Hoarding...not just on TV

Tibbie's_mum · 29 June 2012 at 10:32AM

nearlyrich wrote: »

My mum never threw anything away that she thought might come in handy, she had hundreds of margarine tubs too much furniture clothes that fit her 15 years ago. I did clear a lot of stuff when she had a fall and was staying with my sister and she never asked about anything she missed. The kitchen was still stocked with enough crockery etc to feed an army and she loved gadgets like salad spinners.

The house was clean but never tidy because there was not enough room to put everything away, later when she passed away I found boxes and boxes of stuff like she had just cleared a surface into the box and forgot about it. She always used to buy cards for birthdays etc and forget where she put them and then she would buy another, found loads when we cleared the place.

If you can get her away for a day or two Jo-jo you get more chance to throw rubbish away..Good luck.

I though it was horrendous but she was a long long way from the people on the TV..

The bit about clearing a surface into a box and then forgetting about it strikes a chord with me, that's exactly what I do! I have so many good intentions to Ebay all my clutter but never get round to it, it would be easier just to give it all to charity but I have the hoarding habit. I can understand these people, as I've been known to take cardboard boxes, that my OH has thrown away, out of our green bin because they would make great packaging for Ebay sales, our spare room is full of cardboard.

mollythewestie · 29 June 2012 at 10:49AM

I must admit, I haven't got much done at all this week.
I have put 6 things on ebay (Computer games etc.) and the selling total is over £73!:eek:
That was £73 just sat there, doing nothing, taking up room, cluttering up the place.

I have taken in a large quantity of used bubble wrap to wrap the parcels though, but should have enough padded envelopes in my "stores" already.
But I did take a bag of old shoes to the recycling bank.

I am hoping to do a bit more over the weekend as we are away for most of next week - it is also DDs birthday, so no doubt more toys will be heading our way. :cool:

alec_eiffel · 29 June 2012 at 11:18AM

I have to say I really admire all of you who once you've made the decision to get rid can have the stuff in your house until it's sold or given away. I need things to be gone. If I have time to think about it then I can start to rationale things back into the house.

In terms of the "well it looks better than it was" potential problem I read something about seeing clean areas as though they'd been disinfected. Once they'd been disinfected they were immune from new things collecting there.

mollythewestie · 29 June 2012 at 11:29AM

alec_eiffel wrote: »

I have to say I really admire all of you who once you've made the decision to get rid can have the stuff in your house until it's sold or given away. I need things to be gone. If I have time to think about it then I can start to rationale things back into the house.

.

I must admit, most of the things that I have sold or recycled this week, were put in a pile to be sold or recycled a year or so ago! I have only just got round to actually doing it.

wannabe_sybil · 29 June 2012 at 12:59PM

Blossomhill - the getting better is really helping me, because what it means is that each time I slip back less. And it breaks of the cage of, 'I won't be able to get it perfect so I might as well not bother'. which I suffer from.

I am not going to be getting all the surplus clothes out by the 30th, but I will grant myself an extension of one week only. And it has cause chaos as all sorts of things have got jumbled up in the process of sorting, so I can't find anything, but I will get there. I have crashed badly this week, v tired, but can start again any second. I can't start earlier than now, but I can start now (or rather, when I have finished typing this

)

I think that is interesting seeing all the perfectionist/can't finish stuff off/comfort things that so many of us share.

And I am finding myself funny. I have clothes to take to the clothes buying shop. When I take them it will give me immense room to work in. I could walk it but weather and my feeling of yeurk are pushing against that. I could go by bus, but it would cost more than the clothes would bring. The money for the clothes is a big thing, as it helps me get them out of the house. It would come in useful, as well, even a few pennies, but I could manage to pay for the bus. However I will be getting an all day bus ticket anyway next Friday, when I am likely to take the clothes to the shop. All this just to get some clothes out of the house!

And I have brought up a knife from the kitchen to the study. I am supposed to be working

and in the pauses when I gather my thoughts I can slit one of the backlog of envelopes, shred anything incriminating and bin the rest. Also, I am saving the blank backs of envelopes for note paper, just for telephone messages etc.

lostinrates · 29 June 2012 at 1:38PM

Oh dear. The sorting out of the cleaning stuff is causing great dischord. I just found all my dad's wipes and short cuts to a poor finish cleaning job..retreived and put in a plastic box in my sitting room, and i kicked off. My dad is the king of plastic boxes and blames everyone else for the disorder.

Edit: tbc, its everyones fault, i think we are all as bad as each other.

Been through all the cleaning boxes now. Have reduced the stuff i might use into one plastic box. He has another FULL of wipes, which i have suggested he might care to USE either at my house or his, and try and prove me wrong that they get bought, opened and used once then
Ect to dry put (and do a rubbish job on that once they are used.)

I enjoy 'big' cleaning.

Byatt · 29 June 2012 at 2:09PM

I haven't read all recent posts yet but have a confession

. I have just bought a Lloyd Loom blanket box, pretty good condition just needs padding and material on the top...it was £15. I do NEED it, and have been looking for ages, but I struggled internally with myself, but then thought I would regret it. I have no storage and sheets etc are piled up everywhere.

On the plus side, I have dropped one box and several bags to the CS, and a load of stuff to the tip. The wooden stool I left there immediately found a home as someone picked it up and put it in their car! :eek:

I am also planning to give at least 3 pictures to the CS and the gorgeous log basket I have talked myself out of giving away, I have now decided to give it to my niece ...I think...:o

LIR, it's really hard sharing a house with someone who clutters, I hope you can come to a compromise.

I have to say this whole process is so stressful, I am already eating too much junk and also have a strong desire to fill the spaces I'm emptying.

Well done Molly on the fleabaying! :T I have some curtains to put on, but I'm procrastinating.

I'm quite chuffed about the stuff I have given to the CS's as I have seen the things on display and they have sold very quickly. I must have some taste. :rotfl::rotfl:

lostinrates · 29 June 2012 at 2:24PM

Byatt i am sorry you are stressed, chucking stuff i am finding ok today. In fact, fun. But its not the sort of stuff that would stress me. When we get back to other stuff...fabrics, etc, i will feel differently

We are just about to move the chest freezer the size of a small country from the utility room into the room that is to be our temporary kitchen for the summer and early autumn. (the builded ahve to put a door in that room, but they can have us move stuff, or move it themselves if there are just a few things. Better that we clear out the rooms that are to be theirs i think.

aliasojo · 29 June 2012 at 2:28PM

Is it really wrong to be thinking 'I'd love to have been able to root through all the stuff people are getting rid off, there's probably things in there I could have used/might have wanted'?

:rotfl:

meanmarie · 29 June 2012 at 2:45PM

Aliasjo....we must be related, I was thinking the same.

Am moving slowly with decluttering, but am keeping to the rule that NOTHING comes into the house except for food until I have disposed of something....

Marie

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Hoarding...not just on TV

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free