Hoarding...not just on TV

decogecko

Hi all

Items I collected over the course of this week that I no longer need, use or like have been dropped off to the CS. I had a wonderful feeling when I dropped the things off, as I can't afford to give money but I can make a contribution and help the charity this way.

My bedroom is clean now (hoovered, dusted) something that hadn't happened for a good few months although there is still some clutter on my chest of drawers (Ik*a Malm) and on the dressing table but I did manage to clear a box of things that had been in there since I moved 19 months ago!

I'm getting there, slowly but surely. I definitely feel a change in my mindset. I look at every item in my home and ask is it useful?, do I love it? If the answer is no then either I put in rubbish bin, CS pile or freecycle. I'm finding it liberating.

Keep up the good work xx:)

Brighton_belle

That is good value Alec. I go every week to a mosaic workshop that is £15 a 2 hr session. Has been worth every penny though over 4 years - I have found it very very theraputic and like you Blossom, have made some lovely friends. There have been times I have not felt that well but having that committment has got me out of the house and got me going for the day.

I bought quite a bit of mosaic stuff to do at home but discovered over time this was aspirational clutter and have passed on quite a lot now. I just do it at the class now.

Busy this week interviewing for new lodger: have had 72 replies to our ad:eek:.

lostinrates

Wow, that's amazing brightone belle!


Dh lodges through the week, it can be such a great relationship.


So, the useless plastic curtain poles which I ripped off and threw out as Richard last year are in the process of being replaced with more Richard. .

We cannot afford the curtain poles we want so I bought the very cheapest from b and q and we are. Putting them up in that room tonight. .

GreyQueen

Evening all.

I've been following everyone's doings and cheering from the sidelines but haven't been posting as the de-richarding has slowedright down.

It's not that I've lost my mojo, more a case that the stuff isn't pure richard, it's stuff which needs something done to it.

Such as books, reading-of, then into the c.s. bag. Slow stuff but highly pleasurable.

I turfed out the pillow I replaced after lots of internal conversations about what-ifs and had to commit it to the bin moments before the bin men came so I couldn't change my mind. It was a knackered 15 y.o. feather pillow, what was I struggling for............?:o

Have made a bag of stuff for the textile recycling today on a first pass through the clothes in the c-of-drawers. Am prolly one of the few people in the land who doesn't have a MALM one. Mine is a symphony of white MDF from about 25 years ago, was bought pre-assembled and is pretty strong.

Have had a msg to day that the folks intend to be incoming to mine on 1st December, so want to have some books-which-are-borrowed read and returned by then.

Might even let Bro have his 1 kg + fantasy novel which serves as an anti-vibration damper on my pooter tower. I'm sure a stack of my own books would work as well and I did borrow this weighty tome to read, after all.

Right, am decluttering some leftovers from the fridge for tea so will be seeing the back of that blasted chilli.

Keep up the good work, you're all an inspiration. GQ xx

Blue_Bird

Hello everyone, I've been lurking for some time and have decided to poke my head around the door at last! Everyone seems lovely but it's quite scary coming forward onto such an established thread! I've read some but not all of it, but am making stead progress through the historic pages

I've had some real inspiration from this thread, I'm something of a hoarder myself, mostly clothes, and am very guilty of hoarding things that have even the vaguest sentimental value. I'm not a patch on my mother though! Whilst she's not piled to the ceiling in every room, she has tons of stuff that she just doesn't need or use. I'm slowly helping her to realise this, with amazing progress in the last few weeks. :j

I'm afraid I'm a subscriber to the 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' school of thought, (and money is tight) as such I want to eBay some of the [STRIKE]carp[/STRIKE] treasure that we have accumulated between us. I've never sold on eBay, and I have quite an array of bizarre stuff, so does anyone have any tips on the best way to begin? If so it would be much appreciated So far I have put it all into a pile... :rotfl::eek:

Blue

Byatt

Hiya Blue_Bird, what a lovely user name.

My first tip for fleabay would be to get a feel of what items you have that are selling (by others), in other words, research. It can be time consuming but can pay off, because you can see if your item is rare, if your items are selling for just 99p and so on...I have always checked beforehand as things that I have thought totally unique turn out not to be, and other items I would have asked for 99p for are worth more.

edit: GQ, lovely to see you, love your buzzy bee avatar. Which reminds me a HUGE bumble bee flew into my garden the other day, should they be around now?

As for my decluttering it's kind of screamed to a halt. I am so tired and in quite a bit of pain which is wearing, so I'm trying to be kind to myself, but it's so easy for things to start piling up again, as I've still a way to go. Found myself trying to clean the toaster which I was going to CS and then thought s*d this, it's going to the recycling centre!

GreyQueen

Hi Byatt, it might have been a queen bumblebee looking for somewhere to hibernate, perhaps wanting a wee pre-hibernation snack before she did so.

I've seen the early bumblebee (big one with the red bottie) flying on a very warm day in January once but that was very much a fluke.

