Home and Family

Re: clutter

jennylyn — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:22:23 GMT

I really WISH I was superneat, that I couldn't stop myself from cleaning! I have a couple friends like this and I wish very much that some of it would rub off on me. OK, maybe not to the OCD extreme, but a little bit would be helpful!

I try really hard to keep up with everything but I get very overwhelmed. The kids stuff mainly, just gets everywhere no matter how often I put it back together or have them help with clean up. The kitchen seems to invite everyone's stuff when the come in the house. Laundry seems to build up once it's clean, a pile to iron, a pile to fold, a pile to put away. Never mind the actually cleaning.

The closets and drawers are full, there is too much stuff here! Don't know where to put it but lots is stuff we use or need to keep. I need better systems obviously.

I have been working hard to declutter and reorganize with the new baby coming in August. Want things to be easier to use and get to, better for the kids to play and such. It's hard to get it going!

One problem in this house is that there is not a lot of storage space like shelving, cabinets, closets, etc. There are closets in the bedrooms that are good sized and they end up holding everything from what's supposed to be there to what fits there! There is a small cabinet in the upstairs hall. And that's it besides the pantry. There are lots of places that will be perfect to have built in shelving and cabinetry done some day, but that costs a lot and won't be happening any time soon! Even purchased storage containers and units can add up quick-but that is what we are starting with and doing little by little to get things organized.

Also there is a lot we need to purge. My goal for the summer was to get the whole house cleaned and purged, I don't think I'm going to get it done before the baby-I only have 5 weeks left (if I'm lucky) and too much to do before then. Oh well, by the end of the year maybe.

So yes, I can relate! I try to take it bit by bit but sometimes it's just overwhelming!!

Re: clutter

Toni B. — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:27:28 GMT

Every so often I get into this mode where I have to get rid of the excess in my life. I get rid of what I'm not using and reorganize what I decide to keep. Then one day I realize that all that stuff I kept and reorganized hasn't been used either. The older I get, the less important some things become. But there's always that "in between stage" of asking "Will I miss it if I get rid of it?"

Re: clutter

karen kay — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:15:46 GMT

Newfs:
have no problems with clutter, never have. If anything I have always had the opposite problem

I also have a daughter like this. She is super-neat.

I have sooo many what-nots and deco and books , that when cleaning time comes, i think where do i start. But if i think about getting rid of something, it has some kind of meaning to me, so I clean and put it back. I don't have anything stored that i don't use , it's all out there. I guess when I cant reach the top shelf, something will have to go PROBABLY ME!!!

Re: clutter

swedluv — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:00:31 GMT

I went through a bookcase yesterday that is too big to keep here (was saving for new house) and got rid of some things. I also pulled out the mixer and a few other new household items i was keeping in the box "for the new house". Some of the items were put up for over a year. Between this and the post about "too good for everyday" I have really done some thinking and now to do some decluttering. Anyone want a disney snoglobe???? lol

Re: clutter

cheapChic — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 04:13:11 GMT

GEE THANKS ALL JUST A REMINDER now I feel bad I brought all my junk that lerks in my trailer is going to a thrift shop again after sorting now to get the rest.

Re: clutter

MarthaMFI — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:17:54 GMT

but you can come visit me for a while ...... I will let you be a neat freak in my house!

Re: clutter

Newfs — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:24:42 GMT

I have no problems with clutter, never have. If anything I have always had the opposite problem.....LMAO.....use to have the newspaper delivered in our driveway every morning a loooong time ago when I was married. If then hubby didn't read it before he left for work, the paper was long gone in the rubbish bythe time he got home. I had and still do have serious OCD when it comes to a very neat, clean house and yard. It's really not funny, but when my kids were toddlers, when they were put to bed at night, and I picked the house up of their toys, etc....I would go to bed, lay in bed and not be able to go to sleep, because the living room really needed to be vacuumed.......soooooooo, up I would get out of bed, sometimes after 10PM, and vacumme the carpets, then I could go back to bed and sleep.....I don't know why I have clutter issues. I wasn't raised in a home to be super neat freak. It rubbed off on one of my grown kids....she nows owns her own home.....and she is just like meeeeeeeeeeeee _______it's scary

Re: clutter

latenightleader — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:56:22 GMT

I have a lot of people in a pretty small house, and we can't get rid of much as we are using it. I am finally, as youngest dd gets bigger, getting rid of baby clothes and toys. Also sorting through some clothes that are getting too old or worn. But with lots of kids who go through different sizes at different seasons, and lots of good friends who give us great hand me downs, it is hard to keep organized. Also, only one bedroom of our 4, with 9 people living here now, has a closet!

Also it is hard to get rid of toys, they are all someone's favorite.

I am going to spend the next few months sorting and trying to get same size clothes together, rather than a collection of bins, boxes, and black garbage bags in the basement.

Re: clutter

karenteacher — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:32:13 GMT

I think the stuff expands to fill the space available... no matter how much I get rid of, and how little I bring in, whatever I have spreads out to fill the space!

Re: clutter

MarthaMFI — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:42:42 GMT

constant clutter! always a certain amount but with the kids now...endless! all my energy goes to maintaining the house/chores and getting the kids to clean up on a regular basis that I don't have much left for decluttering.

I have a reg thrift store pile. everytime I have to switch over clothes etc I get some done. I do two good purges a year but need to do more. our house is not big enough to store years of stuff.

my goal this summer is to spend lots of time doing it. purge purge purge!

no garage sales for me, I just give stuff away or donate to thrift stores. some kids stuff goes to the consignment store.

Re: clutter

Toni B. — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:16:36 GMT

Same here. There seems to be so much packaging that comes with everything you get. And paperwork: receipts, booklets, pamphlets, instructions, memos. I go through a huge purge about four times a year and we're about due.

Re: clutter

swedluv — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:08:05 GMT

I am right there with you! We jsut decided to keep our house and not get a bigger one so now i REALLY have to get rid of stuff.

clutter

karen kay — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:37:57 GMT

I have been cleaning and trying?? to declutter my home this week. does anyone have a problem with this? seems like there is just so much i can make myself get rid of and it seems to accumulate faster as the days go by