Hoarding - A New Start

whitewing

Just as I was convincing myself that I don't have mental health problems, I am merely superbly intelligent, I realise that I have never had an impressive enough bottom to buy knickers on a hanger. 40 pairs of hanger knickers is an impressive backside, well, I was going to put over an extended period, but I mean an extended length of time.

I will have to put some extra vigorous exercising in as I vacuum my books. I had not considered my bookcases as needing cleaning but now I can see a thin layer of dust on the pages and it is all your fault, lir!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Odd sock bag emptied, paired off, and all unmatchables out into the rag recycling.

Found a cabbage white chrysalis just where the bracket for the door blind was due to be placed. Snuggled up and waiting for spring. Decided a curtain will go up over the lintel instead. The blind can wait until March.

I'm off upstairs to sort out some books to go to the charity shop - already got five, if I can get it up to ten, then that's enough for one night.

Every thing, every bag, every handful of stuff out means a handful more space.

(Oh, and you don't get so much dust on books if you have bookcases with glass doors)


(And it reminds me of the library display room of the British Museum)

JayneC

I'm definitely on a roll. I even managed to rearrange the furniture in the bedroom today!! Looks much better now.

-did some more sorting of kids 'projects' and reduced a boxful to just a handful, so box went out too...
Even threw out the baby wristbands from when they were born...

-More sorting through my craft/art stuff and have a box of gouache and acrylic paint, some watercolour pencils, drawing pencils and other bits to carboot

- Old IKEA catalogues (!!?) gone

- Magazines offered on Freegle

- pencil case full of coloured pencils on freegle (still enough for DGS to use)

Still have another craftybox to sort, the odd sock bag and bag of yarn (have an ottoman full too downstairs:o) then I'll start on the wardrobe and give my clothes another going over. I have a ridiculous amount of photos too so will do them at some point, but maybe leave them for later. Don't want to get too caught up in the little stuff - it may then become a distraction...;)

Didn't realise it was free listing on ebay, might do some phographing... Tho postage rates are catching me out these days, parcel-post seems to have gone up loads!! I only made pennies on the last thing I sent as I had mis-calculated postage:mad:. So only light stuff is being e-bayed from now on...

I had put aside some of DD1s momentoes from her younger days - (trophy from talent show, books that she'd been presented, judo licence...) she didn't want them so they've gone too.

decogecko

Evening all

Hi to the new posters and lurkers

Tomorrow I clear my ninth square by taking the 2 carrier bags to the cs and posting my old dvds to mus!cmagpie.

Not much dericharding has gone on this week. Have re-joined my running club as I got injured last summer and have only just recovered . I think after that I had mild depression and that's when the house when to pot slightly, added to that was the excess stuff I had. As I mentioned on the old thread, I'd got rid of a load of things via cs, dump or selling via my old works intranet. But I still had too much stuff and nowhere for it to go. I deferred decisions on so much stuff - post that came in wasn't really dealt with and just left on the side (bills were paid and pressing things dealt with but that was it). It became oppressive. It added to my sense of not being good enough.

GQ you posed a question the other day about hoarding and weight. I do think they are related, IMHO if you constantly feel that you need more stuff to feel secure, that could transcend to food - constantly over eating. I'm definitely eating less since I started my dericharding journey and some of my clothes are not as tight as they were

Have a great weekend all

Deco x

amyloofoo

I keep looking at this thread then wimping out... however I've now subscribed so there's no escape - this flat is getting dehoardified ASAP! Thank you so much for setting this up, and for all of the candid stories and encouragements; reading the experience of others has really helped my motivation to get things sorted. My parents are bad for hoarding so that's how we were raised, and although I didn't enjoy it, I'm embarrassed to say that my own place is almost as bad

DH and I live in a reasonably small maisonette but have enough junk (mainly clothes, but also kitchen stuff and enough beauty products to open a store) to overfill a large house. The vast majority is mine, and it drives him to distraction as his own parents are the very essence of minimalism and 'a place for everything and everything in its place'.

