Less than 3 months to go! It's the DECLUTTERING FOR CHRISTMAS thread...

[fuzzpig]

My house is a state! I am absolutely determined to declutter in time for Xmas this year. I have never managed it before

My main wants are:

• to clear out our tiny kitchen (it's a galley style, so small you can barely swing an atom let alone a cat!) so that cooking is less stressful and we will be more likely to do festive baking etc - another thing I've never managed to do...

• to do a massive sweep of all DCs toys, books and clothes. They have WAY too many, and especially with toys it means that new things don't really get appreciated because they get lost among everything else.

• to completely sort out our living room so it actually looks nice when decorated and there is room to play.

I am unable to do much ATM because I'm not very well, but this could be a long term thing so I don't want to just leave it - I want to do a tiny bit every day. Yesterday I collected a laundry bin full of recycling stuff - mostly pieces from some orchard toys games - some of which due to clutter have never really even been played with properly

I can't be the only one who needs to declutter for Xmas - who's with me?

Sounds good to me (if we haven't guzzled it all by then!) - I won't be here for the 24th, although I hope to be finished by then - so maybe on NYE I will be celebrating keeping it nice for a whole week - which will be some challenge given the stuff DCs are getting from various people.

We are actually nearly at the stage where ALL DCs' toys are upstairs - that would be brilliant, if they could just bring down what they want and take it up again at bathtime. They are not all in their room as we have two tall Trofast units in our room.

sorting out 2 trugs of grown out of shoes today which dh "helpfully" brough in from the shed last night

Then want to deal with the cupboard in the spare room which has been used as a dumping ground for year but as its built in its easy to ignore - hoping if I get it cleared I can then use it to store the pare quilts and blankets thereby getting them out from under various beds round the house.

On a more positive note - it only took me 3 hours to clean the house from top to bottom yesterday - it usually takes me all week

fuzz I am forever grateful for you for starting this thread - you have managed to achieve what FLYlady couldn't and turn me into a domestic goddess

I'm feeling that I'm trailing behind some of the smug-arts on here, but I have:

• totally finished, and deepcleaned the bathroom. It looks rather good - shame we're having a builder in tomorrow to talk about knocking most of it out!

Started the mamoth job of clearing my book shelves - they gather SO much clutter, and I'm also trying to chuck out some books, and remove the random cards I always shove between books if I want to keep hold of them... 4 shelves done, 6 to go...

PS All the kids toys in their rooms is a great goal - we have one Trofast in the dining room, but it's mostly art & craft stuff - and I don't trust dd with paint in her bedroom not after last time

Sounds like everyone is cracking on.

I'm a bit more on track again. Did the kid's crafty cupboard yesterday so that at least is one corner of the kitchen done.

Also bought two more trofasts and used them for toys in the living room. So all playmobil is now contained. It's a total breeze to tidy up now which is a total relief.

I've also reigned in the main present buyers ( my mum and my auntie). It was fine to be honest as my aunt has loads on at work and was really happy with the idea of just dvds sent via amazon.

My mum and dad have both retired in the last year so they are watching the pennies now. They are getting the DD's a sylvanian family each and connect four to share and that is it.

Big relief that we won't be flooded with toys this xmas...

Just popping in - got my diagnosis of CFS/ME today. So looks like I will be like this for a fair while yet. But all the more reason to want a nice, easily maintained clutter free home!

A proper diagnosis is always a good thing. Easier to explain to other people and justify to yourself why you feel so crap.Sorry to hear youve been diagnosed with it though. Clutter free home would help but remember to put your feet up too-occasionally I like to sit and survey the clutter and plan my next move(with biscuits and Jeremy Kyle !)

Hi all.

Fuzz pig - are you relieved you have a diagnosis? It must be so frustrating to have something like Cfs/me. Wanting to do everything you used to do but being so worn out.

Well my house is now a mess! Decorator did turn up on Wednesday so everything from dining room is now all over ground floor and everything from bedroom is all over upstairs! Good news is he is almost finished dining room. Should finish Monday morning. So Monday afternoon I can get the room sorted finally.

Bedroom should be finished by Wednesday or Thursday.

Today's plan is to sort through the table linens. And get DH to put some pictures up in DS's room and on the landing and stairs.

Although it is so miserable I don't want to do anything!

Thanks folks

I do feel relieved, in the sense that now I can actually say I have it IYSWIM, I have backup that I'm not just lazy or lying! I wish it was something more easily fixable though.

I've been given some dietary advice which should help some of the symptoms, so I feel a bit more in control, but I am just trying to work out what the hell to do about my job, and DH's job if he can find one!

It's been a crazy week (I also saw a psychiatrist yesterday, who told me I have OCD ) so we've not done much in the house, but I am very pleased we have managed to maintain what we've done so far! Got lots of laundry ready to put away, we are managing to keep the piano and table clear (and are eating dinner all together properly which is lovely), so hopefully this will continue until we are able to do more decluttering :)

OCD as well? Now you are just attention seeking!

Presumably if you had tidiness related OCD you would never have needed to start this thread and then where would all be?

Well it was a productive day here yesterday. Sorted through the table linens. We had loads. A result of living in Vietnam for 6 years - got given so many sets of white cotton embroidered table cloths and matching napkins. Now have a pile to go to the charity shop. A pile of summer ones that I use outside - a result of living in countries where we did have summers! And a nice, tidy sorted pile to keep.

Then DH put up some pictures in DS's room and I had bought him a couple of those shelves that make it look like the books are just magically hanging on the wall which he loved. So it prompted him to help me sort out his bookshelves. Result. Got rid of loads. He is a real hoarder and has about four years worth of magazines and comics. Nightmare. Has agreed that he will only keep the football ones and I can get rid of the rest.

