I Want to Clear Out the Clutter In My Home
In my case, my home is one small rented room.
When I moved to this area months ago, I moved out of a one bedroom apartment of 28 years to a whole new community 70 miles away where I now live.
I was sick and under a lot of stress at the time, undergoing eye surgeries, tooth extractions and transportation problems (no car or drivers license), fighting delirium hallucinations caused by high fevers...packing up my extremely cluttered apartment with great difficulty and no help at all.
I tried to sort out my mountain of stuff as ruthlessly as I could. But at that time I imagined moving into an apartment of about the same size as my old apartment.
I foolishly believed that the housing shortage I read about in the newspaper would not seriously affect me because I was moving to a location in the desert where housing has traditionally been much cheaper.
But the housing shortage is nationwide. Banks are lending money to build fancy shopping malls and office buildings but not for low income apartments or for middle class private homes. People everywhere are doubling up with relatives or living in formerly abandoned houses or moving into RVs and campers. The few apartments that are available are for rich people.
I had to put my stuff into storage (expensive!) and move in with a friend. By that time my illnesses (a series of antibiotic resistent infections) had gotten worse. My kind friend nursed me although she had a job and a long commute. She is truly a special person. During the day when she was at work, her sweet natured bulldog kept me feeling safe in spite of physical weakness and hallucinations.
A few months later, I was much better and I managed to finally regain my drivers license and get a a car on credit.
That's when I found out that there were NO apartments available.
I was desperately in need of a place to live. So...I rented my one small room in a private home and now I have 5 roommates. I share the bathroom with two guys. I share the kitchen with my 5 roommates.
Now it's time to get my stuff out of storage and sort it out. It's clear I will need to get rid of most of it. I have already taken the first half out and am spending most of each day sorting and throwing stuff away or giving it away.
I have until the end of the month, November 2016, to get the rest out of my storage unit; I can no longer afford to keep it there.
My health improved somewhat this summer. I went swimming nearly every day and was on a healthy diet. But I am still seeing a doctor about a few health issues that have so far resisted treatment. And I still tire easily
So It's a tough job for me. I'm sorting through 2-3 boxes a day.
Anyone else in a war with clutter? Anyone else out there radically downsizing? Any stories or tips would be greatly appreciated.
When I moved to this area months ago, I moved out of a one bedroom apartment of 28 years to a whole new community 70 miles away where I now live.
I was sick and under a lot of stress at the time, undergoing eye surgeries, tooth extractions and transportation problems (no car or drivers license), fighting delirium hallucinations caused by high fevers...packing up my extremely cluttered apartment with great difficulty and no help at all.
I tried to sort out my mountain of stuff as ruthlessly as I could. But at that time I imagined moving into an apartment of about the same size as my old apartment.
I foolishly believed that the housing shortage I read about in the newspaper would not seriously affect me because I was moving to a location in the desert where housing has traditionally been much cheaper.
But the housing shortage is nationwide. Banks are lending money to build fancy shopping malls and office buildings but not for low income apartments or for middle class private homes. People everywhere are doubling up with relatives or living in formerly abandoned houses or moving into RVs and campers. The few apartments that are available are for rich people.
I had to put my stuff into storage (expensive!) and move in with a friend. By that time my illnesses (a series of antibiotic resistent infections) had gotten worse. My kind friend nursed me although she had a job and a long commute. She is truly a special person. During the day when she was at work, her sweet natured bulldog kept me feeling safe in spite of physical weakness and hallucinations.
A few months later, I was much better and I managed to finally regain my drivers license and get a a car on credit.
That's when I found out that there were NO apartments available.
I was desperately in need of a place to live. So...I rented my one small room in a private home and now I have 5 roommates. I share the bathroom with two guys. I share the kitchen with my 5 roommates.
Now it's time to get my stuff out of storage and sort it out. It's clear I will need to get rid of most of it. I have already taken the first half out and am spending most of each day sorting and throwing stuff away or giving it away.
I have until the end of the month, November 2016, to get the rest out of my storage unit; I can no longer afford to keep it there.
My health improved somewhat this summer. I went swimming nearly every day and was on a healthy diet. But I am still seeing a doctor about a few health issues that have so far resisted treatment. And I still tire easily
So It's a tough job for me. I'm sorting through 2-3 boxes a day.
Anyone else in a war with clutter? Anyone else out there radically downsizing? Any stories or tips would be greatly appreciated.
70-79, F
