Organizing and decluttering the homestead

[Beekissed]

Your mom has an excuse, your son doesn’t. Get the peach switch! LOL LOL

I've spoiled him by doing clean up for all the projects, as he works the hardest on building things and such and I'm the gopher, so it's my job to facilitate. He sort of has an excuse, as I'm an enabler....but there are times I am not there to know he's left the mess, then I find it later and I'm because I have so many other things to do than clean up these little piles of things left behind. But then I remember what a gift he has been here to Mom and I and I thank God for him and try to show good grace in picking up the mess. Sometimes it just all gets away from me, is all....case in point, that nightmare of a shed.

 

[Marie2020]

It's about "time" and interruption of projects. We start and stop too often as things happen that need our attention. I often find those treasures I had "lost" when going thru the piles I've made.

That's the same with me and then I start piling up again

 

[Marie2020]

Yes!!! That's my son's and my mother~now that she has a harder time remembering things~biggest problem....putting things back where they found them! That drives me batty to find something just tossed down where they used it or shoved any ol' place when it has an actual place, where I'd be looking for it later and not being able to find it. It's a losing battle for me to run around behind these two, trying to restore order.

You would just about throttle me

 

[Marie2020]

Hi all. I just couldn't resist this subject. I hope you all don't mind me just joining in

 

[CLSranch]

Welcome, I think we could all declutter and organize more.

 

[Beekissed]

Hi all. I just couldn't resist this subject. I hope you all don't mind me just joining in

Absolutely not! Join in and even feel free to go off topic....it's called good conversation!

As @CLSranch said, we could all use some decluttering in our lives, both of material things but also of emotional, mental, physical and even spiritual things. Especially now, at this most strange time in the world, wherein there is so much division, loss of freedom in the US and the looming future of what is to come, a person needs to get as free as they can of all things that encumber us.

I found out how freeing the letting go of stuff was way back in the 90s first and I knew it felt good, but it would take me 2 more times after that, of purging most of everything I owned~due to moving here and there~before I realized that God was trying to tell me something. If it feels so good to get rid of it, why am I clinging so hard to it? Does it feel good to have to clean it up, rearrange it, or otherwise care or walk around all this stuff? No? Then why, oh why, do I continue to do so?

If I moved tomorrow, the only thing I'd be taking along of my own personal possessions from this particular home would all fit into the back of my car. All of it. I'm living at my mother's home, taking care of her and her place right now, so all that stuff you saw in that shed? Only a few small bags of winter clothing in there are mine....the rest is mother's or Eli's.

In my own room, I have 2 ft of space for clothing to hang in my closet(remodeled the room and intentionally designed it thusly)....usually all I own to wear, both winter and summer, will fit into that space and it's just this year that I had winter clothing so much that I had to store it in the shed. I need to get back to that 2 ft of space only.

Decluttering my life in all ways is an ongoing and, ultimately, rewarding process. I see America drowning in stuff and so many people overwhelmed by it all, losing space in their garage, home, table, countertops that they would otherwise use freely but are unable to do so due to stuff. It saddens me and I know how they feel....it adds to their depression, anxiety and even affects their overall health.

 

[Beekissed]

Case in point....my DIL thought the hospital didn't file for her latest baby's SS number after he was born~11 mo. ago~and she didn't think to do anything about it until now, as she needs that number to file taxes. So, she had to gather hospital records, make phone calls, etc. and finally got a piece of paper to send off to get that number.....but somehow lost it in the clutter of papers on her counter top and thinking it had fallen down behind the whole counter unit, had my son start to look for it.

So, son tries to retrieve it but had to move a lot of stuff to even access that area....in doing so, he discovered an envelope containing the SS card that was sent long ago.

All that stress and delay in filing taxes, all of it coming down to the wire, frustration over dealing with government agencies.....all of it could have been avoided if their counter top didn't have a constant stack of various and sundry things on it. Which she likely could have gotten around to doing something about if the whole house wasn't an ongoing moving pile of clutter, with her desperately trying to keep it neat and clean and each day more and more of it gets away from her. Too many toys, too much clothing, too many school supplies, too many dishes and tumblers and cups of all shapes, sizes and types. Amazon delivers something every other day and it's just more stuff they don't need and have no room for.

Here's a chick with some good tips for young mothers and I sent her a few of her vids to watch but she never has time to watch them, it would seem.

 

[Messybun]

Just found this thread, and good timing! My mom and I just cleared our pantry and reorganized it. Got rid of about two boxes of stuff too.
A little while ago I cleared out my room. Yikes stuff can accumulate! Ended up getting rid or a bag or so of clothes and a bag of trash. No idea where it all comes from. Now I have most of my stuff in a dresser, because I’d rather fold than hang, and only my hoodies and dresses in the closet. I keep my clothes in a basic order, wear out clothing, work clothing, toss out clothing. If I am packing up quickly, like an evacuation, I grab the first two piles. The toss out clothing is the stuff that is too old to really be worth keeping, but I will still get a few good wears out of it (or make a car squeegee, bandage, animal sweater, whatever).
I like to keep my feed shed organized by planning for about three feet more than I need per thing, and not getting over planned. I could spend hours and draw up a diagram of how to fit everything perfectly. But in all honesty I won’t keep with it exactly. So my style is to give myself a little wiggle room. It also works if I buy a different sized product, it will still fit without having to move everything else! Because sometimes forty lb bags are a better buy than fifty, and sometimes I get free fence wire(okay, more like I wish I got free fence wire.)

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Free fence wire? Will you please introduce me to your friends?????

 

[CLSranch]

Too many toys, too much clothing, too many school supplies, too many dishes and tumblers and cups of all shapes, sizes and types. Amazon delivers something every other day and it's just more stuff they don't need and have no room for.

I get tired of people giving the kids toys all the time. I simply don't buy them anything that's not a big and outside toy and that being very rare and on sale. Bike's for example, yet all the little cars, small dinosaurs, on and on etc.... is already in the floor of every room by the end of every day. They are made to pick it up but it wouldn't be there if they didn't get some from everyone. Everyone saying they NEED these toys starting at the age when they were most entertained by watching the ceiling fan. They still enjoy boxes as much as toys.