Hoarding...not just on TV

whitewing

idris,

I always feel quite sad when you mention about not feeling that the house is yours. Probably because I know I would have felt the same in your circumstances. Have you ever said anything about it to your DH? I think he would be really surprised if he understood that you really meant it.

My DH and I have joint accts and think of everything as 50:50 but we both really started from nothing. In a lot of ways I am grateful of that. (We still have practically nothing in financial terms - I'm not so grateful of that, lol).

idristhedragon

I have mentioned it to him and he says I'm "daft". We had a lot of sneers about our relationship at the beginning and those feelings are hard to lose. Same way my own Dad said I'd "landed on my feet" when he first came round to DHs old house. That reminds me- Dad and Step mum are coming over tomorrow- all combined 45 stone of them - just to add to the chaos in my house!!!

Anyway I am thoroughly enjoying doing up *my* house but I ought go get dressed now seeing as I leave for work at 4 lol and can finally have a shower as painters are finishing for the day (bloody part timers lol)
I'm hoping my delivery I missed on Tues and arranged redelivery for today arrives before I leave- it's a crate of wine

Byatt

BH, you're right about the perfect mixing bowl, I have always wanted one of those old fashioned bowls my mother used to use. I have avoided getting one though because of that very reason. I have looked at dozens of mixing bowls and none really catch my eye.

My specific hoards are the toiletries and makeup stuff. I did get rid of loads but still have the things that I think I should keep and use for goodness knows what. I don't actually wear makeup and my cleansing routine usually involves water or cleansing cloths. I have masses of anti wrinkle/uplifting creams and I never use them. I always imagine one day I will become the woman that religiously slathers on day cream, moisturiser, eye creams, neck creams, night creams and lotions, but somehow I suspect that's never going to happen. My hair is a wash and go exercise too although I do now use masses of conditioner.

Furniture is my other downfall.

bobble_hat

Wow! I've missed so much and everyone is doing so well! Loving the before and after photos too.

I'm not going to list everyone I've been impressed with as the fact that you are all on here and confessing and making changes no matter what size is amazing and spurs me on every time I pop in so A big :T:j:T:j:T:j:T:j:T All round :rotfl:

Since I last posted I have, cleared the potting shed of all the cardboard and tat that was thrown in there two years ago when we moved in, I now have a workable space and it's awesome.

I have sorted through all the baby clothes, I have vacuum-packed one bag to keep and labelled it ready for the loft (when we finally get round to laying the boards!). The rest is in age sorted piles. 3 of which are boxed up with contents listed onto Ebay. I have 11 items currently on ebay and hoping for sales.

We've started Christmas present shopping and everything bought so far is wrapped and labelled and I'm keeping lists of what and who for. I really stressed myself out last year by leaving everything to the last minute, so I'm not doing that this year.

I did get treated to a new laptop, DH had a bonus staff discount from work for one weekend, so we got Christmas pressies, cards and paper and a new laptop. I'm currently loading all CDs onto Hard Drive so these can be boxed and put into storage. And I'm listing everything I can onto Ebay, so hoping to pay laptop money back into savings account ASAP.

Need to find an indoor car boot sale over the next couple of weeks to really De-Richard some good quality kibble, can't bear to take it all to CS without trying to sell it first. Have some lovely items.

Well done again everyone, happy de-cluttering.

RAS

One small victory; shifted half a dozen jars of various pickles and condiments that were past it, out. That made space to shuffle the dresser contents and house all the cookery books that are downstairs. Actually enough space to move some of the upstairs ones onto the same shelves.

idris - that rather defines my clothes mountain. What I wear is generally out and about and the stuff I no longer wear is in the wardrobe. Useful insight, thanks.

Byatt

We did not exactly flit but I lived in 7 places in less than two years as a young child, getting increasingly random and smaller. On one occasion we basically had two suitcases and everything else in store.

