Hoarding...not just on TV

lostinrates

Yep, sheds are dangerous. We have a Barn we call 'the long barn'. The long barn seemed such a huge empty spece when we arrived, now it holds all sorts of richard along with useful things.

A particular foible of ours seems to have been the tendancy to hoard twigs, in the guise of kindling, so we have many, many times the amount of kindling than we have logs.:(.

greengoblin

lostinrates wrote: »

A particular foible of ours seems to have been the tendancy to hoard twigs, in the guise of kindling, so we have many, many times the amount of kindling than we have logs.:(.

Have a really good bonfire night burning all of it, including any paperwork, cardboard, wooden furniture and assorted wooden/ wicker carp. It was so satisfying last year to burn a tatty bookcase and a whole handful of manky wooden spoons lol :rotfl:

Buffythedebtslayer

GreyQueen wrote: »

I never thought of it like that! So funny.

Re sheds............dangerous territory. Like heroin, sheds are easy to get into and hard to quit. It starts small, in a DIY Barn, you loiter in the gardening section and they have a modest little 6 x 8 on special. They suck you in, and you fall for it. But a 6 x 8 is never enough, is it? You want, you need more. Because you're worth it. You get another 6 x 8. Or you start getting into heavy usage with the 8 x 10s, the workshops. Only neither you nor the OH are working in there, are you? It's more storage.

Don't think we, your fellow hoarders, don't know what's going on in there. Stuff expands to fill the space available - plus 50%.

SO SO true.

I was hoping Mum would get rid of the shed in our garden and I could replace it with a few bits of plastci garden storage instead........but no, we are instead getting an even bigger shed.........

I could cry.

Especially since I cooked breakfast this morning and the frying pan that sticks is STILL in the cupboard. and ruined my bacon but Mum won't chuck it cos she won't chuck anything and then we both MOAN about the bloody mess.

skipsmum

Oh thankyou all for being so kind and welcoming!

I think I had a similar childhood to Jojo's. I certaintly seem to be hampered with all sorts of similar baggage!

I need all this stuff in case.....just in case.
I can't possibly go out without all these things that I have a one in a million chance of needing. This got really bad for me when I had DS1, I was very young, on my own, and hadn't got good experiences to draw on. A couple of times I didn't have necessary things when we went out and was criticised by other mums and after that I started taking everything. It got so bad that I couldn't go out until I'd got all my stuff together and that could take all day.
A couple of years ago DH helped me pack what he calls laughingly my "spontaneous bag" or my "just in case case" which has got mini sizes of everything so its lighter...I am gradually working on cutting this down.
Trouble is, I always need something - last week I took DS and his friend to the beach for an hour. His friend gashed his arm and my downsized first aid kit didn't have anything big enough....so now I am back to humping the big one around again

My house is a giant spontaneous bag - everything is "just in case". DH gets upset about it because he thinks I dont trust him enough to provide for us so I keep everything. He says if we need it we can just buy it again.

That was quite cathartic!
Skipsmum xx

calicocat

Mmmmmm....................shed/heroin............put like that it is rather off-putting (and would have just gone straight for a large one no messing). I have toyed with the idea for around 6yrs...but stop myself as would collect more stuff,it's just my flat is so small. However , if I get rid of a load of junk I will obviously find I have more space.
Woke up feeling much better as some kitchen /bathroom rubbish gone.I have this morningg cleaned all mirrors , but have somehow found myself in bed again with a coffee watching tv again.

Anyhow ,plan is to get up again in a bit before I fall asleep (work nights so can always randomly fall asleep during the day if stop moving) and clean the bathroom top to bottom....provided the cat doesn't mind.:).

I have job interview/chat's monday but will plan to do kitchen clean after that, then I'm back at work.......then arrival is saturday :eek: is deffo just as well I started yesterday.

Actually may have to go shopping today too to save time friday.

Good luck those de-richarding today.

Onward and outward !:T

thriftwizard

Skipsmum, I know exactly where you're coming from - it's taken me years to get to the stage where I can just pop down to the beach with the offspring, without taking an entire beach-hut's worth of stuff with me, including enough first aid stuff to deal with a fairly major disaster. In fact, when we had a big VW van (when we had the kids, there were only a couple of 7-seater cars on the market, and you wouldn't actually have been able to get anything else in, like schoolbags or lunch boxes, if you had all the seats up) it used to resemble a mobile beach hut most of the time, with beach stuff & rainy day stuff permanently installed - even scarves & gloves!

