2022 Declutter & Organize Your Life

[TheOtherMe]

Tiling of the shower is done.  Finished.  It looks beautiful.

Contractor has not returned my call about when he will be here to finish with the haedware.

[Sharon]

Today I walked around the shop with a 5 gallon bucket and just threw in it various random stuff that had been left behind by previous owners.  It just took a few minutes of my lunch time and I got rid of some stuff I didn't even know what it was.

[finnime]

That gives me inspiration, Sharon. I need to do exactly that down in my basement.

[Iggy aka IG]

Oct 13, 2022 12:34:15 GMT -5 anciana said:

I have found few nuggets of wisdom in this article. Made me maybe a little more optimistic about some of the overwhelming tasks.

How to Tackle Chores When You’re Feeling Super Overwhelmed and Unmotivated

anciana, thanks again for posting this.  I'm finally getting around to reading it and am finding it helpful.

[azucena]

The tip about putting a trash can, laundry basket, and catchall bin in each room is sort of what I do. Lots of trash cans. And a bin for DD10, DD14, and DH in our bar area which is central to our living space. Then as I do a quick tidy during work breaks, I just stash their strewn about things in the bins including their dirty laundry. One of the first items on their sat chore list is to empty their bins. I tend to be very tidy personally so I don't seem to need a bin.

[TheOtherMe]

finnime posted photos of the finished tile shower in What Are You Doing.  

Contractor still needs to come back and install all of the hardware and the shower door, so not useable yet.

[Iggy aka IG]

The bins are a brilliant idea, especially for a large family.  I also am tidy but growing up a certain family member could've used one.    Under #2 I appreciated the fact it notes just 5 types of clutter.  #3.  In the past, I have been guilty of buying too many cleaning products.  Now that L helps, she requires just 3 primary products which I love.  And lastly, I'm glad I'm not the only one who needs a soft start, LOL.  I ease into weekend tasks by waiting until the coffee kicks in and eventually moseying to the laundry room. 

[dannylion]

So much good progress to read about!  I hope all who have had challenges with illness and life events are healing well.  I've had a lot of pain and mobility problems for the past year and have not been keeping up with this thread as I was frustrated that I had no progress to share.  In fact, things had gotten much worse in some ways.  Two weeks ago, I started paying my friend to help with the decluttering and downsizing and organizing I am not going to be able to do.  She needed money, which I offered to give her, but as I was looking into finding someone to help me with the decluttering project, she offered to be the one to do it and said she would rather I paid her to do that than just give her money.  So, good things are happening.  She's really good at organizing and sorting and very kind, so there's no judgment or ridicule, just help.  I am very grateful to have such a good friend.  

[finnime]

That's great, dannylion. I would not have made it through all the sorting and disposing if it were not for my cleaning person last spring. She just dove in and did it with some decisions on my part. There was SO MUCH to do.

[TheOtherMe]

I know I will be hiring the organizer again in the spring.

[anciana]

Glad you found it helpful, Iggy aka IG , I am always on the lookout for anything that will help me get motivated and make the whole process easier. I have explored and tried different systems and found that at different times in my life, I have found some more useful than others... and then things change again, lol.

I liked the categories as well, just look for trash and pick it up as you go, then things that have a home so they can be put away, and lastly things without a home that you can just gather and, if needed, deal with another time.

[wvugurl26]

I have trained myself to start with the easy stuff when I'm overwhelmed. Some weeks that's all that happens. Those things that don't require me to think and make decisions: dishes, recycling to the bins in the basement, any trash to the trash can, stuff that has a home to it's spot and laundry.

I don't like dishes at all. We have a dishwasher but also plenty of stuff that doesn't go in it. Pots, pans, knives, baking sheets and pans, and insulated water bottles are the top ones.

I am slowly getting it through DH's head that letting dishes pile up is bad for us. We have very little counter space and when I have to do dishes first before cooking I get cranky. 9 times out of 10 it's because he said he'd do them and he didn't before I needed to cook dinner.

