Messy House; Messy Life Thread ??

Back again ?
In a nutshell- my problem is that my house is too small.
I don’t think that I actually have much more stuff than most folk, but I do have far less storage space and actual rooms.
It seems like I’m constantly moving stuff from one place to another.
My living room is tidy, but it’s the only place that is. If it wasn’t I’d go around the bend.
I’m pretty certain that I am a naturally tidy person; but my possessions have caught up with me after 20+ years in a small house.
And no, I won’t consider moving!
Im determined to have a teeny tiny conservatory built this Spring so that we can enjoy the lovely view out the back, so I really need to get on top of things….

I am not super clean or disgustingly dirty. You may well find a layer of dust but I am fairly tidy. Not obsessive, My theory is it's my home, you are welcome to come anytime and you will find a seat and a cup of tea. An ear to listen and a chat if you like but nothing fancy and I don't straighten the cushions when you stand up. You might have to pat one of my 2 dogs. Hopefully it's okay for most people.

I'll never be a minimalist, I'm afraid. My best Christmas present last year was a deepish tray which now sits neatly in the centre of my dining table. My 'stuff' is in there - book, newspaper, magazines, playing cards, pen, etc, and I quickly find most things - so it looks tidy which I can assure you is an improvement.

But, ahem, there are books on my bedroom floor as I have never had enough storage. My aim this year is to get a couple of proper bedside tables so at least it'll look better.

I do that thing with the tray too. Every so often I take it all up to the study and deal with it - either filing or shredding (or leaving in a less tidy pile that nobody else can see of course) !
At least I know where all those bits of paper are and it looks organised! ]

I need to declutter! We want to downsize but I desperately need to get rid of "stuff" that might come in useful! However, as much as I'd like to be on a thread that encourages me, looking at this one, by the time I've read through it all, I'd have no time left to do what I have to.

Today the Xmas decorations will come down; it'll be August before I get them into the loft!

I have a good friend of whom I am very fond, a graduate and retired teacher, but there are no books on show anywhere in her house and any “ornaments” and what I think is called “wall-art” both minimalist and chosen to complement the decor.
Hmm - mine all have sentimental value - framed pictures of the grandchildren and of Paw , pictures on every wall, mostly originals, some inherited , some given , some bought.
We are good friends but she probably despairs of me.
She was really flattered recently though when a visitor complimented her on her house, saying it looked just like a “show home”.
I’d have been totally underwhelmed!

my house was ok until i took in my grandaughters as they were taken out of their home by social services. my daughter came to and gradually my house got messier and messier. younger grandaughter was on the autistic scale and just dropped things where they fell. unfortunately their room got worse and worse and i despaired as i'd had two operations in two years and couldn't get things sorted and my daughter didn't bother.
in december 2020 they left with no warning (and i still don't know where they are!) leaving me with an indescribably untidy, messy and dirty room to clear up - loads of sweet wrappers, empty drink cans and, unbelievably a used sanitary towel under the bed!
so much rubbish - all their bedding and mattresses plus everything else including two dining room chairs!! 15 blsck plastic sacks, two mattresses and the chairs in all.
a year later everything which is out of place (i couldn't put things away when they were here) is piled in the conservatory but most of the house is now clear but not tidy.
i suffer from arthritis and can only do a little before i have to sit down and i find cleaning/dusting difficult. but i have to tidy more away before i can have a cleaner.
it does get me down but i'll just soldier on until it's done - but anyone is welcome for coffee as they know my circumstances.
although i don't think i'll ever be comfortable in a too-tidy house.

I think needing a bigger house to accommodate stuff is a bit of a myth. However many rooms or extra space is available, it still manages to get filled.

icanhandthemback I tell myself it probably won't come in useful and if I really need it then I can go and buy it again. Not so easy with irreplaceable sentimental things though.

Loving this thread. I am desperately needing to do decluttering. Have already got some things put by for a car boot sale in the Spring, but need to do much more. It is dragging me down living in a mess and I am glad to see that I am not alone

I like to be tidy but seem to have accumulated too much stuff over the years.

I am currently sitting in my WFH office which also contains:

1. Four boxes of Christmas decorations waiting to go in the loft. They can't go in yet as I need to sort out the loft and find the photos (four big boxes) which I intend to sort through to get rid of all the unnecessary ones e.g. elephants at the zoo from the 1960's.

2. DH's golf clubs

3. DGC toy box

4. Our dog's spare bed that she never sleeps in

5. A pile of magazines.

I am ordinarily a tidy person but have found it hard to motivate myself during the pandemic.

I did sort out my clothes a few months ago and took about eight bin bags of clothes to the charity shop.

I also sorted out my bedding and got rid of some of that. I was contemplating getting an ottoman bed to put my many bedding sets in but then I thought it was cheaper to get rid of most of them instead.

I have a kitchen cupboard stuffed with plastic containers. How many do I really need. That is my next job.

I find that I am better at having a clear out when I am in a good mood rather than a maudlin mood. I am more inclined to get rid of things when I am upbeat.

