2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

EnergyShifter

Did my shift at the Homeless shelter this morning. Dropped off a large bag of nearly new bedclothes that came from my neighbours but had been sitting in the office for a month. We eat with the guests and today I gave into temptation and had some dessert. I swear that I’ve been eating more since I said I was trying to lose weight 🤦‍♀️.

Walked home via the High St & picked up a sieve that I’ll use for the garden and a cashmere beanie (£3!!!) from the charity shop . More wood wobbled from my neighbour who is moving.

Had a nap then did some pottering in garden. Some ankle boots arrived from Clark’s - I think these are “the ones” to replace my old ones with holes in the sole. It’s been surprisingly difficult to find plain black leather ankle boots !

@Yorkie1 - congratulations on paying off your mortgage 🎉

suzeesu2000

@Yorkie1 how wonderful for you, congrats. Are you wondering what you will do with the money you don’t now have to spend on a mortgage?

@Florenceem I LOVE Sylvia and Seth! They are gorgeous and I’m sure your bestie will love and treasure them.

we have had a beautiful day here. This morning I washed my kitchen Nets and hung them out. I admit standing gazing at bright white nets blowing in the breeze. Then I put my big pot on the gas and boiled all my grubby dishcloths in detergent and soda crystals. They too went out on the line for a blow. The sun was blazing til about 3pm when it suddenly turned a bit chilly. All washing, drying and ironing is now done and just have a little bit to put away.

Got lots put up on the landing today too and emptied another cupboard. In the process of trying to fit the bits back on my food processor, I forgot that the plate was also a slicer but was quickly reminded when I started dripping red stuff all over the draining board. Ouch🩸

Emptied a drawer too. Gave the pantry shelving unit I have to lose, to my out-the-back neighbour who picked it up on his own.

Poor DH took a tumble in the kitchen this morning. I have been so careful to ensure there is nothing that he can trip on but he said he didn’t trip, his poor old legs just gave way on him. Fortunately he didn’t hurt himself.

Tomorrow I am planning that the majority of what’s left will be boxed up. Just need a roasting pan and the steamer out I think. It’s getting closer…..😱😰🙀

Have a great night all, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite xx

StickyTheStickInsect

@TC77 I agree with you about targets , it just helps me keep track of what I’ve done. With my Dad’s, I’m just happy to keep it moving as we may be looking at a house move in the next 12 months for him and I don’t want it to be one huge stressful job, with a time constraint too.

Thank you @Yorkie1 , I agree, I find everyone on the thread so supportive. Excellent work on decluttering a mortgage!

@Florenceem , I think the comment about the mortgage was for Yorkie1, I’m still drowning in mine, but hope for the day in the long and distant future!

Hello @vulpix , good to see you too and thank you. I’m still counting as I’m always surprised at the end of the year, how much I’ve got rid off, yet somehow how much we still have!! Hope you enjoyed the theatre.

@suzeesu2000 , glad your DH is okay after his fall and hope your cut isn’t too bad.

I’ve got an ear infection, it’s made my balance all over the place, so won’t be at work tomorrow and have spent today counting the puzzle pieces of the puzzles the children have agreed to get rid off. I don’t like to pass them on, if they aren’t complete as it causes major upset here (especially for DS1) when we acquire second hand ones with pieces missing. DD1 likes a particular type of train puzzle and we are always on the look out for new ones but need to make space for them. DD has moved on from the Trolls etc and for DS2 I’ve managed to convince him that we only need so many Minion puzzles!

Did someone mention a while ago about access to Which? online. In case it is helpful to anyone, our county library service (Buckinghamshire) has a subscription to Which?, which means you can log on to it at the library for free. I think this might apply to all Libraries that are part of the SELMS consortium (Brighton & Hove, Buckinghamshire, Camden, Hertfordshire, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Reading, Richmond, Slough, Southend on Sea. Southwark, West Berkshire and Windsor & Maidenhead. It may also apply to other council’s too. For anyone doing their family tree, in Buckinghamshire (and maybe elsewhere), this also applies to Ancestry online.

Love to everyone xxx

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 continued: I did absolutely nothing this afternoon 🙁 DSis & I had a tin of soup each for dinner as neither of us could be bothered to cook. Wudupa

1783 Kitchen recycling 

1784 Kitchen detritus binned 

DH surprised me by phoning just before midnight just to tell me he loved me 🥰 soppy so & so 😉 He had a great time - 16 of them altogether including 3 chaps he hadn’t seen since leaving school at 18. 

Lovely to see you London_1 👋 I see that you are still keeping busy with your crafting ☺️  Sounds like you had a wonderful time visiting family on the mainland 🥹 Not sure where the time goes - DH & I have two great great nephews who are now 5 😱 Still keeping my fingers crossed that DGS Mikey will get a job to suit his qualifications 🤞Hope DD gets better soon & that DGS Henry & his gf have a great time in Thailand 🙏

Brie, what a great story ☺️ I love that the ‘blankie’ is now a treasured possession 😉

Florenceem, Stuart is very colourful ☺️ Good luck sewing up the last 4 gnomes 🍀 

Yorkie1, loving that several of you were in the Tufty club ☺️

Soontobeoap, yippee to the new boiler 🥳 just in time for the weather turning colder 😮‍💨 Great work making up food hampers & Cards 😇 The dining room chairs certainly gave good service 👏

vulpix, what a great memory of being in the Tufty club 🥹 Pleased to hear that the dentist visit went well ……. apart from the hit to your purse 😞 Well done on painting the bird boxes 👏 Hope you had a great time with your friends 🤞