Monday afternoon he took a work break and unprompted did all the dishes that were stacked up. It has been a long process. I'm nowhere near perfect but if it's something I can do in 5-10 minutes then I do it. My big problem is the things we do use and like that don't have a good home because this house is just laid out so poorly.

We have decluttered tons of stuff. We are mindful about new purchases and where they will fit. This house was in no way organized when DH was a bachelor but he didn't own anything haha. I keep plugging along.

[TheOtherMe]

Just talked to contractor.  Everything will be installed tomorrow except for the shower door.  Installer has to come and get exact measurements and then order so that may be a week or two.  I said finish everything else so I can put the shower curtain back up and shower upstairs.  

So another noisy day tomorrow but getting oh so close to being done.

[Empire the P.A.]

Nov 1, 2022 16:04:47 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Oct 13, 2022 12:34:15 GMT -5 anciana said:

I have found few nuggets of wisdom in this article. Made me maybe a little more optimistic about some of the overwhelming tasks.

How to Tackle Chores When You’re Feeling Super Overwhelmed and Unmotivated

anciana , thanks again for posting this.  I'm finally getting around to reading it and am finding it helpful.

Ha! Just read it too and tried by starting easy. Now I have the laundry going with bath rugs and couch cover; emptied out my drawers to organize and declutter; cleaned the bathroom sink; started vacuuming with a hand vac; spot cleaned the floors with a wet swiffer sheet; broke down boxes for recycle. What the he** is wrong with me! I was going to start easy but got carried away. 

I did find a pair of jogger pants that I have been looking for the longest time. For some reason I had it stashed in the linen drawer where I would never had looked. 

[anciana]

Nov 2, 2022 11:50:09 GMT -5 Empire the P.A. said:

Nov 1, 2022 16:04:47 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

anciana , thanks again for posting this.  I'm finally getting around to reading it and am finding it helpful.

Ha! Just read it too and tried by starting easy. Now I have the laundry going with bath rugs and couch cover; emptied out my drawers to organize and declutter; cleaned the bathroom sink; started vacuuming with a hand vac; spot cleaned the floors with a wet swiffer sheet; broke down boxes for recycle. What the he** is wrong with me! I was going to start easy but got carried away. 

I did find a pair of jogger pants that I have been looking for the longest time. For some reason I had it stashed in the linen drawer where I would never had looked. 

Whoops, sorry about that. But glad you found your pants!

[moneysquirrel]

I have been missing in action for a while.  Finally taking a few minutes to comment.  Thansk for the article anciana.  I have been doing most of these for a while. Almost all rooms have trash cans and the bedroom and garage have containers for charity donations.  Have been assigning homes for most items.  I have one area that is still a hot mess but it is a controlled hot mess.  Now it only takes a few minutes to pick up the clutter.  Before I purchase any item -- is it a need and where will it live?  

I get a lot of things done while I listen to audiobooks.  

Have a few items to give to a friend who will upcycle them.  Also used up some yarn in crocheting baby hats that will be donated. Got a dish made for trinkets out of polymer clay.  Still have some of that left that I need to use up asap. I am continuing to work through my craft supplies with the aim to use up as much as possible from my stash.  Just finished a bracelet that will be a gift as well as a necklace set that I will be placing on sale at the craft shows.  Will be starting a new project later today -- I have made this one several times and have sold all of those so it is time for me to get another one done and added to the inventory.  Still have five craft shows left this season so the possibility is there.

Today I managed to get to the grocery and the pharmacy as well as the post office, the bank and then filled up the car.  Also have dinner started and picked up all Halloween decor.  Will wait a bit before putting up Thanksgiving item. On the whole a productive day.
TheOtherMe -- Your new shower is fantastic.

[Iggy aka IG]

dannylion glad your friend is helping.  It must feel so good.

wvugurl26 I also handwash some of the items you list above.  Our list also includes shot glasses, large BBQ utensils, etc.  I've always been bad at not doing dishes daily and admire those who do.  It's funny:  I didn't run the dishwasher the entire time when DH was gone as I hand-washed the same items.

