From Trash to Cash: Dribbling a river

JoeyGrey

Hi everyone, another MIA returnee here. I’ve been about 3 or 4 days behind you for the last week and hate posting without catching up first. I’ve finally decided that I’ll never post again if I wait till I’ve caught up, so here we go and apologies for the huge post

Paula – absolutely loved the bride sulkie. I actually gasped when I saw it on Facebook the other day. I already thought they were great, but I think you seem to have gone up a level with this one, it looks so detailed.

Jo – great idea for the giant jump. I’m kicking myself for my new decluttering obsession as I’ve thrown all my old mags away, but I’m off up to my mum’s tomorrow and I’m sure she’ll have a pile I can snaffle.

I read some more of the blog you linked to, and she has some really great ideas. I loved the one where instead of making resolutions that can be quite overpowering and easy to lose sight of, you just pick a word. I feel as though for the last 12 months my word has been “courage”. I’ve done so many things that I would have run away from before and they have brought about so many other opportunities like my salsa dancing, this thread, planting the seeds of my business, FLY lady-ing, ebaying, running. It has overlapped into my work, social and home life. I have decided that “courage” has done its job and now I’m going to move on to “self-love” (sort of one word!!).

My FLY ladying has motivated me to take baby steps, and it is really starting to show in my home now, but I want to take it further. I got an email the other day from her saying that as you walk into a room you don’t like, take a look at the items you see and see where the guilt is. I have a spare room that is used for keeping things that don’t have a space, and the first thing I see when I walk in is my old French books. Then I see my huge dolls house. Then I see the Spanish books. Then I see my cat Georgie squashed up on his little cushion that he grew out of a year ago. Then I notice the torn wallpaper. Guilt that I stopped doing French. Guilt that I asked for the dolls house as I’d always wanted one that I could properly decorate, and I’ve had it 5 years now and haven’t touched it. Guilt that I did Spanish for a year last year, and now have almost forgotten it all. Guilt that I have left that room till last to decorate and am only just starting to do something about it. Guilt that I fully intend turning the room into a proper cat room for my babies, but instead they have nowhere to really relax due to lots of foster kittens in the rest of the house.

I think I need to slow down and look at what I really want to do in my life, and start taking small steps towards achieving those goals. Once I take those steps (15 minutes at a time!) I can start to love myself and my house instead of constantly feeling guilty. And the French books are going to Freecycle. So there we go – “self-love”.

JoeyGrey

Hi Munchki :j

ugucci

it is so interesting.

jo70mo

Joey your post is fantastic. I don't think I've seen that flylady email yet.
only started a week ago but can totally relate to that in every room of this house. lol.
Courage certainly does seem to have been your word and now you're ready for a new one.
I think realising how we are going to have to pay off our debts using snowballing and only seeing small results at first has lead me for the first time to feel calm about things taking a long time. you know I have wanted rid of those debts NOW and a tidy house NOW and I think that that has paralysed me cos it seemed impossible and overwhelming.
but now I seem to feel calm about taking babysteps and find it oddly reassuring. like seeing my shiny sink evrymorning is like a vote of confidence in me if that makes sense and that little oasis is slowly spreading out in the kitchen. But if I don't get all the washing up done I don't beat myself up aout it. I just stack it up and still make sure the sink is shiny and empty along with the draining board. then I tell myself I have completed all my baby steps for the day and that is all that is required of me. I am too tired to do the dishes now. amazingly the guilt goes and when I get up the next day I always find renewed energy to do those left over pots cos the sink is clear and ready to go.
I am managing to keep my work tops clear and wiped down too so making it easier to keep to my menu planning as don't have loads of clutter needing to be worked around.
It feels like the realisation I had about the debts and how it was a longterm thing that I just have to make specific progress with each month has finally allowed me to take the same approach to my house and do flylady.
oops sorry long post.
Jo x

moneymabel

Morning Joey and Jo...is the flylady the one on the os board? or is it something else? sounds good.

