A couple weeks ago, I wrote a blog post "My War Against Clutter", which mentions that I was starting to get rid of useless junk that has been taking up space in my apartment for too long.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-war-against-clutter.html
It's just about 3 weeks later, and I'm feeling like I'm living in a brand new place, even though it's the same studio apartment I've been living in for 9 years.
A lot of old outdated papers? Thrown out!
Big grey containers with piles of articles? Thrown out!
Old stuff that I haven't used in years? Thrown out!
Some stuff, I kept! Especially stuff I've been looking for that was hidden in a pile of useless papers!
But yeah, you'd be surprised what stuff is still in your house if you haven't had time to clean-out your stuff in YEARS!
But that's not all!
And what about the bed frame that had drawers under them? It was once a good deal since it WAS a good place to put a mattress on, and I can still reach down to get stuff out of the drawers.
The problem with that bed frame? It gave the bed bugs a good place to hide! I tried to eliminate the problem with sprays, chemicals and good old-fashion bug-smashing! But I LOST PATIENCE WITH DOING ALL THAT!
So I got rid of that bed-frame! Good riddance! It's now waiting outside for bulky item pick-up!
No more bed frames for me. I will NEVER give bed-bugs a good place to hide again!
(unless I end up so weak and disabled, hopefully by then, I'll be placed in a clean nursing home)
I just sleep on a matress placed directly on the floor instead of a bed-frame!
That will make home maintenance and cleanliness so much easier!
And my room has just been vaccumed and dusted!
My room is so much nicer and cleaner!
NOW, I have gotten my life back!
It's now much easier to invite relatives, friends (and even possible groupies) to my apartment!
:) :) :)
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So yeah, the fact that I'm currently on summer vacation from my DOE job, plus the fact that I'm not at UPhx (and still waiting for approval to enroll in grad school at UH), gives me PLENTY of time to catch up on cleaning house!
I'm so loving my summer so far!
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In that blog post I've mentioned earlier, I mentioned that I rebelled against my parents who complained too much in the past about my housekeeping! Look, back when I first moved to my studio apartment, my mom occasionally visited and was trying to instill her values in keeping a clean home.
But she was too much of a complainer when she visited, kept complaining about MINOR piles of papers, about MINOR imperfections, not realizing that I don't always have the time to make my home perfect. It was so ironic that she used to tell me "think positive" when dealing with seriously negative issues, yet when she visited my studio, her "think positive" mentality DISAPPEARED and she was too negative.
I told her in a letter that "I'll just keep my stuff there, just to show you that I refuse to be tiny-managed now that I'm an adult" She stopped visiting after that!
That was years ago. It's good that she stopped nagging. If she was still nagging, I would NOT have cleaned out my apartment! She backed off and minded her own business. Years of being left alone was good for me, in that now I can come to my own conclusions about my housekeeping!
( I know, it's not politically correct to criticize my mother. She is a caring and loving person, but I just have to tell it like it is.)
So if you visit someone's home and you don't like their housekeeping, just don't say anything and don't go back! Silence and avoidance can do wonders!
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Now, back on a positive note! The stuff I decided to keep is a lot more organized, the floor is so much cleaner, it feels like you're in a brand new room.
And I did all by myself! No help from friends or family, I just did it all independently!
So if you're unemployed or if you're on vacation, just look at it as a blessing! You now got time to do what I did and give your home a makeover!
You'll be happy you did!