We need help organizing our home.?

Question

I am ,after ten years, feeling extremely overwhelmed upon facing the reorganization of my home so that everything is easy to access for me and my children. I know we need to get rid of a LOT of stuff we've acquired over the years, but no one wants to help go through stuff to determine what to keep or not. Should I just start pitching and forget it? We have piles of garbage bags of toys and clothes in our basement, and our upstairs is beginning to look like a messy preschool room!

Answer 1

I want to tell you I am in almost the same shoes as you.

For the last 10 years I have taken care of my mom, who was disabled...and we lived together to make it as easy as possible to do that. She died on Dec 15, leaving the household to me, which was hers and my dad's things, as well as mine, and even a few things that belong to my brothers.

I loved my mother dearly and I miss her but she was a horrible packrat and a haphazard housekeeper as long as I can remember. Add to that her age and ability, as well as losing a bit of her judgement, and it was even worse to have her as a roommate. It was something I tolerated about her but I don't miss this at all.

A bit about me, being raised in chaos in the house, I have studied up on organizing all my life and I learned to enjoy it because to me it is kind of like a puzzle...but was never effective because it didn't last. I have all the information and I gave it all my effort, but I struggled as much as anyone who didn't know how to prevent the mess from accumulating and coming back. I used to think that this was because something was wrong with my organizing and storage ideas...doubly frustrating because I was organizing the hell out of my house and trying so hard, and using the principles didn't seem to help. I knew that I was skipping the declutter part because I couldn't do it. I didn't know how important this part is to having a happy home.

Having permission to declutter has show me that the main flaw to my organizing was that I have too much stuff, and not enough room. Now that my mother is gone, I have the chance to pare down my house. It was hard to motivate because things were such a mess at first. And it gets a little sad when I get to things that remind me of my late parents.

However, this experience has been liberating for me. Only ONE carload has left the house, it was medical equipment that I found a needy home for, as well as a couple really full garbage days. Even so, I went through and started boxing up stuff that I knew does not fit my life now. Even though the stuff is still here, it is out of my workspaces and I have a glimpse of how life will be without it there. So far the bathroom and kitchen are done, and I went through my mom's bedroom too, it is now my sorting area and holding tank for stuff I'm unsure of, and stuff that I want my brothers to take off my hands. There is precious few things left and they are alllll my favs, a few family pieces, and stuff I use alllll the time. What's missing is the filler and now that I can see a life without it, I can't believe that we think MORE is more. LESS is so much more.

I think I have it within me to do a lot of things differently now which helps with the grief process, looking forward instead of looking back all the time. I can enjoy my home and let it nurture me, and it will give without much work in return.

The cost for this? So far, I have invested in new curtains for my windows, and a spice rack, and a pretty bottle with a liquor stopper that dispenses dish soap. About 50 bucks. I imagine I will make this in my garage sale. With some of the stuff I don't need, I have bargaining chips to trade things with. I needed an entertainment center, and traded my neighbor for a bed and dresser. So you see, decluttering is not only the best decorating tip ever, a work saver, and a peacemaker. It is basically free.

In fact, I can go you one better. You may as well just be tripping over money.

Consider that for everything you own, none of it was free. Even gifts and handmedowns resulted from relationships that require some sort of investment from you, so in some way you purchased it.

Now that you have the item, you have to store it, maintain it and again you are paying...and not coincidentally at all, you are paying for a certain size house. If it is too small and there is a lot of accumulation of things that you don't need/use/love, then you may be in too big of a house. Without the clutter, it becomes possible to move into a smaller house that is either nicer, or in a nicer neighborhood, or to bring something into your current house that will benefit your family...maybe even grow your family to fit the house! (Who wouldn't prefer making babies to facing the current real estate market??)

Even if you stay where you are and don't add anything or anyone to the house you live in, the visual calm of dealing with less clutter is priceless.

Another benefit is that suddenly, with less stuff...it is easier to clean and organize things. No more broken or lost things that need replacing because you didn't take care of them properly. No more time lost looking for things. No more overwhelm looking at a messy house and not knowing where to start...and no more neglecting the cleaning of your home because you are straightening and shuffling all the time.

Psychologically, socially, and spiritually, things can be different as well. Shopping patterns broken, finally off the shopaholic merry-go-round? Priority shift? With a less expensive household to run, there are all kinds of options...work less, set up an office area with the now-available space and work from home, live on one income with a parent home to raise your children. Maybe you spend more time at home as a family because it is a cool place to hang out, instead of everyone avoiding the house (and as a result the family members in it). Maybe you will throw more parties! Maybe you have friends that, as much as they love you...get stressed out so much at your house, that they don't call or come over as often. Even everyday knocks on the door will be different because you will welcome people into your home instead of scrambling to straighten, or talk to them from the door, or go to their house instead. Maybe you will play board games more often because you know where all the pieces are, and the table is cleaned off to play on...and organizing fun family times is less of a hassle. Maybe with more smoothness, less visual chaos, and more organization there will be less cranky people, less often. Declutter and watch your house become a home that nurtures everyone that is in it.

The reason you accumulated the things in your home is that someone thought your life would be better with them, that they would serve us somehow. But you are mistaken if you think that it can't be the other way around. When things start to accumulate, they actually take on a life of their own, and gang up on you, and you begin to serve THEM. Being enslaved by your clutter is no way to live. With less clutter, you can have a healthier, happier home, and it is a lot easier to manage. You can literally take back your life by decluttering your home.

How's that for relieving the guilt of getting rid of things? If a well meaning gift giver or a relative that passed away, really cares about you...they want you to be BLESSED by the thing that they give you. If you are cursed by it...then they would want it gone too.

I am telling you from personal experience, that cluttter is a thief...it sucks the life out of you in terms of money, time, energy, and peace. I didn't know how much it was robbing me but it is definitely worth it to scale back to the things your family needs/wants/loves NOW.

This post isn't so much about the HOW as the WHY, the info is out there for any organizing dilemma you are facing. Let go of things and watch what becomes possible. I hope this is the jumpstart you need. Declutter NOW. TODAY! And commit to staying clutter free as a family.

Answer 2

I had my own company as a specialist organizer, and that i got here upon that in cleansing an section, paintings in a clock fashion. p.c.. a putting out element, then paintings (counter)clock smart. Have a bin for Goodwill, trash and 'keepers'. This takes time, so paintings in slots of about 3 hours. once you empty an section out (closet, cupboard, etc), vacuum and/or wash it right down to have a sparkling position to placed stuff. yet everybody has to cooperate and known with information from sitting down and putting aims on the organizing. once you get rid of each and each and every of the junk that you do not favor, clean up your area, you'll adore residing there back. it is in good structure and bigger cohesive.

Answer 3

Start pitching stuff. Then when your family starts griping about what you get rid of, tell them to do it or your going to keep on throwing stuff out. Works every time!

Answer 4

why dont u give the stuff u dont need to the charity