Goal Tracking: Declutter and Cleaning

Most of my house looks like it's been tipped!! I have 8 different styles of hats done plus an over sized scarf. 3 more styles to go then I will go visit for the unveiling. There has been lots of cursing. I had to figure out why the patterns didn't print right. Then I had to find a compass to make big circles and a yard stick. I have been making up things and wishing I had a sewing ham for pressing round seams. Hopefully I can get the last 3 done quickly.

My fabric choices haven't been all that nice I was just looking for the right type of fabric not pattern. Hopefully she will be able to look past the paisley. Everyone keep your fingers crossed she likes a few of them, style wish at least.

Weight watchers is working! I am steadily averagely losing the recommended amount, and after a month, i actually had the oomph this morning to take down the garbage AND do a load of laundry without it seeming like a huge frickin deal! I still have to fold the load but its only underpants so no big deal. Then i think i will work on the kitchen. Wash dishes, roast some veg, and clean up the fridge. And swiffer the floor. My plan then is to clean the bathroom on sunday, and finish the laundry on monday. We'll see!

I moved around the living room to expand my exercise area, but i also put a tall waste basket next to the chair where i eat. Yes i use paper plates (but not cups). SO NICE not having used plates stack up! Im startin to live pretty fancy here!

We started using paper plates a few months ago when our sink was out of order for a bit - haven't stopped! It's nice not to have so many dishes to wash.

I've had stuff cluttering the hallway for months. I took fifteen minutes yesterday and got it all out. It made a huge difference in the place looking neat and didn't take that much time at all!

Random observation: a couple of months ago, I cleared out my china cabinets. It was really hard to let go of these sets that I never used.

Today I realized that I don't actually miss them at all and wonder why it was so hard at the time. Has that happened for anyone else?

I'm not sure. But my friend boxed up almost everything that was left here
while I was IP in April, and without seeing it, I'm pretty OK about never going through the boxes. If I look through them, I'll want to keep everything again.

A friend gave me one of her mom's sets of China after her mom passed away. It's the only full set of China I've ever had, and hopefully still unbroken in the box. I've always wanted to use it but I never felt permanent enough in any of the places I've been to deal with unpacking it.

But, I have been relying on disposable dishes for some years now.

My number one problem is the accumulation of papers/mail. When I am on a downswing, I cannot seem to find the energy to go through my mail, and it piles up. I pay my bills online, so I can probably opt out of getting a paper bill. Not sure why I have not done that yet. Maybe I am just paranoid that if I don't get the paper bill, I will forget to pay it. Now I have to discipline myself to deal with the mail as it is delivered. Catalogs go right in the recycling bin. It's not as though I can afford to buy stuff I don't need anyway. I also have a shredder, which really helps. I would say that a good 90% of the mail I get is junk mail anyway. It's important to open it first though because these local car dealership enclosed a fake car key in with their marketing materials. I didn't open the envelope first and the key ended up breaking my old shredder.

Here's something else that I did. Don't give me credit for this idea because I read it somewhere. I bought a three ring binder and a pack of those plastic sleeves, and that is where I put all my user manuals for appliances and stuff. I have an envelope in that same binder where I keep restaurant menus.

The hardest thing that I have is getting rid of clothes. From time to time, I put together a big bag and take it to the Salvation Army so that I can declutter my closets and organize my dresser drawers. The obstacle that I have is that 1. I keep thinking maybe I am going to lose the weight I gained from meds and fit in these clothes again and 2. Some of these clothes are in very good condition and in some cases rarely worn. I would like to try to get some money for these clothes, but I am not sure if it is or isn't worth the effort to try to sell them. I took two bags of clothing to a local consignment shop but they only took 4 items and gave me a total of $7. I want to learn how to use eBay to try to get rid of this stuff but I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet.

There is a website called Thread Up where you can sell your clothes. I believe it is affiliated with Amazon.

