

Florenceem, I am relieved to hear that you decided not to unpack & build the IK*A units on your own 😥 I am sure it was easier & more fun with J helping you 🥹 More great work from J 👏 Hopefully your sewing machine will be delivered at a reasonable time of day 🤞

suzeesu2000, good luck going through your DH’s T-shirt collection 🍀 Fingers crossed that MSE solution to painting furniture is a roaring success 🤞 Well done on continuing to use up freezer contents 👏 Hopefully your ”track every penny” mission will highlight some potential savings especially if your DH is joining in 🙏

Florenceem, that is a lot of cardboard boxes 😧 Great photos & lovely furniture 😊 Please take care when clearing the top landing 🙏

florianatwobob, a very busy & successful day in the garden 👏 Your hard work has earned you a medal 🏅 What a great menu, sounds delicious 😋 

GrannyKate, sorry to hear about DS2’s shoulder 😔 Hopefully you can persuade him to take it easy & let nature and time do their thing 🤞Excellent work in the garden 👏 Fingers crossed that your painter can get the last of the work done before you go on holiday 🤞 Loving the Sox commentary ☺️ seems to me that cats are very good at showing their displeasure 🙊

Soontobeoap, what a lovely surprise ☺️ & combined with fixing the gate I am happy to award your DH a medal 🏅 Excellent work washing the bedding 👏 & hopefully the weather will stay fine so you can get the last of it done 🤞deserves a medal 🏅which is on its way 😊 Good luck selling your old bedroom units 🍀

vulpix, hope you had a great time with MrV’s old band mates & have a few more stories for your book ☺️ Looking forward to seeing how you up cycle the tray cloths & tablecloths 🤔 

Brambling, sorry to hear about your elderly friend 😞 Sounds like she is struggling with the decision (however sensible & practical) 🥺 now that things are moving so quickly 😔 Great work by you & your sister sorting out your garden 👏 All that hard work has earned you each a medal🏅 🏅 Very sensible of your sister to request hg tomatoes as a thank you for helping out ☺️ Good luck sorting out your 2nd financial frog 🍀

Dizzycap, very impressive work in the garden 👏🤩 From your previous photos it already looks wonderful so I imagine it will look even better with even more Lillie’s & so many snowdrops 😍 Pleased to hear that Babyface is recovering so well as it sounds like she has been very ill. Hopefully the vet will give her a clean bill of health & you can start weaning her off the steroids 🙏

suzeesu2000, I will keep everything crossed that you get some sales very soon 🤞

Dizzycap, what a great deal on meat 🤩 Another very busy ‘morning’ with all your chores done before a lot of people are up & dressed 👏 Keeping my fingers crossed that the gardener turns up to mow the lawn & that you can persuade him to plant out your donated plants 🤞🙏 Please accept 💐 & gentle cwtches 🤗 - for looking after Babyface so well all whilst still in back & neck braces 🥹 Fingers crossed for the ‘All Clear’ for Babyface 🤞Good luck dealing with today’s mail & cleaning up in your office 🍀

Lovely post Florenceem ☺️ Sorry to hear that you had a pain filled day yesterday & what sounds like an uncomfortable night 🥺 I will keep my fingers crossed that the courier is a gentleman & will not need bribing 🤞

Hopefully you find time to deliver the charity bags Wednesday2000 😊 Enjoy your dog walk ☺️

Almost caught up with the cheerleading but as dinner is almost ready, I will love you & leave you 👋 Hope everyone has enjoyed the sunshine 😊

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐💐⭐️💐❤️ ⭐️🎖️

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 623/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £73.00

Soontobeoap

DH was up walking neighbours dog before I got up. Then he was out washing car before I finished breakfast. He is so bored without bowls that we are getting a lot done. I cut back camelia bush to stop pigeons returning. ( They keep nesting in it but their eggs either drop straight through or the local cats get to them) It was getting far too tall anyway and blocks light from our neighbours living room window. As I was cutting it back a pigeon arrived carrying a twig so I was only just in time. I swear they were very cross as they pooed all over DH s freshly cleaned car!!! This afternoon we took all the cuttings to the tip.Front garden looks twice as big.

