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Hoarding - Springing Ahead

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  • whitewing
    whitewing Posts: 11,852
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    I hope you have found us here, Woodyrocks, and that we haven't put you off in our enthusiasm.

    Okay, I have just polished DD's shoes and put them and the other misplaced shoes neatly in the hall, hung up my coat and DD's coat, put the bag back out in the hall where it lives. The ketchup slunk back into the kitchen without my intervention but I did have to put it in the actual cupboard. I have shredded the envelopes/junk from today's mail. I have enveloped up 2 packages that DH will hopefully post tomorrow on his way back from work. I have put the other computer away.

    I am about to tidy up the area in front of the TV and maybe tackle the kitchen, which feels a lot worse than it probably is although the dishwasher needs unpacking and I don't like doing it half as much when the plates etc are cold. I think I am probably going to drag these tasks out unnecessarily but at least the forums are going down soon so that will be my target time.
    :heartsmil When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with glad cries of "Me too!" be sure to cherish them. Because these weirdos are your true family.
  • Nodette
    Nodette Posts: 77
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    Oh thank goodness - a new title. Every time I read the previous thread title (Hoarding - a new start) I kept thinking, "What? I can start hoarding all over again? Oooooh.....better not go there."

    Now I feel safer. I am new to this thread - but not new to hoarding. I've been a hoarder all my life.

    Then six years ago I got married (for the first time, aged 48) and hubby owned a farm. He is also a hoarder. So we had a 3-bedroom bungalow with a huge loft and around about 12 empty stables. Well, I say empty....I mean empty of horses. They were choc-a-block with STUFF.

    Then we sold the farm and moved into . . . . a 2-bedroom terraced house with a garden only just big enough for the rotary clothes dryer.

    That was 3 years ago and we spent six months or so going to boot sales every weekend to sell the bulk of our hoarded stuff. It was OK, but tiring (we both work during the week).

    Thankfully (or perhaps, unfortunately), hubby is a great at putting up cupboards and shelves. Every available bit of wall has shelves or cupboards on it, crammed full of things.

    To be truthful, it doesn't look that much of a mess when it's in its proper place, but some things will have to go. Mostly I need to cull some of my crafting stuff. I sew, knit and do paper crafts. My rubber stamps are confined to a few craft drawers, so they're fine.

    But I have at least 6 boxes of yarn (most on cones that hubby kindly bought for me. The "20+" cones he won on ebay turned out to be 40!!)

    I have two shelves, one large bag and at least 4 boxes of fabric, too.

    And 2 freezers crammed full of food....

    Heeeeeeeellpp!!
  • PudseyDB
    PudseyDB Posts: 1,144 Forumite
    I've gained 5 boxes today that I need to sort through the contents and find places for. But after driving 140 miles today......including a 2 hour journey back home this evening I've decided they can wait till tomorrow.

    They include my graduation photo, a framed photo of my parents, my daughters' christening gifts and my uni work.....the uni work can be got rid off though since I graduated in 1994!
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  • whitewing
    whitewing Posts: 11,852
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    edited 21 March 2013 at 12:13AM
    Nodette, I am knackered even thinking about your vast quantities of stuff. I hanker to fill skips of other people's rubbish!

    I have sorted the living room and kitchen. Just need to leave a little list for DH and DS to do first thing like put the washing machine on, and put some clothes away. I need to sort the dry clothes into piles now.

    ETA: That took next to no time.

    I like the new title too, I feel very Tiggerish.
    :heartsmil When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with glad cries of "Me too!" be sure to cherish them. Because these weirdos are your true family.
  • PudseyDB
    PudseyDB Posts: 1,144 Forumite
    Hmmph! Just realised I dont know where the picture hooks are anymore! They used to be kept in a jamjar in the cupboard under the sink - but that was before we had a new kitchen fitted last year.

    I'll have to wait till my partner gets back and see if he knows where they are, so the photos I brought back with me yesterday will have to stay packed away for now. :(

    Howsever........I've been trying to keep to the principal of "what comes into the house has to have an equal amount out" sooooooo..............I guess I need to find some stuff today to take to the charity shop on Friday.
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  • PudseyDB
    PudseyDB Posts: 1,144 Forumite
    Picklepot wrote: »
    Now...steam cleaners can anyone tell me..love them hate them?? I HATE the whole mop bucket thing i like the idea of a steam cleaner or do i just like the people on the ads who do such a good job with them or do they just do a good sell to me.??:rotfl:

    We had a steam cleaner that I found pretty rubbish! It only produced a warm water mist that didnt really seem to do much at all. However that couldve been because my other half decided to buy the cheapest in the argos book! :mad:

    I've been looking at those mops in the ads too as they make it look so simple. But we've got laminate flooring and I'm unsure if its safe to use steam on it.
    Nodette wrote: »
    Oh thank goodness - a new title. Every time I read the previous thread title (Hoarding - a new start) I kept thinking, "What? I can start hoarding all over again? Oooooh.....better not go there."
    :rotfl:
    Nodette wrote: »
    But I have at least 6 boxes of yarn (most on cones that hubby kindly bought for me. The "20+" cones he won on ebay turned out to be 40!!)

