Hoarding...not just on TV

oldtractor

This may not help those with a serious hording problem but for those who hold onto stuff "just in case" and have generally too much stuff.................I just ant to say that last weekend we went away for a luxury break. Since coming home and seeing it with fresh eyes, so to speak, I have chucked and freegled and donated quite a bit of stuff , and also decided to upgrade some other stuff and not hold onto the old things for "spares". Its so liberating. The last couple of days I have reduced my lined cupboard to 3 sets of duvet sets and sheets each , keeping only the newest and best. Chucked several mats and rugs and cushions and pillows and am seriously considering freegling my "hobbies" box as I hardly ever get time to sit and make things. It gives freedom and peace of mind. It really does.

M.E.

Returned home with a huge wooden box (from a group I belong to), to go to the tip or bootsale. DH was furious. In a thunder temper so I skidaddled to have coffee with a neighbour. They are older and less mobile so have emptied their loft into their garage for a grand clear out. ...... however.....
I am doing a bootsale tomorrow so this big box is going along with some other things from shed/garage even house. Spent about an hour discussing (calmly) about the stuff we have and how I'm ready to ditch/sell a lot of it. DH is not ready and hates the bootsales, he can't stand the selling part, he'd rather give it away. So I shall do the bootsale on my own and he's happy with that. Meanwhile he is filling the cleared spaces with pieces of timber and plastic piping that were obstructing the garage door. There is definite improvement so I shall carry on. Reminded me a little of the "Richard" and how everything had to be discussed before being thrown. Well that is DH and now the discussion avenue is open I shall continue, albeit slowly.

Gingernutty

Two pairs of headphones went kaput on Thursday and I even found a pair of iPod headphones, but the snazzy volume control button didn't work on my Philips mp3 player.

But that's okay, as I have a good half a dozen other sets of headphones sitting in a box of tape head cleaners, cables, plugs and adaptors for various bits and bobs.

So, with the busted mini sound system and the collection of dodgy speakers I was given after my Dad and one of my brothers cleared a family friend's flat, the whole lot went with me to the local recycling centre today.

I not only walked past the sign that says

PEDESTRIANS
ARE FORBIDDEN
FROM CARRYING
WASTE ONTO
THIS SITE

I walked in through the EXIT.

Look at me, the little rebel.....:T

I've sorted out yet another pair of shoes that I avoid wearing - they're smart enough but they cut into my ankles and I've avoided buying any of the half price Olympic stuff on offer at my local Sainsbugs.

Regarding disposal: I've got a collection of 5 bins. I've somehow acquired two big black bins, which, when they were the rubbish bins came in very handy. Now they are the recycling bins.....not so much.

I also have two small brown bins for unrecyclable rubbish.

When the new bins were delivered, my neighbours and I were at work. Needless to say when we got home that evening the bins had long gone. They're about half the size of the old bins so people were after as many as they could get while they were free.

So, I went out and nicked a couple of bins from two obviously empty houses in the next road. Just as the police were combing the streets for some criminal or other.

I felt dead guilty going 'out on the rob' when the police cars were slowly trawling the streets with the blue lights flashing, the helicopter was flying overhead and there were foot patrols out on the beat.

I immediately stuck my house number on mine and left theirs on their doorstep.

The following evening, their bin had been nicked again. So I nicked another bin from another obviously empty house (empty houses are a big problem round here) and wrote their address on it with a big black marker pen.

They did say "Thank you". They've taken delivery of stuff for me so I was returning the favour.

Fast forward to my Dad's death and funeral. Dad died in early March. I had to travel down to London twice in two weeks and the bin men were coming whilst I was away.

So I bagged up my rubbish, dumped it into a neighbour's half empty bin and took my bin indoors rather than have it uncollected from the pavement and making it obvious to any passer-by that my house was empty.

The funeral was the following week, so I did the same again.

On my return from my second trip to London, I found a brown bin on my doorstep. My neighbours had 'returned the favour' believing my bin had been nicked.

So I quickly cleaned it, stuck butterfly stickers all over it and now I have 2 rubbish bins.

And an additional green bin for garden waste but which I use to put the gardening tools into.

They're all sitting in the front room of my DIY SOS style house...:(

I'm going to have to do something about that.......

My shredder is particularly weedy and overheats really easily. I find popping it in the 'fridge helps.

smileyt_2

Oh my goodness, I have just watched that programme on Richard (I watched on 4 on Demand). I now see that I am not a hoarder but very untidy with an excess of junk that I don't need and which is being chucked or freegled or ebayed asap.