Florenceem

When sewing machine delivery arrived - chap said sorry he was late - I hadn't been given a time. He was a lovely man - brought the machine which it was bolted onto a pallet into my drive.

Very well packaged.

I had ordered wheels on this machine - it has brakes on all four. Chap is not supposed to bring the pallet any closer than the curb so I promised not to dob on him. He asked me where I wanted it and we got it into the hall.

I didn't bribe him - I Blessed him with some lunch money. He said - that's too much - no he was so helpful.

I popped into town to post some Birthday cards and get a few bits of shopping. Met someone on the bus who I worked with when I was 18. We had a lovely chat.

I made space on the top landing for the new furniture boxes.

In a lot of pain in the late afternoon - laid on the bed after taking painkillers and using a freezer pad and nodded off.

BlueJ94

Evening all,

So ive started to "project pan" my cupboard and freezer, for work lunch tomorrow i have melt in the middle fish cakes which I will heat in my electric lunchbox along with rice (from an old hellofresh) infused with this packet that I found in the cupboard..

Then for dinner im going to make beef curry as we have half a joint in the freezer, OH will cook it for his dinner during the day and then I will use whats left to make curry in the evening.

suzeesu2000

woweewow @Florenceem thats a beast of a machine you’ve got there, looking forward to seeing what you make.

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger theres a slice of quiche in the carriage for you, enjoy. I made it a big slice as you obviously have magic powers: sold something on Vinted this afternoon, thanks for that!

Couldn’t hang washing out today as DH needed to get in and out with his mobility scooter so The lines were out of action. I did get the last white wash dry on the airers though with the back door open, so they smell nice. I took the coverless duvet off my bed today and washed ready to go on the line tomorrow.
Got all my craft paints out to sort through. Managed to drop the whole lot down the stairs and yes, I did swear🤬🤬Mr Google says that so long as the paints I want to mix are both water based it should mix well.
Tomorrow is my bill paying day, not a day I relish but needs must.
Spoke with GP today as my BP is going through the roof. Said they’re prescribing yet more medication to take as they don’t want to just keep increasing my usual BP meds. They said something has to be done as I am 4 times more at risk of a heart attack or stroke while it’s this high. For my part, I am going to make a bit more effort on the healthy eating front and get back to proper baking - I’ve got a bit lazy on that front. Losing a bit more weight and increasing excercise will be of benefit, excercise is my problem as body is quite broken.

Have a great night all, sweet dreams xx

daisy_1571

ooh florenceem I have juki envy! Glorious machine, I wish you many happy sewing projects

Dxx

dND

I love the picket fence and the ducks @Green_hopeful

@vulpix That looks like an old floor you have there 😱😱 Good luck with the apple tree.

@Brie I'm converting the garage into a recycling centre as there's no way I can store everything in the house. And we might get another collection for soft plastics - it's being trialled elsewhere in the district.

I love the scarf and hat pattern @Mrs_Salad_Dodger you are very talented.

@Florenceem That looks a sewing machine and a half 😲 I'm impressed. I'm so sorry to read about your back pain and @weenancyinAmerica as well.

My time in the TLC carriage got me up and moving again but my lower back is still locked solid so I'm a bit slow and having to be careful with my balance on ladders. But that's just how things roll these days.

CD's have had their primary sort - I need to lose around 150 of them to fit the storage I have space for. 😱 So that's come to a halt for the moment as the weather improved. I've almost finished getting the bluebells out of the border at the front of the house but still haven't dug over the lawn that's being incorporated into the enlarged border. Instead, I flitted off onto another job that also needed doing and that was pressure washing the pavers on top of the retaining wall and then starting on the path to the front door and then down round into the back garden. The pavers came up lovely and I've started putting back the pots on there that I want for the summer. Cleaning the paths then splatters the walls and I also saw that the uPVC around the windows was green, (as was the wall in places).

