Whole Home Organization Support Thread - Page 4

[diana_of_the_dunes]

What about setting aside a section of the garage/shed/whatever for the "useful" junk?  When it's full, it's full.  He can keep whatever he wants with no judgement, but it must be contained to that particular area.  I can sort of empathize with his desire not to throw away things that are potentially useful; I was stuck in that mindset for years.  But after realizing I just didn't have the time to fix said item, or that I was realistically never going to use it, I was able to make some changes. 

Another thought...  Could you maybe set a time limit on how long he has to decide what he's going to keep?  DH and I have used that on each other.  I'll get a box of his clutter together and tell him it has to be put away/trashed/donated within a week or I'll do it for him.  He's done the same for me.  It either provides the motivation to actually go through the items, or the realization that you really don't care what happens to it!  He even took a set of dishes to Goodwill for me on the sly.  I told him I wasn't going to use them, but I couldn't actually take them myself because they were a gift.  One day, I just went down to the basement and they were gone.  Obviously you shouldn't get rid of someone else's stuff without permission, as it could result in some very hurt feelings.  But DH and I have a mutually-agreed upon system, and it seems to work for both of us.

[MrsGregory]

The garage is already his.  

I do need his "buy-in" to any solution;  I'm not OK with being the junk-police.  I'm not OK with telling another adult how to behave in general.  But I feel crazy - literally driven to a mental break - when junk begins to accumulate.

I think needing to child-proof will help tremendously, as he will be forced to have all his junk in his space, and then maybe he will see how much he has?

[mromans]

I'd love to join, too. There is a lot of stress going on in our life, and I have a feeling that if I can get things at home a little more in control we will all feel better. Today I seem to be on a kick. I redid the linen closet and wound up with an entire empty shelf (but there are towels in the wash, so that empty space will be fleeting) and am almost done with the front hall closet. That last one is tough. The doors broke on it a while ago, so everything in it can be seen by anyone who comes to our door. The kids tend to throw stuff in it when they get home, too. 

We are a family of five. 

[diana_of_the_dunes]

I haven't been posting much, but I'm still plugging along...  Here was my to-do list:

• Sort through bookcase.  I have 30 years of back issues of Mother Earth News that need to be re-sorted.  I consider these reference and will not be getting rid of them.  I contemplated buying the CDs, but I am a prepper and would like to have this particular information on paper in case of an extended power outage.  Some other reference materials are here, but some are in our bookcase downstairs.  Consolidate.
• Take rocking chair out to garage, then back to my aunt.
• Take bed frame back to my mom  (going tonight when she comes for dinner)
• Sort through hope chest.  Discard/donate items I don't want or need to keep.  Use as storage for spare blankets.
• Find a new home for the ironing board.  Possibly purchase an over-the-door caddy, as our "laundry room" is far too small to actually iron in.
• Select new color and paint
• Purchase curtain and rod to cover closet opening temporarily
• Move DS's bed into new room and clothes into larger dresser
• Move crib and glider back to nursery

I'm still looking for the perfect curtain for the closet, but we did hang the themed curtains (little forest animals) on the windows in DS's room.

Other accomplishments are:

• began setting up nursery.  The crib is reassembled, the cushion covers on the glider have been laundered, and baby clothes and diapers are organized and put into drawers.
• got rid of the "rag basket" in the closet.  I somehow ended up with way more old towels, shirts, and ripped sheets than I know what to do with.  It's now a manageable size and fits into a shelf in our mudroom.
• weeded through even more of DS's toys.  I swear, the things breed and multiply on their own.
• Dropped off a HUGE tote of boy clothes to a friend.
• Washed and packed up all of DS's old bedding set to sell
• started organizing hall closet

Somehow it doesn't seem like much when I put it in a little list, but I feel like I'm accomplishing a lot.  Maybe because I can see how much space I'm freeing up?  Or maybe there's just less clutter in my head, because I don't have as big of a to-do list rattling around in there...  Anyways, I think I'm ready for a new to-do list!  Once this one is finished, the rooms should be photo-ready.

