The magic of tidying

[tyme]

I'm slowly tidying and cleaning things in my house. My biggest achievement is bringing down the ironing pile. I ironed 5 more things today @Dimity .

I hope we can support each other.. then hopefully those bags on my loungeroom floor which have been sititng there for 2 years (since I moved into this house) can finally be put away. There are about 3-4 bags of things.

I'll let you know how things go.

[Dimity]

Well done on chipping away at the ironing @tyme . I've been hanging stuff unproved. 

Happy to support your efforts with the bags. Do you remember what's in them? Sometimes not needing stuff for a while is a clue to letting go.

@AuntGlow the housekeeping streak felt encouraging. But I lost my exercises streak while I was doing it. I'll try to juggle and keep more than one ball in the air at a time!

Today I'll do some chores and head out to get stuff for a couple of birthdays coming up.

[tyme]

Yeah, I'm chipping away at it slowly. I ironed a few more things.. still have more to go @Dimity 

Also, with those bags of things, they are all consumables. They are soaps, lotions and things like that. I only have a small vanity cupboard upstairs. I guess I can take everything downstairs to store it, but I'm afraid that it becomes "outta sight, outta mind" and then I'll never use the products.

Does everything you have have a 'home' or location? I reckon that's my main issue. Not everything has a home yet.

[Dimity]

No I don't have a home for everything @tyme . There's lots of overflow. I've gradually reduced my stocks of consumables and now I  mostly stick to a shopping list and only buy replacements. 

I've added to my visible clutter by emptying overfull cupboards and wardrobes to make space and provide a home for stuff I'm keeping. 

A lot of my clutter is books, papers and craft I'm attached to, but bad eyesight has meant I've not been using them as intended. Finding confidence and workarounds is part of the plan. I've donated quite a bit of stuff to help clear the decks and have been culling a lot of old files.

[tyme]

You made a really good point about 'visible clutter'. Now I think about it, I've got HEAPS of clothes that I'll never wear. So much is brand new, and each time I get stuff, I put it in the cupboard and never wear it @Dimity . Most don't even fit me anymore! What do you do then?

I've heard people say that if they haven't worn something for 2 seasons, then they get rid of it... I find this hard to do. But now that you've mentioned it, I feel I need to start with that too.

After this, I'm going to be determined to find a home for these toiletries and consumables. 

Thanks for a kick on the right direction!

I'm going to work on:

- get bags off floor - give them a home

- consider what to do with clothes that no longer fit me (this is the hard one)

[Dimity]

@tyme I've given good usable stuff to Salvos and Brotherhood. But you might be able to organise a clothes swap session with a church group. My council has done them.

[AuntGlow]

How many days was your housekeeping streak? 🤩

Honestly keeping on top of multiple things every single day is such a task!! I think even if you get a tiny bit done of whatever your goal is, that counts. 

How is tidying going today?

PS: I will be moving soon, which means I have to sort through everything, box it up, etc... and I know I will be stressing hard! So, I will also have to take my own advice around small bits every day. 💛

[tyme]

Yes. I wouldn't throw them away. I think the hardest thing is parting with the clothes because I keep thinking, what happens it I fit in it later @Dimity ? And probably both you and I know that I'll most likely NEVER fit into it!