Stacks of Stuff!!

I am the type of person that when you walk into my home people always say "oh, how clean and organized".

HA! Little do they know!!

Right before they have arrived I have whisked away the pile of catalogs, misc. mail, pictures from my nephew (from last year) all of that stuff -
and I have put it into a stack hidden from view. Now I have the very best intention of doing something about that stack say, on the weekend. The only thing is that "weekend" passed over ten months ago.

Finally I moved one stack from a chair in my bedroom to another chair in my home computer room. That stack has been there all year - if there are two people in the room the "stack" has to go on the floor. But hey, I didn't have to look at it in my bedroom anymore.

Well finally today was THE DAY! I brought all of the hidden stacks into one room and tackled them with the intent to throw as much as possible away.

Last year's catalogs went first - uh, last year's Christmas cards after carefully keeping the return addresses got tossed too.

Disturbing to find a check uncashed - granted it was not for very much money - but even so - how dumb is that - now that it has expired?

Please understand - my bills don't go into stacks - it is far too dangerous - I have a special place for them and they are dealt with on time.

But the endless amount of "stuff" that just stacks up will be my undoing.

I may have learned my lesson though - in the stack was a sweet postcard from a cousin. My intent on that "weekend" was to write him back.
I can't do that now - he passed away in September. It brought me to tears.

How could life be that busy that you cannot get these things done?

Am I alone out here in Stackafornia - or do any of you have the same problem?

Oh, and thanks for listening. At least this post only ends up on the computer "stack" and I don't have to move it from chair to chair.

*raises hand* I am guilty, stacks and clutter.:o My plan was to declutter my house this year and I ended up working a lot of overtime. Now that OT has died down, every spare minute, I'm organizing something. My 'stacks' are all over the house.:rolleyes:

Gini, you're not alone. I'm much more organized right now but only because I had to be. After I had a flood in my condo last year, I began decluttering because I wanted to get new carpet. I couldn't believe how much stuff I had crammed into all of my closets. I also had old bills, paycheck stubs, etc. from many years ago that I had to finally shred which took me several weeks to do.:o

Since I'm not yet ready to go paperless with my bills,even though I pay them online, I'm starting to accumulate more paper that now has to be shredded. I keep telling myself that I'll get to it next weekend but the weekends come and go without me shredding anything.:o I hope to finally do a lot of shredding before the end of the year.

When we bought this house, it was full of stacks, and stacks that had been moved into bags, and unread magazines, and newspapers, and coupons that expired before I was born, that Bertha (may she rest in peace) was sure she was going to get to sorting sometime soon. Thankfully, some of the stuff was worth saving, my great-great-grandmother's photo album, for example, including pictures from her time in Victoria's court, and pictures of Scotland from before she emigrated here with her sister.

I have vowed not to do that to my nieces and nephews, so some things get saved, but my old magazines either get brought to the nursing home where Bertha spent her last days, get given to the family next door (Mom Lydia loves Country magazine for all the recipes, and the kids love searching for the hidden needle), or get recycled.

Gini,

Do you have any old Victoria's Secret catalogs you are throwing out?;)

I have my own stacks of bill receipts, old payroll receipts & stuff you
don't just throw in the trash. I am waiting till I remember that shredder
I've been meaning to buy.:rolleyes:

The only thing that I sometimes allow to pile up are bill receipts. For some reason, I detest filing. I always say that I won't let it happen, then I realize that it has indeed happened again. Other than that, I'm fairly organized. My niece came to visit me a couple of weeks ago (last time was 17 years ago) and she said "My goodness Aunt Mary, even your trash is organized!" Not sure what she meant by that. :confused: I don't file my trash. LOL I guess she meant that I keep things neat. Hmmm, well, she did follow up with "What a whack job you are!". I hope she was kidding. So, you're not alone, Gini. I think we all allow things to pile up occasionally. :)

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Originally Posted by gini

Disturbing to find a check uncashed

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which reminds me...I just deposited the check today...<<blush>>

Let me assure you....a slab leak (another of those California disasters they forget to tell you about...:rolleyes:) can force you to clean up, throw out and file!

(and deposit checks....)

