# Cleaning and Organizing Tips/discussion-January 2015



## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

This month I am starting to do things a bit differently for the Flylady thread. I think that it would be better to do a monthly thread like we do Tightwad tips. I will try to keep posting the flylady lists, but really, would like anyone who can contribute or post what they have accomplished to continue doing so. We can help each other with posting what works for us, whether it's Flylady or not! I hope that a mod will Sticky this and only have to do it once a month! I'm very busy these days so am going to start the January thread this week while I can.
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I know I'm wanting to declutter now that the holidays are over. Here is a website where the blogger is throwing out one thing a day. I think I do that as a matter of form, but I need to do a lot more than that to tame this beast!
http://www.365lessthings.com/
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I'll post the first week of January Flylady Zones and Detailed cleaning list in a couple days.
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Cleaning and organizing items like storage boxes and vacuum cleaners will be going on sale soon. I always buy more boxes at this time of the year ( and when dorm stuff goes on sale in August). I'm looking for more underbed storage right now.


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Pick one of the three places we are focusing on this week and declutter for 15 min per day. If/when you are decluttered, go on to the detailed cleaning list.

Living Room/Family Room/Den Detailed Cleaning List
Clean cobwebs
Clean windows
Straighten bookcases
Wash ornaments and knick-knacks
Clean out end table
Straighten closets/ drawers
Wipe fingerprints from walls
Polish furniture
Clean out magazine racks
Clean phone
Clean under cushions
Clean out fireplace
Move furniture and vacuum
Shampoo carpet


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## jlxian (Feb 14, 2005)

MTM I so desperately need to declutter. It's shameful --- I could almost be on the Hoarders tv show. 

Having a wedding in the family in May and our house will have loads of company coming through --- must make the place presentable. No storage space, no attic, no basement --- presents a huge challenge. I'm going to frequent this thread for your inspiring posts! THANKS!


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2015)

Set a timer, grab a trash bag and run through the house stuffing the garbage bag full! Don't stop & ponder - go with your first impression!
I've been doing that today... LOL!


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## jlxian (Feb 14, 2005)

So do you just throw it out or do you sort through it and decide what to donate and what to trash? I think that is where I get bogged down --- I decide to donate a bunch of stuff and then THOSE boxes languish in my house for months.


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## NVMEinTX (Jul 28, 2014)

Hello I joined a while back but I felt since I wasn't OFFICIALLY homesteading yet that I would just lurk,.... but we signed for our small acreage a couple of weeks ago and here I am, yay!!

What I do is as soon as I have donation stuff, which I end up bagging, I put it in the trunk of my car straight away. And the longest it will stay there is a couple of days because groceries wont fit if a bag is taking up space. :facepalm:

The great thing is that many donation bins are located in grocery store parking lots so its all good. :thumb:


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Welcome nvmetx: Sorry you felt you couldn't join us. Everyone here is in various stages of homesteading. We "homesteaded" in suburbia when we started on the earlier version of of this forum. I have learned so much over the years from these folks and it has changed my life!
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My goal is to keep a bag in the closet and put things in there as I see them in the closet needed to be donated. Then, on the weekend, take a gander at the attic and basement grabbing things I find need to go, THEN OUT.
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Its funny how flylady always says that when clutter is there for a long time you don't even "see" it. This morning, while exercising, I noticed that my magazine rack sits on top of -wait for it--a stack of magazines. What? I thought I'd done the flylady thing in this room many times!
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Organizing boxes are on sale right now so it's a good time to stock up. I have been buying those plastic shelves on wheels to store material under my tables that I use for cutting material and have my sewing machine. Well, I would if I could see the surface of those tables. Or the floor--this is where my kids store half their apartment stuff when they come home for the summer that never make it back to the apartment!


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Until Jan 15, you can print out a calendar for another home organizing system:
http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html

Looks pretty good! Anyone doing this one?


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## jersey girl (Nov 21, 2005)

MTM, I printed that list off, and will look at it later. 
I also have some serious cleaning/organizing/decluttering to do. You are completely right on not seeing clutter. I have a few spots in my house where I neatly stack stuff....but its still stacked in a spot where it shouldn't be and does not stay neat. I ignore it until one day the sun is shining in the windows differently or something, I see the pile for what it is and say Oh Crap!
thanks to all for the hints and tips. I need a lot of them now.
One biggie....food storage containers. I have many types and sizes. I can't afford to go buy a stacking set. Any great ideas?


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Whoo eeee! I started the 52 week challenge! I love this. I have, this morning, done the first one, the Kitchen Countertops and Sink.

I had a "junk" bowl, which took up a lot of space on the small outer countertop. I took a carboard box, marked it "Junk Drawer" Box. I realized that I have several "junk drawer" areas in the house. Some in actual drawers, others in bins, or "areas". So, looking ahead a little bit, I am going to combine all of whatever doesn't get tossed as trash into the Junk Drawer Box! One box, put away in an unseen storage area.

So, that bowl is gone now, much bigger space of open counter in that area. 

Assessed my kitchen sink area and broke down daily use (sponge, dish soap, drying area) (the dishwasher broke recently so we are hand washing). 

Then, realized I have some weekly stuff that shouldn't be around the sink (toothbrush for scrubbing the sink drains, Magic Eraser, and one of those stainless steel "onion odor" remover bars, that you rub onto your hands to remove onion/food odors). So those are now under the sink!

Moved the electric jar opener (a must for me) to the pantry, right beside the plug in there. I rarely use this machine (but it's a must have when I DO need it), so it doesn't need to sit on the counter.

I will buy us another battery operated dish soap auto dispenser for the sink. Loved the one we had before. This will get that ugly Dawn bottle off the edge of the sink!

Really fast, it didn't take me long to do this, and even though it wasn't super cluttered to begin with, it looks much better now!

To the left of sink: sugar bin, coffee maker, compost pail, coffee creamer dispenser.



Sink:



To the right of sink: Paper towel roll, towel for placing just-washed dishes, elec can opener, knife block, stack of pot holders, breads, then there is the stove top. Will look nicer once I get those wet dishes put away.



To right of stove top: stand mixer, salt/pepper/baking soda dispensers, fire extinguisher, olive oil bottle, kitchen scale. Then, starts a new countertop (the "island" part), there is the large microwave, then just a few daily use things that were "saved" from the big bowl that I emptied/sorted and got out of there!






I'm looking forward to next week's challenge already! Thanks MTM!


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## Bret (Oct 3, 2003)

TraciInTexas said:


> Set a timer, grab a trash bag and run through the house stuffing the garbage bag full! Don't stop & ponder - go with your first impression!
> I've been doing that today... LOL!


Too chancy. Pull a chipper shredder


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## MJsLady (Aug 16, 2006)

Once you get a box of stuff to donate, remove it from your home at once.
I put them in my truck since often on my way to town I drive by goodwill. Then I just drop off my box or boxes and go about my business. 

When we moved, I was appalled at the amount of clutter, that went into the donation vehicle and when they were through the trash bins. 

My goal is to never let that happen again!


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## Whisperwindkat (May 28, 2009)

I have been doing flylady for awhile and I have to say she saved my sanity! My house is mostly under control and easy to keep, but I still have hot spots. But a few things that I do keep those under control.
Donations go straight to the car for the next trip to town. Whenever I open a drawer for something in the kitchen and bathroom, I take a second to toss anything that can be tossed and remove what doesn't belong there. It literally takes seconds and keeps me from having to spend hours cleaning out drawers. If I make myself a new outfit then something has to go, Immediately. Everything has to have a place and if it doesn't then I have to decide on getting rid of something. Like I said, my house is mainly under control because I started with flylady 2 years ago. It is so easy to keep clean now. However, my art studio is a nightmare. My goal this year is to get that under control so that I can get in there to create again. I do most of my sewing in the house by hand these days simply because it is almost impossible to get to my sewing machine out there. I took two small boxes to goodwill the other day so it will get there with time.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Mid Tn Mama said:


> Until Jan 15, you can print out a calendar for another home organizing system:
> http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html
> 
> Looks pretty good! Anyone doing this one?


 I'm sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. This is the system I'm doing. I like the fact there is only one e-mail a week, and I can just follow the calendar if I don't want the e-mails. 

