It’s become a bit of a dumping ground really and I’d finally had enough this morning. I was up early because I heard the rubbish truck outside and panicked as I’d only put the food waste bin out last night (I could have put the rest out but didn’t think it was appropriate to drag the large bin round the corner with my pajamas on; I thought it was best to wait until this morning 😊). I was lucky, the 7am truck that woke me up was only collecting food waste which gave me a bit more time 😅 .

I got dressed quickly and quietly dragged the large flattened cardboard boxes (from my birthday plants last week) out through the side gate, as well as the box and large recycling bin half full of plastics, tins and glass.

Back to the messy utility room… I can’t really blame anyone else for the clutter in there; I put things there in a rush or just because I can. It’s become a mix of:

• Washing (obviously)
• Things we need to get rid of (that haven’t made it to their final destination – a classic clutter habit area)
• Paperwork and pending trays (I thought I had a good idea once, to use this space for pending and to do trays etc., but it didn’t really catch on – I need to rethink that)
• Spare bottles of water (that should be in the kitchen cupboard or fridge)
• Other items that shouldn’t be there.

The mess was making my life unnecessarily difficult as I couldn’t get to the washing machine and dryer. I kept having to move things in front of the freezer when I wanted to do the washing then back in front of the washing machine when I wanted to get into the freezer. It took me a while to find places for things this morning (or just throw them out) but I certainly feel better now it’s all clear. I can work on the rest of the utility room when I feel motivated again.

I had half day today so this all kept me busy until just after lunch when I had to start work. This morning I also fitted in making chilli in the slow cooker, doing the washing, changing the beds, cleaning the kitchen (again) and assisting my daughter with pancakes.

It was actually quite nice to sit down and do some focused work this afternoon.

The chilli con carne was tasty. I’ve never cooked it in the slow cooker before and it was lovely that I only had to quickly cook some rice to go with it when I finished work this evening.

All and all, a productive 105th day of my decluttering challenge.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra