That is it. I have had enough. 35 years of living in a big fat mess. Come on Miss Chardy…..lets do something about this. (Yes Mum, I can hear you laughing, rolling your eyes and thinking “What have I been trying to tell/teach you all of these years”).
What I wish my house looked like
Lets just say that I am not a naturally neat and organised person. I really struggle with this. Every. Single. Day!
After years of trying so hard to get some order in my life I have decided that enough is enough…..this time I am doing it and I am going to do it RIGHT! I know I know, you have all heard me say this a thousand times over, but I really mean it this time and you guys are going to help me!
Lets cut the clutter. I am on a mission to simplify my life. There is too much shit in this house and it is about to be evicted from the building. Yes, you heard right Mess – you have been voted off the island, it is time to put out your torch and leave immediately. Say your goodbyes because your last stop is a big black plastic bag and off to the dump.
I will show no mercy. It is all going. I have already started, first stop – Walk In Wardrobe, Bedroom & Ensuite! Holy cow, what a mammoth effort. The wardrobe alone took about 4 or 5 hours, with the rest of the bathroom/ensuite taking about another 2 hours.
And now what my house (well my WIW) actually looks like….. eeeek, I can’t believe I am exposing my dirty little secret…..Here are the “before” photos of the WIW…
Yes – that is a wheel barrow….. perhaps I should be using it to haul everything out. It is a birthday present for, my soon to be, 3 year old, he keeps walking in there and seeing it (oops) he thinks it is pretty cool, just doesn’t realize it is for him…
Mother of the Year here!!!!
The result:
4 big garbage bags for Vinnies (some clothes still have tags on them, but it is going, surely someone will get a thrill when they see it)
3 big garbage bags full of rubbish, bound for the dump
1 Sorted, de-cluttered and clean Wardrobe. Only the clothes we wear live there now.
Yes, ok – that is a Cabbage Patch Kid (circa 1986) sitting on the bed. I rescued her from Mum’s house earlier this year. Poor little Cassandra had been stashed under a bed, in the dark for years. She is still wearing the genuine Cabbage Patch Kid clothing, and gingham at that. Sir Chardy is a little freaked out by her to say the least, so she may have to go back to living a life of darkness. Pity I don’t have any little girls. She actually freaks me out a little too, it may be her messy hair, or perhaps it s the fact that she resembles me in the early 90’s – permed fringe and straight long hair, ha ha ha. Hang on, I am going to have to take a close up photo of her for you….
Yep, she is pretty freaky isn’t she. I think she is going to have to go back into hiding.
Look at that permed fringe and straight hair, maybe I wanted to be just like her???
I already feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders and it is only the beginning. I am so in love with my new clean and de-cluttered bedroom and wardrobe. I keep going in there and just standing and looking. I have also be making a real effort to put things away as I go (I know Mum – you must be so proud after all of these years…..I am turning into a Virgo, ok that may be a little dramatic…but I am trying). I just feels SO GOOD! Now onto the rest of the house.
Are you on board? Or do you think I have gone loopy?
I have been reading about living simply. My inspiration has come from:
Practising Simplicity – A brilliant website which is sure to inspire you to de-clutter and simplify your life
Apartment Therapy – Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families – what a brilliant article and one that I really needed to read at this point (and I am completely hooked on this facebook page and website, very inspirational).
A Life Less Frantic – How to live intentionally and stop over committing, live a life less frantic (yes please)
Fab effort. Clutter is insidious, creeps up on you and makes you feel squirmy. Or is that just me? I think you’ve done brilliantly. Keep it up.
Thanks Annette, it is amazing how good it makes you feel to get rid of all of the “stuff”.
Wow! This is amazing. Very inspiring! I think I need to get stuck into mine. Keep on going. xx
Do it Sarah, you will feel like a new person. Don’t think about how much things cost or if the tags are still on, just move it out and get rid of it, you won’t look back.
