Is it possible for clean rooms?

I have had a battle with my oldest and her room since Kindergarten. I have tried many many things to attempt to keep her room clean. I have done it myself only to have it a mess as soon as she is home 20 minutes from school.

I have taken away every item she owns leaving an almost empty dresser and a bed. Seriously she didn't care. She had one outfit to her name and didn't care. I even went so far as have a friend purchase the ugliest dress at a garage sale she could find and Ashley loved it.

I know with out a doubt that it's my lack of consistency. I know that its my fault that when I took everything away, my child KNEW me well enough to know that I did not throw it all away like I said I was going to. When I think about throwing it out I visualize Dollar Bills laying in the garbage cans outside.

Well the day has come. I am done wheeling and dealing for a clean house. Today is the day that those Nike tennis shoes that the children leave in the entry way blocking the front door and being tossed outside.

What has brought this on you may be asking? Well I asked Ashley to clean her room yesterday when she got home from Show Choir yesterday at 5 pm. I got the usual tears and rants and raves but then I also got the shocking "If you wouldn't have forced me to go to Show Choir practice, I would have had time to clean it."

Ok well this sent off so many red flags I can't name them all. But firstly what popped into my head was the way that check for ONE of my payments for show choir in the amount of $250!! Next was a vision of the red purse I have been eyeing in the dollar amount of $34 that I can never envision spending on myself for a purse. Let alone that really expensive one I have dreamed of one day buying and know that day will never come because I could never justify it. The next vision I had was of the bag of clothing I just bought Friday for her from Aeropostale of the amount of $75!! $75 I spent just so she would look cute. And what thanks do I get? Granted I was going to have to exchange for different sizes, but they are still sitting in the bag. She currently has clothing strewn from one end of the room to the other not taking into account the Piles all over the floor that doesn't get vacuumed because you can't get in there. Here is a picture of it right now as I type this:

She was told to clean her pig pen last night as I said. I went in two hours later and she was watching tv. So I am done. The bag of clothing is going back. Not to be exchanged but to go back. Get my money back. I will no longer be purchasing items for my oldest daughter. I know that sounds harsh but I have decided I will start giving her allowance (we sometimes give it sometimes don't) I think I will go $10 a week so give her $40 on the first of the month and she will have to use that for clothing she needs, school supplies, her lunch if she wants to buy or anything else that comes up like supplies for her show choir such as makeup , hair rollers, pantyhose. I think she needs to really understand the value of a buck. She needs to understand how hard her father and I have to work so she can have the things she needs.

My neighbor just happened to have seen the room yesterday while over and said in the news paper was a great article about messy rooms so I wanted to share it to anyone else who maybe is having similar problems but not on such a large scale. It was by John Rosemond.

I will keep everyone posted on how it goes today