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Post by maurinsky on Feb 10, 2021 13:42:42 GMT -5
I need help. I am a clutterbug. I am so much better than I used to be: I have my clothes under control, we got rid of the two/three households worth of dishes, glasses, silverware...paper and related objects is my downfall. In the form of notebooks, mail, my own writing, school stuff that I am reluctant to get rid of, books, pens, pencils, journals, all kinds of school supplies...I recently have added dog toys to this list. We have a small house, about 1300 sf, and we are planning a renovation that will open up that space as well as add a mud room, but I want to get this shit under control before I expand into any new space that is available. We got a crate for dog toys but one of their favorite activities is to empty the crate - and most of the toys are
How do you manage this stuff? Did Marie Kondo work for you? If you have a dog, how do you manage their stuff?
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Post by Inky on Feb 10, 2021 15:50:25 GMT -5
Marie Kondo DID work for me. Especially the clothes (although I am regretting it somewhat as I got rid of all my fat clothes and have gained my gallbladder removal weight back). It also helped me think a little differently about clutter, as it is happening. Just this morning I mentioned to DH that I really need to go through the kitchen cupboards for dishes and stuff that I don't need or use anymore (we don't have a very big house either). His reply "so...are you waiting until covid is over?" LOL. As far a dog stuff, I just kept what they were currently using (other than sentimental stuff like Spooky's collar, Scooters fur, Zoes dog tag)
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Post by deeniereenie on Feb 10, 2021 17:57:58 GMT -5
I need to do something about my house as well. I have a TON of scrapbook/craft items that I really really really need to go through, but that always leads to me remembering I have something, and wanting to play with it, lol. I am like a 6 year old who is asked to clean their room.
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Post by deeniereenie on Feb 10, 2021 17:58:12 GMT -5
I need to do something about my house as well. I have a TON of scrapbook/craft items that I really really really need to go through, but that always leads to me remembering I have something, and wanting to play with it, lol. I am like a 6 year old who is asked to clean their room.
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Post by RobinAnn on Feb 10, 2021 19:41:28 GMT -5
I like listening to "A Slob Comes Clean" (Dana K. White) and reading some of her blog posts. I also follow Lisa Woodruff and Organize 365.
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Post by RobinAnn on Feb 10, 2021 19:47:03 GMT -5
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Post by coachgrrl on Feb 10, 2021 19:59:08 GMT -5
Def a butterfly clutterer here
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Post by Peachy on Feb 10, 2021 20:18:57 GMT -5
Ladybug here!
I have too much stuff that I don’t want to part with. And then I buy more stuff. And then my closets are bursting at the seams from all the stuff. I’m always posting about purging my closets because I always have to keep at it. My craft room looks like ground zero right now.
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Post by jen on Feb 10, 2021 20:48:33 GMT -5
I started following the Folding Lady, the Home Edit,and Go Clean Co on Instagram.
My socks are folded into neat little squares now. 😳
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Post by stellarfeller on Feb 10, 2021 22:07:07 GMT -5
If papers and the like are your main issue, I’ve found the plastic lidded bins with hanging folders to be very helpful. I try to file papers about once a month or so, and I’ll periodically go through my stack of kids’ school papers (although that hasn’t been an issue since last March 😄) and weed out anything outdated, fileable, etc. I recycle a lot of paper and I also cut up unneeded school papers to use as notepaper for shopping lists.
Books I’m not so good at weeding out - I have a few stacks here and there around the house 😄 I’m fairly ruthless about minimizing clutter, though, as our house is only 1150 square feet for four people and our basement isn’t finished. My husband has a tendency to buy useless crap and then just leave said crap lying around, which greatly irks me!
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Post by maurinsky on Feb 11, 2021 9:01:46 GMT -5
I started following the Folding Lady, the Home Edit,and Go Clean Co on Instagram. My socks are folded into neat little squares now. 😳 I have areas that I am solidly organized in - clothes is one of them. Doug washes all the laundry and he folds it when it comes out of the dryer. I do refold my stuff because I don't fold the same way he does and I also fold underwear and socks, and he just has a drawer with a pile of underwear on one side and a pile of socks on the other> I did a huge purge as the season was turning, everything that is too summery to be worn when it's cold was washed, folded and stashed. I am also organized in the kitchen - we just have a very small kitchen and Doug, who is generally tidy, has a small pile on the kitchen island. I took that quiz and none of the answers to any of the questions really describe me. My mom and my older sister are always rearranging furniture - one time, my dad put a note on his armchair and the lamp next to it saying "DON'T MOVE ME" - that's me - once something is in a place, it's like I can't imagine it being anyplace else. We used to have a recycling bin in the kitchen, but now that's where the dog's bowls are, so we have this recurring pile of stuff to go outside to the big bin. We come in through the kitchen and there's no room for anything - so we're planning to add a mudroom that will allow us to hang up coats and take shoes off before coming into the kitchen. I appreciate all the websites! the more I think about it, read about and talk about it, the more I can develop some strategies for actually dealing with it.