Great decluttering TC77 👏 & well done getting 40/50% of your To Do list done each day 🥳

Willowtree222, great work with the shredding 👏 & as you say every little helps ☺️

vulpix, I am sorry to hear that you have deferred your knee op 😞 However, losing weight should help in your recovery once you do have the op 🥹 Thanks for letting me know about the book 👏

Florenceem,  very pleased to hear that you had a pain free day and night 🥹 Sending gentle cwtches to your son 🤗 & a sincere wish that the counselling can be arranged quickly 🙏

Love the new radiator GrannyKate ☺️ & I see that Sox has given it his seal of approval 🙊 Great work dealing with frogs 👏

Excellent work with the painting & also prising the tiles off the panel EnergyShifter 👏 Sorry to hear about the horrendous train journey 😔

I really must try harder to catch up with the cheerleading. Sleep tight 😴 

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

DH Awards: 🏅🏅🏅🏅⭐️ 🏅

DSis Awards: 🏅

Decluttering Target 2026: 1784/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £463.61

oceanspirit

Managed to put peppermint essence onto my breakfast porridge instead of vanilla yesterday morning! It didn’t taste as bad as it sounds (although it did drown out the chai spices I had already added) so didn’t have to waste it.

Luckily the day improved from there on. Lots of admin tasks completed, a rummage through the bathroom cupboard to find the next bar of soap yielded some cardboard packaging, a well ood temporary filling kit and an empty tube. It’s much tidier in there now.

More plans made for using things up and I am hoping that I can stand long enough today to do a bit of home cooking as after 8 weeks of starting with hospital food followed by ready meals I am desperate for home made.

Physio has given me strengthening exercises so I shall crack on with those as I need to get driving again asap.

TC77

Looking round my house trying to convince myself that I shouldn't be an extra landfill location saving the Council its work :)

Sticky well done helping your dad. I just brought my dad's things home..Just now looking at a 1940s tuxedo suit, immaculate and kept by my dad for around 60 years carefully stored. Of course, I've been distracted by reading about the independent tailor in the strand whose building was bombed and was commissioned by the government to make garments for the RAF. Fascinated by social and economic history.

I must move on....

vulpix

Hope everyone is well today, including families.xx

oceanspirit, how very Heston Blumenthal to have mint porridge. 😂

We went to see Georgie Carroll last night. A must for anyone who has ever worked in a hospital, or even those who have ever been in hospital.She is on tour now, a treat. She is an English Australian nurse. I had headache from laughing.

We are off for flu and covid jabs shortly.

Vx

2Scratters

@BlueJ94 working then doing nothing all evening is good whilst doing just that but then punishment kicks in at the end of the night. If you are watching the TV maybe whilst adverts are on just do some micro jobs. Even if just boiling the kettle its surprising what can be done whilst it does it's job even just emptying a bin or two.

@StickyTheStickInsect as @TC77 has said not to worry about not attaining targets maybe reversal of that visual is look how much further away from zero you have got and that should plump your feathers a bit.

@Yorkie1 Oh my, paying off the mortgage is another level of freedom. It's a massive weight gone even if payments were not necessarily high by todays levels. Well done.

@florianatwobob well we learn something new everyday. I was not aware that the UK has black squirrels. This is the joy of us all being scattered around.

Not much decluttering here apart from the radiator for the kitchen that has been in the hallway for months is now fixed to the wall where it will live and work. Bathroom decluttered of the normal items ready for the tiles coming off on Monday 😬 not sure when the bath comes out. The bathroom is just under 2 x 2 metre but will grow by a couple of inches on each wall as it has been double tiled. We have a van and I need to go and get 2 radiators and pick a bathroom suite and tiles. As DH got decluttered to hospital yesterday with his breathing my time will be split between him and project and the dogs. Hands full - well that's life isn't it. Better pop off need to take the phone charger and other bits up to him.

Have a good weekend all

2 Scratters xx

Florenceem

suzeesu2000 - hope hubby is no in pain from his fall.

A day at home for me.

I went to bed late as I was watching the GBSB and wanted to see the final in series 7. My Granddaughter asked me about applying for the show - no way.

This morning I repaired a top and nightie that have been loitering in the house - I think one is from daughter and the other belongs to granddaughter. There is another item of clothing but I can't see what needs a repair.

I have brought the baskets of gloves/scarves downstairs - will ask daughter to take them to school to see if any get sold. It is a small country school but worth a try.

I am going to try and finish the penultimate gnome this afternoon.

GrannyKate

Not done much so far except go to a history meeting. I've missed the last three so I was pleased to get there today. I was going to do gardening but its turned dull now. DGS4 has come to spend some time with me and has gone out on his bike which he keeps here. DiL just arrived with a large bag of stuff for CS - I already have 2 bags in the boot so this can all go this week.

Re the NHS humour there is a chap who comes up scrolling on FB who is just sat at a computer in scrubs reading off emails from his inbox. They are often totally bizarre and inane but resound only too well with me as an ex NHS employee.

Paying off our mortgage was a great day - 43 years after we took the first one out. DD has recently paid hers off and they had a small celebration meal out. It only seemed real when the paperwork came through a while later. It was strange when I moved to have no third party (ie bank) involved.

Right I'll go out in the garden even if its only half an hour.