Hoarding - Springing Ahead

softpad

I have HAD IT. It had to happen. I tripped over a pile of STUFF whilst rushing past, fell over and really hurt myself. I honestly thought I had broken my leg. Fortunately not. Taken off a load of skin, massive swollen ankle, hurt knee etc. When I am not hobbling in a couple of days it is finally getting sorted

yellowdots

Hello everyone :hello:

I haven't caught up with the thread for a while but will do when I get chance. A big welcome to any new people reading or posting

Just popping on briefly to let you know my charity shop donation sales with Sue Ryder and hoping it will spur someone else on to just stop worrying about perceived value and get the bags to the charity shop without a backward glance

Since around March 2013 the total sold which I donated to charity is £301!!! And believe me most of it must have been rubbish lol so I'm very pleased, the best bit is that since February this year the amount was £131.25 which shows the more you get rid of the easier it becomes to part with things.

I can also tell you lovely, friendly people that for the first time in my 51 years I now have 2 photos of my mom and dad in frames in the living room something I've not felt comfortable with since losing my mom when I was 12.

That is a HUGE achievement for me, in addition to the fact I have thrown something away which I never thought I would ever! My mom's make up bag which she had in hospital with her - I allowed myself to keep the lipstick and throw everything else. And I know my mom would be thinking "thank god thats gone in the bin finally!" lol

Still lots more to do but my garage just has stuff around the edges now and the middle is all clear. That was my problem area as it was piled up high and I never knew where to start as it seemed to be such a mountain.

I still have some items which are my blockers but I can allow myself to move on and come back to them another time.

A massive thank you again to all, without this thread I can honestly say I would not have achieved any of this. :j

ps - I feel more focused now and my head feels less cluttered too hehe, although I still get accused by my sons of over thinking everything

whichwhydoIturn

Yellow dots , I get accused of overthinking everything too by my DD
I've got a lot of my mums clothing that I remember her wearing .
Don't know how to part with them just yet
I know she would give them away , she was that sort of lady .
But I don't know how to begin x

raphanius

oh yellowdots i can relate to the photo thing. i lost my dad when i was 18 and have never had a photo of him on display. i thought it was just me, so relieved to find it isn't. lost mum a couple of years ago and haven't got a photo of her in a frame either. now OH has gone and the wedding photo has to come down i might look for photos of my parents to go in its place.

mcculloch29

Whichwhy, I think everyone will have a different experience re disposing of the clothes of deceased parents. My Mum died in 1991, and I am almost certain some of her clothing is still in my sister's massive boarded -out loft. My sister has the space.
I think Mum would have disposed of them long ago, but my sis is not my Mum.
I have a soft, warm cardigan that was the last thing my Mum knitted for herself and I cannot part with that. I wear it in the winter, two or three times a year.
Are there one or two items that sum up your Mum in the same way, that you would like to keep? Not everything has to go.

Many charities will collect large amounts of clothing from your house for their CShops. Perhaps you could choose a charity without a branch in your town if the idea of possibly seeing another lady in a familiar item of your Mum's is difficult.

You could also use a cash for clothes dealer and perhaps donate the money, if there is a charity close to your heart, although the money you receive will not reflect the value of the clothes.

Apologies if you 'knew' all this. I hope you can make a decision with which you feel happy.

GreyQueen

softpad wrote: »

I have HAD IT. It had to happen. I tripped over a pile of STUFF whilst rushing past, fell over and really hurt myself. I honestly thought I had broken my leg. Fortunately not. Taken off a load of skin, massive swollen ankle, hurt knee etc. When I am not hobbling in a couple of days it is finally getting sorted

:eek: Owww!

Thank goodness nothing was broken, although that sounds bad enough, it could have been a lot worse.

Reminds me that most accidents are said to happen in the home, where we are the most relaxed and feel the safest.

Thinking of a few of the ways in which the Hoard could damage one's health;

A glossy magazine on a carpetted floor, a foot descends and whoosh! over you go.

Stumbling against excessive and probably unnecessary furniture. We've all be savaged by coffee tables, haven't we? Perfect height to put dents into your shin bone, in my exerience.

Using something erratically to clean the bathroom and giving yourself a nasty poisoning with chlorine gas *waves at pal*.

Things falling on you from high shelves, or the Kamikaze Cabinets which swing open to take divots out of your head.

That pair of worn-out slippers which you were trying to wring one last bit of value out of before replacing, which saw you in Casualty when they tripped you up.

The pile of newspapers which formed a nest for vermin which then damaged good stuff and you had to pay to have treated.

And so it goes, hey? I'm sure we all have our own version of wings and dings and cuts, sprains, strains and frayed nerves caused by arguments over clutter.

I have been working and resting quietly since I came home pretty whacked. Didn't go to the YS bargain time on Sunday as I'd pledged to myself and am instead eating things from the freezer. It's so chocka that things are trying to fling themselves at me when I open the door. It's a tabletop model, pretty titchy, but still it's rammed full.

Oh happy position, to have plenty. And oh cheap housekeeping bill this week as I live off my stores.

Finished another library book (2.5 books read this weekend) and am part way through another. I'm so glad of the library service or I'd be spending all my hard-earned on secondhand books, I just know it.

Keep on with the stuff, lovely peeps, and remember that when the low-hanging fruit, the really easy stuff, has gone, it gets tough. Because of the heavy emotional weight some items carry. But always remember that the map is not the land, and the trinket is not the beloved who has passed on, and you don't show disrespect to their memory but letting stuff go.

silvasava

McCulloch - my Mum was a lovely knitter & I have a couple of cardi type jackets she knitted for me that I will never part with They come & go in fashion but I know there was love in every stitch but other stuff of hers is going slowly & surely. DS1 has taken a beautiful macrame hanging pot holder & a big copper bowl that she gave me - he was really delighted to have something from his 'Nan' too so I know they will be appreciated. . I've not managed much dehoarding lately as I've been working in the garden & sorting out all the paperwork for our holiday in the caravan. I'm still making to do lists & crossing them off so at least I'm not falling too far behind!
Hope you've got everything well labelled GQ otherwise its 'dejeuner surprise'

GreyQueen

I've had my share of UFOs (unidentified frozen objects). It's a bit disconcerting when you've thawed what you thought was a savory product and got a sweet one, and vice versa.

The new model GQ has a list, oh yes she does, and I'm determined to keep on top of it so that UFOs will be a thing of the past.

Still Freezeur Surprise is a traditonal dish, is it not?

Saver-upper

softpad,I hope your leg gets better soon.Sorry you are in pain.

Well,today was not as productive as I had planned.In fact,it wasn't productive at all .I took the kids to school,walked back home and went back to bed for the next 4 hours!Was soooo tired......
Still,there is always tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be busy......

It is lovely to hear stories of people being able to let go of stuff after so many years.Reading the last few posts,it sounds like people have found it hard to get rid of stuff,especially that belonging to loved ones,but once it is done,there is a sense of peace,with no regret.And that is reassuring to read,thank you .

VJsmum

Or take a tub of soup to work to discover at lunchtime that its chicken stock