Two pack rats...make that 4

[rosyred45]

I am in such a mess about now. I finally have a week off to get cleaning done.YEA.....except for the fact that most of the STUFF that I have is sentimental. UM yes, all 4 of us.

I'm trying that FlyLady thing, but when it comes to giving things away, I can't seem to part with somethings. My neighbors laugh because if the store doesn't have it, we probably will. I kid you not. One guy asked me if I was around for the Depression, I try not to waste things. I guess it's that waste not want not thing, but I Need to take a good long look and see what really needs to stay and go.

I just don't know where to start. Mikey told me yesterday that he didn't want any more of his christmas things because it is more to clean up. EYE OPENER>>>>> It does make me want to purge everything and just start over. But I don't know.

It doesn't help that when I do finally get the motivation, I can't find anywhere to give things to. We have clothes drops and toy drops, but we don't have any salvation army drops where I can put household things in. I give away what I can, if I know that someone can use it and I don't need it, but still, TOO MUCH STUFF!!

Here we gooooooooo........I'm going for it now.
I think
Kaiti

[skylarkragtop]

Hey, you're not alone, believe me.
We've got so much junk around here it's pathetic.
And even if it's not stuff that just ought to be thrown away, it's stuff that was never properly PUT away. We're awful.
It's bad Chi, too. The clutter is surely having an impact on the energy flow through our dwelling. You may thing there's nothing to the feng shui stuff, but we've proved it true a few times. So why are we doing nothing about it??? I guess we're lazy. Maybe when my boy naps today I'll fix up the front porch. As soon as you step foot in the house all you see is a huge mess. Thats bad. Very bad. Sets the tone for the whole rest of the house.

Try the 3 year rule - aint touched it, used it, needed it, thought about its value in three years - TOSS IT.
Put it out by the side of the road with a sign that says "FREE STUFF" and be done with it.

SR

[rosyred45]

I do sense the Chi stuff, I'm not a fanatic, but each room is it's own. I like the 3 yr rule. My problem is basically not wanting to toss collections I have that take up room.

Ever since I was little, my Aunt had Norman Rockwell plates saved for me. So my dining room is Norman Rockwell, along with everything else, if you know what I mean. I'm actually eyeing a couple of things right now for the roadside freebee thing, I'll just have to wait to set it out since it's raining now.

Thank you, I feel a little better knowing I'm not alone. One thing though, if you look in my cabinets, they HAVE to be in order, it's just a matter if things get put away.

Oh well, let the tossing begin
Kaiti

[skylarkragtop]

Perhaps I should have rephrased my previous post. We dont have junk here. We too have collections:
1. Three camcorders. One works. One just doesnt rewind. The other is totally shot, yet it's still here.
2. Three A/Cs that came out of three windows when it got cool, and now sit on the floor awaiting stowage in the garage. Collections of things in the garage prevent me from having room in there to put anything away.
3. Boxes. We have the cartons almost everything came in, as though they'd ever be needed.
4. TOYS. Brightly colored plastic everywhere. But the boy would rather play with boxes.
5. Xmas decorations are now all over the place. Not hung, just in various states of wait.. they were waiting to be hung, never got there. Now they're waiting to be put away again.
6. Papers. Bills. Schoolwork. Thankfully none of the bills have gone to collections. (like how I played that word?)
7. Tools. Everywhere they ought not be, rather than in the toolbox.
8. Batteries. We have lots of batteries. I still dont know which are good and which arent. I suppose I have to test them, or toss the ones that arent in the package with the new ones.
9. Food. I am reminded of the starving people IN THIS COUNRTY who would be thankful to eat all the stuff we just manage to waste around here. We seem to have collections of things that go unfinished before new stuff is bought and opened, and the old stuff just goes to waste. Very bad.
10. Laundry. Everywhere.
11. A basement full of things I thought I'd need at some point that I probably could toss for good. Old PCs, old stereos, parts of things, all stuff I sometimes raid for parts to make other things work, and I dont get rid of them because I think that as soon as I do, I'll need a part that I just tossed.

