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 Confessions of the Slob Queen (Page 5)
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| Author | Topic: Confessions of the Slob Queen |
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Sophie Housemate |
posted 01-05-2005 08:09 PM
  
I had an out-of-character cleaning binge yesterday. My secret is  get stoned. It's the only thing that can really get me in the rhythm of it.I had to sack our last cleaner because she was pilfering small change. I know it's fairly minor, but I didn't want to be paralysed with fear if I went to work one day and forgot my engagement ring or something. I'd just be in a lather all day about whether or not it would still be there when I got home. I wish I could find someone honest enough to give keys to... IP: Logged |
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becca11 Housesitter |
posted 01-06-2005 02:32 AM
I kept having the cleaning people break stuff, *and not tell me*. Like, hmmm, I'm not going to notice? I don't care? and now, no-one seems to be cleaning. Damn this economy with full employment! IP: Logged |
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meggo Housemate |
posted 01-06-2005 06:56 AM
Over the holiday I sat down in front of our filing cabinet and decided that the mountain of paper on top of it - needed to go IN it. So I organized it all. I had electricity bills from two apartments ago. Mind you - I've been in a house for two years - this is two apartments prior to that! Now I'll need to go through and actually throw things like that out. (until then - they're neatly clipped by year and in a labeled hanging file). But I've been trying to figure out the best way to force ourselves into keeping all of that neatly organized to begin with. Like the mail comes upstairs when we come home - it lands on the kitchen table, then it goes to the china cabinet - then it goes to the counter. Enough! Make it just go away! What I would love to have - is a nice desk - a nice desk with either a cupboard face on it or a roll top or something - so I can have all mail & bill paying things in one place with the laptop & can close the door on it when I don't want to look at it anymore. IP: Logged |
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Tikimama Subletter |
posted 01-06-2005 11:36 AM
quote: I swear by this, too! Something about being able to hyperfocus, the slow down of time, and the chill out. That reminds me, my house could use some clearning... IP: Logged |
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Isabelle Housemate |
posted 01-06-2005 03:25 PM
I'll get behind that as well. The only trick is to not get TOO crazy, or else cleaning the house will somehow turn into falling asleep on the couch with chocolate almonds all over you. Not that I know, of course. IP: Logged |
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quarkiegirl Housemate |
posted 01-06-2005 04:27 PM
yeah, i'd think of cleaning my house, then i'd fall asleep in front of the tv with dude where's my car playing, and an empty ice cream bucket on my head. IP: Logged |
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Nakedmarzi Housemate |
posted 01-06-2005 11:13 PM
Right now that sounds so good: getting high and sitting on the couch surrounded by chocolate almonds. Not the cleaning part though. Not that at all. IP: Logged |
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geogirl Housemate |
posted 01-07-2005 05:06 AM
I can only stay awake for about an hour after imbibing, so I'd have to clean very quickly before the lure of horizontalness trapped me. IP: Logged |
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pollyhyper Housesitter |
posted 01-07-2005 07:11 AM
I have to START whatever I'm doing (cleaning, art project, etc.) and THEN imbibe, and then everything becomes more fun and I become more focused. If, however, I should imbibe BEFORE starting my project, I will never get my butt up off the couch. IP: Logged |
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TinyGirl Housemate |
posted 01-07-2005 02:45 PM
HEHE. I really really need to get motivated to clean. Actually what helped was the Friends episode where Ross goes to the dirty girl's apartment and is too disgusted to get busy. That episode is great motivation, so YAY for box sets of TV! IP: Logged |
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Sonya Housemate |
posted 01-07-2005 06:04 PM
I am very good at cleaning after I do kickboxing (or any vigorous exercising, I suppose)-- I guess it has to do with the adrenaline. Today after kickboxing I cleaned the kitchen, straightened the coffee table, and did all the filing we were behind on. Yay! IP: Logged |
