Hoarding - A New Start

whitewing

Do you know anyone who could knit the socks for you with your wool? If they will get worn and you will have the pleasure of them without the pain that's no bad thing.

nightsong

whitewing wrote: »

Do you know anyone who could knit the socks for you with your wool? If they will get worn and you will have the pleasure of them without the pain that's no bad thing.

That's rather a lovely idea whitewing, thank you. I don't, but I could put some of the wool aside for now in case I meet anyone who fits that description.

I'm pretty sure I won't be able to let go of all of it anyway - not yet, at least.

scottishsuz

Just posting to say thank you!

I stumbled across this thread last night, now I wouldn't describe myself as a hoarder as such, more a keeper of 'stuff what might be helpful' and 'that's still wearable, I can't see through it yet' type person.

But I was inspired last night to take my ridiculous wardrobe to task and managed to bag up 4 bags for charity, 2 for recycling and 2 for the skip, thanks to you folks I now have a slimmed down wardrobe and a lot less clutter. :T Tonight I'll be tackling under the bed

Thanks again and good luck to all you folks who are de-cluttering too.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Is that hoard of wool, sitting there, unused, waiting for somebody to magically appear like a fairy godmother armed with a pair of bamboo number nines instead of a wand, going to make you feel happy if she doesn't appear?

Or is it going to sit there reminding you of something you can't do anymore?



Sounds like a size 4 dress in a wardrobe of size 32s to me, I'm afraid.

zzzLazyDaisy

blossomhill wrote: »

Well hello LazyDaisy - you have already joined!

The eBy potentials - could you find a small number that are almost ready to list (bit of a steam, photo then wrap in individual bag with label on the keep clean until sold?) - aim for low price 99p even for an item worth £20+ as the aim is 1) to get it out of your hair 2) to prove to you that you can get things out of the house 3) to create space, whcih is worth ££££ 4) to stop you buying more if the resale value is so low they can't be worth the £20+ you paid in the first place

If NOT, then perhaps you need to consider donating some of the eBy pile to the CS too - put a value on it in your head, say £40, and think I am making a £40 donation - don't think " I could have got up to £100 on eBy - if you gift aid they have to send you a statement for your tax return and this may also encourage you
Good luck and keep posting

Just wanted to say thank you for the encouragement.

I have emptied a small wardrobe and top box today, and filled a huge bin bag with clothes for CS (I didn't know about gift aid, so that's also an encouragement, thanks).

I have put aside lots of really nice things to sell on ebay. They have gone back in the wardrobe as I am out of steam for the moment, but I have promised myself that if they are not on ebay by the end of next week, they will go to the cs. I have also promised myself no more buying on ebay (my downfall!) unless there is money in my paypal account, which should motivate me too.

Unfortunately I am disabled and housebound a lot so 1) buying on ebay is a distraction and tooooooo easy. And 2) I am dependent on a carer being here with free time to do the lugging about. But hey... its a start!

Dx

whitewing

How much are you likely to get on ebay compared to boought new price?

Perhaps a dress agency shop could take some? The ones in our area price at half the new cost, and then that is split (usually 50:50) between you and the shop. Has to be in perfect condition and in the correct season/just going into season. I take stuff there sometimes and if it hasn't sold after a few weeks then it goes to the charity shop on the way home. If they don't want it, I may try another and again, if no luck, then to a charity shop.

blossomhill_2

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

I have also promised myself no more buying on ebay (my downfall!) unless there is money in my paypal account, which should motivate me too

That is great, it is much more achievable than saying you will give it up, especially if it is something of a hobby ... but dont forget to empty your PP account every so often into your bank account too :rotfl:
I like to build up a big "watch" list on eBy without actually buying, it is a way of staying interested without stretching the purse strings

If you are dependent on a carer for bulky things I think you will find them much more responsive if you have fewer things to plough through and a clear idea of what decluttering task needs to be done each day as you will make better use of their time - you've obviously had to be quite focused in your professional life so you will enjoy getting back on track in your home
life too

Catriona_P

Such a shame your thumb makes it difficult to knit, Nightwing - a friend of my Grandad's is always making jumpers etc for my 2 year old. I love hand knitted stuff, and she makes some amazing patterns. Keep at the declutter, and be kind to yourself as you go.

It's hard going here - since husband's outburst on saturday night the declutter has firmly ground to a halt. I wouldn't normally see the connection but my counsellor told me I need to feel secure and safe in order to get rid of things. If I don't feel that, I'm not able to declutter. Which is true. Instead, I'm listing a few things on eBay, by focusing on the money I can make from unwanted items, since I really need the dosh. So there is some kind of progress.

Love and hugs to all.

nightsong

the

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Is that hoard of wool, sitting there, unused, waiting for somebody to magically appear like a fairy godmother armed with a pair of bamboo number nines instead of a wand, going to make you feel happy if she doesn't appear?

Or is it going to sit there reminding you of something you can't do anymore?



Sounds like a size 4 dress in a wardrobe of size 32s to me, I'm afraid.

Ooh, challenging!

Well, I'm certainly not going to keep the whole hoard. But it's going to take a while to get rid of, say, three-quarters of it. Then I can reassess. Knitting has been part of my life for a long time so a) there's an awful lot of stuff - not only the yarn, but needles (hundreds of pairs), patterns (two filing cabinets full), books (two shelves of same), bags, buttons, knit-in lace, crochet hooks etc etc, all of which will take time to dispose of, and b) losing my attachment to it will take time too. I'm well aware of times in the past when I've "made" myself get rid of things before I was ready. It's totally counter-productive.

By the way, my house is perfectly livable. I just have a massive amount of stuff of various kinds. I also live in the country where houses tend to be bigger so there is plenty of room to spread it around. My issue is not that of a hoarder who can't function normally, but still I DO have strong hoarding leanings and use stuff to fulfill emotional needs when there are healthier ways to get those needs met. That's really why I'm here.

I'm aware that there's a problem for us with hoarding tendencies, to want to hang on to stuff that we no longer need, and to use any excuse to do so - is this what you're getting at, Jojo? I also know that it's easy to rationalise keeping what we don't need.

The key thing for me is "Not bringing more in". That's my mantra and I'm doing well with it. Much more has gone out than come in this year so far, but since I'm not forcing myself to get rid of anything I really don't want to, so far I'm not missing anything that's gone. It's an organic process I think. Baby steps and all that

zzzLazyDaisy

whitewing wrote: »

How much are you likely to get on ebay compared to boought new price?

Perhaps a dress agency shop could take some? The ones in our area price at half the new cost, and then that is split (usually 50:50) between you and the shop. Has to be in perfect condition and in the correct season/just going into season. I take stuff there sometimes and if it hasn't sold after a few weeks then it goes to the charity shop on the way home. If they don't want it, I may try another and again, if no luck, then to a charity shop.

Actually that is a GREAT idea! Thank you! There is a dress agency on my highstreet, I've never looked at their stuff so I have no idea what their requirements are. My stuff tends to be more vintage/quirky/unusual, so not particularly mainstream, but still it's worth a try.

Thanks again!

Dx