Hoarding...not just on TV

valk_scot

The more I read this thread (and I don't mean the difficult personal stuff for which much sympathy to everyone) the more I feel like hiring a skip and starting at the far end of the house with a shovel and chucking it all in. Then someone else can take it away and deal with it all. Do you remember that TV program where the team would take every last thing out your house, arrange it in a church hall or something and then you were only allowed to take 10% or 25% of it back in? Then they took the rest to a car boot sale. I'm beginning to think I should phone them.

Byatt

sjprmc01 wrote: »

Thanks! I really posted that just to show that things like that do happen a lot and so jojo doesn't feel alone, I've compartmentalised all my thughts and feelings about this somewhere in my brain that likes to pretend I've dealt with it but I think it's just coz Im actually in limbo re the situation ATM!

Re : on topic.....I often fill a basket in online shops and talk myself out of all/most of it now! There were times I'd just press 'order' without a second thought, ok, it may be more a monetary reason I'm buying less, but whatever, it's helping a little!

I know SJ, but the sharing helps others, me included for many reasons, and yes, compartmentalising, I know it well...this is why when I've overcome like today with what appears to be an over-reaction to the actual event, I realise the compartments are only held together with a bit of glue and string.

Yes, I do the loading the basket stuff too especially on AF...:o If I can distract myself even by just a few minutes, the urge to buy goes and I am so relieved.

I wish I could get someone to come in and sort my stuff...a skip sounds good.

Gingernutty

A bit 'American' and contains bad language but kind of, sort of inspirational - ish

Hugs to you all - weirdly it's reassuring that it's not just me having a cr*ppy time of it

blossomhill_2

Byatt wrote: »

Proud moment for me, I was looking at a butcher's block trolley on fleabay a little earlier, and right up to the last 60 seconds I was hovering to press buy, and then thought, NO...and logged off. It was aspirational, and I have no room. :eek:

Well done Byatt - I have noticed that these are coming up so frequently on freecycle now that my urge to have one is rapidly diminishing as I can now see them as ((drawls)) "so last year dahling" and think to myself "if I ever want one there's always one on freecycle"

SpikyHedgehog

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

Jettycat - good to see you! So many lovely people on here.

I love that people understand, because if you haven't been there, you can't get it.

I found over £500 in postal orders when my mother passed away, hidden in various places. We found the first few while she was in the hospice. She was living on the breadline, but no idea what they were for. She looked v cagey when it was mentioned.

As for 'you should make stuff to sell'. I made my friend a scarf once - the yarn was about a quarter of the normal price and it cost @ £20 to make, people won't pay that. I had a lot of trouble explaining that to my friend who said her colleagues wanted to buy one - for around a fiver!

Spiky - I hate it when you have to smile and nod when your OH spouts forth and you know it is so much fish nibbles. How are the fleas? Fled?

I don't expect to get much done today. Little bear is tired. And when little bear is tired, he goes to fast forward. He will be ricocheting. Any lulls mean I will recover on the computer. Then OH is having a time at work so I will need to be fussing him tonight. I think I will just work on the mental decluttering - I think that is a big bit as well!

Byatt - hugs

and hugs to all

Fleas are gone- yay! & thank you everyone for advice & support about them. Now putting the house back together... DS1 had so much stuff in his room, I've talked to him lots about hoarding, not telling him 'You must get rid of stuff NOW!', but talking about how it affects us, how it will be when my parents go & we have to sort their stuff, & how we can tackle things now. I know I couldn't have coped with the fleas without this thread, because there was just so much physical & mental & emotional clutter, I'd have broken down & not got up.

The recycling bin was emptied on Wednesday & looks full already, landfill bin wasn't emptied while we were away & won't go out till Thursday & I've 2 bags so far that won't fit in. You may have heard of Mount Washmore, I've had the whole Washmore range, like the Rockies as I've washed the stuff piled up on the floor.

sjprmc01 wrote: »

Thanks! I really posted that just to show that things like that do happen a lot and so jojo doesn't feel alone, I've compartmentalised all my thoughts and feelings about this somewhere in my brain that likes to pretend I've dealt with it but I think it's just coz Im actually in limbo re the situation ATM!

