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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask how many people did 'get organised and together' after this old thread?

36 replies

EyesDoMoreThanSee · 05/09/2012 15:08

This one here --> to ask how you become organised and together? Seriously how??

I am curious to know how many people who contributed to this thread, particularly inatrance who started it, have in reality changed their homes and lives.

I can safely say that I have. Like really and truly no holds barred I sat and printed out the entire thread. I went through with a highlighter everything which I thought would work in our household and when we moved a few months ago I put it into practice and hey presto. I actually feel 'organised and together'. I thought when the ^ thread was initiated that I was organised but oh no, I have a whole new level of organisation now.

There is still more work to do for sure, but missed bills and forgotten birthday cards are a thing of the past, I always have stamps, reminders for insurances are written in the calendar two weeks ahead of renewal to shop around for the best bargains. We always have clean clothes ready every day, we have a clean house and always know what is for dinner. We have check lists for monthly tasks, weekly tasks and daily tasks, bags are packed the night before, clothes laid out on hangers for the week ahead, the toilets are always clean, the hoovering always done and no piles of bloody paperwork everywhere via an efficient filing system.

Its taken months. But I am curious to see how many others took heed of that thread or wether I am an anally retentive twit

I have posted in AIBU as this is where the original thread was.

OP posts:
Ephiny · 05/09/2012 15:17

I lasted a few weeks Blush and am now as bad as ever.

My wardrobe looks like a jumble sale, I have a heap of unfiled paperwork and unopened post, I somehow completely forgot to pay my credit card for the last two months, and only realised as we were leaving the house for my friend's birthday picnic at the weekend that I'd forgotten to buy her a card (and a frantic search of untidy house yielded no cards though DH was sure he'd seen some spare ones somewhere sometime). Hmm

Thanks for the reminder though. I am going to re-read the thread and get myself back on track!

doublecakeplease · 05/09/2012 16:33

I'm much better but not as well trained as you OP -

We now all have wardrobes and drawers full of ironed clothes - we keep on top of this and an hour a week pretty much sorts the ironing.

We have meals prepped in the freezer for nights we're late in and always take them out of the freezer the night before to defrost

We have a stash of birthday / occasion cards (need to buy more stamps - just remembered) and addresses writen down

I actually use my diary and also put reminders in to pay stuff / sort babysitter 2 weeks before

Bags are packed the night before (and our carry to work coffee cups out and ready with coffee, sugar amd milk in - how ana, lol!) and we've got our routine for getting us (me, dp and ds 7 months - started nursery this week) out of house in half an hour on a morning

I've charity shopped loads of stuff - and now have a charity box that I pop stuff into regularly when I can wrestle it from my 'hoarder wannabe' DP - I'll take it to the charity shop once it's full

I've got boxes for lots of things in an attempt to sort my cupboards - we're doing up the house (very slowly) so as each room gets done I'm culling crap and bringing in more boxes. We're buying an Expedit unit for the toys DS will be getting at Xmas

Erm... I think that's it! My long term plan is that as we do up the house things will naturally become better organised as we'll have places to put stuff rather than trying to bung it into the existing space.

I long to live an anally sorted life - just so that day-to-day stuff is easy and more about maintenance than clutter and hassle. I'll get there one day!! ;)

Original poster
EyesDoMoreThanSee · 05/09/2012 21:51

Bump

There were 600+ posts on that other thread so surely more than three people have attempted to organise their lives!?

or maybe not

OP posts:
doublecakeplease · 05/09/2012 22:08

Must just be us Hmm

StuntGirl · 05/09/2012 23:12

I kept meaning to do stuff, even bookmarked the page to go back to but never implemented any of it

BonnieBumble · 05/09/2012 23:14

Its next on my list. Grin

CommunistMoon · 05/09/2012 23:17

I was put off by all the Tories on that thread banging on about how super-organised they are. (Sorry, not everyone of course!) That is my excuse.

imperialstateknickers · 05/09/2012 23:17

I've done the bit about opening and filing the post. Except when on holiday. And have been back three days now. And I'm on MN, with a huge pile of unopened letters balanced on top of the printer, on the other side of my nice cup of tea.
I think I count as a fail don't I?

GrumpyCrossPatch · 05/09/2012 23:18

I was really inspired by it. We have a family planner that we all (DH is still a touch erratic...) update and can see from anywhere. We meal plan and internet shop - bloody godsend. Wardrobes are ordered and I have a clear out/charity purge/ebay blitz every 3 months or so. Life is less stressful! Thanks organised people!

mrsmangelsneck · 05/09/2012 23:18

Name changer!

