Prosperous soul embraces creativity & mortgage neutrality

chicker

Great news on the negative tests!

I am loving the decluttering chat! Because we did a full renovation on our last house I thoroughly decluttered everything to make it easier to store. Then we only just finished before we moved here so we don't have a lot of extra 'stuff' but I still continue decluttering areas around the house because it builds up so quickly! I really resonated with the thing about guilt too. We all have a memory box or I keep things for a while then gradually clear it. I suspect it might be harder with DDs things as she's my precious miracle baby   

When my mum downsized after my dad died, I pretty much cleared a whole 4 bed house and loft on my own because she had sooo much stuff stored away and just couldn't deal with it. Then we did exactly the same when the same happened to my mother in law so I'm determined not to pass on that kind of job to DD one day. My MIL keeps giving us things we don't want though and I know she still has loads of things in storage to give us one day. She even told me she can't deal with it so will leave it to us to sort out when she dies... The trouble is, I can't get rid of her stuff because she is here all the time. 

Chicker 

Fortune_Smiles

Great news SH

Fortune x

savingholmes

Baileys_Babe said:

Oh, how I wish I was disciplined, our house is very cluttered, occasionally you will come across a tiny space that is organised, I am hoping one day the tidy areas will start to join up. I have to keep reminding myself that any progress is better than none.

I like the thought the tidy areas could join up!! I have invited my sis and her family around on Sunday - mainly so it forces me to tidy and clean and make downstairs more liveable again. Hopefully I can shift stuff to charity tomorrow and other stuff to the tip. My DD is very good at letting stuff go - well other people's stuff anyway. She made  helped me let 10-20% go a couple of years ago. Facing up to my clutter and how much it had cost to have all this stuff I didn't need - has helped me bring less in. Since then progress has been much slower (other than when Ex and DS moved out) but there has still been occasional progress. 

I would like to get to the point I can open the door to surprise guests and not be completely embarrassed. Or more importantly - so that managing my clutter or inventory as one utuber calls it isn't hogging my attention and stopping me doing things I'd prefer to do like art and writing. I'm also extremely lucky to be living in a 4 bed house with garage and shed... with just 2 of us - so plenty of hidey holes left - although I am gradually dealing with them. BIL is going to take away a metal shed I hate - and the bike rack from the shed - which will then make the shed more usable for me.

One of the books I bought years ago - and have since passed on - pointed out that storage isn't free. It costs you £ to keep stuff you don't need as you have to put it in or on something... It's time 'justin' packed its case.

savingholmes

Thank MF, Fortune, Beanie, Tahlullah, Dancing, Mark and Chicker  - it felt so good to go out!! Chinese was lovely and I watched a comedy/action hitman movie - loved it!! Very therapeutic!!

chicker said:

My MIL keeps giving us things we don't want though and I know she still has loads of things in storage to give us one day. She even told me she can't deal with it so will leave it to us to sort out when she dies... The trouble is, I can't get rid of her stuff because she is here all the time. 

Tell her you appreciate the thought behind the gift - but you need to be letting some things go to others who need them more than you do. You want to teach your children to give too - and have a clean and tidy home - so you hope she will understand if you let some things go. Also most people don't ask you to your face where something went. Guilty clutter - has to go. 

I have to admit - getting divorced has been very freeing. I no longer have to ask anyone permission to let go of stuff (unless it clearly belongs to the kids). Also getting divorced flew so in the face of my upbringing and culture that I am more willing to risk offending people by getting rid of stuff or making other decisions they may object to than I was before. I've realised that I have a right to speak up for my own needs to be met. Plus as an adult - I don't have to justify my decisions although I admit it's often easier if I do. I would have felt very guilty spending so much £ on trainers in one month before. This time - I only had to ask myself for permission.

On one of the utubes I watched this week the challenge was to trust yourself and get rid of duplicates... Hmmm I have about 20 pairs of scissors in this house and struggle to find one.... Is it just me? Not ready to get rid of all duplicates yet. TBH it would be a major achievement to get down to only a handful of certain items. 

One of the other challenges was to wash your dishes / do the dishwasher every day - as if the kitchen is tidy the whole house feels more under control... Still struggling even with that one.

Another was - tackle one area at a time. Go through first and look for obvious rubbish. Bin that first. Then do the duplicate hunt. Then ask yourself the question - do I use / need this? Would I remember that I had it? Is this where I would look for it first? If it's not where you would look for it first - go and take it there straightaway - so you never have too big a job on the go (unlike my living room with boxes everywhere). 

When my sis comes at the weekend - I'm going to let one of my nephews who loves crafts - pick what he wants from my craft drawers - win:win. It's also another nephew's birthday soon - so an opportunity to let some more things go. Sis has said they are happy with 2nd hand so not planning new spend. I got him a book set he wanted for £2 on FB before Xmas. I also have lots of other books in the house he's welcome to. I will make a cake. 

Some of my happy finds this week have include a crystal salt pot that I'd mislaid. That made me very happy. I might see if my sis wants any crystal bowls - I have about 4!! They are all CS finds but even so - I don't need so many - and if she'd appreciate them she would be welcome to (one of) them.

girlatplay

Great news on the negative tests SH.

I have 7 pairs of scissors but I use them constantly.  I've not long bought 3 of them because 4 weren't enough!

jwil

Great news about the negative tests and yummy chinese.

I agree about the concept of the kitchen being tidy making everything feel better - I'm not particularly good at achieving it though!

Have a good weekend

boxofpaws

Phew for the negative tests. Happy for you that you’re free again.

I agree about the kitchen, dishwasher, dishes etc. I used to follow the flylady thread years ago but quite a bit of it stuck. I am pretty sure she always said, start with the kitchen sink. Every night she would clean and shine the kitchen sink, to set up for the next day. I always make sure the kitchen sink is empty and the kitchen worksurfaces are clean before I go to bed. Before I start any kind of project, like decorating etc, I make sure the kitchen is tidy. There is other stuff that stuck as well, like we always squeegee the shower screen when we get out, stuff like that.

I did loads of decluttering last year, but the spaces are slowly being filled up by other peoples junk

I’m dreading when my mum dies having to declutter. She has so much stuff, and it’s all junk, but I’m sure it will all take on new significance if she’s not here.

I can’t get rid of ANYTHING of my dad’s

skint_spice

My kitchen is tidy at least once a day but not always.  That said the areas that guests would come into are usually quite tidy, a house move involving putting things into storage forced me to part with some things but yet to deal with my clothes, I got rid of a few the other day but I still have too many for a woman who lives in active wear and scrubs!

Lookafterthepennies2020

Great news on the negative tests, I like the idea of getting rid of the duplicates however I think I would have to start small 

MovingForwards

I wish my parent would have decluttered or stopped buying stuff and just adding it to the walls of unopened stuff. 

With scissors there's a set in the cutlery drawer, one on OHs desk and another in the TV unit. Find the right place for things and they'll never be lost, unless someone moves them.