I've twice had bumblebee nests on my lottie and was so thrilled. Love the little darlings, far cuter than honeybees. I have lots of different ones on my broadbean flowers.

I have issues with clothes. I don't have a vast amount, one 3 foot hanging rail for coats, jackets, blouses and good skirts and trousers, above a c-of-d with 5 drawers.

One of which is half full of rolls of Xmas paper.

But I've decided that there shall be no more acquistions and that I shall pull some less-used things to the right of the rail and get them on my back.

Because I'm a lazy mare and tend to grab whatever's nearest, which is invariably what went back last time after the laundry.

Hokay, going offline now to catch up on my reading. I have only 2 books out from the library at the moment and intend to have both of them back on Monday and then will concentrate on the "richard" books.

They're not trash, just a symptom of acquiring faster than I can read which, given the speed I read, is quite something.

Keep on gently pooting and remember that poorly time can be useful time, for mulling on decisions which you can carry out when health and strength are better.

thriftwizard

Wandering in to share a little triumph... went to the jumble sale today & didn't buy back anything I'd donated! In fact I didn't come back with very much at all; some embroidered table linen for selling on, an old football book for DH, and a nice big soft fluffy red jumper which I would happily have bought new, for 20p! It was interesting that I kept thinking, "Oooh, that's nice!" about things, then realising that it was something I'd donated; I must have better taste than I thought I did, because mostly it was trotting off over someone else's arm, which was rather pleasing. I'm very happy to see "my" stuff going off to new homes; it's seeing it wasted that upsets me.

I shall pull some less-used things to the right of the rail and get them on my back

One good thing about sorting clothes out for the jumble sale was finding that I did have clothes that I would have worn if I'd remembered they were there, or realised that they went together. So some items have been "promoted" to the reachable end of the wardrobe rail & are being worn now & justifying the space they take up.

My next task will be to do the same thing with the bedding; I need to buy a new cupboard for it, because the current one sticks out much too far & the shelves are too big & there aren't enough of them, but I also need to reduce the number of sheets, pillowcases & duvet covers that never get used. There are duvet covers in there from the mid 1970s! They've lasted really well (much better than current ones are likely to, TBH) but they're well past their best now after serving a second generation & just taking up much-needed room.

Blue_Bird, do some research before you list anything on Ebay. Firstly, search on Completed Listings (under advanced search) to see what prices your items are likely to actually sell for; it's easy to see what prices people are hoping for, but not so easy to work out whether they are being realistic or not!
When you are ready to list, make sure your pictures & descriptions are good & detailed, and that you honestly point out any faults, as honesty & good comms are your best bet for earning good feedback. Answer queries promptly & politely, without giving away personal details prematurely, but ignore the idiots who want you to post heavy items, e.g. pianos, to Taiwan.
Make sure you have researched postage prices carefully; it's very easy to underestimate how much it'll cost & that eats into any profit you might make. The Post Office/Royal Mail are not your only options; some courier services are cheaper & faster, especially for larger & heavier items. Accurate scales are a necessity, and don't forget to allow for the weight of any packaging, but re-using packaging is perfectly acceptable.
Lastly, don't forget Ebay fees; they can come as a surprise! They're not unreasonable, however much other sellers may moan; any auction house will charge at least 10% plus listing fees, and Ebay gives you access to an enormous pool of potential buyers. But you need to allow for the fees when deciding whether or not to sell an item and how much to sell it for.
Good luck, and enjoy yourself!

idristhedragon

Morning lovelies!
Right so DH has been dispatched to Italy for the week, all kids back from various sleepovers etc and I have two pork loins in the oven. I have loads I want to get done this week and it's all chasing it's tail in my head so please allow me to write a list here to un head it and sort it out!

Sort out work stuff for tomorrow- PRIORITY DEF CON1 as manager coming in *gulp*
paint bathroom before next Saturday ( not priority as I'm crap at painting but I'd like a stab at it)
eBay
Sort out bedroom. Priority #2 and tied in with eBay. Windows being replaced 26th nov so need to be able to a) get to windows b) move bed and c) not die of shame.

I also want to keep up my new exercise regime and am hoping I can get to gym tomorrow. And at least one other morning. Keep up my C25K and do another 5km dog walk. It is really helping "quiet the monkeys" ( this is a reference to Caitlin Morans article on Anxiety which she likened to a trillion chattering monkeys in her head- look it up- it's BRILLIANT)

I also want to keep on top of the house in general this week as it does tend to slip a little when DH is away. starting with shedloads of washing today.....

katep23

Sounds like you will be busy Idris!

Got the in-laws over for lunch later and had a "few things" I wanted to do today - when I put them down on a list I saw there was no way I would get them all done so picked the "essentials" which are mostly done now and I can see how many of the "desirables" I can get done.

Next stop is shower and dye my hair - I never factor in shower, make up, hair etc when they come over so usually look a bit less than my best but today I decided that this is something I need to take time to do - more so than making hob nobs!

One pair of knee high boots in, one pair to go in the rubbish bin. They are old, tatty and the soles are really thin so why am I struggling with it?