Comments on: Spring Cleaning & Organizational Hurdles

By: Amelia

Amelia — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 14:02:32 +0000

Ditto the Flylady plug. I have not followed her system right down the line, but even if you just read the testimonials that she sends out daily, it starts to affect your attitude for the better. For many of us, she really nails the reasons why we beat ourselves up emotionally and/or hoard things we don’t need. It’s worth a look.

By: Faith Proctor

Faith Proctor — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:50:23 +0000

For filing receipts I use a three ring binder with pocket folders. One for each month, and a few extra for misc. things. This is handy for price comparisons as well. I put the monthly bank statment in with the receipts. Stores well.

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:59:23 +0000

Flylady.com has changed my life! Check it out! It’s free and one of the best home organizational life saving sites I’ve ever found. My home is not perfect but I no longer obsess about it.

By: owlhaven

owlhaven — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:36:12 +0000

I JUST put up a post about this!

Mary, mom to many

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:17:40 +0000

It sounds like we all have the exact same battles!

I have a solution for receipts that works for me. I have 12 small brown envelopes, one for each month, each with a printed label. All the receipts for the month go in the appropriate envelope. Every 3 months I go through the last 3 months and enter the receipts into an expenses spreadsheet (I tend to enter grocery expenditures onto that spreadsheet as I make them, because i want to make sure I’m not overspending for the month). Any receipts that are tax-relevant go into a labeled envelope in my tax folder for that year (medical, business, etc.). Receipts that need to be kept for other purposes go in the appropriate folder in my file cabinet and the rest get recycled. My 12 receipts envelopes live in a small basket in my kitchen. Paper that needs to be filed goes into another basket, and once a week I do that filing. I have to treat that like it’s part of my job in order to make sure it gets done.

“It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff” by Peter Walsh is a very inspiring book for people trying to reduce clutter. I’ve always tended to (as my husband puts it) get rid of stuff if I wasn’t using it that day, but this book made even me take a more honest look at my things. For example, I had a lot of clothes that slipped past my regular closet purges – I realised I did not have to keep clothes I’ve had for 20 years just because they still fit, even though I haven’t worn them in 15! I heard about Walsh’s book from Trent at the Simple Dollar and it helped me a lot.

By: N. & J.

N. & J. — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:14:09 +0000

I too fight a constant battle with horizontal spaces, especially the dining room table. Since our apartment is so small our “dining room” table doubles as extra counter space for cooking, a desk, a craft space, sorting space etc etc. The other place my clutter hides is in all the organizational bins I have, my closets, my cupboards, my drawers. I tend to shove stuff into any available hiding space when I get tired of having it in the middle of the living room but since I don’t usually sort it before I store it I really have no idea but all I have lurking in my apartment.

http://badhuman.wordpress.com

By: 1stopmom

1stopmom — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:51:46 +0000

Pamela I go through the same thing. For some reason I believe when people are visiting they are judging everything. I stress out trying to make everything perfect. I have been taking baby steps to conquer it. I have to literally leave some area messy. So i can get out of my comfort zone. By other big issues are paper clutter because I save everything and my bedroom has become a catch all.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:58:36 +0000

I have always enjoyed having people over… until this year! Now I really don’t do it or enjoy it. WHY???? Because I have let the UGLY head of comparison rise up and cause me to be insecure about our home. YUCK!!! This is not what God wants, He wants our home to be a welcoming place of hospitality, not a place ready for some magazine. I have friends that have a divine gift for decorating and keeping immaculate homes…. that gift was not doled out to me with the same measure. Rather than focusing on my perceived failures or lack I need to focus on what I do have to offer. I need to get rid of the comparison factor and truly focus on the gift of hospitality that God has given me. Hospitality is other’s focused (making them feel loved and special)… entertainment is me focused (trying to impress others).

By: April

April — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:42:47 +0000

Pamela… YES!! I was reflecting on this the other day when we went to the rectory at an Episcopal church for “Sherry and Nibbles” before an Evensong before a concert. The rector and his wife have an 18-month old and all the attendant parephanalia. They don’t have a lot of junk, but the house was definitely not spotless. There were papers about and dog hair on the floor and the kitchen was piled with dishes. And at the same time, they had 30 people from the congregation and beyond walking around looking at their lives. And they were both fine with it — excellent hosts — at ease, witty, happy, etc. The wife is a new friend. I’m going to pick her brain about it when we are a little more acquainted and I won’t offend.

By: Jen

Jen — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:42:23 +0000

My biggest issue is paper piles and things that need to be filed. I probably have 3 totes in my room of paper or other things that just simply need to be filed? Any suggestions?