Hoarding - A New Start

nightsong

Many thanks whitewing, blossomhill and Grey Queen for your thoughts. They've been very helpful and I think I'm clearer now about what to do.

Whitewing, fwiw, (and it doesn't constitute advice of course) I asked DH if he thought in general this was a good time to remortgage and he said YES, because there are excellent deals around right now and who knows how long they'll last - you may be ok to wait for a few months but who can tell. Hope it's acceptable to post this here, as I say obviously it's just his opinion.

blossomhill, I take your point that if things get bad, everyone will be trying to sell their stuff at the same time and prices will depressed because of it. A good reason to get on with it now, for sure.

It's increasingly seeming to me as if there are perhaps two broad categories of hoarders - those whose living space is compromised by the stuff, sometimes to a very extreme degree, and those who live quite "normally" but just have far more stuff than most people. I fall into the latter category. I think we're the people who spend years insisting we are "collectors" rather than hoarders.

So I was even wondering if I was right to be posting here, as I don't have any issues walking through my rooms, getting things serviced, inviting people in etc. But, I know that I DO use buying stuff I don't need as a way of self-soothing and yes, as a comfort blanket. And I find a lot of resistance coming up when I try to get rid of some of it, And, I'm pretty good at inventing all kinds of excuses to hang on to it. Just because it's all tidy and catalogued doesn't mean I'm not a hoarder, right?

Grey Queen, interesting your thoughts about pensioners possibly being a target as they've so far escaped the worst of the cuts - I fear you may be right. I'm 57 and have already seen my pension age disappearing over the horizon from 60 to 66. I'm not holding my breath to see how much of a pension will actually still be there when I finally catch up with it - assuming they haven't moved the goalposts again of course.

Also interesting to hear about the older people who've hung on to the good stuff which has proved valid as a long-term investment. This makes sense.

So, the sensible way forward now looks like deciding what's worth keeping for the long haul, and what I can cull now, while people still have disposable income for stuff they really don't need.

Fab! I feel energised and ready to get going again. Thank you all for your wisdom :T

The_Dragon

Yay! posted the parcels today - so the make up has gone and no longer being hoarded by me

mcculloch29

Today, I repaired a mixer that I'd been using somewhat uneasily because it had a frayed flex - the plug was minging, so I cut that off and replaced it with one of the several new looking plugs in the drawer.
I think the plug may have been removed from a lightly used defunct appliance.

The mixer's flex was repaired with Sugru self-setting rubber, incredibly useful stuff. Amazon sent me a packet to review for free.

If you are hoarding anything really useful, but broken and kept in the hope of repairing it, have a look at Sugru

I nearly threw out the mixer because of the frayed flex, but I'm so glad I didn't. I also repaired a split in my shoes and replaced a stopper on the loo seat - all with just 5 g.

I did throw out a CD player with a casing that got badly warped when it was placed on top of the combi oven.

It still played, but I do have another that I don't use very often, so why I'd hung on to it for a year I don't know. I removed the plug, of course.

Some years ago my cooker grill stopped working and I replaced it with a George Foreman grill - one with non-removeable plates.

Two years ago I bought a new oven, but I still have the Geo. Foreman - in the light of other postings, time for it to go too, I think. The conventional oven grill is much less messy and far more hygenic.

GreyQueen

The info about pensioners being the inevitable target next is something which came from a political nerd (self-confessed) who follows select committees in minute detail.

The changes to the pension age are the only detriments to that age group that I am aware of. The bedroom tax and council tax deductions starting in 7 weeks don't effect pensioners at all. There are noises about doing away with universal extras such as winter fuel payments, bus passes etc but they are noises only. Or applying the means-test to them.

I'm also set for a 66 year old pension age at the moment but would be flabbergasted if that WASN'T put back further.

There's a huge reluctance to tackle the provision for pensioners because this age cohort votes en masse and others don't, so doing anything to their detriment may be political suicide. Don't kid myself for a moment that it's a moral imperative on them to take care of the old folks; they're callous enough to the disabled and chronically-ill, f'rinstance.

Anyway, however you choose to structure your life, the very best of luck with your endeavours.

Today I have dericharded the rotables to the compost Dalek and a printer cartridge to charitable recycling. I have acquired some library books but they're purely temporary pleasures.

Can I ask, do others find themselves stuck in an all or nothing mindset when contemplating tasks? This could be chores, crafts, dericharding, whatever.

I fins myself hanging up on the idea that it will take X amount of time to do Y task from start to finish, and that if can't find the whole 2 hour block (or whatever) I can't start the task at all.

It's ridiculous, there are very few things which can't be broken up and spaced over time, but I need to constantly remind myself that it's OK to have stuff "on the go" and not started and finished in one session.

Today I've been digging on my allotment and am so tired I could fall asleep where I sit, but forced myself to say enough, already and leave a bit of ground un-dug, rather than soldier on past achy and into can't-get-out-of-bed-tomorrow territory. If the fine weather holds, I shall scrabble away a bit more tomorrow.

If it doesn't, it can wait another day.

MrsAtobe

Progress Report!

This week, I have sorted (one of) the junk drawers in the kitchen - that yielded half a bag of rubbish. The bathroom cabinet yielded about the same:).

There are currently two black bags of clothes in the spare room waiting to go to the charity shop in the spare room, and three waiting to go to cash for clothes. Hidden in that lot is my mother's best coat, she died nearly 30 years ago, when I was 13.

My SIL2B came down, and gave me a lot of emotional support as well as practical help, bless her. (She's training to be a counsellor, ideal occupation for her). I purposely didn't tell her which was my mum's coat, it's in one of the cash for clothes bags, so it wasn't even that nice a coat.

Hugs to everyone struggling, and well done to everyone else.

I still have more wardrobe space to sort through, though

whitewing

My philosophy on this thread is that if you enjoy reading any of the posts then something must be resonating with you and you find it useful to you. I don't personally care whether someone is a hoarder, knows a hoarder or is simply interested.

Thanks for the comments on remortgaging. My int rate is tinier than any fixed rate deal I have been offered at the moment. As I'm self employed, I will have the latest earnings come April (because I'm organised and get it to the accountant very quickly), which will help improve the offer, is my thinking.

But one of my employees said to me they can remember when their mortgage went up to 15% years ago. That would be a shock and a half. I try and get DH into the mindset of overpaying because of this but he feels genuinely deprived (because we've never had much spare cash between us ever, growing up or being together).

Most of my hoarding-type stuff is paperwork.

This_Year

26 things on ebay today, wavered a bit no wavered a lot with 2 ironstone jugs and decided they're actually keepers as they're too quirky and unusual not to keep. And it gives OH great pleasure to come in and say "nice jugs" sorry he has the mental age of 10 sometimes

Am going to clear the dresser to display them, properly and not just leave them lurking in a box. I want nice things to appreciate them! The rest of the box of "stuff" is going on ebay tomorrow come hell or high water and if it doesn't go then I'll take it to the CS. Either way it's Going.

RE: mortgage rates - I remember them being 15% just after I got married the first time and that's how and where our debts piled up unfortunately, luckily those dark days (debt wise) are way behind me and my current mortgage is fixed very low for ever and a day. So glad that I've savings behind me now, as I think the future isn't looking good for anyone really. However I try not to think too much about the economy as it [STRIKE]makes my brain hurt[/STRIKE] brings me feeling very low. I just think about how it affects me, and mine - that's all I can do otherwise it gets on top of me and is hard to shift.

I finish work in 6 weeks. And it's now beginning to affect me - I have no appetite but am not even losing weight, that would be a fair swap for the appetite loss! I'm not sleeping that well, wake up feeling sick, can't really swallow and am crying at the drop of a hat. I've registered with an agency for work, and applied for other jobs but heard nothing yet, I have a knot in my tummy the whole time, my mind is all over the place.

Sorry to be on a downer

Granny28

GreyQueen, I am the same in not starting something unless I think I can finish it. It amazes me sometimes how little time some things take and I have been putting them off because I don't have x amount of time. That goes back to the perfectionism, doesn't it?

suzitiger

hello everyone, going to go through the make up tonight, what was the name of the site please? I want to donate too :-D

suzitiger

This_Year wrote: »

26 things on ebay today, wavered a bit no wavered a lot with 2 ironstone jugs and decided they're actually keepers as they're too quirky and unusual not to keep. And it gives OH great pleasure to come in and say "nice jugs" sorry he has the mental age of 10 sometimes

Am going to clear the dresser to display them, properly and not just leave them lurking in a box. I want nice things to appreciate them! The rest of the box of "stuff" is going on ebay tomorrow come hell or high water and if it doesn't go then I'll take it to the CS. Either way it's Going.

RE: mortgage rates - I remember them being 15% just after I got married the first time and that's how and where our debts piled up unfortunately, luckily those dark days (debt wise) are way behind me and my current mortgage is fixed very low for ever and a day. So glad that I've savings behind me now, as I think the future isn't looking good for anyone really. However I try not to think too much about the economy as it [STRIKE]makes my brain hurt[/STRIKE] brings me feeling very low. I just think about how it affects me, and mine - that's all I can do otherwise it gets on top of me and is hard to shift.

I finish work in 6 weeks. And it's now beginning to affect me - I have no appetite but am not even losing weight, that would be a fair swap for the appetite loss! I'm not sleeping that well, wake up feeling sick, can't really swallow and am crying at the drop of a hat. I've registered with an agency for work, and applied for other jobs but heard nothing yet, I have a knot in my tummy the whole time, my mind is all over the place.

Sorry to be on a downer

Awwwwww big ((((((hugs)))))) for you. I am really sorry to hear that you feel like this. When you finish work try volunteering somewhere until you find a new job. You will meet some great people, you will be doing something valuable with your time and employers will like that you have done this. I used to volunteer at a city farm when I didn't have a job and I loved it, it kept me going and kept me sane. Stay positive and try to stay relaxed.
And how lovely that you now have the space to display the things you love