Hoarding - Springing Ahead

GreyQueen

Evening all.

Great to hear of progress and heartwrenching to hear of parental trashing of beloved childhood possessions.

My own hoarderish mother was the opposite with us kids. Because she'd had her few and tatty treasures wrenched from her in a childhood which would make a social worker weep, she was hyper-sensitive about getting rid of anything of ours. Even stuff which was virtually trash had to be screened to make sure it wasn't some childish treasure.

I mean, this woman used to frisk my waste bin to check what I was shedding.

Spoke to Mum earlier and she's chuffed as they managed to collar the scrap man this aft and a bulky broken thing is out of her house. She also tried on her dressy shoes ahead of a wedding tomorrow and found that her feet have broadened and they no longer fit. So she'd wearing flats and the dressier ones will be charity-shopped next week.

I've been doing very little decluttering lately as I was away for the BH weekend, have been working and feeling a bit ill since, so not inclined to pull stuff about.

One thing I would love to achieve is the discipline not to have a load of carp around the kitchen sink. There's always something which doesn't make the washing up and then floats around. It's so untidy and annoying but just thinking about it makes me want to hide.

Now I have admitted it, I think I'll set the timer for 15 mins and see how much stuff I can get washed and dried and put away. Wish me luck, lovely peeps.

JIL

All the talk of throwing children's things away reminded me of when my son was little many moons ago.

He had been given some money to spend at school as they were having a bring and buy sale. After school when i went to pick him up he came through the school doors his face beaming with pride as he showed me the two bin liners, one in each hand full of stuff he had bought. He was so proud of how much he had been able to get for his money.

It took me months to get rid of the cuddly toys with one ear, jigsaws with missing pieces, and toys that had seen much better days. I just kept throwing them away one by one.

A big thank you to all that post on this thread, i have found myself reading a page and then going off and decluttering a drawer or a plastic box. It may take some time to get the house to how I want it to be but its a lot better than it was two weeks ago.

calicocat

JIL :rotfl: That reminds me of a village church bring and buy when i was around 7 i think , i too had lots of lovely things to take home. All went in the bin other than the goldfish as apparently i had bought a load of bras :eek:,old jumpers and a pair of glitter hot pants , non of which i was allowed. I think it was the hot pants that did it as i had cycled home in them (bright purple) proud as punch, giving my mum a heart attack.:D

parsniphead

Evening everyone. I hope you are all well.

So after heading off to the tip..........again with a car stuffed full even with all the seats folded forward I can say that my garden is done and ready for planting up in the next season. It's really productive veg wise so I'm really excited. I don't think I would have got as far without the help from you all on this thread so a big 'Black Country Ta Very Much':j:T

Now the house. Oh dear it's getting there but still loads to do. I really need to push on with the bathroom and get it finished before back to work on Tuesday.:mad:

So bring on the autumn and winter, I will be forced inside more and get it done.

Oh the pizza man has just delived and taken some scrap left outside with him. Earlier one of the neighbours took the hosepipe holder thingy. Poor tat man missed the lot.:rotfl:

Florenceem

Put a carpet outside today with a notice - Free - it's gone.

JIL

Florenceem wrote: »

Put a carpet outside today with a notice - Free - it's gone.

I would love to be able to do something like that, but i would bet a pound to a penny it would end up in my next door neighbours garden.

I hired a skip not so long ago and one night it emptied, the contents could then be seen in next doors back garden. ( things like broken computer chair, bicycle frame, old kitchen unit doors) I really would not mind giving them anything as long as it was used and not just left in a pile in the corner of the garden leaning against our fence. grrr:mad:

I am thinking of having a car boot sale, has anyone else done this? If yes any tips, what sells and what doesnt? I would be grateful for any advice. I have loads of toiletry gift sets, ornaments, cookery books, clothes still with price tags (daughters) unworn footwear, handbags, table lamps, boxed game sets etc.

mcculloch29

whitewing wrote: »

I have just made myself recycle a bra. I broke the underwiring as I put it on this morning - it's dangerous being female - and nearly killed myself when I bent over the desk this afternoon.

