2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

vulpix

Thank you lovely people. Fomo couldn't have had a better life. He will be forever young.

As Mr V was up and about yesterday, his leg has swollen up again. Bed rest now but he is insisting on going to work tonight. He will need to request more antibiotics tomorrow. Hard to believe a fall has resulted in this, even a bad fall as it was.

floriana, a lovely scene, it could be anywhere near where I live. I miss being able to go a walk.

I spent a couple of hours in the front garden yesterday. Digging out baby weeds, moving and putting in more stepping stones. I slightly turned on my good knee which isn't good but better than the other. It gave a little pop like the other one did last year. I am pushing through with it to keep busy.

I put some stuff at the gate in a FREE box. It has all gone. I will put some more stuff in the box. I just haven't had time to drop stuff off at the chazzer so some of it will be suitable to leave at the gate.

Thinking of you and your family Florenceem. xxx

Strangely I am still feeling overwhelm 😂 so I think I may lay low on the thread for a bit. Vxxx

oceanspirit

Vulpix, so sorry to hear about Fomo. He did incredibly well to get home with his injuries and I am glad you were able to say goodbye.

Decided I was fed up with the mess I was creating so have had a change of method for clearing the paper mountains. I now have a basket for the reading pile so anything not urgent gets chucked in there thus giving me space to use my limited energy and brainpower on the important and urgent things. Am hoping this will speed things up otherwise at the current rate it will take months to complete.

Sale of current home is marching along and should be ready to exchange in a couple of weeks. No firm plan for where I am going has yet been made - scary and exciting all at the same time.

Willowtree222

I sorted out the freezer which made room for things and also got rid of some potentially out of date items. All put in food recycling.

EnergyShifter

@vulpix - so sorry to hear about FOMO 💐

@florenceem - thinking of you & your family 🙏💕

Hugs to anyone else who needs them 🤗

GrannyKate

So sorry you are having such a difficult time @vulpix - do take some time for yourself. I have always consoled myself that my former pets had a good life with us and were loved and cared for as family members. It is still so hard to lose them. The only consolation about not being able to do your usual walks is that it has just been too hot to walk anywhere. I just hope the rain makes it to N Lincs eventually.

Pump on Sox's water fountain has failed (bought December) so will wait for DIL to navigate A's site to ask for replacement. Sox is currently drinking from full watering cans by back door. I found two wetsuits - not sure if either will fit DGS4 but will try them out - if not they can go to CS.

776 All August cards written and first one posted - I have made a list of those required for Sept/October.

777 School trousers ordered for fussy DGD4 - should be able to click and collect tomorrow

778 Back grass cut as far as possible round swimming pool. Grass itself not really growing just tall weeds

779 Sorted through bags of stuff to go - The 'school' recycling bag has at least twenty items of primary school clothing in good condition which I can take in when term starts. Large shopping bag full of mainly clothes for CS - I took out some underwear DIL had added and will drop that in textiles at tip. Quiz on Thursday is very near hospice shop so I can drop bag in then.

Right stifling hot again so I need to find something not too energetic to do.

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Hi everyone

Not much decluttering here but I did manage to offload 10 x coat hangers to a friend I visited who has a v!nted habit and had run out of hangers. I also took a carrier bag of aluminium cans to the monthly litterpick group who cash them in - 1p a can :)

@Florenceem thinking of you and your family

@vulpix, so sorry to hear about Fomo 😢

Love Deni

x

Floss

@Florenceem will be thinking of you & your family over the next 3 weeks x

@vulpix so sorry to read about Fomo. Please take some time to lurk x

@GrannyKate the pump died on Whisky's water fountain last month, but it was 3 years old. She's much happier drinking from one than a bowl or anything else! 🤷‍♀️

QueenJess

I'm sneaking back onto the train after a month with very low internet usage (and there's almost nothing I missed bar the threads on here) and a week on holiday. After my break, I felt able to tackle the kitchen which actually wasn't quite as bad as I remembered, but still needed a lot to leave.

I have now got rid of so much stuff that I only have 2 tiny cardboard boxes, 1 paper bag and 2 plastic packaging bags left. So my ability to get rid of things is a bit more interesting, although DH has volunteered to take things direct to the charity shop himself! I wish I could say I was done, but I really am not. The stuff to go is there, but is hiding amongst the things I do use all the time and so is way harder to spot the more I declutter. I also have decisions to make and it is so tiring for every item… I am trying to use things I have neglected to see if I still like them. If I use things up then I don't immediately repurchase and see if I can live without them for a while. I am constantly asking whether I will really be using something or even if I use it, could I live without it and use an alternative?

I am now aiming for minimalism for the bathroom and I've been headed that way for years. It'll take me a while yet as I am using up overstocks of things and am happy to do that. I am also not into beauty or a million different skincare items - as I have sensitive skin I've always been of the mindset that less is more and the simpler the item the better. I'm also not an avid make-up wearer and just wear a tiny bit of eyeshadow and some mascara for work/nights out (I hate lipstick, lip gloss or anything on my lips at all including chapstick etc and really hate foundation and this trend of eyebrow make-up. Honestly I was mainly too lazy historically to pluck them and I think they look fine as they are). All this means I really can minimalise here as I just don't value anything too complex. I am currently contemplating whether I even want nail varnish still as I only use it on my toes and it's an annoying hassle. Will think on that one for a while longer - there's absolutely no rush.

