Hoarding...not just on TV

SpikyHedgehog

Great progress people! GQ, I've not done much either the past week or so. But, we've not been bringing uneeded stuff in, & the boys are getting on board with the idea of getting rid of clutter & reducing it at source.

I had a paddy the other night when boys hadn't done their chores. (DS1 hadn't washed up the night before, I'd done some before work but told him to finish it, & he'd spent the day on the computer, so I was struggling to find room or saucepans etc to do dinner; DS2 then wouldn't clear the table after dinner as it wasn't all dinner stuff on it - he's meant to clear it before & after anyway.) So I threw away the place mats & coasters off the table, & threw away the work top protector. They were all getting tatty anyway... I feel better for them not being here, but do need to put something on the table to protect it from hot stuff. So will get some table protector stuff & pvc & keep them on it, then DS2 can wipe that.

DS1 has been throwing away holey socks after a day of wearing them, & I'm really finding it hard not to pull them out of the bin, wash, dry & put in textiles recycling bag... But am resisting. He realised before we went away that he had about 28 pairs of socks - & that didn't include the 2 packs I'd bought in the sale & stashed away. 2 problems have contributed to this - I'm finding I'm automatically buying him socks for growing feet - but they're not growing; he's not throwing away worn out or holey socks. He must be down to about 21 pairs already ;-) ...

katep23

Hi all, have been lurking and reading about all your successes the last couple of weeks so well done!

Went to the dump last night and got rid of a rusty wheelbarrow, blue plastic drum, lots of green waste, the pouffe which has lived in the hall for months, a pair of old trainers (into clothes / shoe recycling) all our glass and a load of plastic bags so quite pleased with myself.

We are now off for a week so I am going to visit the folks down in Somerset for a few days then home for the rest of the week so plan to do some de-richarding over my time off.

Also catflapping a metal trolley 3-wheeled trolley thing which was here when we moved in - my dad has said he might be able to make use - yay!

short_bird

As I have the place to myself today and a stall at a record and book fair tomorrow, I'm having a sort out and a bit of a cull. I may be some time...:rotfl:

RAS

Just done a little job - sorting the baskets on a shelf. Lots of old stuff gone.

So now I have space to put things that were on the floor.

Yeh.

valk_scot

Duvets have gone to a better place. (The textiles recycling skip at the dump.)

DD and I went to a car boot sale/craft centre Open Day and managed to only buy a set of make up sponges and a magazine. (And two bacon rolls and two jam scones, but they didn't make it back to the car let alone the house.) Given that we were also at The Scrap Store that's a sucess for us!

wannabe_sybil

Elona - thinking of you

Epic fail - I went to a jumble sale.

What I wanted was jumpers to unravel. I got those, without much problem. However I also ended up with a shirt and jacket for darling father, a couple of books for little bear (including children's Oxford Illustrated Dictionary) and two videos. Videos are often ridiculously cheap and we have a player.

I deliberately went late so that most of the good stuff would have gone and I would have been less tempted, but I could see the craft potential in so much! Maybe I can indulge when I have made a space. Until then, I must stand firm - I really was tough about staying away from eg the bric a brac and the toys.

So impressed by reading all that you all have done. I am about to get rid of duvets - but it is easy for me. The nice man next door is a mechanic and often uses stuff like duvets passed on to soak up spills, so I have an easy place to take them. As soon as the new ones come into the door, the old ones are going out! Hugs to all.

Byatt

Well done everyone, and thank you Jo-Jo for your eloquent post. :T

Valk, I think it's a lovely idea to put the Playmobile cash towards a camper van, which will give everyone pleasure for a long time. :A

I keep meaning to respond to you all, because you all have such insight and are a great help and support to me, through your posts, but I hurtle between tiredness and exhaustion and brain doesn't cope well with either. Just want you to all know you are appreciated. :A:T

I've loaded up my car with stuff for the boot sale tomorrow, as the weather is so good, and it will be the last one I will do, only done one before this year. Sorted through the glasses I had, and as I can only comfortaably get one other person in my cottage besides me, decided that 20 glasses was overdoing it, plus I have some lovely quality glasses which I am going to use instead...no point in waiting for that aspirational moment of having 20 people for a party!! I have never done a party, why would I start now??

