2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

Florenceem

More photos of the craft storage room - the smallest bedroom.

QueenJess

@Florenceem You could set up the room like a shop for craft stuff and literally shop your stuff. I think that would be really fun!

Florenceem

QueenJess - this declutter has shown me how much stash I have.

At least the SA charity shop is benefitting.

Willowtree222

That is a huge transformation.

Sadly several of the bikinis and clothes didn't survive the chlorine and turned a very unique shade of green. Thankfully we spotted it in day one and took steps to protect our hair!

Three items binned. The living room is almost complete so that meant the kitchen table has been sorted through and a home found for it. Some items binned, and all packaging recycled now. The storage unit will be relocated to the shed now it is empty leaving a beautiful tidy space.

The spare room will be home to cases and clothes until I can dry and put them all away. That will take a good few days.

Bought lots of storage baskets today so the new living storage is organised and neat. Everything is starting to get am allocated place.

dND

Today it seems that I've been decluttering the garden into the house as I decided a quick check around the raised beds might be an idea if the thunderstorms hit here. 🤣

The big courgette was the one I panic remembered and picked yesterday, the rest was all today's haul. As a result, most of the day has been spent food processing.

The beetroot were from some I sowed for baby beet leaves and once the leaves grew faster than I could eat I let them grow on to golf ball size and they are now roasted. Green beans and tender stem broccoli are prepped and open freezing while the cherry tomatoes have joined the earlier pickings and are in the dehydrator. Also in the dehydrator, along with some extra serrano chillies from yesterday, are the red serrano chilies and the green padrons. This time I'm drying them whole rather than in strips and also dehydrating are 3 Brazilian starfish chillies that I also picked.

The long tomatoes are San Marzano and tomorrow will be joining others stored in the fridge to become 'just tomatoes' i.e. like tinned tomatoes rather than the flavoured sauce I also make. The raspberries will join the last few days pickings tomorrow and become raspberry syrup which if I don't use it all to flavour my homemade Greek-style yoghurt, I will use to flavour raspberry ripple no-churn ice cream. 😋

In between sorting that lot I also faffed about with a new flavour for a courgette cake. (Dragging out soapbox here), Back in the 80's I used to adore McV's Jamaican Ginger cake, especially as a pudding with hot custard. These day it seems to me a pale shadow of its former self. The cake has no body as though it's just air and water held together with xantham gum, highly ultra-processed. 😔 The challenge today was could I make a courgette cake that reminded me more of my 80's pudding. Well, I'm happy with what I got; being a courgette cake base it's moister but it's nice and gingery and I think will make a wonderful winter pudding. I now have to make more freezer space so I can make and slice a couple more for the freezer before the courgette plant stops providing. Tasters in the TLC carriage. 😁

I've just realised that today is Wednesday so tomorrow will be knitting group followed by the weekly shop. I'm unlikely to do much food prep as the processing of all the jars /bottles after all the prep work takes a long time to do, so tomatoes and syrup will probably slip to Friday. And that will be another week more or less gone!!

Oh I forgot to mention I ate the frog of contacting the grant people last week as well. The response was basically, "no date yet but we'll let you know when". But at least I've rattled their cage again.

Hugs to those who would like one and love to you all. Dxx

dND

@Florenceem That's an amazing difference to your ROD.

@QueenJess I'm so impressed with your determination to declutter and how much you get out of the house. I'm doubly impressed because you have children and OH to deal with as well. I can't even sort myself! 🤣

vulpix

Forgot the foot spa and badly degraded football programmes and Guinness world record books and the single bed headboard and some random bits of wood. 2 more trips to the tip. Mr V will be on the staffs Christmas night out at this rate.

We had a Mother of all storms earlier with hail. The road at the front turned into a river.

Florenceem, glad to see you still have enough supplies to keep you busy for a long time yet.

dND, lovely looking produce. I am lusting ginger sponge pudding now. I have no concept of portioning and freezing cake. A home made cake is lucky to last 24 hours here.

Vx

suzeesu2000

@dND, recipe for courgettes ginger cake please. I very much agree, ginger cakes nowadays just taste of stodgy and sweetness. Used to enjoy a slice of ginger cake with a bit of butter on, yummy.

All freezer again for dinner today.

Sorted all my black bags, bin bags, food bags etc into one tote which now fits nicely on top of two others on very top of pantry shelves. I know now that, when the kitchen is done and finished, I can house 6 shallower totes on top.

All the laundry has been ironed and put away.

Decluttered one tall fan to DFriend.

Hope everyone has had a great day.
So sad about Dolly, she was a big philanthropist to many causes and individuals, as well as providing employment to people at all her “Dolly” ventures. She really was the Queen of country and will be missed. They don’t make them like her anymore😢

Night night all, sweet dreams xx

Brie

very pleased to report that I have decluttered the jar with peppercorns!! As in I decanted the few that were left into the grinder (nearly empty!!) and thought to myself "when was the last time I have a pepper corn jar (plastic) to chuck?!" Checked the date on the jar November 2023 with no indication if that is a BBD or a "use it after this date and you're eating poison". It was a big jar, 250 g (or ml? no, I think g) about the size of those Bonne Maman jam jars. How long have we had this?? I like a bit of pepper, emphasis on "bit". OH likes it more than me but doesn't go overboard (less said about his salt intake the better). So I figure this is something that moved from our previous abode, move was in Feb 2018 so basically I'm throwing away something that is part of the family.

Now, what's the next move??? The grinder itself is over 20 years old, works well but has a split lid so I wouldn't mind replacing it. But with what?? We've bought those 99p plastic ones from Lidl when going to self catering so we could go back to that but I rather appreciate something a bit nicer. Something to look out for when we go to Brussels in a few days methinks…there's those MFW(double checked!!) shops there that do cook stuff and will be no doubt happy to sell us something overpriced.

daisy_1571

first dolly now tim curry 😭

QueenJess if your charity shops don't want your sons toys would a local nursery? They must have to regularly update or replace broken toys? Or local women's refuge or maybe even food bank if they are gearing up for xmas stockings/bags for kids??.

Florenceem what a difference you are making

DXXX