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Housekeeping

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Original poster

My stuff is breeding

67 replies

Oliversmumsarmy · 26/12/2017 16:39

I don't think I am a hoarder. I constantly have bags on the go for Charity Shop, Clothes that when the bag is full I weigh in, bags of stuff to take down the tip to recycle and my bins are overflowing and I am using my gardening bins to store the overflow.
Back in September dd decided to help me get on top of the stuff.

We have thrown we have sold everything from large pieces of furniture to small things that we never use anymore, we have recycled and charity shopped.
As an example we cleared partially our lock up and thought we were getting on top of it but now it is fuller than ever. We have 3 other areas that we have stuff and they are now fuller than when we started.

We haven't bought anything.

DD cant understand it.
She took a picture of a particular room before she started and it doesn't look any different.

We took 4 black bags to the charity shop and another 3 of various recycling stuff to the tip last week alone

OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 26/12/2017 20:14

Well done and keep going. I need to do this.

Ancientmummyofwooooos · 26/12/2017 20:26

The same is happening at my house too! I emptied the shed- 4 tip runs! Emptied the outhouse, a bootsale, 2 tip runs and the scrapman was well sorted- i emptied the "Room of requirement" and BLAM! the shed and outhouse are full again and i seem to have 2 dining tables...

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 26/12/2017 20:34

I had 10 skips when our house was renovated. I have been throwing out stuff and as fast as I get one area cleared and I start on the next area the original area starts filling up.

I don't know where it is coming from.

OP posts:
Millybingbong · 26/12/2017 20:38

But you do really though don't You?

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 26/12/2017 22:29

If I knew I wouldn't be asking.

It is not as if I own huge amounts of clothes. All my stuff fits in one draw.

I know I own a few extra pieces of furniture it is part of my business but it is the boxes of stuff.

We reduced 20 boxes to 9 then cleared out my van into the lock up which filled up then cleared out the house for Christmas into my van.
.

Now the van is full, the lockup is full, the house is clearer

However I will need my van soon so everything gets to come back in the house

OP posts:
HopeClearwater · 26/12/2017 23:23

I’ve been here ...

Definitely keep going

and

How much have you brought into the house since you started this? Why are you putting more stuff into the lockup? Answers to these questions will probably explain a lot.

HopeClearwater · 26/12/2017 23:24

All this moving boxes about is called ‘churning’. You need to actually get rid of what is in the boxes - what is it?

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 27/12/2017 00:12

The issue started when we moved here.

Our last house was a 3 bed old cottage about 800sq ft.

We moved to a 4 bed bungalow about 1250sq ft.

Should have all fitted with room to spare but nothing fitted. It was the weirdest shaped house

A lot of boxes is paperwork that I have to keep for 6 years. Dp also has 6 years of paperwork.
Then there is tools and furniture.
As I said we recently took 20 boxes and reduced it to 9.

A lot of stuff will be in different rooms when we finish the house. Unfortunately dp was diagnosed with cancer and work had to stop.
I put stuff in the lock up to free up the van then filled the van to free up the house for Christmas.

I go to peoples houses and everything has a place. Mine doesn't . I don't know if it is because we have too much stuff or not enough storage.

OP posts:
PenelopeFlintstone · 27/12/2017 00:26

I feel for you. When you say you honestly don't know where it's coming from and that you haven't bought anything, instead of having an overview maybe look at individual items. Was it there before you started to declutter? If the answer is repeatedly 'No', then you may discover that you are actually buying or otherwise letting things in. If the answer is a repeated 'Yes', then you'll know that your pre-existing stuff is just spreading out a bit but becoming less in quantity, and that you are going well and should just keep going. Good luck! Smile

ILoveTheEU · 27/12/2017 10:40

Can you scan any of the paperwork, then put it in the cloud, then shred/recycle/bin physical copies?

You sound like a good candidate for Kondo, OP.

MikeUniformMike · 27/12/2017 11:51

I've read Kondo. I know the theory. The problem is that it is just so overwhelming. The only way I can do it is to put similar things together.

If I were you, I'd start on the paperwork. Sort it out into financial years. Shred what you don't need to keep.
Put everything into files or tied up bundles by financial year. Put this year's in a folder month by month. Keep related things together if you can.

With A4 things or A5 things that are folded, take them out of their envelopes and put in an A4 stack. You don't need the envelopes - they make things 'invisible'. Punch and tie bundles together or if they are for this financial year put in a binder with partitions.

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 27/12/2017 12:01

My paperwork runs into the 9 boxes. Dp because of his business has paperwork relating to other businesses and is taking up half the lock up and several dozen boxes around the house the unit in the garden.

The answer is yes it was there before I started.

Add to that I was physically disabled for 5 years after I had given birth to my youngest so baby stuff and toys that the other people would have got through and sorted I couldn't so it got packed away and we are just getting round to sorting

OP posts:
nocutsnobuttsnococonuts · 27/12/2017 12:22

I think alot is down to storage. My dds room used to be a tip, then i bought new storage and its miles better and it actually remains tidy as everything has a home.

Our room however is always cluttered as the storage is wrong. Im planning on a lift up bed and tall wardrobe/chest drawers but havent got around to sorting it.

Lounge again in a constant state of clutter due to rubbish storage. Have the plan of what to buy but havent got round to it.

But in short term could you afford to employ someone to help you declutter? Then if u cant get to charity shop offer on facebook free sites or some charities will collect.

RandomMess · 27/12/2017 12:23

It's probably not as tightly packed in as it was before because you've sorted through and moved stuff around.

Keep going!! Think through furniture for your house to store the stuff you really want to keep/use. Although if it's been in storage perhaps you don't...