Empire the P.A. I'm the same way sometimes on the weekends or when getting ready to entertain.  I start small and then an hour later come up for air, cranky and declaring a break.  Glad you found your pants, LOL.

moneysquirrel that's the best-using up supplies on hand.  And nice list in your last paragraph.

Similar to moneysquirrel I addressed my errands list today.  Another storm is approaching so I finally went to the grocery store for fresh produce, the post office, fuel, bought some gift cards for the office, and dropped off my ballot.  I am pleased to have bought fuel at .25 less a gallon in town.

Last night DH was rather late, so I was productive with emptying the dishwasher and refilling it most of the way, piling up Halloween decorations and started putting them downstairs for storage, pulled two proteins out of the deep freeze for the week, putting away the party alcohol, handwashing several loads of dishes, watered plants, and spot treating a few tile floor areas where trick o' treaters dropped food.  I also planned suppers for the next week and today's grocery list.  This morning I filled the dishwasher the rest of the way and started it before leaving for the office.

[debthaven]

Hi all!

Dannylion I’m sorry about the mobility issues but very glad you have a good friend to help.

The shower looks fantastic Theo! You’re so close now!

We go home tomorrow. We’ve had a fantastic time with family… 19 of us for DH’s aunt’s 90th! It was a wonderful break.

I even managed to mark the 20 papers I got last Friday, so I’m caught up. 😊

[seriousthistime]

TheOtherMe, I also had to wait a week or two after the shower was done before the shower doors could be installed.  The contractor cautioned me to be sure the tension shower curtain rod I was using in the meantime was tight enough not to come crashing down and crack or chip a tile.  I was super cautious about that, and about not hanging a shower curtain and rings that were heavy, or that I pulled it back too vigorously.  After all that money, I did not want to damage anything, and I'm sure you don't either. 

I agree, your shower looks fantastic!

[TheOtherMe]

Thank you for the advice.  I do not want to do any of those things.  I just want to use the shower.  

[Sharon]

We will have our first hard freeze tonight and next week it is supposed to get considerably colder during the day and freeze every night.  I got a bunch of bushes trimmed back in the front today.  A lot of them were in the flower bed in front of the front room window.  I got my view back for the winter. 

[finnime]

We are having a new refrigerator delivered today. The old one, here when we bought this house, is cranky and freezes in spots and keeps things too warm in others. It also has no bins. It took a while to find one that fit into the space, which is shorter than most refrigerators and also more narrow than they typically are these days. I really wanted one that has French doors and a bottom freezer, and that's what we're getting.

[Empire the P.A.]

-Cleaned out the inside of my car finally. It wasn’t awful but the cup holders needed cleaning and I threw out all the little bits of trash that hide in the side pockets. 
-Another load of endless laundry in the washer. 
-Need to finish cleaning the other half of bathroom.

[azucena]

Cleaning cupholders is the worst.

[Iggy aka IG]

Re: cupholders, yesterday I came across something similar to this:

For mildly dirty cup holders, follow these steps:



-Place an old sock on the bottom of a tumbler or other large cup.

-Spray the sock with glass cleaner or all-purpose cleaner.

-Twist the tumbler around the cup holder to scrub out minor spots and stains.

-Finish off by vacuuming the cup holder with a shop vac, one of the most important interior car cleaning supplies.

finnime that is the type of fridge that came with our house (French doors, bottom freezer) and I love it.  

[azucena]

Iggy - I love that tip.  Adding it to my to do list for tomorrow so I don't forget.  My cupholders be nasty!  Kids are gross.

[finnime]

Yes, thanks Iggy aka IG. Now I need to clean out our car. And have it detailed -- it has been years.

[Iggy aka IG]

azucena LOL.  Yes, yes they are, and I don't even have any of my own.   

Glad you both found the tip useful.  The original article depicted a new rolled-up cloth of some sort.  The way I see it, if one is going to clean up yuck, why not use an old rag?  

[seriousthistime]

Add me to the list of people needing to clean out the car. I still have Texas mud in spots from when we drove through that state in August, and it was rainy and muddy. 

[Iggy aka IG]

The original article just happened to reappear in my feed:

9 Super Quick Cleaning Tasks