Hoarding - Springing Ahead

Happygreen

As I wasn't feeling great yesterday, so I chose a strange task - I picked up all containers with pens, pencils, colouring pens and other writing implements that are scattered over the house, cleand and sharpened and centralised into assorted boxes and tubs. I'll put one nice container into each room and the kitchen, no more empty pens when we need one! Sounds really OCD but I did watch a movie along the way which is now also in the CS bag

pavlovs_dog

It's half term so I'm back to play. Pottering in our bedroom today. Wardrobes are full of things we never wear. Time to be a bit more ruthless.

mothernerd

111 items have left the house so far. I found my 'master notebook' so I can keep track. Trying to motivate myself to take a short walk to the 'crafty' charity shop with a bag of small items which I have been gathering over several weeks (consigned 90 pieces of unwanted patterns, all taken from magazines, to the bin last Saturday and two small lots since. If it's in the bin I won't fish it out again if I have second thoughts).

Sadly lots more to do - thinking of doing an audit. Look at each embroidery pattern, work out roughly how long it would take to do and then decide if it is worth that many hours of my life. Spent January completing a number of small pieces, started over the last ten years (have one large piece that is a minimum of fifteen years old and possibly nearer 20) but think it will take all year to finish this off. So if I cull the patterns and don't start things I just like the look of but don't have an intended recipient it could cut out years of work.

Lots of things aggravating me but have to wait until I can tackle many of them. Took me a whole afternoon in mid January just to clear a single bed and move it across the room so that we could read the gas meter (and I was exhausted for two days after).

pavlovs_dog

I am shocked to realise the extent of my clothing collection. Worse still, I'm shamed by the percentage of it that is unworn and still has tags on. I've made a healthy start on a charity bag and a rag bag. There's plenty more than can go, but I'm trying to shift a few lbs and would rather try things on before I commit to parting with some bits. Hopefully be able to have another cull near Easter.

ginnyknit

Going great guns here, 18 items put on fleabay today so that will be a nice gap on the bookshelves also includes a model motor bike Oh was bought 10 years ago and its been stuck on a high shelf in the office unloved and unwanted ever since.

I am turning my office off the kitchen into a sewing room so lots to dispose of. Starting with a bin bag tomorrow going through stacks of paperwork.

mandyw5

I didn't know that this thread existed but thank goodness I have stumbled across it.

Things are getting desperate. I was a minor hoarder, daughter of a complete magpie, who inherited the hoard after my parents died and I just got worse. My house has been chocka block for 20 odd years, and despite several attempts to 'steel myself and sort it out', I am still overwhelmed. I have even hired a skip and filled it but I can barely notice a difference. A weeks worth of trauma for so little gain.

The final straw was when I had the loft insulated and replaced a 3 foot pile of bin bags with a few inches of insulation (loft insulation isn't as effective as bin bags!) And now I can't put anything back in the loft so have lost a bedroom and a half.

I really can't waste any more of my life so it needs to be tackled ... I don't know where I will summon up the nerve but I have to do it. I have spent too many years not doing things because I should be sorting the house.

Just have to stop shuffling things from room to room whilst I 'sort it' ... it has to shuffle out of the door!

Gingernutty

mandyw5 wrote: »

Just have to stop shuffling things from room to room whilst I 'sort it' ... it has to shuffle out of the door!

The techical term for that indecisive "shuffling" is churning

http://www.helpforhoarders.co.uk/self-help/

There's some good advice on the helpforhoarders website.

Happygreen

After cleaning and clearing out my desk drawers I'm pottering about with the Cassette tapes now. Holders are all getting cleaned and tapes wiped so I can use them again and sort out accordingly. Lots of lovely music there waiting to get digitalized.

Gingernutty

Happygreen wrote: »

After cleaning and clearing out my desk drawers I'm pottering about with the Cassette tapes now. Holders are all getting cleaned and tapes wiped so I can use them again and sort out accordingly. Lots of lovely music there waiting to get digitalized.

Do you have a foolproof way of doing that?

I've got a few tapes that I'd like to put on mp3 but I'm having trouble doing that without glitches.

Happygreen

Gingernutty wrote: »

Do you have a foolproof way of doing that?

I've got a few tapes that I'd like to put on mp3 but I'm having trouble doing that without glitches.

Not yet I thought of buying one of these players that come with cable and software. I bought software before but it's for XP as I'd never got round to it now obsolete ...what's the glitches, where does it go wrong for you?