Hoarding - A New Start

Lavender_Rose

Hi,

Greetings cards are one of my main problems. My mum kept all my birthday/Xmas cards from birth and so I found it quite difficult to get rid of them when she gave them to me. I have also kept all my son's birthday and christmas cards. Not sure what to do with them, they are in the loft at the moment. I don't want to burden him with a load of stuff when he's older, but sentimentality gets in the way of me getting rid of cards..help?

nightsong

blossomhill wrote: »

I used to have problem under the bed, boxes, cat fluff, bags, tents ... yes tents - so I got rid of the bed (!) and at the moment have a matress on the floor and will not allow myself a new bed until I can be trusted with it and the room decorated- actually it has solved my sleeping problem so maybe all those things under me were sending up plastic fumes or bad vibes

I like this idea. I've read that it's bad Feng Shui to have anything under your bed - perhaps that's why you weren't sleeping so well?

By this stage people may not be too surprised to hear that until a couple of weeks ago, what was mostly under my bed (apart from the dust bunnies) was - wool.



So - Part-ay! Let's all burn all our candles to celebrate!- (great idea WW)

So - a quiz to get us in the mood
If hoarders had a party _party_what would they bring to the gathering :dance:- from your own experience, what could you bring?

I could bring a garland and cake candleholders from DD's 1st brithday (she's 30!) and the icing flowers from my 21st cake (I am over 50!) - actually I could bring my own 1st brithday cards! And my late mothers' from 1924 - and ... oh dear![/QUOTE]

I can bring ribbons. I have a lot of ribbons

Also to decorate the cake - a choice of little plastic footballers, complete with goal and little football, or a plastic train set (candles go in the carriages). My youngest son is 21 in a few days :rotfl:Actually, maybe I should put them on his 21st cake for old times' sake? :eek:

nightsong

Lavender_Rose wrote: »

Hi,

Greetings cards are one of my main problems. My mum kept all my birthday/Xmas cards from birth and so I found it quite difficult to get rid of them when she gave them to me. I have also kept all my son's birthday and christmas cards. Not sure what to do with them, they are in the loft at the moment. I don't want to burden him with a load of stuff when he's older, but sentimentality gets in the way of me getting rid of cards..help?

This is tough, isn't it. The problem is, the longer you've had the stuff, the more importance it seems to have, somehow.

I'm struggling with this myself so will be interested to hear what people can suggest. Sorry not to be helpful, but wanted to say you're not alone!

Catriona_P

nightsong wrote: »

This is tough, isn't it. The problem is, the longer you've had the stuff, the more importance it seems to have, somehow.

I'm struggling with this myself so will be interested to hear what people can suggest. Sorry not to be helpful, but wanted to say you're not alone!

Personally, although my DD is only just turned 2, I've kept just the important cards from her birth and birthdays so far - grandparents, us as parents, her godparents and very close family members. The rest have gone to recycling. My Mum did this when I was growing up and kept the cards in my baby book (which she has).

I think it's a good halfway house between having a couple of cards rather than all of them.

zzzLazyDaisy

I have a HUGE stash of craft stuff. I used to hand make birthday and christmas cards, but actually, to be truthful, it was collecting the craft stuff that was the hobby, more than making the cards. In fact I continues to pick up 'bargains' long after I lost interest in making cards, 'for when I started doing it again'. I never did start again and now I have all these piles of craft stuff staring back at me every time I go in the room. And yes they seem to have assumed a bigger importance over time - as if somehow by getting rid of the stuff I'd be admitting I'm a failure (I know it's daft, and I know I'm not... but it still feels that way).

whitewing

DD has been so sick through the night that we will have to do 4 loads of washing just to get the house straight again. Two loads are already done and hung up inside as the rain lashes the windows.

I will not be gloomy though. I see housework/day to day living as a very necessary part of the dehoarding process. If the sides in the kitchen are clean, then that can be a temporary 9th square, similarly the table. Even 10 minutes of effort with chores can lead to a declutter somewhere.

whitewing

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

And yes they seem to have assumed a bigger importance over time - as if somehow by getting rid of the stuff I'd be admitting I'm a failure (I know it's daft, and I know I'm not... but it still feels that way).

Let me correct your post, lol. By thinking of getting rid, you feel a failure. My own experience is very similar, however, I found that actually having got rid of it - especially when a lot of the paper went to a local nursery who were delighted - made me feel generous and organised and accepting of my flaws. I don't think I've actually felt a failure on anything when the burden itself has gone. I only feel a failure before it is out of the house. Anyone else?

Ps Daisy - I see in your siggie, a comment about costs (for employee?) of going to tribunal. How do you know that? I haven't particularly seen it anywhere and would have thought it would have had a higher profile in the news.

Lozzy88

whitewing wrote: »

I found that actually having got rid of it - especially when a lot of the paper went to a local nursery who were delighted - made me feel generous and organised.

Hi everyone, I am not a hoarder but my partner is, he mainly trys to keep electricals and clothes, he had a dodgy childhood, had everything one morning then came home from school to nothing! This was a regular thing where his parents would spoil him then sell it all without reason it would seem.


Anyways my 4 year old is at nursery and there are some lovely donations of craft materials and the enjoyment the children get from making their own little works of art is truely priceless.

Have a lovely day people.

lostinrates

blossomhill wrote: »

Thanks scottishsuz, great to know someone has been inspired in a gloomy February
I think if they handed out badges we'd all get one saying "Keeper of stuff" but it would be keeper with a small K, not a grand title, and STUFF would be in bold and overlapping, spilling off the edge of the badge and squeezing out the other words, as stuff tends to do

I used to have problem under the bed, boxes, cat fluff, bags, tents ... yes tents - so I got rid of the bed (!) and at the moment have a matress on the floor and will not allow myself a new bed until I can be trusted with it and the room decorated- actually it has solved my sleeping problem so maybe all those things under me were sending up plastic fumes or bad vibes

So - Part-ay! Let's all burn all our candles to celebrate!- (great idea WW)

So - a quiz to get us in the mood
If hoarders had a party _party_what would they bring to the gathering :dance:- from your own experience, what could you bring?

I could bring a garland and cake candleholders from DD's 1st brithday (she's 30!) and the icing flowers from my 21st cake (I am over 50!) - actually I could bring my own 1st brithday cards! And my late mothers' from 1924 - and ... oh dear!

Nonono, no badges.,,,,,we'd start collecting them:D

Picklepot

As you all know my user name should have been 'churning queen' my charity bags are full but i struggle to get them out the house.:mad::mad:

• Anyhow 37 items to charity shop today mainly books (helps me to count them out target x5 a day):j:j
• More old wage slips removed from garage of doom- P60's only kept.
• Financial advisor advised i do not need to keep my pension stuff from 1990's from a company i'm no longer with! Thats gone in shredding pile which i do in TV ad breaks (any longer the shredder konks out.):rotfl: