How can I declutter my home and keep it tidy?

25th

How can I declutter my home and keep it tidy?

Posted by How To Get Organized, in how to declutter

My husband & I started off in a tiny 1 bedroom flat. We were happy like that & figured we’d get a bigger place when I finished college & we were ready to start a family. But we had a contraception accident & we got pregnant earlier than planned.

I had to give up college and now we have a beautiful baby but we are stuck in our tiny home with only one income.

Everything is a big mess. We have no time, no energy, no space and even when I try to tidy up, there is no room to put anything. There are 3 of us in a tiny place that was meant for only one person.

The place is a wreck. We need all our stuff but there is nowhere to put it and we can’t find anywhere else till I have a job and we have 2 incomes. That’s 3 years away and it seems like we’re wasting our sons early years in this mess.

I see families on tv where the child has his own little bedroom and it all looks so beautiful and it makes me cry to think we can’t give that to our son.

We have his cot and our bed and clothes and toys and everything in one room and it just looks like one big mess.

I don’t know where to start – even when I try to clean up, there is nowhere to put anything anyway!

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6 Responses to “How can I declutter my home and keep it tidy?”

Sue
March 25th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
I feel your frustration because I was there twelve years ago. My ex-husband talked me into moving from a nice 3 bd 2 ba home to a one room studio apartment across the state, away from my family, and away from all my friends, while I was pregnant with my first child!

We went from 1600 sq ft to 400 sq ft of living space. How did we do it? Well, we could afford storage, so I put all big pieces of furniture from my home in storage. We had a closet for clothes, dresser for clothes (TV & VCR sat on that), a big parrot in a big cage, a couch, a baby crib, a play seat for the baby, all of our clothes, my maternity and non-maternity clothes, towels, and linens.

First, look at your space.
Then look at what needs to go in that space.
Then think about what you really need (be brutal).

If you need it and can afford storage, then do it. Put things that you don’t use that often in storage. Can you store some stuff in a relative’s or friend’s place? It doesn’t sound like you need it though with a cot, bed, clothes, and toys. And, since you’re in that situation for only 3 yrs, you may want to look at selling some stuff you don’t use on a regular basis and replace when you have a chance in 3 yrs.

So, think about what you really need, I mean basic stuff only, declutter and get rid of or store the rest.

Now that you’re down to basics, create categories and organize them. Break the room down into areas so each area has a purpose.

In your case it sounds like there will be a baby area, toy area, bedroom, etc.

Create an area for your bedroom. Fold up all your extra sheets and store these under the bed or between the mattress and box spring.

Create an area for the baby. You don’t need a changing table. You can change the baby on the bed or floor. Put the diapers and wipes in storage containers that stack. If money is tight, you can use containers similar to old milk crates to store diapers and wipes. Target sells these for cheap.

Toys, put your babies toys in wicker storage baskets or laundry baskets. Since you’re tight on space, you may want to look for containers that stack, but be careful to not stack more than two high so when your little one gets mobile, they can’t knock them down on top of themselves. If you store your bed sheets between the mattress and box springs, you can get some bed risers and store toys under your bed. This will help you clear the space quickly and will give you a visual boost.

Create an area for your clothes. Go through your clothes too and keep only what you’ll need. Get rid of anything that is ripped or torn. Buy a rolling garment rack to hang things on. Fold what you can and stack the rest neatly in cubbies. You can buy these at Target too.

If you can remember to store things in containers, your life will be much easier. For instance, diapers can fall all over the floor, but if you stack them in a container, they stay tidy. So, look for storage containers you can stack and fit in your small space. Again, just be careful stacking things around a baby. Whenever possible, bolt tall things to the wall so the baby can’t pull it down.

Yes, it is extremely hard to organize so much stuff into so small a space, but you can do it. You’re just going to have to put on the "dorm room" mentality and get creative to organize such a small space.

I know I’m telling you to buy some stuff, but you’re going to have to make a small investment to get organized. Get creative, you may already have some stuff sitting around to help you get organized. Ask relatives or friends too. An old book case can be used to store folded clothes on. I put one in my daughter’s closet to stack baby clothes on and it works perfectly.

So, you’re going to have to get creative, but it’s not hard. Look at your space, look at what has to go into it, create categories, and organize it.

I know it’s hard to imagine getting out of that place, but you will. Keep the faith as you won’t be there forever. Just enjoy your baby and no you aren’t wasting his early years.

Get out of there and go for walks with the baby and go to the park on the weekend with your husband and the baby.

You and your husband will be sitting in your new home a few years from now and saying…"remember that tiny little place we used to live in?"

For more great tips to organize your life, check out my web site at http://www.lifeorganizeit.com
sweetpea
March 25th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
http://www.flylady.net

Been there, done that! A great site for support and encouragement.
rosabearr
March 25th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
if you have cable tv turn it to Opera they where talking about decluttering and team that helps people get organize.

One of the thing they said is that if you have not touch something in 6 months to trash it.
ceebrad
March 25th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
A baby takes so much of your time and energy. But can you manage three laundry baskets? Put the clean clothes in one, the dirty clothes in another and the baby supplies in the third. Fold the clean clothes when you have a minute.
Put most of the toys away in a box under the bed. Switch them every so often. Most babies like a spoon and a plastic bowl to bang on better anyway.
TV is not real life, so don’t let it get to you. Good luck!
Erin R
March 25th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Make sure all the things you have you really do need or even use. See if your city has something like a human resource building that will help with income support for now. For now you really need good proper storage. Maximize your space by making storage upwards. Wall unit like shelves/box cuboards, storage tubs. Its all about giving everything its own spot.
XOXO
March 25th, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Get a storage, or throw away what you havent used in a few months. Maybe you can sell some stuff and buy new stuff when you have a place for it. Don’t worry about your baby not having a room, at this age I’m sure he prefers to be a close as possible.

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