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My home is a mess

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  • My home is a complete mess and I don't even have time-constraints or ill-health as a legitimate reason for not sorting it. Motivation is my problem. I live alone and rarely have anyone visiting so just sit here looking at the mountain of chores that need to be done and think "Oh, crikey, maybe I'll do it later" but I never do.

    I'm up-to-date with the laundry and spend plenty of time cooking and baking and that's it. I need to have a serious word with myself. If my German haufrau mother was still alive she'd have had a coronary if she saw the squalor
  • tigerfeet2006
    tigerfeet2006 Posts: 14,030
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    I'm another 15 min. girl :D as the girls on the Daily thread will attest to. I have hip, back, neck and arm problems and my house is disgusting at the moment.
    BSCno.87
    The only stupid question is an unasked one
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  • rosieben
    rosieben Posts: 5,010
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    edited 10 April 2011 at 10:46AM
    I ditto the advice of doing a little every day. After years of depression and struggling to keep the house tidy and clean I learned that even just 5 minutes a day can make a difference, both to how I feel and to how the house looks.

    'Never underestimate the inevitability of gradualness.'

    baby steps ;)
    ... don't throw the string away. You always need string! :D

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  • Buddingblonde
    Buddingblonde Posts: 837 Forumite
    edited 10 April 2011 at 10:46AM
    I am in a similar position Buddingblonde. I am struggling to get just the daily housework done that the overdue stuff is really overwhelming me

    That is exactly how I feel!! You put it so much better than I could.

    I felt so ashamed about confession to living in a tip that I have opened to large black bags and put them in the hall, one is for the next charity shop bag that comes round and the other is for the bin. The charity shop bag has 5 things in it at the moment - not great but better than what I had this morning.

    OH has been instructed to find 10 items of clothing that he no longer wears that can either go in the bin (if too tatty for charity and not suitable for dusters). As long as he is instructed he works well.

    I have a sink load of dishes soaking at the moment and then the fridge needs sorting - there is a lot of stuff out of date that needs sniffing!!!! to see what is still usable.

    All the windows are open to air the house so I am trying to start with a clear mind.

    I think I will print off the flyladys step ones and see how i get on with them.
  • kit77
    kit77 Posts: 197 Forumite
    Buddingblonde

    I know how you feel sometimes it's so hard to get on with things, I have fibromyalgia, work 26 hours a week and have 2 kids who I'm sure were put on this earth to make as much mess as possible.

    This week I started a diary on here with things for me to do each day. Normally i wrote this on a list in the house but no one saw it and it didn't matter if i never did it but haivng it online I feel i've got to do it. Maybe no one will read my diary but it's a mind thing for me. And so far it's working the house is actually far more organised.

    It has helped the weather being good the last few days and getting the windows open and the washing's outside.

    I would love to try flylady but at the moment I don't think i'm ready, once I have everything up to date though I will join.
    Feb 2012 Grocery Challenge £200/£4.00

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  • 4nnabella
    4nnabella Posts: 1,889 Forumite
    I have read and reread the flyladies - the problem is that I often dont have the energy to do bits every day after work and I feel that the house needs more than a bit doing every day - for maintainance I can totally see the flyladies being the way forward but it would take me ages to get everything done that by the time I got to the start again the house would be in chaos.

    I started following the flylady thread a couple of weeks ago, and my house is such a nicer place to live in now! Neither myself or my husband are naturally tidy people, so rooms can very quickly become cluttered, bedrooms floors disappear under piles of clothes, washing up piles up etc etc. But now I just spend half an hour most days doing one room, and it's so manageable!

    I also thought that it would take a huge amount of effort in getting my house to a 'maintenance' stage, but what I've found is that even if I only do the level one stuff, the next time you come to that room, you can do more. It's kind of like you just chip away at it and yes, it won't be perfect overnight, but it will get there eventually.

    I just had to accept that my house didn't turn into such a mess overnight, so it won't look like a show-house overnight either. It's going to take a bit of time but by breaking it down into little chunks then you can get there :)
    :j Debt Free 27.07.2011!! :j
  • I am not a naturally tidy person - OH is better but not much.
    Shouldnt really spend as much time as I do online but I am trying to bits and pieces between posts.
  • renegade
    renegade Posts: 1,282 Forumite
    I also have problems keeping up with jobs that need doing, live on my own with my 2 dogs. It isn't inside the house that is getting me down I do try and do as much as I can everyday, but it's my garden I can't cope with,It's quite a large garden with lots of shrubs and a few evergreens, but everything needs pruning as they are all merging into one another, I have loads of weeds and the lawn is looking worse for wear with the damned foxes.I used to be so proud of my garden spent £'s on it and hours and hours weeding , pruning and making sure everything was as good as it should be.Now I get thoroughly depressed just looking at it, I have made a start and lopped 2 trees down to stumps but the other problem is ,disposing of the branches, can't afford a skip or to pay someone to help me. I suffer from Arthritis in my hands which does'nt help things.
    What to do? What to do?
    You live..You learn.:)
  • tiff
    tiff Posts: 6,608
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    Its so much easier if you set yourself a task or goal. I struggle with motivation and also spend too much time online. My husband was working away for 2 weeks and came home Friday but I wanted the house to look nice for him so managed to dust the living room on Thursday and hoovered. Cleaned the bathroom and had a quick declutter of the dining room which the kids use as a dumping ground and then got up early on Friday to clean the kitchen floor and hoover the stairs. Keeping it all uptogether is my problem as cleaning is such a thankless task when you have to do it all again tomorrow.
    “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” - Dave Ramsey
  • tiff
    tiff Posts: 6,608
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    renegade wrote: »
    I also have problems keeping up with jobs that need doing, live on my own with my 2 dogs. It isn't inside the house that is getting me down I do try and do as much as I can everyday, but it's my garden I can't cope with,It's quite a large garden with lots of shrubs and a few evergreens, but everything needs pruning as they are all merging into one another, I have loads of weeds and the lawn is looking worse for wear with the damned foxes.I used to be so proud of my garden spent £'s on it and hours and hours weeding , pruning and making sure everything was as good as it should be.Now I get thoroughly depressed just looking at it, I have made a start and lopped 2 trees down to stumps but the other problem is ,disposing of the branches, can't afford a skip or to pay someone to help me. I suffer from Arthritis in my hands which does'nt help things.
    What to do? What to do?

    Now and again we have a bonfire to get rid of garden waste. We usually do it in the evening and not on a hot day when everyone has their windows open.
    “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” - Dave Ramsey
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