Hoarding - Springing Ahead

ginnyknit

Noel, well done on getting back to work after the flood of memories. :j

:T:T:T:T:T:T:T to all, we have all come so far this week alone!

I have now got a big space in my bedroom and neatly boxed stuff in the spare room.....and.....drum roll please.....4 empty boxes now ripped up in the re-cycling. I managed it whilst Oh was alseep so he couldnt say 'those boxes will come in useful dont bin them' I feel amazing apart from this flipping pulled muscle slowing down the job.

Next job de-clutter my hair, it urgently needs chopping but will do it tomorrow as I will have to vaccuum the bathroom floor after I have done it.

From now on I can slide my over the bed table into the new space under the window when I go to sleep instead of folding it down and leaving it next to the bed where I trip over it, and Dgs trips over it when we are playing up there too. These simple things make life easier and I think we are all getting these things done and feeling the difference every day.

Florenceem

Two big bags are sat in the hall - ready to go - tomorrow!
Mr F has been up in the loft today - so much up there. There were black bags of bedding, towels and curtains that I brought with me when we married - 16 years ago. He will take the unwanted stuff to the charity shop tomorrow. I did keep a lampshade plus some bedding to recycle.

GreyQueen

Great going, ginny!

I finished the paperback and stood straight up, walked across the room (two steps) and placed it neatly in the next donation bag. And that's a book which has been on the premises for about 5 days. And then re-picked up one bought just before Christmas and which I'm half-way thru, and read a few chapters before bedtime.

When that is completed, will do the same. This is a smallish bag which in itself is a hoarded object, as it's an attractive Fortnum and Mason paper shopper. Dunno how it came to be in my custody, probably carried something from a c.s. in it, but it was part of the wrapping paper stashette, as in it held the giftwrap. It's too small for a bin-liner and too cute to be allowed to loiter, hence it becoming a donations bag.

I remember reading about how a clutterer had a LBM at the home of a friend. They'd been shopping with their friend, who played tennis several times a week, and their friend had brought new tennis shoes. And, when they returned together to the friend's home, she removed the knackered shoes from her cupboard and binned them and put the newly-purchased ones in their place.

To the hoarder, this was a real eye-opener. You can do this, you don't have to keep the 95% worn-out items indefinately, and that the best time to sort this out is when you bring the replacement item into your home, not at some unspecified point in the future.

I've tried to show Mum how, when a new phone book or new Yellow Pages or Arg0s cataglogue comes in, round the old one up that instant and sling it into the recycling bin. Or they'll lurk, you'll have to squint at dates to see which is which, it becomes harder. I don't have phone books or YP on the premises. They're too bulky, I don't use them and I haven't room to harbour unnecessary stuff just because a commercial organisation wants me to have them.

caitybabes

GreyQueen wrote: »

Great going, ginny!

I remember reading about how a clutterer had a LBM at the home of a friend. They'd been shopping with their friend, who played tennis several times a week, and their friend had brought new tennis shoes. And, when they returned together to the friend's home, she removed the knackered shoes from her cupboard and binned them and put the newly-purchased ones in their place.

To the hoarder, this was a real eye-opener. You can do this, you don't have to keep the 95% worn-out items indefinately, and that the best time to sort this out is when you bring the replacement item into your home, not at some unspecified point in the future..

I'm having trouble with this at the moment. Bought Hunter wellies 6 years ago and they started cracking in November. I bought special welly boot glue to fix them but they're still not totally watertight, but they're fine for mud in the garden and for a walk on a dry day.

At the weekend, I finally bought replacement wellies (nice navy town and country ones for £12 in b&q sale) but I can't bear to part with the hunters. They are really comfy and I love wearing them. What to do?!

noelphobic

Well, I have to confess to having bought yet another storage box. The usual excuse is that it's very pretty (which it is, polka dot pattern) and that it will 'come in useful'. However, after realising yesterday how certain items trigger depression in me, and as people on here suggested, I am going to put all those items in a box together and then I won't come across them when I'm 'churning' other stuff.


The fact that the box is distinctive and I don't have any others the same (usually have to have every size and every colour!) means I will know it is THAT box and I will only open it if I really need or want to. It feels like Pandora's box! I'm not going through all the stuff again specifically to find what I want to go in the box but will put things in there as and when I come across them.


I've taken one bag of waste paper to the recycling and have a bag of books and box of bric a brac in the car ready for the charity shop. I did have some clothes/towels to go but I've had a bag put through the door today to be collected on Wednesday for a local children's hospice so will be putting them out then. I also have a spare bag from the last time they came so will see if I can fill that too.