• Find a new home for the Mother Earth News/reference book bookcase.  I think this needs to move into the family room in the basement.
• Bring in painted bookcase for DS (currently living in the garage), and add a few toys and books from the living room collection
• Pare down toiletry items stored in hall closet.  We emptied the cupboards into boxes when we remodeled, then moved the essentials back into the new bathroom.  We decided that if we didn't use the items in the boxes for a month, we'd toss them (assuming they aren't occasional use items to begin with, like hair clippers or first aid).
• Organize sheets and blankets in hall closet
• Organize the "office" tote.  I'm not sure what to do with these things, since our office is now nonexistent...
• Move all bathroom remodeling items into the bathroom

[PoetryLover]

Subbing!

[diana_of_the_dunes]

A little more progress made yesterday afternoon...!

• Find a new home for the Mother Earth News/reference book bookcase.  I think this needs to move into the family room in the basement.
• Bring in painted bookcase for DS's room, and add a few toys and books from the living room collection
• Pare down toiletry items stored in hall closet. 
• Go through cleaning supplies in hall closet
• Organize sheets and blankets in hall closet
• Organize the "office" tote.
• Move all bathroom remodeling items into the bathroom

I'm absolutely disgusted with the number of toiletry items we've collected over the years.  We're really making a push to go more natural, so all of the lotions and potions with questionable ingredients are out.  I was trying to adhere to the philosophy of "use it up", but I figure if it's sat there for 3 years without us using it, it's safe to say we never will.  And really, I have no desire to use it now either.

I'm kind of wishing I'd joined the 2012 in 2012 challenge again this year.  It was really motivating to see how many items I'd gotten out of the house, and I know I'd be well over 300 just from the past week!

A friend and I are taking a trip to Ikea this Friday, and I'm anxious to get some more organizational containers and such.  We've been using cardboard boxes in the hall closet, just to keep things contained, but I want something I can see into.  I'd also like several smaller, stacking containers so that I don't have to paw through (and disorganize) a larger box.  I'll also be getting a frame for our bed, so for the first time in 8 years of marriage, we'll have a matching bedroom set and a bed with a headboard!
 

[mromans]

Way to go Diana! You have accomplished a lot. I like the idea of creating a list and crossing it all off. 

You can always donate those toiletry items. Women's shelters especially like getting them. I'm sure you have thought of that, though :)

So far, since last week I accomplished:

Decluttered: 40-something books, four bags of kids clothes, 1 bag of my clothes, 1 bag of shoes, hangers and miscellaneous, I large box of children's toys and games. 

Organized: Downstairs half-bath, upstairs linen closet and about 3/4 of the master closet. 

I work at home and have to catch up today, so I am not sure what I will get accomplished, but I want it to be something, even if it is small! 

[LitMom]

We are done with decluttering and have our place listed! First open house was Sunday, which was quiet, but some interest, so that's good. Someone's coming this afternoon for a private appointment, also a good sign. I'm hoping that a lot of the stuff in storage can be quietly gotten rid of from there rather than coming back into the new place. If the kids don't particularly notice a toy is missing, or if I don't find myself wanting certain boxes of clothes, I think they're just going to go. It's so much easier to clean and neaten now, with much less in every area of the house, and yet, it doesn't seem like "too few" toys for the kids; or too few kitchen supplies. Well, mostly anyway. There are some kitchen items I wish DH hadn't packed up, but more like 1 big mixing bowl and 2 handheld small things;  the rest of what's in those 2 full boxes worth of kitchen stuff, I couldn't tell you and don't need!

[mromans]

Originally Posted by LitMom 

We are done with decluttering and have our place listed! First open house was Sunday, which was quiet, but some interest, so that's good. Someone's coming this afternoon for a private appointment, also a good sign

Any news on the showings?

I managed to get one paper grocery bag of kids books de-cluttered today. Not a lot accomplished, but at least it was something, right? Youngest DS and I spent too much time at the park and reading books. Off to make dinner, now. 

