PAUL, WENDY and the GAS MAN

The gas man refused to come into our house and service our boiler or radiators.

He took one look when we opened the door and told us he couldn't come in because the clutter was a health and safety issue.

He gave us a piece of paper which said we had 60 days to make our home safe for him to come and do the service, after which our servicing contract would be cancelled.

I (Wendy) burst into tears once he'd gone. We knew it had been a bit of a problem in previous years.

We'd had to move things out the way so the gas man could get to the radiators and boiler. But to be told he wouldn't even come inside our front door was awful.

We later found out there was a note on our account that they weren't to enter if they could see any clutter in the hallway because if they could see it there, the note said it would be worse elsewhere.

None.

We were so far in denial that my husband (Paul) kept saying that he'd deal with it. He'd been saying that for years.

When we got on the internet to look at help after the gas man had gone we looked at lost of them and to be honest it was the cost of the help that made us choose Clare.

We didn't really know much about what types of help there were. We were desperate and needed help with the 60 days so we could have our boiler serviced.

We did see other people who said they'd come and help, but we needed something that was a fixed price and that, ideally, we could pay by credit card because we simply didn't have the money available right there and then.

So I hate to say it, but Clare was the only choice because she had a fixed price, took away unwanted clutter - which meant that would save us time - and we could pay using our credit card on Paypal.

Plus, after achieving our original aim of getting to a point where the gas man could get in, we could afford the ongoing help to make sure we didn't get back to that point.

Of course now we know that she's got more advantages than just those two!

We had an emergency home visit for 6 days - one day a week - so we had Clare's help to move the clutter so the gas man could get in safely and we were safe to live there.

Only 'obvious' rubbish was taken away by Clare over these 6 days - we weren't Clutter Clearing.

Then we started our 7 Step Clutter Clearing Journey.

​We were terrified that we wouldn't be able to do it all quickly enough, but Clare spoke to the gas company and agreed with them that as long as we had cleared the room that the boiler was in by the 60 day deadline we'd be able to then clear one room at a time thereafter for each 60 day period.

​​​By the end of the 60 day deadline we'd cleared enough that it was safe for the gas man to get in to service the boiler.

We'd been able to arrange that so that Clare came for her weekly home visit when he came, just so she could reassure him.

​We'd also saved enough money to pay for Clare's Clutter Clearing Journey by then.

 In the next 60 days we'd kept the hallway and kitchen clear and also cleared the front room so the radiators in there could be checked when the gas man came.

​In the next 60 days - so within 6 months of starting - completed Step 1 and Step 2 of the 7 Step Journey and had cleared a LOT of paperwork clutter, and we were creating good habits to make sure the clutter wasn't growing.

​Over the next 6 months we continued with our Journey and learnt how to make decisions, and finally cleared the clutter in the lounge, kitchen and dining room (now a craft and hobby room).

​By the time we had completely cleared the clutter, it was year later and our home was transformed.

​We had keep cleared areas clear.

We'd had all the radiators serviced.

The gas man was able to service our boiler and all our radiators in one go.

And we'd even saved MORE money than it had cost us to have Clare's help.

It was the same man and he looked shocked!

He actually said 'wow' and 'well done'.

He was in our house for about 45 minutes to do the servicing and was gone, no problem, no health hazards. It was a great feeling.​

• How easy the decision making was once we'd learnt how to make decisions and got our 7 categories

• How hard it was to keep it clear

• What habits we had that caused the clutter in the first place

• How much we were spending on impulse buys that we didn't even realise was making our clutter problem worse.

After Step 2 of the Journey.

We hadn't appreciated just how much paperwork clutter we had, so clearing it became a bit addictive. I admit

I did two rather than just 1 paperwork Clutter Clearing Sessions each week because it felt so good to clear it!

• Up to the point that you ask Clare for help it's scary.
•  It's scary to look for help if you don't know what help you need because it's not like you can get a recommendation by talking to other people about your clutter problem and asking them what help they got to deal with it!
• It's then scary paying a lot of money for Clare's 1-2-1 Private help and the 7 Step Journey - but worth it!
•  Of course you're worried it'll be wasted money, won't work etc.
• Then waiting on the first day for Clare to arrive is scary because you're worrying about what she'll think, will she have a look of horror on her face like the gas man did?
• If I've learnt one thing though it's that the saying is true:you have to face the fear and do it anyway if you want to get where you need to get.

Our favourite reward it to go out to dinner.

My mum gave us a reward when we'd done the downstairs - a new hoover.

We found two old hoovers that didn't work in amongst the clutter!​

Yes it's a long commitment - we had help for a year.

But it's worth every penny - and we saved more money over that year than we spent on Clare's help.

The peace of mind that you're doing something about it, that Clare will keep you on track, that you have something to work towards and can't procrastinate.

We wish we had done it sooner!