2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

vulpix

Happy Kitties, just to brighten your day and clutter up your house I am going to send you a couple of parcels.xx

6 plants decluttered to the railway station, including the quince that I dug up in the Summer.

10 Bert and May tiles in, to use for crafts, from Thrift.

Found 7 bird boxes in the shed. cobwebs brushed off and brought in for painting. Mr V put a new hinge on one of the lids. One box too past it ,in the log box for burning. Garden paint located in the kitchen cupboard and all ready to go. Some wallpaper ripped off, you know the type, the top comes off and leaves a layer stuck fast to the wall.

I have had a brainwave. Yes I know, I am full of bright ideas! Mr V is going to make me a rustic lid to go on the old butter box log box. It can then be used as a side table too.

Read half my book last night for a change. I have been plodding on with it a chapter at a time for ages. DS, ex English teacher brought it for me and keeps asking how I am getting on with it. Poor lad is desperate to talk about books with somebody. What I will say it's quite prophetic. The authors views on the telephone and the media are more than relevant today and the book was written over a hundred years ago.

Well, it's Tuesday, I have been to fat club as Mr V calls it. 1/2 lb off. No excuses. I celebrated DGS's first Birthday at his pizza party and it shows. How has everyone done? better than me I am sure.😀

Vx

vulpix

Just caught up with posts. Energy shifter, you have been courageous in admitting the timing is not right just now. Well done. xx

Brie, I have memories of a cartoon with chipmunks in a Christmas tree. I wonder if it was Tom and Jerry? or is it Chip and Dale?

Ocean spirit, Lovely memories of a couple of years living in Cumbria. I worked at an out door pursuit centre. We used to work all day and then walk miles to the nearest pub and back. Loads of wildlife to be seen. Night and day.

Granny Kate, we are weight loss twins.😀😀 better off than on. I love a bit of pre raphaelite. I bet the windows are lovely.

Suzeesu, not to worry about what the scales say.I was expecting a bigger loss today cos I actually feel slimmer. I think some meal planning is the way to go for me too. No pizza party this week but there is a quiz and curry night coming up! That's real life though. I have to compromise and watch my weight and join in with life at the same time.

Right, bird box painting for me.

Vx

QueenJess

Creeping back onto the train… got off at one of the stops and just couldn't catch up again!

I've not read the thread as been recovering mainly and then trying to sort things out at home. Fingers crossed the horrible worms are gone - no symptoms and I have decided to stop washing the bed linen and everything daily now as it's driving me crazy. It's been 3 weeks and our house has been cleaned many times, so we should be good.

I was stuffing all the clean clothes into the kids wardrobes without folding or anything (and ditto for the bed linen and towels into the big cupboard) given it felt pointless when it'll all come back out again in under 24 hours. I'm now looking to fold everything back up again. I just moved DD's drawers and wardrobe around to switch her summer and winter wardrobes. I already did the same for mine (although mine is a simple switch between two wardrobes) and DS doesn't need to do that as he has loads of space and doesn't really wear anything different. DD's drawers are slightly stuffed, but she is still at the top end of her size so things will slowly be grown out of over the next 6 months anyway.

Otherwise I am just trying to use stuff as I've run out of obvious things to get rid of for now. I have a couple of products I am concentrating on using in the bathroom (that won't be replaced), some food in the kitchen (also won't be replaced), a couple of cleaning supplies and lots of paper. Once I get through one, it'll be replaced by another one I want to use up. Use it or lose it is the name of the game and if I don't like using it, out it goes. I'm trying to pay attention to everything in my house and question if I am using it and if not, start. I rearranged my scrap paper drawers so that 2 of them are A4 papers with only one side written on, which I tear in half, hole punch and add to my homemade work notebook. The other drawer is ones that are weird shapes etc that I use up for general work thoughts and don't need a notebook (I think on paper). I did get rid of some papers that made it into there but couldn't really be reused.

I got stuck with the cooking books (I'm down to 23 of them, although lots are tiny ones) and now whenever I want to look for a recipe for something I always use the books rather than defaulting to online. This is helping me work out which books I want to keep. If there is a book with only a couple of recipes I want to try, I will get rid of them after I've tried them and write out the recipe if I want to make it again. It's going to be a long process though (much like reducing the stuff in my baking cupboard!).

I have been buying a few clothes for me and the kids. The odd things that were missing from our wardrobes. For some reason I have far fewer winter clothes than summer clothes for me, which doesn't make much sense. I am light on long sleeved tops, so will have a look around for some later. It also means I have a little bit of packaging, which of course will be used for more charity donations.

DS had a major declutter of Lego, which has boosted my figures quite a lot! I am also considering carefully what to get the kids for Xmas. I don't want to clutter the place up and want to buy a few things, but stuff I know they will absolutely love and use.