So my large porch window and the bay window have been cleaned along with the glass. The glass took a bit of time as what I though was dirt in places turned out to be splatters of concrete that ended up all around the bay window when the builders were building the new retaining wall. While I was up the ladders I also cleaned out the guttering and cleaned the guttering. Continuing with the path today I got part of the way down the side of the house and then my pressure washer sprung a leak so that brought a premature end to that. I now have another frog to deal with sorting that out - it's only 25 months old and the guarantee was for, you guessed it, 24 months. I'll see what Karcher says but I wasn't going to open it up myself until I have it confirmed that they won't help as you never know. 😁

I also had a day with DS1 the other day and we went chatting about and looking at DIY items for a project he's going to do.

Passport was sent off yesterday and has been received at HMPO. Yet more money decluttered to NT as my renewal is in a few days. Next year I should be eligible for the Seniors reduction which will be nice.

My best win though was that today I pulled on my Big Girl pants and got myself to chase the other big frog I have. I'm hoping to get some help with insulating my house and it's been 7 weeks since I was told an assessor would call to arrange a visit. I spoke to a lovely lady and she gave me an appointment for next week. 😁 Why they couldn't have done that 7 weeks ago, goodness only knows. But that's another significant step forward.

Tomorrow is the knitting group day which I haven't been to for a couple of weeks because of the good weather. I must go tomorrow as I won't be going next week because the assessor will be here. Hopefully I can relax a bit as everything has been a bit frantic trying to get stuff done while it's not raining!

Sorry for the long post again; I find I get so tired most nights that when I sit down at the computer my mind just goes blank and it's only on a good night that I can get my thoughts together enough to post.

Hugs to those who want and love to you all. Dxx

BlueJ94

Morning!

For breakfast we have honey hibiscus tea! With chocolate hot cross bins with banana on top!

I try and eat a filling breakfast as usually by 12.30 im starving which thankfully is my dinner time! Im doing good so far too as i havent had an energy drink for over 2 weeks now!

Declutter wise I only managed two items yesterday but thats better than 0!

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

Wednesday continued: Dinner was a use up - beef in gravy from freezer, one lo piece of hunters chicken, lo dauphinois potatoes & peas. Very tasty 😋 Wudupa. 

624 - 627 Kitchen & office recycling, plastic bottle, drinks cans - recycled 

628 Kitchen detritus - binned 

GrannyKate, yippee to the kitchen being finished 🥳 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way. Excellent decluttering especially the painter & decorator 👏 Hope you have a wonderful holiday ☺️

florianatwobob, what a great find - one plant being nine plants 🤩 Hopefully you will be able to spare a few strawberries for the TLC Carriage 😉 I love that your violets are not ‘shrinking violets’ 😊 

Brie, what a wonderful chap you found & hired 🥹 He got a lot done & that price inclusive of materials is very fair 👏 Hopefully work will pick up soon for him 🙏 Rather sad to hear about your “current “once every other week” postal service” ☹️ At least we still have a once every other day service 😮‍💨 even though the price of stamps keep going up 😖 

Soontobeoap, hopefully you will find a few other jobs to keep your DH getting too bored 😉 Perfect timing for pruning the camellia 😊 & well done on getting everything to the Tip so quickly 👏

Florenceem, what a lovely delivery chap ☺️ Really enjoyed reading This “I didn’t bribe him - I Blessed him with some lunch money. He said - that’s too much - no he was so helpful.” ☺️ Sorry to hear that were I so much pain this afternoon that you needed to take painkillers 😔 I hope you have an early appointment with the doctor 🙏

BlueJ94, those fish cakes sound delicious 😋 

suzeesu2000, the quiche was delicious 🤤 I halved the slice & will have the 2nd piece tomorrow 😉 Well done getting all your washing done 👏 Sounds like the air was ‘blue’ 😉 Sorry to hear about the very high BP 😔

 Hopefully the new meds will work quickly 🙏

Almost caught up but just noticed the time 😧 Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐💐⭐️💐❤️ ⭐️🎖️

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 628/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £73.00