I also found a site with a year-long checklist for weekly/ monthly/ quarterly cleaning. This is not a declutter type cleaning but just day to day. I need something like that because I "forget" to clean certain areas regularly. I'm still tweaking it to make it fit my house, but it's a good one-page reminder of what needs doing. 

http://simplyrebekah.com/2012/02/27/free-cleaning-checklist-you-can-customize-1-year-on-1-page/

I'm still cleaning up from the holidays since I keep decorations up until Epiphany which was yesterday. The declutter challenge is the kitchen this week. When I went through the kitchen drawers yesterday I found a dozen items I could let go of. I'm a kitchen gadget-a-holic, so that is significant.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Thanks for doing this, MTM...we used to have a monthly Organizing Thread, but it kind of fell by the wayside over time. It's nice to have it back!

I packed up the holiday decorations and found that I was able to downsize from 3 huge totes to 2 and a couple smaller ones this year. I probably could have taken it down even more, but I was just ready to have everything put away again. I'll have my dd take the totes back to the shipping container today and will have some space back in my great room again.  I don't have a garage, but do have a 40' shipping container that is used for storage. It helps get a lot of infrequently used items out of my house and out of the way, but accessible when I need them.

One of my goals this month is to reorganize and inventory my pantry room. It's become quite cluttered and disorganized over time. I really feel the need to have things around me neat and tidy - I just don't function well in a messy environment. I don't always achieve that neatness level, but love it when I do.


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

It is amazing how quickly things can go down! I've been off flylady for a month and boy do I have a lot to do. 

My goal this weekend is to declutter and do some basic cleaning. Then next week, I jump in again.

I need to spend the winter working a bit everyday in the garage and basement. I was watching a news report on frozen pipes and thought I'd rather die than have the plumber go downstairs to fix a leak.

As I take Christmas decorations to the attic, I am grabbing two handfuls of stuff to donate or throwout with each trip.

A friend of mine who is fed up with the way her life is going has jumped into flylady and told me that I need to read the "She Don'ts." Real sanity saver there!

Good Job all of you who are working hard. I'm washing floors on hands and knees today and getting some extra calories used up.

Question: What do you use to wash walls?


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## Mickey (Aug 28, 2002)

I agree with MTM about how things can go south very quickly if you don't stay diligent.
I find that if I get off track with my routine for whatever reason, if I can manage at least the very basics, ie keeping up with the dishes, laundry, quick swipe of the bathroom every morning and at the very least dust mop the floors every day or so, those things will keep my head above water until I can get back on track with the heavier cleaning routines.

MTM, I usually use a bucket of hot water and Lestoil on my walls.

Keep up the good work ladies! :thumb:


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

I am in the process of moving, so I have a storage unit that I put my stuff in, so the house would look 'cleaner and more spacious' during showings.
I have 3 moves ahead of me.
Out of this house, into an apartment.
Out of the apartment, into a rental home/condo.
Out of the rental, into a new home.

I went to my storage unit a couple weeks ago and purged it.
The stuff has been in there for 6 months.
I never used it.
I never missed it.
I never needed it.
So I Good Willed it.

My goal is to get everything I own, from the apartment move to the rental/condo move in one small moving van (going from IN to FLA). 

When I 'clean a room' I remove EVERYTHING from the room.
I clean from the ceiling to the floor, so that the room is CLEAN.
Then I ONLY put the items back that I use every day....the rest goes to good will, trash or ebay (2 weeks then it goes to good will).
It's amazing how little I want to put on ebay, and how badly I just want it out of the house.
ONCE the room was clean, I protected that room to keep it clean.
It was also my 'safe spot' and my inspiration to clean more.

Once I did every room.......(back in the early 2000's)......I stopped being a clutter bug and became a purger. ((unfortunately I was married to a pack rat deluxe so.....it was difficult; divorced now and you have NO idea how nice it is not to have to fight that battle!!!!))


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I'm a day behind on the Challenge, but am rocking along. At least I'm getting something done each day. I'd gotten into a funk and was not keep up at all, so I'm really coming from behind. It took two days to clean off the kitchen counters and I haven't tackled the table yet. But I'll get there. I'm also doing the items on the other list -- regular cleaning that should be done but hasn't been for over a month. I'm so glad we are doing this monthly thread instead of a weekly, and that it is open to other cleaning systems. .


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

*Flylady Week of January 11 - 17, 2015 Bathroom and one extra room*

*Monday Mission:* Clean out your health and beauty aids. I know I have some dried out lotions,etc that need to be tossed. manygoats can chime in here about how medicines should not be used passed their date. In your other room, set the timer and spend five minutes working on a hotspot (place that is a dumping ground).

*Tuesday:* Clean and shine your countertops. I did this yesterday and noticed my vanity top is scratched. I will look for car wax to shine it up this week, though. Or at least put this in my control journal for the bathroom section.

Wash your bathroom mats, shower curtains and accessories. Lucky me, I did this last week. This is a chore that she only assigns every few months. I try to shake them out weekly, though.

*Wednesday:*Wash your bathroom mats, shower curtains and accessories. Lucky me, I did this last week. This is a chore that she only assigns every few months. I try to shake them out weekly, though.


*Thursday*:Scrub the shower bathtub. Spend 15 minutes in the laundry room throwing away empty laundry bottles, etc.., tidying up and washing the tops of your washer and dryer.

*Friday*: Spend 15 minutes washing the door handles/cabinet knobs in your house, preferably with bleach to reduce the germs during cold/flu season. Do an inventory in the bathroom of what you need to put on your shopping list.

I'll post the Detailed cleaning list later.....


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Worked hard yesterday to clean up the clutter everywhere and then just clean the main rooms of the house and our bedroom and bath. I'm not an ocd clean nut but boy do I feel better seeing clean counters, bureaus and floors!! I mean, positively ZEN! You know those very minimalist asian scenes with no furniture except a pillow on the floor and no junk, and no knick knacks. There is a reason for that

Luckily I declutterd the bedroom so that I can fully participate in the deeper cleaning this week. I also need to work on the closet next weekend and purge clothes to make room for the newer items. I really needed sweaters and heavier pants so that will take up more room in the closet. 
**washed two loads of laundry and put away Four(!)
**Washed the kitchen floor and bathroom floor. Cleaned the bathroom and kitchen well. 
**Cleaned the bedroom, Top to bottom dust and sweep. Still a little paperwork to clean up but it's in a sack, at least.
**Purged the clean laundry of two items that went into the rag box. I don't use paper towels
**washed the floor with a faded sweater (after removing large expensive fashion decor snaps--will use on busy book I'm making for gd) And threw the sweather out. Normally I use cotton based clothing as mulch in my garden, but next year will be a small garden (mostly vertical).
**Dumped the compost on my close in retaining wall garden so that no weeds when I early plant there.
**Recycled a toothbrush (changed out to a new one) disinfected it in boiling water and am using it for cleaning corner and faucet gunk.

Today's goals: 
vacuum lr and dr
Work a little in laundry room 
Work a little in office
Spot clean kitchen cabinets of spills/dirt
Spot clean bathroom cabinets of drips/dirt


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## OnlyMe (Oct 10, 2010)

Thanks for having me over.

I'm not a good FlyLady gal --- I tend to get overwhelmed and give up before I get started but if we can start with one or two things a day, I might be able to keep up. 

As I mentioned on the frugal thread, I got the pantry organized. I thought about attacking the cabinets but opened one and decided that was best left until another day.  

Thought you all might relate to my junk drawer story. Way back when, when I was on the corporate ladder, hubby called to ask where something was. I told him it was in the junk drawer. He said it wasn't. I told him to look in the other junk drawer... not there. So I directed him to junk drawer #3 - 3 times the charm right? He found the item and I hung up.

I took the call in a common area. My colleague had a stunned look on her face :shocked: I asked her what was wrong... she then asked just how many junk drawers I had. :hysterical:


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## Mickey (Aug 28, 2002)

Don't feel like you're behind Belfrybat. Just jump in where you're at and keep on keepin' on! You'll be amazed at how fast you'll get to your goal of a nice tidy home if you just keep plugging away at it

We're here cheering for you!:nanner:


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Today begins week 2 of the 52 Weeks To An Organized Home Challenge: Kitchen cabinets and drawers. So I am going to split up the number of cabinets and drawers into 5 days. I don't want to do this on the weekend so I figure, I have five weekdays. 

I have 23 in my count - by five, so I'll do five a day. That makes it easy, not a huge undertaking at all. 

Today's 15 minute declutter is just to read the portion about this weeks challenge - so easy! Last weeks 15 min. declutters were easy too. I love how this method is broken down so that each mission or challenge is small!

I do want to re-arrange some daily use things, why on earth have I not done this before? I'm 5'3" and have these two glass cooking dishes that we use almost nightly. Why on earth are they up on a top shelf? Same with DH's little tupperware squares, he puts cut up apples in one every single morning, but I have them with all the lids for all of them, in the top one.

So that will be a nice re-organization right there. Not sure what to do about spices though, DH is a spice junkie and I'm not exaggerating, we have dozens of bags and jars of spices, dozens! They all fit okay, they have their own "cupboard space", but still. Not sure about that. Would like to thin them but I think that he would not like that.

Here is the link to the org. that I'm doing in case anyone missed it: (it's not flylady), and you can start it on any week - you just go thru the year, starting whenever you start and going thru the 52 weeks:

http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/organized-home.html


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## cc (Jun 4, 2006)

I'm so glad I found this, thanks so much MTM! Went to the doc and he said 2 more weeks before I can resume regular stuff, whatever that means :0) I do kind of understand, swept the living room and slept for 2 hours and I have a small living room! By the time I get my strength back I'll need a shovel to clean my house. I'll keep watching and try to catch up as soon as I can.


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## OnlyMe (Oct 10, 2010)

I wasn't overly productive today but I did take control of the mug cabinet. I'll box up all of the holiday mugs tomorrow and put them in the basement. I like them but there's no need having them take up cabinet real estate year round. This allowed me to straighten up the cabinet and no longer have an "avalanche" risk. 

I also cleaned off the fridge and addressed the items in the magnetic clips - my visual to-do list. It took a bit but it felt good to get it done.


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## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I finished the kitchen countertops and cleared off the kitchen table yesterday. I like the fact the "challenge" has what amounts to a free day each week in that on Mondays there is an article to read. I use that day to catch up if necessary. 

I hadn't thought about counting the drawers/ cabinets and dividing them up. Good idea, Homesteader. As to spices -- I have a lot and try to throw out the older ones after 2 - 3 years, but I replace them with fresh. My take is as long as you have the room, keep them if they are used.


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## jlxian (Feb 14, 2005)

Laura Zone 5 said:


> When I 'clean a room' I remove EVERYTHING from the room.
> I clean from the ceiling to the floor, so that the room is CLEAN.
> Then I ONLY put the items back that I use every day....the rest goes to good will, trash or ebay (2 weeks then it goes to good will).
> It's amazing how little I want to put on ebay, and how badly I just want it out of the house.
> ...


 This is what I want to do --- I told my husband I want to haul EVERYTHING out into the yard and only bring in what we need. Being mid winter that's not possible, and each room is so packed I can't just put one room's stuff into another room. So I have to wait until warm weather, I guess. Bummer.


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## OnlyMe (Oct 10, 2010)

I finally tackled the food in the kitchen cabinets. I got everything re-organized and was happy to have only found a few items that were way past their "best by" dates. I now have mental clarity as to what I have & will be able to shop sales more effectively which should save money.

The only area that has me a little stumped is my collection of K-cups. I don't think I've ever turned down a k-cup sample offer LOL. Does anyone have any ideas for their organization? The carousel type is pretty much out since I don't have the counter space. Right now, they live in a basket in a dining room cabinet. As you can guess, out-of-sight, out-of-mind sets in.


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

*Flylady Week of Jan 18 : Master Bedroom
Daily Missions:*

*Monday:* Clean under the bed and spend 15 minutes (or more if you have it) doing a little organization of what is stored there. I know I need this!! No telling what I've been storing there! 

*Tues*: Clean out the sock drawer. I don't feel so bad about purging mismatched socks. I like using them for cleaning and also for taking nail polish off. So much better to admit defeat and just budget buying socks several times a year and having a little peace in the getting dressed department of your life.

*Wed:* Dust the tops of the windows, doors, door jams and hinges.

*Thurs:* Clean off the nightstands. I want to get a cup of some kind to hold my earrings that I always remember after I've slipped into bed and don't want to get up and put them away.... Also, want to add to my control journal that I want to make a pocket to hold remotes, hand lotion, lip balm, etc. on the side of the bed.

*Friday:* Declutter the dresser. I have things in boxes there that just do not have a good home. Really wierd stuff. A bag of euros, broken jewelry that was my moms, seldom used id cards, gift cards, change container, receipt envelope....

I'll try to post the deeper cleaning for the week for you overachievers out there. Ha!


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## naturallykellie (May 1, 2014)

Hi, I think this is my first post ever on Homesteading Today! My name is Kellie, and I am married with 4 children (8 yo, 6 yo, 3 yo, 15 mos). We have had a lot going on lately, and I've really been kicking it into gear with cleaning and organizing. We have been renting for about 2.5 years now and have moved a few times, so we've purged a bit as we've gone. When we moved into this house, we got rid of our storage unit, and that saved us a lot of money this year! But, 4 kids in a tiny 3 bedroom house means that we still have a ton of STUFF. And no one but me really seems to buy into the theory of "a place for everything and everything in its place." So, it had kind of reached a critical mass for me.

This is where I share more than maybe I should, but the week before Christmas, I looked up while I was laying in bed and saw bedbug evidence on my headboard. I called the exterminator the next morning and we had them out on December 23. I kept telling the kids that one day they would look back and laugh about the year we got bedbugs for Christmas! So, we treated the bugs and got rid of them. It was a pretty small colony, thank goodness. We had found them pretty quickly. But, that means that we took the entire house apart, basically, to search for them. A lot of our things had to be packed up for the exterminator, and that gave us a good opportunity to really take a look at everything and purge a lot. So, a big chunk of stuff left then.

Beyond that, I guess that I had slipped into a sort of depression over the last few years (along with the help of my wildly ranging hypothyroid), and a lot of things just haven't been done the way I would normally do them. I started seeing a new doctor who had me start on some new supplements that are helping me to sleep better, have more energy during the day, and just feel more like myself. So, a few projects have just jumped out at me! I decluttered my kitchen counters as much as I could about a week ago. I've been working on clearing out hotspots. I cleared out the kids' (home)school cabinet that is full of their art supplies and such and made a lot of room. I cleared out a lot of our homeschool supplies that we never used and gave them away to another homeschooler who couldn't afford to buy a lot of supplies. I sorted out my craft cabinet (now to get all of the overflow organized and inside of the cabinet!). I still need to purge some fabric, but I'm hoping to do that this week. Today I purged and organized our pantry and it looks SO beautiful! We had ordered 6 1/2 gallon jars in our last grocery co-op order and I put beans, popcorn and raisins in them and they look so pretty on the shelf! Then I tackled the spice cabinet and without getting rid of almost anything, I got it straightened back up so that it looks like there is an extra 1/3 of a cabinet that wasn't there before!

I also made step by step cleaning lists for each room and laminated them. Now anyone who is cleaning that room can follow the steps, mark them off with a dry erase marker if they want, and get the room completely clean. My kids have been helping with that this week, and it has been great to have the help, and empowered them to know HOW to clean it up when I ask them to.

So, um, that's what I'm doing! Thanks for having me here!


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Welcome Kellie - thanks for sharing! You have a lot on your plate - and it can get overwhelming especially if you have health issues.

It does seem to make it easier, to be able to pack everything up, and then just put back what you really need as you go along. Like jlxian was saying, she wishes she could do that but it's winter.

I have been working on week three, pantry and food storage, but jumped ahead a little bit to week four by totally re-organizing the freezers. We have the smaller freezer in our side-by-side fridge, plus an upright freezer in an outbuilding. It had become very confusing, so I got it all under control. Put walmart plastic bags in, with separate dates of when that food got frozen. Really helped me as I can open the door, and see bags with clear dates on them so I know which one to reach into first!


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## jlxian (Feb 14, 2005)

Welcome Kellie!


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## OnlyMe (Oct 10, 2010)

Hi Kellie... Welcome!


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

Welcome Kellie: Sounds like you are doing a lot even though there are personal difficulties. Great Stuff!


I was watching a video about someone who lives sustainably, off the grid and he said, "When you are working hard, you don't have much time for entertainment, so every part of your life needs to become enjoyable." I thought, I work hard and I don't have much free time so I want to be more comfortable at home. To be able to cook, live, put things away efficiently so that i could have a bit more free time. Thanks all for encouraging me and sharing what you do.
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I still have my Christmas decorations up (that tells you how far behind I am) but as soon as that is done, you have inspired me to work on my pantry. We are eating out of the freezer and pantry this week with very little to buy from the store. 


Thank you all. I appreciate your sharing. Keep it up! And look, there are plenty of people who find this interesting we have well over 1100 hits this month!


