Clutter and Debt 1: Stop Using Credit Report

[If you stopped by here because you have real debt issues, 
you may want to visit http://www.DaveRamsey.com for real debt help. 
This post is about decluttering by applying Dave Ramsey's debt help method]

It is Friday again. Time for me to report my progress. Last post, I listed the following action items:

1. Get a load a laundry done when there enough dirty clothes for one
2. Get the dishes done after each meal
3. Putting away grocery immediately unless little girl need to potty
4. Do not check mailbox unless I have the time to look it over
5. Check the boys' school paperwork when I signed their binder
6. Go to bed before mid-night...

Let's go through the list one by one:

Clutter and Debt 1: Stop Using Credit

Photo Credit: PublicDomainPictures.net

Only after I announced this series last week, I thought of checking if the topic had already been discussed. I was shocked to find that Google found 2,700,000+ pages on "debt clutter". So, I guess I do not need to explain why I believe clutter and debt are cousins! But in order to apply the debt-free lessons to help get out of clutter, I dug a bit deeper to find out their relationships.

Laundry: What I Learned...

It has been more than a week after I posted my first goal. And the laundry baskets are not emptied. However, I finally come to realize that I should not feel guilty or defeated. Here is what I learned, so far:


Have Realistic Expectation
Laundry really won't end. I mean what was I thinking that I could empty laundry baskets on a specific date? New things get put in every day, at different time. Unless I do my math so accurate that I could finish the last load while my toddler is napping and my boys are still in school with my husband at work; or, at night after everyone else went to bed; I cannot guarantee that no one put something inside while I'm at it. Besides, I always wait for a full load.


This is probably one of the major reasons that laundry is difficult for me. I like to put "finished" to laundry. So, I set myself up for disappointment and frustration. And this leads to my next point.


Celebrate

I need to celebrate what I already did! Well, maybe not rewards because I tend to forget there is more to be done after rewarding myself. But shouldn't I be glad (and upbeat, and encouraged) that I actually did 5 loads of laundry within those 2 days. I was only 2 more loads away from my goal on Sunday night. I should be happy instead of feeling failed (and discouraged, depressed!) Negative feelings does not help me with getting any more thing done. I need to savor the positive and move on.

Allow Time for "Other"
Things were going well when I posted the before pictures. I thought I could get the same amount done the following days. As it turns out, there were other things I needed to do (Hmm, I guess I am a one-thing-at-a-time kind of person, after all) Then, I was too exhausted to stay up late to do another load. In the following days, my toddler did not nap quite as well. And there were unexpected visit from out of town friends... etc etc etc. My point is, I need to learn to space out laundry to allow for other things to happen.


Still a Battle
At the end of the day, I need to admit: I procrastinated, I got distracted, I spent more time online than I should have and I allow myself to think "tomorrow, tomorrow I would do it" when I actually get a chance to do it today. 


Laundry or not, I still need to learn to work on things that does not have an imminent deadline, not to put it off until it is last minute, then ask why God does not help me when my toddler needs to be cuddled after nap-time and my son needs help with homework while I am not done preparing dinner.


Thank you


Thank you for those of you who came back and check if I posted even though you may not have commented. It must be hard to follow or care for a messy person who has problem getting things done and did not put a post up on days she said she would... Thank you for coming back after a week of silence. I do hope that this is just the beginning of my blogging life and you would witness transformation in progress.


Does anyone of you have a laundry routine that you could share? Comment away and help out a struggling woman.

Laundry Update

Thank you for stopping by and checked on me!


Apparently, I failed in fulfilling my first goal - it is passed mid-night after Sunday and my laundry is not done yet. And I am truly exhausted after today's events, let me stop for now and hopefully, I could update soon...

Laundry Before Scene

Now that the boys are still in school, my toddler is still napping, the breakfast dishes are done and the second load of laundry is in the wash (what a rare situation), I guess it is a good time to enjoy my secret cookie and post some Before pictures. It is not a pleasant scene, so, do not scroll down unless you are ready...

