Hoarding...not just on TV

Byatt

MSMo1, I have decided to CS the glass bowl...

I have good days and very bad days. It still looks a mess here to anyone else, but to me it's beginning to take shape.

idristhedragon

The boxof kitchen stuff is still in the kitchen. I went to the charity shop and didnt want ANYTHING well apart from a mini tray with chickens on - my DD said "oh mummy its lovely, buy it" and for £1.50 previously I might have BUT I thought of the similar mini tray buried on my desk (that is actually a dining table) and thought of having to fess up to you lot so the chickens stayed in the shop!

I then went and spent £100 on food- I desperately over cater and hoard food- I currently have two fridge freezers that you cant fit ANYTHING in and a larder FULL of tins etc. I think I do this as its a "legit" spend and Im scared I'll run out

I think we are all doing so well and Im definitely doing ebay tonight as I cant bear the bag mocking me everytime I see it anymore!

soolin

I have read the last few pages of this thread and wnated to post to say 'me too' with fears about hoarding.

My father hoarded, I never knew how badly until he had a massive stroke that fried his brain and I had to break in to get him help. Long story cut short, he never went back to his house from that day and I was left trying to clear a three story 3 beh house where most rooms were impassable.

There were rats, mice and cochroaches, the gas board disconnected the gas due to a leak as they couldn't do anything due to the floor not being visible. it took me months of back breaking work to get it ready to be sold, and that was difficult as well as part of th eback wall had fallen in due to rats eating their way through and the wall being held up with piles of junk.

Now onto me, I have never been tidy and to make it worse I buy and sell as a business so always have stock moving through the house. I keep my rooms as clear as I can with most of th ebusiness stuff eventually ending up in my office , or storage facility, but some overflows to add to the stuff I just can't dump.

My problem is that I always think I can't dump something as it might be worth money and so I keep it meaning to try and sell it. However I watched a re run of an American hoarding programme the other day and the woman on that used the same excuse as me, she wasn't hoarding for hoarding sake, but because she thought she might be able to sell it. That terrified the life out of me.

I am making a conscious effort to declutter, even my OH says that apart from my office the house isn't too bad, but I find myself with little piles of 'useful' things by the bed where it won't go in the cupboards, or something behind every door as who ever closes a door anymore? I can't close most of the doors in my bedrooms now as I have hung things behind them, new tagged clothes that i am sure I can sell.

I am really trying though, downstairs is sort of OK, give or take a few odds and ends and I try and find a few things to take to the charity shop every day.

I'll carry on reading this thread though for moral support. (and also as it means I am wasting time instead of tidying my office as I set out to do!)

Lazy_Liz

De-cluttering would be so much simpler without my DH, yes I have my own hording tendencies but he is worse. This weekend we dismantled a bed but intead of getitng rid of it (mattress to tip frame on e-bay or Freecycle) the frame is now in the loft and the mattress under another bed!
I know you should not blame your problems on others but really what hope is there?
Then we put the bedding from that bed into a vac bag and into the airing cupboard, now I definatly had a sort out in there last year so how come we still have sheets, towels, blankets and duvets enough to stock John Lewis? Its the whatifs again, what if people come to stay, what if we need extra towels etc. I also have enough dinnerwear to hold a four course dinner party for about 20 people, that is not going to happen, I draw the line at cooking a dinner for more than six people.
Did one good thing, am making a cake for my parents ruby wedding and discovered I can hire the tin rather than buying one then having a 10" cake tin to store for ever more.
Also small things can give you such a good feeling, cleared all the rubbish pens out of my desk pen tidy, now everything fits in and if I grab a pen it works and its one I want to use.:)

beanielou

Great news molliethe westie on the CC :j

WEll done blossom on diverting from the CS :j

whitewing

I absolutely refuse to let us use the loft.

(However, DH is taller than me and he may possibly sneak odd bits in when I am out. He likes decluttering but is a clean freak so if people are coming over he will quickly cram stuff in cupboards and then forget about them).

Possession

Everyone is doing so brilliantly today!

NotVeryTechie

I just found this thread and I am so thankful I am not alone, but so aware of how difficult I find decluttering. I really need help, or at least kick, to get me moving. I can spend months agonising over an old t-shirt I haven't worn for 10 years, but still just cannot throw it out. 'What if ... I need it when I'm painting the room?' Or whatever. I am so out of space that things are getting critical, but I still struggle.

I also love books and have lots and lots and I do re-read them, so they are not just taking up space, but there are too many. Clothes - well I really look after my clothes and they multiply, but I can't get rid of the old ones. Then again, I gained some weight and then lost some and now I am wearing all the things people said I should have thrown out. Thank goodness I didn't have to replace a whole wardrobe!

Anyway, I wish I could find a good fiary to wave the motivation wand over me to get this job done!

moneysavingmumofone

Byatt wrote: »

MSMo1, I have decided to CS the glass bowl...

