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

Thursday continued: The weather forecast was not wrong ☹️ We left the hotel at 09:40 in the dry & arrived at the ferry port 10:10 having just missed a ferry 😞 Not long to wait for the next one as they run every 20 minutes. Boarded the ferry I. The dry but by the time we got across the loch it was drizzling. Only light drizzle but persistent up to 12:30, which is when I put DH’s RAF Foul Weather on over my motorcycle jacket so didn’t get wet & also didn’t get cold. Shortly after we set off again DH started worrying about rattling noises & the feel of the motorbike when braking 😟 It gradually got worse & DH was run I ing through worse case scenarios - bike would break down completely & have to be taken home Ona truck & we would have to go home on the train 😔 We plodded on & stopped at an A*da petrol station - by this time it had stopped raining - where DH removed the front mudguard & the plastic brake covers & discovered that 2 bolts holding in the brake callipers had come undone - one slightly & the other almost completely undone. He used the toolkit that came with the bike(for the first time 😉) & tightened the bolts up fully. The relief was palpable & as a reward we popped over the road to the pub 🙊 However we were sensible & just had coffees & made use of the facilities. Half an hour later we were back on the road & our holiday was rescued 🥳 An hour later the rain started again & the fog got thicker. We stopped at The Laggan Coffee Bothy (a landmark) & were lucky enough to arrive 10 minutes before closing 😮‍💨 Warmed up with cappuccinos, a slice of toffee drizzle cake & a large choc chip cookie. Back on the road 25 minutes later having been entertained watching several common chaffinches flying down from the trees to the ground. We arrived at our hotel The Stronlossit Inn, Roybridge about 17:00 just as the rain stopped 😉 It turned into a pleasant evening dry & bright with less cloud & no fog. Lovely ground floor room with a view of the garden. Freshly scrubbed & changed, we went to dinner. Another tasty dinner but paled in comparison to Wednesday’s dinner 😉 DH had smoked salmon & salad followed by battered haddock, chips & peas whilst I had leek & potato soup 😋 followed by pan fried chicken stuffed with haggis in a peppercorn sauce with mash & curly kale. Back in our room by 20:50. DH cleaned the visor on his helmet & I watched the last half hour of The Magnificent Seven. We have packed our bags & are ensconced in bed. Today’s menagerie: sheep, horses, cows, ponies, black guillemots, a pied wagtail, common chaffinches & my personal favourite a solitary heron. Now to catch up with the cheerleading 🤞

Florenceem, the rain (& fog) makes it difficult to admire the gorgeous scenery 😉 Good luck with the ironing & getting the large storage boxes out of the old office 🍀

_Dolly_Rocker_ , lovely cheerleading post ☺️ Good luck paying off the mortgage 🍀 it sounds like you are absolutely determined to pay it off asap 👏

Green_hopeful, lovely photo ☺️ I have never seen a cat fall asleep like that - reminded of a clip I saw of a toddler sleeping like that & falling sideways in slo-mo 🙊  Excellent work dealing with 2 frogs 👏 a medal 🏅is on its way

Great work with the sales florianatwobob 👏 Aidan Turner of Poldark fame 🤔 good actor & nice body 😉

Brie, good luck filling your rubbish bin 🍀 I remember some years ago I bought an sm basil plant & planted it outdoors. It thrived & lasted 6 months 🥳 I had Basil with everything 😉

Florenceem, you certainly are being ruthless with your decluttering 👏🤩 A Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way ☺️ Ooh, love sea bass 😋 

Excellent decluttering TC77 👏 & well done making progress with the frogs 👏

Florenceem, gutting fish is a really good skill to have ☺️ More excellent & eclectic decluttering 👏

suzeesu2000, loved your fishy tale 👏☺️ Oh for the days when fish cost pennies ☹️ 

vulpix, tickling wild trout, now that is a great skill 🤩 Sounds like you had a lovely day babysitting 🥹 Hopefully you will get a bit more notice next time & can go the previous day & stay the night 😉

All caught up but not quite before midnight ☹️ Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 998/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £226.61

florianatwobob

I have to say I’ve not gutted a fish since my teens. My mum went through a period where she felt it was necessary to teach me these things. I vaguely remember the how’s and whys.

moginstein

@GrannyKate I had a folding laundry basket that fit in my laundry hamper perfectly. I fell down the stairs with it, I was battered and bruised but it didn't survive the fall :-(

When I looked for a replacement they all seemed less sturdy, so in the end I decided to repurpose one of my really strong reusable supermarket bags (the ones that are sort of woven plastic, sometimes with material handles), which has the benefit of being able to be carried on my shoulder, leaving my hands free for not throwing myself down the stairs!

