Things to buy that help keep house neat.

TheNeutralOne

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 6:50 am

amother Black wrote:

The book by Marie Kondo

She apparently backtracked after she had a kid tho 😝. But useful concepts nonetheless.

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 7:49 am

SuperWify wrote:

lol. It’s the Lego. It’s taking over my life. It’s also destroying the bottom of my feet (owww). There’s Lego everywhere. In the bath, on every floor, in every corner. Even though I said 70 times to please keep them in your bedroom (I don’t have playroom, toys in the bedroom closet). So technically, Lego it’s one type of toy. But it’s a huuuuugeee category and it’s the gift that keeps magically growing.

And my son said, ma we have space, so stop saying no more toys. There’s plenty of room! You can stack the toys until the ceiling.

I said sure sweetie, uh huh, as I causally picked up some junk he collected in school and slyly made my way to the bin under his unsuspecting nose. So yes, it’s a struggle. I have 2 kids but I can image it will only get harder from here on… I shudder to think about my mom dealing with all ten of ours junk as we we’re growing up…

But we did add ikea train set, which we had years ago but my son realized it somehow didn’t make its way with us over our move a few years ago so that was re-purchased. And my daughter is getting older and wants girl toys now so I’m drowning in dolls and unicorns and dollhouses. These stuff need another storing system that I’m not so sure about. A bin won’t store multiple doll carriages and a car seat. I did I try it give away one doll carriage but my husband got wind of it and forbade me, so I folded it up and put it in storage, gd forgive me. (As a side point it folds better than my real carriage.)

Anyway, I realized my problem was not throwing stuff out. I’m the master at getting rid of stuff. I should I have PHD in that. I’m also just really good at purchasing new stuff to take the old
stuffs place. I enjoy the rush of opening a new package convinced that this item is going to change my like life. Spoiler alert; that never worked.

So in the end, I’m not being kind to my wallet or my husband or myself. More stuff = more clutter= harder to keep organized. I decided enough was enough and I went on a purchasing diet. For one week I did not order 1 blessed thing from Amazon or anywhere. At the end of the week my cart was full with things I really didn’t need so I deleted them and that felt like a great purge from my cyber house and my husband was so happy to come home without Amazon packages cluttering his entry. This diet felt pretty freeing. I feel much lighter . (If only pounds can come off as easily.) Let’s just see how long it will last.

An easy implement was not to make any rush purchases. So I fill up my cart, and come back to it a day or two later. By then I can see- I know this on on sale but I really don’t need it. I also went through my kids closets. My older one isn’t growing as much now and many things do still fit for last year. So if I’m truly honest with myself he only needs 1 new Shabbos outfit. I write that down in my notes as well as everything else he needs. That was before the sale.. then I got an email that my favorite children’s boutique was having a sale all past season between $4-$40!! There was lot of Shabbos stuff in his size. I was about to checkout (the total got to $280 somehow) when I decided I needed to pause. I left it. Read over my list and saw I wrote I wanted only 1 new Shabbos outfit for him and that it should match my kids. These didn’t fit the Bill no matter how cheap they were. Bye bye Felicia. We are going to be just fine without you. I did purchase new hair accessories for my daughter because those always disappear and they were $4 each. I did feel like they would value to our lives no matter how short lived that might be.

There are good purchases too, of course. I realized that tins are getting more expensive and that food tastes so much better when cooked in real dishes almost like our grandmothers made them. So I switched to real baking dishes and challah pans. That was a good change even though it took time to figure out the best way and place of storage.

Sometimes I forget the golden rules I make. Place and purpose. Before you make a new purchase each item needs a place and purpose.

Another area I struggle in is maintaining the systems I put in place. Things get put back in the wrong place, things get dumped instead of being put back nicely. The only way to counteract this is to constantly reorganize. If you do it constantly it won’t take long but it’s another job. So yes, my life is pretty tied up with this business of organization. Especially since my husband and children and I don’t see eye to eye in this matter. (Them against me obviously. It’s a lost case.) My housekeeper I also isn’t totally with me in it, though she loved the Marie Kondo style of folding laundry that I taught her. I try to reorganize one room a week though the kids rooms have the honor of getting organized weekly. They have 1 box of junk and when that overflows we empty it to make space for.. more junk.

What is working amazingly is buying just 2 colors of the same exact sock for each child. Black and white. Gone are days I bring in every shoe to the hosiery store to match up the shoe color to the exact color shade pricey sock and then cry when they get lost/torn or dirty. I just buy white sneakers for the summer (they clean really well with a magic eraser) and black shoes for school. I threw out the rest of their socks guilt free and we all live happily ever after. (In the spirit of full honesty: I did buy 3 pairs of the same dressy Shabbos sock.)

We also keep shoes by the door 9/10 times and that has helped with the morning rush. Bags and kids coats/jackets/ and gym and swimming bags and umbrellas and rain boots and camp bags all stay there. Obviously, I put out the seasonally appropriate items and put the rest away in our coat closet. That has been a massive help.