    I have two shelves, one large bag and at least 4 boxes of fabric, too.

    And 2 freezers crammed full of food....

    Heeeeeeeellpp!!

    LOL.....with a daughter that's creative, I can honestly say that the boxes of yarn and fabric would sound like heaven to her!!

    Doesnt everyone have 2 freezers crammed full of food? :D We do, but we're a family of 5 so I think I'd struggle with just one. I think you do need to try and empty them once or twice a year, so that nothing gets left in there forever.
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  • whitewing
    whitewing Posts: 11,852
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    I've unpacked the dishwasher and put a whites wash on, packed away dry clothes, chucked away packaging that had been lurking on top of the wardrobe since Christmas.
    :heartsmil When you find people who not only tolerate your quirks but celebrate them with glad cries of "Me too!" be sure to cherish them. Because these weirdos are your true family.
  • katep23
    katep23 Posts: 1,406
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    Ooh shiny new thread, thanks Jojo.

    Some great progress and lovely to hear about Idris's success with declutterer.

    Woodyrocks, welcome and I hope you can deal with your difficulties in your own time and your own way. This lot will help and support you every step of the way.

    My folks are coming to visit today :j:j They live in Somerset and have livestock so can't get away often so it's a real treat. Casserole in slow cooker, loaf of bread on for them to take with them, have done a load of washing which is on the line, cleaned the kitchen.

    Have been feeling really down lately and today is the first day I have woken up with a spring in my step. Feeling a lack of purpose with not working and I really need to find a job - I could enjoy not working if it was going to permanent and I would never run out of things to do but I feel like I am just "marking time" until I start working again.

    It definitely helped writing a list last night of things I needed to do this morning as well as the fact they were time dependant, I need deadlines to work to in order to motivate myself!

    In terms of de-hoarding, not much has been going on but the lack of income has made me address my spending. I have not bought any clothes, housey-stuff etc and have actively avoided going shopping where possible to avoid temptation.

    Went to the charity shop recently (4 bags of books gone - yay!) and didn't even look around, just donated and left. Went to Robert Dyas and only bought what was on the list. This is a first!

    So my lack of "ins" is my achievement and now I have started to address that I can start on my "outs"!
  • JayneC
    JayneC Posts: 912 Forumite
    lobbyludd wrote: »
    Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone posting on this thread, you have in the last few days helped me start to deal with my ex-husband's things.

    Glad you've been inspired to get going. Take care of yourself, it will be a relief in the end.

    I've still not got going again:(. Yesterday somebody called to pick an item he'd won from me on ebay, he'd driven quite a long way and asked to use the loo:eek:. I brazened it out quite effectively but think I died inside a little:o

    He had to make his way past my boxes stacked about 5 high and about the same wide( they are all to car boot but still look a mess there), past the toybox at the top of the stairs which is my 'drop off point' for items that were downstairs and need to be upstairs or vice versa, until I put them in their rightful place (several weeks later sometimes:o) and into my bathroom, which has been very tidy and clean since my dehoarding in there, but that day I had decided to sort the dirty laundry and separated all the piles onto the bathroom floor ready to wash and so, along with my boots that I'd just kicked off in there and left and some random bits of tissue lying around it looked something of a state:o. Now I have resolved to at least maintain the bathroom in a state that I won't be ashamed to allow people in there...
    Official DFW nerd - 282 'Proud To Be Dealing With My Debts'
    C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z member # 56
  • PudseyDB
    PudseyDB Posts: 1,144 Forumite
    Been thinking and it would seem I inherited some of my hoarding traits off my mum. Me and my sister were looking though cupboards and boxes yesterday and various things we found that either......

    (a) we looked at each other and said we've never seen them before - which meant that she's bought them and stored away. Suitcases full of cuddly toys, clothes that have never been worn, drawers full of handbags, etc

    (b) we looked at each other and said "why????" an example of this is the old vertical blinds that were replaced as the dog broke them. They were packed away in bin bags on top of the wardrobe. And umpteen plastic bags!!!

    Perhaps the biggest shock was checking out the fridge and freezer in the garage. The drinks in the fridge were dated exp 2003 and 2004 !!!:eek:

    We have a slight problem too - knowing what to do with the ornaments as theres about 10 shelves full! We plan to keep a few ourselves, but there's just too much to keep them all. How do we start to work out which ones are valuable? We've already worked out for ourselves that its not necessarily the prettiest ones that are worth more.

    Coming back home, its kind of made me look at my own things in a different light. Would I want my own children to have the same problems sorting through my things?
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