I have found salvation in Clutterdiet.com! It's a monthly fee but it keeps me motivated to throw it out and keep only what matters!
Godsend really! LOVE it! (not as much as this forum but second!)
Claudia

My mother was a "stack person" and I think that when you grow up around it you either turn into a mini me or revolt :p and go the opposite way. I have gone the opposite way. Important things are filed immediately, magazines get held for maybe two or three months and anything else hits the trash before making its way into a stack. My husband is the guilty one around here. He has a magazine stack and keeps some other things for some of the strangest reasons. :rolleyes::D

:eek: Gini, have you been poking through my house???

No matter how hard I try - and I do get rid of paper constantly - I am never completely stackless.

UGH - the story of my life.

And the strange thing is, now that I'm retired and have all the free time I could ever have wanted, I'm worse than ever. When I was younger I was a neat freak. I wonder where I lost it? :eek::D

COMPLETELY GUILTY TOO :rolleyes::eek::rolleyes::eek:

My husband keeps saying me that I am hopeless.......; the worst about it is that he is right....:(

I ordered a dumpster in the Spring and decluttered almost all of my house...almost. My computer room/cat room is where I put everything that I did not throw out and believe me, I threw a lot out! I keep saying I am going to get to that room and clean it but the cats don't seem to mind the clutter around their food bowls. :D

Have you ever seen the show "Hoarders" on TLC? All I have to do is watch 30 minutes of that and I am cleaning up! My grammie was a bit of a hoarder. She, of course, went through the depression.

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Originally Posted by happylabs

Have you ever seen the show "Hoarders" on TLC? All I have to do is watch 30 minutes of that and I am cleaning up! My grammie was a bit of a hoarder. She, of course, went through the depression.

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Yes, I sure have. I've watched several episodes and I can't even imagine living like that. It's very sad but I guess there are many many people out there that have this problem.

Isabel and organization.. can´t be in the same sentence..lol.. ok just for reference as i just did.. but that´s it..LMAO

I have tons and tons of stuff...think of the most useless piece of cr@p.. and i have it.. haha.. I have stuff lying around since like 10 years ago.. i go through them toss a couple and keep the rest for a few years more...

most of them useless keepsakes.. even from stuff i don´t recall or really don´t care to remember.. haha.. receipts.. I´ve got them all.. i even have gum from 1980.. haha.. (not really but easily could)..

I´ve got clothes from since i was in high school.. just because i think I like them still (wouldn´t fit even if i tried).. got coins, magazines, calendars, keychains, plush toys, craft stuff.. you name it..

I did however have been getting rid of stuff.. but not as much as one would like..I even have packed stuff because it´s too overwhelming to look at it at the time even if i know beforehand it´s mainly trash

:) Yes I have watched that show too.. It just blows my mind on how some of those people live.. Unreal just unreal.. Yup I am a clutter bunny to a certain point.. Then its like things must be cleaned up & go to the trash.. I did a major clean up about 5 yrs ago & every Monday Morning when the Trash Truck came I had like at least 20 = lg 30 gallons bags a waiting for them.. Heck the Trash guys even hated to come by my house.. I was cleaning alot of my Ex-Husband's stuff out too..

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Originally Posted by krazyaboutkatz

Yes, I sure have. I've watched several episodes and I can't even imagine living like that. It's very sad but I guess there are many many people out there that have this problem.

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Gini, any time I've ventured down there, everything is so clean you eat off the floor. You must have hidden the "stacks" perhaps in the front room closet??? :):eek:

I don't "do" stacks - instead my bills to be paid go on a little clip magnet on my fridge and other stuff gets put on my dining room table. Once a week I make sure the clutter on the table is cleaned up - especially right before my housecleaner arrives. :rolleyes:

By the way, how are your "stacks" of peeps doing???

Thanks for the nice compliments - however, I have a heavy chair that sits in the corner of my bedroom. It doesn't get moved much because it is heavy. Well, I looked behind that chair and there are two bags behind it.
How long have they been there - I don't have a clue. What is in them?
I still don't have a clue.

I just couldn't deal with it today - so they are still there.

Eat off my floors - now you have got to be kidding or you really really need new glasses:D:D

Peeps? I have discovered that if you keep them TOO LONG, they simply disintegrate.:eek: