Clutter and hoarding - help!

HappySad

Reading this thread and encouraged me to do some decluttering myself. I have gone to my magazine storage section and cleaned out about 1/3 of them. I have torn out the pages of the magazine I want to keep and thrown out the rest.

I have found that using my local library has almost completely stopped me from buying more and more books. Instead of buying a book I see if the library has a copy. I read it then return in to the library. I have also saved loads of money that way.

I have also been able to part with some if my not used often books.. by giving them to the library... that way I know that if I want to see the book again I can just borrow it from them. I keep a record of the books that I have bought using the Amazon.co.uk personal section to give a review on the books. All the books that I have read I review them on Amazon and when I want to see a list of all the books that I have read, I just go on line on this website.

I am finding it hard to part with my interia and self help books. I have loads of them.


I have now completed my books for the library and I have come up with nearly 30 books to donate!!! About 6 of them are brand new and hardly used. I have been waisting some of my money buying books that I have no time or interest in reading.

Now I have cleared away these books & magazines, I now have more space in by book case for the books & mags that I will be using.

HappySad

Hi Everyone again.
I used to be a great hoarder. I used to keep everthing. I am not so bad now and i can be quite ruthless in getting rid of things. What has helped me is my camera.

I used to not want to get rid of something because that item would have memories attached to it. So I would keep the bulky item to remind me of the past. now what I do is take a photo of that item and I can then give that thing away. The memory is now packaged in a photo in my photo album.

I also did not want to waste and throw my possesions away.. so I now give away my thing to charity and I now that someone will find a use for it.

I still keep loads of stuff... but now if I have lots of something I say to myself.."just keep one or two of these thing and get rid of the rest" For example I use to have all my Alevel, HND and degree notes & assignments with me in the loft. I wanted to be able to see all the hardwork that I used to do. So I said to myself just keep one item for each level of study to represent the hard work and the sort of work I did. This was easy and i end up keeping two items per level of study and recycling the rest of the paper.

Fran

HappySad,

I like your idea of the camera images. I could perhaps do that on a ruthless day, but when I come across things I have kept for years I think, well I've kept this for xxx years so it must mean a lot to me... I can't throw it away now! Must bear the photo thing in mind though for my next heartless/ruthless day!!

Edinburghlass_2

Dag, I haven't been into this thread for a while either and am still surrounded by a load of clutter. Reading your post about hanging onto things in the off chance you might carboot or ebay is me to a T, garden shed is full of such like stuff

I did join the local Recycle Group a couple of weeks ago and although I haven't posted anything it is interesting to see the goods that are snapped up straight away and usually they have to be picked up by whoever wants them.

So this coming week, all those pc bits and pieces, breadmaker, videos etc will be put up for recycling. Interesting one came through today for someone looking for 10, yes 10 toasters for use in a Fringe production at the Festival, no need for them to be working, lol.

Good luck with your move, I hope it goes well. Oh and I like that camera idea too!

savvy

Sofa_Sogood wrote:

It's all brand new stuff meant for presents etc, but I've bought shoes, bags, brollies, and I never go out! How mad is that? I've even bought suitcases that I don't need because they were a 'bargain'. I buy 'bargains' for everyone in the family ... they're not bargains if I'm giving them away though are they? To top it all, the last time I went shopping I ended up buying some pictures that my daughter had donated to Scope the week before.:rotfl: It's mad isn't it?

Six months ago I had a lot of stuff but at least it was all tidied away. Now I'm climbing over boxes and can't even reach the cupboards, but if I could, I'd never get any more stuff in them. Luckily they're upstairs where most people never go (good job really )

Oh my god you sound like my step mum!!! :eek: They have no room whatsoever to move in their house, wall to wall junk and bargains :rolleyes:



Luckily I'm not that bad.......................

savvy

...................but I am this bad!!!! :rolleyes:

Edinburghlass wrote:

Reading your post about hanging onto things in the off chance you might carboot or ebay is me to a T, garden shed is full of such like stuff

Only thing is, it's the attic not the shed!! And I really can't be @rsed to get up there and sort it out...............it's either too cold up there in winter or too hot in summer!!! :rolleyes:

HappySad

I have been doing some decluttering in my loft. I found 3 empty lever arch folderss... And it was only 3weeks ago I bought some lever arch folders.. So the lesson is to know what you own so that you are not spending extra money on something when you already have it.

HappySad

Sofa_Sogood wrote:

Well if you get visitors when you get home Savvy Sue, stick a duster in their hands - might as well be doing something apart from chattering

Seriously, I'd like to buy a steamer and maybe a breadmaker. But I've looked in all the cupboards .... nowhere to put them!

Is there a site anywhere that helps you to downsize everything? What I mean is, for two people, it's not necessary to have 24 plates is there? Ditto for cups, glasses, cereal bowls etc.

And how many pans do two people need? That sort of thing. I'm sure there's a site somewhere, just can't think where to look.

Can anyone help please?

I am quite good on the kitchen front. I have one half cupbard (50cm wide) with all my plates, cups, glasses, saucers and bowls. There is also one cupboard (again 50cm wide) that has all the pots and pans. ONe pan/pot of each size needed. One draw with utensils like pizza cutter, knives, bottle opener etc. One basket for plastic containers and another container for plastic containers for my toddler son. Then one container on the sink for the cutlery. That it! I have an extremely small kitchen so I have no choice but to have a kitchen then only stores what is used and no more. :T

Savvy_Sue

dag wrote:

Of course - I could just throw all my stuff into boxes, and cart it all over to the new flat. Might take several car journeys, but that wouldn't be a problem. Far far too ashamed of my clutter to have anyone else help me, even though friends have offered.

Forget your pride and embarrassment, ask your friends to help NOW! Trust me, if you move that clutter, it will only clutter the new flat! Your friends won't think any the worse of you. Even the houseproud ones. Well, if they do they weren't true friends, you're better off without them.

dag wrote:

I've cancelled absolutely all of my social arrangements, and am wondering whether I'll end up taking time off work sick. I've already booked a week off as holiday so that I can move myself and my clutter.

Do you get any extra time off for 'removal of household'? Not all employers give it, but worth asking if yours does. And get your friends to help rather than taking time off sick!

dag wrote:

Wish me luck.

Oh good luck! I've still got boxes not unpacked 5 years after we moved! And several of them are full of books, so don't even think of suggesting I just get rid of them, my DH will not part with books!

HappySad

aliasojo wrote:

Perfectionists may also have problems with decision making, searching for the one perfect solution to a situation rather than choosing from a variety "less perfect" possibilities.

This is me to a "T". It took me years to choose a colour to paint my living room. I would choose a colour and then constantly change my mind because I wanted the "perfect colour" for my living room.

I am now a lot better. I will give myself a time limit and say to myself that nothing is perfect and I will just have to do my best to choose what I like. :T