Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Telly addicts

Sort Your Life Out on BBC1

1000 replies

PermanentTemporary · 05/11/2021 07:41

Absolutely loved it!

My list of big house jobs includes 'declutter' in every room so I was hoping to put off doing it be inspired. Loved Stacey Solomon though would have liked more from Ivan on the cleaning.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
ImJustMadAboutSaffron · 05/03/2024 22:47

PermanentTemporary · 29/02/2024 21:42

Finally caught up with Ep 1 and sobbed. The same evening as a china box my dad gave me when I was six and where i keep my engagement ring since dh died got pushed off my chest of drawers by dp's cats because I've got too many half-worn clothes on there and it smashed. That's it, I need Rob to build me some bedroom storage.

If I had Rob to build bedroom storage for me I wouldn't allow him out of the bedroom!

BigBoysDontCry · 05/03/2024 22:48

I'd have still set up the 3rd bedroom as a bedroom and they could have still kept the bunks in the bigger room for while they wanted to share but easy enough to split them when they didn't or they wanted a friend to sleep over. I can't imagine an 11 year old wanting her little sister in the room for a friend sleepover 🤷

They didn't need/couldn't afford the luxury of a dressing room really.

I still thought that they didn't really have a decent living area for relaxing, not even enough seats for the 4 if them never mind guests.

I guess maybe they'd have to save up for a bigger sofa?

Rummikub · 05/03/2024 23:00

Enjoyed it as always.

Did not like the green kitchen.

Id like to see an episode or series only on systemise. That’s where I get stuck!

The girls were lovely!

PaulGalico1 · 05/03/2024 23:29

The girls were lovely but I did wonder what their school friends would think of the programme. I thought it exposed them a bit too much - it was a clean house but the hoarding was worrying. I also think they needed a 3rd bedroom rather than a dressing room as the girls are getting to an age where they need a bit of privacy. Also the dressing room was full of all the ties, suits and belts that dad wasn't prepared to give up. Who genuinely needs 16 ties when you run a gardening business - think it was much harder than it looked for him in the warehouse. I wonder as we now see the 'decorating team' if we also have a 'warehouse team' or at least people on hand to give professional emotional support.

Netaporter · 06/03/2024 09:34

I do love this show. I grew up in a house that was a state. No system, clutter everywhere. My own house unsurprisingly is very different and I’ve been pretty obsessive about having a home that could welcome anyone at any time for my kids and DH. I spent my entire childhood looking for stuff because nothing had a place except in my room. I’d have rather died than had anyone over so I too wonder about the exposure the older girl may well have felt. Sadly, the only time my childhood home was ever tidy was after both elderly parents were hospitalised and the occupational therapist was not prepared to allow them home until it was cleared and no longer a trip hazard. It was a very cathartic (and emotional) two weeks of decluttering for me during which I mourned what the house could’ve been during my childhood….such a waste of time and bonding. I guess that is why I find the programme so emotional.

I sobbed last week but I guess the circumstances were very different for the widowed Dad trying to do his best. The couple this week I didn’t really understand how they allowed to let things get this bad, but I do understand the need to not throw things out when you didn’t have much growing up.

I’m actually thinking about setting up a business in this area because I feel so passionate about it. I’d like to do a qualification in the support counselling too.

Juniper68 · 06/03/2024 10:07

BigBoysDontCry · 05/03/2024 22:48

I'd have still set up the 3rd bedroom as a bedroom and they could have still kept the bunks in the bigger room for while they wanted to share but easy enough to split them when they didn't or they wanted a friend to sleep over. I can't imagine an 11 year old wanting her little sister in the room for a friend sleepover 🤷

They didn't need/couldn't afford the luxury of a dressing room really.

I still thought that they didn't really have a decent living area for relaxing, not even enough seats for the 4 if them never mind guests.

I guess maybe they'd have to save up for a bigger sofa?

I agree. There was nowhere to relax.

Regarding the bedroom.The amount of clothes left was ridiculous. I think they struggled to get him to part with a lot but didn't show it. They didn't need those clothes he's a gardener. He needs help imo.