Re : on topic.....I often fill a basket in online shops and talk myself out of all/most of it now! There were times I'd just press 'order' without a second thought, ok, it may be more a monetary reason I'm buying less, but whatever, it's helping a little!

Well done, good progress!

(((Byatt, Jojo, & SJ)))

Byatt, it is her illness that causes her to be so, but you don't have to take the impact on you - stuff back to her & cut her off. You know you've done nothing wrong & other people will find out how bad she is.

Jojo, I like the idea of writing things down for your DD to read in the future. I hope she settles well into the new school & does the best she can.

SJ, maybe you too could make a diary for your DD to talk about your feelings & love for her? I bet she's not aware of what granny went through to try to see her.



Gingernutty, that was good, once I'd stopped my brain saying 'Ooh look, that's my unit behind him! He goes to Ikea! I wonder if he's got a tv unit too? Look at the tidy way he's got the cubbies, mine aren't like that, well some of them are. I must tidy them up.' Thank you!

Buffythedebtslayer

valk_scot wrote: »

I am on a roll....I was intending to do some bulk cooking this afternoon and spend an hour in the garden but instead I'm cleaning the lounge. It was the sight of this little row of bottles of cleaning materials in the kitchen that did it. Each one has about half an inch of cleaner in it but I can't bear to throw them out till they're empty. Once they're empty then fine, I can dump them, but to use up cleaning materials you've got to clean, yes?

So I am cleaning. I've also fished a binbag full of general clutter out of the lounge and...wait for this...I have removed one lamp, one footstool, one picture and a small desk from the lounge too and OH has taken them down to the car. I will take them to the furniture recycling warehouse tomorrow, together with a small chest of drawers from DD's room. All of the above came from one or another deceased relatives houses and I was sort of keeping them because they belonged to Mum/SIL/FIL...but we've got too much of this stuff. Hubby agrees, so out they go.

And amazingly the sky has not fallen in....;)

I think I'll do some of the bookshelves tomorrow.

I read but don't post that often I get confused between this thread, the decluttering thread and the Messies thread! I read all three!

I just wanted to say Valk - good on you, I can never get rid of stuff that was owned by a family member. Impressive stuff!


xxx

Buffythedebtslayer

whitewing wrote: »

We are more or less at a stage now where we don't have to have a major clean up if visitors are coming.

Fantastic Progress Whitewing! I'd love to be able to say that!

xx

wannabe_sybil

After reading the 'what is happening to the OS board' thread, is anyone else nervous about this thread being moved?

After a nasty experience with darling uncle's draining board (you really do not want to imagine it, honestly, it was yeurk!) and a failure to get the marks out of the criss cross stuff on my wire drainer (v small, honest, not slimy), I have bought a new one.

That is a sort of 'anti hoarding' feeling, quite liberating. The old one has some grease that I can't get off. I am not going to try with brushes and brillo pads (can't quite get into all the nooks), I am going to get rid and get a new one. I hasten to add again, after the experience of darling uncle's, mine was only a small mark, but I have been traumatised.

The only question is - they new one is going in place today and the old one is leaving the building today, but do I just throw it in the bin or hand it to Nice Mr Next Door who sometimes trades in scrap metal? I won't get to a recycle place that takes metal for ages.

I am thinking that the bin is the best place, but may give my neighbour an option.

Loads and loads and loads of hugs to all - now is a good time to take care of yourself.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Don't panic, Sybil, even if we get resettled, we'll just set up a little enclave. Bit like Bermondsey in Passport to Pimlico. Or Liechtenstein, a semi independent principality.

Our flag shall be the zombie prostrate under a pile of stuff having been slung out for being of no use to us.

wannabe_sybil

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Don't panic, Sybil, even if we get resettled, we'll just set up a little enclave. Bit like Bermondsey in Passport to Pimlico. Or Liechtenstein, a semi independent principality.

Our flag shall be the zombie prostrate under a pile of stuff having been slung out for being of no use to us.

Quoting so I can laugh at it again!