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lemony Housemate |
posted 01-08-2005 08:14 PM
Best tip for cleaning motivation? Start writing a thesis. That's all you need. Even better, two roommates, two theses, one house. I don't think there's a single grain of dust left in this place. I think I can find something else, though. Right, laundry. And my turtleneck needs mending. Um.. the sink needs polishing? Nope, shiny, roomie must have pounced on that earlier today. I think I'll go clean the baseboards now.. Somehow, though, my ever-present piles of books/yarn/clothes are immune to the procrastination-inspired cleaning sprees. They keep growing back, like kudzu. IP: Logged |
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EmmaNadine Housemate |
posted 01-09-2005 05:19 PM
quote: Finals work, too. My house should get much cleaner since school starts again tomorrow. I can't wait to see how spotless my house gets when I start my dissertation in a few years. IP: Logged |
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Sophie Housemate |
posted 01-12-2005 12:35 AM
I've recently discovered the value of making a quick sweep of the house with a rubbish bag in my hand every day. It means that junk mail doesn't get time to grow into a Jenga tower, chocolate wrappers don't disappear down the sofa cushions, etc - all those messes that are cumulative don't get a chance to take root. IP: Logged |
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Eckerslie Housemate |
posted 01-12-2005 03:14 AM
I have also found that, if I see something that J will do happily, I ask him to do it and then find something that I prefer to do. This achieves two things: (1) he does some cleaning that I want done and (2) I get to do something that also needs doing, rather than doing both. I find if he does something I'll do something at the same time. When he's finished doing his typical 100% effort (no really - it can be annoying too!) then I can stop. The place hasn't (yet) descended into a pigsty IP: Logged |
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pollyhyper Housesitter |
posted 01-12-2005 08:05 AM
quote: Lol, that reminds me of when we were in college and I visited Bekkaboo's place during finals cram to find her SCRUBBING every single inch of her kitchen. IP: Logged |
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pin-up girl Subletter |
posted 01-12-2005 10:37 AM
I'm a bit late on the bandwagon here, but I am a slob too! For years I've always defended that I was 'messy, but not dirty', and I really don't feel that I am dirty but I'm sure the tuffs of cat hair on my floor will tell you otherwise. However I really do get frustrated and angry when it becomes too much and will clean until everything is sparkling and brand new. My major problem (apart from being a natural-born packrat) is paper. It's mostly for my writing as I do a lot of research and will collect information for current projects or something I call 'for future reference'. Unfortunately I have a lot of the latter and I have no other place to put them. They can be found underneath my coffee table, my kitchen counter, my dining room table in neat, stacked piles, etc... This past summer I bought a new filing cabinet and some accordion briefcases and they're filled with stuff, andt my current stuff is still awaiting a proper 'home'. I hate to throw them away as I might need them 'just in case'... However, when it comes to my CDs and especially my collection of movies on VHS tapes, I am EXTREMELY organized. I have them in alphatical order, in numbered boxes, with a special book listing each tape with its content... does that make any sense!?!? "I had an out-of-character cleaning binge yesterday. My secret is get stoned. It's the only thing that can really get me in the rhythm of it." Also I find that I get into cleaning moods at the oddest times like 11pm on a weekday when I should be in bed. Anyone get the same feeling? IP: Logged |
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geogirl Housemate |
posted 01-12-2005 11:03 AM
Lately my secret has been to keep inviting people over. I then become motivated to clean the house, but if it's just us, the place becomes very messy instantly. IP: Logged |
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pin-up girl Subletter |
posted 01-12-2005 04:01 PM
LOL! that's a good one. If you have visitors like I do who call you an hour or less before coming by, you're forced to do a mad dash around your house trying to organize your stuff. Or hide it under the bed which is what I usually do... still a slob but in private. 
