One shitty job a day - mission to get all the crappy tasks done this year

[Shittyyear2025]

I'm an eternal untidy person. I don't see my own clutter. I've tried HARD to find a routine that I can get engaged in, signed up for COUNTLESS get yourself organised apps.

I saw a video yesterday about getting one shitty job a day done. I think I can manage one shitty job a day. So far I cleaned the lounge carpet (over yesterday and today, bad back and heavy furniture) and I've painted a door that's been off it's hinges and propped up against my hall wall for maybe a year.

I reckon one shitty job a day (or for an hour towards it say, after work, longer crap jobs can be done at the weekend) I can do. I can finally finish decorating the kitchen. I can finally finish painting the landing/stairs/hall after the ceiling collapsed in Autumn 2024, I can sort out the front garden one job at a time (hell, I can even get rid of the ironing mountain and charity shop everything I no longer wear for an hour a day).

Anyone want to join me? Or any tips for starting AND STICKING WITH domestic routines?

Went shopping on the bus and some woman poked me in the eye with a long strip of decorative beading ..........

Ha! Only kidding @CherryRipe1

I cleared a cupboard , mainly because it was overloaded (mugs and glasses) but I wanted to put the water bottles in there too , they get knocked over and get on my wick.

Some of DH fancy beer glasses (that he never uses ) placed upstairs in the small bedroom (basically a storeroom) and some mugs to recycling .
Then things put back on the shelves . They do look tidier , for now anyway !

I cleared out our pantry, as I couldn't see for looking in there. Found some packets of porridge dating back to pre-COVID, so I had to sling them unfortunately. Plus a couple of old bottles of squash (worried about the bottle degrading) and biscuits that had gone soft. Mainly because I gave up biscuits when COVID ended, and never regained the habit,

now resolved not to buy stuff that is likely to go to waste. Stick to the list! No impulse purchases!

SJ today - cleaned the bathroom, proper clean , everything out , did the window and sealants and grout l too ,
I tried cleaning the radiator but it is stubbornly flecked with rust spots . <pah>

I went through the pantry too daisy , my DC are the uncivilised savage type who leave empty boxes in there .
I made some bread on Wednesday night but it wasn't as good as it should be , bit solid . The flour was in date -April , and the yeast-July . Water correct temperature .
I bought new yeast and started a new bag of flour for pizza dough and it was great . So I won't overbuy flour/yeast as it's a waste of time and money .

@70isaLimitNotaTarget completely agree, it's all too easy to buy stuff to put in store, "just in case" but when it isn't an ingredient you use a lot, it goes off, especially once it's open.

on a similar theme.... my gripe with DH is that he will open a packet of, say, cornflour, get half way through it, but instead of just finishing that packet before opening a new one, he will open a new one because he didn't put the open one back in the pantry in the same location, so then we end up with a hotch potch of miscellaneous out of date open items. And then when he's in Tesco he'll buy a new one because in the back of his mind, he just remembers the nearly empty packet. And so it goes on, and we end up with a pantry full of detritus.

He says it's because he's in a rush when he's cooking (which is true, he's a bit like the Swedish Chef in the Muppet show, stuff flying everywhere). Sigh.

He does cook lovely food so I mustn't grumble and he did just say to me "gosh it's lovely and tidy in there", so maybe it will encourage him to open one thing at a time.

Planning to clear out one of food cupboards today! I need a better system for this.

Sorted the tins and jars. So boring but very satisfying now we can see exactly what we have!

Didn't manage to do the food cupboard as planned but did sort out glasses and cups and have put some aside to give away. That too was a job that desperately needed doing! 🙃

My kitchen is being fitted so on top of all the other SJs I moved everything out of your kitchen to the lounge and dining rooms, threw more stuff out, cleared up a little after the builder was here and bought my own weight in ready meals. I'm lucky though because the lounge is huge.

It feels like maintenance of SJs! 😃

OH my DH is the same with herbs and spices as well

Today I have darned or sewn up about 15 holes in a jumper that the moths got at 12 years ago.

I need to make it clear, it's a nice lambswool one from M&S and they don't sell them any more. I wear it for hiking in, during cold weather, and it was starting to look more hole than jumper.

