Hoarding...not just on TV

Jettycat

Thanks alec eiffel, I was hoping for more of a magic wand solution!!

I have managed to do this in some areas of my life, particularly since having children as I physically couldn't do everything to my standard myself and had to let others do it. I try really hard to let the children (and DH) do jobs around the house in their own way and not micro-manage telling them exactly how it should be done, and not mind too much when the result isn't quite as good as I would have done it.

BUT I have trouble with DIY stuff that I'd have to pay someone else to do. My thought process is "I'm paying someone to do it, they should be better at it than me". Problem is I really don't have the time or the tools to do all the things I want done (and know I could do quite well if I did do them myself). :wall:

I'll keep trying to let go a bit at a time - Thanks again

alec_eiffel

Sorry to disappoint!

I agree with you about the paying someone to do it thing though. If I'm going to pay someone then I don't think it's being a perfectionist to think they should do it better - they're the professional after all. But I have learned that in a couple of weeks when I'm not hyper-focused on every little detail of a job then those little things that annoy me at the time don't matter at all.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Painting today....


I like tidy places - it took about ten minutes to unload the dishwasher, remove the cat from inside it, reload it, shift the microwave and a couple of other bits against the wall, wipe the top of the cupboard and skirting, remove the cat from the top of the cupboard, climb down and avoid the cat no longer sitting on the top of the cupboard but on the top step and put some rice and milk into the slow cooker for later. And the cutting in on the large expanse is almost finished already - I started at 12.

elona

We have dericharded dd's bedroom floor while she is in hospital.

DH swooped on a binbag full of "stuff" and brought it to me while I checked that it was all things that could be thrown away. Have ended up with about a dozen items that can be put back. Also sorted out her floorrobe and actual wardrobe, washed and dried everything and put it back.

Managed to arrange an appointment this afternoon to discuss whether we are nearer a diagnosis apart from the pneumonia so hope things will improve for her.

Does two DDs going to visit their sister for a few days count as decluttering? Lol?

wannabe_sybil

Elona - thinking of you
Malevolent cat once tried to pluck a sheepskin rug. She then looked up at me through this sort of white beard, like Santa Claws (definitely not Santa Paws, this was the Naomi Campbell of the feline world). We got rid of the rug because we didn't want her to get a hair ball from someone else's hair.

Finally dropped off the HUGE trolley load of blankets at the RSPCA shop. Hope to take a second load of substandard blankets on Tuesday.

I've been using single duvets for me without covers, so I bought three today from @rgos. I was just about to type that I needed to find three different buttons to sew on to make sure I rotated them properly (I sleep on a duvet and under a duvet, with the theory being one cover in the wash) and I no longer have a button tin, when I realised that I have laundry marker pens and I can just find an unobtrusive bit of seam to write 1, 2 and 3 on. So I really don't need to worry about keeping buttons (I keep half a dozen shirt buttons, but no need for more atm).

I have had the results and the doctor thinks that I may have intermittent heart failure. I am being referred. This will explain some of the crashes.

Tomorrow afternoon I am going to take my life in my hands and go to a jumble sale. I need some ratty machine knitted woollens to unravel for cushions, and I don't actually have many and I have got rid of the ones only fit to go. I shall go towards the end, and I should be able to stuff all my cushions for less than £5. You couldn't rent a space for them for a month for that. It is definitely not worth keeping them 'just in case'. It is a real help to me to see how easy it is to just get hold of stuff, at minimal cost. Also how quickly you can generate margarine tubs, fruit punnets, string, etc. Some stuff there is really no need to save. I threw out three large plastic cracker boxes yesterday. They were not currently used and there will be replacements next Christmas if I need them.

I am also trying to consciously use stuff up. I have a stack of puzzle books, which I really like. Most have them have been bought because I was out and needed something to hold my attention. Most of them are half or quarter finished. It seems ridiculous to throw them out when I enjoy doing them, but also ridiculous that they are sitting there not done. So I am consciously working my way to getting rid (one naff one got thrown without being finished but because I didn't like it and I nearly did a lap of honour).

hugs to all

VJsmum

Dericharded the shoe cupboard - about 5 skanky pairs in the bin. A couple of better but too small pairs to charity and a couple of "best" pairs to the upstairs wardrobe.