Like this one (not the one I use, but an example for size and strength)

QueenJess

@Brie I love basil so much… not enough of it in the world in my opinion 😂 I am trying to grow my own, but my seeds are a bit elderly.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82040440#Comment_82040440

Gosh, that sounded terrifying. Good idea for a repurpose :)

At this point I think I've removed around 100 items from DD's room, which sounds loads given I wasn't that cluttered to start with. I genuinely can't notice the difference! I think there is a way to go yet… DD is really tidy, so I think the clutter is just away, but she can't even remember what she owns. Some of it must be my fault, but I think it's mainly my parents who bring a present every time they visit 🙄. Oh, plus a whole class birthday party 😬

Hit a wall with DD now as she doesn't want to get rid of anything now. I did point out her colouring books won't fit in the space she has, but she still won't get rid of a single one. I did say if she has them she should use them, so at least she's colouring one of them at the moment I guess. DH said I shouldn't have asked as she doesn't remember most of them anyway and I should have taken a few away so they fitted. They are currently all over floor..

DS puts the odd thing outside his room every 1-2 days to get rid of. The magic fairy sorts these things out clearly.. I was too slow after DD was in bed as she got up unexpectedly and saw something she liked in the pile and it is now re-homed in her room…

1 - medication used up
10 - DD underwear outgrown (donated to school)
33 - colouring pencils DD doesn’t like (Buy Nothing)
1 - DD toy unneeded (charity bag)
1 - packaging used up
11 - DD books (Buy Nothing/Charity bag)

New total 1,521
Use it up total 450

I've almost filled another charity bag (small repurposed packaging), so it would be good to get another bag gone today. Will have a think.

Edit: Out of interest, I found this in my digital notes, which documents my decluttering journey in numbers:

2025 decluttering: 5,658, 2024 decluttering: 18,000!, 2025 decluttering: 40,000!

BlueJ94

Morning all!

Not much to post as ive been very unproductive.. i NEED to get back onto sorting my debts out etc.

First things first.. my job currently! I've been asked would I be interested in a "Duty Manager" roll when it gets approved from higher up, as our recent one left. Im stuck as ive always wanted to be Ops but a few years ago the company got rid of ops roles and replaced it with Duty Manager rolls, its a 5K pay rise for me and after tax its roughly £280ish extra a month. Im not sure why im so hesitant to say yes but ive asked the manager to come back to me once its approved and we can have a proper sit down chat about it!

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

Friday is a very damp day - no drizzle just heavy rainfall from the early hours of the morning & still hammering down at 09:30 😔 I had a very restless night - up 5 times before finally getting up & dressed at 08:15. Went to breakfast at 08:45 - a full Scottish but minus the black pudding for me. We are currently resting before braving the rain.  Today we are heading to Kylesku - just one landmark & 2 stops for petrol. 

Wishing everyone a drier day than we are going to have 😉 See you later 👋 

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

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️

DSis Awards:

Decluttering Target 2026: 998/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £226.61

Floss

@BlueJ94 maybe look at the job description too, to make sure you're happy with everything on there?

Florenceem

vulpix - I have drawn and plucked chickens, turkeys and ducks.

MrsSD - I need to be ruthless in my sorting/decluttering. Shame about the weather you are experiencing.

Morning all.

I thought I had cleaned all evidence of a fish from my kitchen - this morning I found 2 fish scales. J didn't sent me a photo of the cooked fish as he had promised. I text him today - he forgot. J said the backbone fell out when he had cooked the bass.

I have sorted the stuff I ironed yesterday - some is going to the charity shop. I have a bag started in my shopping trolley.

I have been upstairs and moved the stair rails that were leaning on the wardrobe doors in the lounge so I could clean the shelf. I am going to store the cushion inserts that I have for stuffing on the shelf. I will also put the wedding dresses that I have in that wardrobe, Winter coats and SA uniform are going to hang in that wardrobe.

No J here yet.

I am going to have another day at home.

vulpix

Green hopeful, it sounds like you have your hands full with all the pets.22 years old is an achievement. I had a cat years ago who went to Grandma's house when I worked overnight at a children's home. He loved it and jumped in the car and travelled with his paws on the dash board, looking out of the window and loving life.

moginstein, yikes to falling down stairs. I chuck all washing down the stairs as I need to hold on these days.

What a shame about the weather Mrs SD. Well done in fixing the bike and it wasn't a major problem. I am more familiar with the far North of Scotland. We used to holiday there as I had a friend who lived in Dornoch. No nodding off on the back of the bike please.

Blue J, if getting older has taught me anything it is never ignore your instincts. So well done on waiting to see what the deal will be.

The weather here is warm and overcast so nice for gardening so that is what I will do. I will dig some plants up from round the back and transfer to the front. Some more brick planting for stepping stones will also happen.

Another dead bra will go in the rag bag once it has been through the wash.

Vx

daisy_1571

I'm back !!! Managed to get myself locked out for weeks, was beginning to think I might have to lose my 20 years service (surely I get a long service bonus for that coming up ??) and come back on as a newbie 😎. Have been reading along but nobody missed me 😲😝🤣😂 😂🤣 you were all quite rightly far too busy. Loved all the photos gloves gardens pets etc etc, commiserations as required and congratulations too for everyone's great work were all sent through the ether at the appropriate times.

Daisy xxxx