Doomscrolling · 06/03/2024 10:52

Every hoarder I’ve known in real life had trauma. The Dad was obviously the hoarder, the Mum and children were helpless in the sheer volume of stuff.

He works as a gardener now. He needs maybe 4 ties, not 20 and certainly not 80!

All that office wear… he’s not accepting his change of career at all.

hagchic · 06/03/2024 15:42

I thought the father was extremely selfish - his refusal to deal with his hoarding problem was making life miserable and dangerous for the rest of his family. A dressing room full of his clothes in a 3 bedroom house is ridiculous and simply pandered to his problem.

I don't buy the 'hand to mouth existence' either - there was an enormous amount of new stuff in that house - and the musical instruments, such as the Standing and lap harps would not have been cheap.

Stacey's 'plate rack book shelf' was awful - it was unstable and the books didn't really fit in there - also didn't like the pan hanging rack.

Other than that, I enjoyed it as always.

PaulGalico1 · 06/03/2024 15:56

Agree about the plate rack bookshelf - surely the lovely Rob could put together a proper bookshelf in minutes. Also the old cot made into a pan rack - it didn't look particularly stable. A lot of money spent on a lot of stuff in that house - I think the family needed more support. It wasn't just piles of old clutter but an accumulation of quite expensive stuff.

WhataPithy · 06/03/2024 17:07

I also thought the dressing room was an odd idea. It would have been much better to give the girls their own rooms. The older daughter yearned for some privacy 😞 Dad will just fill the dressing room with his junk.
I wonder if there was something behind the decision that was not shared.

I left home at 17 as I had to share with my much younger brother. I never had any privacy and never had friends around so maybe I’m projecting.

sittingingold · 06/03/2024 17:08

RandomMess · 05/03/2024 20:47

OMG binning the front and back of the CDs 😱 just devalued his collection!!

Sacrilege

Pretty sure CDs are worth 20p these days.

That poor family, it was unbelievable how bad that house was and that 3rd bedroom as a graveyard to his clothing when he has two daughters in bunk beds!

Hope they manage to keep it nice and he gets the therapy he needs (or his wife leaves him!)

RandomMess · 06/03/2024 17:35

CDs are actually making a comeback, sure some are pretty worthless but plenty are not cheap to replace anymore.

MyCousinsNotVinny · 06/03/2024 18:33

Episode 2 the hoarder German music teacher and the gardening bloke who for some reason wanted to keep 20 million ties - useful in the garden.

I felt very VERY sorry for the children who seemed really sweet and the couple were really brave to go on the programme with their house in that state. I thought they were very pathetic (in the pathos/pitiable sense of that word rather than the inadequate /offensive sense). She seemed so drippy and he was in denial big time.

I get how adults could live like that if it was on their own but if you have children, how could you give them lives like that. I mean even if you didn't have time wouldn't you at least make the kids room nice.

Paying for that kitchen (which looked pretty crappy tbh) £200 a month to be in storage for 3 years is just unbelievable. That's seriously derranged.

Agree that I couldn't believe dilly threw out the CD covers. I would have gone mad if that were me. If you like CDs and have a collection you want to keep, you want the whole thing. It's like ripping off covers of books saying that they are too think and you don't need them. They must have checked that with them before hand because it was so extreme.

I expect if you go back to that house in 5 years, it would be back where it was except for the children's room (the older girl particularly seemed v. sensible) and possibly the kitchen if they get into the swing of using it properly.

Carriemac · 06/03/2024 19:41

That house was bordering on neglect . The poor girls

Doomscrolling · 06/03/2024 20:12

PaulGalico1 · 06/03/2024 15:56

Agree about the plate rack bookshelf - surely the lovely Rob could put together a proper bookshelf in minutes. Also the old cot made into a pan rack - it didn't look particularly stable. A lot of money spent on a lot of stuff in that house - I think the family needed more support. It wasn't just piles of old clutter but an accumulation of quite expensive stuff.

The plate rack "bookshelf" drove me mad. Totally useless.

Flatleak · 06/03/2024 20:16

Agree that I couldn't believe dilly threw out the CD covers. I would have gone mad if that were me. If you like CDs and have a collection you want to keep, you want the whole thing. It's like ripping off covers of books saying that they are too think and you don't need them. They must have checked that with them before hand because it was so extreme.

