2023 Declutter & Organize Your Life

[debthaven]

I wish these were outdoor concerts! Thanks Iggy aka IG . I'm glad you can both enjoy them together.

I'm working tomorrow instead of Thursday, but on Zoom. 

[TheOtherMe]

I can't believe I slept past 10 AM this morning and the cats stayed right with me.  

I think the exhaustion is the last remnant of Covid.

[snapdragon]

Oct 9, 2023 12:17:12 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Spent a few hours with one of my BFF's yesterday at the waterfront by her place.

Does this friend live near where you're moving snapdragon ?

No, she lives in the more northern part of my state, a hour or so from me. But WA has lots of coastline.

[snapdragon]

I enjoyed the concert performers that I have gone to, just not all the EXTRA that goes into getting there - parking, traffic, having to walk several blocks to the venue. Or the hassle of even hitting the restrooms and trying to fight back to my seat with the crowds. Plus, there is a clear bag enforcement for every stadium, field etc. I am not enthused with having all my essentials just out there for people to goggle at.

That's part of the whole reason I am so happy to have TS Movie Concert Tix for this Friday. Go to the movie theater, park regularly, no thousands of people to deal with and a cushy seat for most of the time.

[debthaven]

That's so nice that she's relatively close by snapdragon ! 

You clearly needed the sleep TheOtherMe. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Oct 9, 2023 15:33:01 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Iggy aka IG DH and I had a big fight this weekend, so frankly, it wasn't very pleasant.

DH is a HUGE concert fan. He asked about 6 months ago if I wanted to go to a concert last night. I said yes, because at the time, I thought I had to leave at 11 this morning. 

As it got closer, I realized I had to get up at 7.30, work from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm, and that the concert was standing room only! No seats!!!

So I said no ... thankfully, DH found a friend to go instead. 

I am too old to want to stand up for 3-4h at a concert, or to go on a "work night" if I have to get up early the next day.  

Plus, I absolutely HATE HATE HATE crowds and crowded places. I try to make an effort sometimes, for DH. But I absolutely LOATHE having to decide whether I will go to a concert 4-6 months in advance. Even if I say thanks but no thanks, DH will purchase a ticket for me anyway ... and then I feel obligated/guilty if when I don't want to go.

I know you guys go to concerts ... how do you work it out, if you don't mind me asking?

I like concerts, and so does DH. However, we don't necessarily like the same concerts. We tend to only attend ones together that the other can tolerate. For example, I took DD#2 to Ed Sheeran, but DH went golfing instead of going with us. This summer though, we saw Matchbox Twenty together. Even though it's not music that is on DH's list of favorites, he's heard it often enough because of me and tolerates it. He did actually enjoy the concert though. 

However, there's no way that either of us would go to an SRO concert--or probably anything SRO! We have long long ago, but certainly not in the last ten-ish years. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Oct 9, 2023 17:28:44 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

debthaven I am so sorry you two fought!  I am glad he found a friend to go with him.

Yes, we love concerts!  Our favorite is a specific smaller venue, though we have attended HUGE concerts in SLC (indoors 20K capacity-I was in awe when we walked in and took it all in!) and Denver (18K outdoors so it didn't seem so bad).  Thankfully, most of the ones we go to have seating.  If I remember correctly, we arrived after the opening band had already started at the one that didn't (3,900) so there was less standing required.  Although, if begin the evening sitting, I end up standing up and going up front when the mood strikes.  And yes, I am usually stiff the next day, LOL.  I will say recently I saw a show at a new to me venue with the option of either standing up front or bring a low-profile chair and sit in the grassy area.  I would've rather stood up front, but my friend treated me, so on the grass it was.  Not my jam.

Regarding crowds, I don't care for them either, so I have several drinks to take the edge off.  And then I hydrate with water and keep a cup of ice with me.  Plus, DH is NFL size, so I feel safe.  

Regarding how far in advance, I already bought tickets for February 2024, and DH bought some for next month.  

