Hoarding...not just on TV

short_bird

Brighton_belle wrote: »

Earth called GreyQueen.. you ok, you seemd to have disappered. You can't be buried under a pile of shed crud, coz you don't have any anymore:p

GQ on holiday, I think...

katep23

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

The microwave rice is £1 instead of £1.79 at the local shop, but it is still expensive. However if I am feeling ill/low or chaos has happened, it is still going to be cheaper than the local chinese.

Hi WS, do you have a Costco near you or know anyone who has a Costco card? They quite often have the microwave rice on special offer of 6 for £3.95 or so - they do Basmati and Pilau. I keep them in for the same reason, we often have "fake takeway" nights

wannabe_sybil

katep23 wrote: »

Hi WS, do you have a Costco near you or know anyone who has a Costco card? They quite often have the microwave rice on special offer of 6 for £3.95 or so - they do Basmati and Pilau. I keep them in for the same reason, we often have "fake takeway" nights

I let my costco card lapse as I couldn't get there - I can't drive. However I can get to a Makro, and I do have a card, and when this lot is used up I shall restock there. Thank you, Kate!

But within reason. :o:o:o

I get sucked in sometimes with AF, but I do sometimes spot the 'not as good as a good supermarket offer' price. Honestly, I think you need a black belt in shopping these days!

GreyQueen

short_bird wrote: »

Really, BB, you can bin it.
You won't need the vinyl.
You are not my Nottingham landlord who would patchwork vinyl to cover a floor...
and no, that is not a good idea in any room.:D
Just in case anyone thought it was inspirational.

You may have met a friend's ex who had saved thousands of tiny (about 1 inch square) carpet samples and designed a mosaic on his drawing board and painstakingly glued them onto the floor of several rooms in his flat. It was interesting but gawd help whomever had that flat after him and had to chisel that lot off at some future point. I think that was several steps too far, and I speak as a frugalista and crafty type.

whitewing wrote: »

That reminded me of another thing that I bet some of you lurkers do.
I always would buy a badge or bug or something to support a charity. But I would not dream of just giving the value of the goods as a donation. "Value for money" philosophy, although I don't actually remember anyone telling me I had to buy it.

So, if this is ringing bells with any of you, you have our permission to give donations without having a material item to show for it!

Oh yes, I was offered a chance to "buy" a rubber wristband for a good cause which a pal was collecting for and I said she could have the money but only under the condition I didn't have to take the wristband. This concept caused a little mental peturbation.

I have also turned down a freebie sample of a food product which was being handed out on the street today.

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

Today the gas man came. He was very unimpressed that I hadn't thought that he might need access to gas meter (so was I), and then I had the shame of the kitchen - not so bad yesterday afternoon but apparently exploded since, and the dining room, including moving four tyres, two huge plastic boxes, more blankets than a homeless shelter and a raft of coat hangers so that he could get to the dratted meter.

Sorry to hear that you're feeling poorly and low and hope you're soon on the mend. Pls see the GP if it doesn't improve soon.

I winced with recognition at the meter reader story. For 18 months I was a lodger in a house with a very steep flight of stairs, making the understair cupboard a long thin triangle. Unfortunately, the meter was in the lowest point of the cupboard, behind the bottom step, and there was about 10 feet of solid carp between it and the door into the cupboard.

For some reason, the meter reader's visits co-incided with my presence and not the landlady's. Poor bloke got progressively more testy with each quarter and all I could do was shrug apologetically as I couldn't go pawing around in her possessions.

One thing my Mum did with her meter cupboard (a hellhole of clutter normally) was to build a box out of rough wood to encase the meter. There is a small window covered with a sheet of clear Perspex so the meter can always been seen. The readers are very appreciative. I bet those guys could tell some tales, eh?

I've been away from home for 6 days and gadding about in Yorkshire, as you do. I am pleased to report that, apart from food, ice creams, petrol, parking and admissions to a coupla museums, I have spent precisely 65p on 3 items. That's 2 postcards (mailed) and one 30p book which I shall read and c.s.

:A Good going, huh? I knew you'd understand my feeling a small amount of pride...........

katep23

Hi all,

Not much been de-Richarded in terms of stuff, has been an event-filled week so not had time to really.

Been very good at using up food out of the larder and freezer though. Every meal has been using up something and we congratulate ourselves after every meal!

Had a really big electric bill in for this month so we're looking at ways to reduce our usage; one of the things we are thinking of is getting rid of the upright freezer (we have a fridge / freezer, chest freezer and upright freezer ) so that would also help reduce the amount of food we store and create some space in the woodshed where I could store the kindling that is in the greenhouse!

I tend to keep about 3 months of milk in but bearing in mind I go to Costco virtually every month there really is no need.

My sole target for this weekend is to sort out the larder - it's huge but there is no space to even walk in. I might post pictures (if I'm brave enough!)

If I'm not back on Monday, send someone looking for me :rotfl: (although at least I won't starve!)

blossomhill_2

I was going along the road minding my own business :whistle: yesterday and saw this shop - misread the name and thought it was a kingdom of de-richarding -
it looks like the sort of place I should avoid anyway as I'd go mad in there!

DERICHARDOM?

Is it just me?

SpikyHedgehog

sjprmc01 wrote: »

Right, I've cleared out the plastic tubs etc and excess crockery and re arranged into a tidy kitchen cupboard I have one of those big 16 hole Ikea units at the back of my kitchen and every single one (they had pull out boxes in them) was full. My aim is to not have to use it so it can go gumtree/free cycle/tip. So that I have more space up the back of the kitchen for a proper 6 seater table. The kids currently use a small Ikea kids table that lives in the livingroom but they are getting too big for that now and I hope to de-smal-child-Ify my livingroom so looking for that to go eventually too.

