2026 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN Mrs SD - our Year of Redistribution

Willowtree222

Hoping everyone is okay. 

I have managed to build the sofa bed and now the majority of the bedroom is converted. It is so hard on your own trying to hold up huge parts while you screw them in. Makes me think about a partnership again. Till I list the bad points....

Now to get on with going through the drawers of the storage things before they make it to the crafting shed. Big job one of my initial list is completed.

Florenceem

I worked on the food cupboard this morning.
Freegler collected the Curver unit.
I popped in SA to get a news sheet on my way to feed the birds and walk into town.
I had some bus rides as I went about to different shops. I took water jug filters to Tesco to be recycled. I could hear Mr F saying - recycle - don't put in the bin.
In one one shop someone I know said that I am a brave woman - I said - I am holding it together while I am out but you should see me at home.
The woman who plays piano at SA can't do it at the Celebration of Life as she has to take a friend for important cancer treatment in London.
I have sorted out the music for the COL tonight.
J came round and put out my bins and recycling bags.
I have to collect the wills tomorrow.
Decluttered today - paperwork, file, ood food, plastic bag, alarm clock, cardboard box & packaging, and ood tins.

dND

weenancyinAmerica said:

@London_1 - Has Ben checked the website for the Museum of Garden History in London. They have a lot of educational programs and activities on their website. I have been there several times as I love seeing the gardens. On one of my first trips in the US, I came home with lots of pictures - almost all of gardens, including window box gardens. Even my first pictures in Ireland were almost all of window boxes, except pictures taken inside of Welsh Dressers with china. I figured I could always buy postcards of the regular sites. 

Thanks @weenancyinAmerica.  It's just life that someone 5,400 miles away tells you something about your country that you'd never heard about. 🤣

It's been a good day today.  I made myself go to the local knit and natter group and had an enjoyable morning and one of the knitters explained what the pattern was saying.  I still don't see it completely but I know what I have to do.  I think it's a bit like the questions you see with a maths puzzle and they ask you what is the answer.  The answer is dependant on which rules you follow as to + & - before * & /.  To my computer programming brain even looking at the commas I would not have written it the way it was written in the pattern.  But you live and learn. 😁 I'm hoping to go back next week as I need to get out of the house; it's something I find hard to do as new things can be daunting.

First batch of marmalade made. 😋 I'm having tonight off but will prep another batch tomorrow for an overnight soak.  I think that's done to start extracting the pectin.
@Liverpool_Anne the pressure cooker used to scare me too then I realised that it shouldn't be steaming madly and learnt to turn the heat down so it's just up to pressure.  I use it because it brings the cooking time of the peel down from Delia's 3 hours to 20 - 30 minutes. 😁

Paper recycling, food recycling and black bags all out of the house tonight; slowly life is getting back to 'normal' after the Christmas upheavals. 

The rest of this week will be played by ear.  The best friend of DS1 died yesterday and I will be available if my son want's to come over.  DS1 and DDiL managed to get to see him over last weekend, something they are taking comfort from.  The friend was diagnosed with cancer 4-5 months before Christmas and sadly the chemo didn't work.

Apparently there's yet another weather warning for wind and rain here tomorrow - I swear it is because it's bin day and the rubbish likes visiting my garden! 🤣 If it's not too bad, I'll be off to Mr L's to eye up the cheap seeds that should now be on sale.  I have my list, the question is, can I stick to it!!  Dxx

jivjules1

@oceandreamer this is my strategy also and if I miss a few days that’s ok and to just jump back on it’s working so far. Mainly rubbish throwing out today tidied all the surfaces and threw away some old flowers and bits. I’ve bitten the bullet and thrown out some plastic poly pockets fees a waste but I’ve had the for years and no use for them and can’t think of anyone else that would want them so they’re gone. Few unsubscribe buttons clicked also, it’s all progress just the old bureau to do and then the living room is pretty much done

ilovetea

@Mrs S D    I remember the power cuts on the 70's, We were prepared for those though weren't we. Sorry If you don't remember them. Forget not every on e is as ancient as me .

 55-59  e-bay parcels sent
60-61  2 cardboard boxes  flattened and put in recycling.

Was going to sort some cupboards this afternoon but my daughter came up with my little grand daughter (9 months). Every thing stopped for her. Though why she would rather play with the cat's toys than her own i don't know.

  ilovetea  xx

TC77

Awake early and bored some papers and consolidated a few things. Lunchtime wanted to take cs bag in but abit lightweight so went to the box dds had sorted and found 6 children's  books some quite big, recorder , 3 lots of paper declutter and some plastic wallets. 
So adding 10 plus one for dropping off the bag and did add to the textile recycling 
136

The frogs are multiplying and just moving on to the next day's to do list!

Brambling

weenancyinAmerica said:

@London_1 - Has Ben checked the website for the Museum of Garden History in London. They have a lot of educational programs and activities on their website. I have been there several times as I love seeing the gardens. On one of my first trips in the US, I came home with lots of pictures - almost all of gardens, including window box gardens. Even my first pictures in Ireland were almost all of window boxes, except pictures taken inside of Welsh Dressers with china. I figured I could always buy postcards of the regular sites. 

Is this the museum in a church with a knot garden? If so I went with a friend about 15 years ago I remember it had the tombs of The Tradescants who were plant collectors for Charles 1 (Philippa Gregory wrote some books about them) also captain Bligh (mutiny on the Bounty) is buried there. I remember the gardens being peaceful to sit in 🙂 you brought back some good memories thanks Weenancy.  

