Looking for someone local (JoCo) who does this sort of thing...may even need to be a bit of a therapist! :lol: I have WAY too much stuff in my house and it needs to go. At times, I don't know where to begin and even if I do get started, it never gets finished. Basically, I need someone to push me to make the right decisions about what to do with items. I NEED to do this for me and I WANT to do this for my family!
Is there a woman in your life? They will nag you to death over this sort of thing for free. PS - This does not apply to my beautiful woman, she's not like that.
The PS-backtrackin' aint gonna help... you done let it fall out of your mouth and can't put it back in. But fer what its worth I feel your pain... daily.
I am a woman...hence, the daisies on my avatar. At least, I hope that no man would post daisies! And, I have a husband that *suggests* that I do something with the stuff, the problem is that his suggestion is to throw it all away!
Here is what I do a few times a year. I go through the house and pretend like I am moving. Anything not absolutely necessary either gets chucked, put in the garage sale pile or taken to the Goodwill. When DH was active duty, we moved at least once a year, if not more often. That really keeps down on the "stuff". With that said, even though I just had a garage sale, it's time to do it again. I think it multiplies when I am not looking. :jester:
I don't really think I would say "hoarder" even though my husband probably would. It's nothing like on TV. Mostly it is kids clothes that I say I will put into a kids' sale and things that I say I will use...SOMEDAY! I seem to collect plastic and paper "themed" goods for parties that I will have SOMEDAY, too.
Have you ever seen that show called "Clean Sweep" where they make you take everything out of the house and seperate into trash, yard sale and keep piles? And then they make you go through the "keep" pile again! That's what I want to do!
I have seen it, get your best friend to come help you do that!! Your mom or somebody else like that. Take turns at each other's houses! Usually what happens at my house is I reach a point that I call "critical mass" and it has all got to GO! I have an aunt who is a borderline hoarder and it really causes issues in the family. Anytime I see the "stuff" creeping up, I have to take action. Clutter is one thing..............overwhelming junk is another. Just watching an episode of hoarders makes me get busy cleaning something. :lol::lol::lol: The master bedroom is on the agenda next, I hit the master closet a few weeks ago and got out a ton of clothes. DS's room was gone through couple weeks ago too. Kids are the worst for just having junk.
I used to make my kids do the "keep" and "throw away" piles for toys that they never played with. The ones they wanted to keep we'd store in the old washing machine in the back yard. Anyway, sounds like you have the concept down pat. Just need the extra nudge to proceed I reckon. YOU CAN DO IT!!
I clean out several times a year (outgrown clothes,toys,etc). The DH and kids can tell when i am about to get started...they go ahead and start cleaning and sorting their stuff so I won't claim it all for donations. :mrgreen: I like the idea of doing a room at a time. It cuts the work into smaller, more manageable chunks, and when one room is done, I like the feeling of satisfaction. It peps me up for the next room. I also donate a room at the time. That way, I am not tempted to put something back. It is gone. Every once in a while I wish I had something back, but it passes. If you have a large amount of things you do not want to donate, consider selling it all as a lot on Craig's List. I did this once and sold it all to a group who went to the fairgrounds to resell it. The only stipulation was they had to take it ALL...not pick and choose. You'll get there. Just start in the most manageable room. Good luck!!
My motto is that if I put it aside to sell it and I don't do so in a certain amount of time, then it either gets donated or given away. Real estate is worth more than kids clothes, so do what it takes to reclaim yours. For everything else, I find it helps to first designate how much space you have to sort it and then work from there. So if you have one closet where you have space to put stuff away, then get the bins or notes that you want to use to keep it all organized. Label each bin or tote (birthday supplies, paper goods, etc.). Then do your sorting. You can only keep as much as you have room in the labeled bin, so you'll have to prioritize. And if you buy new stuff, old stuff has to go. If you don't want to toss it, consider donating it to a charity such as a battered women's or homeless shelter, who can always use paper goods or little toys for kids. For other items you think you're going to use in the future, put them in a bin with an expiration date. On that date, donate or give away whatever is left in the bin. You're not going to use it anyway, and if you do need it, you can always buy another one. Set small goals so that you can have lots of successes. If it's too overwhelming to tackle it all at once, get a clothes basket and do it one basket full at a time. And then make it easy to keep it up. For kids clothes, put a bag or bin in the laundry room or each kid's closet. When something doesn't fit anymore, toss it in. You can wash/fold once the bag gets full and you're ready to donate/sell/give away. If you're giving the stuff away, make the taker do the work. They're going to wash and refold the stuff as soon as they get it home anyway. That's what works for me. I hate clutter and would rather go out later and buy something I've given away or donated than have to see it sitting around taking up space in my home. Nothing is better than coming home to a nice clean house and being happy when someone stops by unexpected instead of stressed out by a mess.
Ya'll have come up with some really good ideas AND have been very encouraging. Now...who wants to volunteer? :lol: Thanks, everyone!
When my kids were younger and it was time to get some stuff out of the playroom, I would not clean anything up for 2-3 weeks--then anything out or on the floor was a keeper because I knew they had played with it--if it was still on the shelf it was taken out of the room. It was hard at first bacause some of the ones on the shelf were the ones I thought were "good toys", but then I realized I am not the ones playing with them so if I wanted order I needed to get rid of the ones they did not use.
Everything has to have a place. No place, it goes away. Ask yourself when you are cleaning, have I used this in the past 6 months? Can I replace it for less than $10? Hubby has a yard sale once or twice a year. Leftovers go to Goodwill, never back in the house. If something comes in the house, something has to leave. Kids were always told the same thing.
Your post made me laugh--I know it is not want you meant, but it sounds like if you had another child you would get rid of the old one!
They were told that, lol ;-) Didn't your momma tell you she could take you out and make another that looks just like you?