She didn't! I've just watched it and she even says that it's a great way to keep cds and covers but get rid of the empty cases.

This episode was really frustrating and those parents made me so so angry. An awful way to treat your children and blaming it on no money when you're spending 100s on storage every month and have bought so much stuff was really taking the piss.

FeedMeSantiago · 06/03/2024 20:43

I feel the parents last night needed more support - the storage costs on the kitchen was insanity.

I also think the kitchen being fitted took up so much of the team's time, the rest of the house was a bit of an afterthought. Normally Rob is creating some great storage solutions, he's come up with great beds for DC, clever cupboards etc. All they had last night was the cot pot rack and Stacey's awful plate rack bookshelves.

The boxroom becoming a 3rd bedroom would have made much more sense. The eldest girl was 11, in a year or two she won't want to share. Even if they shared for now, a good cabin/loft bed with a desk and storage underneath would have been sensible for the future.

A dressing room for the parents clothes is a very peculiar choice over giving each child their own bedroom, or even giving them a shared study space for the future, or parents an office. I suspect a PP is right and parents (dad) just didn't get rid of enough clothes and this was the solution.

SqueakyDinosaur · 06/03/2024 20:46

To be fair, the dressing room was for everyone's clothes - the rail next to the one with his jackets and suits had some of the girls' clothes. But yes, it was absolutely ridiculous how much he kept.

There's always a moment where I think "Uh-oh", as the person who will have/cause the most problems with getting rid of stuff kicks off. Here, it was the dad with the hob, but I agree with PPs that it felt like that was the tip of the iceberg. It was interesting that his immediate reaction to Dilly at the end was to say "I'm sorry I kept so much stuff". I wish I thought that meant the penny had dropped....

Mind you, we've recently moved DM into a much smaller house, and she has had a few revelations - like if you are going to add a largeish Christmas tree to an already full room, you need to temporarily get rid of something else or you'll be tripping over furniture. We (my DB and I) were very much helped by the fact that her new garage, where lots of "important things" aka useless crap was stored, flooded quite badly so she was able to let go of it because it was actually damaged (and she hadn't needed or missed it in 4 months).

Katherineryan1986 · 06/03/2024 20:53

RandomMess · 05/03/2024 20:47

OMG binning the front and back of the CDs 😱 just devalued his collection!!

Sacrilege

I thought she just binned the plastic cases, she was putting the CD and the paper bit in the new case.

Katherineryan1986 · 06/03/2024 21:02

I presume the family stayed in a hotel for a few days, I would have thought the Dad could have spent a few hours in the shower washing his hair. I know we shouldn’t pick on people for that kind of thing, but it really was grim. And the amount of belts and ties he kept. I hope the wife bins one each day until they are gone.

Meredusoleil · 06/03/2024 21:23

Yes the greasy hair really was too much imho. No excuse for that.

bookworm14 · 06/03/2024 21:39

I felt much less sorry for the parents this week than the widowed dad last week. They really didn’t have a valid excuse for letting their home get into that state - it was closer to full-blown hoarding than clutter. Those poor girls - I just hope for their sake that the parents can keep on top of things from now on.

bookworm14 · 06/03/2024 21:41

I do also agree that the dad in particular needs proper therapeutic support beyond what a show like this can provide.

Juniper68 · 06/03/2024 21:42

@bookworm14 I totally agree. Felt slightly sorry for dw. And yes they have been through the mill but the level of crap was way too awful.

JobMatch3000 · 06/03/2024 22:11

Watched this earlier. Why, when they are boxing up the house, don't they bin as they go? Stacy scraping dust and fluff from the former desk alongside paper and books was just grim. In the warehouse, someone surely has to wipe clean as they unbox and layout.

Losing your job is traumatic -he said he had depression, but sometime, surely, over the past three years one of the adults could have put the old cardboard shoe boxes in the recycling!

Him "rescuing" the Tesco 'Bags for Life' was insightful. He's not going to change, and picking up a point a PP made, where were their Christmas decorations? I bet there's a loft full of crap we didn't see.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is not accepting new messages.
Swipe left for the next trending thread