30 Day Challenge - Final Post

Well, this post is a long one because I've entered the 30 Day Challenge and this is my, hopefully, winning entry. Before reading on, keep in mind that my goal was to reclaim my basement space. Although it may not look aesthetically pleasing, painting walls and putting in a new floor was not my initial intent. I wanted to have a useful space and simplify an area of my home that just wasn't working for us.

Here's my story:

What was the hardest part of the challenge for you and were you able to overcome it? The hardest part of the PROCESS was removing items. I’ve had my plan of attack ready for quite some time but every time I had planned a “clear out” day to remove stuff from my basement, I’d get sidelined with health issues. I have cancer in my spine and I find if I lift too many items or bend over too often to pick something up off the floor, I was “laid up” for a day or two afterwards. The 30 day challenge helped me overcome this obstacle. By changing my mindset (I thought everything had to be done in one day - that was the pre-cancer "me") and spreading the work out over 30 days I was able to accomplish my goal.

Tell us what kind of changes/habits you have put into place in order for your area/room to maintain its new order? I had to discuss the changes/habits with my husband. Although I did most of the basement cleaning and clearing, he’s the one who does the laundry and is often “looking” for stuff. He helped me move some of the larger items and carted quite a few stuff off to various charities.

We worked together come up with the following changes:

Garbage can – seems simple but we didn’t have one in that area of the basement. Old laundry boxes had piled up. We weren't picking anything up 'cause there was no place to put it.

Laundry baskets – my husband does the laundry and he’d grab clothes out of the hampers in bedrooms and carry the clothes in a heap down to the basement. He’d sort them on top of any surface he could find. As a result, we were losing socks (they didn’t make the trip from the 2nd floor to the basement) and other articles of clothing along the way. I’ve asked him to carry the clothes down using laundry baskets and sort the clothes into colours and whites into the new baskets I’ve supplied beside the washer/dryer. I just put a load in myself tonight and I'm finding it's a breeze.

Basket on top of dryer for cleaning supplies – this should keep our supplies tidy and organized. It’ll also help us dust the dryer more often and easily since all the stuff is “together”. We’ll also be able to see what supplies we have on hand and what needs replacing.

Labeling for plastic containers – I’ve purged ALL of our existing containers and only kept the stuff we need. I wrote down the contents onto an index card which I keep in my index card box (yes, I’m a SHE (sidetracked home executive) and have been for 6 months). Now my husband won’t be overturning everything just to find that one thing he needs for his gig (he’s a musician).

Broom holder – I installed one beside the dryer so I have somewhere to place my mop and cleaning supplies

Glad Big Bags – I purchased these to place my yarn in. I have tons of yarn and I like the fact that the bags are “see through”. Before I started using the bags, I wasn’t easily able to see what I had when my yarn was in containers. This was causing me to “rummage” through bins leaving a wake of mess behind.

What did you do with the "stuff" you were able to purge out of your newly organized space?

Let’s see, here’s where the stuff went:

• Church sale – they made over $3000 (I left them with so much stuff that I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where they made the bulk of their money – jokingly said, of course.) One of the ladies at the sale commented on what a great fit her new jeans were – I then realized they were the jeans I brought to the sale because they didn’t fit me. :-)
• The “bring and buy” sale at my daughters’ school – they were raising money for their Grade 5 graduation
• The Diabetes Association – they came to my home at least once or twice for a pickup
• Recycling blue bin – this is where the paper ended up
• Grade 3-5 knitting club at school - I brought in bags of yarn for the kids to use
  
  What was the biggest lesson you learned from this experience?
  Gee, there were so many…Be choosy about what I bring into my home – don’t accept everything everyone offers you. When I was bedridden, everyone and his uncle kept giving us stuff to “help out” - mostly clothes. Much of the stuff we just didn’t need but I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by refusing it. Now, I’m finding we had to weed through a lot of stuff we really didn’t need. Bottom line is that if we keep the area “clutter free”, there’s less to clean up and keepup.
  
  Now that you have completed the PROCESS, do you think having and keeping your space organized will make a difference in your life?
  Absolutely! We’ve already noticed (not in order of importance):
• Our house is safer since there isn’t that build up of clutter around the furnace
• We’re not injuring ourselves every time we walk down to the basement. We were always stepping on something
• I can bring people down to the basement without feeling embarrassed (we have a perfectly functioning bathroom that I was reluctant to have "company" use).
• We can find what we need so there’s no more “rooting around” looking for stuff
• I feel better – I was carrying a lot of stress and guilt over not having my house clean because of my illness. I'm not a "clean freak" but when your clutter becomes hazardous, it certainly does weigh on your mind. Knowing that we have a working system makes things better so, if I’m laid up again, I know that the system will run without my input.
• We haven’t been losing clothes in the trip from the bedrooms to the basement. No more “sock orphans”. My girls have matching socks when they go to school. I'm saving money on clothes because I don't have to buy "replacements".
  
