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Cant get my act together.

Hope you don't mind me having a moan on here but feeling quite hopeless at the mo. I just don't seem to be able to get myself organised to deal with anything - money, housework - anything!

Have been lurking on here on and off for a while and find it really inspirational the way you are all dealing with stuff. Trouble is, as soon as I try to get myself sorted I just feel overwhelmed by it all and give up.

My house is a total tip and although I seem to spend all my time trying to clear it I never seem to make any progress. My old way of dealing with it would be to trot off to shops (Ikea!) in search of the perfect storage solution which would revolutionise my life (ha!). I'm trying to curb this now as basically I'm spending money which we haven't got and it never really helps anyway.

We are on a DMP and they have been asking us for a while to submit a review of your finances, just cant get round to doing it - what is wrong with me?! :confused:

Sorry but just needed to vent.
AMAZON SELLERS CLUB MEMBER 0082 :hello:
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Comments

  • Emmzi
    Emmzi Posts: 8,658 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    cat, nothing wrong with you! natural reaction to being skint!!!

    I've been having a demotivated time!

    yesterday I did a huge list and broke things down into tiny bits

    (eg put stuff in living room that should be upstairs was one item. take it upstairs was another. put it away was another. put the basket back was another)

    It really helped being able to tick off the first couple of things and then I got into a groove.

    How about you do a list today and do maybe one thing a day until you get into it?

    for the review, can you dig out what you put in last year and then it's just altering the numbers from a bank statement.. not such a huge task as starting from scratch...
    Debt free 4th April 2007.
    New house. Bigger mortgage. MFWB after I have my buffer cash in place.
  • skylight
    skylight Posts: 10,716 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Home Insurance Hacker!
    I know what you mean!

    I need to tidy up BIG TIME! (everywhere), do a small (**cough** cash in hand project for my ex-boss), write an essay to hand in, the washing basket is full again, I need to amend my online BR forms before submission and I too cannot be bothered to do a damn thing.

    It's just too much.

    Mind you, I am blaming pregnancy though!

    As I am not the only one, I think we need to organise a plan of action.

    If you go and do something right now, I will too! My Bathroom needs a really good clean/scrub out. I'll go and do that now, but what do you plan on doing????

    Then we can both hit something else tomorrow!!!!
  • Try and not look at the big picture. Take one step at a time and before you know it - it will all be sorted. I guarantee that by taking action you will feel much more positive!

    Annie
    "Debt makes plans for you" - A quote from my friend Catherine. How true!
  • cat64
    cat64 Posts: 277 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Lists - good idea, just never get round to making them.

    Charlotte - I will go and look out my library books which were due back in April:o
    I've now been suspended from the library and owe god-knows how much in fines, there's no hope is there!

    As an aside, did anyone watch Anthea Turners perfect housewife programme. I watched it and wanted to clout her. Is that her house at the end where she handed out the tiara!! I was torn between feeling really inadequate and wondering if I would want to be that sad about housework!:rolleyes:
    AMAZON SELLERS CLUB MEMBER 0082 :hello:
  • Hey cat. Sorry to hear you are feeling like this.
    I agree Emmzi....make a list and break it down to smaller targets. It will help to acheive at least something off the list and you may gain inspiration to tackle more tasks.

    It may seem like an odd question but do you get enough carbohydrates in your diet? These foods give you energy and release serotonin in the brain - which will make you feel better about things too. A bit of exercise helps release endorphins....I always find I am raring to tackle chores after putting a couple of favourite tracks on the stereo and having a bit of a boogie!