That brought back a memory of a story the TV chef Clarissa Dickson-Wright told against herself on a chat show. She was boogieing on down on a dance floor many years ago when she was struck by an agonising, stabbing chest pain.

She staggered off the floor, convinced she was having a heart attack - but luckily discovered the wire that had worked its way out of her bra before calling an ambulance...

On the decluttering and recycling front, Oxfam shops accept all bras, even if they are damaged, as they can be repaired and sold in Senegal. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/the-big-bra-hunt

My own decluttering is in stasis at the moment. I got rid of loads of my stuff, but DS didn't do anything with most of his. His clutter and excess fills my outhouse, dining room, office/spare room and attic.
It then felt like I was living in his house instead of vice - versa - but my DS has accepted that some of his stuff needs to go. I've introduced him to the idea of Freegle/Freecycle. Watch this space.

FlubM

Well, I have just waved off my DH and DD on their epic two day voyage the length and breadth of the country. I had to give up counting how many items we are passing on or we would never have finished loading but it's a Luton van which we have filled to two thirds of its height :j.

We also fitted in a trip to the tip (now, I believe more properly called a recycling facility). I would have thought the staff there had seen it all but I swear the lady who asked us what we had did look a tad surpised when I replied "a fridge freezer, a desk, two pcs.....................my grandmother's mangle, and the inside of a pianola.

Oh how I wish this was the end of it but it is just the start of reclaiming our house. However, even the worst culprit (DH) announced that the porcess was "cathartic" so I do have some hope that we will be able to carry on and do more.

whitewing

Flub, I just read your post thinking, I'd love to have your mangle.

Why? I've never wanted a mangle in my life!

With ref to my broken bra, I did think that I wouldn't mind a hanging basket, so perhaps I could upcycle it! Luckily my practical skills are even worse than my imagination. I said to DH I could keep the 'good' underwire from the non broken cup in case I break another one. That was inspired by someone on here. He gave me a withering look, lol, and said that if I broke another one I would put that in recycling too.

Got rid of a vase and some perfume. They were unwanted gifts. Feels a little ungrateful but the new recipient was delighted. I could have kept them for a year but I wouldn't have used them even then.

I also threw out my old deodorant even though there was probably 2ml in the bottom. I had bought a new one. It flashed through my mind at that point that half the problem with hoarding tendencies is that when I buy a replacement anything, we still use the replacement straight away but the original hangs around for days or weeks or months. Especially if it's toothpaste. So this autumn's mission is to chuck out asap.

Need to sort through some toys etc to see if there is anything we can donate to the church bazaar. The children play more when there is less available.

calicocat

whitewing wrote: »

Flub, I just read your post thinking, I'd love to have your mangle.

Why? I've never wanted a mangle in my life!

With ref to my broken bra, I did think that I wouldn't mind a hanging basket, so perhaps I could upcycle it! Luckily my practical skills are even worse than my imagination. I said to DH I could keep the 'good' underwire from the non broken cup in case I break another one. That was inspired by someone on here. He gave me a withering look, lol, and said that if I broke another one I would put that in recycling too.

Got rid of a vase and some perfume. They were unwanted gifts. Feels a little ungrateful but the new recipient was delighted. I could have kept them for a year but I wouldn't have used them even then.

I also threw out my old deodorant even though there was probably 2ml in the bottom. I had bought a new one. It flashed through my mind at that point that half the problem with hoarding tendencies is that when I buy a replacement anything, we still use the replacement straight away but the original hangs around for days or weeks or months. Especially if it's toothpaste. So this autumn's mission is to chuck out asap.

Need to sort through some toys etc to see if there is anything we can donate to the church bazaar. The children play more when there is less available.

I never found that using the 'spare' wire really works, as you cut into the cup lining/stitching to get the old broken wire out and put new one in, but somehow no matter how you stitch it back, the wire still ends up weaving it's way out somehow. Only ever worked for me for maybe a few weeks and then you could find it either poking out of your dress or top, or sticking into your arm pit.

If you had enough of them though you could make a hanging basket after around 10 years....lol.