  Now, the before and after photos:

BEFORE


AFTER (remember, aesthetics was not my goal this time around - it's clear and functional)


BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Thank you, Laura, for initiating this. My friends think I'm nuts entering into an online "challenge". I started reading your blog about 2 months ago and it's really helping me. It's nice to know that there are others out there who have organizing advice they can share.


THANK YOU!!!

The struggle continues...

that's the phrase my husband always uses...

I bought these Glad XXL bags at Walmart yesterday. These things are enormous. When my husband saw me with the Glad box he said: "you're not going to put me in one of those, are you?". He also commented on the happy look the woman on the box has as she's carrying one of those bags. He said I had the same look as I carried the box in from the car.

Anyway, I've decided to remove the 3 bins of yarn I have and put them in these bags. I was hoping to fit all my yarn into one bag but, alas, no such luck. I did manage to clear out 2 bins of yarn (one being a very large bin) into one XXL bag. I figure it's cheaper to buy these plastic bags than it is to buy 3 more plastic bins. Mind you, where can I put it now. It doesn't really fit on the shelves like the bins did.

Here are the bins I've liberated, hoping to be filled with more stuff:

Here's my yarn. One thing I notice is that a photo does not do the bags justice for size. This thing's so heavy it's really awkward to carry.

As I type this, I think I should really aim for fitting all my yarn into 1 bag rather than two bags. It'll require some giveaways and eBay selling of yarn but I think I can do it.

Did I mention the huge shopping bag of yarn I have slotted to give away already. I think I have a problem. A serious problem with yarn....H E L P M E!!

Chippin' away at the clutter once piece at a time

I thought I'd show some of the progress I'm making on my basement:

The "before" photo

















The "in progress" photo

Wow, did this take me a while to do. Mostly throwing out garbage. I'm not done with this area yet. My goal is to buy some more of those blue 40L containers and put all the "loose" stuff into them. I originally bought the blue containers you see in the photo about 5 years ago and I can't find them anymore. I found something similar but they're about $8 each (before taxes) and I'm willing to pay no more than $5 (before tax). So, the hunt continues. All told, I don't want to spend more than $50 on containers.

Ready for some more photos?
























The 'before' photo

















The "in progress" photo

We can now walk over to the washer and dryer to do laundry. Again, there's still more to do here. I need to purge a little more. My basement is so drab and dreary I'm not sure if there's anything I can do to make it more aesthetically pleasing. The walls are concrete which makes it virtually impossible to drill into. There are also many pipes above the washer/dryer so I can't really work around them. Do you see that storage box behind the washer? I bought that about 10 years ago to install above the washer and dryer to hold items. Unfortunately, it has a 48" depth and my basement ceiling is so low that it won't fit. I don't know whether I should get rid of it or keep it to use elsewhere.

More photos to come in a later post....

I've been sidelined...

I'm down but I'm not out. I knew that working on my basement would put me into recuperative mode. I still have some cancerous spots on my spine but, for the most part, I don't feel them. Whenever I move boxes or do anything even remotely strenuous, I end up in pain. It gets me mad because I want to do stuff. The main reason for my clutter is because I wasn't able to do much for several years. So I'm sitting here with a hot water bottle on my back.

Well, I've taken a break from the basement for a few days. Actually, my goal now is to sort through one box a day. I do believe that taking small bites rather than big ones will show progress over time.

Is it worth it? People always say, take care of yourself first and I agree. I have to say that tripping over stuff in the basement and spending endless amounts of time looking for stuff that should be in order is not taking care of myself. It makes me angry and frustrated. Both things I think tend to take away from the "harmony" I need to feel better.

The worst of the moving of stuff is over. I just need to clean and tidy now. I couldn't in all honesty invite people over to help for fear of them hurting themselves. I will succeed. I think it's time to call in the troops!

The Basement
I did manage to spend about a hour on my basement. I emptied two garbage bags of stuff but aside from a noticeable clearing of the floor (you can now walk unimpeded to the washing machine), there appeared to be little noticeable improvement, hence no photo.

The Living Room
On the other hand, I did manage to get some photos of my living room:

I have a small space which shows clutter almost immediately. I've managed to pick up everything that was in corners and on the floor. Somehow the floor is a magnet for stuff. As you can see by the window, I still have a wooden chest that acts as a "catch all" for stuff. I've tried to organize the stuff on it as best as I could. My plan is to remove it and shift the contents elsewhere.

My focus now is on making the room cozy. I'd like to buy a rug and proper coffee table(s). I'm currently selling some furniture to add to my "home improvement fund". I'm also not sure what to do with the big empty "wall" that's beside the flowers in the vase. Hmmm...

Now the other side of my living room:

I need to replace those "dingy" blue pillows. I sewed them myself about 20 years ago and they used to match my "old" couch. My plan is to sew about 6 or 7 pillows for this couch to make it more comfortable. Notice my kitty? I can always tell the sign of a clean room as he likes to curl up in clean spaces.

I find the photos somewhat misleading. Considering the amount of work I accomplished here, I would have figured there would be more to show. I have to say that I notice photos show "everything" and it doesn't look too bad. Maybe that's something...

