Hoarding - Springing Ahead

GreyQueen

((((((((noelphobic))))))))) you poor thing.

I call that sort of thing an emotional landmine. There you are, just pootling along and bang! off it goes in your face. All the worse because you didn't see it coming.

When you're feeling strong enough, how about putting such things (without looking or stewing on them) into a special box or drawer, only to be touched when you're feeling in the right mood?

I'm whacked out atm. Don't think it was the decluttering, that was all small stuff without any emotional fallout, beyond those what am I like moments. Just over-did it yesterday and had the petty upset of having my beloved allotment shed busted by villians who didn't even bother to finish the job and get in, once they'd seen what was inside.

Going to chill out with a book for a while, eat and maybe have a nap.

noelphobic

GreyQueen wrote: »

((((((((noelphobic))))))))) you poor thing.

I call that sort of thing an emotional landmine. There you are, just pootling along and bang! off it goes in your face. All the worse because you didn't see it coming.

When you're feeling strong enough, how about putting such things (without looking or stewing on them) into a special box or drawer, only to be touched when you're feeling in the right mood?

I'm whacked out atm. Don't think it was the decluttering, that was all small stuff without any emotional fallout, beyond those what am I like moments. Just over-did it yesterday and had the petty upset of having my beloved allotment shed busted by villians who didn't even bother to finish the job and get in, once they'd seen what was inside.

Going to chill out with a book for a while, eat and maybe have a nap.

Yes, that's a good idea. Only trouble is I will start looking for a 'special' box in the shops and end up with half a dozen! I do need to stop doing this to myself though. It's happened a few times but still knocks me for six every time. I did go back upstairs and have now put a box for the cs in the car.


Sorry to hear about your shed. Hope they didn't damage it too badly.

GreyQueen

I mended it easily enough, but thank you. Could have been a lot worse.

Am now bathed, with the tea on the stove and the clothes and towels whizzing around the washing machine. I still like to start the work week with everything washed and tidied, just makes me feel a bit better.

I'm also keeping up with the washing up. It's not my most favouritist chore but there's no room for a dishwasher so it's the daily grind. Was fall-on-my-face tired last night and nearly didn't wash up (didn't actually do it until nearly 10 pm) but thought how much more pleasant it would be to wake up to an orderly and clean kitchen.

Upshot was, I motivated myself and had the dishdrainer down and scrubbed the sink and draining board, rinsed and dried and went off to bed with the breakfast tea tray laid and the dishcloth neatly draped across the sparkling clean taps.

I am housewife, hear me roar..............:rotfl:

Ames

Oh hugs noelphobic. My mumdied coming up for three years ago and I know that I'm going to start finding paperwork and condolence cards soon.

Well, I've been thinking that the kitchen isn't too bad, but I've just taken the 'before' pix and somehow they've made it clear that it does need a lot of sorting.

I've cleared two plastic boxes of crud, and thrown away a big bag of rubbish. It included a bottle of mulled wine that's so 'vintage' it's probably now vinegar, and a set of electronic scales. They were a Christmas present 4 years ago and sat on the bottom of a growing pile for so long they were broken when I finally dug them out to use. I found a couple of bottles of toiletries (now put away in the bathroom) and two rolls of binbags. I suspect that even with the increased rate of usage I'm going to find so many that I wont need to buy any more for months.

In between I've sorted two tops for the CS - they're both pretty but don't really suit me.

caitybabes

Really sorry to hear about your difficult find, Noelphobic, glad to hear you managed to get back on the horse. Remember, it's the contents that are special, not the box, so whatever you find first will probably be just fine.

Greyqueen I am very impressed by your self-discipline with the washing up, need to get me some of that!

Have spent the weekend doing all sorts of fixing and sorting jobs. Who was it that mentioned the 'ninth square' recently? This is something that is really chiming for me at the moment. I cleared our 'sun lounge' (that's what the estate agents called it, it's really just an extension with a polycarb roof!) and put two empty chests of drawers in there (managed to completely empty these during the Christmas holidays dehoarding week! Half of our shed roof needs replacing so I'm motivated to empty the shed and have used the two chests of drawers to house some of the shed contents.

I'm particularly pleased with myself as, previously, the inside of our house was so full that there wouldn't have been anywhere to 'neatly' store shed contents. I've even got it organised, just written on masking tape to make labels, to show the contents of each drawer. Also, now that all the DIY tools are in the house, I'm finding that lots more of those little jobs are getting done instantly, because we don't have to traipse to the shed for the tools.

DH has been building a compost bin out of 2 wooden pallets and some fence panels cut up. We've been needing another one for a while as our chickens are prolific poo-ers! This frees up the pallets from the shed and will soon mean we can get rid of the bin-bags of chicken bedding/poop into it as soon as the hatch and lid are sorted (hopefully next weekend).

So, the shed is actually looking tidy and spacious at the moment. Bringing to light a few errors of judgement, such as the 10 litres of 'cookie dough' paint I bought because it was £3.99 for a 5litre tin... it's an alright colour but we're not going to paint our whole house in it! May need to freecycle at least one of those tubs. Also found FIVE pairs of shears (most left behind by previous owners), have kept two sharp ones and freecycled the rest - they are going to a gardening charity .

Hopefully this post will help me to feel like I have achieved something now, haven't quite felt it today, maybe it's because the thing of beauty is at the bottom of the garden rather than a room I can wander into to admire my handywork, plus DH has been out playing golf so hasn't been able to see the tidy shed.