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ng-la Housemate |
posted 01-12-2005 04:06 PM
quote: Oh man, that's me. Late at night, I'll suddenly get an urge to clean. And since that's rather rare, as I am a slob queen, I don't want to stop myself, even though I know I should just go to bed. I am proud of myself though. A New Year's Resoulution was to develop the habit of washing all of my dishes before I go to bed. I often would have about 3 days worth waiting to be washed. I live alone, so nobody is bothered but me. It has only been a week and a half, but I've been doing it. It sure makes cooking easier when there are no dirty diahes in the way. It seems so basic, but I hate washing dishes and have never done it before. I'm going to try my hardest to keep up with this though. IP: Logged |
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kiwibear Subletter |
posted 01-13-2005 03:19 AM
I have started reading the first page and am deciding to raise my hand HIGH up. I am a neat freak at work and other people I can clean clean clean and enjoy. but I get home I get tired just looking at it. it just messy. I start crafts and leave them. my kitchen,bathroom,and bedroom isnt to bad. and I have been out of work for two months and so depresed even thinking of cleaning makes me go to sleep. but I do understand how you feel. IP: Logged |
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TinyGirl Housemate |
posted 01-15-2005 04:45 PM
So, in my quest to avoid being a SQ, I have discovered another weapon-my camera! I took "before" pictures, and I will take "after" pictures to reassure myself that my picking up/cleaning did some good. I have a problem in that I always seem to start cleaning and then get distracted with somthing like organizing all my books by color or height when the really important thing is to get them off the FLOOR, out of my BED (? I guess they get there when I read in bed  ) etc. I hope that by viewing my "before" pictures I can concentrate on things that make the whole room actually look better, rather than just one part of it. [This message has been edited by TinyGirl (edited 01-15-2005).] [This message has been edited by TinyGirl (edited 01-15-2005).] IP: Logged |
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blanketbat Housemate |
posted 01-17-2005 01:34 PM
Alright, I'm normally quite a neatfreak, however I have a shameful confession. I seem incapable of getting rid of old magazines. I have piles of old Marthas and Real Simples taking up feet of precious book case space. I rarely if ever go through them, but I am also hesitant to pitch them. I know everyone always suggests going through and tearing out the bits you think you'll use. I've started doing that for the new ones that come in, but I can't bring myself to do it for several dozen old ones. Somebody give me permission to pitch it all... IP: Logged |
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bekkaboo Housesitter |
posted 01-17-2005 01:48 PM
quote: I don't understand how that works, cuz that is exactly how I can make fer damn sure NO cleaning will get done. But gimme a 10-page art history paper due at 9 am the next morning, or a final to study for, and hooboy, I am a cleaning MACHINE!! Shame I'm not in school anymore.
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shadowfalls Housemate |
posted 01-17-2005 01:52 PM
quote:
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blanketbat Housemate |
posted 01-18-2005 01:41 PM
quote:
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Eckerslie Housemate |
posted 01-18-2005 03:00 PM
I second the "have people around" approach - we've had people around at least 3 nights a week the past couple of weeks and the common areas (lounge kitchen etc) are great. My BR on the other hand is terrible. I have a habit of putting dirty clothes in the washing basket, then washing the clothes and leaving HUGE piles of clean clothes in my room. AUGH. IP: Logged |
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ng-la Housemate |
posted 01-18-2005 04:36 PM
My Mom is having a big garage sale in a week and a half. So that is currently my motivation to clear out some of my clutter and clean up a bit. If I can make enough money selling my stuff to go out for a nice dinner, I'll be happy. I just cleared out the "junk corner" of my room, in which stuff has been piled and not touched for a year or so. I found all sorts of things to get rid of, about half to sell, the rest just to throw away. Geez. And underneath it all, a bunch of mouse poop. Gross. IP: Logged |
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kbob Subletter |
posted 02-04-2005 08:19 PM
