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MY house is MY business



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amother
Mauve


 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 8:38 am
I struggle a lot with housekeeping. I work full time and I do have some cleaning help, but I still have to prioritize a lot. I have a few small kids and am pregnant, so I'm tired and overwhelmed. One of the things that's fallen by the wayside is the outside of the house. I just don't have the time and energy to deal with it. I have the cleaning lady sweep around once in 2 weeks. Landscapers maintain the lawn so its presentable but I'm not interested in paying for and dealing with making it gorgeous. I know the outside needs more than I'm giving it, but it takes everything I've got to keep BARE MINIMUM standards inside the house. My neighbor is bugging me that I need to do better on the outside upkeep. Today she was upset that I left the boxes from my grocery delivery out overnight and they're still sitting there. Sorry the sanitation dept hasn't been by, but how is that my fault? What am I supposed to do, stay home from work and sit with the boxes till they get here? Am I supposed to keep a bunch of boxes inside tripping over them till the second the garbage truck comes? But every day is something else! How dare you tell me how to run my home when you can't even be bothered to learn the first name of anyone living here!
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amother
Jetblack


 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 9:04 am
I'm sorry you feel stressed but to play devils advocate if your property looks like a mess the value of her home goes down. I think a couple of boxes overnight waiting for garbage truck is pushing it on her part but is it waiting for a week? If it's that long you should probably find an alternative place to keep your garbage.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 10:20 am
Unless you aren't telling us things, I think she was way out of line, regardless of whether she bothers to become friendly enough to learn anyone's name.

If your lawn is regularly mowed, and the outside swept every couple of weeks, what are the other issues? In and of themselves, a couple of boxes left overnight one night is no big deal.
What else is out there? Kid toys? Garden hose? Garbage? How old are your kids? Can they do any better at putting stuff away?
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 10:21 am
OP, hugs, neighbors are so annoying sometimes. If she were a good neighbor, she would offer to pitch in because you seem like you need help.

About recycling: we've done quite a few things until we found one that works. For us, we leave a big box in the house in one spot and put all the boxes in there. Many of my friends use their garage or a spot on the side of the house.

If you tell us what your home is like, maybe we can brainstorm ways that will work for you and have your neighbor leave you alone?
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 11:08 am
Thanks for the understanding. We have a backyard, so all the outdoor toys stay there. Nobody sees them. I do keep strollers out front under the overhang. I don't like to bring them in for many reasons. I cover them when it rains. Neighbor doesn't like the strollers out there, I don't think its her business. The boxes were brought out last night because today was recycling pick up. We always take them out the night before because sometimes the truck comes by at 5, other times, not till 11. I have no way of knowing which its gonna be so I put them out overnight. If they're still there when she takes her dog out, I hear about it Rolling Eyes The one thing that I could probably do better is pick up those annoying free papers/coupon books that come in those plastic sleeves that get thrown on my lawn every day. But its hard for me to bend over and DH is a typical guy who doesn't necessarily notice that something is lying there. So they get swept up when the cleaning lady sweeps outside every 2 weeks or so.
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kollel wife




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 11:29 am
It is totally appropriate to put out garbage by the road the night before - that's what's legally correct to do. You could get a fine for leaving it out longer than that. So I'm sure what her issue is.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 11:38 am
Meh, sounds like she has issues.

Nothing wrong with strollers or boxes the night before pickup.

Okay, the flyers can get messy. Can you appoint one of your kids to be on flyer patrol?

But still, it sounds like you are fine and she is not.
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5mom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 11:40 am
The inside of your house is your business; the outside impacts your neighbors.
I think it's totally reasonable to leave out recycling the night before it's picked up.
Leaving newspapers and circulars on the front lawn makes the place look unkempt. I wouldn't say anything to my neighbor, but I could see someone finding it bothersome.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 11:45 am
For the stuff thrown on your lawn, can it be raked up?
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amother
Papaya


 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 11:49 am
I think there are two sides to every story. We have a new neighbor who just put up a HUGE house. THey paid over $1million for it, but, while their yard is beautifully landscaped, they have trash and old items and recycling everywhere. It attracts squirrels who live and eat all the garbage. They kept waiting for when the town picks up the big garbage. But meanwhile they had a table outside on their driveway SINCE THANKSGIVING!!! It looks disgusting. I too have a dh who doesn't see something if he's standing on it. You have little kids. When you get home, have one of them gather all the newspapers and circulars and bring them in. They love it. It's a game and it's one less thing on your plate and makes a huge difference.

I also have a good friend whose yard is gross. She had an old toilet in her yard for MONTHS. She doesn't trim her grass or her bushes and you know what? She got a warning from the town. She was angry, but why do her neighbors have to look at such an ugly sight?

Before our new neighbors moved in, someone owned the property and no one was living there, the grass was getting very tall. Not only does that allow vermin to come but it tells thieves that they can come in. It's bad for security. Someone across the street from us got robbed, so I called the town. The next day, the grass was mowed, and the person who owned the property was charged whatever it cost.

No, you don't have to have the perfect property, but you should have short grass and no garbage on your property.
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saw50st8




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Apr 23 2015, 2:08 pm
amother wrote:
Thanks for the understanding. We have a backyard, so all the outdoor toys stay there. Nobody sees them. I do keep strollers out front under the overhang. I don't like to bring them in for many reasons. I cover them when it rains. Neighbor doesn't like the strollers out there, I don't think its her business. The boxes were brought out last night because today was recycling pick up. We always take them out the night before because sometimes the truck comes by at 5, other times, not till 11. I have no way of knowing which its gonna be so I put them out overnight. If they're still there when she takes her dog out, I hear about it Rolling Eyes The one thing that I could probably do better is pick up those annoying free papers/coupon books that come in those plastic sleeves that get thrown on my lawn every day. But its hard for me to bend over and DH is a typical guy who doesn't necessarily notice that something is lying there. So they get swept up when the cleaning lady sweeps outside every 2 weeks or so.


Ask her if she would prefer that you give her the boxes to keep at her place so she can put them out when she wants to. We frequently recycle the night before when both of us are around, otherwise my husband has to do it by himself!

We don't always collect the free papers either :-)
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