Seeking Tidying/decluttering buddy/ies

[petal2019]

Does anyone fancy a tidying buddy? Or in fact a virtual decluttering buddy? I need to do some major decluttering and tidying... I wonder if anyone would like to join me in this and we could cheer each other on!!!?

Hi @9Greenbottles! Lovely to 'meet' you! Sounds like you might make some interesting discoveries.... hopefully there is also a stash of £5 notes in a handbag!! Good luck with the bedroom tidy. You should see mine... it is awful! Look forward to hearing how you get on.

Thanks for the welcome.

I spent an hour sorting out the worst of the handbag/shoe mess and took the opportunity to use my label maker for the plastic shoe boxes (always likely to contribute to the mess when you open 1/2 a dozen to find the pair of "smart" shoes you want for a night out). I find that once I've made a mess, I'm quite happy to add to it. Best not to get into that stage in the first place!

Sadly, there were no £5 notes

Well - what a lot of busyness going on! :) :) :)

I've found a notebook in my craft room which can be repurposed as my decluttering notebook :)

I need to make a decision about what crafts I will and will not be doing going forward. Then I can pass on those materials I won't be using again. :)

Oh, have I found my tribe. Have had 3 birthdays this week. House looks clean but presses are full. Need to clean the kitchen because I took the day off yesterday!!!

Dh has decluttered the back uard yesterday whilst i was at work. We're going to clean it today. He's much more organised and tidy than me.

I'm off for 5 days next week so I'll be doing the bedrooms. I've sorted through most of my clothes.

Yard*

HI! back again seeking moral support! I am exhausted and have had a bad migraine. House is downstairs superficially messy, upstairs my room particularly is dreadful. On my own for 2 hours so thought I would have a go at getting a general tidy done so it feels nicer and tackle the mess in my room. So roll up sleeves and try not to get distracted!!
If its ok I shall use you as a motivational sounding board while I tackle it all. here goes.... so feeling so overwhelmed will tackle little bits at a time....
start at side table. ... cup of tea....

Can I join please I'm over run with stuff have decorating stuff everywhere. I started decorating but in the middle hurt my back and have stuffed with bad sciatica since. Everytime I try and get stuck in something happens like one of the dc get ill or we have a sudden burst of appointments and everything and everywhere gets messed up. It's really starting to stress me out and I'm embarrassed to let anyone in to see and it means the dc can't have friends round to play and it's making me feel so guilty.

I did this last year and it was good but really need to go at it again . Might do half hour in the morning . Things like drawers full of crap , paperwork’s , books . Lots of clothes that I didn’t throw out before and still not worn them in a year !

20.08
half sitting room
20.23
other half sitting room
20.48
dishwasher and Kitchen one surface
21.04
surface 2
21.27
surface 3, rest of kitchen and bathroom.
22.34 finished downstairs!
Sorry very boring.. but it helps me. Still need to tackle the upstairs rooms now.

Hi @Magneticred,
I really know what you mean about feeling embarrassed. It has been interesting for me the last few days being part of this group. I have been looking at my house in a new light and thinking I really DO think I need a major declutter.... its funny.... It is obviously the case... but I am beginning to realise how it is all weighing me down so much and stopping me from living the way I want to and getting on with the things I want to do.

Hi @petal2019 I've tided a few cupboards tonight and made sure it's tidy for breakfast tomorrow and wrote a list of 4 things I want to start with. I've got 3 bags marked for rubbish school fair and charity shop. I'm hoping if start small I'll get more done. So far I have finish sorting cupboards and wiping them down, sorting 2 drawers and sorting under my sink. Hopefully if I can make myself accountable even if it's online then I can get it done.
Im too embarrassed to tell anyone in real life and I'm running out of excuses of why people can't pop round.

Oh I need this. I'm one room away from a KIm and Aggie special. I'd be embarrassed if someone dropped round and it gets me so down.

I found DCs primary school lunch boxes today in the back of the cupboard when I was looking for my coolbag. My DCs are in year 10

I started doing the 'one thing a day' at the beginning of the year but lost focus. I'm getting back at it tomorrow.

Good luck everyone else.

hi @Magneticred and @Redcrayons! I can so relate to you... it is the same with me... my house is FULL of stuff from years ago which we will never use again... baby clothes, toys etc.... a nightmare. I also have made attempts in the past but maybe this time we can really keep the focus by encouraging each other! I don't know about you but I find that the endlessness of housework really weighs me down.... and I really want to get out of this...beyond it. so onward and upward... Im going to have a go at my bedroom now. But you both sound like you are doing so well. Much better than me... you are actually onto the decluttering stage. Well .... if I can sort out my ransacked room that would be fab.... however I think my migraine today was from a lack of sleep so Im going to address that first and then perhaps have a go in the morning. good night and good luck with tomorrow. best p.

I’m in, although I usually get carried away on MN & FB so my decluttering gets sidelined! Quite panicky actually as there’s so much to do. Upstairs is slightly better now as DH has made a start on his office & also put suitcases containing winter clothes in the loft. I have a ridiculous amount of clothes! DH & I reached rock bottom in our marriage a couple of years ago & up to that point, I used to make myself feel better by buying stuff I didn’t really need. I still do it but nowadays it tends to be jewellery.
Anyway, action is desperately needed! Here’s my initial list :-
Kitchen cupboards
Move DD’s toys etc out of the lounge & try to get rid of at least some craft materials ( she has a 4 drawer unit)
Clear the stairs
Sort linen, towels etc
Find a home for the clothes in our room & DD’s clothes which have been in a clothes basket for months
Bathroom cabinet & under the sink storage
My bedside cabinet drawers
Shoes
Handbags
I daren’t even think about DD’s room as it makes me want to weep. She’s possibly on the spectrum & has alphabetical piles on her floor but the sheer amount of stuff is unbelievable. It’s also a health hazard as you can’t dust or hoover. I intend to break it down into little areas as there is no way she could cope with being told to do the whole thing. She’s mad keen on the RSPCA so I’ve asked her to put aside some things to go to their shop.
The back garden has bits & pieces to go to the tip. Garage & loft pretty good.
We downsized nearly 2 years ago & knew it would be difficult but I am so fed up living in a warehouse! Look forward to updates from everyone & hopefully I will find my surfaces again soon lol 😂

P .S Did find 60p in a handbag!

Been up since 5 couldn't sleep sciatica pain was too bad so took painkillers and sat on floor to do low bits and a chair for higher bits. Having a rest and deciding if I will attack our big cupboard as that's where most things get thrown. Roped 1 of older dc in to help with that of I do.
Made daily and weekly checklists of general cleaning to use to keep on top of everything else so I don't forget and just concentrate on decluttering which I have done in the past.

I'm tackling the dreaded loft today. I work long shifts so am fitting in decluttering when I can.

If I can get the loft cupboards decluttered i can pu5 stuff in there like winter clothes ect. It already has decorating stuff and camping gear. Plus lots of clothes ect. I need to be ruthless. Ds1 is home now as finished uni and thelift bedroomis his. It's actually a lovely bedroom whem tidy. I decorated it recently.

Sorry for typos. The loft bedroom is his.

I just searched for this thread to see if anyone could cheer me on! you are all doing such a great job.

I feel like I am doing this AGAIN because I live in a very small flat and am constantly getting rid of things I actually would like to keep.

I do think eventually I will leave London and get somewhere bigger - elderly mum, so no way to do it at the moment - but it is hard to get rid of things that you would ideally keep.

the place also gets out of control re tidiness and I do like it to be tidy. So any words of encouragement would be welcome!

Rosa That's really sad to have to give up tthings you would like to keep - but I know it's the reality of a small flat.

I've polyfilla'd a lot of holes in the utility room and painted the mist coat on a newly plastered cupboard this morning. When this cupboard is finished, I'll have a lot of shelves to put things in.

We're just off to Ikea to buy some cd racks for the millions of cds my partner owns and will not part with. I'm trying to encourage him to get doors for the fronts to cut down on the dusting (although, to be fair, he'll be the only one doing any dusting in that room 😀)

My whole house is terrible 😔 I’m really struggling with it. I’ve been trying to get as much done as I can but we had an issue when we moved in 10 years again that we never really sorted ........ my spiteful dm decided to COMPLETELY load up my dads van with so much crap and clutter and a lot of stuff that wasn’t even mine and literally dumped it and we were in a hurry we just stored it and then we’ve been so busy and it’s all built up with out stuff too.....

I’m naturally disorganised and messy and a bit of a hoarder which doesn’t help but I’m so upset that the piles of crap seem to be at eye level now and I feel like my house is closing in on me I hate it.

I have been getting rid of a bin bag full of ‘stuff’ each day at weekends more as dh here to help with dc. It’s been 2 weeks and not looking much better yet but I keep telling myself by the summer holidays surely it’ll be better

Today my jobs are
-clearing and cleaning under the stairs
-sorting out clothes drawers and bagging up for charity everything that’s too small etc

9 that's a lot of work!

tbh I'm not so much sentimental about stuff as practical. I do expect to live somewhere bigger, though I appreciate that could be 10 years away - and I would be annoyed to re-buy things or whatever.

there are gifts people give you and you think, that's tiny, but I have numerous vases for example, can't keep them. Someone gave me a set of dessert dishes (!) - just can't store stuff like that here.

I do also want to make my life easier by getting rid of paperwork - it was creative writing work which I've been doing for many years, but at some point I have to accept I don't have space on the shelves for the files and I haven't even been arsed to finish a lot of that work!

This time I want a really good clean fresh start and as much as visible empty space as possible IYSWIM.

amicable cross posted.

wow, what a mare, I feel for you having to deal with that.

another random case re not wanting to get rid - and I won't! - I have a lovely folding screen that I used in a rented flat to screen off a corner. I really don't want to get rid of it. It was an excellent charity shop find and I do think it will cost well over £100 to replace. So there are odd things like that, Marie Kondo would definitely tell me to get rid of it, but she won't give me money to buy a new one when the time comes!

Hello - can I join in too? The other thread in AIBU about how the OP can helping a hoarder move has sent chills down my spine.

I have just moved into a house from a flat and as I unpack I am seeing that I definitely need to buy more furniture, but I also see that I had overpacked my flat so much! My goal is to try and declutter what I have, and really think about each purchase, so I end up with a streamlined home, with everything having a function, NOT a load of clutter.

With that goal clear, today I will do the kitchen (and if I finish that - unlikely - also the study). I may need moral support to help throw some things away!