I couldn't live in a minimal house and like things with individuality e.g. unusual mirrors etc.

Friends of ours have just moved house. It looks like a show home. Lots of grey and no personality at all. Their previous house was the same.

MayBeMaw I never think 'showhomes' look like homes at all.
In Victorian times, apparently, it was important to have either an open book or piece of needlework lying out so that any visitor thought they must have interrupted you while doing something virtuous. I suppose we could leave the TV on? Doubt we'd we'd be fooling anyone.

mokryna

My rooms are a bit a dusty but not untidy. However, we won’t talk about what is in the wall to ceiling cupboards in each room plus the garage and two cellars.

This sounds like me. A place for everything and everything in its place. BUT all is surrounded by dust I do it once a week. The loft and spare bedrooms are stuffed. Out of sight out of mind.
I lived as a child in a very clean house but it was clean chaos we couldn't even find the scissors when we needed them. Nothing was ever put in the same place twice. One of my grans was the same.
The other just pushed everything under setees cushions stacked up the stairs and dusted like me once a week. I still remember as a child sitting on a settee that was very uncomfortable putting my hand under the cushion and pulling out grans spare corset much to everyone's delight in the room. She didn't bat an eyelid just said she had been taking washing of the pulley as we arrived. Granddads long johns were under the actual setee.

when I was a home carer over 40 years ago I visited a very intelligent woman who had worked for the foreign office, she had piles of books, needlework etc in various places around her room and called them her creative piles cos she could go and sit when she fancied doing some particular thing. She was so interesting I have kept my house similar, I loathe overtidy houses, they're totally boring

I think that when we're older,and have lived in a house for a long time,we do have a lot of stuff.I've noticed it with others,and I'm guilty of it myself.Even Princess Anne was photographed in her very lived in looking sitting room. People who have moved house tend to have more minimalist houses

I find it really difficult to be tidy. I live on a narrow boat and got rid of masses of stuff when I bought her and moved. I am now planning to move back to land and I find myself still trying to get rid of stuff. I am determined to be tidy and organised when I am in a house. Ok...maybe when pigs start flying...

I will start with a built-in wardrobe- do I really need perm curlers any more? Or rollers?

With lots of cupboards it's out of sight, out of mind.

I have a pile of clothes on the floor, that are worn out, I hate waste so wear stuff until it falls apart. When I try to find out, where I can drop off clothes for 'recycling' all I get is 'wearable clothes' for use by others. I know there are companies, which 'recycle' clothes to make new ones, or other items like furnishings etc, but I have no idea where to find places like that. I'm sure a lot more can be recycled to save resources, but the information is totally lacking.
Can anybody help?

there are no books on show anywhere in her house
Not all ours are on show but do I really need my Noddy books, St Clare's books and the DC's annuals etc in boxes in the attic?

I need the House Doctor.

helgawills our local Red Cross shop takes clothes for the 'ragman'. They were pleased that I labelled the bags so they didn't have to sort them.
It's worth asking your local charity shops.

I took a bag of books to the Oxfam shop years ago and was told sniffily that they didn't want them unless they were the very latest editions or very old editions which might be worth something.
I've never taken any there since.

Took the Christmas decorations down yesterday and put them straight into the garage in a massive body bag type thing I bought at Costco last year. I did intend cleaning the living room today but OH couldn’t be bothered so it will have to be done tomorrow. I’ve just tidied the pull out kitchen cupboard where I keep tinned stuff and binned anything out of date. It seems never ending tidying up after Christmas but I’ve jumped off the hamster wheel for the rest of the day and I’m now enjoying a hot bowl of homemade soup. I do like my home to be tidy but it will just have to wait another day says she surveying rolls of wrapping paper, cards and bags in the snug!

I'm so glad I'm not alone with clutter but still clean.

My house is quite tidy except for a spare bedroom I call my office.
All our paperwork is filed there and organised. But as a hobby I sell on ebay so it's full of unwanted clothes, shoes, books, etc. And about 40 empty boxes that I use to pack things in. I have things given to me from DD and DIL, and also stuff from late MIL's house so a right mess in that room really. There's also my desk and a sofa bed for family so room is quite cluttered. But I love doing ebay so it will all stay. I don't make much money from it but its my hobby and doesn't cost me anything.

I find doing one aspect at a time sometimes helps , so tackle the messy corner of line up your books in order that you would like to read them. I have sorted through some clothes in a spare wardrobe before Christmas so have something "summery" things to go to the charity shop. I try to use the theory that if you haven't used/worn it for over 12 months then you probably don't need it. We moved a few years ago to a smaller property so I needed to be ruthless then and am trying to keep that mindset but it doesn't always work. ?

Cleanliness above everything, That is important.. My house may be messy, books, magazines newspapers, old and shabby, but clean.

MrJ has sorted out his clothes this morning, one bin bag for local charity shop, two for the local air ambulance who recycle clothing.
I’m now thinking about mine, but I had a good clear out last year.