Hoarding...not just on TV

alec_eiffel

I don't buy jam with glucose fructose syrup in, I just think Bon Maman is not that great there are loads of jams out there that are far nicer. The jars don't hold things any better than any other jam jar and yet there are those gingham lids all over blogland!

blossomhill_2

A big hug to whoever's granny said to them to look after the corners and the middle would sort itself out - I had a trend of doing the middle and pushing stuff outwards but since you shared this gem I have nice clear corners, can vacuum without having to pull stuff out, and the middle is getting clearer

Done loads today after a day of wallowing yesterday - can't sleep at the moment so got up at 4:30 and worked through, loads of old paperwork gone now, merged folders from every job I had into one called Employment

Hoicked everyting out of the gift cupboard and items are now either in the Christmas pile to be added to parcels or leaving with me now to the CS. Freed up a lot of useful space

Wrote my cards yesterday, started with people I've just met this year at clubs etc (they get the leftovers from last years box) so any other leftovers have been paired with an envelope and are coming to the CS too. In the CS I will buy my "good" cards for proper friends, exact number plus 1. Will not be storing any cards Jan-Dec 2013.

Sorted out all shades of new make up that aren't "me" and minis I don't like and samples and all up for auction

Found a perfect handbag on eBy (used it for a week nonstop to be sure) so am buying it in another colour and ditching 3-less than perfect ones - maybe even 4

Decided that since I've been following an author on Twitter he is a pompous self-congratulatory whatsit so am not keeping his books (they were the only novels I keep) so they are going out - 2ft of shelf space

Anyone have a Bokashi composter - any tips on how you store the bran please?

and I started with a granny so I'll sign off with one - welcome Granny28 - if you have 28 grandkids you are very lucky indeed but I suspect not! Glad to have you along and hope to hear more from you, you never know how you can help

VJsmum

Having decorated my tree (s) I have realised that the bag of left over baubles is always the bag of left over baubles. So I shall get rid - would the CS want them? Or shall I just bin? Nothing wrong with them.

whitewing

I think it's still early enough in Xmas season to offer the baubles to the CS, and dump them if they don't want them.

Our tree is up and decorated and looking lovely. Have the lights on this morning but haven't yet had the cosy evening.

Am going to wrap Xmas presents this afternoon, with a bit of help (hindrance) from DD. She is just at the age to be excited about Xmas.

Got a 20% off voucher for a favourite shop given to me yesterday. Not likely to go there so was thinking I'd pass it on, when lo and behold, opened the Sunday paper and there in the supplements was the perfect present for MIL from that shop. Brilliant.

When pulling out the decorations yesterday I found a plastic case from a toy, I presume. Does annoy me when DH's version of tidying is to put away rather than ask if we need to keep it. We will do recycling tomorrow so that is going.

Don't feel that I am doing much dehoarding, but actually it is getting done in dribs and drabs. Also am not adding to it. Went through my work shelves and pulled out manky stuff so that's all streamlined now. Have some time off between Xmas and the New Year so will hopefully have a bit of a discard session then.

yellowdots

Hi everyone

Will catch up on thread later - just a quick post to say am feeling very anxious and a bit stressed right now, as having to use my living room as the 9th square while I clear stuff from lean-to conservatory. What have I started! lol its all over the place, everywhere and my living room was lovely and tidy before! :rotfl:

It will hopefully achieve getting rid of a couple of larger pieces of furniture which I no longer want and have put off doing for far too long.

Hope people enjoy the rest of their Sunday xx

lostinrates

alec_eiffel wrote: »

I think the people who make that jam are very clever. It's all about the jar, it's expensive and not that tasty compared to lots of jam but the jars have some weird pull on people as they seem to buy it just so they can store junk in it!

As a matter of interest what jams do you recommend? I like fruit rather than sugary jams, and while I make my own more unusual ones for the sake of jars of 'standard' raspberry or strawberry when we want it, I tend to buy it nowadays. I like the St dalfour jams and I also look for local producers. I daresay I buy two jars of jam a year! I love wild strawberry jam, but don't make it! We grow wild strawberries but tend to gobble them fresh, or put them,. Unadulterated on top of puddings or tarts.


For baking I use whatever we have made that's not proved popular, though this year I made NO jam.

Brighton_belle

yellowdots wrote: »

Hi everyone

Will catch up on thread later - just a quick post to say am feeling very anxious and a bit stressed right now, as having to use my living room as the 9th square while I clear stuff from lean-to conservatory. What have I started! lol its all over the place, everywhere and my living room was lovely and tidy before! :rotfl:

It will hopefully achieve getting rid of a couple of larger pieces of furniture which I no longer want and have put off doing for far too long.

Hang on in there yellowdots- short term pain for clear end goal If the sitting room was tidy before, you know you have the skills to get it that way again

VJsmum wrote: »

Having decorated my tree (s) I have realised that the bag of left over baubles is always the bag of left over baubles. So I shall get rid - would the CS want them? Or shall I just bin? Nothing wrong with them.

I would definietly take them to a c.s., I am sure they would want them and could sell them.

blossomhill wrote: »

Will not be storing any cards Jan-Dec 2013.

:T When DH and I merged our stuff 2 yrs ago, I inherited alot of unused xmas cards with him,lol. Seems he bought packets every year out of good intentions/obligation and then never used them. I've managed to whittle them down over the last few years and use some up on his family and quietly dispose of those that aren't my taste at all. My goal is not not have any stored by 2 xmas's time:D (We send very few cards each year but he can't get rid of those that are left, which is ok, I can work with that)

You've had a very constructive sorting/decluttering day Blossomhill dispite what you going through at the moment. It's rubbish not sleeping though.

