The clutter…has…GOT…to…go

I was going to start this off “Four score and five years ago” because a complete lifestyle overhaul is a big deal and it calls for drama but I didn’t actually know how many years a score is. There’s no way they spoke about the Ghettiesburg address in any of my Spruce Grove, Alberta high school social studies classes but to be fair if they did...for me...back then? I was TOTALLY preoccupied with the state of my hair. I just looked it up and so you know too, a score is 25 years.

So.

Half a score and six years ago I was 19 years old and living on my own and it would be fair to say round about then, I started stocking up on things. Shoes, outfits to go with the shoes, things for the apartment,  gifts and gift bags in case I was invited places, shampoo that was on sale. You know, stuff. As my living spaces became bigger I kept on collecting things to fill my space. But not like those hoarding shows, please don’t paint that picture in your mind because my stuff is in bins with labels. Well, most of it is.  I have been known to buy things in triplicate that are cool or that other people would like too and the shoes…well that became a bit of a hobby.

Then POOF! I had a family.

The baby gear, the boy clothes, the girl clothes, the boy toys, the girl toys. Those babies grew into little people with activities who loved to play games and make crafts and you need one cupboard dedicated to just that.  Then all of a sudden they were kids playing every possible sport with us managing and coaching all those teams and we lost the garage to the equipment.

And there's the papers. Here and there, the hundred million bloody papers that you save when your family is in school and when you’re volunteering for this, that and everything. What makes things worse is when you start collecting things that might be good for the grad dance or a classroom activity and you’re piling up things to give to the neighbour down the road. Me, I’ve got me a lot of STUFF. And I’m working my ass* off right now trying to get rid of it of it all. I get blotches when I get anxious. Not knowing where to start gives me blotches. 

A few years ago we held our first garage sale. Remo was no way, no how a garage sale kind of guy so his involvement was limited to hanging up signs the night before when it was late and dark. Truth be told I pretty much get ready for every garage sale the night before and it’s hard to make it a professional operation when you’re completely disorganized. While over the years I’ve gotten a bit better at it, our annual summer garage sale is now a five hour social event. The Addis’s, the Szekely’s, my neighbours, the thrilling challenge, the excitement over who sells what. I can’t tell you how many whispers out the sides of our mouths there have been while we debate how much to say something costs. There have been situations…like when Remo sold my nearly new down filled sofa and love seat set for $100 when I had someone who wanted to buy them for $300. Or the front loading dryer that he gave away because that girl seemed so nice. I probably spend half my earnings on feeding everyone but in the grand scheme of things, the ultimate goal is supposed to be getting rid of all the junk…even if most of my junk still has labels on it.

So when I sat there in traffic one day thinking about how I was going to declutter my whole life I made a decision to start with my house. For once and for all.  And in further considering where I would start, I envisioned the mother of all garage sales.

The Plan

• First…I have to clear an area in my basement that I will use to put everything that’s going in the garage sale. Once it’s deemed garage sale it’s not allowed back in. We’re going to set a goal for the garage sale winnings to push us to part with more. Brandan and Remo want a pool table. The girls want a pool.
• I made a list of all the rooms/spaces in the house that I have to go through and egads, there are 26 (9 in the basement alone).
• I’m giving us 20 weeks to complete the clean sweep which puts us at the first week of June. I think there’s a good chance we can bump things up earlier, some spaces are no-brainers.
• I’m afraid that the places I start off with will end up ready for a clean sweep again by the time I’m finished the last of it, but hoping it’ll be easier to manage.
• I’m dividing what I clean sweep by things I need to keep, toss, put in the garage sale and give away. I’m putting Kaillan in charge of the things we have to give away because when that girl has something in her head she will NOT LET IT GO, and I’m banking on that quality helping to change our lives.

Execution

I told Remo the plan. He asked me if I remembered where I got the wireless thingamabobber for the printer. Remo? Were you listening to me? My plan? Uh No. So I launched into it again and knew I lost him. The problem with making these announcements every other day in every 1/25th of a score is that your audience is often bored. So I threw myself in front of him, much the same way a ghost might and told him if he didn’t help me, I was going to lose my &%@$ing mind. I had his attention.  

Support

Working full time…the kids and their 19 activities a week… the teams I manage, the Mother’s Guild I’m in, the fundraising for the elementary school...there’s not a lot of time left for getting your ship together. I need to be doing this with someone who gets the situation I’m in. Someone who appreciates how well I juggle my messes all things considering. Someone who understands my stress and who doesn’t judge why I feel like a disaster all the time. Quite honestly, I’d like to find someone worse than me. Though as I stopped right now to think about everyone in my life…I think I’m as bad as it gets.

20 weeks to declutter a house and all it takes is 21 days straight doing something and you can make a habit of it…you can not imagine how excited I am about this. 

 * Just wondering...if I'm paying an annual fee to keep this blog, am I allowed to fling out bad words as I please?

Comments

[Jeanetteleblanc]

some notes:
First note: 21 days to create a hobby - i seem to make it almost there, and then lame out.

I had declared 2011 the year of not sucking. Loosely defined, that gets to mean whatever the heck I want it to mean on any given day. Supposedly though it means I'm supposed to do what I say I'm going to do.

We were doing the 21 day yoga challenge from www.yogajournal.com 21 days of yoga. I was fired up, I was dragging Mary out of bed in the morning to do yoga (and I've never dragged anyone out of bed to exercise before ever). I'm doing amazing and I'm pumped up and so damn proud of myself for not sucking. Then comes day 18. So close to the end. And I quit - completely. It's like I totally forgot about it overnight.

I think really old habits might take more than 21 days.

second note: shoes are a valid hobby.

third note: I not only think you are allowed to use bad words, I believe they are encouraged - although i still often put a PS and apologize to my mother after I swear on my blog.

[Allisun]

All I know is from this side of it (the not doing nuttin side), the idea that there's nothing about exercising that I actually enjoy is causing a big block. Getting ready to go, dropping whatever I'm doing to do it, watching the clock till its done...oy vey. And yet I know when it's all over, I'll be grateful I did it. My fear also about getting into a real programme is the minute you drop it, you're in worse shape than before you start it.

Ok Jeanette...if we start on Monday (7th) with the routine...you do yoga...I'll do...something legitimate. By the end of the month we'd be firm.

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