2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

QueenJess

A few more bits and pieces gone.  After I picked up a big bag of goodies no one wanted on Buy Nothing, I sorted through and kept everything I knew I would use.  The larger envelopes I would unlikely to use and instead of filing them somewhere and decluttering them years in the future, I've donated them to the kids school office.

1 - plant food used up (recycled)
3 - packaging reused

New total 49
Use it up total 23

ladybird1106

Finally back from our holiday. Took 5 edible Christmas presents to sainsbugs and put in the food bank bin.🥳. It’s a start
love 🐞

Yorkie1

BlueJ94 said:

Yorkie1 said:

I have to ask - what's a "frog"? 

Basically something thats a big task that upu put off for so long and you have to eventually do it, if that makes sense?

Ah yes, that makes sense. It reminds me of a course I went on many years ago. I can't remember anything from the syllabus, but one thing I do remember is the elephants and ants, in terms of deciding what work to do and when.

The elephants are the frogs - the things that sit in the metaphorical corner, looking at you and getting bigger. You can never quite work up the energy to get started on them. The ants are the quick wins.

It is human nature, said the tutor, to tackle the ants first thing in the day. You get through them quickly and feel satisfied at what you've achieved. You go to the pub at lunchtime (I did say it was some time ago!), and when you come back, you don't have the impetus or headspace to tackle the elephant, so it sits there until the following day, glaring at you from the corner. And repeat the following day.

His tip was to tackle the first part of the elephant in the morning. Then you go to the pub at lunchtime, and you can still do the ants afterwards because they don't need as much thinking power.   

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 oil 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: finally back 😉 Forgot to mention that DH made soup last night so we will be trying that out shortly 🤞 ……… delicious 😋 I have been remiss & instead of knuckling down to the cheerleading I have been knitting & nodding off 😞 Although I have done the minimal amount of prep required for tonight’s dinner - peeled potatoes for mash, sliced the beef which is heating through in the lo gravy & put some frozen peas in a pan 😉

27 - 28Kitchen recycling, plastic bottle - recycled 

grandmanerd, it is wonderful to have you back aboard the EDT 🥹 I am so sorry to hear that you have had such an awful 5 years 🥺 You are a remarkable lady, who having gone through so much has still managed to find the bright spots in your life & come back fighting. You have my unstinting admiration 🥹 Now that you are retired, I hope that you will be able to devote more time & energy to self -care 🙏  I am pleased to hear that you now have a new kitchen & downstairs bathroom suitable to your needs. Also congratulations on becoming a grandmother twice in the last five years 🥹  Good luck with your Tentative Plans  🍀 & I am wishing you every success ☺️ Again, it is lovely to see you ☺️

suzeesu2000, such a great idea to agree not to buy Christmas gifts for each other 😊 with 2 great results - no extra clutter & just an half full bin 🥳 

QueenJess, I love that Thrift device ☺️ 

Brambling, thank you for sharing that memory 👏 I rather like that it was gold rather than red 😉 Well done on returning/selling on the sale items you picked up 👏 It is so easy to be tempted 😞 Very sorry to hear about your elderly friend 😔 Sending lots of get well wishes for a speedy recovery 🥹 

Dinner is almost ready so I will post & run. I must try harder!

MrsSD Awards: 💐🙏💐

DH Awards:

DSis Awards: 

Decluttering Target 2026: 28/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £0

oceanspirit

One item into the CS bag.  Lots of little admin tasks dealt with today, a meal plan made to uu the rest of what’s in the fridge and lots of lists from the run up to going away at Christmas gone through and put in the bucket to be used as fire lighters.  Laundry is sorted ready to be done if snow melts tomorrow.  If not it can wait as there’s nothing urgent.

Floss

GrannyKate said:

@ionafan - thanks for your ideas re kallax unit. I think it is too deep and heavy for utility room. I have thought of using it in garage but may try selling it first.... 

