Hoarding...not just on TV

ginnyknit

I have been following this thread for sometime and have learned a lot. I had my lightbulb moment when I had to clear the loft for the landlord to re-insulate it before Chrimbo. Thanks to the DFW thread and yours I decided to tackle the mountain of collectibles and slowly but surely sold them on fleabay. We made a lot of much needed money for our cash box and I feel a lot more secure now.

This week we packed all our videos in 2 big bags and they are destined for the tip tomorrow. Several bags have gone to the CS and I am trying to keep up the momentum.

Pulled some fabric out of my stash today to get it used up for lining DGS's curtains and another bit to make some shopping bags.


Have a little box marked ' fleabay' and am slowly filling that too !

decogecko

Evening all

Jojo fab news about both DDs

Everyone seems to be having successes big and small :j

Took some rubbish to the dump today most of which was from alterations to the chimney. There is still lots of rubble outside which I hope my Dad will come and help me with as it's too heavy for me to shift on my own.

Only brought two things in the sales - a new light fitting for my lounge and a christmas tree down from 49.99 to 12.50 so figured at that price I couldn't go wrong (didn't have a christmas tree, had previously brought real trees but find them so expensive now).

Having a big clean tomorrow, feel I need to see the new year in with a clean and less cluttered house. It won't be prefect but a step closer for the new year.

Happy new year to you all, hope the new year brings you all the strength to keep on with the dericharding and with battling the emotions that prevents/restricts you with letting 'things' go.

GreyQueen

greenbee wrote: »

GQ - the port is probably just about ready for drinking! Do your research n the exact year and the house/brand and you might even find you have something valuable ....

He he, we're just folks so I expect it would have been cheapo stuff at the time but mebbe next time I'm at Nan's I should take note and google it. 'Sides, it's Nan's port. The Auntie and Uncle have their 50th anniversary next year and I was joking that they should open it then.

My parents did that thing with sealing the wedding cake tier up for the baptism party (I was born 9 months after the wedding) and they also double-dunked me at the font with a cousin born the previous month. Weeellll, it was the 1960s and no one in our family had a bean.:rotfl:

GQ, a woman so cheap that even her christening was a BOGOF.

I was surprised there was any clutter in Nan's undersink cupboard as the woman is a neatnik but there were one or two bits and bobs to jettison. It's amazing how clutter slows down chores and just complicates life in general, isn't it? I've often come across situations such as house moves, redecoration schemes, postponed home improvements, houseclearing after bereavement, where the clutter has become the most serious part of the problem. Causes a body to wonder how many life chances are wasted because people cannot get out from under their kipple, carp and clutter.

I love the story of the wine glasses coming into service. I suspect most of us here are no strangers to the carboot sale or the charity shop and how often do you see stuff which has never even come out of it's packaging as it is "too good"? Until it rots in storage or the culture or customs of society render it obsolete? Far better to have had it out and used it.

I was thinking about a woman I know who had several large and lovely lead crystal vases which she never ever used for flowers because we're in a hardwater area and the evapouration would have left a limescale ring. Unattractive yes, but not an insurmountable problem, certainly not worth leaving vases flowerless for 40+ years over, IMO.

Today I have tidied out Mum's larder cupboard which is actually a 1930s sideboard. Mum has a Bit of a Thing about sideboards, there are 3 in this house, 2 in the kitchen. I can report that she's good for lemon curd, muffin cases, jam and tea for the foreseeable future. If the end of the world comes, the diet here will be sweet and sticky.

Hardup_Hester

My Mum was a hoarder, she's been dead some time now, but when she died it took me a week of solid work, starting at 6am & finishing at 8pm to clear her 1 bed property (her landlord wouldn't give me any longer)
The garage was stuffed to the rafters with boxes some of which hadn't been unpacked in the previous 3 moves.
Amongst other things she had 6 crystal glasses & a Denby dinner service, all carefully wrapped & boxed, saved for when she had a nice house/met Mr Right/invited friends round, I have these in daily use now, though I am down to 5 glasses, but rather this than my kids have to waste time wondering what to do with it when I die!
Hester

blossomhill_2

415SanFran wrote: »

Blossomhill The reason that I go on and off the site is because I suffer from depression quite badly, when it stikes I don't come on the site, not sure why just the way it seems to go.
I can't just throw things out, it seems to be part of my recovery to see it going to the next person, now I do know that if things do not sell on ebay they go to a certain shop in the town that sells vintage stuff, but she gets a small amount for it.
Most all of the stuff that I have collected is collectable/retro/ vintage.
Silly as it seems I cannot just throw away, I will give it away to someone, in fact someone at the china fair that bought 3 items as that was all she had the money for ended up with about 6 items and my son helped her to carry it all to the car. But she was so nice and chatty, it was nice to see it all go to her.

