Hoarding - Springing Ahead

claire1a

I'm liking the new year motavation vibes from you guys. I'm in desperate need to de clutter and get rid of at least half my house contents that I too have horded for a couple of years with no use other then filling up my much needed storage space.

I'm trying to write a list of little jobs to do per room, with the aim of completing one room per month. Hopefully this should ease me in.

I'm really loathed to just give things away to charity as alot of money has been spent over the years, of which i'm only just seeing the end of the tunnel to become debt free but i'm also out of the habit of fleebaying.

I think I might fill my spare room with Fleebay things and then go from there.... hmmm now I just need to motorvate myself to start once I get home from work =( dark nights are so depressing!

Gingernutty

claire1a wrote: »

I'm really loathed to just give things away to charity as alot of money has been spent over the years, of which i'm only just seeing the end of the tunnel to become debt free but i'm also out of the habit of fleebaying.

I think I might fill my spare room with Fleebay things and then go from there.... hmmm now I just need to motorvate myself to start once I get home from work =( dark nights are so depressing!

That is lethal thinking, right there.

Start getting stuff sorted into NEED, WANT, DON'T NEED and WTH??!!

A lot of the stuff that cost a lot of money won't bring in anything like as much as you spent on it.

Music Magpie is great for CDs, DVD and games but even then, it won't be £££££s, more like pppppps.

Unless you're prepared to put in the extra time you need into Faceaching, Gumtreeing or Fleabaying, then simply getting it out the door to a CS or a new Freecycling friend is your best option to get rid of space thieving stuff.

kitty6

just got rid of a load of takeaway menu's why have I got one's dating from 2005 :shocked:
only kept the two takeaways that I use (& I know they are still going).

Also binned any old receipts I don't need, checked off against bank & credit cards.

Just heard the postman hope he's not brought any more bills

Ches

I have always sworn blind I am not a hoarder but this last week,because I am having work done on the house, everything moveable and the contents of things that can't be moved far have been decanted to the conservatory/kitchen. Because its now all heaped up in just two places I can see there are several bits that could go. My plan of action is to repeat what I did in the bedrooms and sweep all before me only leaving the stuff in those rooms that were needed/looked good. So when the carpet in the sitting room finally gets laid and the furniture is back in its proper place I will assessorise the living room and conservatory with the best bits and the rest can go. I will then do the same with the kitchen. I do love a plan.;)

silvasava

Did some sorting of my bathroom stash & managed to empty a small plastic basket to use in the kitchen. Basket taken downstairs to hold various small items in cupboard. Items binned from cupboards - pack of pistachios, pack of dates, pack of almonds, tub of something 'foreign' - all these bought on holiday & not used - what a waste of good food 'cos I'd kept them too long

mothernerd

I've moved a few more items to the cs pile but won't count until they leave the house (recovering from an operation). Now I am more mobile (allowed to walk without crutches inside the house) I have moved a few more things back into convenient drawers - had to have the can opener etc on the kitchen table so that I could sit to do tasks and have everything I might need close to hand, mostly sandwiches, yoghurts and the like at first - took a while to do one trip a day downstairs and then took things back up with me (kept crispbread/ porridge oats/ fruit upstairs and DS3 would fill several 2l bottles of water to keep me going). now am managing 3 + trips downstairs and stay doing small tasks (can cook but still need help transporting water) for a couple of hours each time.

GreyQueen

I had a Thought the other day, just the one, don't like to give my brain too much of a workout; it's all me.

The Stuff, I mean. The Stuff on my premises did not get here by accident. It did not blow in under the door or dart through the window or door when it was ajar for a moment. Next door's cheeky cat, yes, Stuff, not so much.

The Stuff is here because I deliberately carted it in here, or allowed other people to leave it here, but mostly, it was me wot did it. I brought it in and I left it in, and if the flat is in a muddle and I have too much Stuff - well, only I can sort it out, yes?

This simple thought came as somewhat of a revelation; I must be a bit dim to have not got there earlier.

Softstuff

GQ, I did wonder at one point if it snuck its way in while I wasn't watching. Or slid under the door at night. But you're quite right, we bring it in with our own efforts.

thriftwizard

Progress has stalled here since before Christmas. Well, I took two big carrier bags of stuff to a CS the other day, but they were ready to go before Christmas, and I've sorted a couple more areas of kipple into use it up/give it away/sell it on heaps, but my chances to get stuck in have evaporated with one person or another needing lifts/shopping/help with sewing etc. Tomorrow I'm pottering off with DD1 to Cornwall for a few days; being the most junior member of staff in her PT job, and the only one without kids, January is when her "holiday" is! She's not one for the sun or air travel (or we'd pop down to see her twin brother in Provence) so bracing walks, rootling round some secondhand nooks & crannies, & a stay in a YHA it is!

It will be lovely to have a little break, but I'm very aware that there's still a huge task ahead of me. But I have managed to keep the living room clear & tidy, and neither of the bedrooms I cleared in the last couple of months have got too bad since their occupants returned to their current abodes. DS1's isn't great, but none of the stuff that's "appeared" in there since he went back upcountry is actually mine. DS3's room contains too much fabric, but there's a quilt under construction which will use up some of it, there's a big bag sorted out ready to Freecycle when I get back, and a fair bit to be priced up to sell on. So under control, IMHO.

Now, I must try not to bring too much intriguing vintage kipple back from Cornwall...

silvasava

Have a lovely time in Cornwall with your DD1 Thriftwizard - the decluttering can wait - it won't be going anywhere without you!

Couple of enquiries from Gumtree for the stuff I put on but no actual sales - never mind I did think I'd leave them 'till the end of the month before I do something else with them
Been quiet here - wonder where GQ is - maybe on the Lottie??

Think my PC must have been slow 'cos when I wrote this there had been no posts for a few days!