My mom is the anti-packrat. She has no collections other than photos, dishes, silverware, and jewelry. Short of that, her house looks like a showroom at a furniture store. Which reminds me of something... My wife and I will walk through IKEA or some other furniture place, and she'll say "why cant our house look like this". I let it go, and when we're at home I tell her we ought to approach our cleaning up like this: If it wouldnt be on display at IKEA, then it shouldnt be on display here. Then our place could look like the showroom too.

Thanks for posting today. I'm inspired to do something about it.
I hope I can follow through.

SR

[finnmom]

Try the 3 year rule - aint touched it, used it, needed it, thought about its value in three years - TOSS IT.[/quote]

Sky, that´s so good rule just quite hard to follow
I´am not the cleanest person in the world, but I hate mess. Every accasionally I just go through everything and toss it away, if aint used in some time it can go away. this just terrifies my hubby He is a collector with capital C, once I remember waiting him to be out of town I got my brother here and cleaned the place totally. Guess what; hubby hasn´t even noticed all that junk I got rid of, a.e. he hasn´t missed it a bit

Good luck with cleaning Rosyred!!
Marja

[rosyred45]

I think I just had a thought, mind you think and thought...haha

I started about a year ago sorting and folding laundry on the couch. At first it went so good I never gave it another thought. NOW..... We moved the laundry baskets over enough so that we could fit the rest of the decorations. NOT GOOD.

So Starting now, and I just told my son, our laundry will be washed and dried THEN carried up to my room to be folded and sorted. It's only a pain because our room is on the 3rd floor, but at least I'll be getting my cardio workout along with clean laundry.

AND I have put most of my Christmas stuff up for storage, and I feel a little better about trying to get everything done.

We still have more "collections" (I like that word too) but one thing at a time, at least one thing in each hand at a time.
And something else to put down because you see something else that needs to be done.

Another Day, Another Pile.
Kaiti

[skylarkragtop]

I made some progress. While my boy was busy watching Blues Clues, I got to straighten up the porch. It looks much better now. I threw away some boxes, but they started to blow around into the street, so I had to bring them back in and they'll wait until saturday's pickup. That irks me, because the porch looked so much better without the stupid boxes. Ok, they've been inside this long, whats another couple of days.

I tossed the humidifier that stopped making mist and started leaking, despite the fact that given enough time, I could probably fix it. I feel bad about that. I feel wasteful now, especially since we dont have a lot of money with me not working. Maybe I should go get it and fix it while the boy watches more TV. No, we'll just get a new one, it wasnt the greatest one anyway.

Now maybe I'll go get that old camcorder and toss that. The next thought is: thats the first one I ever bought, we taped lots of nice memories with it, and its not like it takes a whole lot of space. Maybe I can use some parts from it. Why do I think these things??? It's a camcorder. It does not work. I still have the tapes and we can still watch those memories. Silly of me.


Well at least I did something. It's a start. Maybe when the boy naps I'll go downstairs and get some stuff from the basement that I can throw away. Or at least put away.

I better apply the three year rule.

SR

[rosyred45]

Good for you, at least your making the attempt to get "stuff" out. I just came back downstairs from the laundry folding session. Right before I came back down, I found a paper that my daughter drew when we were rearranging the bedrooms so that she could have her own. I can't believe, I threw it out.

BUT the ones that haven't lost the sticky tape are still onthe wall>>

I get sentimental about everything, even this coat I just found again. Zipper doesn't work, burn holes, moth holes, but it's reversible and wool and it still fits.... HELP ME I"M TURNING INTO MY MOTHER!!!!

