Hoarding...not just on TV

cherie1122

At work we have sales people that come in and leave us a box of books and odds and ends that are quite cheap and so very tempting.

I've been really good lately at just looking but not buying anything - I keep thinking about the cupboards and drawers in our house that are so full we can't cram anything else into them

Not good for the sales people but it's helping my purse and decluttering.

GreyQueen

I have had excellent news from the Family Homestead where my parents and brother still live.......two out of three are hoarders and there is the home business (stock everywhere) and you mustn't use the vacuum because it upsets the cats.

Which is true; they were rescues back in 2004 and still haven't acclimatised to the vac. And run from all bar family members.

Hoarder-in-Chief has had to empty and move the kitchen around to lay new flooring. She has found stuff which she'd forgotten she had and which I've been offered first refusal (and refused, go me!) so the local c.s. will be benefitting.

Deputy Chief Hoarder has been decluttering the video mountain which was menacing the bed and in danger of landslipping onto his sleeping head. Bad feng shui and then some. I have been cheering quitely from the sidelines as am an hour's travel away.

Their cats are lurking outside to avoid the trauma of the de-richarding.

I've been slowing sorting through the files, filletting out the stuff. I'm down by one bank account and am easing my way out of another. Can't be doing with little dribs and drabs here and there, each creating their own papertrail and giving me brain-ache trying to keep up with it all. Someone said that a hoarding relative had 30 bank accounts (not sure if this thread or somewhere else online) but it was a shot across my bows.:o

I'm feeling a complete disinterest in charity shop browsing which is astonishing as I can honestly say that it has been one of my fave pastimes for about 20 years.........sad, or what?

Oh, and I do that thing where you don't fully unpack after a trip for weeks or even months........I round up the laundry but the bag or case tends to lurk around for a long time to trip me up. It seems if I don't do it the hour I come home, it will be there a month later..............glad I'm not the only one.

Striving to do better, and good luck to us all in our respective positions.

Scrapaholic

Just had a skim through . Thriftwizard , you say your DH's stuff should have been thrown a couple of years ago. DH has a shirt bought in Paris in 1979 ! He won't part with it , never wears it as he was about a stone lighter then anyway ! I'm a bit embarrassed about the ragginess of some of the stuff to give to cs for them to rag. I will do that tho' very soon .
It was suggested in a post that brass is worth brass ! Who buys it ?
It's good to know that there are other people who find it hard to part with certain stuff and we're not alone .

blossomhill_2

Scrapaholic wrote: »

It was suggested in a post that brass is worth brass ! Who buys it ?

The post included a link to a buyer who has sites in various locations in UK

blossomhill_2

moneysavingmumofone wrote: »

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

One way to deal with this - put a value on the goods, in your head - say £40. Then decide you would like to give £40 to your favourite charity. But give them the goods instead. They probably aren't worth anywhere near the £40 but it somehow makes it easier ...HTH

Byatt

Well, I've made the mistake of putting 3 things (large electrical items) on Freeg£e...what is it with people who can't ask nicely, or who ask and don't reply!

I am going to delete tomorrow and just ask the CS if they want them.

Brighton_belle

Not feeling well enough to respnd individually tonight, but there has been some great work going on by people today:T

Lostinrates - hope you don't have to go to hospital. Enfirced rest can be veyr difficult too:(

blossomhill_2

Byatt wrote: »

Well, I've made the mistake of putting 3 things (large electrical items) on Freeg£e...what is it with people who can't ask nicely, or who ask and don't reply!

I am going to delete tomorrow and just ask the CS if they want them.

It's annoying isn't it - had some emails saying just "I'll take it" (err, no you won't cos I won't answer rude people)

I have found it's better to wait for someone asking for an item in the "Wanteds" (I freecycle, don't know if freegle works the same) then offer it to them - then I know it is really someone who wants it rather than someone asking for the sake of it ... or even hoarding!

I have actually used freecycle as a way of working through my stuff - I work rather better in random ways than with systems as you may have noticed, so I use the wanted ads as a prompt

Like this week "hmm someone asking for wallpaper ... OMG I forgot I have 6 rolls of beautiful LAshley wallpaper stashed under the stairs ... but we are decorating at the moment ... right, out they come and either get used NOW or offered to the freecycler"

If you keep a watch on the wanted you can see who the dealers are after a while - repeat posts saying "wanted any freezer" or " I need a bicycle, any size men women or childs" every month - how many bikes do you need Mr Bikeshop?

I have met some really nice people by being selective on freecycle and feel happy about who has had my stuff - one woman who sent terse emails about offering dog food turned out to be really really nice when I went to collect it for the animal chairty I help out, and wants to help us more now - she laughed about how rude she knows here emails sound but she is wary about who might come to her home

Friends coming over today, we are getting the tressles out and having a big sort out - it's going down but I've still tripped over badly in the last two days so a way to go yet!

Byatt if you are starting knitting why not ask for the wool you'd like ... someone out there has a stash if it ... maybe even me!

Don't you wish we could all meet up for a swapmeet ... I'd tell you that trifle bowl is exactly what I am looking for then quietly pass it on

GreyQueen

OMG, ditto to the rudeness of some Freeglers. Would it kill them to say please? I have a personal rule that if you can't be bothered to say please, you ain't getting whatever it is. I've also had one of cheeky mare want me to meet her up at the shops to hand over something.

I mean, I'm already slap-bang in the city centre anyway. She one of those always asking for stuff with sob stories of her needs or her extended family's needs. Given the variety of stuff she asks for, I simply think she's selling it on.

I've currently got an lurking item in my outdoor hideyhole from whence it was supposed to be picked up over 2 weeks ago. Another item lurked similarly for over 3 weeks in June until SuperGran, my friend and neighbour, heard me mention it, and expressed an interest for her church sale, so off it went.

Having said that, I have met some lovely people but you do have to question the motivations of those timewasters who ask and never collect..........I have a small mental list of usernames to avoid as they've proved to be a PITA before.

Not a lot of decluttering going on today as I will be at the saltmine earning my crust but will take the recyclables to the onstreet banks on my way. Oooooh, how I envy people with recycling collections from their own homes.....;)

You wouldn't believe how excellent my lottie shed looks, or how happy it makes me. Now if those blasted spiders would only hand over the blue-handled scissors lost in the shed about a year ago, my cup would runneth over.

Have good days, everyone, GQ x

soolin

Scrapaholic wrote: »

Just had a skim through . Thriftwizard , you say your DH's stuff should have been thrown a couple of years ago. DH has a shirt bought in Paris in 1979 ! He won't part with it , never wears it as he was about a stone lighter then anyway ! I'm a bit embarrassed about the ragginess of some of the stuff to give to cs for them to rag. I will do that tho' very soon .
It was suggested in a post that brass is worth brass ! Who buys it ?
It's good to know that there are other people who find it hard to part with certain stuff and we're not alone .

If you can't find a metal dealer then look for a local auction house- not a posh one but a house clearance sort of thing. I attend auctions as part of my business (oh what a terrible business to have chosen with a mentality like mine that everything might be useful!)

You are all really inspiring. I have a small bag of items to take to cs today and intend finding some more things to make the walk worthwhile. I am also going to check whether my local auction house is still accepting lots for the next auction and take some stuff down there.

I am going to another auction tomorrow though for business, but goodness knows where I'll put anything if i buy it. My stock overfloweth