Boxes in our living room for us to sort

[Bloodybrambles]

We moved into our new house about a year ago. It’s lovely, but not very big and we haven’t got many storage solutions- it’s something we’re working on, prioritising each pay day what we should get for the house. House is a fixer upper too but we’re nearly there after the rewire/new central heating/plastering/carpets but still work to do. We also have a toddler that consumes most of our time.

It’s DH pet peeve that the garage is organised chaos but to mean it serves its purpose: to store our shit so either we can bring it in once we’re finished or somewhere to store it (it needs a new garage door before we could ever use it as an actual garage).

DH has decided that he needs to prioritise sorting it out. Mid December, when it’s cold, raining and gets dark at 4pm. Last night when I got home he had did the usual dump boxes/misc items into the lounge for me to sort out. Apparently if we spend the next couple of weekends sorting out the garage we could get it sorted… apparently he does need my help to do lots of the sorting.

AIBU to think that it’s his pet peeve, not mine, and I do not want to spend the run up to Christmas sorting out books (again!) when we do not own a bloody bookshelf to put them on!

My OH does this too, my work is seasonal and my busiest time of year is December and no matter how many times I ask in September whether there's anything he'd like to sort before Christmas, it always ends up in a massive job, that I have to be part of, just before Christmas!
Likewise with holidays. He'll leave his packing until the last minute but then also decide that the windows need cleaning, or a skirting board needs fixing, on the day that we're going! Leaving more holiday prep for me to do.
I'd be tempted to leave the boxes as they are and tell him you don't have time.

He's being a nob. Tell him in a kind way, and try to reach a compromise of a new year deadline to do it.
December weekends are for making the most of the festive season. Christmas crafts, walks, seeing the lights with the toddler.

Not quite the same, but DH has a similarly annoying habit of deciding to start decorating in mid December every year. He can do what he likes of course, but I absolutely refuse to get involved, as should you.

Could you compromise and do some sorting with goal of achieving something before Christmas. I would look at it as doing yourselves a favour of having your stuff nice and orderly rather than continuing to live in chaos. Probably it seems more daunting than actually is once you get statred. I would cash in on dh's enthusiasm to sort out the garage...

Aaggh! I hate this.

When your DH decides to do something and suddenly you are co-opted into 'helping' when you have neither time nor inclination to do so.

If it bothers him then he needs to deal with it himself.

I would be carrying boxes back into the garage or putting them into his own personal space if he has it.

Tell him it's a spring cleaning job, not a preChristmas sort of thing but if he's desperate he can get on with it and that you have better things to be doing.

It's like they think you exist only as helpmate or employee to their management decisions.

Decline him dumping the crap for you to sort. It's his problem. Tell him to move the boxes, if he whines and tries to make you sort his mess, say no thanks.

God, how annoying. What manner of “sorting” books can be done without ultimately putting them on a bookshelf, btw?
Sounds completely futile. I’d lob the boxes straight back in.

Relatable. I have a half redecorated downstairs toilet (started 18 months ago) with new toilet and basin ready to be fitted in our spare room, and hallway is half painted - I've asked him to pause that until after Christmas (apparently it would have been finished if I let him crack on with it over the next few weekends...). Often, about an hour before we need to leave for an event, DH will decide the hedges need pruning or the gate post fixing. And then I'm ungrateful because I "don't appreciate all the DIY things he does around the house"...

We have actually had a conversation about this a few years ago and now try to be more methodological in the approach to tasks. We do laugh about it. He's 'banned' from starting another project until hallway and toilet are finished.

You wouldn't think he was a project controller with a specialism in programme scheduling for a living. . .

I'd hate this. For me December is about making the house look vaguely presentable, so I can enjoy my week off in a clean and tidy house. I've dumped a lot of boxes in the loft to start sorting through come January.

Are you overthinking the storage part? Can you just get online and order a bookcase?

I remember hearing from Sort Your Life Out or wherever that you need an exit plan for whatever items you’re sorting things out. So I agree you need a bookcase (and probably a trip to the charity shop?). But I also agree you could crack on and do a job each weekend.

This

With bells on. Once we get a book shelf, i’ll know how much room I’ll have to play with. I already donated loads before the move.

With Christmas coming up (and having other things we need to prioritise) we definitely won’t be buying a bookshelf anytime soon. What a waste of time to ‘sort’ them again. It’s soul destroying.

There was also a vacuum packed bag with about four teddies in labelled ‘ OP childhood sentimental teddies’. Yep, still want to keep these sentimental childhood bears..

Money is fairly tight as in I don’t want to waste money just to replace it in say a year or so. We’ve also spent a fortune renovating the house so I don’t want to just shove a bookcase in the corner just for the sake of it.

Don't get married or live with someone else, if this is such a huge bother.
Then you make every decision yourself, every day of the year and you come home to exactly the same state you left it in.
👍

Nope nope nope nope nope. That’s a new year job