2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

vulpix

Very pretty arrangements Willowtree. I love the colours.

suzeesu, snap. I made Mr V corned beef hash today in the slow cooker , but old style with potatoes.

Had a very productive couple of hours in what I call the side garden which is a drive that a modern car can't fit down due to a huge rockery and recently regrown and invigorated lilac forest. The metal coal bunker has been positioned and filled with the kitchen sink and garden stuff. Mr V put a couple of terracotta head planters on the house wall after cutting some gaps in the climbing hydrangea. I reviewed and weeded all my pots. All these plants are things for the back garden when it is done, and pots of bulbs. 3 pots emptied, listed and quickly sold on fb. My aim is to get most things out of pots and in the ground next year, with the exception of my hostas. I look after them like they are babies.

I spoke to DGS on the phone today, he is just 3. He told me he had been shopping with his Grandpa to Marks n spensive.🤣

Take care Vx

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

Wednesday is forecast to be a mostly sunny day with a high of 23°C, low of 14°C & a W wind. A reasonable start to the day as the HH waste wheelie bin was emptied on the correct day. Slightly downhill from there - the cold water part of the kitchen mixer tap is leaking. DH has investigated - thank you uTube 👏 He has turned off the water, dismantled the tap, removed the leaking part, ordered it Click & Collect, picked up the part, posted letters/cards for me, done a small shopping list, fixed the tap, put away his tools - all between 13:15 & 15:00. As I had to empty the cupboard to access the water cut off, it was the perfect opportunity to clean & sort out that cupboard. Duly done including decanting the contents of 2 small plastic bottles into their appropriate large bottles. I know it is usually the other way around, however the small bottles were only 75ml but need 100ml per item to be washed or waterproofed 🤔 Also tidied up my collection of plastic bags - mostly bread bags. I created enough space to add cleaning items from another cupboard where they didn’t belong. Then cleaned & sorted that cupboard. Dinner was shop bought pies, oven chips & baked beans. Wudupa

1593 - 1599 Kitchen recycling, 2 lidless takeaway containers, 2 small plastic bottles, cardboard box, drinks cans - recycled 

1600 Kitchen detritus binned 

dND, sounds like you had a wonderful time with your DD 🥹 & then also having DS1 visit as well 🥹 Excellent work by all 3 of you - a clear, unboarded loft merits a medal for each of you 🏅🏅🏅It is especially impressive that the old pram is already gone & that the loft boards are earmarked for your neighbour 👏 Full steam ahead for the scheduled loft insulation work 🥳 Flowers 💐 for your DD for insisting you get your leg/knee checked out. Sending healing vibes & an admonition to rest your leg as much as possible 🙏 I do hope you leave some of the San Marzano tomatoes in the TLC Carriage 😉

Lovely cheerleading vulpix 😊 Congratulations on being slimmer of the week again 🥳 A great repurposing idea for the coal bunker 👏 Good luck getting the rest of the varnish off 🍀

Willowtree222, they are so beautiful 😍 You are very talented ☺️

Lovely cheerleading surprisinglynice ☺️

Good luck with your list TC77 🍀

Lovely cheerleading dND 🥹 Good luck with the laundry & the tomatoes 🍀😉

Will try harder with the cheerleading tomorrow. Sleep tight 😴

MrsSD Awards: 💐 🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐💐⭐️💐❤️⭐️🎖️🥇⭐️⭐️⭐️😇🏅💐🌻💐💐🌻🥇⭐️⭐️🥇 

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️ 🏅

DSis Awards: 🏅

Decluttering Target 2026: 1600/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £373.61

GrannyKate

Loving all the craft - I once did lots especially for school fund raising but I rarely do any now. I do collect odd craft bits up for my DGD2 (which reminds me she took a bag home Saturday). I seem to have spent this week driving DGCs around despite this not being the plan from this term onwards. Lovely lunch out with U3A group yesterday - steak pie with fresh veggies, bread and butter pudding and ice cream.

Hopefully coving will be delivered today for fitting tomorrow. Decorator can come next week to paint ceiling and walls in hall. He will then come back to do woodwork when it is fitted which I am hoping will be very soon. This project just a hall, with no staircase, seems to have taken forever.

932 Craft stuff taken by DGD2

933 Railcard purchased for DGS3

I need to go to the station and get some tickets. I prefer this to buying them on line.

dND

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger Thank you for our medals and the flowers. I've told my children they were all stars. DS2 in America came riding to the rescue on Tuesday; my computer just stopped and wouldn't start again. 😱 He talked me through what was essentially a battery re-boot and I have a working laptop again. A tray of San Marzano is in the TLC carriage for those who want. 😁

It was a reasonably successful day yesterday. 1 wash load done, it's all that fits on the airer, and that is still drying in the lounge as it threatened rain for most of the day yesterday. The bedding is in the machine at the moment and I'm going to risk that on the line as both weather apps say no rain. I still wonder if it will rain as being next to the coast a sneaky shower often appears out of nowhere and south Wales is also know for its rain! 🤣

2 large jars of processed tomatoes sealed well and now stored but the third didn't so that's been re-processed and hopefully can be put away tomorrow. The next tray of tomatoes should be ripe by next week when we start the processing again - but it's lovely to see the jars lined up ready for use. 😁

I left my water canning bath in France thinking I could get a replacement here - that was a mistake but it's put me down the rabbit hole of looking at pressure canners. I'm really tempted but still working out if I can justify the expense and deciding if I would can enough to warrant getting one.

