A bit of de-cluttering. Now and then

Is it a Scottish word?

Fossicking

I don't think it's Scottish

I'm off to Google.

Fossicking for gems, fossils?

It's an Aussie word.

Ah, that's why I know it!!

Judy54

It's not de-cluttering that bothers me as I am not a hoarder, it is general housework and keeping on top of things to make sure the house is clean that is my bug bear. Finding it more difficult as I get older and seriously thinking of getting a cleaner in to help out.

I am in the same position as you. I turned 80 last year and also had a nasty bout of sciatica and when I attempt any heavy work I end up with a bad back again. I always seem to be playing catch up with housework these days and am considering getting a cleaner to clean the kitchen and bathroom weekly or fortnightly, which would lighten the load.

Fossicking has been in our family vocabulary for more years than I can remember, and we have no Scottish or Australian links.

i have done some fossicking myself to try and find out the origns of the word and the suggestion is that it is an English dialect word taken to Australia.

This link suggests that the word has Cornish origins - and of course Cornwall has a history of mineral extraction.www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-fos1.htm

An associated word is 'fussock' often used in the phrase 'an old fussock' for someone who fusses around to no purpose.

First mention is in a dictionary of vulgar language dated 1785 and a fussocknis descrihed as a 'lazy fat woman' or a frowsy old woman.

Oh. Doesn’t fossick have its root in fosse = French for ditch?
But no idea and had no intention of having diverting this thread.

I'd rather ponder fossicking than what people are doing in preparation for dying.

Today I've got rid of all my cds and dvds which I haven't used for five years. I kept promising myself I would buy a dvd player and a cd player but never did so out they have gone.

I am not so much de-cluttering as getting rid of the contents of a second home and hunting for clutter in our existing home as we plan a move from there as well. Our permanent home is producing little beyond books, as I am a chucker outer by nature, but the second home is a nightmare, with stuff coming home and being distributed aroud the family, stuff being sold locally, stuff coming home to be distributed around the charity shops in the area, stuff going to the tip, stuff being left for the new owners. I want to go to sleep and wake up when it is over.

Grandmabatty

Today I've got rid of all my cds and dvds which I haven't used for five years. I kept promising myself I would buy a dvd player and a cd player but never did so out they have gone.

Can you have a word with Mr D and persuade him to do likewise, please?

I got rid of a gazillion DVDs, as we have numerous streaming options, but he has racks of the things. Apart from being clutter they collect dust and are a pain to move out of the way to vacuum under them. He refuses to part with them though 😡

Doodledog it has taken me five years though! I do think it's maybe a man thing to hang onto such stuff? I'm glad I have because it's less for my daughter to dispose of. Next I'll tackle my collection of jewellery.

Sorted out a big larder cupboard.

I'm ashamed to say that, fossicking around at the back and in the spices and herbs rack on the door I found some herbs which were best before 2015 and a couple of spices bb 2016 and a lonely jelly bb 2020.

I want to go to sleep and wake up when it is over

😃 I know the feeling!

You could probably make some soup or herbal tea with that lot, Callistemon. Waste not...

winterwhite

You could probably make some soup or herbal tea with that lot, Callistemon. Waste not...

🤣🤣🤣

I did think about it but they're all in the food recycling bin now.

Or a spicy herbal strawberry jelly for pudding!

Both DH and I are de-cluttering addicts. I think this probably as odd as hoarding. As we employ a ‘one item in, one item out’ system, sometimes it’s frustrating when we can’t find anything to throw out!!!

I have a number of things I rarely use, and would get rid of, but I am old enough to have parted with a few bits of my mothers, only to find they have suddenly become far more valuable as "mid-century antiques"

My mother threw out a lot of my jewellery and toys behind my back, including what would now be a very valuable teddy bear.
SO every time I think I really want to declutter I stall

I have taken some ideas from reading previous posts this morning. Herbs and spices today and I have my old phone but no landline. Also from Eirlys, I need to re-take the mantra about bringing me joy. I don`t intend to do any deep-dives today but it would do me good to remember the joy aspect

I like definites and areas that are contained, herbs and spices will be a pleasurable job on this wet morning

I really need to de-clutter, but there isn't anything I want to get rid of! I don't want my home looking like a waiting-room, so it's full of ornaments, plants and books.

I don’t think that ‘decluttered’ needs to mean ‘minimalist’. Perish the thought . I like to live amongst things that bring me joy, and living in an Instagram-type home with bare walls and empty surfaces would (for me) be joyless. For me it is about finding a happy medium between living with enough ‘things’ to make life pleasant, but not so many that they prevent us from functioning efficiently. So cupboards with shelf space, tables with room for plates and food - that sort of thing.

I still haven’t tackled the doomboxes. I must force myself to get on with it.

Made the decision yesterday to donate most of my vintage crockery to a Charity shop where I used to volunteer, I know that the manager will put a decent price on everything and will sell everything quickly.
The thought of taking umpteen photos of everything, buying the boxes and packaging, hoping it made it unscathed through the post ( unlikely) then having to pay all of the fees has put me off trying to sell it.
Our GD and her partner are are moving to their own flat soon and want some crockery and cutlery and I will keep some of the nicest bits and pieces, but not the punch bowl! I think the days of tipping left over alcohol into a punch bowl are over. We don’t seem to have those kind of parties any more….

I was tickled to read about being frustrated at 'not having anything to throw out!' I can just picture scratching my head while surveying my house thinking 'What can I get rid of today?' So much 'stuff' here, it struck me as comical!