2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

Brambling

Sorry for your loss of your brother as well @suzeesu2000

Glad to see you've recovering @Happy_Kitties take it slowly.

I think with key safes it's a little like home safes (I used to work with Technical Librarian at insurance company! Hence the comparison 😁) you get what you paid for! My elderly friend has one given to her when the local council installed her emergency pendant system luckily they had the number for when they had to call the ambulance as she forgot and her neighbour and I gave up trying, they came out and removed the key for me. Hers you have to open a flap and then punched in the number which was better for old fingers not being able to use a fiddly rotary combination which my mum could never use. I must admit to considering it as my sister has my only spare key and I'm getting paranoid about it whenever she's away however my door needs to be locked so I'm not likely to lock myself out when going to the bins.

I dropped a bag of friends cookery books yesterday, not every CS want them, I meant to go into Brewers next door for a sample pot but was at the SM the other side of town when I remembered 🙄 I made the most of the nice weather and topped up the garden bin (it had dropped down) more brambles have been removed I just need to remove the prickle from my hand which I can feel but can't see, I think I must be due a eye test!

GrannyKate

Morning all. Just decluttered Covid jab at pharmacy next to surgery. Hope it isn't sore this time - sometimes I feel nothing afterwards. The breaking into locks stories reminded me of a tale from years ago. Late DH did part of his apprenticeship in 1960s in the Estates department of an old huge mental health hospital - one of the first things an old carpenter told him was that picking locks was one of the most useful skills he could teach him unless he wanted to spend hours of his working life taking doors off their hinges. The patients were inclined to lock themselves in and everything had a key as no fancy digital locks or even the twoway bathroom ones we have now. That skill was often useful over the years and he also had a huge bunch of random keys in his tool box. Some years later when he was working at a posh hotel someone was trying to sell them an 'unbreakable' lock and of course he accepted the challenge and opened it. Afterwards his boss got police to check that he didn't have a criminal record!! It was about 40 years later that he finally put his bunch of keys in the metal recycling.

I need to do paperwork and banking now. Money shuffling needed to pay several bills coming up.

430 Covid jab decluttered

vulpix

Forgot to say, floriana,lovely job on the bath, such depth to the enamel that you just don't get in new baths.

J the builder is here, dressing lumps of stone to face the retaining wall with. His lad, 16 year old son, also J is doing stuff in the digger for drains.

I have a couple of friends coming round this afternoon. I need to clean the bathroom. J drilled a hole through the wall yesterday for an extractor fan. Everything has a fine layer of grit.

Right, off to put the new curtains up in our bedroom.

I am still diligently decluttering cherry scones.

Vx

florianatwobob

The bath and I thank you for your lovely comments. I must admit I’m looking forward to using it this evening!! We have been given clear instructions of nothing harsher than the famous ‘mild green 🧚‍♀️ liquid’ for cleaning it. M who did the work is hoping it will last another 100 years.

Florenceem

J did filling and 2 coats of Timeless on the walls - he will need to do a third coat as it is a light colour going over pink.

J the builder got in touch with me and is going to collect the masonry paint.

I didn't go out.

J is working tomorrow instead of Thursday as his mum is going to the funeral of a former colleague. I am hoping J will come here on Thursday and do the final coat of the 3 walls. J thinks Rangwali will look good in the small ROD.

I have knitted 2 pairs of fingerless gloves but not sewn them up yet - very fiddly - need to do when I am fresh and it is daylight. I have started to knit with a different yarn now.

Decluttered - pipe cleaners, paper, tin, card, folder x 3, map, box file, file inserts, magazine x 3, crochet patterns, pack of Christmas bits, fabric, cord, plastic bag, card template, decoupage sheets, knitting patterns and money.

Brambling

I tracked down the two pairs of lost mislaid summer trousers this afternoon both need at least a rinse and spin so I can iron them! I did have to track down my iron to iron tee shirts 🫣

I found three tops I haven't worn for over a year so added them to the CS clothes bags so there are now three which I'm dropping off tomorrow.

Whilst waiting for my tea to brew after lunch I sorted the cupboard which contains mainly baking stuff and a few jars of condiments I threw away some walnuts pushed to the back and forgotten so a little rancid and half a container of gram flour I haven't made onion bhajis for a long long time and that's all I use it for. In the time it took to make my tea by tidying the cupboard I freed up nearly a shelf and my nephew may be gifted some ingredients to stop me baking

Dizzycap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81979509#Comment_81979509

Faboulous job on that fantastic origial cermaic bath - Wow, that took some work but well worth the effort. I can just feel the quality and would love to have a long soak in that with the old Epsom salts 😂, if I was still able to use a bath 🙄. Still, I can 'imagine' and let my back muscles soak up the fantasy 😂🤣.

There's so much decluttering going on which is great to see, as always 😏. We've had what was suppose to be a relaxing day that turned into doing a few numerous jobs that needed to be decluttered off the 'must do' list, so I'm counting it as decluttering 😂🤣. I washed the car, very slowly, but managed with a hosepipe that has a changing water distribution head to wash & wax the car including hub caps, and dry it off in under 30 minutes. I also checked under the bonnet and refilled up a few things that also needed cluttering up 😉. I felt that I had really achieved something cleaning the car and of course I had my helper who insisted on me picking her up so that she too, could have a look under the bonnet 😂- It's all new experiences 🤗. The night washload has just finished whilst I have my last mug of coffee before I potter off to bed - Will peg out tomorrow morning 😉. Babyface is already stretched out & hogging the bed and snoring her head off, so I get some silent me time for 10 minutes before I have to try and get myself some space in my own large double bed😂.

I hope everyone has a lovely evening, take care all & ta-ta for now xxxxx

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 another bright sunny day with a high of 16°C (but feeling 4° colder due to a very brisk NE wind) & a low of 9°C Hopefully I will finish the scarf today. Dinner was sausage linguine 😋 Two portions put in freezer for DSis. Wudupa

775 Kitchen recycling 

776 - 778 Kitchen, lr & office detritus - binned

Lovely to see you BlueJ94 👋 Great news that your vinted/ebay listings are selling so well ☺️

florianatwobob, I now have a vision of your plumber turning up one day with his towel & a change of clothes ready to use your bath 🤣

Florenceem, fingers crossed it doesn’t take young J too long to decorate the small RoD 🤞How lovely to have a surprise visit from your DDiL & the grandchildren 🥹 Sorry to hear about the pain filled night 🥺 I think it is definitely time to see the doctor 🙏 I do so love the multicoloured yarn ☺️

You are very welcome Deni_debt-free_dreamer ☺️

Excellent decluttering Brambling 👏

GrannyKate, what a marvellous story 🤩 Just wondering if your DH gave you any hints 🙊 The part about having a bunch of keys reminds me of Jack in A Touch of Frost 😉 Good luck with the paperwork & money shuffling

vulpix, sounds like the garden work is coming along nicely 😊 Just pondering if all builders & decorators have names beginning with J 🤨😂 I imagine your friends will be very impressed by the amount of work you & MrV have already done 🥹

florianatwobob enjoy your bath ☺️

Florenceem, excellent work by young J 👏 Pleased to hear that builder J is picking up the masonry paint 😊 Excellent decluttering 👏

Excellent decluttering Brambling 👏 Surprising what you can get done in a short amount of time 😊 

Dizzycap, excellent work cleaning the car & checking under the bonnet 👏 Worthy of a medal 🏅 which is on its way 🙂 Fingers crossed Babyface let you into bed 🤞😉

Hope everyone managed to stay warm today. Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 778/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £165.11

QueenJess

Dropping in very quickly with a few bits and pieces used up. The kids sorted out a big pile of paperwork at the weekend and I still need to go through it to determine what goes to recycling, what can be reused on the back for work notes and what goes into the memory box.

DS has completely used up his shoes (more hole than shoe now), so some new ones are on the way…

Digital:
1 - apps deleted
1 - emails unsubscribed from

Physical:
2 - seed packets used up
1 - paper reused then recycled
1 - DD pen used up
3 - freezer supplies used up
1 - broken hair clip binned
1 - DD tat binned
1 - gift wrap used up
8 - DD paperwork recycled
5 - DS paperwork recycled

New total 1,145
Use it up total 324

I've popped an orange cake with orange buttercream into the tlc carriage :)

Moorviews

I have returned from a lovely UK break and got everything unpacked and put away. What a beautiful land we live in! There is also a mountain of washing to do of course! Will hopefully get that on the go shortly. With all the wonderful sunshine and the very drying wind I think watering is going to have to be a priority in the garden today. Luckily, the water butts are all full. There is sufficient food in to not have to go out shopping until tomorrow. I am going to try and ignore the dust that I can see everywhere!

@suzeesu2000 - I am so sorry to hear also of the sad loss of your brother. I hope all went as you would wish yesterday for your mum and that you have some time to care for yourself in the next few days 💐

@Willowtree222 - that’s wonderful news about your health and I hope a huge weight lifted 💐

@Happy_Kitties - being so ill must have been a terribly frightening experience. I hope you have good support for your convalescence and that your recovery goes smoothly 💐

@dND - thank you for the advice regarding managing email accounts 😊 I do have some folders with mine and probably need to do some more organising with that.

@vulpix - fab work with the curtains 👏 I would have reminded you but I was away! I agree with @Mrs_Salad_Dodger though - it wouldn’t have stopped you 😂

My thoughts are with all those of you struggling with sadness and/or physical pain. Hugs to all who would like them xx