To sort this I Also need to change to a tall freezer rather than my current chest freezer which I hate ask can NEVER find anything in it. So, as things are needing to be bought its going to be a very slow process anyway!

Don't know if this was a good move but my ironing piles that were stuffed to bursting under current kitchen table And on it and across the floor have been bagged up and put up and added to the piles already in my bedroom but the plan for that is to bring it down and tackle it one bag at a time.

Sounds good - prepare before you tackle each bag, have the ironing board ready to iron the keeping stuff, bin/recycling bag for rubbish, give away bag for what you don't need or want...

mollythewestie wrote: »

Have added a pair of shoes and 6 or 7 books to the charity shop bag this week.

I have just offered a computer monitor on Freecycle, I have been overwhelmed with replies, but rather than pour over them and decide long and hard who to offer it too, I have just picked someone who can pick it up today so that it's out of the house straight away.

I post things, leave it for a couple of hours, & get a child to pull names out of a hat.

Went to big Mr S yesterday, managed not to go to new B&M first in search of fleeces till I've done an audit & know what I need. Did get a new PE bag for DS2 (reduced olympic backpack for £3) so old tattered bag has gone along with old underwear as I got new for me.

wannabe_sybil

I am not doing very well this week but I thought I would throw open the latest dilemma to you kind ones.

I have just put a new mattress topper on OH's bed. I want to keep the old one, to have one in the wash/drawer and one on the bed. OH has night sweats, so I like to be able to switch stuff over, and the new mattress topper is the latest in this.

The bag it came in is fab! It is quite large, navy and clear and has a zip top. It is just the right size for a knitting project bag for my sweaters (and probably smaller things as well). It even has a plastic inner which once held the cardboard bit identifying the mattress topper but now that has been removed it is an excellent size for a pattern. I want to keep it. Lots of sweaters are half started and sitting around in carriers or swing bin liners. I was thinking of keeping current projects in it - zipped up and out of the way, with the aim for only having that on the go.

I really, really, really want to keep it - and I want to use it to transfer one of my projects into straight away. But I think one of the identifiers of a hoarder is looking at an item that is about to be discarded and thinking - I could use that in a different way. It is a useful thing. It is too good to throw away. It seems a shame to waste it.

Any thoughts?

Blossomhill - love that name!

thriftwizard

Hmmm, wannabesybil; on balance, I'd keep it & throw away the current bag! I think it's OK to replace something that isn't ideal for the job it's doing with something that is, as long as the first thing does go and the job really needs doing in the first place.

I know exactly what you mean; once we've actually started to let go of stuff it's almost scary to hang onto something, but I do think there is a point to not throwing good stuff away without a second thought, if you really can use it. It's a question of finding the balance & not hanging onto stuff you don't need in the immediately-foreseeable future. For instance, I have just put out in the garage a shopping trolley that my Mum was disposing of; it's a good one, almost brand new & big enough to take enough shopping for my household. She discovered she needs one that she can push (and lean on from time to time) rather than pull, which is why it was rejected. My current one is rapidly nearing the end of its useful life; the joints are going & it's only a matter of time, possibly just days. Purists would have me chuck out the one Mum was throwing out, and buy a new one when & if mine finally dies. But TBH that'd be a silly waste of £50+ (remember I do need a big, sturdy one, I'm shopping for 7+) as there's no IF about it. So on balance, it stays. It won't be taking up room without being useful for very long.

The one thing that worries me is that I have to have these debates with myself - and indeed other household members - about every single item that might or might not be disposed of. If only I could just - well, run away to the Seychelles & leave all this decision-making all behind! Or chuck it all in a skip & walk away! But I'm just not made that way.

ETA - apologies for confusing Blossomhill & wannbesybil!

blossomhill_2

Wannabe sybil - I agree, sounds ideal, keep it and put a note on calendar to check in 3 months whether it really is being useful or was a mistake to keep. I like these zip bags that pillow etc come in but find they are not designed for long lives, quickly deteriorate, and attract dust inside

thrifty - could you bear to throw out your old trolley before it expires, and keep mum's hand-me-down? (Go on! I dare you!)
oh no, thrifty! I now can't stop wondering what I could do with the wheels off your old one ... tortoise prosthetic? Go-kart?

A thought from the other day, when someone mentioned catalogues coming into the house; I started throwing them out before the new one come in - reduces the risk of having two, and the items are usually online anyway - then I found I was throwing them away sooner and sooner then it was easier to unsuscribe. Like a lot of things in life, they are actually predictable, so we can be sure that the summer one will arrive in late spring etc and feel safe that we won't be without one for long. Might help someone.

added;

whitewing wrote: »

Half used candles in glass tubs are going. They were decorations until the power cut. But have some spares for future power cuts ( a much rarer event than when I was young)

whitewing - my DD doesn't understand my fear of power cuts - but I lived through the miners' strikes and suchlike in the 70s/80s as I am sure you did, and know only too well that in such times you not only use up your stash but can't buy more in the shops - but I have limited myself to functional ones now - a whole wooden wine boxful - and given away the pretties - sort of calling my own bluff, so that if I am really keeping them for function then I must be strict with myself. An obvious link between loss (lack of/or fear of lack of) and hoarding.