My living room is the first place people see when they enter my home. There's no indoor porch or landing so once you step in, you're there. Keeping my front door area uncluttered has always been a challenge.

What do you do with all the boots, coats, etc? I bought this at IKEA and I find it's a lifesaver!

It keeps all the shoes self-contained. I used to have about 30 pairs of shoes at the door. Now, if the shoes don't fit in the cubby, I move them into storage. I find that 6 slots are sufficient for 4 people. I can often fit more than one pair of shoes in each slot. I placed baskets in two of the cubby holes to hold hats, scarves and mitts in the winter. I do find that the top of the shoerack tends to be a catch all for backpacks, etc., but I clear this daily. The surface makes a nice "resting place" when you come in to take off your boots. One day, I'd love to put a cushion on top.

As for the coats, I hang them on pegs in the hallway going downstairs to the basement.

I find this arrangement keeps my front door area clear.

Starting off with a Bang

This is a long post but I had to start somewhere....

For almost 5 months now, I've been slowly starting to crawl out from under the clutter in my home.

Where it all began...

Over the past few months, I've been giving this some thought. At first I thought my problems began when I was diagnosed with cancer in December 2003. I was so sick from chemo and numerous surgeries that my home slid into disastrous decline. I think what made it the worst was the fact that I had two small children at the time (4 and 6 years) and my hubby worked almost non-stop. Who was left to clear the clutter? It wasn't me since I was bed-ridden most of the time. I needed help just going to the bathroom sometimes.

I think that's the point when I realized the extent of the problem. But, really, the clutter had been building up since about 1997. I was a workaholic and a non-stop person. I rarely spent time at home unless I absolutely had to. I was a firm believer that life was to be "lived" and you couldn't do so spending time at home. I'm also a people-person and HATED housework.


Where I am now...

So, after deciding in November 2006 that change was in order, I decided to correct 10 years worth of "stuff". Now, don't get me wrong--my home was "clean". I did the daily stuff around the house but I had never thrown out of the "big stuff" (e.g. old printers, children's outgrown clothes, etc.". Part of the problem was that for the longest time I was too weak to carry stuff and would suffer the consequences afterwards if I lifted anything heavy.

So, to date, I've thrown out between 20 and 30 garbage bags of stuff. Most were old clothes that I've since passed on to others. When I was sick, anyone who helped me "tidy" would put stuff into garbage bags (rather than throw out stuff) and shove the bags into the basement "out of sight".

I'm now at the point where I would glady have people over to visit. I've done the following:

My Kitchen

• Cleared out all my kitchen cupboards (approx. 5 large cupboards) and given away all my old appliances, dishes, etc.
• Cleared out the space under the sink and organized my cleaning supplies, dishtowels, etc.
• Organized my recipes into a three-ring binder
• Cleared the top of my fridge, cleaned the inside
• Cleared all the stuff off my kitchen table and kept the necessities
• Cleaned the baseboards around the kitchen

My Living Room

• Washed and ironed the curtains and added some sheers
• Threw out old VHS tapes/CDs and organized the remaining ones
• Removed any clutter that didn't belong in the living room
• Bought a wooden table with cubbie holes for shoes for the front door
• Cleared all clutter from tables
• Cleaned the baseboards in the living room

My Bathroom

• Cleared the shelf of all unused bathroom supplies and regularly tidy this

My Bedroom

• Removed an old broken dresser and bought a new one
• Cleared out the bedroom closet and reorganized it so a lot of the clutter in the bedroom now has a proper home
• Gave away tons of clothes that no longer fit
• Cleaned fingerprints, kids' drawings off walls

Kid's Room

• Removed 5 garbage bags of toys for recycling/garbage
• Cleared their closet that contained lots of my overflow stuff
• Reorganized stuff that now belongs in the closet
• Painted their bedroom (this is a huge one since I haven't enough energy do so do for years)

Those are the major areas in my home. Now, guess where all the stuff that didn't find a home ended up. Yup, in my basement along with the other stuff that was already there.

Here are my photos of the work still left to be done.


My basement is divided into two halves separated by the stairs:

The lovely view as you walk down the stairs to the basement. Now let's turn to the left:


Did I mention that I like to knit and crochet. Those are bins of yarn, etc. Let's turn around a little and view my laundry area:

It really makes you want to do a load of laundry, doesn't it. How about now?

And now for the other half of the basement:

Did I mention that my hubby's a musician. That's sheet music, my friends, all loose and unorganized. He just had to have an organ in the basement but ask how often he uses it. Wonder why?

There's also a bathroom in the basement and, strangely enough, it's a showplace as I fixed it up many years ago and always keep it clean and tidy. Unfortunately, we rarely use it as no one can through the clutter to find their way to it.

I've joined Tackle-it-Tuesday and the 30 day organizational challenge. My goal is to continue to "chip away" at this stuff until it's cleared. There's a church sale coming up at the end of April and I'm determined to liberate myself from as much stuff as possible.

In the next post, I'll post some of the more clutter-free areas of my home just so that you know not all the rooms in my home look like this.... :-)