r/UnfuckYourHabitat

I JUST cleaned out my fridge and did ALMOST all the dishes, so yay me i guess. The kitchen and fridge were so bad it smelled like something died and im living through a shame spiral because of it. But I finally decided to get off my ass and do something about it.

Im taking a small break now before i finish the kitchen, but i want to declutter and get rid of things i dont need before i move out. I want to live as small as possible. (Moving into a new apartment soon).

I have a very hard time with letting things go and if i want to be able to live more clean i feel like i need to just get rid of some stuff. I have like 40 candles that i dont use but am convinced i will use them,, there is so much clutter everywhere and i just dont know how to move forward from here. I want to do like two bags of crap to donate but how do you just decide what to get rid of?

We have a huge opportunity to improve our life and would like some strategies that have worked for everyone else.

The basic situation.... we relocated to another state and have all of our belongings in 4 storage units while our house is being built. The house is nearing completion and we will be moving in soon and I love the idea of decluttering and moving in at the same time.   I fear moving our stuff in without decluttering and having things in boxes for the next 10 years (like last house)

Can people suggest some strategies that have worked for them?   My idea was to not put anything in a cabinet or closet we don’t agree on, but this may be a daunting task.  For clarity, we had professional movers pack all our things and put them in storage so we are talking lots and lots of boxes

The challenges:

We have a LOT of stuff and as is the case quite often a lot of emotions tied up in it.  Very briefly…..I inherited a bunch of stuff from my parents when they both died and have not pared it all down.  I am also a widower so I have some attachments to a lot of things I owned either with my late wife or when I was on my own figuring things out.  My wife has her things from her divorce and when she was on her own.  I also grew up poor so I tend to hang onto things that have value.    Lastly, my wife’s mother is cleaning out her house and wife cannot say no to her.  I went to one of our storage units the other day and was shocked at the things she has taken from her mother because she can’t say no.

In an ideal world nothing will enter our house without both of us agreeing on it’s value.  When we moved we have a full, 54 foot tractor trailer full of stuff and a 16’ Uhaul.  We don’t need all that. 

Looking forward to hearing some ideas.

My laundry has taken over my apartment :( I have absolutely zero motivation to do it.

Plus it costs $3/load to do in my apartment building and im broke right now.

Any advice? TIA

I tried keeping a space for everything and it work for a lot of stuff but I lose track during my periods and then everything is back to where it started.

I also try to maintain keeping no dirty dishes and cleaning before sleeping but one bad day at work and it’s all screwed up

I am doing laundry weekly and putting it aside day after but I don’t iron it. So I end up repeating same outfits and don’t feel great. What is the best way to do ironing?

How do I meal prep for vegetarian food? Cooking is my nemesis and most of my issues are due to hating cooking and then not eating healthy

Hi everyone. I feel a lot of shame about this and I don’t really know how to process it.

About a year ago, I discovered that a large portion of my clothes had gotten moldy/musty. They were stored in a bag outside for months and were exposed to moisture, heat, and rain. I kept putting off dealing with them because I was already overwhelmed in life, and every time I thought about sorting them, it felt like too big of a task. There were also some times that I forgot about them completely.

When I finally opened the bag (during a move), many items were already beyond saving. I ended up throwing away around 40–50 pieces and I wasn’t able to try salvaging or washing them, as we were also moving the same day.

I keep replaying it and thinking about how I should have handled it sooner. I feel a lot of guilt because these were things I spent money on and built over years. It feels like I wasted clothes, money, and something I should have taken care of.

My boyfriend saw it too, which made the shame worse. But I also know this is bigger than just the clothes.

Around that time, I was going through a really difficult period in my relationship. My boyfriend had cheated on me multiple times, and I was struggling with feeling hurt, insecure, and unable to leave. I started neglecting my self-care, hygiene, and routines, and felt disgusting.

Looking back, I think I was neglecting myself, not just my belongings.

I also struggle with letting go of things because of money and emotional attachment. That then becomes overwhelming, I avoid it, and the cycle continues.

Even though this happened almost a year ago, I still think about it and struggle with seeing it as proof that something is wrong with me.

Has anyone experienced something similar: neglecting things (or yourself) during a difficult period and then getting stuck in shame afterward?

How did you start forgiving yourself and breaking the cycle?

Okay so I need some help with declutterring my room.
I’ve lived in my childhood home for years. And I have some items like body lotion and creams and sprays. And I changed how I wanna smell, I have my forever scent and it’s all over my drawer top. I’m somewhat sentimental and have a very strict mother who always is looking at my stuff. She’ll look through my things then question why and I’ll always give my reasons and she’s the reason I give up have the time. It’s ridiculous questions after questions after questions. I’m at a point where I’m going to just throw everything away and start fresh.

Another things is clothes, I have gotten rid of so many clothes yet I still have so much due to her over stepping and looking through the things I’ve “gotten rid” of, I’m an adult, thinking of moving out (but can’t because I don’t make enough to live alone still even after saving) I have always cleaned out my room and it gets messy (again my fault) but she over steps too many times.

I know what I need and don’t need but she’s home too many days now and we don’t have many trash bags and for me to throw things out because she notices things so fast.
I also don’t have a car or a license due to no one teaching me. BUT I RECENTLY GOT A PERMIT ON MY OWN TIME. Just had to uber there. I’m slowly trying to get my life on track but just feels like I’m doing everything behind her back and it’s scary to think about.

Apologies for ranting or things just looking like an excuse but it’s been like this for years. She has never helped me to be an adult. She just raises me to grow up and get a job and never how to be an adult. I still live at home but she refuses to help me but criticize me for anything I do. I feel stuck but then she says I put myself there.

Hello everyone! This is a Monday (and Tuesday!) megathread for those small updates, accountability requests, and success stories that you want to send out to the universe!

Maybe ones that don’t require a full post but that still deserve some recognition, plans made today for over the coming days, or solicitations for suggestions on how to complete your intended tasks!

Still feel free to make absolutely any posts that you want, but if you prefer a smaller-format update option here it is! I want to encourage participation in whatever form it takes :)

ALSO!!! Pictures are enabled in comments so feel free to add pics of your area to tackle of your progress if you please :)

Welp, it's happened. The day I've dreaded for months of struggling to get motivated to straighten out the boxes and piles of stuff since moving here in anticipation of a day when my landlord will need to come over is here - A/C died and I'll have to call tomorrow.

I can so clearly see the path when it's not my own mess, but I've just been spinning my wheels and doing my usual ADHD thing since the A/C died earlier today. There isn't much trash, there are no dishes anywhere, no unwashed laundry, just way too much stuff in a small space and stacks, bins, boxes of everything everywhere. I'm embarrassed to have them come over, and infuriated at myself for not getting ahead of this inevitable moment. If not the A/C in July, it would have been something else and I knew that. Yet here I am.

I imagine that I'll be best served to get my tiny spare bedroom/dumping ground straightened so I can shift as much as possible from the main area - front door to the A/C unit - clear/presentable and not go down my usual rabbit hole of organizing drawers, googling stuff, and ratcheting up my already sky high anxiety. Any suggestions for ADHD/depression emergency cleaning so I can get this sorted?