messmallo
New Member
Joined: August 2008
Posts: 39
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Post by messmallo on Sept 22, 2008 7:29:30 GMT -5
Hello everyone. I am new to this site but I had posted a little on the old site. It was always a help and inspiration to me and I know it will be again. I am probably at a Level 2, it's mostly clutter and piles of stuff eveywhere. Nothings seems to have a home, you know? I get depressed visiting other friends' homes where everything is neat and clean. We rarely have people here, just family and then I'm on a clean up rampage in the rooms we'll be in, LR, DR, Kitchen and bath. The stacks and piles just become "neater". Our house is small, only 920 square feet, but there is so much stuff, and there are only 3 of us. I know I have to pitch stuff and quit bringing stuff in, but sometimes it is hard to get motivated as it all seems so overwhelming. I begin once again in hopes of "stepping out" and "staying out" for good. Thanks for listening.
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Post by ghettofabulous on Sept 22, 2008 10:50:01 GMT -5
Hi Malamellow!
I hear you about a small house, I live in a 640 square foot cabin which was packed to the gills up until a few weeks ago.
I learned something very valuable here, and that is that I just have waaaaaay too much stuff. My new motto is that if I wouldn't want to bring it with me on a lifeboat, out the door it goes. I also read a great suggestion when throwing stuff out, which was, try to pretend it's someone else's house, someone else's stuff. Sounds nutty, but it worked really well for me.
Got rid of stuff I'd been clinging to for over 20 years.....
Just tippy toe and baby step through it, and then come back and post your progress!
GhettoFabulous
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Post by greenfuzz on Sept 22, 2008 11:11:41 GMT -5
Hi Malamellow, I mostly have a dirt and junk problem on the floors, I do have too much stuff also but it's not the worst part of my squalor. Welcome. At least you have family over. I am always ashamed when anyone comes over and am usually not able to clean much prior to their arrival. If I do, it's usually such a drop in the bucket that it goes un-noticed.
Good luck with your piles. Try to deal with them in a good or neutral mood and you will be able to throw out more. It will make you feel better instantly too.
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Post by pegasus48 on Sept 22, 2008 23:01:49 GMT -5
Hi malamellow, welcome aboard. I think the hardest part is accepting that a lot of "excess stuff" must go in order for the necessary stuff to find permanent "homes". One person told me, you can only keep as much as you can reasonably put away. In other words, toss so the cupboards are easily arranged. Toss so that you can find things in your closet. Toss so that your items fit nicely in your dresser drawers. I have not reached that pinnacle of organization yet, but it does make sense to me.
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messmallo
New Member
Joined: August 2008
Posts: 39
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Post by messmallo on Sept 23, 2008 9:59:44 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. I am beginning to accept I have to purge ( I used to watch Clean Sweep and that word sticks with me...I miss that show). I'll keep you all posted.
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Post by crazycatlady on Sept 28, 2008 20:57:05 GMT -5
Welcome to the new site, Malamellow. So glad that you joined.
One thing that I found to be true for me was that all the storage space (closets, dressers, etc) were full of clothes that no longer fit, and junk I no longer wanted. By slowly decluttering the available storage, there is more space to put usable stuff. (This was an amazing revelation to me. I had never used more than 2 of my 6 dresser drawers for clothing that fit. Instead it was full of things like bathing suits that hadn't fit in years, old empty jewelry boxes, and painful bras. Sigh.)
I hope that you find the help and encouragement that you need here!
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mrsmole
New Member
Joined: July 2008
Posts: 74
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Post by mrsmole on Oct 7, 2008 2:10:30 GMT -5
Hi malamellow I totally emphasize with feeling overwhelmed and finding it hard to get motivated. I have also lived in a small space, but for the last 5 years have lived in a relatively big space, and all I did differently was fill it up with even more c**p! Now I am freaking out, because when and if I have to move on from here, I will need about 3 moving trucks if I don't get rid of all this stuff. I have slowed down quite a bit on the accumulating of stuff (though I still do it but to a lesser degree), but like you I need to let go of a bunch of stuff. welcome aboard.
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