We both work full time, and I also have some fairly serious mental health issues which mean I quickly become anxious and depressed if feeling overfaced by the situation (especially when it's in my own home). DH is appalling with doing any cleaning (this has to change!) and so I have spurts of mania where I try to sort everything, only to fall back into an apathetic depression when I don't get very far. I know the situation is helping the wellbeing of either of us however, and know that we'll both be happier in a home we can actually move around in and (shock horror!) invite people to

Anyway, item 1 on my agenda: I've arranged for one of these 'cash for clothes' companies to come and do a collection next week. I have a couple of days off and am going to start seriously going through my excessive collection and getting rid. I've always hung on to things thinking that I'll eBay them, but I just don't have the time and get horribly stressed about things like NPBs and postage. I'm hoping that knowing I'll get something for them will encourage me to get rid of more stuff, and can go in the savings fund

GreyQueen

Hello and welcome in, amyloofoo. It's great when new people step up and introuduce themselves. Or people who've been lurking for some time decide to take the plunge into posting.

It's no small thing to admit to yourself, and to others, that there's a problem but it's the first step to getting past it. Little steps, taking time to regroup so that you don't trigger an attack of the screaming heebie-jeebies.

Then, over time, there will be breakthroughs and LBMs and suddenly the baby step becomes a giant bound and you really begin to see the difference. in both your home and your peace of mind.

Today I have some chores to attend to, and a visit to my allotment, but I shall alternate the chores this morning with the internet (I tire easily and hey, there's fun stuff up here) then go to the lottie this aft.

The reason for the delay is purely practicable; there's a really hard frost outside my city centre flat, and if it's frosty here, it'll be like iron up in the 'burb where the lottie is to be found. By early afternoon the soil should be workable, though.

Good luck to everyone in their decluttering journeys. GQ xx

momofmonster

good morning all!

it is really inspiring to read of others who are as bad as me but trying to make a difference!

this weekend i am going to list on ebay the bigger things that are in my way and my exes things (which i had bought when we were together), then to group and sell on netmums my childs old clothes and make a start on sorting through my own clothes!! i also have a pile of old cooking magzines that could go on freecycle! i kept them because i think i will use the recipes out of them but i never do!!

i had to laugh reading about all the pants that are owned :rotfl:
i am just as bad everytime i am in a shop and see knickers or socks on offer i buy some. i will definitely have to throw some out as i still have some from when i was 16/18 and now im a size 12 so really need to throw them out!!

cyclingyorkie

Patchwork_Quilt wrote: »

Perhaps hoarding books might be unhealthy as well as oppressive. Think of all the dust ...

As for jam jar hoarding, that was a specialty of mine too. I have limited myself to one cupboard full, which is brimming, but I used to have three cupboards full. I can honestly say I haven't run out of jam jars yet. If I did, I have several friends on standby who can raid their recycling for me at a moment's notice.

DH refuses to get rid of his text books from Uni - he is 48 and doesn't use them in his career. I have slipped one or two into charity bags but he refuses to get rid of the rest! They are in a drawerunder our bed.:mad::mad::mad:

DD1 is a book hoarder but has seen the light. As woman of very little income (£20 a week DLA - she has ME) she has been saving loose change for the last year. She counted it a week ago and has enough to buy a kindle! This is because she realises she has no more space for books!

Hooray - a convert to my way of thinking...

nightsong

Lots more inspiring posts, I love it here! I'm up to the end of page five of this thread and then I read the most recent posts. Want to savour each page as there's so much good stuff on every one

DH had a great idea yesterday. He was looking for wood to repair our rotten garage doors and mentioned that the old table in the garage could be cut up and used for this purpose. Well, this old table was given to us when we were starting out on life together and completely broke, so it has a lot of sentimental value and has been lugged around on various house moves for the last three decades.

However, I was finally able to see that it is a) in a terrible state and b) absolutely hideous. It's got those horrid bulbous legs, all carving and indentations that hold the dust like glue, and the laminate is all flaking off. It is in short not something that anyone would give house room to and has no value whatsoever - except as timber for the garage doors! LBM!!!!

I don't know that I'd have seen this a few days ago - reckon I would have carried on strenuously resisting all efforts to "make me" get rid of it. This thread is like magic :T

Mistral001

cyclingyorkie wrote: »

DH refuses to get rid of his text books from Uni - he is 48 and doesn't use them in his career. I have slipped one or two into charity bags but he refuses to get rid of the rest! They are in a drawerunder our bed.:mad::mad::mad:

...

Naughty, naughty, nuaghty Are they yours to give away?