Extra volunteering day at Petworth today, the whole team were in.  I took two books and resisted bringing any home with me 😁

weenancyinAmerica

I have been over to the British so many times between 1980 and 2005 that I lost count. I love to go read in the libraries including the Imperial War Museum and the British Library. I've even spent a week in the Islington Library and visited the library in Stratford upon Avon several times. I try to go to the public libraries whenever I can even in the US. They might have books for sale. Even managed to go to the La Neuveville Library in Switzerland and got a couple of books there. I was either doing family history for clients or taking people to find their own roots so I went a lot of places. I once started coloring in a map of the places where my own ancestors had come from. Soon realized that I had colored in every county. So when I took other people over I didn't care where we needed to go - I had roots there. I have also covered most of Scotland from Inverness on down, almost all of Ireland and North Ireland and most of Wales. I've traveled a lot in the United States but only a little bit of Canada. The only part of Europe I have been to is Switzerland and the part of France near Geneva. I would love to travel more, but right now I am just "visiting" the libraries on-line.

I think books multiply on their own. I have given away thousands and still have thousands to go. Of course, I really have trouble passing up books that might give me more homemaking hints. @Brambling, you are stronger than me, I probably couldn't resist. That is the trouble at the house right now. My roommates also collect books. We sort of work around all of the books and are trying to put up two new sets of bookcases from IKEA for one of my roommates so she can at least sort her books (mostly history and Disney).  

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 oil 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

Thursday continued: it actually rained on & off for the rest of the & into the late evening. Once DH & DSis returned I portioned & put all the shopping away. DH got a message that the plunger is being delivered tomorrow when we aren’t home 🙁  Dinner was shallow fried chicken, boiled new potatoes & peas. After dinner, I selected clothes for tomorrow’s funeral & then had a long bath. Wudupa

140 - 143 Kitchen recycling, 2 newspapers, drinks cans - recycled 

144 - 145 Kitchen & lr detritus - binned 

regnbue, yippee to getting a cheap ticket 🥳 that is a huge difference in price 🤩

Wednesday2000, good luck with the decluttering 🍀 You certainly cannot ignore an Angel card 😉

Brie, sorry to hear about the bad tum 😔 Although pleased to hear that OH looked after you by making drinks & dinner 😊 it is a shame that his care didn’t extend to tidying the kitchen & doing the washing up (even if he left the dishes to air dry) 😒 I am now curious as to what decision you reached  - evening reminder or 05:30 wake up call 🙊

oceandreamer, what a great way to approach your decluttering 😊 Excellent work 👏 & I will keep my fingers crossed that the plants that are in the ‘hospital wing’ survive 🤞

Excellent work Willowtree222 👏 This “It is so hard on your own trying to hold up huge parts while you screw them in. Makes me think about a partnership again. Till I list the bad points....” did make me cackle 😂 Congratulations on completing the first big job on your list 👏 a Gold Star ⭐️ is on its way.

Florenceem, another busy day where you got a lot done 👏 Hopefully there is someone else who can play the piano at the COL 🤞

dND, well done attending the knit & natter group ☺️ & pleased to hear that someone was able to decipher the pattern for you ☺️ I wondered what that gorgeous smell was 🤔 & now I know, it was marmalade 😊 This “The rest of this week will be played by ear.  The best friend of DS1 died yesterday and I will be available if my son want's to come over.  DS1 and DDiL managed to get to see him over last weekend, something they are taking comfort from.  The friend was diagnosed with cancer 4-5 months before Christmas and sadly the chemo didn't work.” is so very sad 🥺 Good luck sticking to your list when you visit MrL 🍀

Excellent work jivjules1 👏

ilovetea, I definitely remember the power cuts as I was a teenager & had plenty of homework to do. Several occasions when I was sat at the table & worked by torch light & sometimes by candlelight 😬 Great decluttering especially posting parcels 👏 Everything HAS to stop when there is a 9 month old baby visiting especially if it is your granddaughter 🥹 Cats toys are far more interesting 🙊

Excellent decluttering TC77 & well done on filling the CS bag 👏 Don’t feel too bad moving frogs from one day to the next - I do that too 😉 You have to be in the right head space to tackle frogs but when the mood strikes all of a sudden you find that you happily munch several frogs at a sitting 😊

Brambling, well done on decluttering books & then resisting the temptation to replace them 👏

Great post weenancy ☺️ By the sounds of it you have seen more of the British Isles than most of us 😅 Books definitely multiply & usually whilst no-one is looking 😉 Hopefully once the bookcases are built, your roommate will have fewer stacks or boxes of books cluttering up the floor 🤞 Good luck 🍀

Off to bed now as we need to leave at 11:00. Sleep tight 😴 

MrsSD Awards: 💐🙏💐💐🌟⭐️❤️💐

DH Awards:

DSis Awards: 

Decluttering Target 2026: 145/2026

1p Savings Challenge Running Total: £5.00

Florenceem

Morning all.
Another day of jobs planned - my to do list went up to 83 and I have completed 22.
I have a parcel coming today - think it may be my SA jacket.
My new shopping trolley has arrived so will give my old one to the CS today when in town.
Going to do my usual morning chores and then carry on with the food cupboard.