Back to laundry...oh, any of our cardboard boxes we have....I bought on of those humongo bags at the dollar store and keep it next to our dryer, that way, it is big enough for boxes that have been broken down, even if we have to fold them a couple times to get them to fit. At least they aren't all over the house....know what I mean

Kaiti

[skylarkragtop]

Boy I'm on a roll!! and without any meds, too!!

I just took all the toys the boy no longer plays with from where they were cluttering up the basement, all the way up to the attic. I'm sweaty. The boy didnt nap very long, so it looks like we'll be spending the rest of the day keeping eachother occupied. Hopefully he wont be very cranky.

My wife will be surprised. I wonder how long it'll take her to notice what I did.

Gotta go, baby's cryin.

SR

[rosyred45]

GOOD DADDY!!!!!! My husband laughed when he got home from work because I have been sorting my clothes. Mind you I have clothes from HS and I graduated in 92.

But the closet looks better, matter of fact, I'm rearranging everything that I can just to get things cleaned up really good. I used to do that all the time, but got into a rut.

Here we GOOOOOO!!!!!!
Looks better than it has for a while.
Break time almost over
Kaiti

[Sorka]

can fly lady's 27 fling boogie apply to this years christmas toys?? hehe I think I am going to get the kids to pick out 27 toys they don't use and give them to goodwill or ebay em'!

But it will have to wait till tommorrow.. I feel icky!
Keep up the good work you guys!

[sierra]

I was folding clean clothes out of the dryer but after reading this I'm all tuckered out.

Thought I'd add that DH has a 6 month rule. He'll move a few things he thinks might be trash out to the garage. If they don't get dragged back in the house within 6 months then they go to the curb on trash amnesty day.

One rule. None of my books get touched. They're not trash unless I say they're trash. And even so I'll donate them to the library or a book drive or something.

Often once the once beloved trash actually winds up on the curb somebody panics and drags it back in the house.

Right now the garage is full of boxes to hold holiday decorations and boxes that presents came in or were shipped in or might be useful to ship something next year. Like we're going to buy local and ship it ourselves. That will happen.

When the holiday stuff gets put away in the shed where we keep the once a year items there will again be footpaths through the garage so we can get to our snow gear and camping gear and pet food and freezer and - well you get the picture. If garages were meant to hold cars they'd be at least twice as large.

[rosyred45]

Thanks, Sorka, I AM MAKING HEAD WAY!!!!!!

I have actually already done the 27-fling boogie with the kids. I give them each a plastic bag and tell them they have to put 27 items in it. To break it down for them we have a 27 fling boogie for:
ripped books
trash
broken toys
unwanted toys
dirty clothes (although they put these by the washer)
and any other kind of BS that I can think will get them to pick up their rooms.

Back to the laundry, yup, still, sheets and blankets day
Kaiti

[skylarkragtop]

I like this thread. It's making me get stuff done. Went downstairs and looked at the bookshelves and other junk thats computer related that really needs to be gone through for "deletion" due to outdatedness. I dont think I need the DOS floppies. Or Windows 3.1. Or Access 2.0. Time to go.
That and the 486 100mhz machine can go to the curb too.

So much to do

[rosyred45]

I didn't see sierra's before I posted last, sorry.

BUT I wish I could say that we had a garage. OK, if you all remember, our house that we rent is up for sale. So Far, we've only had 1 person look at it, but the realtors what to see the DOUBLE SEATER OUTHOUSE that is out back.

Yes Folks a double seater, just in case you and your mate have to go at the same time, you don't have to intterupt the conversation.

Any how...headway is being made!!!!! Decorations boxed up are on the 3rd floor, my winter clothes are out of the boxes and on hangers or in drawers, (and hubby and Mikey's too, Tara hasn't been here), the closet is almost cleaned out in the bathroom. and dinner is done... thank god for the pizza shop down the street.

I still have a couple more loads of laundry, but I'm about tuckered out for the day. Good luck with the rest of everyone's day

Happy Cleaning, oops, I mean New Year
Kaiti