The messy archives of my life

Sorry, it is still kind of cumbersome to type on the phone, even though the phone is large.

So I still have some kitchen tools in an OXO utensil holder on one of the counters, because not all fit in the magnetic vertical bins on the wall of the fridge, but now I can easily take a tool out of OXO holder and put it back, because they are loose in it, and not stuck the way it was before.

Here's a tour of my kitchenette:

1. The stovetop has two clean pots on it.
2. The oven holds another pot and two pans.
3. The microwave holds a new vented tall plastic microwave cover which contains spills to keep the microwave clean.
4. The counter top to the left of the stove houses a toastet, tongues to pick up toasted bread, an electric kettle, a jar with instant coffee, a tall glass Bodum jar I bought from the Container Store to keep crackers in, and a Kleenex box. Also, I have two tall cups for tea there - I drink tea often so I just rinse and reuse them. All tea bags are stored in glass containers in a cupboard just above. I am done experimenting with tea flavors - I will finish the various types I have and from then on will just buy regular black tea in bulk. Eventually I will free up cupboard space for that coffee jar as well.
5. The counter top to the right of the stove - a pink plastic piggy in which I put quarters for laundry and a few sheets of paperwork (down from a huge pile) that I still need to act upon or file away. Eventually I plan to only have the piggy there.
6. The counter top between the fridge and the sink - my late grandmother's huge china platter which doesn't fit in cupboards and two large bowls on it.
7. The last counter top has a three level glass fruit holder from ikea (no fruit on it yet), two colanders for which I plan to attach hooks to the wall to remove them from the horizontal surface and store vertically instead, a glass jar with xylitol gum that prevents cavities (I need it there as a reminder to chew 4 a day), a pretty blue and white bowl wi hard ginger candy for when I have nausea (thanks Confused for the advice - I didn't buy fresh ginger but the candy works as well), a standing paper towel holder, that IXO stainless steel utensil holder and a little plastic holder for sponges and sink plug (I am also considering attaching something to the wall behind the sink for sponges in an effort to store as much as I can vertically and ad little horizontally).
8. On the floor is a plastic footstool, two plastic containers for recyclables, two bowls for cat food (my third kitty, who was the youngest, suddenly died in August) and one big bowl with water for the cats. I also have a real towel hanging on the handle outside the oven and a vertical wall holder for lids.

That's it - no more paperwork piled on the stovetop, no more random stuff with a murky history and unclear purpose, no more no more no more!

The kitchen is very seriously dirty and I plan to bring a dayworker to wash it well (the cleaners that I hired at this time last year tirnef out unreliable and very expensive, so I stopped asking them to come). Afterwards, I plan to just maintain it by wiping the counters daily (that is why I am trying to store as little as possible on them) and wash the kitchen sink often.

So I am on the way to using Christina as a role model, cleaning daily (mind you, just a kitchenette and not a two story house, but still, little by little).

I doubt that anybody who knew me before could possibly have expected this kind of an update from me.

its good your going through that stuff, When I was Manic I didn't buy stuff but had stuff done ( went to get pedicure, which was no big deal) But then i went to a expensive salon next door and paid mega bucks to have my hair colored, normally I get my hair colored at a less expensive place. But man that day I was feeling good...Got my toes painted bright red and got my hair done, looked good going into the mental facility hours later LOL I was probably the best looking chick in the nut house that weekend LOL....I gotta laugh at myself to keep from crying...I still remember that first manic episode...losing my job, my apartment and my truck getting towed! ahh the things our brain does!

Yay!!! Those are such inspirational posts. You go girl ♥

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I'm really proud of your progress Hammy, what a wonderful start to my day!

Thanks for sharing

Thanks my dear, I forgot to add that I have been doing all of this on my own, but I didn't forget about your advice to clean while listening to upbeat music, so I have bought bluetooth headphones, for the sake of the neighbors, and once I figure out how to use them, I will be even more cheerful when cleaning and organizing.

<3 this is an inspiration. My apartment has become cluttered and I could take a lesson from this.

Congratulations! Go, girl!

I hope your kitty is doing well. I want to tell you how I invented "functionally feline apartment decor". I bought three large round plastic tubs with handles from the Container Store. I put them in the hallway of my apartment, beneath a framed picture by my youngest one. A grass green tub in the middle and two dark blue tubs one on each side. They fit in the space just rigjt (I experimented with different products). I have bought enough cat food cans with different flavors, mixed them around and poured into the tubs. Now at feeding time I don't need to struggle opening large trays of cans and the cats get to eat a variety of flavors rathen then, as before, chicken for days and then tuna for days etc. I think that they like it (cannot read their minds, but they are very cheerful). I have almost emptied one tub. When I empty the second tub of three, I will buy more cans. No more emergency pet store trips because it is all visible and I plan in advance. So that is functional, and as to the somewhat quirky decor, I will post a picture.