I need a mammoth yard sale to get rid of stuff! You are doing a fab job, look, there is the floor!!! Clare x
If I could have a yard sale I would, but I can’t so lots of it ended up in our dump. I have lots of bags waiting to go to Vinnies, who knows when they will get there though. Isn’t it great to see free floor space with NOTHING on it. I just keep looking at it.
Can you come and do my place next?
I need to get my own life under control and then try to maintain it….this won’t be easy let me tell you!!!!
You make me laugh! Don’t worry, you’re not alone. I know exactly how I want the place to look and sometimes it does, for a day…but then something happens! Unfortunately this Virgo missed out on the tidy gene! x
O no….are you telling me you are a “non perfectionist” Virgo…I don’t believe it for a second! Yes, all I do is think about how I want everything perfect, and then it might be and 2 seconds later it comes crumbling down, ha ha ha. xxx
I am ON BOARD! Did my Bathroom cupboard last weekend, Pantry on Saturday and our bedroom seems to be a continual ‘work in progress’. I need to be RUTHLESS Miss Chardy. In such a mess, am not appearing very Virgoesque at all! Quite happy with my new word though…Virgoesque…so easily distracted, can you see why I never get anythjng finished!
*anything
You need to get back on board that Virgo bus FF HM! The shame of being a Virgo and not having everything in order, o the shame!!!!!
I know it is just not good enough. I just wish there was another Virgo in my house. Perhaps DD might like to come for a few days. Except she would possibly have a heart attack! xx
God, FF & DD, I think that would be TOOOOOO much (well you could add BB and then that would be just going overboard)!
I am so jealous you have a WIW! Hahaha I hear your about simplifying! With growing kids I do this constantly …. I have no idea how we accumulate so many clothes! I want to do my whole house again soon … as soon as things arent so busy…..
Just one problem…. things are never “too busy”….. you should see the sad and sorry state that my fridges and freezers are in….they may be the next thing on my blog list. Yes, sooooo many clothes and other crap. Never ending story.
OMG are u psychic?!! i SO need to get some help de-cluttering right now! thanks Miss Chardy… i’m sure the empty wine boxes will be a useful storage container !
O they will be perfect Kirsty….go get ’em girlfriend!!!! Feels so good to get rid of it all.
Miss Chardy, I can’t see ‘that red wheelbarrow’ anywhere – hope it did not end up at the ‘dump’!!!!!! Great job Miss Chardy……… Keep up the good work. You may have some clothing that I can put to good use, now that I am a retiree!!!!! Remember ‘charity begins at home’. Love Mum (the real Virgo) xxxxx
Oh, lucky I haven’t sent the bags to Vinnies yet, perhaps you can have a little shop up when you arrive DD. Now get back to your cleaning.
That is so inspiring Miss Chardy! I’m a lot like you in the clutter stakes however I AM a Virgo so I should be much neater and more organised. My excuse has always been that I have to do things perfectly and who has time for perfect right!?
O Deb, come on, I bet your place is spit spot. Now get your Virgo on, and start de-cluttering, it feels so good. Although, I am like you – if I can’t do it perfectly then I don’t do it at all, but gee it feels good when you do do it ….. perfectly! ha ha ha. So many Virgo’s out there, I think I must attract them, I have so many Virgo friends….not sure how they put up with me and my mess.
You’re WIW looks fantastic. My darling 15yo daughter is a Virgo and she clearly missed the tidy trait, her bedroom is carpeted. So I believe. We’re unsure though, carpet hasn’t been sighted in years.
I am trying to do “one cupboard at a time” so the enormity of the task doesn’t overwhelm me. The study and the cupboard under the stairs are my challenges. I open the doors and then remember something else really important I have to do…………..
Ha ha ha, there is always something more important (aka more fun) to do isn’t there. My 7 year old is a Virgo, I am waiting for him to show an interest in the vacuum cleaner and also his wardrobe. My Virgo Mum didn’t see my carpet for years either when I was growing up, must have near killed her.