Digital:
6 - downloads deleted
3 - emails unsubscribed from
1 - notes deleted
170 - favourites deleted
4 - text conversations deleted
14 - photos deleted

Physical:
Bags and packaging
9 - packaging reused

Kitchen stuff
1 - freezer overstock used up
1 - cleaning supplies used up
1 - jar not needed (charity bag)
1 - container (recycled)
1 - recipe book I don’t use/need (charity bag)
1 - cotton lunch bag I don’t use (charity bag)
1 - recipe card I don’t use (recycled)
10 - paper bags recycled
1 - bin (Buy Nothing)
1 - duck food used up
1 - fridge overstock used up

Books and Paperwork
1 - borrowed book returned to owner
14 - paperwork recycled
23 - paper reused then recycled
15 - financial paperwork (shredded)

Bathroom stuff
1 - packaging (recycled)
2 - bathroom supplies used up
1 - bin (Buy Nothing)

Kids stuff
39 - DD tat (recycled/binned)
13 - DD tat (charity bag)
6 - DS tat (recycled/binned)
2000 (estimated) - 3.2kg random DS lego (charity bag)
12 - DS tat recycled
1 - DD destroyed clothes (recycled)
2 - DD school jumpers grown out of (taken back to school)

Random stuff
1 - plastic box with no lid (recycled)

New total 11,761
Use it up total 993

I've left a Dorset apple cake in the tlc carriage along with some ginger and dark chocolate biscuits.

Floss

@vulpix I once went to a team building thing at Brathay Hall on Windermere. It was October and the teams had to row across the lake to the Low Wood to find a treasure hunt item behind their bar, then row back. All in the dark! We were building rafts & abseiling down trees too.

daisy_1571

Well done losers. I had lost over 3lb by yesterday morning but....ate everything in sight yesterday evening 😂 so this morning a 1/4 lb gain from last week. Not to worry ! It ends 10 and a half now

GrannyKate

I was pleasantly surprised to have lost any weight at all. I bought a half price tuna pasta salad for my lunch but followed it with caramel and cream eclair!! Need to sort a few bits this evening.

985 All November and December cards written and addressed except one where I need a new address. I have lots of early November birthdays so will post them before I go away.

986 Meeting papers ready on laptop for tomorrow

987 Car load of stuff to tip - gardening stuff that wouldn't fit in bin and old clothes horse already counted out.

Yorkie1

I've lost between 1.5 - 2 lbs since last week, so I'm fairly pleased with that.

I've done four of the JW workouts - I prefer some to others, but at least using the app keeps me a bit accountable, whereas if I was just remembering to go online to his YouT channel, it would never happen. But the meal planning is harder - I can't sustain cooking 3 meals a day, and there are very varied ingredients which all have to be bought. I'm being better at eating generally though, which is the main thing.

Well done to everyone else. Must go and get some tea now 😊

EnergyShifter

Gained 0.8kg almost 2lb 🤦‍♀️. I picked the wrong week to start trying to lose weight what with the delicious food on the Retreat. Back on the straight and narrow this week!

This afternoon was sunny enough to get out in the garden which felt like life was getting back to normal. DS did a bit more sanding for me - hopefully I can paint the planks for the table tomorrow.

My neighbours opposite are moving and had left lots of wood for people to take. Most of it is unused and in excellent condition and perfect for DS' to practice his woodwork - he won't have to buy any more for years!

Threw out an old laundry basket that I was using in the garden and a dead solar lamp.

Thank you so much for those of you who have made encouraging comments about my decision to defer. It truly has made a difference - I am very touched 🙏

suprisinglynice

Lots in as I am creating easy to do children's crafts for a local school. I have managed to keep it all in one box though,

Over 40 pairs of socks donated after a huge clear out (all small children sizes)

Lots of veg used up as it's soup season!

I need to book a haircut as my hair is growing back at a fabulous rate, and it's coming back red! I haven't seen my hair ginger for at least 20 years, I started to go grey in my teens, coloured it until my 30's and then just embraced the grey. The growth won't last long so I'm going to have a cut that makes it look good even when there is less of it.

Brambling

living in the south east we don't have red squirrels but growing up we use to go Brownsea island which has them. Around home we have several white ones which can be slightly freaky with their pink eyes.

I met up with my five sisters on Saturday in Dorset, not the planned family gathering but it was good to get together even if there was too much talk of who was on what medication! My eldest three sisters are all in their 80s.

I was sent back with five bags of books by one sister, I let another look them over and she took two. I have left them in the car, my book shelves don't need anymore so the second hand book shop will benefit.

After a phone call with elderly friend I've started on a couple of frogs this afternoon, she is a lot more settled about selling her flat and says she has decided to stay in her current care home, I'm hoping local authority won't object as they are paying for it and she went in as a six week assessment in February they were looking elsewhere for a permanent placement. I think she finally realised that she had pushed me too far and maybe no one else will take over if i don't carry on as her LPA. I did say if she wasn't happy I was happy to hand it over.

More money will be decluttered at the dentist with a replacement filling, we only have one nhs dentist in town who doesn't have the best recommendations so it's a private appointment unless it's a emergency where you can go to the hospital in the next town.