I think it is probably a healthy decision not to spend hours on here when you are low, it can otherwise become a substitute for real life

I quite understand your reluctance to just throw away, perfectly understandable but it can also be part of the recovery to "feel the fear and do it anyway" - you will have seen some of us old reprobates digging each other in the ribs and saying "just bin it" from time to time, because sometimes we need to accelerate the process, or are in danger of just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titatnic and think we are doing something when really we are just churning, or over-obsessing over how to recycle the packaging instead of deciding about the object. But this is just by way of explaining why we try a gentle prod from time to time, for some it works and creates a LBM, for others it won't help at all, it sounds like you have found what works for you and have support too, which is such a boon

I gave some blankets to a chap at a bootsale for a ridiculously low price, knowing full well he was a "Richard" and the chit-chat was actually theraputic while the gaining of more "stuff" was probably not, it's swings and roundabouts

When I say to myself "just bin it" I hear it in the tone that Brian Conley scathingly says "It's a puppet!"

Anyway, New Year seems to call for profound statements and I was sent this one today

• You can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the previous ones

So, good luck everyone, why not make some different resolutions this new year, no point revisiting those that failed before. Concentrate on what you do well and build on it, rather than focussing on any failures or weak areas

When the fireworks go off tonight I am going to try to picture some of my inappropriate attachment to "things" going off with them

Jo-Jo, I loved hearing about your DDs, there's definitely a lot of warmth there if they wanted to surprise you

Hester - I love your pragmatism!

decko, ginny, whichwhy, Byatt, GQ, lir, other supportive posters - thanks for the sentiments and posts, will try to follow your examples!

Oh dear, getting sentimental and it's only midday and I haven't had a wine gum let alone a ginger wine yet

ginnyknit

The boot of the car is now full! off to the tip, couldnt go yesterday but am feeling very pleased with the gaps appearing in the house. Why did we have 3 dvd players under Oh's bed when none of them work? Hoping everyone moves forward in the New Year with their de-cluttering and feels positive. Even one item a day will help you achieve your goals. I now keep a bag near the front door for the CS and try and pop things in it as I come down stairs. Also have a bag hung on the coat rack for parcels to send to various charities and friends with crafty bits and bobs in.

Why oh why do I have a basket of plastic lids on the worksurface and no boxes to go with them? That will be todays task I think. Just need the bin men to come and empty all my re-cycling on Wednesday as they are full.

sjprmc01

JOJO, that was lovely news about your dds


Today I have been attempting to attack bedroom of doom which also involved emptying out two cupboards to rearrange too. I'm not quite there yet and I think I still have too many bed sets stored but don't want to go through them now and where they are they are tidy!

In stead of 'all consuming heap of doom' in the bedroom I now have a couple of small boxes of stuff that still need sorting....nothing much needed to go out but I have also chucked all OHs clothes off his untidy shelves for him to sort out whatever actually uses when he gets home from work

Is hard to get rid of things this week as bins and recycling are overflowing bin men aren't coming till Sat and we will have been 3.5weeks without them which isn't the best at this time of yr and with a gale blowing outside (all the recycling bottles are now blown across the garden)

Although I'm not quite finished my bedroom task I want to tackle a bit of the ironing from the weekends dry washing so that doesn't pile up even more!

Off to hang a washing and iron what I can!

babyshoes

Not sure about other councils, but ours will collect extra recycling (not rubbish though) if it is clearly and sensibly placed with your recycling boxes, for example in a clear/open bag or plastic tub. May be worth checking on your council's website if you have extra recycling items to go out but have full bins. Otherwise, if you are going to be out of the house anyway, would it be possible to go past either a 'recycling centre' (aka the dump) or those recycling bins in a supermarket car park?

whitewing

I am still enjoying all the end of year posts. My biggest improvement this year is throwing (recycling) handy containers straight away. This has led to more space/inclination to do housework, which means more space/energy to declutter or for DD to play.

I have been on a downer for the last few days but it will pass. Am about to start counselling at long last so maybe that is stirring things up. Haven't handled money very well this year and am fed up with myself about that as it will now affect what is possible this year. I shall be sending my bad attitude up with the fireworks!

DH is at work. I have spent the morning getting washing etc up together. Don't feel like doing anything but figure every baby step will help. Normally for new year, I feel a glimmer of excitement. This feeling will pass though, I must remember that. The Sound of Music is on later so maybe I'll sit down and absorb myself in that. I saw the Sue Perkins documentary on it yesterday, which was good. I only realised last year or so that it had been based on a true story.

blossomhill_2

I am having my 1930s/40s kitchen & dining room decorated in January - do you know what, I may even stop living in the past - and have it done 1950s-style!