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 27/12/2017 13:40

Must admit storage is virtually non existent

We have done a remodel as a lot of the rooms in the house had random bits of wall sticking out anything from 1 - 3 feet into the room.

I think who ever designed this place was paranoid and thought he would always have a wall to hide behind. Hence cupboards had to be tiny.

OP posts:
ILoveTheEU · 27/12/2017 14:54

I wonder if you shoved everything you don't need today into one room ("room of requirement", RoR) and then worked thru 2 big boxes worth every day. Nothing allowed out of the room unless it has a specific tidy place to go to.

You can start buying shelves for things that don't have a place to go to. 2 boxes every day until the RoR is empty.

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 27/12/2017 15:19

I don't have a spare room hence the lock up. We were slowly emptying it but then we ended up filling it again.

A lot of stuff is things I use at least weekly.
A lot of stuff will be going into cupboards when rooms are finished but some of the cupboards are in the back of the lock up so as soon as I can get to them then things will be put away

I think our house is just too small. 3 adults with 5 work from home businesses and a teenager who buys and sells Lego as a part time job. Into a 4 bed 1250Sq ft bungalow with a large part of the house in the eves so no high cupboards or wardrobes can be fitted

OP posts:
Deux · 28/12/2017 12:13

On the paperwork, check that you're not keeping unnecessary paper. Are your bank transactions on line? Check how far you can go back online and ditch statements, just keep annual tax statement.

Take papers out of folders as folders are bulky. Bundle them together with treasury tags and just use a piece of a4 at the top of each bundle with dates and what's in the bundle. Filing by tax year is effective with your tax return paperwork in the top.

You can use filing bags or get proper archive storage boxes. Write on the storage box when you can ditch the contents of the box.

If you need to keep with the lock up do you have decent shelving in there? Big Dug do good cheap substantial shelving.

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 29/12/2017 08:01

The lock up is full floor to ceiling and the paperwork is for businesses not just personal so every receipt has to be kept.

Bit of a myth saying you can do online banking. Mortgage companies won't accept printed out statements so you have to have physical statements from the bank.

A lot of stuff we use or ought to be put in a cupboard but there is no room for the amount of cupboards we need or the space to put them.
Even kitchen stuff is spread between 2 rooms as there is no space in our kitchen.
There is only so many cupboards you can fit into a 3 m x 1.5m space and leave room after taking up space for washing machine, dishwasher hob sink and fridge freezer.

Personally I could see this coming 10 years ago and wanted to move to a bigger house but dp couldn't see the problem. Now I am having to deal with the consequences. He can't see the problem. I feel sometimes like bringing everything back to the house just to see the reaction.

Dps solution is to get another lock up.

On top of this we don't have an office we just work from the dining table, (we don't have a separate dining room as we had to make that into a bedroom as we have 2 children and the house was only 2 bedrooms when we bought it.)

I have one business which can take up anything from 2-8 hours everyday another that takes up 12 hours per day for 4-8 weeks 3 or 4 times per year and another that I pay someone to run so just needs a little supervision every month. I missed out on a business opportunity earlier this month so that means I will have a few hours each day spare to carry on throwing and selling but it is looking more like we just don't have the space.

OP posts:
Chaosofcalm · 29/12/2017 08:08

Even if you decide to move then you are going to need to declutter to sell.

How many kitchen cupboards do you have? I would concentrate on the area/issue that is the worse and will have the most impact on your house. For me that was my kitchen.

Emilybrontescorsett · 29/12/2017 08:13

I recently decluttered.
I threw away tons of stuff.
Start in one cupboard/box and be ruthless.
If you had to leave your house urgently would you bother taking it or would you leave it.
Unless you are totally ruthless you will not do it.
I also made it clear to people that I didn't want any tat, dontbuy me anything unless it's something that I need , save your money.
I also find there are days when I can be far more ruthless than others.

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 29/12/2017 08:33

I can't declutter my kitchen anymore.

I don't have room as it is for more than 4 cups . Glassware and Pyrex dishes/baking stuff is in a cupboard in the living room.
I have a 30cm drawer unit for cutlery , kitchen utensils, batteries and other bits and bobs and a medicine drawer, a 30cm cupboard for tea coffee cups etc. A small corner unit for general food, a corner base unit for pans, another 30cm unit for tins and cat food and another 30cm unit for non chemical stuff that doesn't fit under the sink , bin bags, plastic bags cloths, etc and cat litter and excess tins.

We can't move now even if we wanted to. We are too old to get a mortgage so even if we sold and bought for cash without a mortgage we would have to trade down and would end up in something smaller

OP posts:
whirlygirly · 29/12/2017 08:41

I think you need to allocate a day or two and blitz all the old baby things. That should free up room in the lock up / wherever so that paperwork could perhaps go there. Do you have a loft? Any outside room for a watertight shed?
Your kitchen sounds very compact if you only have room for 4 mugs. Can anywhere be potentially extended even if you can't move?

Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 29/12/2017 08:44

It is effectively a 2 bed bungalow housing 3 adults and a teen. All adults running at least one or two work from home businesses and even teen has started a small business buying and selling a particular thing he is interested in.

If we had a big office so we could all fit and a separate dining room and a garage for my tools and stuff I use for my business I think it wouldn't be such a problem.

OP posts:
Original poster
Oliversmumsarmy · 29/12/2017 08:52

I wanted to knock the whole place down and start again but we are in green belt and conservation area .
It ended up being because of the green belt i wouldn't be able to build a house but conservation said I couldn't replace the bungalow as it had to be a simarlly. designed house as my neighbours.

I couldn't win. I wasn't even able to extend. PP needed.

OP posts: