Need Help: Family coming to visit in 2 months!!

fiatflux

O.G.
Jun 16, 2006
4,245
4
Ok, this is a big first step for me..to acknowledge that I have a problem and facing it head-on to try to solve it. Please go easy on me... :shame:

I have a problem with clutter in my house, and not being able to get out from under it. My in-laws are coming to visit in 2 months, and I really need to clean up and get organized before they get here.

My husband would support and help the effort if I could just get started. He's pretty overwhelmed between work and home responsibilities, because he has to do most of the home stuff since I only do the bare minimum to keep things up (laundry is about all I manage to do). I started on an antidepressant a few days ago, and now I'm actually coming out of the fog a little bit (enough to reach out to try to get help, which is something I haven't been able to do up until now).

So, I'm sitting in my family room right now looking at mounds of clutter everywhere. Every room in our house is the same. Where do I start? Has anyone else had this problem and overcome it? I hope that someone can relate and give me some tips.
 
i personally cant relate....but a good friend of mine in high school, her parents house was filled with stuff, every single room just had stuff everywhere. finally her mom one weekend just started in one room and worked her way around the house, they had a HUGE garage sale and sold a ton of stuff and then donated the rest that didnt sell at the garage sale.

its was kind of like the show clean house!

GOOD LUCK!!!
 
I used to watch the show "Clean Sweep" - but haven't seen it in at least a year. The problem with that show is that it's not really helpful for me because I can't realistically do what they do (have a team of people come in and clear out all your clutter for you in 1 day)!!
 
I used to watch the show "Clean Sweep" - but haven't seen it in at least a year. The problem with that show is that it's not really helpful for me because I can't realistically do what they do (have a team of people come in and clear out all your clutter for you in 1 day)!!

very true...so just start with one room and go to the next....i would pick a room and start there...decide what you want to keep and what you want to sell and just do that with each room in your house.....when my fiance and i moved it was actually nice to be able to get rid of crap we hadnt used in a couple years and then we had a garage sale and the rest was donated. you just have to get the motivation to do it....i would just dive in and start!
 
start with the smallest room. Start in one corner of the room and just work your way around. Don't get distracted..Just start in one corner, and make sure you have plenty of big black Hefty bags and/or boxes. Get rid of stuff that you want to throw away. Move all the filled garbage bags out and then start organizing the things that you want to keep. Once you get started you won't be able to stop, really! Trust me. Organizing/Cleaning will become addictive! And it becomes easier once you get all the *trash* out...that's the easy part and it really helps declutter.
 
I would start with the most important space, perhaps the guest bedroom if that is where your family will stay. If you just focus on one room it will make it less overwhelming. Also, do you have a friend that can stand by and be more objective about throwing things out?
Please pm me if you get stuck, I would be happy to help.
 
OMG I wish I lived near you, I would so help you. I LOVE to organize everything and CLEAN. I throw things away like mad! My husband is a clutter FREAK, as is his family. He can stack things forever. I on the other hand am the other extreme. It is a constant battle for me as I will NOT have clutter. He has been allocated a room in the house to clutter all he likes. I hate going in there. LOL
Start room by room, just start in a corner, take it slow. You will feel so good when you are all done. You will look around your house and feel proud of your accomplishment!!
 
Sunshine, you in California? You can help ME! HA!

OP, I so know what you are going through. It's bad enough we suffer from depression and have to play with the medication thing, but yeah, the clutter tends to get away with us as well. I was a materials artist for years and have all kinds of "stuff" I see that can be used in artwork and jewelry. But my depression got in the way of actually doing something.

One of the things I want to do is get a bunch of nice U-Jaul boxes and just start boxing stuff up... not exactly getting rid of it, but at least making it look a little more organized. As you toss stuff in boxes, you can decide if it's worth keeping or not. Magazines and newspapers you haven't read in a long time, throw out. Clothes you are never going to wear or repair, throw out or donate. And yes, start in the smallest room and work your way up.

Good luck! I have a hard time getting the boys to take trash out to the dumpster, so when it warms up again, I'm going to start taking the garbage out, one bag at a time. I look at each trip as a reward for filling up a trash bag and taking it out there. You can figure out a reward as well... say a nice bite of your favorite chocolate or treat for every bag/box?

Your family coming is great motivation, but it's up to you to really dig in and do it. Good luck!
 
Thank you guys for the tips & the reassurance! :flowers: I think it might be a good idea to start w/the guest room--that hadn't occurred to me! It's actually the least overwhelming place to start, and then at least it would be ready for them well in advance!!