Last week, I purchased theatre tickets for March 3. It was the first day of open purchasing, and I wanted good seats!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Hi everyone!
We've had so many people out sick at work in the last few days, that I'm really far behind still. It's taking a lot of time to manage the madness!
It's 6:15pm for me right now, and I had a meeting that got done early at work. I was able to get home at 4:15 today. I've worked out and had dinner. I'm going to plod through four work tasks for the next few hours. 

My house is a bit messy, and I'm frustrated that I cannot seem to catch up with everything. 

[Sharon]

Mom and I had a good trip and I took the opportunity to once again pitch the idea of going through things and getting rid of stuff.  Mom also inadvertently opened the door for me to tell her why it was a good idea if she wanted certain items to go to certain people now was a good time to do that.

My house is a disaster and is only going to get worse.  Starting tomorrow I will have all 4 grandkids and their two dogs until Friday afternoon.  Thankfully the two bigs will be in school Wednesday and Thursday, there school only goes 4 days a week.  Friday I have planned to bake Halloween sugar cookies and frost them.  That should keep us busy with a fun activity and hopefully not too much time to miss Mom and Dad.

Today I had a truck load of gravel delivered so that will keep me busy for a while.  Actually I only needed about half that amount so I donated that to the neighbors for the easement road that runs along side my house.  The neighbors do let us use that road for access to the pastures.  I had the truck driver spread half the load on that road so I really only have half a truck full of gravel to deal with but that is still a lot.

[finnime]

Good morning, all. I'm glad to read about everyone's progress here.

I'm undertaking alternating days of work focus. Monday and Wednesday are photography; T, Th and now F are writing and editing with some housework as it fits in there. The weekends are for whatever needs most attention. We'll see how this goes.

[Iggy aka IG]

I took a planned day off yesterday and one of the things I accomplished was an at home spa day including a facial and pedicure.  I highly recommend it if you haven't lately!  I feel great and my toenails look cute.

[debthaven]

Wow Sharon all four grandkids! 

Iggy aka IG it's become a struggle now to do my toenails lol.

Work week over (it's usually on Thursday)! Two weeks left in this "chunk", and next week is an easy week.

This weekend
- buy DH a bag/Wed
- pick up package
- buy snacks for Book Club
- Shitepile
- dentist/Fri

[TheOtherMe]

Since before I moved here, I would not consider a standing concert.  They are total nightmares.  

The last one was a disaster for many of my friends as well as me.  

I guess in my older age, I don't tolerate running for a spot and everything that goes with it.  

I don't care if it's indoors or outdoors.  I'm not doing it.

[TheOtherMe]

Cleaning ladies are coming on Friday, so I've begun the pre-cleaning.  I'm afraid some things are going out of site.

[azucena]

Never heard of a standing concert but guess I haven't been to many/any outdoors.

I have no problem getting tickets months in advance. I just hate that everything starts at 8. I'm asleep by 930 most nights so can only do Thurs (struggle thru one workday) or weekends. I'm old and never was a night owl. I have to caffeinate with dinner to survive evening events and then struggle to sleep post-caffeination and concert high.

Neighborhood lady posted about taking painting jobs. Egress windows were done in July with new drywall around them. Realized I'm never going to find time to paint even though it's not a chore that I hate.  IM'd lady. $20/hour - HIRED!

[Iggy aka IG]

So my ongoing space clearing project:  My home office is a mess, and L was coming this morning, so I closed its door before I left for my in-town office.  She texted me asking if the Goodwill box items were up for grabs, referencing one specific item (I didn't tell her to not go inside the room).  I told her to go for it, as well as the stick horse.  I'd been carting around the latter for decades and it will be a nice addition to her church's daycare.  

[debthaven]

That sounds like money very well spent azucena ! 

[startsmart]

TheOtherMe - I have the same lingering exhaustion some days too. I can’t tell if it’s COVID, the change in weather or working out too hard so I just rest.

Current project is teaching George the cat he cannot eat the fringe of my Fall throw blankets and preparing for a very boring birthday on Saturday.