I am also aiming for minimalism in the kitchen as that can get overwhelming quickly and I have a bad habit of overbuying food. I prefer cooking in a simple kitchen. This one is hard for me as I love baking and seem to collect things, but again, there is no rush here and I am slowly working through it. Recipe books is one I find the hardest, but I've got myself a blank recipe book and aim to put my favourite recipes in that one book that I make again and again.

Kids clothes I am again aiming for minimalism. DS couldn't care less about his clothes anyway. DD loves dressing up etc, but isn't bothered about more clothes, just wearing the ones she loves again and again. I will do this naturally by just acquiring a lot less when they grow out of their current size.

For everything else in my house I'm a little more relaxed as it isn't really a source of stress for me right now. This all of course ignores the room of doom that is DS's room 😬. I really think the only way to solve that one is for him to get rid of absolutely tons of things. I can only hope he will see me decluttering and follow suit.. I don't want to spend my life asking him to clear the floor 25x and spending hours helping him do it just so the floor can be hoovered. Anyway… we'll leave that one for now and see what happens.

Too much waffling again, but a serious list of decluttering below!

Digital:
32 - notes deleted
21- photos deleted
1 - apps deleted
3 - emails alias deleted

Physical:
Bags and packaging
4 - bags reused
2 - bags recycled
31 - packaging reused
1 - plastic bag (binned)

Kitchen stuff
1 - food colouring pens that separated in the heat (binned)
7 - too many kitchen glasses (charity bag)
1 - information leaflet recycled
24 - napkins I don’t use (charity bag)
8 - glasses I don’t use (charity bag)
1 - kitchen cloth (binned)
1 - teapot we don’t use (Buy Nothing)
13 - ice cream/lolly moulds I don’t use (charity bag)
2 - large ramekins we use once a year for snacks, but could use bowls instead (charity bag)
1 - mug we never use (charity bag)
3 - recipe books I don’t use (charity bag)
1 - ingredients I probably won’t use (bought for something but I never used it - will simply rebuy if I ever need some) (Buy Nothing)
3 - takeaway containers I was given (binned)
2 - spare pieces for things I don’t need (binned)
2 - food given to me I won’t use (food bank)
1 - birthday candle that will never get used up (binned)
10 - food magazines (Buy Nothing)
1 - spare water bottle (charity bag)
1 - glass jar I don’t use (charity bag)
6 - random expired food/other random stuff (binned)
5 - glass jars I don’t use anymore (charity shop)

Books and Paperwork
2 - paper reused then recycled
1 - book (charity bag)
1 - random paperwork (recycled)
5 - instructions I don’t need (recycled)
15 - plastic pockets (charity bag)

Clothes/wardrobe etc
1 - boots I never wear (charity bag)
5 - socks worn through (binned and partly replaced)
1 - broken hairband (binned)

Bathroom stuff
2 - diffuser refill and reeds (Buy Nothing) (just found it too annoying to deal with diffusers and they don’t work very well)
3 - bathroom supplies used up
2 - mini travel pots (charity bag)
1 - suncream used up

Kids stuff
1 - DD shoes grown out of (charity bag)
1 - DS clothes grown out of (charity bag)
1 - DS shoes grown out of (charity bag)
1 - DS toys (charity bag)
1 - DS tat (binned)
19 - kids paperwork (recycled)
1 - DD socks worn through (binned)
1 - DD clothes grown out of (charity bag)
4 - DD craft stuff used up
1 - garden game (Buy Nothing)

18 - DD tat (recycled/binned)
2 - DD toys (Buy Nothing)
1 - DD toys (charity bag)
4 - DD stuff leftover from a craft kit we have no use for (binned)
1 - DD craft stuff (Buy Nothing)
3 - DD Lego set and instructions etc (sold)

Random stuff
1 - pencil that’s far too H and goes through the paper (binned)
1 - tin not needed (charity bag)
3 - spare accessories for kids toilet seat (binned)
40 - rags (recycled)

New total 4,803
Use it up total 685

Floss

@QueenJess maybe settle on one bottle of nail varnish in a classic colour? Maybe either a scarlet or deep pink.

suzeesu2000

Thank you for all kind wishes re DHs fall, he’s fine now thanks.

@vulpix I am so sorry to read about Fomo, Thank goodness he made it home to you. God bless little furry Fomo 🪽

Quiet day here, very lazy start but finished with jobs being completed. All the photos have now been put in frames and back up on the stairwell wall, I absolutely love it. At last I have some of DHs family added, his family were not ones for keeping photos. Parcel taken to friend who will add to what she’s already posting for me.

Dinner was freezer and pantry shelves. I’ve decided I have to reduce the amount I am stocking. I think if I have 8 tines of each thing we actually eat, that will be enough. Although I did a massive clean and tidy up of it, it’s sadly become cluttered again so I need to deal with it before it becomes overwhelming.

Deiced that, as I neglected a lot of things while decorating, I really need to spend time cleaning my cooker, it’s manky! I have the boiler man coming in the morning so, before he arrives, I will strip the stove down and put all the bits in the dishwasher, makes it much easier to get any nasty bits cleaned off. That’s the plan…

Hope everyone has had a decent weekend. Have a good night, sweet dreams xx