2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

suzeesu2000

Goodness me but this thread has moved on! Well done to everyone for all the decluttering and stuff.

Mums funeral is tomorrow - goodness me isn't it hard to be certain you've got it right? I am fretting and worrying myself silly over it but its all in place so nothing I can do now. Just got fingers and toes crossed it all goes off okay tomorrow. We are having a church service first and then a cremation. She asked that her ashes be spread at sea.

Just before mum passed, my eldest brother was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour - he has beaten 2 lots of cancer and had lung cancer which they told him was untreatable. Well it metastasized to his brain. He passed away 5 days after mum. I am so relieved mum went first - I don't know how she would have coped with losing her first son - she had a stillborn son before my brother was born so he was always a bit special to her. Now they are reunited in Heaven so I am at peace knowing that.

I have forbidden anyone else to die!

I've been trying to keep busy. Haven't been decluttering but I have been doing all the usual chores. I even made some home made stock cubes and have peeled, cut, blanched and frozen all the Easter veg. I'm planning to get back on the horse after Wednesday when life MUST get back to normal - albeit a different normal.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Have a great rest of the day xx

daisy_1571

Oooh, all those with key safes and no password, I'd be very tempted to start at 00001 and keep going, a few more numbers every time I passed, it might take a few weeks but going numerically you would get there eventually 😉 👍 😀 👏 don't think I could resist 😉 😄

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

Monday is a bright sunny day with a forecast high of 20°C, a light NE wind & a low of 8°C. Apparently there is a chance of some rain late this evening. I will catch up with the cheerleading today as I have fallen behind again 😞

From a quick scan of the posts I see that there is a great conversation going on about early retirement with many useful ideas being offered of how to transition from work to retirement. 

TC77, very odd that there is a cull going on at your workplace as I have it in my head  that it wasn’t too long ago they were trying to recruit/replace 🧐 although thinking about it that was possibly 2 years ago……. 🤔 Good luck to DD2 on getting her uni work done & good luck to you moving on with the priority frog 🍀 

oceanspirit, exciting but also stressful times ahead 🥹 Sounds like Project Move is well under way 😊 I will keep everything crossed that you get a quick sale 🤞 An excellent start to your decluttering by selling the static caravan 👏 & great work with the less bulky decluttering 👏 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way. 

daisy_1571, what a well written & thoughtful post about retirement 🥹 Some excellent ideas & also a timely reminder that we are all different & should choose what makes us happy 🥹

Brambling, another well written post about retirement 🥹 Especially the reminder that any monies saved for retirement can actually be used 😉

vulpix, another post full of great ideas about/for retirement 🥹  Good luck with the curtain adjustments 🍀 nothing like putting yourself under pressure to get them done 😉 Pleased to hear that you won’t be taking the tablets again 😥 I was also pleased that when the time comes to tackle populating your garden that there will be plenty of free resources available ☺️ Re the book, I don’t think you can really say you are stalling, just prioritising work on the house & garden 🧐 Hopefully you will make a start towards the end of the year 🤞 The plot sounds very interesting & inspirational 🥹 so I think it will be well received 😊 Cherry scones sound yummy 😋 

Lovely post Floss ☺️ especially the suggestion about becoming an exam invigilator 👏

Green_hopeful, more wonderful ideas about retirement 🥹 

Brie, another well written & thoughtful post about retirement 🥹 This “….. have recently talked firmly to myself about not worrying too much about buying Lidl’s Deluxe line of goods instead of their basic range!” had me in stitches 🤣 

Florenceem, sorry to hear that you had a pain filled Saturday night 🥺 Is their anything the doctor can recommend 🙏 What a lovely thing to do - I do hope others were as kind to the young boy who had set up his stall 🥹 Pleased to hear that J has started painting the outside wall 😊 Hopefully this weeks 2lb gain is the start of a steady journey upwards to a healthier weight 🙏

Brie, useful perspective on owning a key safe 🤔 

GrannyKate, more thoughtful comments about retirement 🥹 A busy weekend with a busy week planned ☺️ Excellent decluttering 👏

Dizzycap, interesting observation about the timing of retirement 🥹 A busy Sunday - you got a lot done 👏 Very happy for you about the plants ☺️ your patience had been rewarded 🥹 So pleased to hear that Babyface had such a good day 🥹 Everything crossed that her blood test results are “good” 🤞🙏

