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Whew!
Jun 25, 2009 11:22:02 GMT -5
Post by slothzilla on Jun 25, 2009 11:22:02 GMT -5
Hi Gang, Sorry i haven't been around much lately - I only have internet access at work, and my job's kept me so busy lately that I haven't had time for anything but work the past couple of months.
And I had been 'backsliding' as far as cleaning up my apartment goes, and just hadn't felt much like thinking about it. Lately my strategy had been to buy new large pieces of furniture, to force myself to reorganize and declutter - however that strategy wasn't working out too well, because I just couldn't muster up the energy to actually get rid of my old furniture (my anemia has been taking a toll on me, and my main arm is perpetually sore from tearing a muscle or something in it about 7 months ago).
So my apartment was in total disarray for awhile - an extra chester drawers had been in my dining room for a long time, I had an extra tv in my living room, and I had other large pieces of furniture in the middle of my apartment that were just always in the way, and needed to go. On top of that was an ever-growing layer of 'media' - books, magazines, dvds, cds, vhs tapes, comics, and guitars/music equipment, that are always scattered around my apt.
When I got home last Tuesday, to my horror there was a note from the apartment manager saying that they wanted to inspect my apt. before renewing my lease (a maintenace man had been in my apt. in March and reported to him what a mess it was). The last time my place was inspected was 7 years ago, and I had really let it go since then, it had been in 'Level 3" squalor for most of the past 5 years at least .
So I went into panic mode and jumped into hyperspeed cleaning and organizing. I took 3 and a half days off from work, plus worked non-stop all weekend. Throughout the entire processs, you all here at Stepping out of Squalor were on my mind a lot, just remembering back to all the support you'd given me in the past, and all the good advice I'd read here.
I remembered when Dobbin went through his inspection, someone posted a list of what inspectors look out for. I found that in the archives here and printed it out, that was very helpful. There were several things on that list which I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own, such as keeping pathways wide, the stairs clear of stuff, the back door and electrical outlets accessible, smoke detector working, etc. Thanks so much to whoever posted that list.
I also remembered that Dobbin said that he rented a mini-warehouse space, and put his dirty laundry there. I copied his idea and did the same thing, and that mini-warehouse was a lifesaver! My main problem was that I just had waaaay too much stuff in my apt, and a mountain of dirty clothes as well (I've got to get out of the habit of just buying new clothes instead of doing laundry). Having too much stuff everywhere makes it impossible to actually clean, because you can't get to the floor or countertops, etc., because there's so much stuff in the way.
So I rented a 5 x5 space - funny how their "$1 first month rent" special turns into $42 by the time you sign all the paperwork, but oh well, it was money well spent. I should've gotten a bigger space though, because the space I rented is now jammed wall-to-wall with a 10 foot high pile of stuff. I was thinking I'd just have the mini-warehouse for a month or two, but now I'm thinking it might be permanent. (I do plan to thin out its contents a little every week).
I also threw just as much stuff away, and probably donated an equal amount of stuff to the thrift store. I can't believe I had so much crap in may apt. Even now my apt. is still filled wall to wall with stuff, I have shelves everywhere and they are all overflowing.
The apartments I live in were built in 1947, and rats are a problem here if you don't keep your apartment very tidy, or have a cat. I found a ton of rat pellets in kitchen cabinets that I never use, and in all the corners of my downstairs rooms. Ugh...at least I didn't find any more dead rats (found one back in january).
My notice for my inspection said that it would be sometime between Monday the 22nd to Wednesday the 24th. Sunday night I was panicking, because there was no way I could pass a Monday inspection. After having what felt like a mini-nervous breakdown that night I spoke to the apt manager first thing monday morning, and he said he would have the apt inspected late wednesday, which was very nice of him. With a slight reprieve, I finally got some sleep monday morning.
Of course yesterday morning I was panicking again, because as I was frantically trying to get the place ready for inspection, I kept noticing things I had totally forgotten about, plus I really needed to get back to my place of employment asap. When I left for work I thought there was about a 66% chance I'd pass. When I got home, they had left a note saying "thanks for keeping the apartment clean". So it looks like I will be in my apt. for another year. Yaaay!