I put large castors onto a 2x2 Kallax which is in my bin cupboard, so it can be moved to access storage behind - would that make it more useful?

suzeesu2000

Decluttered some more of the fresh veg today. Have half a shelf in the fridge empty. 
Did a ton of little jobs that had to wait until everyone was back to work, like ordering new glasses for mum, booking our usual engineer for the stair lift; he’s coming tomorrow so fingers are very firmly crossed that it’s not terminal. Also booked DHs scooter in for annual service. 

Decluttered packaging from a new book for DH. 

Been another beautiful blue sky with sunshine day but, by jimminy it has got very cold since the sun went down. 

Hope everyone is staying safe with all the snow and ice. Have a good night, sleep well xx

Brambling

My get up and go seems to have gone today so I settled for a fridge sort and clean ready for a SM delivery tomorrow. I made stock from a turkey drumstick in the pressure cooker and will use the odds and sods of veg to make turkey soup/ broth tomorrow after my dentist appointment 

dND

A few snow showers here today but I believe it's rain on the cards for tomorrow.  Hopefully that will mean a rise in temperature.

Lots of little wins today; a coupe of phone calls to the vets, I was after prescriptions for Jewel's medications and flea/worm treatment for both cats.  The latter I'll pick up on Wednesday but the vets phoned to say they would only give me prescriptions valid until February as that's when Jewel is due in for her next check-up.  Thankfully I have enough meds to last me until then when I'll get the scripts which will be valid for 6 months.  The saving will be immense.  It was the vets who told me to buy online once the pet insurance company stopped paying, (Jewel is a senior cat and was only covered for the first 12 months of any illness), as the vets have to sell the medication at RRP.  For both meds, 1 bottle of each, costs £99.76 through the vet and £56.08 via an online dispenser!!

Another phone call made to sort out a savings plan so that was 2 jobs ticked off the list.

The main job was to start fitting the CD/DVD towers - well nothing happened there. 😱  I had too much tidying up to do everywhere else. 🤣 The fridge is now clear of all celebration leftovers apart from some of this year's cranberry sauce.  I found some duck stock in the freezer and enriched it with the last of last year's cranberry sauce and added the roasted parsnips and carrots along with the swede that were still lurking and made what I at least think is a very tasty soup. 😁

There was a stack of small plastic cache pots I'd spotted in my local charity shop before Christmas that was hanging around on the worksurface. All 11 have now had a large hole drilled in the bottom and are heading out to the plant pot store in the garden tomorrow, (when it's warmer).  I don't want to think how long it took me to find the drill bits after I'd tucked them away during clearing up before Christmas! 😱
Other bits that took up time today were sorting out the kefir grains and giving them fresh milk before they starved and I've also made another batch of yoghurt.  Slowly the pre Christmas routine is returning. 😁😁
Not great strides but little tickles along the way that all help.

🤞🤞for the towers tomorrow - let's see how I feel. Dxx

Edit: How could I forget, I decluttered a rather large ironing pile, mainly from the airer so I can now refill the airer tomorrow. 🤣🤣 Dxx

Floss

dND said:

Lots of little wins today; a coupe of phone calls to the vets, I was after prescriptions for Jewel's medications and flea/worm treatment for both cats.  The latter I'll pick up on Wednesday but the vets phoned to say they would only give me prescriptions valid until February as that's when Jewel is due in for her next check-up.  Thankfully I have enough meds to last me until then when I'll get the scripts which will be valid for 6 months.  The saving will be immense.  It was the vets who told me to buy online once the pet insurance company stopped paying, (Jewel is a senior cat and was only covered for the first 12 months of any illness), as the vets have to sell the medication at RRP.  For both meds, 1 bottle of each, costs £99.76 through the vet and £56.08 via an online dispenser!!

I buy my cat's arthritis meds online, even after paying £25 for the prescription it saves money. Youngest buys his cat's heart, diabetes & kidney meds online too.