Floss, interesting observation about your retirement 😊 

TC77, a belated Happy Birthday 🥳 🎂 🥂 Sounds like all the ideas & suggestions have been given you plenty to consider when you retire 🥹 but am relieved to hear that you will be taking some time to consider your options 🥹

Florenceem, congratulations to your DD for completing the London Marathon despite her damaged ankle 🥳 I do hope she will now try to stay off the ankle as much as possible to allow it to heal properly 🙏 I am putting in a request for a photo of the fingerless gloves 😉

Excellent work emptying the bathroom florianatwobob 👏 Hope the enamelling of the bath goes well 🤞

Wednesday2000, a busy weekend ahead 😊 

Florenceem, sounds like J is a good worker but not a great businessman 🤨 although I don’t think that is a good reason to let you down 😞 

vulpix, I do love a mini digger 🙊 Apologies for not reminding you about making/altering curtains - I have definitely let you down 😔😉 Although I should point out that you ‘probably’ would have ignored me/us 😂

suzeesu2000, I am so very sorry to hear about your brother 🥺 My condolences at such a sad time for you & your family following so soon after your beloved mum passing away 😢 Please remember to take some time for yourself 🙏

daisy_1571, a few months might be more likely trying to open a key safe 😉 (apparently if you can use 0 there are 100,000 combinations 😱 I would probably restrict myself to 00000, 11111 etc & 01234, 12345 etc 😊 a total of 16 attempts 😉

Wishing everyone as good a day as possible 😊 See you later 👋 

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐💐⭐️💐❤️ ⭐️🎖️🥇 

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 770/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £165.11

Willowtree222

Thinking of you tomorrow Suzeesu. X

TC77

@suzeesu2000 sending hugs and sympathy for both the loss of your mum and your brother. I hope in time you will be able to reflect on happy times and memories. Thinking of you tomorrow x

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi everyone

@suzeesu2000 condolences to you on the loss of your mum and brother.

I have continued my digital decluttering and deleted 600 emails this morning. I also managed to drop off 3 x floating shelves, 3 x lampshades and a large mirror in one charity shop - they wouldn't take the curtains even though I had emailed in advance 🙁 However, they did point me in the direction of another nearby CS that has a large container outside and suggested i drop them there - I did that plus another bag of stuff I had put in the car 😊I'm glad I found the second CS as they don't want donations in the shop but ask you to drop them in the container - it's near where I work so I will be using it again.

Love Deni

x

daisy_1571

Suzeesu sorry, I missed your sad post, sorry to hear the losses happened so close together but like you relieved about the order for your mums sake

D

Florenceem

suzeesu2000 - thinking of you tomorrow.

I posted a Birthday card after feeding the birds and getting some cash.

I went to the blinds shop to pay a deposit on the small ROD blind.

I had a call from builder J - can't get mixed paint to match the mint green. I did some research at a place that does paint mixing - nearly £80 for a tin - I will probably need at least 6. J originally told me that he had 3 tins of mint green paint but could only find a tin and a half. As he was getting to the last area of the wall - he watered down the paint to have enough. That area is patchy and I am not happy with the crack down the wall which he was meant to fill. It is still very noticeable.

I can get 10L of smooth masonry paint for £30 on offer at the moment. Only thing is - limit of colours - black, anthracite, white, sandstone, magnolia and storm grey. I will go with storm grey.

MrsSD - One fingerless glove complete. The yarn I am using is lovely but the second glove is very different from the first. I do have another ball of the yarn so I will make another pair the same size and hopefully get 2 pairs of decent matching gloves.

Brie

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81978913#Comment_81978913

with four digit ones (as with card pins) the majority of people use a significant date, often a birth year. So starting at 1900 might get you an answer sooner rather than later. When I was told about the key safe at mom's farmhouse my brother added that the pin was mom's birth year. So easy for us all to remember. (supposedly)

@suzeesu2000 - more hugs and condolences. Wishing you a easy day tomorrow and beyond.

Happy_Kitties

Apologies I have been absent and it is impossible for me to catch up on 1000 posts.

Unfortunately I collapsed at home with sepsis hitting everywhere and a rollercoaster ride in hospital, very lucky to be alive, it nearly was a different story.
I noticed that I hadn’t been on the thread even before I became poorly. I can remember all of the recycling but I did drop lots of charity stuff off prior to hospital

40+ 3 items of clothes and a trashed blanket from the wheelchair- disposed of = 43

15 items taken by DD to sell in Vinted = 58

Charity items 119 + 80 items dropped off to the shoebox hub = 199