Meant to sort through the Pyrex but got too tired...but any I don't want will go to the CS.

Oh, and I went into the understairs cupboard and thought, why am I keeping this garden recliner? It's new, never been used, had it for 2 years... and takes up a lot of room, so squeezed that into my car too, along with a stool.

Elona, how are you and your DD?

It was so hot in my car yesterday the runner beans I left in by mistake, cooked! :eek:

valk_scot

Went up to the attic today...it's horribly stuffy up there atm despite all the vents. There are Velux windows which I could open but then the cats would try to go out on the roof and the flat side goes on a long way over four other houses. Or they might decide to climb the pitched side and it's three very high floors down on the other side. I boiled instead....

I tidied up the sleeping bags and decided that most of them have a purpose so they're not clutter, there are three plus a mat that probably need throwing out though. I shall consult OH as two of them date from his 1970s climbing days and I can't bring myself to chuck out his stuff without asking tbh.

I found two more duvets.....:rotfl:

...and a huge bag of cushion pads. There were four nice feather ones and the rest were polyester so I threw the polyester ones down on top of the duvets. How many cushions does one need after all?

Found a bag of soft toys belonging to DD. I will show them to her but I'm pretty sure she won't want any of them, whew.

Several Ikea throws of the cotton variety that I used to cover our last sofa-but-one. Which went to the dump eight years ago. So why am I keeping throws which don't match any colour scheme in the house? CS.

Also the pink girly curtains that belonged to DD some years back. I think she'd cut her own throat before she let me hang them again. Out...

Anyhow by this time there was a heap half the height of the ladder down round the bottom treads so I decided to call it a day upstairs and go and bag it up for the dump/CS. I had a look round the attic before I left though. It was depressing, there's so much stuff there that even after I've ditched three carloads it hardly looks any different tbh. A little bit, maybe. But even if I don't flag mentally it's bloomin' hard work physically for such a small difference tbh.

whitewing

Val. Don't give up. I was still chuckling at 19 spare duvets when you found the other two. It makes me more determined than ever to not put stuff in our loft. I am enjoying you declutters. They may seem little to you, but they are big achievements as we are reading. CS are benefiting both from what you give and also the decluttering from others reading your posts.

DH bought himself some flipflops from next after I kindly donated my voucher to him. But he bought a size smaller because they didn't have his size. Then he wore them so couldn't even exchange but of course they're not comfy. So he bought some more (only a couple of quid) from somewhere else. I refrained from throttling him. I gave his next ones to my brother. I am pleased that I didn't have to incubate them for a couple of years first to get our value out of them, even though they wouldn't fit anyone here.

I should do something today. There is nothing that I actually WANT to do though.

Brighton_belle

valk_scot wrote: »

I had a look round the attic before I left though. It was depressing, there's so much stuff there that even after I've ditched three carloads it hardly looks any different tbh. A little bit, maybe. But even if I don't flag mentally it's bloomin' hard work physically for such a small difference tbh.

Val - first all, big well done for beginning to tackle the playmobile at your own pace. I think think just us taking the frst step of talking about difficult stuff to declutter on hear helps. It makes it a bit more aceptable to our brains and emotions by even mentioning it as a possibiltiy. I love the camper van idea - what a great way to spend the money that would be.
Secondly: the attic will take time. You have go rid of a lot of bulky stuff. And if you did a bit of clearing one or two times a week, it will eventualy make a differnce, juts like losing 1 or 2lbs a week when you have 4 stone to lose.

Byatt wrote: »

I keep meaning to respond to you all, because you all have such insight and are a great help and support to me, through your posts, but I hurtle between tiredness and exhaustion and brain doesn't cope well with either. Just want you to all know you are appreciated. :A:T
Sames goes for me...

Sorted through the glasses I had, and as I can only comfortaably get one other person in my cottage besides me, decided that 20 glasses was overdoing it.
:T:T:T(and for using your best stuff just for you..because you're worth it)


Oh, and I went into the understairs cupboard and thought, why am I keeping this garden recliner? It's new, never been used, had it for 2 years... and takes up a lot of room, so squeezed that into my car too, along with a stool.
:T

Goodluck with the car boot tomorrow:beer:

wannabe_sybil wrote: »

Epic fail - I went to a jumble sale.

Not epic - just slight. Books especially are good for LB