2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

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 continued: an uneventful trip. Overcast all the way with a few short, light showers & quite chilly. We stopped at our usual OK Diner - cappuccinos + DH had a sausage sandwich whilst I had bacon, eggs & sautéed potatoes. We filled up with petrol. A short stop for me to stretch my legs & then a third stop for coffee & bathroom visit. Arrived at The Royal Oak 17:30, booked dinner for 19:30 & were shown to our room. DH had a shower & we got changed for dinner going down at 19:00. We both started with spicy tomato soup with warm ciabatta then DH had steak & ale pie (+ extra gravy) with chunky chips, asparagus & carrots whilst I had pan fried salmon in a lemon sauce, crushed new potatoes, asparagus & carrots 😋 DH had 2 pints of lager & I had a pint of Guinness. We were back in our room by 20:45. I will try & keep up with the cheerleading whilst we are away🤞

Florenceem, just wondering if the nun has visited again 😉 What an odd thing to do so it was very nice of you to let him in ☺️ Dancer J sounds rather insecure about his body 😕 Presumably a mesh top is designed to keep the dancers cool 🤔 Very pleased to hear that you had a pain free day & night ☺️ Definitely sounds like the stress of the situation with C was affecting you more than you realised 😔 I am putting my ‘kind’ hat on & hoping that whatever is happening with C will be resolved before he loses any more of his congregation 🙏 Looking forward to seeing your new gnome 😊

Thank you surprisinglynice 👏

_Dolly_Rocker_ it is lovely to see you 😊 Sorry to hear that work is both busy & stressful 😣 I am with you 100% on the AI issue - joining you in being mad & also astounded at the idiocy of companies thinking AI can replace people 😡  There are so many stories of the damage & misinformation from AI that I just cannot understand why there is such a lack of regulation 😢🥺 Apologies I will get off my soapbox 😉 Poor Bailey 😣 but pleased to hear that he is fully recovered 😮‍💨 Although that is a whopping great bill 😦 Vets seem to be a law unto themselves 😖 

Lovely to see you weenancy ☺️ Very sorry to hear that your roommates are all being such pains in the proverbial 😟 After all you have done for them over the years it would be have been lovely if a couple of them at least had started helping out 🥺 Well done on all your reading & decluttering of books 👏 I will keep everything crossed that you get an early date for your back surgery 🤞🙏 That is impressive work decluttering so many books 👏🤩 A Gold Star ⭐️ is winging its way across the Atlantic 😊

Lovely cheerleading Yorkie1 😊 Excellent work on the allotment 👏 Please, please take care of your back 🙏 

Great decluttering QueenJess 👏

I am enjoying the conversation about how to obtain information to clarify & update family trees 😊 Very interesting 🤔 

weenancy, that sounds quite expensive 😦 I know that my DH only gets copies of documents once in a while as they cost over £12  per certificate 😣 

_Dolly_Rocker_, enjoy your new pyjamas ☺️

regnbue, useful information about the library website 👏

Green_hopeful, excellent work with all the cleaning 👏 Hope the party goes well on Saturday 🤞 Good luck rescuing the orchids 🍀 

All caught up 🥳 Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 998/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £226.61

Florenceem

MrsSD - lovely that you are enjoying your trip. I don't understand - just wondering if the nun has visited again - is that in the charity shop? I couldn't understand J He is far from insecure about his body. He has always been vain and looks in a mirror as much as he can. He goes to the gym and is very proud of his body/muscles.

I did go into town yesterday and took stuff to the charity shop.

I went to the bus stop where I met Brenda Blethyn - we chatted - she was going to the station. Brenda was born in Ramsgate and has a house here.

I did some sorting of bits in my craft room.

Worked on putting together another gnome - this one is named Sam.

Spent time sitting and knitting.

J is coming here today to put a coat of Babouche on the landing walls.

I am off to see the Doctor this morning.

Liverpool_Anne

Hi all, well yesterday I got the old kitchen flooring up. It was part lino that had been under the old kitchen cuoboards, that was rolled up and put in the bin. Then I tackled the laminate flooring. This is stacked on a piece of cardboard in the hallway waiting to be loaded into the car today and taken to the tip. The underlay was rolled up and put in the bin and the floor was swept, another bag of dust and small bits of rubble into the bin which was full by then but luckily has been emptied this morning 😁. My back was creaking by the time I finished that which is why the flooring wasn't put in the car but it's feeling better this morning 😁.

After tea I just slobbed on the couch watching footy 😂 though my routine of doing the washing up in the bath was done before bed. I leave the drainer in the bath and put everything away first thing so I can clean the bath before I shower and then do my washing 😂.