[gozal]

Hey guys, can I join you? I started a big home reorg project last winter to keep my mind off of our long journey to get pregnant. We got a lot accomplished - a pretty thorough declutter, painted the living/dining area, replaced out kitchen counters and hardware, moved around the furniture we had, and updated some furniture that was really worn out. Then, happily, I got pregnant! First tri was a bit rough for me so I not only didn't get anything done, I also had a huge backlog of housework once I started to get my energy back. Now I am determined to finish up by July so I can just relax and have fun the rest of my pg. Although I will admit that I am bit of a clean/neat freak so organizing is usually fun for me. I've been doing this reorg for so long though, I'm over it. I want to spend my moments of spare time (I'm with DS full time) being crafty, gardening, and baking things!  

We live in a small townhouse/condo and both DH and I are pretty minimalist, though not hardcore. We just hadn't really updated or decluttered our home since we moved into it before I got pg with DS. Some of the stuff we still have to do I can't do on my own (tiling, painting, things that require we borrow my dad's drill) so during the week I'm trying to do all the other stuff.

This week I've been working on making our home and DS's room more child-friendly, Montessori-style. I thought I had this covered but reading some more about Montessori, I realized there's a lot more I could do. I need to finish rehanging his pictures at his height (he is helping me!) and putting away his warm-weather clothes in easy-to-reach places. I need to figure out a system for rotating clothes seasonally. In the past I've kept them all in his dresser, but we are going to need the space. I am also decluttering his room (round 2) - people really seem to give kids a lot of cluttery stuff as gifts, huh? 

My big goal for the coming week or two is to really tackle our relatively meager storage areas. I keep doing this without really creating usable space.

[mromans]

Welcome! Share some photos, if you can. 

[gozal]

Thanks! For privacy reasons I don't share any unprotected photos online - I wish there was a secure way to share them on MDC. :(

[mromans]

Got another bag of clutter set to go today, but I am fast losing my motivation! Help. I need to get inspired. 

[gozal]

Do they have pickupplease.org where you are? Quick, schedule a pick up! Then make a few more bags for them to come get, since they are coming anyway, and you may as well!

On another note...

Why do we have so many random throw blankets that people gave us? Ones that are too small to use, scratchy, and old/ugly? Why do people give other people throw blankets? And why does DH refuse to get rid of them? Oh well, it's gonna be him getting them down from the attic when we move.

[TracyGladRags]

Originally Posted by mromans 

Got another bag of clutter set to go today, but I am fast losing my motivation! Help. I need to get inspired. 

You can do it! One thing that helps me is realizing how much more quickly cleaning goes when I have fewer things to tidy up, put away, dust, etc. Think about how getting rid of lots of clutter will free up time you would've spent cleaning it, and now you'll have more time to spend on the things you actually love to do. Keep up the good work

[Choose2Reuse]

Looking forward to buying some furniture and shelves tomorrow!  (After our move, we currently have a bed, a crib, and a solitary set of shelves. :P)  Hopefully then I can get the living room to look like a real living room, and get the books, etc. put away!

Right now we still have a fair bit of junk sitting around in the living room, plus boxes of books, etc. and unassembled stuff in the second bedroom.  (And no furniture.) Only our kitchen, dining area-cum-baby-play-space and bedroom are really set up.  My MIL is coming to stay with us a month from now, so we MUST get things together soon!
 

[LoveOurBabies]

Originally Posted by LoveOurBabies 

Yes! Me. :)

We also moved into a small home (approx 900 sq ft).

We renovated/are still renovating the home but it should be finished in the next 3-4 weeks. The first thing I am doing is what I term as radical decluttering. Anything that is not used on a daily or weekly basis (at most) - is OUT. The only exceptions are for festive items and even they have been pared down to the all time favorites. I will also keep a few extra toys purely for rotation and some out of season, in between sizes clothes for the kids. That's it! Then we start on organizing what is left... the fun part. :)

I am starting with the children's room first. We will have built ins put in soon which will help tremendously with organization, however even built in space is limited and I'm determined to not let it be chaotic for the sake of 'storing more stuff'. I'm a little anally retentive when it comes to asthetics so I will be going to the full extent with matching baskets/storage contraptions/hangers etc. It's not hard to find neat items inexpensively and it can be done over time.

Anyone have any before/after pictures to share?