    Also - is there a friend or close relative you could call in to help you tackle a few things? It may be better if there are two of you...?
    Bank Balance: In the black for the moment.
    Sainsburys Loan: Cleared July 2010
    Credit cards: AMEX Airmiles Card: direct debit set to clear balance monthly
  • Hope you don't mind me having a moan on here but feeling quite hopeless at the mo. I just don't seem to be able to get myself organised to deal with anything ...Trouble is, as soon as I try to get myself sorted I just feel overwhelmed by it all and give up....My house is a total tip and although I seem to spend all my time trying to clear it I never seem to make any progress. ...We are on a DMP and they have been asking us for a while to submit a review of your finances, just cant get round to doing it - what is wrong with me?!
    there's nothing wrong with you- most houses get untidy particularly if you live in a small space or have children. those programs show the house once a team of cleaners have been in in and when the producers go back the people usually have a massive clean before so they are to a large extent artificial. most people have perharps 2 people to clean both of whom may be working/looking after children and have 101 other commitments. the trick is little steps- take one job at a time- if the list don't work stop making them.
    Have been lurking on here on and off for a while and find it really inspirational the way you are all dealing with stuff.
    inspirational maybe but like you in the same boat. go over to moneysavingoldsytle thread and read flylady challenge thread even the most experienced of us say i'll do this but in x weeks or months i have to do it again- the cycle of cleaning, tidying, household chores etc never stops.
  • Definately don't watch things like Anthea Turner's stepford wives programme! They are designed to make you feel like !!!!!!. Even better throw telly out window - or sell it!

    It sounds like you have let things slide and they are weighing heavily on you now. How do you feel emotionally?
    "Debt makes plans for you" - A quote from my friend Catherine. How true!
  • nearlyrich
    nearlyrich Posts: 13,698 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Hung up my suit!
    Cleaning is hard if you are storing stuff, do you need it? Can you sell it to raise some cash? If you want to keep it it has to have a permanent home depending on how often you use it. I am not a perfect housewife by any stretch but I prefer to live in a tidy environment so I have devised systems to deal with stuff. I open my post by a paper recycle bin and a shredder, any rubbish goes straight in. If it needs dealing with I try to do it then or I have a small cardboard box (Tomato box) that I can put little bits of paperwork in and deal with later, the advantage is it's easy to put the box out of sight if I need to tidy up quick when someone is coming round.

    I have a filing cabinet for home paperwork with filebags for each CC, bank account etc, they need pruning but at least the statements are together and I can do one at a time.

    I had a 20 minute tidy in my home office this morning because there was a big pile of stuff and I couldn't concentrate on work till it went.

    I also do lists of things to do, if you have a few things on the go it helps to keep it all flowing.

    I better go and tick a few things off LOL hope you are feeling more positive!
    Free impartial debt advice from: National Debtline or Stepchange[/CENTER]
  • cat64
    cat64 Posts: 277 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Gosh such a lot of replies - thank you all so much you're brill! A bit more background (in response to Annie Fannys query) have been on antidepressants since the birth of my 3rd child,(14 years!) fairly recently decided that the time was right for me to try to come off them - was stable emotionally and tbh wasn't convinced that they did all that much good anyway. So I have been weaning myself off them for the last couple of months (despite what the doctors tell you they are addictive in the way that you cannot suddenly stop taking them without suffering - in some case severe - side effects and coming off them can be a slow process). So I suppose this could all be contributing to the way I'm feeling - but I still want to persevere.

    I think the biggest problem is that I start lots of things and don't finish them, always seem to be jumping from one job to the next and never actually achieving anything. I just feel fragmented - if that makes any sense?

    I've got 4 children, 3 of them are teenagers! My eldest boy is a bit of a handful - I often worry in case he is depressed but cannot persuade him to talk to anyone.

    We are in a pretty small 3 bed semi, I do appreciate the fact that we have a roof over our heads - just wish it was a bigger roof! Sorry if this seems selfish. The two girls share a room, but the two boys clash so badly we are separating them which means OH and me will have a sofa bed in the lounge eventually, not ideal I know but cant see any other way round it. No chance of extending as no money!

    Husband works full time and I work 2 evenings and most Sundays, we never seem to have a minute to sit down and work on our finances as after we've had our evening meal and youngest child is in bed we are both too exhausted and stressed out, and I know we'd end up arguing.

    Anyway, I'm going to stop now as I've gone on long enough.:o Thanks for reading!
    AMAZON SELLERS CLUB MEMBER 0082 :hello:
  • cat64
    cat64 Posts: 277 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    PS - confession - after watching Ms Turner I found a small basket and put all the remote controls in it:eek: was I being brainwashed?!

    BUT - this morning they're back in their usual home - hiding under the cushions of the sofa!:D
    AMAZON SELLERS CLUB MEMBER 0082 :hello:
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