I intended to go to the dump yesterday and then today, we have loads to take,but couldn't find the oomph to do so. But I am making myself focus on what I have achieved, not what I haven't: I've delivered a small commissioned piece (I occasionally make things) so that is out of the house and 3 items I have posted on freecycle have all been requested and offered:j.

Patchwork_Quilt

Hi chaps

Have been reading and enjoying everyone's posts for a while. Thank you all.

Had a bit of an iffy day yesterday when I went to see Mum. We cleared out her house in the summer but my brothers insisted that enough was left in the glass-fronted kitchen cupboards to look as if the house was occupied. Well, it plainly isn't, but I complied. Mum has an extensive collection of plates in a classic pattern and couldn't bear to get rid of them so I said I would have them as a tactical move and then we left them in the cupboards on display.

However, I have the house group coming for a meal on 20th and because I have decluttered all my crockery (a weak spot) we don't have enough plates for all 14 of the group to eat together.

Therefore, I went to Mum's and took half her hoard of plates.

I feel really weird. On one hand, I now have enough plates, dishes, tureens etc to feed the group. On the other, an empty cupboard has been filled and I have the ordinary, flowery crockery I chose for myself; the bone china tea service for summery days and tea on the lawn (ha ha); and now the classic stuff I have been looking at since childhood that goes with the 1923 tea set I also brought home from Mum's because I couldn't let it go. I know I ought to get rid of my nice flowery stuff because it's getting whittled down and there's absolutely no point in keeping three sets of the stuff but I'm not sure I can.

Grumble, grumble.

Furthermore, if anyone read Credo in the Saturday Times last week, Roderick Strange was quoting John the Baptist, saying that those who have two coats should share with those who have none and I agree that we should think about this, especially in Advent.

Anyway, sorry for the long ramble. I know I have to ditch something at some point and I know the flowery stuff will probably have to go because it's likely that I'll need heaps of plates for future meals but I suppose, like any hoarding, it's all mixed up with thoughts of the relationship too.

Thanks for letting me air all this. I feel so much better and I hope it helps someone else too.

GreyQueen

short_bird wrote: »

Guess who ended up in the 99p shop buying some marmalade? :wave:

Aha! I accidentally did a good deed. Go, me! Never saw them other than that one time. Ate 2 and gave the third to my Nan.

I eat about 1 jar of jam per year, it's not really my thang. Currently tidying up a lime marmalade Mum decided she didn't like the other jar of, so will have another jamjar iss-hew when that comes free. It's hexagonal. Or possibly octagonal, y'now.

If anyone thinks I'm a basket case (you'd be right, I adore basketry) I have a fondness for simple glass containers of all descriptions and the fact that I can get moulded, stamped, funny shaped and printed lidded ones FREE WITH JAM is almost too tempting for words.

Plus as I very rarely buy the stuff, there won't be another one along in a minute. I have rationed my compulsion down to 10 jars of various sizes which are in and out of use. I think I shall evict one and keep the Bonne Maman. Gingham may well be regarded as twee but I kinda like it and have my bathroom curtain made from blue and white gingham cotton.

Very OS; got pair of long but narrow gingham curtains from jumbly, turned them to one wide one with a bit of Regis Rufelette tape from the stash and made a bag from the leftover cloth. Amazing what you can do with 20p..........:rotfl:

I'm getting very good at turfing stuff off the premises, much assisted by the newly-installed recycling banks nearby. Nipped out there this afternoon to declutter some stuff on the way to the library to declutter some finished-with books and a rented DVD from yesterday. Coulda had it for the week but not likely to re-watch so off she goes and then the lib may be able to rent in again and get more spondulicks.

I love my library. It's the only thing which mitigates the pain of forking over nearly 1 month's salary each year in council tax.

I have a new-to-me bag to use for w*rk and will trial it for a fortnight to check that it's just the ticket and then I'll c.s. the old bag, which isn't very old but turned out to have serious shortcomings. Bags are a delicate subject; the right one is a joy and a treasure but the wrong one is a PITA.

:hello: Hello and welcome Granny28. Nice to have you posting and hope to hear a lot more from you.

I had a text from the mate who got the overflow pix from the album and she's well-pleased, plus I have decluttered some cards from the stash, some Christmassy and some for other purposes as we have a slew of family birthdays in the next few weeks.

My card stash has saved me a lot of money and aggro over the years but I have decided to declare a moritorium on added to it until it is substantially-reduced. If it won't fit in that biccie tin, it can't come home.

:question: I once started a thread on OS to ask if anyone else had bought something mainly or solely to get the packaging rather than the product. Several people 'fessed up.

Here's a variant; have you ever NOT bought a product in nice/ useful/ attractive packaging because you feared you wouldn't be able to declutter it after you'd used the contents?

I have a 1940s Jacobs Cream Cracker tin, which was my late Grandma's. My Nan has a 1960s one which was the first little thing my Mum (her future DIL) gave her the very first time they met. Mum has Quality Street tins from back in the day when they were big enough to hold a proper cake. You literally can't get them any more, can you?:rotfl:

PS, I keep my T0sco Value cream crackers in my cracker tin, it's not richard........... honest.

Byatt

Well, my DD has decluttered me. long story...but she is being taking advantage of financially by a new neighbour...it's a lose lose for me all round, as I kept quiet for a while but things came to a head on Friday, and DD doesn't want know.

Nothing could be more motiviating for me to now throw myself into the remainder of the clutter/Richard...bathroom is almost finished, bedroom is better, once I've sorted through the Xmas presents, and living room is almost there...kitchen still a problem area, but better. It's the little things now, sample paint pots, cleaning stuff, dreadful smelly air spray bottles, scented in honeysuckle, but smell like a hospital. All gone.

PQ, thanks for the John the Baptist quote, it's helped me make some choices.

BH, sorry you were so upset about seeing your mum's coat.