I love reading the threads about slobbiness. It's so nice to know that there are others out there. I just thought of something that helps me that might help others -- I buy myself flowers, put them in a vase, and suddenly I want to clean the room that they're in, so that I can fully enjoy them. If they're hidden by clutter, what's the point? Of course, I don't actually do this very often... maybe tomorrow... IP: Logged |
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Paulasews Subletter |
posted 02-16-2005 01:28 AM
I love this thread! My parents came to stay on monday and I spent 4 hours on sunday and 5 hours on monday scrubbing and throwing stuff away - I'm an all or nothing kind of girl and the house is either a tip or it sparkles. I have decided upon a couple of methods. First of all it can only be maintenance - you need an occasion (such as your parents coming to town!) which will force you to clean and tidy the majority of your house. I am now telling myself that the public parts of my house need to stay clean and tidy - that leaves our bedroom, the garage, my studio and his study that can be in whatever state they are without stressing but the kitchen, main bathroom, lounge, guest bedrooms etc etc must be squaky clean. This way I get to indulge both my all and my nothing sides! Also I get to enjoy having unexpected guests (yay!). The maintenance plan is down to a)Utilizing all the waiting time in your life - advert breaks, waiting for the kettle to boil, waiting for your lift etc etc. b) Never moving from one room to another without taking something with you. c) Cleaning when it is clean, it's so much fun to polish a clean house, I just put on my happy 50's housewife persona and scrub and dust. It's way easier to clean a clean toilet!! That way nothing gets dirty, the job is easy and you never have to block the doorway when you answer it so that your visitor can't even see in, let alone get in! I love my pretty sparkly house and with all that polish it smells great too! Damn floors are slippery when they're clean though, lol. IP: Logged |
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Eckerslie Housemate |
posted 02-16-2005 02:31 PM
Yep digswarming is Saturday night and I'm madly notcleaning . Saturday morning it is!
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Sonya Housemate |
posted 02-17-2005 10:32 AM
You know, I think having a puppy is a blessing when it comes to being clean. We pretty much HAVE to keep things clean and tidy, or he will get into everything and cause a lot of trouble. We even tend to keep the floors clean these days because I don't want him snuffling around in the dust (he's very low to the ground) or licking dirt or other gross stuff off the floor. However, this means that areas where he can't get to (counter, dining room table, front table) get so cluttered, and it's really most paper! For whatever reason, we let bills and papers and letters pile up and drive me mad! Last night before I went to bed I spent five minutes clearing off the coffee table and taking care of some of the things on the kitchen counter before I go to bed. Now I've got one more thing to take care of on the counter and only two things on the DR table-- I feel as though if we spent two minutes every day on these areas, that's all it would take, but we DON'T! I've said it before, and I'll say it again-- THESE THINGS NEED HOMES. I guess I need some sort of filing system downstairs. I don't know why, but I am adamantly against those filing things with one folder for each day of the month, so I definitely DON'T want that on my front table, but I need something! Blech! IP: Logged |
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Sophie Housemate |
posted 02-17-2005 09:08 PM
I think one of the secrets is finding habits that are in keeping with your character (i.e. Slob Queen). I am setting up one of our rooms as a study at the moment, and I have decided to have a big basket on the floor by the door for stuff to deal with later. I know from long experience that when my phone statement arrives I won't file it immediately, and it will end up sitting on the coffee table for six months. I think if I have something handy in which I can just chuck magazines I want to keep and all that crap that arrives in window envelopes as I walk past, once a month I can have a filing binge. I know myself too well to think I'm going to put away every piece of crap immediately, so if I don't have a designated procrastination basket I would just dump it on my desk until the pile toppled over like World Championship Jenga. Corral the things that create mess, and the rest of your place won't look so cluttered. And you'll be able to find your statement if you suddenly get billed for a 16-hour call to Zimbabwe. That is, of course, generally the moment at which I turn to the coffee table, where I've seen the statement every evening for the past year, and find it has mysteriously vanished. While we're on the topic of clutter, I think one of the things that really cuts it is having fewer flat surfaces. That's one of the reasons I really want to get my desk out of the sitting room. But I'd like you all to bear in mind that you are taking advice on tidying up from a person with a box of Christmas decorations still sitting on the landing in mid-February. IP: Logged |