[debthaven]

I hope your birthday is less boring than you think it will be startsmart .  How is your mom doing?

We went to the mall to get DH a roller carry-on bag to match the bigger bag he bought before summer. He didn't care about them matching, but I did LOL.

Laundry caught up.

You may remember I promised DD to get her a small gift for her apartment every month until the end of the year. 

For November I got her a coconut shell glazed in turquoise (13 euros). For December I just ordered her a set of 3 bamboo cutting boards on sale with Prime (17 euros).

This "game" didn't break the bank, and it was fun for both of us. It cost me/us 61 euros for 5 months of small gifts. 

[TheOtherMe]

Oct 11, 2023 10:50:15 GMT -5 azucena said:

Never heard of a standing concert but guess I haven't been to many/any outdoors.

My worst general admission standing concerts were indoors.

[TheOtherMe]

I still have exhaustion.  Today has been another one making it difficult to get ready for the cleaners when I would rather be sleeping.

[debthaven]

TheOtherMe maybe you should see a doctor? Maybe you need vitamins/supplements? 

I'm 63, and my 77YO sister can run rings around me. I'm fairly low energy, but you worry me.

azucena concerts here are either assigned seats, or no seats, ie standing/dancing in the mosh pit. There are no outdoor concerts here. There ARE outdoor music festivals. To attend those, you'd have to buy a ticket for the festival, rather than for a specific concert. Thank Gd DH has never wanted to go to a music festival LOL.

This weekend
- buy DH's bag/Wed
- Shitepile/Wed
- pick up package
- buy snacks for Book Club
- dentist/Fri

[Iggy aka IG]

Happy early birthday, startsmart!  

[debthaven]

This weekend
- buy DH's bag/Wed
- Shitepile/Wed
- pick up package/Thurs
- buy snacks for Book Club/Thurs
- bank/Thurs
- dentist/Fri

DH messed up my online banking by adding HIS phone number to MY online access. Two visits to the bank later, today for over an hour, it's finally straightened out. I haven't been able to use my account for 2 weeks (or pay for parking). 

I've also been having trying to get my health insurance sorted. That only took three phone calls.  I have to sign online ... but since my policy is cancelled after every semester, I couldn't get online to sign the new contract! That was even more stressful! I HOPE it's sorted. 

So it's been a very stressful but hopefully productive day.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Sept 25, 2023 15:43:01 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Welp - I am back to looking to cancel cleaning, this time primarily for budgetary reasons. Of course if the cleaning was truly stellar I would try harder to make it work. Despite worries about making all October bills with the student loan payments coming online, still waffling and worried about losing that weekly, mandatory reset to the household.

Based on my take home pay from day job, and some rudimentary inspection of current bills, I cannot have weekly cleaning, pay my student loans, and max my 401k this year. So it is a question of priorities right now, and I determined that cleaning would have to go. My plan was to follow this outline:

www.cnn.com/wbd/the-ultimate-cleaning-schedule-how-and-when-to-clean-everything-in-your-house/index.html

and see how that goes for me.

However - After a grueling work week in which I pulled an all nighter to update a seriously flawed presentation and throw myself on the mercy of conference organizers to please change the ppt before our talk the morning of, gave presentation at 10 am having no sleep whatsoever, then on this weekend, another sleepless night taking cat to ER vet after cleaning up out-of-the-box diarrhea for 1-2 hours daily for nearly a week (took a nap at 8am Sunday morning when we got home.  does not seem serious (kidneys, etc. ok) but needed fluids for dehydration and got some meds to help, if not working in another day-2 will need to do imagining to check for any blockages.....hoping he gets better on the meds....) And then had to do an RI project Sunday night, dropboxed the deliverables at 9:30 p.m. and back to work today - I am really just questioning my ability to engage with housework very much at all!

So I'm not going to cancel the cleaning with her visit tomorrow,  I am going to try the cleaning schedule linked all week this week and see where I am after some <hopefully> more sleep during the week.