I can't find the tubs on the site of the store, but here is a link to a similar product (it is smaller and the colors are blah):

The Container Store > Large Life Bin

I meant to say that I poured cans out of their trays into the tubs.

Well done!

I have even gone to Michaels to frame some of my daughters' pictures, and will do more when Michaels runs another special on framing. Here is an example.

Some of the work in progress, organizing-wise:

Some of the work in progress, organizing-wise:

(I cannot rotate the pictures correctly)

I love pegboard type stuff! I hung a black plastic pegboard to the side of my kitchen cupboard over the stove, then i hung a bunch of aluminim pieces on it - sifters, graters, my ricer, and hung utensils on the bottom holes. It was amazing that the metal cupboard already had the right holes in it to attach the pegboard. It makes me very happy!

And i love your daughters artwork! Agree, michaels is great for frames. I got mine there.

Here is my fridge on the inside. Haven't yet cleaned the freezer. One thing at a ti e.

I am going ask the mods how to rotate the images.

You've got me so inspired! First it was walking and now cleaning. I have a huge blister on the bottom of my foot, so today I'm cleaning bc I can't walk

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your fridge is great! I told my t i have a swedish refrigerator, it looks all minimalist inside!

Hamster, your threads are truly inspiring, and there are so many things that we can learn from! This thread is amazing, and I appreciate the detailed descriptions on how you're organizing your life.

Do you have any "must have" suggestions for small spaces? As a college junior living in a tiny dorm room, it's hard to find space for the kind of organizing boxes and tools that you mentioned. I know I'd find them super useful, since just having a jewelry organizer has kind of changed my life (or at least, put some order upon the random trinkets I picked up during hypomanic shopping sprees).

Although I don't have a house, my life is kind of like a "down-sized" version of "real adult life". I have a fridge (I cook for myself), my own bathroom, laundry that I have to do, too many clothes and makeup (ah, hypomania and shopping), a ton of meds to keep in order, assignments and notes and bills that I struggle to keep organized, etc. Taxes. A part-time job.

It's all pretty overwhelming, more so for me than many of my peers because I am diagnosed with BP, non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD, and executive disfunction. When I got a psychiatric evaluation, I was advised to get a life coach so that I could get the organizational aspect of my life in order, but that's not really something that I can afford (not offered by my college's disability services either).

Any suggestions on how to get the organizing aspects of my life together? For example, I haven't done laundry in four weeks. I have a hamper, but the clothes are just on a pile on my floor. You posted some super helpful organizing suggestions on your other thread about simplifying things for the sake of sanity, but there were a lot of instructions, and I don't know if I have space for all the "tools" you suggested.

Love,
Allie

Hi Allie. We have similar mental diagnosis, so I hear you. I bought the book Clutter's Last Stand which is about the best. Also, there are a lot of websites online. My favorite, because it includes tons of frugal tips (hypomanic spending), is The Dollar Stretcher. When I cleaned houses in college we were taught to clean left to right top to bottom. If you're having adhd problems making a list and setting a time limit for each room/task at about 15min with an egg timer. I play Pandora music on my smart phone and turn off all tv and laptops. I found a great speaker/loading doc/ charger at best buy I can plug in rooms. Music seems to help me go a little faster. I often have trouble getting completely side tracked on tasks. So, I try to do quick cleans separate from deep cleaning/bagging good will stuff/sweeping or tending the yard/washing the car etc. I'm so bad I can start loading the dishwasher and end up with counters full of crap bc I decided to clean the insides of everything. Then by the time my husband gets home for dinner I'll have dirty dishes, cans on every counter top and I'm washing the dog or some crazed ordeal lol. Right now I'm with you as my house is a mess. The majority of my issue though is Time Management - too much time on Facebook, reading a good book, or watching tv.

Good luck to us both

Tnt♥

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Those are some great ideas -- thanks! You just reminded me that a few years ago, when I had to clean or do housekeeping tasks (which would take half a day, because of pile-up), I'd usually listen to music or play a recording of an easygoing lecture from class (so that I wouldn't feel bad about not studying). I kind of forgot many of those strategies after I had a psychotic break + hospitalization in late 2012. I will look into the books you mentioned.

Love,
Allie

Allie,

Thank you for your kind words! My pictures of the bathroom make it look as if I owned a huge place. No, I rent an old apartment that was built back in the days when large bathroom vanities, colorful sinks etc. Were in fashion. So the bathroom is spacious, but the kitchenette is a regular kitchenette you'd expect to find in a rental place, so I am familiar with being short on space, and my mantra is VERTICALLY, VERTICALLY, and, to repeat once more, VERTICALLY. Here I will be posting one photo per post, to avoid confusion.

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Here, actually a couple of photos of the same surface - the outside of the left wall of my fridge, to the right of the countertop between the sink and the fridge.

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I can't figure out how to attach files using Tapatalk. Let me log in from the web.

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