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Mail and fliers get me till I stopped bring them in the house. But then there is my dear family who open their mail and throw it on the table. From where they stand to throw it they are a foot away from the file cabinet if it's important, two feet from the recycle and maybe 4 to the shred box. It really isn't that hard a system. Co-operation would be really nice and very helpful.

I think I have 4 or 5 sizes of jeans. Ever hopeful that I can balance my hashimotos and lose weight. Considering that I very rarely shop for clothes I have a lot. But then I still have the t-shirt I got as a parent volunteer at Brownie camp in 97, my daughter is horrified Sadly it is starting to fall apart. I should take a pic and throw it in the rag bag

Oh wow, I would be really unhappy if some fake key in junk mail broke my shredder And I do the same thing with boxes - as soon as I start going through them, I want to keep the stuff.

Trying to work up some motivation to get something done today. I'd invite some people over to pick berries if the place weren't so trashed. It's at the point where I am not sure where to even start...

I have slipped into the "so overwhelmed I don't know where to start" mode again. The heat has me tired, work has me tired and my niece is coming to our house in August! I would like for at least the living room to be in order! Have boxes lining the walls in there. So much stuff and it's all spouse's who doesn't do anything!!!!!!!! grrrrr........

notz two things

1 tell your hubby that it is really upsetting you that he isn't helping and that you would like him to go throw a box every few days while watching tv. That said it didn't work with mine but hey it might with yours.

2 start at the place that most bugs you. When everything gets sideways I start in the front entry. It's a dumping ground that no one causes and no one picks up. I start there and work my way into the dining room and kitchen. The living room I make my son do as it is usually buried by his son's toys.

A good friend of mine is moving this week. We've been friends for 6-8 years. She's never seen the inside of my house because it's such a dump, and now she never will!

Spouse and I went through a bunch of old mail. Most of it was 2011, that's just ridiculous. Most of it went in the recycle bin and the rest got shredded. We did good.

Wow that is great. I really wish I could get my hubby to go through mail or the boxes of his paperwork. I really try to keep up on all the mail but there may still be a box around from when I was sick.

This weekend we redid the living room, caught up on dishes and I cleaned the bathroom.

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I'm jealous! Found my front entry way, did laundry, sorted though baby stuff that is leaving. Talked to walls well really I asked people to do things. Not even big things just things that have to get done. I did get the air fixed in my jeep he was fixing it in his truck and decided to do mine too. Nice but I would rather the toilet wasn't running and waisting water. I guess I will add pick up stuff and fix toilet to my list.

I've tossed a couple of things that I haven't used in quite some time as well as some cookbooks I will probably never read. It doesn't feel like I am making much of a dent... or maybe like I am just scratching the surface... I had a goal to clean out one room in particular today, but I'm not doing a great job with it.

Sometimes you scratch and sometimes you dent!!!!!!! Still, it's forward movement and that's worth celebrating!

After I posted, feeling very discouraged, I decided to sort through a different part of the house. I had much better luck there and filled up a recycling bin with books to toss! I pretended that I was getting stuff off my future to-do list, if that makes sense? Each book I tossed was one less thing I have to do later...

Sometimes it is easier to just wonder off to a different room and start fresh. I do sometimes right now I'm trying to deal with the kitchen table. It's either there or all that crap is levitating. I would love to wonder away but we have friends coming so a table would be nice. At least enough room for the adults (people over 30, lol the kids keep getting older so the age is rising). I've know her over 30 years. Right now she will not let me in her house. I have seen her house before but she says it's worse than ever. She has been depressed for a while, I wish she would let me help.

Having them over is probably a nice break for her, that's helping.

Thanks notz. I hope it is helping. I have also managed to talk her into running away from home for the weekend next weekend. A friend of ours is having a 80th birthday party for his mom. So we are going up for the weekend.

That's great that you can get your friend away for a mini-escape! I tried going back to the area I had luck in decluttering a few days ago... no more motivation for that, so I guess I need to find a new area!

hvert I hear you. I'm having a hard time caring today. I'm also wondering why I bother family is messing it up faster than I can clean.