Caitybabes - bin the wellies!

lil_me

Plodding on, the outhouse building has now gone so I can no longer stash in there
Downside went to Costco meaning my boot is full nowhere to put it all
The large freezer is now in the house and it's fascinating what's in it, I've not been in that one for a few months so we're taking items and seeing what they're like. So far slow cooking seems to cure most slight burn, only wasted some cooked meats
I no longer have a floordrobe in my room, it's not all away yet as I can't get mine away until OH does his, but it's in baskets ready then when he's shifted his I can see what Gibble is in there
I've started sorting through the bathroom, between there and my room and a couple in the shed I found 16 cans of men's deodorant. No OH I am not buying you any more, until I know that you're down to 2 max!

lobbyludd

well done noel - ah the lure of pretty boxes! but this has a very defined purpose

great strides Lil - 16 cans! - (ahem) I may have to go through mine - I develop allergies to them so rarely finish a full can/stick/cream but keep them all because - well - who knows - right now I am testing an "anti-odourant" that doesn't stop the sweating but does stop bacteria working on the sweat and producing smells, I only have to apply it once every 4 days and it seems to be working a treat (sniff tested by DD who at 5 is a very honest critic, and a tiny pot too) I don't know why I hang onto the others really, because even in a perspiring emergency I can't use them without coming out in hives.

actually in the bin they'll go - thank you! It's so funny the things I hang onto without any thought or logic.

grow daffs in the wellies caity or potatoes, then they can still adorn your garden without wetting your feet!

congrats everyone. this week's mission is not to start any more projects until at least one other in that category is finished. There's no point in trying to finish them all before starting as some I want to do will take a little time and will be useful straight away whereas some that are part way will take a very long time to finish no matter how much effort I put in (decorating the hall).

GreyQueen

caitybabes wrote: »

I'm having trouble with this at the moment. Bought Hunter wellies 6 years ago and they started cracking in November. I bought special welly boot glue to fix them but they're still not totally watertight, but they're fine for mud in the garden and for a walk on a dry day.

At the weekend, I finally bought replacement wellies (nice navy town and country ones for £12 in b&q sale) but I can't bear to part with the hunters. They are really comfy and I love wearing them. What to do?!

I could see myself doing something similar but it helps to write it out. They're wellies. For use in the wet. And they're only good for walking in the dry..............you know you need to get rid of them or your new wellies will feel jealous of your divided love and will probably develop a complex.

You wouldn't want to traumatise the new wellies, would you?

Been to work so nothing much done today, although I may finish that book tonight, depending on how much time I spend reading stuff on the interwebs, of course.

I'm dining a la Zanoosi tonight, which means eating out of my freezer. Decided not to go to hunt for YS bargains late yesterday afternoon but to bake bread from flour and yeast which are already paid for, and that I will eat what I've got rather than ram more perishables into the fridge and freezer. Have hauled out some gammon and some cheese as well as some breaded fish. I'm having h.m. fish and chips working out about 70p against £5 from the chippy. OK, not as nice, but so much more affordable.

Good to use what you've got, instead of adding more. I must suffer from deodorant anxiety as I always have a couple or more spares to hand. Am going to oblige myself to use them all, until the last one is nearly run out, before buying another. Already feeling a bit twitchy but hey-ho, let's form a new habit or three.

Keep on with the good work, everybody. GQ xx

noelphobic

lobbyludd wrote: »

well done noel - ah the lure of pretty boxes! but this has a very defined purpose
l).

Well, the next time I am 'churning' through all my boxes/drawers/cupboards and am hopefully feeling OK, I can extract the delicate items and put them in the pretty box. My last churn resulted in me putting all the cards/wrapping paper/bags/tags/stationery in one place and getting rid of a lot of out of date paperwork, so it's onwards and upwards.


Having a horrible day today. Still not heard about the jobs I applied for and it's looking increasingly likely that I won't be getting interviews. I worked really hard on the applications, thought I ticked all the boxes (and more besides) AND am already volunteering for them so don't know what they want if they don't even want to interview me. I know there are lots of jobs out there but this is something I really want to do and think I would be good at so I feel really down about it.


I have an appointment booked with my employment advisor first thing on Wednesday morning (I get 4 one hour sessions as part of my redundancy package). The idea was that I would hopefully have an interview on Wednesday and possibly another on Friday so the appointment was for help with handling the interview. Was thinking of cancelling but now I think maybe I need to get back on the horse and get some advice re further applications. He had looked at my draft application form and said it looked good and I was a strong candidate - pity he wasn't the one who did the shortlisting!


Sorry for the vent and going totally off topic!

whitewing

noelphobic, don't dismay. Perhaps it is life telling you that dehoarding is most important.