I have good days and very bad days. It still looks a mess here to anyone else, but to me it's beginning to take shape.

I know what you mean, after I cleared the front room the other day I looked at it and thought anyone else would think it was still a tip but it looked so much better to me.

soolin wrote: »

I have read the last few pages of this thread and wnated to post to say 'me too' with fears about hoarding.

My father hoarded, I never knew how badly until he had a massive stroke that fried his brain and I had to break in to get him help. Long story cut short, he never went back to his house from that day and I was left trying to clear a three story 3 beh house where most rooms were impassable.

There were rats, mice and cochroaches, the gas board disconnected the gas due to a leak as they couldn't do anything due to the floor not being visible. it took me months of back breaking work to get it ready to be sold, and that was difficult as well as part of th eback wall had fallen in due to rats eating their way through and the wall being held up with piles of junk.

Now onto me, I have never been tidy and to make it worse I buy and sell as a business so always have stock moving through the house. I keep my rooms as clear as I can with most of th ebusiness stuff eventually ending up in my office , or storage facility, but some overflows to add to the stuff I just can't dump.

My problem is that I always think I can't dump something as it might be worth money and so I keep it meaning to try and sell it. However I watched a re run of an American hoarding programme the other day and the woman on that used the same excuse as me, she wasn't hoarding for hoarding sake, but because she thought she might be able to sell it. That terrified the life out of me.

I am making a conscious effort to declutter, even my OH says that apart from my office the house isn't too bad, but I find myself with little piles of 'useful' things by the bed where it won't go in the cupboards, or something behind every door as who ever closes a door anymore? I can't close most of the doors in my bedrooms now as I have hung things behind them, new tagged clothes that i am sure I can sell.

I am really trying though, downstairs is sort of OK, give or take a few odds and ends and I try and find a few things to take to the charity shop every day.

I'll carry on reading this thread though for moral support. (and also as it means I am wasting time instead of tidying my office as I set out to do!)

That must have been very hard for you to have to sort out the whole house especially after the trauma of your dad having a stroke. x I can relate to never getting rid of things in case you could sell them, I always buy too many toys etc for presents so am left with surplus that in reality arent worth much because they arent a brand or the 'in thing'. Also have a habit of buying clothes impulsively just cos theyre cheap and not necessarily the right size then think Ill sell them if they never fit but again in reality none of it is worth anything really. Struggling to sell a big box of toys I have (all new) even though they're cheap prices as none of it is anything special tbh. If it doesnt all sell by next week Ill give to the charity shop, Id rather send to Postpals children but cant afford the postage grrr. Anything sorry droned on a bit. x

idristhedragon wrote: »

The boxof kitchen stuff is still in the kitchen. I went to the charity shop and didnt want ANYTHING well apart from a mini tray with chickens on - my DD said "oh mummy its lovely, buy it" and for £1.50 previously I might have BUT I thought of the similar mini tray buried on my desk (that is actually a dining table) and thought of having to fess up to you lot so the chickens stayed in the shop!

I then went and spent £100 on food- I desperately over cater and hoard food- I currently have two fridge freezers that you cant fit ANYTHING in and a larder FULL of tins etc. I think I do this as its a "legit" spend and Im scared I'll run out

I think we are all doing so well and Im definitely doing ebay tonight as I cant bear the bag mocking me everytime I see it anymore!

Well done for resisting! You resisted a tray today and I did not. I am actually getting rid of something tomorrow as Ive sold a toy on facebook, just hope they turn up to collect it!
Ill sort the box out when DS is in bed as after picking him up I had a crash in mood and also feel fluey. Excuses excuses. *sigh*

moneysavingmumofone

NotVeryTechie wrote: »

I just found this thread and I am so thankful I am not alone, but so aware of how difficult I find decluttering. I really need help, or at least kick, to get me moving. I can spend months agonising over an old t-shirt I haven't worn for 10 years, but still just cannot throw it out. 'What if ... I need it when I'm painting the room?' Or whatever. I am so out of space that things are getting critical, but I still struggle.

I also love books and have lots and lots and I do re-read them, so they are not just taking up space, but there are too many. Clothes - well I really look after my clothes and they multiply, but I can't get rid of the old ones. Then again, I gained some weight and then lost some and now I am wearing all the things people said I should have thrown out. Thank goodness I didn't have to replace a whole wardrobe!

Anyway, I wish I could find a good fiary to wave the motivation wand over me to get this job done!

This thread is brilliant motivation, you are not alone. I do the tshirt thing too! *what if i need it when I dye my hair* is my favourite 'reason'. xxx

whitewing wrote: »

I absolutely refuse to let us use the loft.

(However, DH is taller than me and he may possibly sneak odd bits in when I am out. He likes decluttering but is a clean freak so if people are coming over he will quickly cram stuff in cupboards and then forget about them).

That sounds like me except erm the liking decluttering and clean freak bit lol!