MedicMom Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I have a 2100 sf, three bedroom home. However. It is an old house that was just randomnly added onto here and there. To give you an idea, there are two rooms tacked onto the kitchen, which was tacked onto the house. One of those rooms has a dryer, a sink, and a toilet. The other room holds the washer and a shower. We just put a bathroom in upstairs, so at least I have a bathtub now. The house has one closet at the top of the stairs, but it is just large enough to hold our clothes that have to hang. There will be a small linen closet in the bathroom when it is completed. There is no garage, attic or basement. There is no random place to put shelves without a complete remodel. And I am drowning. I am overwhelmed to the point that my husband is insisting we have no more kids. I have gotten rid of excess, though I need to keep purging. I have tried to creatively store things under the beds, at least as much as I can. Things live on the kitchen table, the extra bedroom(and I have no idea what I am going to do when the baby needs to nice out of our room) and the enclosed porch. I feel so hopelessly lost when I read how organized people are. Is there anyone else out there struggling with this? Please tell me I am not alone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Just want to add: the toys and papers are under control. It's everything else, such as tools, christmas things, new baby things, coats, just regular things that would go in a closet or attix/basement/garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Are some of your rooms big enough that they could accomodate wardrobes (like Ikea sells)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 We have one bedroom that would be, but due to the narrow and steep design of the stairs we can't get it up. For example, DH and I have a double bed because that is all we could get upstairs. Fortunately he was a contractor for ten years and is going to replace them, but that project is still a ways down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Is there any place outside to put a shed? You could store clothes in those space bag things, tools on a pegboard or in a tool cabinet, and just put other stuff in large plastic totes/bins. Sheds can be expensive, but hey, quality of life is worth it. I know some put books on shelves above door frames, but that doesn't sound like something that would help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 I would go with tons of Billy bookshelves from Ikea, everywhere where you can put them. You can put doors on some and leave some open. They are sturdy, stackable, and come disassembled so you can move them around easily. Also, older homes sometimes have very tall ceilings. You can get pretty creative when that is so--use loft beds and store things underneath in big blanket chests that double as writing tables, for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 We have one bedroom that would be, but due to the narrow and steep design of the stairs we can't get it up. For example, DH and I have a double bed because that is all we could get upstairs. Fortunately he was a contractor for ten years and is going to replace them, but that project is still a ways down the road. Ikea wardrobes are flat packed. When we got ours, we actually unpacked the pieces downstairs & took each piece up separately (mainly because it was heavy & I could manage only one piece at a time when holding my end). So, you'd be carrying only a side or a top or the back individually up the stairs, then assemble it once you have all the pieces in the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Yes. I recommend getting a wardrobe like IKEA (heck, even Walmart) that you can assemble in the room. It could be a selling point if you ever need to move. :) The wardrobes come with the house! Also, look for furniture for the rest of your house that does double purposes. Lots of ottomans come with storage space inside. These are great for video games, movies, blankets. Space bags really do make the most out of under beds. If I were you, with no basement, garage, attic, I would buy a shed to house tools, plastic wrapped boxes of holiday stuff etc. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We have one bedroom that would be, but due to the narrow and steep design of the stairs we can't get it up. Get an unassembled one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We are in a similar boat -- no hall closet, no linen closet, no laundry room, no attic, no basement, no closets in our bedroom or bathroom. We have a one car garage but we keep a car in it. We have not added storage. We just plain old get rid of stuff. That might sound heartless, but if you don't have the space, you can't keep the stuff. I have one box of Christmas stuff. I have one small box of baby memory stuff -- first shoes, first little jeans, home-from-the-hospital outfits. We don't keep a lot of books. We don't seasonally decorate with much other than fresh flowers. The boys only have as many toys and things as will fit in their spaces. I only keep stuff if we use it fairly often or if it is a very special keepsake. We only have the clothes that will fit in our tiny clothing storage areas. I have only missed something that we got rid of once or twice, and it was worth replacing it. I know where everything in my house is, and I love it. I still go through all my stuff once every six months or so to keep it spare. Funny thing is, people often comment on how spacious our house seems. It's not spacious. It's just not full. Good luck to you as you work this out. I do remember it being harder when my kids were littler and people were giving us so much stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) I have only missed something that we got rid of once or twice, and it was worth replacing it. I know where everything in my house is, and I love it. I still go through all my stuff once every six months or so to keep it spare. Funny thing is, people often comment on how spacious our house seems. It's not spacious. It's just not full. This is us! We have 700sq ft and only 2 very small closets (2ft wide). We love living small. Just get rid of it! All of it! You really don't need it (except the homeschooling books of course. :D) Ruth in NZ Edited March 6, 2012 by lewelma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted March 6, 2012 Author Share Posted March 6, 2012 (edited) I'm three hours from the nearest IKEA and have never been to one because of that, but I plan to browse the website tonight. Thank you all for these ideas! I know I just need to ruthlessly get rid of more stuff, but so much of it are things like the baby exersaucer which I know I'm going to use in the next six months. I haven't even kept my wedding dress or any mementos other than pictures...I honestly dream of downsizing my house. We lived before kids in a small apartment that had a lot of storage, and it was never nearly this bad. We do need a shed, and it is on my husband's list in the next year. That would make a lot of sense and make my life easier, it's just not in the budget right now. We are hoping for the fall(at the very least, we need someplace to store things like the lawn mower that can't be left outside). I am just trying to make do right now, and help my husband's frustration level with the clutter. Edited March 6, 2012 by MedicMom I can't spell :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 There are some Ikea-esque do it yourself sites. Get your dh to build a couple of wardrobes with doors. Think about how you can utilize the vertical space. Instead of a shed, can he build a lean to attached to part of the house? Less money, but maybe enough room to store the outdoor equipment. Matching plastic tubs from Walmart can help too. My dh was a contractor for many years and he built shelves for our basement out of plywood and 2x4s, not pretty, but cheap. He built them to fit the plastic containers we had. We chose ones that could still be carried easily when packed full. Good luck, it's hard when the money doesn't line up with your project list, btdt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I have a 2100 sf, three bedroom home. However. It is an old house that was just randomnly added onto here and there. To give you an idea, there are two rooms tacked onto the kitchen, which was tacked onto the house. One of those rooms has a dryer, a sink, and a toilet. The other room holds the washer and a shower. We just put a bathroom in upstairs, so at least I have a bathtub now. The house has one closet at the top of the stairs, but it is just large enough to hold our clothes that have to hang. There will be a small linen closet in the bathroom when it is completed. There is no garage, attic or basement. There is no random place to put shelves without a complete remodel. And I am drowning. I am overwhelmed to the point that my husband is insisting we have no more kids. I have gotten rid of excess, though I need to keep purging. I have tried to creatively store things under the beds, at least as much as I can. Things live on the kitchen table, the extra bedroom(and I have no idea what I am going to do when the baby needs to nice out of our room) and the enclosed porch. I feel so hopelessly lost when I read how organized people are. Is there anyone else out there struggling with this? Please tell me I am not alone... I just want to say that I feel your pain. I'm in a much smaller house than yours, even, and I know how you feel. I curse the person who "designed" this house--no linen closet, no pantry, no closet for mops and brooms, not even a window over the kitchen sink (I know--that's not a storage issue, but the lack of light drives me nuts). No garage. Tiny, squishy front hall. It's very frustrating having such little storage. I know it makes every part of keeping a house clean more difficult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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