oh help! I've let our bedroom get in an awful state! And I don't know where to start!

[chocoholic05]

Seriously its bad! And I'm so ashamed! There are things that have come from my parents loft that need sorting. Mountains of paperwork that I feel I'm drowning in. Photos going back years and years (before digital photos) or some more recent that me or more usually others have given us. I'm talking about an entire box of photos. And then there is the clothes. Where do I start? There isn't enough storage space for them we need more really. As my dh tells me everything is everywhere. And hes right but it took two and now I don't know where to start. Any advice?

Personally I'm a loud music & get on with it kind of girl

I find sorting things into piles helps too, then tackle one thing at a time.

Paperwork - you need a shredder, or at the very least a couple of binbags and buy from somewhere like wilkos a big filing box. I am a bugger for letting paperwork stack up! Put it all in a big pile then start at the top, sort into bills, statements, personal & bin the rest.

Clothes - ooooh I sort my clothes out once a year, its fun! You don't need more storage you need less clothes lol! Be ruthless, have you worn it in the last 12 months [this rule doesn't apply to posh frocks] if not - bin bag for charity shop, same with shoes, belts etc. If you still need storage then try ikea?

Photos - again go to wilkos or somewhere and buy 3 or 4 photo albums, get them on the living/dining room table and sort them chronoloically then get them in the albums.

I bet you could get it all done in a day - buy yourself a nice new duvet set to put on the bed when you've finished too

Hope that helps!

I'd say don't try to do all of it at once. Be more directed. Do "tops of cupboards" today and "his side of the bed" tomorrow, for example. Then you'll be able to see and measure progress in chunks (which you can reward with or , ) without feeling that the whole is too much to contemplate.

Mine is appalling too. I encountered a scrap of Christmas wrapping paper the other day

Start with the bulkiest items. What has come from your parents loft? Is it anything you actually need or can you donate / toss it? If you are unsure box it up and if you don't need to go searching for it after 6 months, take it to charity / the tip.

Clothes: You probably have way too much. Take everything out and donate anything not worn in a year. If you haven't worn it it probably doesn't fit right, you are uncomfortable in it for some reason or you have made aspirational purchases which don't actually fit with the life you lead, either because you are in a different phase of life or you just don't lead the life you need to wear such items (I've just donated loads of sundresses - we don't have the weather for them and I'm always cold). Donate or take to recycling centre. Don't bother selling unless you are likely to actually get decent money for it. If you sell give yourself a week to list it. If it doesn't get listed, take it to the charity shop. Don't buy more storage - you'll just fill it with crap. You probably only need a fraction of the pairs of knickers you've got. Same with socks. Keep only the nicest ones. 20 pairs are more than enough.

Put the box of photos next to the sofa (deliberately in the way so you will do it) and sort through them when you are watching telly. Pick some to frame or put in albums (if you'll look at them). Scan in the others that you want to keep. Throw the rest away.

Join the out with the old minimalist thread on here for inspiration / advice

it's mainly old books that have come from my parents. The other problem is my dh won't throw anything away at all. and I'm talking about old shoes clothes even rubbish photos books he keeps everything! Would it be really wrong of meto throw some of the very worst and tattyist clothes away when he's at work?

Why not quietly bag up and hide the tattiest clothes etc, if he hasn't noticed in a month, tell him what you did and suggest they go in the bin as he hasn't missed them?

wendybird I am just wrestling with myself about sundresses! I have about 8 lovely ones but let's face it - that's one for each bloody day of sun we get in this country...
But I LOVE them

Sorry OP - not meaning to hijack! I find starting in a corner and working out helps - get that corner perfect, then work out across the roomand then you'll have a vision of loveliness to motivate you onwards.

I agree with bagging up the tattiest of tatty clothes. Also, if DH is hoarding things and has the audacity to complain then put all of his stuff beside the bed on his side, so that he has to move it to get to bed. Keep doing it until he moves it out instead of aside.

Then work on sorting things from your parents, old photos could be scanned. Get rid of anything you don't actualy want to keep, so anything that doesn't bring you pleasure to look at, use etc. By all means offer things to other rellies, but don't accept a vague "don't get rid, I could use" arrange a time to hand over particular items. Things that no one wants, charity shop, recycle or bin depending on condition. If DH says "why are you getting rid of that " it came from your parents, therefore you decide where it goes.

Break it down into bite size pieces as already suggested, either the one corner, one box, one type of thing etc, or 15 minutes then move onto something else before continuing.

how are you getting on chocoholic?

I would suggest leaving photos for now - in box. Put to one side and deal with last. They are together and controlled.

You need to get ruthless. You have too many things for your home (and therefore life). Be ruthless with your clothes - Do you USE it? Do you NEED it? Do you LOVE it? If not you need to liberate it to either charity shop or clothing recycling bin.

Re your DH's clothes, yes I would chuck the old clothes out. Once you have your clothes sorted all nice & neat, show him the spaces left for his clothes and explain he needs to store his clothes here and anything extra needs to go in one way or another. Can you store zip up bags somewhere (under bed? on top of closet?) with off season clothes in them?

Old books - do you seriously want your parents junk? keep what you use/need/love & take rest of books to charity shop. You are not obliged to keep them forever esp if you don't have the space.

keep posting - lots of people here to help & encourage you. Every item that is folded and stored properly or out the door is a small victory! It can be hard and surprising emotional but it will feel fantastic!!!

hi be cool I don't seem to be getting anywhere I'm thinking of putting my winter clothes away in one of those vacubags. The stuff from my parents loft is actually my stuff from when I was living at home so things from my childhood mainly. I've found that looking through those things has been very interesting and yes emotional. My boys have loved it they love my old books especially. Though not the girly ones! I seem to have transferred a lot of things from my bedroom to theirs though! The ones they are not interested in are still in the box I don't know what to do with them tbh

These 'treasures' can become a burden esp if we don't have the space to keep them (and often even if we do). For me it was useful to change the way I thought about "stuff".

Yes this item is lovely, yes its sentimental, but do I want/need/have the capacity to carry this item with me for the rest of my life? (which really is the alternative if you aren't going to throw it away now or at some point in the future.) And if you can see yourself throwing it away in the future, then way not throw it away now? You can scan artwork, photograph memorable items - I get all silly over DD's clothes so I take photos of them wearing the stuff I like - silly I know but it makes it easy to let the clothes go.

Realise by doing this you are grant yourself permission to have space in your home NOW for the life you are living TODAY!

these from IKEA are great too

I've had variable success with vacubags - half of them don't seem to work.