This morning started with a sinus headache - my fault. I finally got round to trying out one of the no-churn ice-cream recipes I have, 😱 so rich and sweet but delicious. I ended up making a strawberry swirl and a blackberry swirl version, (using coulis from home-grown blackberries and strawberries), for when DD was here. The only problem is that dairy products, (lactose), trigger my sinuses and although I only had small portions I had them for a couple of days running so will have to give them a miss for a while. Tubs of both are in the TLC carriage too. 😁

Right, I had better get on with the day - my anxiety levels are beginning to rise over having people in and out of the house even though I keep giving myself a good talking too about there being nothing to fret over and I know I'm doing myself no favours by getting anxious over nothing. 😔

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

Florenceem

Morning all.

I went back to sleep after the alarm.

Having a day indoors so I can cross jobs off my list.

QueenJess

Not having fun here… DS has acquired threadworms and cue me cleaning and washing everything like a mad person for the next two weeks 😭 So stressed… plus the pill you have to take didn't agree with me and has made me feel quite unwell.

Trying to deal with the stress by finding more things to get rid of. The less I have the less cleaning I need to do right?!

Otherwise I am still working very slowly through the few areas I know I have too much… puzzles, food, bathroom supplies, stationery etc. I also have a pile of things outside DD's room to go through - looks like mostly recycling to me, but with all the washing I haven't had time to check.

Digital:
1 - bookmark deleted
1 - notes deleted

Physical:
Bags and packaging
1 - broken bag (recycled)

Kitchen stuff
1 - fridge oversupply used up
1 - food cupboard oversupply used up
1 - freezer overstock used up

Books and Paperwork
1 - magazine recycled
2 - paper reused then recycled

Clothes/wardrobe etc
1 - socks with holes (recycled)
1 - leggings with perished elastic (recycled)

Bathroom stuff
1 - bathroom supplies used up

Kids stuff
2 - books (charity bag)

Random stuff
2 - puzzles I don’t love (charity bag)
2 - stationery used up

New total 9,157
Use it up total 895

dND

Hugs @QueenJess and I hope you feel better and on top of things again soon. Welcome to the joys of young school-age children. 😁 Albeit many years ago, been there, done that and got the t-shirts to boot!

Moorviews

@QueenJess - oh no, I am sorry and I wish you luck with vanquishing them quickly.

I have returned from a couple of weeks holiday in the UK, nice to see family and have some time away. Today is a recovery and getting on with all the washing day. I find it interesting to come back in and think about the things that I love to see and those that I am not bothered about. Not exactly fresh eyes but different to being here day in and day out and being blind to some of the clutter. I have had a full read of the two hundred posts that I missed but having trouble with the @ button as is usual for me nowadays!

@Mrs_Salad_Dodger - I know that Inn in Cornwall and it does seem very busy, I suppose as the food is good and they do have a lot of tables. It is a lovely setting.

@Deb4
Sending you good wishes for your mum xx

@Willowtree222
I am sorry to hear about your redundancy and hope that everything will work out well. Just adding that the flower arrangements are so pretty! xx

@Florenceem - I love your use of colour in your home. You are turning it into a very vibrant space. Great work on the cushion making and the mittens. As you want the mittens to raise funds by selling quickly then my suggestion would be at least £3.75 and possibly 2 pairs for £7. That way people get change from their notes and feel they are getting a bargain. Which they would be as clearly they are worth a lot more! I know how stingy people can be about buying handmade items at charity sales though. They aren’t necessarily valued for the work and skill that goes into them.

@Energyshifter - your garden furniture refurb looks great!

@BlueJ94 - love the Christmas creation and that you are listening to Christmas tunes already.

Right, this comment box is driving me a bit nuts so I will post and get washing out on the line. Bye for now xx

Moorviews

@dND - good luck with all the renovation/home improvements. It will all be worth it in the end! Nobody enjoys having the work done and home invasion. I do sympathise as I find it very difficult to function when anyone is here doing any work to the house.

I forgot to say that there is a lot of amazing and inspiring decluttering going on here along with all the wonderful support. It is a very warm thread to return to 😊

Florenceem

QueenJess - one of my boys O got worms in his first few months at school. There was a toilet in the classroom area and I think that is where he got infected. None of my other children contracted them. I did have problems with O - as his bottom was sore - he became scared to go to toilet and developed constipation which took a while to sort.

I emptied and cleaned a shelf in the utility area of the garage. I found stuff that I had forgotten about. I am writing down what I have so I don't buy the cleaning supplies that I have in stock.

Emptied the airing cupboard of ironed clothes then did a pile of ironing. Put bins out ready for collection tomorrow. Saw my neighbour so we had a chat. I saw another neighbour and asked him about taking a bike to the tip.

I got a message from a window cleaner - £20 for this 4 bedroom house - I will go for every 8 weeks - at least they will be cleaned more often than now.

I am working on covers for the last two cushion inserts.

Made a child's/young teen size pair of crochet mitts.