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Sophie Housemate |
posted 02-17-2005 10:07 PM
Posting right after myself, but apparently shame works. I felt so ashamed after I wrote my last post that I put the decorations away. Once I saw it written down I could no longer delude myself that I was efficiently saving myself the bother of getting them out of the stair cupboard come December. So admit your current worst slob violation to the internet, ladies. IP: Logged |
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ralphyr Housemate |
posted 02-17-2005 10:27 PM
Sophie, I'm just like you, I'm looking at buying a computer table that just has room for my pc and peripherals. I have a large plastic bag for junk (but want to keep just in case), one for paid bills (might never need them again, small envelope for bills to be paid. I keep insurance certs, passports, birthcerts etc.. in an accordian a-z file. I also have a small bin on my desk. I have a 'vegetable' rack on wheels for under my desk with stationary and anything else I might need. Everynow and then the junk bag gets emptied in the garbage but it is there if I really need that offer to buy an orthopedic bed at half price. IP: Logged |
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Nakedmarzi Housemate |
posted 02-17-2005 10:37 PM
Right now, I'm the Slob Queen winner. I'm sitting on the edge of my queen bed that is covered in everything that was once on my floor- a walkin closet full of clothes that were on the floor, tons of shoes- even some without matches, textbooks, a bag of bags, clothes I have worn, new clothes and items I just bought, some unopened mail, some opened mail, a bag I have yet to unpack from the weekend, etc. My desk is covered as is my bathtub is filled. My plan was to clean up the floor. Yeah, that worked The worst part is that it has been that way since about 5pm and now it's 12:34 am. I even pondered the thought of dusting off my sleeping bag and sleeping on my now clean floor since there is no room in my bed. I don't know what to do. I went to housesit for a four day weekend this past weekend and left with a straightened room. I had to run home to get some clothes for a wedding and couldn't find my pantyhose hence my overflowing underwear drawer. Then I couldn't find the right shoes. Fortunately I had 2 more nights to not have to encounter the mess. Now I'm back and have been for several days. Ugh. The worst came when my two tiny dogs couldn't find a place to sit this morning and one fell off the bed when an avalanche of shopping bags slid off the side. I am ashamed. IP: Logged |
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Sophie Housemate |
posted 02-17-2005 11:09 PM
quote: We Slob Queens may have moments of abject panic because we suspect we may accidentally have thrown away our passports with the last lot of newspaper recycling, but admit it, there's just more to laugh about in an untidy life. IP: Logged |
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Nakedmarzi Housemate |
posted 02-18-2005 02:25 AM
quote:
The ironic thing is that I'm watching Starting Over right now where Denise is having clutter issues and in order to graduate from the show, she must clean another clutter bug's house. It may be funny or even profitable when I realized that I still have saved that textbook from 3 years ago and sold it for $60 online but honestly, I am still oh so ashamed. It's even more pathetic when you think you've done a great job cleaning and then someone comes over and asks if you want help straightening up. IP: Logged |
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Paulasews Subletter |
posted 02-19-2005 12:26 AM
quote: That's so funny because I was sure that was must have happened to my passport when I didn't find it in my recent clear out, I was so annoyed because I need a visa for an upcoming trip to China and I can barely cope with organising that, let alone getting a new passport organised first! [This message has been edited by Paulasews (edited 02-19-2005).] IP: Logged |
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Nakedmarzi Housemate |
posted 02-19-2005 01:18 AM
Promise to myself: When I'm a superstar and/or build my own house, I WILL hire a closet organizer and then sucker them into doing an office too. I will then hire a maid, unlike the family maid I grew up with, that will clean AND pick up things AND never complain. In fact, said maid will also tell me how clean I am whenever I tug on my left earlobe. IP: Logged |
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, never did find that handbag though