The personal stuff (rather than furniture and chattels) all ended up in a mess of broken boxes in an abandoned industrial building. We rescued a few items on the one occasion we visited but I suspect that most of it went to landfill or was burned. So the few bits we had left acquired emotional baggage that may or may not have had anything to do with their place in our previous lives.

thriftwizard

I solemnly trotted off upstairs to declutter the bathroom last night, but realised that I don't have a clutter problem in there! I own a small handful of cosmetics for special occasions, but don't use them most of the time as I have "high" colouring and adding more just makes me look like a painted doll. And the wrinkles don't show unless I put my glasses on... I do have lots of other problems in the bathroom, mostly related to the flooring or lack of flooring, but just one small set of shelves with only stuff that's currently in use on them.

But I've taken 5 bags to the CS today, the road being open again now (the lodger added a bag - he's caught the decluttering bug now too) and another car load to the tip. Also a huge lot went off to a local jumble sale collector, and I have told her that that's just the first installment - there's approximately twice that still to come. It finally looks like I'm winning...

Will add more in a bit, need to cook omelettes now!

whitewing

I love it that the lodger is decluttering too.

VJsmum

idristhedragon wrote: »

I have mentioned it to him and he says I'm "daft". We had a lot of sneers about our relationship at the beginning and those feelings are hard to lose. Same way my own Dad said I'd "landed on my feet" when he first came round to DHs old house.

But I "landed on my feet" too. My OH is only 5 years older than me but he was already on his second house when we got together and I had pretty much nothing. When we bought our first house together the deposit was all "his" money (we weren't married) and until we got married we split everything 50:50. But I couldn't sustain it. He earned loads more than me and I kept saying i couldn't afford stuff and I was skint and he was rolling in it. Eventually I agreed that he would "loan" me money so that we could go out for dinner and on holiday and I religiously wrote it in a book what I owed. I think he was more relieved than me when he finally wrote it off and we got a joint bank account after we got married. It was running into thousands :rotfl: Now I think how silly I was, we both worked the same number of hours and he just happened to earn more, we should at least have split everything proportionate to our income.

21 years of marriage and 2 kids later, he still earns loads more than me but I don't have any problem with that.

Sorry, nothing to do with deRicharding - as you were.

Byatt

RAS, your moving around makes my life seem positively stable. It's really hard when you're a child, and I imagine your feelings of security were compromised. xxx

I used to earn more than my ex, I didn't find it a problem and kind of boasted that he didn't have a problem with it, until one day he lost his temper and angrily told me never to mention it again. I often think the man I thought he was and who he actually was were polar opposites. Can't understand why it took me so long to figure it out.

edit, nearly forgot to mention, I am sorting out my kitchen...still...but today I got the bottom of a pine dresser from the recycling shop and have hauled it into the kitchen, not only giving me extra work top space and cupboard space, but it somehow lightens the whole kitchen and I feel better in there already. I can now put the stuff that I need and that clutters the tops of the fridge, and the small amount of work surface I do have, in the cupboard and use the drawers for my meds. I have a lot.

I'm reclaiming the pine, pardon the pun :rotfl:, as I've always loved pine wood and had it from first being married, but got rid of every single piece on selling my home. I thought I would never have pine again, but have found that I still love it and have got this piece and another for peanuts. I will, next year when the weather improves, paint the pine in shabby chic style (I will have to paint outside), which maybe defeats the object of pine, but it's still wood which I love. When the dresser bit arrived (free delivery) I was so excited, funny how secondhand doesn't have the same emotional baggage as your own stuff did.

decogecko

Hi all

In preparation for my unwanted furniture being collected tomorrow, I moved the desk and computer chair out of my pit of despair - there's more carp in there than I remember!!

Does anyone know how long you should keep bank statements? Paperwork is a major part of the carp in there.

Really need to crack on with decorating the lounge so I can start putting things in their right place (or get rid if no longer useful or I've gone off it)

Idris I love your signature and will repeat it when I go on a declutter mission.

Thanks all x