Help needed to throw things out

I think you have to be really brave about throwing things away and set yourself some rules before you start. Eg. Any bills more than two years old, throw away. What will you ever need them for? If there are specific things in the magazines that you want to keep, such as recipes or interesting articles, cut them out and put them in a folder and throw the rest of the magazine away.

Also, don't aim to have it all done in a day or a week. Just tell yourself you are going to spend a few hours doing it and see how far you get.

With things like clothes they do say that if there is anything in your wardrobe that you haven't worn for at least 2 years, throw it away or give it to charity.

Good luck.

I really sympathise Percyflatcap (and I love the name!). I have inherited a similar condition from my father, who has saved every empty 4-litre ice-cream carton and cardboard box he ever had, not to mention files and folders full of bills, tax returns and generally unnecessary paperwork, going back five or more decades. He keeps copies of the most irrelevant documents, "just in case".

So far my main problem is clothes I don't wear (well they still fit even if they have been stuffing up my wardrobe for 10 years without seeing light of day) and piles of unread newspapers. Now this is where the problem lies - I cannot come to terms with chucking out papers that I have spent good money on. I don't get any new ones now, except one on Saturdays which has the TV guide, but the accumulated backlog of 2002/2003 (yes really ::)) papers is just sitting in a pile on my spare room floor.

Every time I think I really must have a clear out, I start reading one of them and although the "news" is stale, all the features and letters are still worth a look, so I make little progress.

The trouble is I spend far too much spare time on the Internet, and also reading for any length of time gives me eyestrain, even with my glasses.

One day I will make a determined effort and take them to the recycling bank, but I am waiting for that dawn of enlightenment when I finally see the light! It drives my husband potty - he keeps on about fire hazards!

Best of luck, and perhaps we can encourage eachother in this. Hey, maybe we could start a support group - Clutterers Anonymous?

Unfortunately for me, I live with a family of horders. I nag and moan till I am blue in the face but generally the only way round it is if i chuck it myself. 9 times out of 10 they dont know the crap is gone but if they do I am in the dog house.

Take my daughter, she is in a bedroom sized approx 8' x 6'. In it, she has a wardrobe, chest of drawers and a bed. Her wardrobe is busting with clothes she will never wear and her drawers are full of stuff (mainly rubbish too!). Now she has taken to collecting 'posh' carrier bags as well as the umpteen cuddly toys you have to wade through to put clothes on her bed. ( i refuse to put her clothes away as its a fight to get a space.

I think you need to change your mentality Percy an orderly house leads to an orderly mind.

*says she who has suddenly developed an urge to attack some certain childs wardrobe*

Black sacks are unrolled before she has even pulled of the drive

Love the mentality ;D

Day One - One lipstick I don't like, won't use.

Your not supposed to use it, its your wifes!

Day Seven - One houseplant that's dead.

I have that effect on plants too - silk ones dont die easily!!

WARNING: DON'T CHUCK AWAY FOR INHIBITIONS - You will embarass your children

I wont ask what you mean by this statement. Sounds fun though.

I'm not sure that's true , my Dad had the most orderly mind possible ( he was an accountant which may explain a lot ) and although he kept a lot of stuff , it was all kept very neatly

But could he just halve the amount? ;D

I am a hoarder and so is hubby, and reading this I have just had a terrible thought.
I am probably  a bit older than most of you, and when the time comes for me to leave this planet what a mess I shall leave my children. It'll take them years to sort it all out.
All my 'treasures' will be just thrown on the tip, so my New Years Resolution, don't hoard any more and try and get rid of what I don't need.

Something similar happened to me a couple of years ago when my mother had to go into sheltered housing. She was in hospital at the time after having a couple of really bad urine infections, which knocked her off her feet. I was advised to put her in sheltered housing. She was particularly happy with the one, and we arranged her to move in whilst she was in hospital. I dont normally go in her drawers, but the one draw in her large unit was stuck and we had a job trying to open it. We did eventually, and was gobsmacked. There was at least 20 years worth of paperwork, old accounts and bank statements, investments and unit trusts - expired and current. She had opened them, put them back in envelopes and threw them in drawers, and when the drawers were full to burst, she started on a new drawer (even under drawers). When i mentioned it, she said 'oh i have been meaning to ask you to sort it out' she said.

It took months to sort what was current and needed and what was rubbish. When she found out what she was worth she was shocked to the extreme. She thought she had about £7,000 when in fact she had more than £90,000 sitting in banks and building societies alone.