Where do I start?

jackie_w

Hello everyone,

I had got myself into a routine with regards to the house, and the shopping making dinners, but a couple of months ago, probably just on the run up to Christmas, things started to go haywire.

Now im totally disorganised and I dont know where to start. The house is a complete and utter tip. The fridge, freezer & cupboards are full of food, but, half the stuff is out of date, and the stuff thats in the freezer, is all just ingredients, it has to be made into food before it is edible. Whenever I go shopping, I dont know what to buy or what Im cooking.

Ihave had a look at the fly lady thread, the Grocery challenge thread (which I always do, but half the time the stuff i buy is rubbish), and the meal planner thread, but, they all overwhelm me.

Its not as if I work, and have that as an excuse, I just doint know what happened IYSWIM. I want to get back into have a nice clean house, and making nice dinners for the family.

Where can I start, can anyone give me any advice?

Jackie xx

Bitsy_Beans

OK start small, it will overwhelm you if you try and do it all at once.
My suggestion is start with your food. If you've got stuff out of date don't assume it's not edible. Stuff doesn't implode on the stroke of midnight so use your eyes and your nose to decide if you can still use it.
Make a list of the food you have got to use and what you can make out of it. then list these dishes on a weekly meal plan and stick to it.
Once you've got the hang of that perhaps then you could look at doing a proper meal plan and then buying what you need for that week at the supermarket.
With regards to the house - again a little bit is better than nothing. I struggle to Flylady but what I have learned is just doing stuff as quickly as possible (rather than dragging my feet) makes a big difference. Can you try sorting out one room at a time. Even just 15 mins spend tidying or decluttering makes a difference.
It's not going to happen overnight so don't beat yourself up. Little and often will help you make the change back.
hope this helps.

xx_Jo_xx

Hi there,

Bitsy Beans is right - one step at a time......but my approach has been different.

I was on top of things then I got hit by another car on my way to work one day and ended up off for weeks, no housework got done, food in the cupboards went off, etc, etc. Because I work full time and am a single parent, it was really hard for me but coming home everyday to a house that was a tip got to me the most, so I joined the Flylady thread.

You dont have to take it all on in one go, I didnt. But basically - you are given a list everyday which is a suggestion (you dont have to follow it exactly - you can change it to suit you and your house) and its up to you how much you do on the list each day...... I started doing just level one then worked my way up.

But you soon start to notice a big difference in your house and start tackling other jobs, like your cupboards and food plans etc.

Make some of your jobs things like -

1. Clear out ONE shelf of one food cupboard.
2. Decide which products are useable and throw away foods which cant be used.
3. Clean the shelf
3. Write a list off all foods which are fine and then put then back on the shelf.

Do one shelf every day - or build up to one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Once you have a complete list, you will know what you have "in stock" to make meals out of and then you can start on your planner!

It sounds a lot if you write it all down in one go what you need to do - so dont think about that yet - just think about ONE SHELF AT A TIME!

have a look at the flylady thread and if you dont want to join straight away, then just look at her lists and you will start to get the idea. Follow level one every day if you can and take it from there - you will quickly discover if you think its for you.

Good luck xx

Purpleclutterbuck

Hi to jackie w and bitsy beans! You sound just like my situation as I keep feeling guilty because the mess just seems to multiply Its a very slow process and I would love a nice clean house as well! At the mo I'm starting in one corner of the room and gradually working my way round

Purpleclutterbuck

Nice approach there too xxJoxx.I'll try and do one shelf/drawer at a time otherwise it just gets so daunting Thanks for showing I'm not the only one have a teensy little struggle (alright mega struggle with clearing the clutter)

Butterfly_Brain

Each journey starts with a small step.
Don't knock yourself out about it - have you looked at the storecupboard challenge thread? It is really useful
Try writing down everything you have and see if there is anything you could make out of it. I have made some weird and sometimes wonderful concoctions this way

mistyw1973

Ooh I agree with all the posts above about little and often...and also the doing things as quick as you can...the tip I love from Flylady is setting the timer for 15 mins...it really does work to get you going extra quick ! You will be amazed at how much you will get done...also gives you the incentive to do a few mins on top to get a job done I find !

What I have also found is that my DS aged 9 will do anything if I say "I bet you can't.......in 15 mins" !! Seriously...we have a great time..I have 15 mins to do something alongside him, and we get heaps done !! I have managed to wangle it so that he does the dusting upstairs while I hoover

So if you have kids...utilise them too !!:rotfl:

Patchwork_Quilt

I would agree with all of the above. I suppose if I had one suggestion, I would actually start with the cooking. Making one meal a day for the family will really be appreciated. I don't suppose anyone else has even noticed if the house is a mess. Investigate the fridge first and just set yourself the task of making one meal out of whatever's going wrinkly in there

Good luck. No-one's perfect