Professional Organizers......

[malta blue]

Would you ever use one?

I still have boxes of stuff that has not been unpacked from my move months ago :blush: because I can't think of where to put it.


My kid can't find her gameboy because she put it away somewhere and does not remember. Her room is stuffed to the gills. My room is stuffed to the gills.

And yes, I know I have too much stuff, but I am somewhat of a hoarder and have eliminated over 50% of my possessions in the past year and am not ready to go through it again right now.

Any ideas? Anyone wanna come do my house? I'll provide food & wine....

[CreekDog]

1. Here's the best, simple, free advice I've heard

one room at a time, two boxes and one bag at a time:

first box: Put away
second box: Give away
bag: Throw away

the term to google is "decluttering", but don't procrastinate with lots of research, i've boiled it down for you here.

just get started and do a little at a time.

sincerely,

your anal pal, CreekDog :pals:

[malta blue]

3. I know this is really what I need to do.

But, and I am whining a bit here, I suffer from fibromyalgia and my free time is soooo limited that the last thing I want to do is sort through my crap AGAIN :banghead:

I feel like I sorted it all out before I moved into this house, I just need to get the boxes out of my space.

Plus - my mom is visiting and she is all feng shui so my living space is making her crazy...

thanks CreekDog :pals: I will try to work on it little by little.

[Rhythm]

10. Fibro sucks...

:pals: *hugz gently from the spouse of another fibro sufferer*

[Lorien]

5. Box #4: Recycle

the landfills are full enough already, and eventually we'll have to mine them for raw materials as it is!

[CreekDog]

6. good point

when i go through things, it's usually paper that's in the throw away pile and all of that gets recycled.

:hi:

[csziggy]

2. I talked to one and decided to not use their service.

We're moving right now after being in the same house for 30 years. In preparation for moving, I talked to a professional organizer. She wanted a LOT of money to do her thing and I was not convinced that her ideas would work for us - she mostly talked about products for us to buy so she could store things. Yeah right, we need even more things to organize our old things!?! So we're doing it all ourselves. :shrug:

We're lucky, though - we don't have to be out of the old house on any schedule. So every weekend we go over, pack up things, bring over a pile of boxes. I try to spend the time during the week sorting and putting things away. At some point we will make the decision that anything left in the old house is not needed and have a big sale or advertise through Craigslist. Anything that is not sold will be offered on Freecycle. After that it will be donations or the landfill.

Good for you to get rid of so much - but it sounds as though even more can go. We've been living in the new house for almost two months and I'm wondering if we really need most of what is left in the old one. It is so liberating to not have to deal with it all!

[malta blue]

4. Does the pro actually DO IT for you?

My mom offered to pay for it (she is very feng shui and my lifestyle bothers her) so the money part is not an issue. It is the actual doing that is my thing.....

I moved from 4000 sqft to 900 sqft and then back up to 1800 sqft in the past 4 years, so I have eliminated so much - and it is very traumatic and stressful for me. My mom used to get rid of all my stuff when I was visiting my dad during the summer when I was a kid, so I think that contributed to me being a major packrat - and my stepdad is a packrat too - so when he wants to finally "get rid" of something, he will pass it along to me because he knows I will hold on to it for a few years. :rofl:

[csziggy]

9. Yes, this organizer would have done all the work if I'd wanted.

At the time I was unable to do any actual sorting, moving, etc. due to my knees. Since I've gotten one operated on and it is better so I can do more of the work - I still cannot do stairs, but I probably will never be able to again. (That was one of the major reasons for the new house - everything I need is on one story and that is all wheelchair accessible if I ever require that, which seems likely.)

I'm "looking forward" to what my packrat parents will leave - they both came from packrat families so there are generations of stuff in their house. Some are family heirlooms or have historical significance, much is just crap. But that means we cannot just dump the house full of stuff - it has to be sorted and split among us kids and grandkids.

[electron_blue]

7. sorry! but it still sounds like you have too much stuff.

I have the same problem. The problem with organizing all your stuff is that very soon after it is organized you'll have to reorganize it. Trust me, weeding out is the ONLY way to go.

Perhaps if you're not up to it, due to fibromyalgia, you can sit and point while someone else boxes up and donates/recycles/throws things away.

[irish.lambchop]

8. Have a 'get me organized' party -

provide food and drink and follow Creekdog's advice. Could be fun!

[Scooter24]

11. Just outsource the work

http://www.domystuff.com/

I've used this site before to find people to do random things. You sign up, then post your task. People will then search through the tasks and bid on it. You then look through the bids and pick which person whose services you would like to use. This person can be your assistant for the day and help you go through a room or two at a time and help you sort through the mess at cheaper cost than using a professional service.

Right now, in my area there is someone looking for help writing an essay who got a bid from a lawyer for $25/hour. Another person is needing help laying tile in a kitchen and has several bids.

Just a suggestion in case you ever need help :)

[Scooter24]

12. .

[Mezzo]

13. I know the feeling. I just got rid of six contractor's bags full of clothes and such...

and I still have too much. To top that off, my room is painted over wallpaper that is now starting to peel.

It's going to be a job and a half to get the painted over wallpaper off, paint my room AND reorganize it.