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Original poster

House getting me down

60 replies

alexsmum · 28/01/2006 22:31

Bit embarrassed to post this as am having to admit to being a slovenly woman with very poor housekeeping skills.
my bedroom is an absolute disgrace and it has got to the point where it is so bad i don't know where to start with making it better. There is just stuff everywhere.i can never find anything, i practically have to jump from the door to get to bed,it's so horrible. I feel like i need kim and aggie to come and sort me out, but i would too ashamed for anyone to see it!
really depressed about it tonight- have just filled a binbag with old magazines, letters,etc and you wouldn't know i had removed anything.
any advice where do i go from here?

OP posts:
saadia · 28/01/2006 23:02

I'm also drowning in papers (some important some to be shredded) and we bought a filing cabinet several months ago to sort them but it still hasn't been put together. Everything is so disorganised.

Agree with the little at a time approach. I find if I try to sort everything out at the same time it becomes unmanageable and even more depressing.

Original poster
alexsmum · 28/01/2006 23:20

right i'm going now to sit and sort through three carrier bags of papers that have sitting there for i don't know how long. wish me luck!

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lucyhoneybee · 28/01/2006 23:35

I thought it was just me and I was going bonkers! thanks guys.i recently cleared 8 bin bags of rubbish out of my daughter's room and it was still untidy.when we had our central heating done we stuffed 38 binbags full in the loft.now i can't find half my work clothes and that was 2 weeks ago. i hate getting rid of stuff, don't know why. i take loads to charity shops but then i get more...

lucyhoneybee · 28/01/2006 23:38

good luck alexsmum! and thanks for the sorting tip colditz i think i have all my bank statements since 1993 dotted everywhere. recently found my filing cabinet contained only maternity towels and the bathroom had a box in it with all our mortgage papers- maybe pg hormones? post natal doolallery?

colditz · 28/01/2006 23:52

LHB Sorry I just PMSL at the post natal doolalery.

expatinscotland · 29/01/2006 00:02

If you start stressing, alex, put it aside for a bit. 'The journey of a thousand miles begins w/a single step.'

Original poster
alexsmum · 29/01/2006 00:44

ok it's done!
they are sorted! and most of it was for the bin!
oldest thing i found was a coupon for 50p off comfort pure that ran out in may 2000!!!!
i don't even use comfort! wtf?
having said that i was newly a mum at that time- maybe my post natal dolallery made me think it was important? but for 6 years?

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freshstart · 29/01/2006 10:36

well done alexmum!!!! thats brilliant!

whats next?

LoveMyGirls · 29/01/2006 11:03

i think if you got it all sorted you would probably spend far less time looking for stuff so in the end it would be saving you time and also i always feel so much better when the house is sorted, its a never ending battle though, especially as you have 2 toddlers so i can sympathise. Good Luck!!

Original poster
alexsmum · 29/01/2006 11:19

right today, i am going to ikea to buy new shelves for the living room, then all the boxes of tapes and cd's that i have in the bedroom can go on them.
quite pleased with last night's achievement. you can now stand on clear carpet on my dh's side of the bed!

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charliecat · 29/01/2006 11:34

I am a messy person too, very very very, the one thing that has kept things to a dealable minimum is 1 rule, NO dirty clothes to be left in the bedrooms or the bathroom. It means any heaps of clothes are CLEAN and i can just shove them back where they belong, I dont have to sort through them.
We chuck our dirtys in the hall, could be a washing basket I guess but I would never empty it and on the way down in the morning I throw them in the washing basket/or washing machine.

swedishmum · 29/01/2006 11:42

You've inspired me- I'm off upstairs with a roll of bin bags and a large mug of coffee. We have a basically great house but I hate it because of clutter - six of us live here and it's a nightmare.

Original poster
alexsmum · 29/01/2006 11:45

go for it swedishmum. shall we check back in later to update on our progress?

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colditz · 29/01/2006 13:52

Right ladies, what has been done?

I will be tackling my bathroom when dp finishes work, I hasve about 15 different types of shower gel (Christmas!!) so need to prune it down, put it in storage or something, because it is all sitting next to the toilet in a heap.

Original poster
alexsmum · 29/01/2006 23:56

well we went to ikea and bought the shelves. they are being built as we speak. did two loads of laundry and binned some more stuff.
my aim for tomorrow is to clear the whole floor enough to hoover.will have to stock new shelves with all cd's etc that are in boxes in bedroom.
making some progress.

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expatinscotland · 30/01/2006 00:26

I've sorted a HUGE pack of Costco scrapbook papers, filed all my January 2006 paperwork, done some shredding and prepared the kitchen for tomorrow (coffee maker ready to go, gammon defrosting for tea, beans soaking, etc.).

Ready to start DD2s scrapbook!

Original poster
alexsmum · 30/01/2006 00:32

so organised expat! you're organising jan 2006 paperwork-i'm sorting through money off vouchers from year 2000!!! we're not in the same league are we

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Original poster
alexsmum · 30/01/2006 00:34

talking of scrapbooks- i'll tell you what i else i did today. i sat with my sons and we looked their photo albums. ds1 is nearly six and i have managed to fill his pics up to his 1st birthday.
ds2 is 2. i have pics in the album from the delivery suite! and that's it!
how bad is that!

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sparklymieow · 30/01/2006 00:37

Hi, have been clearing out myslef ready for our move, and I have found it easier just to be ruthless, Just throw anything that you know you have no use for. I have cleared out about half of my house, being very very ruthless. I have cleared out every cupboard and sideboard and drawer in this house, when I came to my jammed packed cupboard in my bedroom, I thought that I needed everything in it, when we had finished I had 2 boxes of stuff left that i wanted to keep, there was stuff in there from when we moved here 5 years ago!!! Just attack a rooom a day. I am still attack one room a day, with my black bags, though now I am getting to the stage where I am throwing nothing away or hardly anything, so i guess I can relax now and wait.

Tortington · 30/01/2006 00:37

i always reckon that if you havent worn it for ages, read it for ages, seen it for ages. then mi dear you dont need it.

dont look, dont sort. you dont need it. so recycle the paper and put clothes in oxfam.

this comes from a boss i once had who told me - if after a month its on your desk and you havent read it, bin it.

sparklymieow · 30/01/2006 00:40

lol custardo, that was us when we done my loft, we just grabbed the stuff out of the loft and threw it after a quick look inside the box or bag, and it all went straight to the chartity shop or tip, apart from a pair of shoes DS wore when he was tiny, some baby clothes which I passed to a Mnetter, and my xmas tree

Original poster
alexsmum · 30/01/2006 00:43

no i couldn't be that ruthless(shudder)
god i'm having a panic attack just thinking of it!

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sparklymieow · 30/01/2006 00:45

lol, I am being that ruthless because I don't want my new place being cluttered up, otherwise it would all still in here lol

Original poster
alexsmum · 30/01/2006 00:48

got to say , we brought quite a bit of this crap from our old house!

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sparklymieow · 30/01/2006 00:53

like I said I came across boxes from when we move last time still all boxed up lol My poor Dh keeps saying 'stop throwing away my poop, I want to keep some of it' lol . Today we threw away a old cupboard that my fishtank used to sit on, and one black bag from the kitchen and living room. the kids are getting used to it now, mummy and daddy with black bags and things being thrown away, though I am not allowed to throw out any toys (while they are here, anyway [wink)