One of my neighbours is verging on the serious hoarder. I've had to feed his cats before now and was horrified at the piles of stuff he has around the place. His house was so filthy I had to wear wellies to get in there to stop the fleas biting my legs :eek:. He does do his recycling and put his rubbish out though, so he is not completely unredeemed.

The thing that struck me most about the Richard programme was when the psychologist was asking him what he thought rubbish was. There was some dirty kitchen towel on the draining board and he wanted to keep that in case he had any really dirty stuff to wipe up - it could still be useful, you see. I definitely have the potential to end up like that. I am in my forties now so will be spending the next few years training myself out of that 'it might be useful' mentality so that I don't become a hoarder in my old age.

I know I can do this. It took me a few months to train myself to put my boots away, hang up my hat, scarf and coat and hang up the dogs' leads after going for a walk. Previously I would just dump everything on the floor and rush to the loo or to make a cup of tea when I got in (depending on how desperate I was for either). Why? I have no idea. Now it is a habit to hang things up. I need to develop good habits of throwing things away instead of putting them in a cupboard in case they might be useful someday ....

sjprmc01

Reporting a nothing more coming into the house today! (I have been at work though)

Arranged a sneaky day off tomorrow (OH doesn't know yet, I will just 'fail to get up in time' in the morning lol)

He will be overjoyed as youngest dd has a party and it's always him who has to take them to all the parties so he will be glad of the reprieve

Hoping to get a bit of a sort out of somewhere within the house tomorrow too!

thriftwizard

I was quite naughty yesterday; I went to the Tip to drop off a load of old carpet from the garage, and came back with a box full of decent mugs, 7 Ravenhead-Kilner jars in tiptop condition and a small, rather stylish 50s stainless steel tea set - tray with teapot, milk jug & sugar bowl - in lovely condition. The tea set I know will sell in a flash and the mugs and Kilner jars went straight to my neighbour; she does teas for a cycling club & she's always in need of decent mugs, which will be sterilised, then put through her dishwasher, before use. We are both great foragers & preservers; I already have enough jars, but she'd mentioned having to buy more only a week or so ago, so I knew they'd be welcomed too. Our local hardware store sells the seals.

So I had all the pleasure of rescuing some worthwhile items, and none of the pain of keeping them!

sjprmc01

Well a productive day off work so far......I've convinced (ordered) OH to go to the tip with his old bike, a peppy pig bike the girls are too big for, 2 old scooters and the toddler bed mattress that had been living in the toy cupboard. I've bagged up about 6 tops along with the other old clothes I keep till I have a decent pile to take to the cash for clothes shop but have decided I'm just going to take them to a textile recycling bin when youngest dd is at a party this afternoon to get rid!

Convinced OH to chuck his pile of old records that he inherited off someone else.......Kenny rogers anyone?

And 3 x kiddy suitcases that were ok when the girls were younger but don't fit a weeks worth of clothes in now. Was going to CS them as they are in good condition but he is back to work tomorrow and I don't drive so they would just have hung around forever more

wannabe_sybil

Just to check in - full of cold and self pity (again )

OH (mainly) and I cleared the dvd cupboard out, threw out a load, especially of little bear's elderly ones, put the dvds in to a storage thingy and chucked the cases.

Seven more bin bags out.

Also cleared behind the tv for the first time since the flood, rubbish included in the total. OH labelled all the plugs and wires. We got rid of stray cables.

I'll check in when I feel more human to talk about visit to my darling uncle's house yesterday. Hoarding is a family trait, obviously.

sjprmc01

Well during the party dd was at I have also arranged for excess school clothing to be offloaded to a happy recipient tomorrow .


Thing is, I've warned the lady my house is a mess. Don't know if she will expect quite the mess she sees, but hey ho!

Byatt

You are all doing so well, and all very motivating, although Thrift, where is the tip you go to? :cool::D

Well, I got a £3 BM from a car boot today, so although it's something in, I have loads to go out.

Having woken up with a thumping headache and a pounding heart, I have realised today that I need to change my reaction to the family upset. Firstly, I don't need to get everything done "NOW!" Secondly, I don't need to phone the hospital every day or go in every other day or so...I'm not going to be able to alter what is happening much as I want to, and I need to take care of myself in order to function. So tomorrow I will do more work on my own decluttering in a small way...today, I have just mooched.

and breathe...

Hiya Smiley,

Ginger, your post made me :rotfl:where you went on foot and through the exit at the tip and the bins saga. Why do you have the bins in your house though? I know you said they get stolen, but do you really need them all? I'm sorry about your dad, March is not that long. :A