Thanks for posting everyone, I'm always on here seeing what you're all getting up to.

noelphobic

I've been up there yet again and now have 2 smallish (24l and 30l I think) boxes to go in the loft. One filled with Xmas wrapping paper/bags/tags/cards, the other with charger plates and random bits and bobs of decorations, candles etc.


My 2 sets of 4 plastic drawers are now sorted like for like, although alarmingly full. One of the large plastic boxes was emptied by sorting the other stuff so now contains a lot of my toiletry gift set stash, freeing up a Boots cardboard box. Keeping it for now in case I use it for charity shop donations or a tip run, otherwise will go in the wheely bin before the next collection.


I need a shoe cull. I got rid of a few pairs a while ago but still have an awful lot, most of which I never wear. I didn't realise how many I had until I started trying to sort things out and put most of them together. I live in the same 2 or 3 pairs all winter and the same in the summer (although different ones obviously!) I think I keep some of them because they are so pretty but I rarely wear them because there seems to be a law that the prettier they are the more uncomfortable they are!


I had a massive sort out in the spare room in the summer and was so proud of myself - I even posted the 'after' picture on Facebook (but not the 'before' picture!) It looks worse at the moment than it did then but I'm not too worried by that. Some of the stuff from the other rooms has found its way in there, purely because I don't need it on a day to day basis but don't want or need to get rid of it yet. Which has just reminded me that DS's tent that he wants me to keep is in there. That can go with the Xmas boxes ready for the trip to the loft.


Feeling a bit down this weekend anyway, which is probably why looking at the cards etc knocked me for six. Applied for a couple of jobs and not heard anything, even though I know the interview for the first one is on Wednesday. If I don't hear anything tomorrow then I probably won't hear at all and I am really keen on these jobs.

whitewing

My artist carry box is gone. After all that thinking about it, it is gone and I don't miss it.

Also gone is a small wooden box. It has been hanging around for over 10 years.

My DD has started to say 'just in case' this weekend. She has acquired this phrase from my aunt. It is driving my DH mad.

I pulled out my sticker stash. A fair amount of this came from my friend and has been hanging around for years half heartedly doing scrapbooking. I had some inspiration and pulled out the blank gift tags and have been having fun using up the stickers onto the gift tags. Now, I promise that I do not have a gift tag fetish. These ones will be part of a present for female family members and I know they will use them. DD has been driving me mad, pilfering my stash and squirreling them away. I shall have to rescue them back when she is in bed. She is cute but doesn't have the faintest idea what 'no' means.

DH has some stuff to do but has been putting it off for days. It should be pleasurable but he has turned it into a chore simply by not starting it.

Oh GQ, we really hate washing up here. The dishwasher is one of the best things I ever bought. I even quick like stacking it and unpacking it (but only when it's still hot as it is being unpacked). Our bills went down when we bought it too.

GreyQueen

caitybabes, there's only me living here, so I shouldn't make a song and dance over dishwashing. I think it was partially the idea that it wasn't 'worth' washing up from just one meal as there wasn't enough stuff.

And I'm on metered water, so factor that in. But then I realised that if I saved up the dishes until the end of the day, they frequently didn't get done at all. Then you start the next day with a mess, you want the little saucepan for your porridge, it's dirty from last night, or it has been soaking for 24 hours after the last porridge and you just want to eat and run.....

It quickly spirals out of control. And I discovered that I'd be using a couple of bowlfuls of water as had to change half way thru and still there'd be stuff floating around undone. Whereas if I eat-and-wash-up, I can use 1/3rd of a bowl most times.

My new habit is to wash up soon after finishing the meal. That way things haven't go dried on and it's really quick. And yes, there'll always be another lot of dishes coming along but that's life.

I mean, I don't refuse to clean my teeth at night because I'm going to clean them in the morning and might as well wait until then.

But it's hard forming new habits. I have a truculent inner GQ, who is a militant teenager who keeps sulking and muttering Don't wanna do that!

noelphobic

whitewing wrote: »

Oh GQ, we really hate washing up here. The dishwasher is one of the best things I ever bought. I even quick like stacking it and unpacking it (but only when it's still hot as it is being unpacked). Our bills went down when we bought it too.

I don't normally empty it until it is cold. It might just be my machine but I normally find the dishes are still a bit wet when it's just finished but if I leave it to cool them they are much drier. It's handy if it finishes just as I'm dishing up a meal though, as I get nice hot plates.


I do love my dishwasher. Would rather do without washing machine than a dishwasher - can take my dirty washing to the launderette, can't do the same with my dishes. :rotfl:


I hope I haven't tempted fate - don't want either my dishwasher or washing machine to break down. Because of the damp I had in the kitchen I think the dishwasher 'legs' are rusty (it's a fully integrated dishwasher). The last time I had it fixed the man said that it would be difficult to get it out to replace without damaging my (very expensive) tiles and that I might need to remove it myself. If I knew how to get one out I'd know how to get a new one in!

Patchwork_Quilt

Some very diligent decluttering going on out there! Well done to everyone.

Here, DH has put up some curtains on the side windows in the living room. This meant that the poles, which were in the Cupboard of Doom, and the curtains, which were under our bed, are in the proper place and the packaging is either in the bin or ready for reuse. I also took up some other curtains that had needed attention for some time.

We resolved to try and keep up the momentum. I am not sure this will happen but I like the idea. So much relies on DH's DIY skills.

Other decluttering only involved some prawns that needed using and yet more Christmas chocolate. I didn't even get to 0xfam with the pile by the front door.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. Keep posting. It's encouraging to read about other people's triumphs, even if progress is slow at home.