The Boys', mostly

The girl's

The Mountain
Let's just say: the basket is not empty...

On some random surface

The Finale
All together (minus the whites)
being sort by colors

Well, I told you, it would not be pretty. Let's come back and check my progress on Monday. 

BTW, any suggestion for what the rest of my "mission" should be called?

Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

Life is not as good without Project Simplify, at least, not for someone like me. I was certainly more tired, had more stress and was a bit overwhelmed during Project Simplify. But it felt so great to get something done and documented! Now that it is over, I am back to my normal self again - worrying about the mess on the top of the self, paperwork getting pile up again and the overflowing laundry basket.

I need to pick back up that momentum again. To help myself to restart, I should set up goals here and put up my progress by the end of the week. With the mountain of laundry that got piled up, I really think laundry should be my goal for this week. It may be a bit lame to set a goal to do something that many do every day or, at least, every week. But given that it is already Thursday night, it seems to be realistic and yet challenging for me. Remember, laundry has always been problematic for me. Conquering it would be like an alcoholic resisting the champagne at a wedding, right? It should be victorious, right?

So, here is my deadline: I would like to empty all the laundry baskets by Sunday. And next week, I should post up my next goal on Monday.

Now let's hope that no one pee or throw up in their beds Sunday night. It just seems to happen every time I empty those things!

How I Hate Laundry

O, Laundry, Laundry! How I hate Laundry

I did not realize before

How I just drag and drag

Without seeing them in the wash

I do not know the reason

Perhaps, it's simply because

The washer is in the garage

Yes, the washer is in the garage

All the way on the other side

I need to take Laundry over 

to that other side

Passing both of our cars 

without much space to squeeze by

Oh, how I hate that feeling

the feeling of my pants 

Touching the sides of the cars

Seeing more laundry on the way

with my pants in the tray

I do not know about you

But for us it is true

Our garage is not clean

So if you ever drop a sock

More Laundry is to do

O, Laundry laundry! How I hate Laundry

I did not realize before

How I just drag and drag

Without seeing them in the wash

I do not know the reason

Perhaps, it's simply because

No one ever appreciate

Yes, Laundry is a job

That no one appreciate

No one even realize

You are doing the Laundry

You are doing it for them 

Each and everyday 

Or, if you are like me

Maybe every now and then

Oh, no, no one would take notice

Not until that lucky day 

The day that they saw them 

All cleaned but on the sofa

Without being fold away

Or the day when they found out

They are out of clean clothing

For that very same day

Then they realize 

Laundry is not done

O, Laundry Laundry! How I hate laundry

I did not realize before

How I just drag and drag

without seeing them in the wash

I do not know the reason

Perhaps, it is because 

it is a job with no end

Yes, it is a job with no end

This minute you think you are done

The next you see a sock or a pair of pants

right in that basket you just emptied

Perhaps, it is the sock you just drop

On that dirty garage floor

But perhaps it is not.

It is just because, with a family of five, 

There is no end to dirty socks

Yes, there is no end to dirty socks

Not until the end of days

When sin is removed from the Earth

When earth no longer equals to dirt

But please do not quote me on this

I have not read my book of Revelations

But it just seems about right

That we will all dress in white

That is brighter than any earthly white

That is brighter than sunlight

It just sounds about right

That white should come from the Righteous King

Who washed our sin away

And not from any laundry

That we could do today

With that being said

And that day hasn't come

I know deep in my heart

No matter how I hate laundry

I should not just drag and drag

Without seeing them in the wash

For it just gets pile up

Doing me not any good

With writing all these down

God seems to be telling me

Laundry maybe mundane and tiny

But with these littlest tasks,

He is training me to face obstacles

Whether it is real or mental

they are not good enough reasons

for waiting another seasons

He also needs me to learn

Not to work for praises

Or other form of rewards

Endurance and faithfulness 

Is what He wants from me instead




May God grant me the discipline

To do the Laundry 

in a much more timely way
May my family never ceases to have

clean clothing available in their closet

until the end of days

Amen