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Welcome, Kellie! I think you'll like it here. 

I'm battling SAD and a bad back, but trying to work through both. Today I managed to sweep and steam mop the living room, did laundry and boiled up a chicken for meat and broth...made a chicken and stuffing in gravy casserole for dinner (turned out YUMMY). My house is a bit messy, but not too bad overall, thanks in great part to the help of my dd. I think I'm slowly starting to turn the corner.


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

So far with DH's help today:


Cleaned the kitchen
Washed kitchen floor
Cleaned the drips on the kitchen cabinets
Cleaned the bottom of the fridge
Hauled the garbage to the dump
Put away luggage in attic. 
Spent five minutes in the attic doing a quick grab of things to be donated and things to be thrown away. Checked the mouse traps while there.
Washed a load of clothes and hung them to dry.
Took out three or four dilapidated cardboard boxes filled with the kids growing up papers/awards. Then I resorted them into plastic boxes with their names marked on them. Someday when they have their own homes they will get the box.
Straightened up boxes of games/puzzles in the attic (few)
Spent five minutes walking through the basement removing garbage and things destined for GW.
While looking for scrubbers for floor gunk, I found a bag I chucked under there of zip lock bags I brought home from work. They contained non food items and I saved them to wash and use again. I washed some today and will wash the rest tomorrow. One small organizing item done!
Made my grocery list for three stores and my to do list for this weekend on one piece of paper folded in thirds (organized) I keep the list and a pen in my back pocket and write when I remember something.




I noticed while up in the attic that we have a lot of old, crummy luggage stuff (backpacks, duffel bags with issues, bad suitcases) I may use these to put things in the attic and Cheap luggage tags would be great to label what is in them, no?


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Today I straightened the kitchen nook, utility room, kitchen, dining room and my bedroom. Washed another load of laundry, found a lot of dishes dd had stashed here and there and put her to work washing them, and swept more floors. Sorted through our storage apples and tossed a few that had "turned" to the chickens. Shook floor rugs outside, and put into place on nice clean floors. Not every room that I straightened is totally in order - some I only worked on a portion of the room, but the overall effect is great - much more orderly.


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## MJsLady (Aug 16, 2006)

Yesterday I recovered my game/living room from the mess that the 2 year old tornado, also known as GS, left behind last week.
Today laundry is my main goal, perhaps working on my sewing room too. So I can do more than mend in it!


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## Homesteader (Jul 13, 2002)

Well not a super lot done this week, and DH and I spent a lot of Saturday weeding and removing the dried asparagus "plant part" of the asparagus patch. It was about 65F Sat, and yesterday it got to 70F!!! Then we baked paczki together, he made me the lemon filling for mine - and then we made apple filling for his! Yum. He also made more pickles!

But, I had gotten the pantry tidied up for last week, so I'm good there. Now, this week is fridge!

I found some "refrigerator shelf liner", called Easy Liner at Walmart and I am going to tackle the Great White Beast! Once the shelves have been removed, washed then I am going to put down this liner onto them. It should make cleaning the "shelves" easier and faster, which means I'll do it more often. Much easier to remove a liner and clean that than taking the whole glass shelf out!


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## Mickey (Aug 28, 2002)

As I mentioned on another thread we're under a severe storm watch. They're saying blizzard conditions and the Governor has declared a state of emergency. Some areas are expected to get as much as 20-26 inches of snow, heavy winds and wide spread power outtages, so I've been in stealth mode all day preparing as much as possible. Did all(which was only 2 loads) of the laundry, dusted, did the vaccing, swiped the bathroom, cleaned and filled all the oil lamps, filled the wood boxes and x-tra 5 gal. buckets of water this morning and have been cooking all afternoon. I'm ready! 
To those of you in the path of Juno I pray that you all stay safe and warm.


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## MJsLady (Aug 16, 2006)

I am beat but it looks as if not much got done!
I folded a load of wash
then made 2 dinners, one for us and 1 for a sick friend.
Now I am baking a bit and doing dishes. 

I need to grab a quick shower too before we deliver the dinner and cookies!


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

I hope and pray that those of you in the path of the blizzard are well prepared. 

MJs lady: Taking care of family and friends trumps cleaning and organizing in my book!