But gradually I came to see that I was spending too much of my time looking after the dratted stuff, and not enough just enjoying the kids. I went to help a friend pack for a week's camping with her kids on Friday and ended up telling her to unpack half of it - not that she did - because I know I'm going to get agonised phone calls to say she can't stand it, the kids have thrown stuff all over the tent, which is because they'll struggle to find the things they really need in a hurry, in the welter of "just-in-case" stuff she's packed for them!

The trouble I'm facing now is because I've hung onto too much stuff for too long "just in case" and the problem is that in the kind of eventuality I'm trying to be prepared for, I'd never be able to find the things we really need because of all the excess stuff! I think there's a balance to be struck between making sensible preparations and having a bit in reserve, and hanging onto far too much "just in case".

On another note - just watched the programme, and was so pleased for him that an archive firm took all the papers from the semi - great result! I can give things up easily when I know they're going to someone who will use & appreciate them, like the fabric etc. that's gone off with the charity. What I cannot do, and probably never will be able to, is just dump stuff that really does still have a use. So now I have to stop letting it into my life in the first place...

sjprmc01

Yesterday I also chucked A fondue set. That OH had apparently bought me one Christmas. Never used it!

Today I got rid of a girls balance bike. I have 3 girls and between them they had 6 bikes! Now that the youngest is 5 I'm sure one of the 'normal' bikes will do!

Wasn't hard to get rid of the bike as gave it to the lady I gave the girls clothes to, not a problem with things going to a worthy home!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

http://orgjunkie.com/2012/02/are-you-burdened-by-your-stuff.html


This may help those who don't think in terms of body disposal/zombie apocalyse scenarios....

(Source above)

1. What am I hanging onto today that takes up valuable space that could be used for more needed purposes?

2. What am I allowing to rule my roost? Is the stuff calling all the shots?

3. What isn’t working? How can I make it better? Why do I want to make it better?

4. What is working? Why am I able to maintain these particular solutions and not others?

5. Am I trying to organize clutter to avoid making the tough decisions about my stuff?

6. Am I really seeing my clutter or am I in denial? Looking at pictures of your space really helps!

7. Do you have a storage unit? How long have you had it? Could you say what was in it? Is it worth it?

blossomhill_2

calicocat wrote: »

Oh and I cat-flapped 1 herman , will cat-flap another on monday, and may make the other into a kind of soda bread.
I made the Herman.......spent a so**ing fortune on organic apricots,macadamia nuts,waalnuts,dates etc.....actually left it in oven a bit too long..............anyhow I don't LIKE cake.........so why did I even bother ?!?!.........a combination I think of 'can't pass the opportunity up' syndrome.........and I haven't made one before so wanted to do it and change the recipe a bit. Anyhow , total waste of time , will make the bread and if I don't like that will ditch the starter or I will be perpetually doing this purely to give to other people.

I had to Google Herman cake - so it is the chain letter of the cake world, with everybody passing it on because they don't want to be the one to break the chain. I can see why you are reluctant, as you would only be passing on an obligation to others ... bit like passing on a hoard

wannabe_sybil

On here bracing myself. I need to attack a stealth pile - against one living room wall I have two small chairs and a two drawer filing cabinet - storage anyone? However the stuff that is down the back and sides of the chairs is pushing them forward and sideways so it is now really hard to get to the steps down to the kitchen.

Little bear is having a glorious day in the out of school club so I have the opportunity.

Slugs - I found a slug in my kettle yesterday. After the kettle had been boiled. I defy anyone to keep calm in the face of poached slug. Gosh darn the moneysaving, I am getting a new kettle.

Seaside - little bear has only been to the seaside on a day trip a few times. Weds my brother took us, and I packed three changes of clothes. They were not enough.

Edited to add - I am so impressed with what is happening on here. My decluttering comes and goes, but it helps to have it at least at the back of your mind. hugs to all.

Edited again to add - have found five unfinished knitting projects so far, have filled a bin bag, and I haven't cleared a half. Also found many tape measures.

Calico - also thank you for recipe - it is cut, pasted and will be tasted soon!