Downside to yesterday is that I have aggravated my sore back - hurt it on Wednesday. It's eally sore today and I was awake a lot trying to get comfortable. It was my hip in the night. Agony.

DH's birthday today which means I am on cooking duties. He normally cooks at the weekend. And DS wants to play a board game this afternoon. So I might not achieve much today. Have a huge pile of ironing I need to tackle though. I have some silver and stainless steel and silver plated serving stuff that I want to clean ready to put back in dining room. I might manage that if I am let off the board game. They want to play Monopoly which I hate.

Hi all. I've had a week 'off' to get some bargains from Amazon (black friday deals) I used this week to wrap all the presents I'd already got, make some Christmas presents and sew some heart decorations I'm making. As it finishes today, I'm back to it tomorrow.

We're having a Christmas party on the 15th so between now and then I have quite a bit left to do. Especially as the house is a tip since I've hardly done anything this last week.

Right, off to catch up with the rest of the thread :)

:o It was a hell of a shock cider! Was not expecting to be told that. I am not entirely convinced he is right, but it would go some way towards explaining my hoarding tendencies though am being referred to a psychologist so hoping to get some help. Been ignoring my multifaceted craziness for far too long now :)

Hoping to go back to work - probably on reduced hours again - sometime next week. So I want to get loads done before that but don't want to overdo it either! Feel so much happier though since doing so much :)

Well it sounds like even if he is not right you know that there is something going on and getting to the bottom of it can only be helpful.

It is a bit funny that an OCD hoarder started this thread though!

You are brave to be going back to work though with everything going on but I suppose needs must. Take it easy though.

It is only getting ill (physically) that has finally forced me to confront the clutter (because I am too exhausted to search through heaps of stuff to find something)

I am nowhere near as bad as my parents though... I think they are beyond help!

Hi all, been off this thread for a little while but since I last posted we have:

1. filled both dressers with appropriate stuff (nothing just shoved there because it doesn't live anywhere else!)
2. got the coffee table down from the loft, and some winter clothes/hats/gloves etc.
3. put quite a few cardboard boxes up in the loft
4. unloaded, brought downstairs, polished and photographed a G-Plan writing bureau I am going to sell.
5. worked all day today with my dad on making MDF cupboard doors and shelves for under the stairs. Not finished but very very satisfying. I may post a pic...!
6. convinced my dad (wasn't difficult!) to take away some bonfire wood (warped wooden doors and a slowly rotting gas barbecue, half dismantled). He also got the very-nearly-full Calor gas canister - not a bad deal.
7. populated the new under-stairs cupboards with paint tins, light bulbs, batteries, extension cables, various ironmongery and tools, and the recycling boxes.

(8.) had half a bottle of Directors ale to celebrate!

well done on progress everyone, and glad you have a diagnosis fuzzpig. hope things start falling into place for you now :)

Glad you have got a diagnosis fuzzpig.

AndIfATenTonTruck you deserved that ale!

Yesterday I was back to it. I gave the two remaining kitchen walls a coat of paint and decluttered/organised/tided the cupboard at the top of the stairs. Filled two bin bags DH took some things up into the loft too.

Today I have 'vanished' the stains on the living room carpet and washed/scrubbed the wooden part of the living room floor. Also cleaned the skirting boards for the first time

I'm waiting for a delivery, then I can do the second coat in the kitchen.

I need to join!

Today is (hopefully) my cleaning day... am feeling quite sluggish, though. And will need some kind of incentive for DS to want to help me, probably.

Did the vanish stuff actually work? We tried some foam stuff on ours but it made no difference.

We've not really done anything recently but we have pretty much maintained what we had already done, so that's still an achievement.

We have an ikea bookcase that's falling apart (because we overfilled it!), we had been thinking of replacing it but I would like to try moving stuff around and trying to just get rid of it. We have too much furniture in the living room. For example if I take my wish of moving all toys upstairs a bit further, and actually move all their board games up too, we could move some of the books into the wall unit... hmm. Just have too many books. Most are lovely reference books for the DCs (curse my addiction to thebookpeople!) but maybe I could pack up some of my books as I don't really read at the moment anyway.

You will all shout at me for this but can I just point out IT'S LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS TO GO!

Not sure yet, it says to leave for 2 hours, so fingers crossed.

We had to get rid of our ikea bookcase 'cos we overfilled it too! They are now hidden :( in the dresser cupboards and in another cupboard.

AHHH don't say that! I need to be done by the 15th at the latest! eek!

Our cat has really scratched the wooden floor in the living room when he has a mad half hour. I thought it was ruined. Then I saw some Pledge scratch and colour restorer thing in Wilko I think it was and thought it might help a bit. I've just used it and WOW! It looks fantastic. Considering it's 101 years old it looks lovely. I'm so happy and it only took about 15 minutes to do the whole 'strip' of it (it goes from the front door to the dining room door, the rest of the living room is cream carpet)

That's another thing ticked off my list :)

Ha just read that back and it sounds like I work for them! I don't honest :)

I've finally finished painting the kitchen! It's taken ages 'cos I've been doing other jobs inbetween. Just got to clean it now inc. oven and behind stuff etc not today though.

Wahey! Well done :o

I've found you

Dh had a job delayed so spent the past week doing work on our house. It was good because our new bathroom is now finished , but bad in as much as he has dug bloody great holes in the floor to put some steel in . because he was working around the house, I spent as much time out of the house as possible (the noise drives me mad), so haven't really done much clearing of crap.

However I did get the airing cupboard cleared and sorted, and I have managed to maintain the rooms I have previously decluttered. No easy task with dh being around and leaving stuff EVERYWHERE. The fucker.

Glad to hear you'e got a diagnosis fuzz {{hugs}}