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

*January 25 - 31, 2015 Zone 5: The Living Room*
This month's Habit is: Shining Your Sink

Remember to only spend only 15 minutes a day on these missions. You won't get it all done in a week, you didn't get it dirty and unorganized in one week either! If you have finished the daily focuses, move on to the detailed cleaning list:

*Monday:* Look at all the clutter and knick nacks on every flat surface. Can any be put away so that it would be easier to dust? 

*Tues:* vacuum under the chair and sofa cushions.

*Wednesday:*You know those hotpots in the living room where people dump stuff? Put that away!

*Thursday*:Really clean the baseboards and the area next to the wall/baseboards that doesn't get picked up by the vacuum.

*Friday:* Put something in the room that is pretty and just for you. Maybe flowers. 

Here is the detailed cleaning list for you to work on when time allows you to after doing the daily focus things:

*Living Room/Family Room/Den Detailed Cleaning List*
Clean cobwebs
Clean windows
Straighten bookcases
Wash ornaments and knick-knacks
Clean out end table
Straighten closets/ drawers
Wipe fingerprints from walls
Polish furniture
Clean out magazine racks
Clean phone
Clean under cushions
Clean out fireplace
Move furniture and vacuum
Shampoo carpet
If you have a family room, game room, sun porch, or other room that is used by the family for living purposes, then concentrate on decluttering one room each month (or as you find more time).


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## OnlyMe (Oct 10, 2010)

My cleaning and organizing today was also spent getting ready for Juno. All the laundry and dishes are done, multiple pots have been filled with water, and the generator gear laid out. I also vacuumed and washed the floors. Dishes will be hand washed immediately after use. After one snow event we were out of power for 10 days & I'll never forget talking to someone who feared that her dishwasher of dirty dishes must be "gross" after 8 days of no power. That made me immediately go "ewwwwww" to myself LOL. 

I pulled out some flame-less candles that I picked up at post-holiday sales and have set them up as "decor" in the bathrooms aka night lights. I also hunted down the cast iron cookware (it's always tough to find a black pot in a dark basement -- learned that during the last snow/power outage event) & made a mental meal plan. 

My entry way and bathroom look like the remnant area of a carpet store but it helps keep the floor clean when going in/out with wet boots. 

Best wishes to all in Juno's path that all goes smoothly & that we don't lose power.


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

I have fallen off the log with mail and paper. My goal last year was to deal with six pieces of mail/bills/paperwork every day. It only takes five minutes. My junkmail is roughly shredded by hand, put in a wastebasket next to the mail. Then it is spread in the chicken coop where the "girls" turn it into the best compost.
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In the last couple years, I have tried to live more simply--it really clears your head too. Dont' get me wrong, I have a lot of stuff to clear out. But, I am doing it consistently with your help and flylady's help!
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One thing I like about flylady is her observation that soap is soap. I bought some cheap pump hand soap, but it has turned some wierd color inside the top of the pump--I think some of the spring has rusted. I now use it to clean. I put some in the bathroom sinks with water (this cleans the sink at the same time.) and use a rag to wash the windows/mirror/ countertop and toilet. By the time you are done, the sink is easily cleaned.
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Konmarie method of tidying and folding clothes: Check out konmarie on youtube!


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## Mid Tn Mama (May 11, 2002)

We have company coming in March who have never visited here before and DH said, "Let's make a list of things that need to be done on the house and work on the list every weekend," so I told him we already have a flylady control journal so lets use it! I try to add things to be fixed and bought for each area of the house as I go through the zones. But sometimes I forget. I think if we just do the journal when we are in each zone, we should be well on our way to our goal.

Here is a link to the list to all the different *control journals.* Mine is a home maintenance journal. I keep a section for each room in a binder with sections for each room. I write the list of what needs to be fixed or bought for the room. Eventually, I'll have the deep cleaning list for each room here and paint and fabric swatches. I'd like to put a picture of the decorating I'd like to do in the room as well.
http://www.flylady.net/d/control-journals/
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A while ago, I posted a good way to get rid of all those pesky, half empty tea boxes in my pantry. I put the* tea bags* in a bead/jewelry/embroidery floss organizer. It was ok, but not really tall enough. I saw this on pinterest. I have plenty of tin cookie containers but none with dividers. I'm going to make one of these for my dd for Christmas:
http://sadtohappyproject.com/do-it-yourself-storage-ideas/


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