Also the gloves, scarves and hats box. Manky old goaly gloves in the bin, 5 baseball caps washed and to go to charity, 2 odd ski gloves binned, and a load of woolie hats, gloves and scarves washed and to be sorted, donated, darned later.

Dericharded the hall cupboard and now have an empty shelf!!! :j

To be continued....

valk_scot

There we go...I had not one but four single duvets that were no longer required. In fact they were these double layered type where you have a 4.5 tog and a 9.0 tog you can clip together or use seperately, so that makes eight single duvets. How many single beds do we have in this house? One. ONE. And as I bought DD a nice feather one in the summer for her single bed why am I keeping eight single duvets? Am I expecting to set up a refugee centre or kennels? In addition they're not even nice duvets. They've all been washed and put away clean in zip up laundry bags but they're the ones dating from the days of toilet training, ahem. So they have a few stains to boot. Why am I keeping these items????????

And on top of the eight single duvets I have four double/KS ones that are surplus to inventory. So that's twelve duvets I do not need. Plus the six we do use (two per bed, summer and winter weight) plus the guest duvet.

So out of a total of nineteen duvets (Nineteen!!!!!:eek:) I am chucking twelve and keeping seven. Two thirds reduction, more or less. That's quite amazing, and it only took me about ten minutes of actual work. I count that as a successful day.

thriftwizard

Excellent work, Valk_scot! I've been "resting" since our student (singular - but I'm still being paid for two) arrived, but my next challenge is to stop hoarding cookbooks... the cookbook shelf is ridiculously cluttered! I think there's good cause to keep a few of them, but most can, indeed should, go onto new homes now. And the shelf unit itself is horrible; it's a very narrow space & it was the only thing I could find that fitted into it, backalong, but I suspect I can do better now for very little outlay. It does need something there, like I do need Marguerite Patten, Rose Elliot, Mrs Beeton & Margaret Vaughan, but a tatty bright green peeling wicker unit doesn't do it for me any longer.

VJsmum

valk_scot wrote: »

There we go...I had not one but four single duvets that were no longer required. In fact they were these double layered type where you have a 4.5 tog and a 9.0 tog you can clip together or use seperately, so that makes eight single duvets. How many single beds do we have in this house? One. ONE. And as I bought DD a nice feather one in the summer for her single bed why am I keeping eight single duvets? Am I expecting to set up a refugee centre or kennels? In addition they're not even nice duvets. They've all been washed and put away clean in zip up laundry bags but they're the ones dating from the days of toilet training, ahem. So they have a few stains to boot. Why am I keeping these items????????

And on top of the eight single duvets I have four double/KS ones that are surplus to inventory. So that's twelve duvets I do not need. Plus the six we do use (two per bed, summer and winter weight) plus the guest duvet.

So out of a total of nineteen duvets (Nineteen!!!!!:eek:) I am chucking twelve and keeping seven. Two thirds reduction, more or less. That's quite amazing, and it only took me about ten minutes of actual work. I count that as a successful day.

Well done :T

But why are you still keeping 7?

I have found the candle set. I remember now why i haven't done it - it is a right faff. Niece is coming for the night tomorrow and if she and I haven't done the candles before she goes on Sunday (taking completed candles with her) then it is going to the charity shop. I think my reluctance to part is more because of the waste than because mum bought it.

This is progress.

valk_scot

VJsmum wrote: »

Well done :T

But why are you still keeping 7?

.

We have four beds, one for us, one each for the kids, one guest bed. I'm keeping a summer and a winter duvet for each of the family beds so that's 3x2 and one medium duvet for the guest bed. Seven duvets but only a max of four will be in storage at any one point given that I don't leave the guest bed made up.

I don't think seven is unreasonable though given they all have a purpose and there's no doublers. I did think about keeping one of the spare doubles for DS when he moves out in three (!) years to his student flat but decided he'll deserve a new one by then.

So seven, yup. I'm not trying to go minimalist after all, just get rid of the genuinely excess items!