I am going to claim 5 for the floor removal as the wheelie bin was rammed 😂

Sorry only skimmed the other posts so @Mrs SD have a good trip and hugs to anybody who would like one

Right off to get that flooring to the tip

Take care everyone

839/2026

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, rained overnight. Slept badly despite the bed being comfortable - awake every 1.5 to 2 hours from midnight to 08:00 when I got up. Not sure why I needed so many bathroom visits as I hadn’t drunk that much during the day 😞 Went down to breakfast at 08:45 - full Westmoreland breakfast - 2 rashers bacon, fried egg, a deliciously meaty sausage, a mushroom, half a tomato, slice of black pudding & baked beans. Also had a slice of toast with marmalade. We will be setting off before 10:00 on our way to Portpatrick. Weather forecast is for cloud all day but hopefully no rain. Wishing you all as good a day as possible, see you later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 998/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £226.61

2Scratters

Mrs SD thankyou for my medal.

@Yorkie1 re the couscous I feel exactly the same when I have to throw food out. It is such a strange thing, thought it was just me. There again I have the same feeling re anything else too 🙄

Well our kitchen fitting has temporarily stopped, I really do not like the worktop choice we made and we selected it twice! I am becoming more tactile and really don't like the feel of it and and the noise that is made when cleaning it. The sink is only popped into situ but not fixed same with the gas hob. So we have now chosen a new top same sort of colour with a polished finish and a bit of bling. I'm sure this is what I first chose when looking. This is of course going to cost a lot more and its robbing the bathroom budget. Aw well its only money.

Have a good week peeps

2 Scratters xx

[Deleted User]

@regnbue - I did the same but I'm honestly too busy . Also a lot of stress with work so I struggle to settle my brain enough to enjoy it. Hopefully that settles because I do love reading.

@Green_hopeful - Hopefully the orchids thrive outside . Let us know what the Freecycler takes off your hands.

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger - Glad you arrived safe and sound and enjoyed a nice dinner . New jammies were so cosy! Who care if I'm wearing Christmas jammies in June! Portpatrick is my besties favourite place, her MIL has a caravan down there so they try to get a visit as often as they can.

@Liverpool_Anne - No wonder your back was creaking after that.

@2Scratters - It has to be right . The bathroom budget will get topped back up and we all know that these household jobs never seem to go to plan do they.

QueenJess

A few bits done this morning - I opened DD"s wardrobe and had a look through it. She's at that awkward in-between sizes phase so too much in there at the moment and I have some of the next size clothes hanging around in my room as well. Lots more to do, but just limiting anything to a tiny bit at the moment as that's all I can deal with. The only rule is that at least one thing must leave everyday. I've been watching some minimalism videos for inspiration.

1 - magazine recycled
17 - DD clothes grown out of/she never wears (charity bag)

New total 1,456
Use it up total 446

Florenceem

J arrived and decided to put Timeless on the downstairs walls first. Then he took off the last stair rail. I had said to him about cutting away the edge of the stair carpet to make it easy to paint down to the floor. Next thing I knew he had pulled all the stair carpet up - what a mess. He put the carpet in the black bin - it is emptied this week. J has painted all the rails and they are leaning against the wardrobe doors in the lounge.

I went off to see the Dr - I don't need to go back unless there is anything worrying. Dr told me to phone the hospital to find out where I am on the gynae list.

J has now left - he put a coat of Babouche on the walls. I think it may need 3 coats - I did buy a large tin. J won't be here again until Friday.

I finished another gnome - Sam.

Green_hopeful

Freecycler came this morning. 20 minutes early so i was in my nightie, wellies and gardening coat giving our ducks their breakfast. Not a good look. He took some phones, a big box of fairy lights and two squash rackets.

Picture of the ducks from last year. We keep them separated now because the pekin drake is too rough with the Indian Runner Ducks.

I took some stuff to the tip on my way home. Big box of small electricals, some metal and cardboard.

Got rid of two lampshades in the kitchen/sitting room. Got new ones so not counting them but they went straight in the bin.

Also got a new manhole cover. Our existing ones were made for our house builder in the 1930s and have the company name on them so sad to replace it but it has broken into several parts so it dangerous. The new one is second hand and has Wimpy written on it. It’s super heavy so just bracing myself to get it unwrapped, down the garden and in place. I got the frame as well but not sure how to fit that so might just pop it in the existing frame.

Brie

@Green_hopeful

I know that decluttering is the aim but can the old cover be salvaged as a bit of garden art or some such? Maybe as a stepping "stone"?