Would love to update with some progress since the post in March, but we're still renovating. This is taking soooooooo long and it's wearing on me. Not a huge renovation but my husband is a DIY'er which is why it's taking forever. My focus in these last several weeks has been de-cluttering (and even there I'm failing miserably).

My aim is to finish organizing the kitchen area within the next 14 days. Need to put more shelves, panels and doors in & clean them all, as well as unpack, organiz the pantry and install the oven.

I will have a picture to share when I'm done with the kitchen. My kitchen is white on white with brown wooden floors (floors not in yet though). Trying to decide on a third colour and it's a toss up between blue, purple or green. Kitchen and lounge area are open to eachother (it's a small house) and walls are a warm shade of white. WWYD for colouring?

[LoveOurBabies]

Originally Posted by Choose2Reuse 

Wow, everything looks so nice now! :)  Doesn't it feel GREAT to have that "give away or sell" pile growing and know that it'll be gone soon?  I had a Goodwill pile as we were preparing to move and it was so.dang.satisfying to schlep it all to the Goodwill dropoff and have it gone!

My husband and I agreed that from now on we'll follow a system (which I'll invent and police :) ) to keep the house organized and company-ready at all times, rather than looking like a place where hobos camp.  (This includes buying actual nice furniture that we want to keep for 10 years or more, rather than the cheap/free stuff we used in the old, hobo-like apartment.)  When we got rid of our extremely horrible old mattress, we saw that the name of it was actually "Sultan Hogbo" (which in our mind equals Sultan Hobo)....so we've come up with the Sultan Hobo Hall of Shame Award, to be awarded weekly to the person who does the most shamefully hobo-like thing.  So far I won it once for finally buying new underwear but not tossing the old holey stuff, and my DH is in the running this week for putting his old holey socks in the wash.  (I threw them out while I was folding the clean laundry and putting it away.)

Reading this over, it doesn't sound related to organization, but really it is!  We are both hoarder types and ridiculously cheap when it comes to our own personal stuff and living quarters.  We end up with a lot of boxes full of junk that "might come in handy someday" or "can be made to work," and while I'm usually all for making things do...there is a limit.  I'm sick of junk everywhere and nothing working quite right.  Thus, the invention of The System and our resolution to not live in squalor anymore! :)

Laughing along here... We do the same underwear/sock thing... And I've long considered us a little hobo-ish for various reasons.

[TracyGladRags]

Originally Posted by LoveOurBabies 

Would love to update with some progress since the post in March, but we're still renovating. This is taking soooooooo long and it's wearing on me. Not a huge renovation but my husband is a DIY'er which is why it's taking forever. My focus in these last several weeks has been de-cluttering (and even there I'm failing miserably).

My aim is to finish organizing the kitchen area within the next 14 days. Need to put more shelves, panels and doors in & clean them all, as well as unpack, organiz the pantry and install the oven.

I will have a picture to share when I'm done with the kitchen. My kitchen is white on white with brown wooden floors (floors not in yet though). Trying to decide on a third colour and it's a toss up between blue, purple or green. Kitchen and lounge area are open to eachother (it's a small house) and walls are a warm shade of white. WWYD for colouring?

I think green! Blue and purple to me are really soothing, calm colors -- which is good for a bedroom or a bathroom, but I think a kitchen should be more energetic and creative. Sounds like you are making progress, yay!

[LoveOurBabies]

Originally Posted by TracyGladRags 

I think green! Blue and purple to me are really soothing, calm colors -- which is good for a bedroom or a bathroom, but I think a kitchen should be more energetic and creative. Sounds like you are making progress, yay!

Thanks for your vote Tracy!

I will have to agree with green being energetic. It's my favourite colour. Green is my go to colour usually, but I've been aching to have some deep 'french' blue in there ever since I foolishly looked for french decor ideas. The lounge area and kitchen are opposite eachother so which ever colour I use for one area, will spill over in to the other. Whilst I'm aching to use the blue, I don't want to make the entire area seem cold as there is so much white.. Then I thought of lilac which is a cool colour but warmer than blue.. But at the same time, lilac is so distinct and not as fresh as blue or green are...

The only thing that is certain is my use of white!