My home is a mess

I've had a similar situation, where I was just too busy to even think about tidying the house and the task became a significant amount of work.

I started buying one instant food thing like a pizza from the local shop a week, which in effect was a cheap way to buy some free time and spent that doing something to clean the house. Best place for me to start was with important manageable tasks, like cleaning out the fridge. You can do that in half an hour and it makes a real difference. I also went through the bathroom with a box and put away everything but one of each type of product - that way things started getting used up and we could empty and throw out the old packets quicker. It helps I think to collect together related items, for example when all the random soldering/electrical items that have been lose around the house were put together I realised I needed a box for them. It's about reducing clutter by looking in to a space and seeing what has gone wrong. You can work on it one room, or even just cupboard or corner at a time. When the clutter is gone the cleaning itself is generally easy.

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?[/QUOT


you could see if anyone has a wood burner for your branches, or our Envirocall does 4 free calls a year to collect garden waste etc, you could ring your local council to see if they will come and take them away.

I'm retired with intermittent back and other joint problems. I'm naturally lazy and untidy - any flat surface needs to be filled .... And I'm broke well, nearly - state pension. I needed some inspiration to get my house looking better, and some more money (rentaroom, tax-free) to stop dwindling into nothing. I was sitting on my sofa, on the laptop FAR too much.

I had a bit of luck last year and had a refund from Scottish Power (idiots, but in my favour) and it was enough to have the bathroom redone.

So, on a shoestring, and with a shiny bathroom, I started a teeny tiny one bedroom B&B, suddenly finding a use for some of my old stuff I'd been squirrelling for years. I patched up scrapes on the walls with the leftover paint (amazingly it still matched) and forked out for a good new mattress - the one with the hippo and duckling on - and a flat screen telly. I googled for free websites and got the Getting British Business Online one - basic, but will do text and pictures, and it wasn't too difficult, asking suitable friends on occasion. Also free business cards - googled them, as well. Low cost/free start up a necessity. I went to the tourist board in my nearby town and was told to get on their books I had to be inspected (£500!!!!! Joking!) so that went out of the window very quickly.

It's meant I have had to SCOUR the house (in lots of SHORT specific sessions), which has improved my mobility NO END! Bonus. Once done, it's not too bad to keep that way. And I had enough guests last year to pay off credit card debts and to get the house wired for digital telly. Amazing! I tell everyone locally about my bijou B&B, including the local pubs. When they've 'sold' all their accommodation, they pass people on to me. The website and two (free, natch) directories bring me up when people search, and locally I have two NHS training places which sometimes need accommodation - I didn't know about them when I started.

This year's guests will be paying for badly-needed redecorating - I really CAN'T face doing it any more ugh - and 17 year old stair recarpeting. I don't have to go out to work - no-one would employ me these days. I love having visitors, who actually don't see the flaws - hm, at least I tell myself they don't ... And I have a clean and tidy house and a bit of extra income.

It's an odd way of getting my house looking, if not much tidier, at least much more organised and cleaner, and suits me. Every so often, I have a special blitz in some of the darker corners. Little and often. Essentially, I 'pay' myself for keeping the house clean! But I did need to give myself the impetus to get off the sofa.

I'm in the same position as you, OP. It can all get very depressing and overwhelming, can't it?

What I try to do is tell myself "There's always time for a two-minute job" so even when my energy is at it's lowest, as long as I am actually awake I try to do the tiniest part of a job. So I wouldn't attempt to "clean the kitchen" but I would e.g. empty the bread bin and give that a clean. Sometimes that all I would do, that one small thing, but sometimes I might do another small thing (clear the draining board?) or even two or three. The thing is, not to beat yourself up, but to be pleased that you have done at least that one small two-minute job.

I do try and keep the hall and living room clutter free, so I'm not too ashamed when friends call in, but the rest of the house is :eek::eek: and although I love the sunshine, it doesn't half show up the dust..........:o

Poor health has brought my house and garden to a state where I needed help desparately. OH couldn't look after me and do everything else so I've got a cleaner in two hours a week and she's been very good at helping me de-clutter the endless drawers overflowing with ''stuff'' (if theres any space I feel the need to fill it up !) and now tells me off if she sees a nice clear space cluttered again..............lol
I've given up apologising for dust/cobwebs/spiders etc............if folk come to the house they come to see me.......and I must admit having to use a walking frame instantly gives me an excuse for the state of the place without having to explain anything (hope that doesn't sound too awful)
Garden needs total re-vamp of the endless pots that I could easily fall over so we've got a chap doing that for us so at least its tidy and safe.
Luckily my mum left me some money so that helps towards the cost otherwise I don't know what I'd do.

Good luck to all...........its not easy when suddenly you have to rely on someone else to do things for you.:)