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Post by nansel on Feb 11, 2021 9:47:02 GMT -5
I'm a cricket. Organizing stuff is my life's work. I do leave little piles around until I can put it away in its proper place. We have more organizational stuff than we have stuff. As in, our furnace/laundry room has two shelving units and only one has anything on it. The cats play on the other. I rearrange furniture on a regular basis, and everything has its place until I figure out a better place for it. For dog stuff - we have a hook at the back door (one of those Ikea dog bums) for leash and collars, and a bin in the living room for toys. We've always had a rule of "no dogs in the kitchen if there's a human in it", so the water dish and food ball are in the dining room. Outdoors is another story - it's been over 2 years and I still occasionally find one of Holly's tennis or hockey balls in the hedges. Those things were all over the place.
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Post by shaena on Feb 11, 2021 15:06:58 GMT -5
I am probably no help here, we collect stuff until one day we look at it all and say "Hey about we rent a dumpster some weekend!" Twice in our 20 year marriage so far, though admittedly the first one was because I also inherited my moms household of stuff!
This last house reorg I did create a "dog mudroom" Our laundry room area leads out to the garage and side exit. I hang all the leases and colors and coats, and have a basket on a table for bags and booties, toys etc... My house is tiny I keep the dog food in a bin in my kitchen cabinets. tripping over their bowls is inevitable while in use, I have to feed them across the room from each other and there is no convenient way to do that. Only the water bowls have a permanent space against a cabinet.
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Post by maurinsky on Feb 11, 2021 16:12:09 GMT -5
I grew up sharing a bedroom with my 3 sisters, so we never put clothes away, we lived out of laundry baskets. I was a SLOB full stop for a long time, but one of my best and closest friends is a professional organizer, and she came over and really helped me get straightened out with a lot of my stuff. I still have small hoards here and there, one is currently making my computer and desk unusable and I feel exhausted every time I look at it.
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emmjay
Full Member
Posts: 1,734
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Post by emmjay on Feb 12, 2021 12:06:20 GMT -5
I like Unfuck Your Habitat www.unfuckyourhabitat.com/ I am getting more ruthless about getting rid of stuff. We want to downsize to a boat in 6-7 years, so the more we can get rid of now, the better.
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Post by Eli on Feb 12, 2021 12:52:11 GMT -5
I dream of renting a big dumpster and going through all my closets and getting rid of all the crap. For two people, we have so much stuff.
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Post by kimbelina on Feb 12, 2021 13:02:11 GMT -5
I have so much crap it's ridiculous. I have a spare room I want to clean out but I walk in and just turn around and walk out because it's so bad. One of my problems, besides my sheer laziness, is I have no idea what to do with the stuff! It's not trash and I hate to throw it out but I have no idea what to DO with the stuff once I organize it.
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Post by shaena on Feb 12, 2021 13:15:18 GMT -5
I dream of renting a big dumpster and going through all my closets and getting rid of all the crap. For two people, we have so much stuff. Seriously the best thing that came out of this year, was renting a dumpster. I was able to reconfigure my basement into true organized storage, and create a true crafting space for some larger projects I was unable to do before!
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Post by Eli on Feb 12, 2021 14:18:28 GMT -5
I dream of renting a big dumpster and going through all my closets and getting rid of all the crap. For two people, we have so much stuff. Seriously the best thing that came out of this year, was renting a dumpster. I was able to reconfigure my basement into true organized storage, and create a true crafting space for some larger projects I was unable to do before! I have closets full of my old college textbooks and notebooks- I know I will never even look at them again. I have old bridesmaid dresses and clothes that I will never fit in again. No one is going to buy them, so I just need to bite the bullet and do it.
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Post by maurinsky on Feb 12, 2021 16:18:44 GMT -5
I have so much crap it's ridiculous. I have a spare room I want to clean out but I walk in and just turn around and walk out because it's so bad. One of my problems, besides my sheer laziness, is I have no idea what to do with the stuff! It's not trash and I hate to throw it out but I have no idea what to DO with the stuff once I organize it. I have posted our piano on the free stuff facebook page 3 times, every time, I get lots of people expressing interest, two who have gone as far to set up a date/time to pick it up that they backed out of, and yet, it still sits in my living room. I'm not even sure we can throw it out. It was Maeve's piano, my a cappella group has a keyboard that lives in my house, and I can use that for how I "play" (pick out the notes on the line of music I'm learning.)
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