Off out my mums this morning and then back to twitter etc! Final (I promise) question about the wording on my site-do you think I should leave it where it is or get rid of the grey box and write it at the top above the gallery instead? (link in profile) I like the wording now even tho it is a bit long but you lot had so many ideas I had to fit it all in lol!

jo70mo

Mabel. for me I like it in the grey box but would prefer it above the gallery I think. hth!
Flylady that I am doing is https://www.flylady.net and starting with the beginner babysteps. which is a set of steps over 28 days. very achievable but you might not see the point in some of them but all the same its best to not argue internally with it and just do it. seems to work. she says not to start off too enthusiastically and do too much at once cos thats not sustainable. she tries to build fairly effortless habits that mean once you get on top of it you can continue to stay on top of it fairly easily too.
You get an email each day with a mission for the day and also they work in 1 zone a week on a 5 week rotation but I haven't started that yet as still working through the baby steps.
Its very tempting to try and take on the mission and the zone cleaning whe you get the emails but she builds you up to it with the baby steps.
I've always found the site overwhelming before and wanted to do all of it. seem to have a better handle on it this time.
Jo x

moneymabel

Thanks Jo...hmmmmm no idea how to move the grey box lol will have a look later :-) and I'll have a look at that link when i get back as well..I need to do something i detest cleaning :-/ Used to do it for a living and ever since then I cant stand it!

JoeyGrey

jo70mo wrote: »

Joey your post is fantastic. I don't think I've seen that flylady email yet.
only started a week ago but can totally relate to that in every room of this house. lol.

I'll try and find the email for you. She was actually emphasizing the decluttering aspect of things, but it is more the unfulfilled goals the clutter represent that makes me feel guilty.

I'm glad your money issues are in perspective and you are in that calm place about it all. I am constantly amazed how the state of one's mind completely changes a problem. You can have two people with exactly the same problem and circumstances but their attitude to it affects everything about them.

I am having to be careful about going on about Flyladying too much around my family as they are giving me that look reserved for people who suddenly announce they are going to be buddhist or something - but I really do want to shout about it to everyone I meet, mainly because I was a cynic who reluctantly decided to give it a go with no hope of it working, and here I am a few weeks later with my shiny sink, clear sides and a kitchen and bathroom and front room to match. My two bedrooms are work in progress, but today is the big push day for them.

Like you say, there are times when it isn't quite so shiny or tidy and I forgive myself because I know that in 15 minutes I can get it back there again. The biggest change in me is that I am getting on and doing my dishes, even when I don't feel like it. I just put the kettle on for a cuppa and get on with them while the kettle boils. They dry themselves while I drink the cuppa and half an hour later a quick swish with the tea towel and they're gone and my sink is empty and shiny again. My SIL is in constant awe as I have been known to wait until I've run out of cups or plates before getting on and doing the dishes :eek: - I have a lot of crockery and I live on my own!!!!

Anyway, enough evangelizing - I'm off this week and today is my cat room's rebirth day! Wish me luck

Crafty_Toots

Morning ladies!

Mabel, my opinion for what it's worth (lol) is that you should indeed get rid of the grey box and move the wording above the gallery. It's looking gooooood, well done! :T

I can agree completely with Joey and Jo about the Fly-Lady baby steps, it really really does work, and I for one was very sceptical to start with. And it really does have a knock-on effect with the rest of your life. One of the things she always says in her emails is

'You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. OK?'

I read that every single time. At first I thought how the hell am I going to get the place in order, where do I start? But she's right about babysteps and just joining in where they're at, you soon get around the whole house. I have a long way to go, but I can see I'm getting there pretty fast!

We're looking to move out of here as soon as we can, can't afford to buy somewhere but are going to rent then sell this flat. I've never really be happy here since the issues with my neighbour and the place is actually too small for us anyhow. Was gutted when we missed out on what would look like the perfect place last week, but have now found another that we're arranging to go look at, and where it is has thrown some strange coincidence our way, so perhaps fate and her ways...... Anyhow, if/when we do move, it'll give me a chance to declutter in the progress and start in our new home as I mean to go on!

Sorry, looks like I've waffled longer than I should have!!!

Hope everyone is having a good Wednesday.

Toots x

Crafty_Toots

Good luck Joey, remember and set your timer! x

Toots x