Anyway it was a shit job because i am no good at darning but I did my best.

Also tidied the craft cupboard where I keep my sewing and knitting projects and there seems to be an empty shelf now, which can't be right

This reminds me of two pairs of trousers that need patching. I really need to get round to it

Blooming moths! I've just mended some holes in a cotton top I particularly liked, normally I'd consign it to the rag bag. Listed some things on eBay. Went through a box of old electrical stuff and put a load of cables, adapters, coaxes, hdmis and unidentifiable things out on our front wall. They were taken within hours. Put some broken leads in the electrical recycling bag. Sorted out some bric a brac for the charity shop. Tidied up my storage basket with all my pills, potions, glasses and essential things in that I need to hand. I got some drawer dividers so everything is really neat & accessible now instead of a massive jumble of stuff that I have to tip everything out to find something. Tidied my bag out, I had almost £20 in 20p pieces and a bag of 1 & £2 coins that I could build muscles with, no wonder my bag was so heavy. Need to list more stuff on eBay, some of the things in the electronics box of doom are actually worth money. Threw out some cans of food way past their use by/best before date.

Last two days I've spent in the kitchen. Emptied three drawers, the pan drawer and two full of bakeware. Stuffed them in the dishwasher for a really good clean. Emptied out and cleaned the cutlery drawer. Washing some grubby looking pieces. Emptied and cleaned out the drawer with ladles, big spoons, egg slices and cutting knives. Etc Hand washing every single item. Cleaned out one cupboard.

All this while on two walking sticks. I'm chuffed with myself.

I’ve done a deep clean of the fridge. That was an SJ and a half. Alongside 3 hours of ironing after the cats got into the bedding box again. We’ve bought a lid now.

I bought some canvas bags for the bed linen in the spare room and the table linen in the conservatory. The cat sniffs out every nice pile of clean ironed stuff immediately.

I must do the fridge and hate it too. But I'm going into hospital this month and will be on crutches for six weeks, so I'm trying to get straight beforehand.

Tidied out my lingerie and sock drawers that I could barely open or close without pinching my nails. Threw out a load of raggedy old bras and knix & faded holey socks. Rescued the socks back as I need to clean the wooden blinds & they're ideal for this. Put all the good stuff back neatly in drawer dividers, but still have a load of single socks to pair up. Partner found some of his missing socks lurking with mine. Helped a friend cover their shed roof with a tarp as the roof is leaking. This is a temporary measure as it's going to be replaced when their funds allow it. Cleaned the mouldy shower ceiling ready to paint it yesterday. The fumes were horrendous despite a mask and goggles. Allergies are bad today but might be the gorgeous blossoms round our way. Picked up the anti mould paint today, guaranteed to deter mould for 7 years! Hmmmm. 🤔

That's incredible well done! You should be feel very proud of yourself, I know I would be, and I don't have the sticks to contend with.

wishing you a full recovery 💐

This is on today's list for me.

I don’t mind dusting but we have some VERY cobwebby corners! I struggled physically for some years so couldn’t clean thoroughly - DH did a lot but wouldn’t think about the hidden bits! All the skirting boards need doing too & the stair rail is absolutely filthy! Everywhere needs a good clean & painting really. Bottoming as my DM & DGM used to say!!

I've hired a cleaner she's decobwebbed everywhere and done all the skirtings as she's bottomed every room . Now she comes once a fortnight or so. Has made such a difference. The jobs I couldn't do were getting me down.

@justasking111 isn't it a lovely feeling. I miss our cleaner - it was glorious to invite people over on a Friday or weekend and know the house was clean and ready because she came on Friday mornings. Now I am living in a much smaller house with a much smaller income I don't feel I can pay someone when I should be able to do it myself.

Thanks I'm hoping when I get my new hip I'll be better

I'm having a new kitchen put in and this week I've been mostly cleaning up plaster dust and there is more to go. I've broken this up with laundry ...

Toddler up far too early for our few days of holiday so I blitzed the wardrobe, bagged up all the little clothes that seems massive last summer, the winter stuff that hasn't been worn etc. It needs doing every few months so at least it was done by 10am. I also sorted the "wardrobe of doom" where stuff gets shoved in, so that's all neat and tidy now.