My bank account is overdrawn from spending so much on cleaning supplies, my body is completely worn out, every muscle aches and I am covered in bruises and cuts, but at least my sore arm hasn't been bothering me, which is a big surprise (especially considering that I moved a huge 32" old-fashioned tube tv downstairs by myself - those things weigh a ton!).
In a way, this has been a blessing in disguise, because I probably never would've gotten the place cleaned to the point it is now on my own. Now to learn the fine art of maintenance!
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Whew!
Jun 25, 2009 11:38:44 GMT -5
Post by AnnieOkie on Jun 25, 2009 11:38:44 GMT -5
Hey there Zilla! I'm sorry you had to endure a crisis clean, but it sounds like you did a great job! Congrats on passing the inspection. It is possible to learn the fine art of maintenance, I have done it myself. What has helped me the most is using the Accountability Partners thread. I can come and go and if I don't get things done, I can examine why and plan to attack it another way or at another time. I know we can help you here, it sounds like you have gotten lots of helpful info so far that helped you through this milestone.
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Whew!
Jun 25, 2009 14:25:43 GMT -5
Post by slothzilla on Jun 25, 2009 14:25:43 GMT -5
Thanks Annie. The Accountability Partners thread sounds like a great idea...I have two perfectly good computers at home, and plan to get internet at home again soon, so I hope to be more active on the board when that happens. Then I will be able to join in the 15 minute challenges, and things like that too.
I used to have internet access at home, but the room that my computers are in got so messy that I quit using it for the most part (I am on the computer at work all day anyway). That room has been in a state of flux lately - I've rearranged it so that the computers are easier to get to, and not tucked way back in a cluttered corner anymore. Looking forward to hooking them back up and getting online at home again.
On the surface, my place is looking good, but in truth I still have a lot of work to do. As the inspection deadline got closer, I was less and less organized in what I was throwing in boxes, so I need to go back through about 25 boxes and organize & consolidate their contents better (not to mention I have a ton of laundry to do).
And of course my mini-warehouse area really needs a lot work too. My plan is to bring 2 to 3 boxes back home from it each week, and re-integrate their contents (that I want to keep) back into my apartment, and throw the rest of it away. I read a quote here from someone, "a place for everything and everything in its place"...I am going to try to keep this in mind and take this approach, instead of just having random piles of stuff everywhere.
A friend of mine recently opened up a used record store, and I have about a 1000 LPs I've been meaning to give him. I want to cull out about 100 that I want to keep first though, and haven't had time to do that. Now those records are buried deep in my mini-warehouse, and its going to take a lot of digging to get to them.
I bought a big flat screen TV a couple of weeks ago, and have kept the box in case it needs to be sent back for repairs. The box is ridiculously huge and was one of the first things to go into the mini-warehouse. Just yesterday the TV started acting up, and now I am going to have dig out that box. Oh joy...another big project! And ironically, up until this weekend I knew exactly where the warranty paperwork for the TV was...but not now! Hopefully that didn't get thrown into one of those 25 boxes!
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Whew!
Jun 25, 2009 14:35:19 GMT -5
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Jun 25, 2009 14:35:19 GMT -5
- CONGRATULATIONS on HUGE victory !!!!!! It would seem that your name has changed. Sloth Zilla You are now Active Zilla !!!! -
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Whew!
Jun 25, 2009 19:03:42 GMT -5
Post by messymimi on Jun 25, 2009 19:03:42 GMT -5
What an amazing story! Congratulations!
messymimi
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Whew!
Jun 25, 2009 19:11:33 GMT -5
Post by juniper2 on Jun 25, 2009 19:11:33 GMT -5
Well done Slothzilla. At least you brought your new furniture into the house! I purchased furniture to get me more organized to the tune of $3200 which is paid in full last Thanksgiving and never set a delivery date! They never contact me, they are still in business and I last talked with the furniture company in February. I have no room to accommodate the furniture...work and life get in the way.
Congrats on being so successful!
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Whew!