I have nicked loads of ideas from thread. Not a paragon yet but not doing too bad for someone with little baby and toddler, will be continuing to refer to it :)

imperialstateknickers · 05/09/2012 23:18

I object CommunistMoon, us Tories can be spectacularly disorganised too!

spamm · 06/09/2012 04:21

We have recently become a lot busier as a family. DS is in 2nd grade and does Taekwondo and Scouts, dh has started Taekwondo as well. Taekwondo is 3-4 times a week, as well as extra practices for competitions. I have just started with a personal trainer at the gym.

With work on top, it is crazy, so I have set up this app for us on the computer, my work laptop, my work iPad, my iPhone and DH's android phone - ww.cozi.com. I can do regular appointments, one-offs and lists. I can meal plan and create shopping lists from any recipes I keep on there. I can even send dh email reminders or send him text messages from it. I can share to do lists and shopping lists. I love it so far!

Leena49 · 06/09/2012 06:35

I never think of myself as organised but when reading all the threads I suddenly thought no I am organised.
We both work full time and have two dds 7 and 12. I have lists, calendar, spreadsheets to manage finances, jobs that older dd must do in house. When we were both doing degrees when older dd was 4 I used to get up 5.30 to write assignments and dh used to do his in eve.
Laundry and ironing I just do in between cooking eve meal.

Trazzletoes · 06/09/2012 06:41

I am not perfect by any means but better than I was. God knows I couldn't have got much worse

whyme2 · 06/09/2012 06:44

I didn't post on the thread but I remember reading it. I took one idea about paperwork which has totally revolutionised our paper pile landscape.

We have recently moved house and I am going through everything we own and if there is no home for it or we haven't used in a long time then it is being disposed off. At the moment there are four bin liners of clothes waiting to be collected. Next job is the toys now all the dc are at school. I will tackle that next week.

I know my house is easier to clean because we have less stuff now. It does make a difference. The dcs haven't noticed anything missing Grin

BeeBawBabbity · 06/09/2012 07:47

I did a bit. The tip about putting bedding in little bundles of sheet, pillow cases duvet covers all together folded in a sort of parcel has helped, I used to get really flustered trying to find sheets and matching pillowcases for the differently sized beds in the house. Now it's stress-free:)

tadado · 06/09/2012 08:00

whyme2 which paperwork suggestion did you follow? I put matching bed line in the pillow case, has been life changing, I need to get out more.

InMySpareTime · 06/09/2012 08:05

I took the "bedding in the pillowcase" tip, otherwise my life was already organised.
I am so very forgetful I need organisation to ensure I don't lose everything or forget where the DCs are on any given dayBlush.
plus, I really like lists and whiteboards

NumericalMum · 06/09/2012 08:08

I wasn't around then but some of those people are ao organised it is making my stomach turn. I am organised in a very haphazard way. I am rarely late but this is often thanks to a lot of running. My plans are all in my head and I get very frustrated with my DH if he doesn't follow it. And as for DD she just has no concept Grin
I need to sort it better as we are doing up our house so it is currently a total tip and I need to feel calm in my own house again.

MrsHoarder · 06/09/2012 08:10

I got a big pack of cards. Fab idea as dh springs birthdays on me with no notice (I know, its his problem but I like my in-laws and don't want them to miss out on cards). Trying to meal plan too. Would help if dh have me more notice about working away.

SilkInsideAChestnutShell · 06/09/2012 08:14

Bedding in pillowcase.
Family calendar.
Meal planner and shopping list magnet thing from organised mum.
Regular charity shop/eBay purges.

I did most of this before the thread (despite not being a Tory Grin), but DH scuppers my plans. He hoards (although did manage a big chuck out before we moved). And never opens his post. (gets chucked in a box now for him to sort at his leisure).

mamhaf · 06/09/2012 08:16

We were already fairly organised by necessity, but one thing we adopted from that thread was to only have one file for each year rather than have a big pile of unfiled papers put things in separate files for mortgage, bank statements etc.
We also have an app called our groceries where me and dh fill in what shopping we need and whichever partner is near a shop can pick up items from it.

addictedisback · 06/09/2012 08:25

Oooooo marking, I was heavily pregnant during that thread but now dd2 is 6 months old I think I could do with printing off and highlighting!

GrumpyCrossPatch · 06/09/2012 08:28

Cozi is the one we use - love it.

Iheartpasties · 06/09/2012 08:36

I read that thread and I did want to get more organised, I think I have done a few little things but I am massivley pregnant at the moment so I use this as an excuse?! I need somewhere to put mail when it arrives, I have been looking on ebay to find a nice wall mounted thingy. In a lot of ways we're better than we were but in a lot of ways - no we've not changed, I think I need a big kick in the arse.

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