The other thing that is really helpful is keeping things where we use them. Vitamins in the fruit bowl on the breakfast table, crafts in a cabinet above the table so that the kids can make their creations by the table, a few toys downstairs in the living room but most upstairs in the bedrooms - keeping the for stairs mostly neat. On Shabbos we will read Shabbos books, albums and play games together which is what we keep downstairs. Keys go into a decorative box by the front door so we can put them away as soon as we get him. This has been more helpful to my husband than the key finder system I installed for him.

Hope my ramblings have helped you. Let me know if you have any questions.

Superwify I'm so glad you wrote this! Keep up the efforts! Hatzlacha Flower

amother

Slateblue

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 8:35 am

I find the less I buy - the neater my house.
As long as everything has a space there is no need to buy.

I got a roomba that also mops as a gift.
Each night I put my chairs on the table and it is nice to wake up to a clean floor.
Your floor can’t be nasty - it won’t get off heave grime. If your floor is pretty clean it’ll make it perfect.

amother

Valerian

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 8:42 am

Dyson vacuum
Pricey but worth it
Closed clear storage bins

amother

Steel

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 9:30 am

amother Slateblue wrote:

Can you post a link to the model you have?

zaq

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 9:51 am

To the best of my recollection, the only Lego we ever had was a set of maybe ten of the toddler ones the size of bricks. As a PP mentioned, the small ones are a menace for many reasons, the hazard to bare feet and their ability to infiltrate every corner of the house being only two. I wouldn't have them in my house. Our kids somehow grew up with respectable IQs, imaginations and manual dexterity despite the deprivation.

amother

NeonOrange

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 11:12 am

I am always decluttering and my house is always messy.
I actually enjoy decluttering but decluttering doesn't make anyone put things away or stop bringing things in or leaving things around.
I have created 8 different shoe systems and the shoes are still all over the front hallway and the first floor.
My bins are labeled and everything has a place but it isn't being put there.
I live with a spouse and children who have ADHD. It's like walking up a down escalator and every once in a while I just want to shout, forget it I quit. Live in a pig sty see if I care.

Please tell me I'm not the only one. And then give me some good advice that doesnt involve, shadowing every member of my family from morning to night.

amother

Peru

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 11:14 am

amother Black wrote:

The book by Marie Kondo

I threw it out. THAT sparked joy!

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 12:07 pm

amother Peru wrote:

I threw it out. THAT sparked joy!

In the garbage bin?

amother

Broom

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 12:11 pm

amother NeonOrange wrote:

Hire a daily cleaning lady to pick up after everyone and put a lock on one room where everything stays as is and only you can enter that place. Off limits to everyone else.

Then call me to go out somewhere fun.

amother

Peru

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 12:20 pm

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

In the garbage bin?

But of course Very Happy

amother

Mocha

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 12:25 pm

amother NeonOrange wrote:

Me me me. 5 of my kids have ADHD it's like swimming against the tide. I can't keep up. And also a tiny house. After shabbos the house is literally destroyed.

amother

NeonOrange

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 12:32 pm

amother Broom wrote:

I can't afford a daily cleaning lady. I have a cleaning lady who cleans bathrooms, floors and the kitchen. I'm the daily cleaning lady.

I LOVE this idea of one place that stays locked and clean, that's my zone. I wish I had a clue of where to create that for myself but I am going to really think about this.

Shoshana Rose

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 1:00 pm

amother Peru wrote:

I threw it out. THAT sparked joy!

that is good for one living alone (or maybe with a spouse and infant)
she alone stopped with this system once she had her second and third baby.

amother

Hosta

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 1:04 pm

I live in a basement apartment with hardly any storage space. Baby cloths that I would still use for my next I vacuum sealed and purchased these under bed storage bags on Temu.

Bnei Berak 10

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 1:46 pm

amother Peru wrote:

But of course Very Happy

I would be thrilled if someone left that book with a note "Give-away" הפקר or similar if they didn't want it anymore.

amother

Cyclamen

Sun, Jul 23 2023, 2:10 pm

amother NeonOrange wrote:

.

I LOVE this idea of one place that stays locked and clean, that's my zone. I wish I had a clue of where to create that for myself but I am going to really think about this.

I didn't have a sacred locked room, but I have a "must be tidy at all times" living room. It helps that it's not a passageway but a side room off the entryway. On Shabbat, when we eat in there, the children are also allowed to play in there, but not the rest of the time. During the week the rest of the house may be a disaster zone but this room is under my sole management. It really does help psychologically to have one space that always looks the way you want it to.

We don't have a velvet rope across the doorway like in a museum. We lie on the couch, read, listen to music, I do my mending and stuff there, paperwork, crafts that aren't too messy, whatever, but I make sure to clean up at the end of the day and don't leave stuff lying around. The kids play in our wide hallway or in their rooms, not in the LR.