Jun 26, 2009 0:31:40 GMT -5
Post by Arid on Jun 26, 2009 0:31:40 GMT -5
juniper2: We've had a lot of furniture stores goes out of business with absolutely NO WARNING lately here in the midwest. I'd get that furniture moved in as quickly as possible, if I were you!
Arid
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Whew!
Jun 26, 2009 3:40:57 GMT -5
Post by Cince on Jun 26, 2009 3:40:57 GMT -5
:-*Hi Slothzilla, Way to Go on your place! Keep up the good work!
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Whew!
Jun 26, 2009 16:58:42 GMT -5
Post by slothzilla on Jun 26, 2009 16:58:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the pats on the back, gang! I appreciate it.
Juniper2, I'd definitely do whatever it takes to get that furniture soon! $3200 is some serious jack, and you don't want to take a chance losing it. I got screwed out of $20K earlier this year, as well as a $100 every month in interest, by an insurance company being taken into receivership by the state (my mom signed over a life insurance policy to me, which i was going to cash out eventually as part of my retirement fund...now the only way I can collect that money is to die! And I have no heirs....) Sorry to whine, just trying to stress that when it comes to matters of finances, don't procrastinate!
I stillhave a couple of shelves I bought over a month ago that are still unbuilt in their boxes...hope to get them built this weekend. I bought them both shortly before I went out of town for a while, and when I got back I had a light-headed dizzy spell for like 10 days...so I kept putting off putting those shelves together . Plus, I really didn't have enough empty space anywhere on the floor, and I wasn't sure where all my tools were. (I do now...yaaay!)
One is an Expedit shelf from IKEA, which is WAAAAY heavier than it looks...which is another reason I've been putting off putting it together. The other shelf is a headboard/bookshelf for my bed...hopefully that will absorb some of the clutter that always surrounds my bed.
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Whew!
Jun 26, 2009 19:54:29 GMT -5
Post by Meme on Jun 26, 2009 19:54:29 GMT -5
congratulations- you did it........and yes- you will feel the pain for a while but it is a feel good pain- awesome-
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Whew!
Jun 29, 2009 9:36:23 GMT -5
Post by gettingsomewhere on Jun 29, 2009 9:36:23 GMT -5
woohooo slothzilla! great job, you re an awesome inspiration.
enjoy your tidy new home. x
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Whew!
Jun 30, 2009 9:08:32 GMT -5
Post by autumn on Jun 30, 2009 9:08:32 GMT -5
Congratulations!!! I am very proud of you and all you have done. It takes a great deal of fortitude to stick to a task, especially one as daunting as this. Suzanne is right, 2 boxes a week and never have to deal with them again. What a relief it will be not to have them nagging at you from the storage
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Whew!
Jun 30, 2009 15:33:30 GMT -5
Post by juniper2 on Jun 30, 2009 15:33:30 GMT -5
juniper2: We've had a lot of furniture stores goes out of business with absolutely NO WARNING lately here in the midwest. I'd get that furniture moved in as quickly as possible, if I were you! Arid Well, with all the intention and attention placed on my furniture...gonna need to clear the clutter out soon to accommodate it... salesperson from furniture store left message yesterday his boss is probably getting on his case...haven't called him back yet... hope I can get it together by July 14th and have him deliver it by then! Hope he doesn't want delivery sooner than that! I'm sweatin' bullets at this thought...I've started a cleanup this past Sunday...but sooooooooo much to do! I'm freakin' out since I only have nights (when I'm exhausted from work) and weekends (usually day after work week I'm exhausted and do pretty much nothin')...thank goodness I've got a 3-day weekend ahead!
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hopehope
Banned
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,815
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Whew!
Jul 1, 2009 2:01:38 GMT -5
Post by hopehope on Jul 1, 2009 2:01:38 GMT -5
hot ***!! well done.
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Whew!
Jul 1, 2009 2:10:35 GMT -5
Post by tinasabrina on Jul 1, 2009 2:10:35 GMT -5
Wow Slothzilla! Whew indeed! You really knocked yourself out. You should reward yourself with a little something. You sure deserve it. I am so glad your inspection went well. What a wonderful feeling.
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