Uncharacteristically, I billed the RI project straight away today. I usually give the client about 2 days to look over the deliverables and make sure they are happy with it. They will just have to process the bill while doing so this time! i give 30 days for payment, but since we went to ACH payments, they pay on the exact date. Would sometimes get the check 1-2 weeks before the due date, but I love the security of the ACH with my mail being so unpredictable, so really needed to get the clock ticking....

140/week for just ok cleaning is a lot to me right now, more so than it was a year ago. But too strung out right now to effectively make a change. Maybe next week I will see things more clearly......

And hopefully - get a real weekend!

back to looking at the linked schedule. Seems to me it doesn't really cover everything like I'd like it to, so maybe I will copy/paste into word and do some editing....also, trying to combine the daily with my sleep hygiene schedule.......

Also going to incorporate robotics.......Once I get into a good routine, will eliminate the cleaning person. She is just too careless about the details. Everything is wiped down but nothing is really clean - she goes through the whole house for a once-over, but I'd have to check and detail everything.....floors, sinks, etc. to be ready for company. I guess the universe is telling me I need to do this on my own!

But I am going to wait a few weeks until I get better with the routine, resolve some clutter hot spots and then try to keep on track.

[startsmart]

debthaven - mom is doing well, she had a check up recently and there's no sign of cancer recurrence. She and Dad are traveling a lot right now and just celebrated 49 yrs of marriage. 

Thanks Iggy! 

[debthaven]

Such wonderful news startsmart !!!

[debthaven]

Today the dentist did an estimate for my bridge, which I sent to the insurance company. I hope they pay a decent part of it. (He said they do when it's your front teeth.) 

He's going away for a few weeks. He'll order the definitive bridge when he gets back. I should have it before Christmas.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Oct 12, 2023 10:39:46 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Sept 25, 2023 15:43:01 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Welp - I am back to looking to cancel cleaning, this time primarily for budgetary reasons. Of course if the cleaning was truly stellar I would try harder to make it work. Despite worries about making all October bills with the student loan payments coming online, still waffling and worried about losing that weekly, mandatory reset to the household.

Based on my take home pay from day job, and some rudimentary inspection of current bills, I cannot have weekly cleaning, pay my student loans, and max my 401k this year. So it is a question of priorities right now, and I determined that cleaning would have to go. My plan was to follow this outline:

www.cnn.com/wbd/the-ultimate-cleaning-schedule-how-and-when-to-clean-everything-in-your-house/index.html

and see how that goes for me.



140/week for just ok cleaning is a lot to me right now, more so than it was a year ago. But too strung out right now to effectively make a change. Maybe next week I will see things more clearly......

And hopefully - get a real weekend!

back to looking at the linked schedule. Seems to me it doesn't really cover everything like I'd like it to, so maybe I will copy/paste into word and do some editing....also, trying to combine the daily with my sleep hygiene schedule.......

Also going to incorporate robotics.......Once I get into a good routine, will eliminate the cleaning person. She is just too careless about the details. Everything is wiped down but nothing is really clean - she goes through the whole house for a once-over, but I'd have to check and detail everything.....floors, sinks, etc. to be ready for company. I guess the universe is telling me I need to do this on my own!

But I am going to wait a few weeks until I get better with the routine, resolve some clutter hot spots and then try to keep on track.

I had well-established cleaning routines, but I let them go when we moved into a new house and I finishing up a degree this last year. It's time for me to set up a schedule for this house now that I don't have school work to do in addition to my job. Some of the things on that list I do more often than they're suggesting. For example, we've only lived in this house for 16 months, and I'm on round two of washing walls. Ideally, I wash walls at least every other month and preferably once per month. 

I also have my deep cleaning lists in an Excel Workbook--one sheet per room. There are so many little things in each room to remember!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

DH and I are at home this weekend, and we agree that it is housework and seasonal chores weekend. 
There is much to be done! I'll be back this evening with the weekend list. 
Happy Friday!