Hoarding - Springing Ahead

[Deleted User]

since I have had my sitting room redecorated I have decided that I had far too much clutter in there so now I am being firm and making sure that the clutter that is sitting in my spare room will go to either the local charity shop or the loacl tip if its of no use.I have already given my youngest DD the middle light fitting (I changed all the lighting as well)for her dining room and my next door neighbour came into the wall lights.Nothing wrong with them and I hate throwing things out if I can find another home for them.I now have to find someone who needs a 6ft dark brown curtain pole and rings as I also changed mine for a white one.To make sure I don't bung it in the cupboard under the stairs (a favourite glory hole ) I have left it in the porch,that way I know I'll find a new owner.My eldest DD is coming this morning I'll see if she needs it

nitnurse-not2

I bought DH 3 new work shirts on Friday to replace the threadbare ones he is wearing.:o
He was very pleased but declared he would keep the old ones "just in case". :mad::mad::mad:
I promptly took the new ones off him and said he can have them when the old ones have gone in the rag bag.......
15 minutes later he appeared with 5 shirts and 3 tee shirts to put in the afore- mentioned rag bag:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
RESULT:j:j:j:j

pigpen

excellent strategy nitnurse!! lol

suzitiger

roundtuit wrote: »

suzitiger - I'm going to have a look at this 'freecycle'. If people really do want a 1980s vintage typewriter/ Majesty magazines/ Elvis clippings they can have them.

Back later xx

Trust me...they will!

Picklepot wrote: »

Dear All

Delurking with update ..
Those of you who have been on the forum long enough know i should have the user name 'churning queen' because i am good at flinging into charity bags because deep down i know it isn't leaving the house any time soon, those bags wait in the garage, in the back of the car ,in the spare room just about anywhere. I am horrified to think of the amount of time i must waste when i rediscover them and have to resort.

Last week i had one of those moments when a supertidy family member turned up unannounced. I had to hang head in shame whilst trying to close off every door that contains clutter.

Im fed up of it..So the day after i rang a charity and promised them a carful if they could collect by tuesday (Gulp) .

Well 3 boxes and 2 charity bags, 5 large framed pictures are in car so far 1 more box currently filling and a another bag awaiting few items drying on line.My reward is to sit and watch the tennis this afternoon.

So why am i wobbling? I should be pleased with my work but i am wobbling and fretting anyone else do this? Will this improve as i start to really tackle what i've put off so long?

Oh well done, this is often my problem too bith with unexpected guests and getting rid. Taking the plunge is the hardest part so you are almost there In my experience it will definitely improve, mine has done. i am much better at getting rid, I still dither, but most stuff goes eventually
taking photographs sometimes helps, maybe try that?

lobbyludd wrote: »

In short the old one didn't work AT ALL.
I realised that I'd put the old hose back in the shed. I spent an HOUR going back and fore over throwing it or keeping it just in case. just in case of what? - all manner of things which it wouldn't be the best solution for, it's now in the bin outside but I am a bit fed up that this is still my default mode.

I think this is totally true of most hoarders, we can't help our default mode. :rotfl:
The important thing is that you recognised it and you did something about it :T
I know the dithering is frustrating (I've been doing a lot of that myself today) but ultimately you are making changes to your habits so onwards and upwards :j

suzitiger

I am happy because today (despite dithering and putting things in, then going 'ooh' and taking it out, then going 'no!' and putting it back in again...etc) I am feeling ruthless and I have a charity bag that came through the door yesterday and it is getting filled ready to be collected on Weds.
My aim is to get another one filled for them too, makes life easier if they are coming to pick it up, plus its actually going to the shops of this charity and not to a recycling company

calicocat

Hi folks, still lurking but haven't had time to post really.

Update.....best laid plans all went wrong. Phoned removers to book in about 2/3 weeks time and was told it wouldn't be until end of august/sept as busy....or day after next!!. So I went for it. However this left me no time to sort everything so all my junk has been transferred to new place! It has been pretty horrific, and I still have boxes and boxes to go through, but I will get there.

As in some ways here I have less storage (no huge cupboards) I have been forced to throw stuff out. To be honest I have felt so overwhelmed by it all at times I have opened a box, looked at it, and just thrown the contents without going through it. The kitchen drawers they had basically tipped into boxes so that has been murder to sort.

I still have lots to go through but will get there, a friend is coming to help today with the rebuilding of some furniture etc and probably move things about for me.

Anyhow.....if you are moving...de-clutter first so you don't have a nightmare at the other end people!!




The 1988 steak had me laughing, an ex's father had millions of crusts of bread in his. He didn't like the crusts so must have just taken it out and thrown it in freezer...god knows how old some of those were!

Oh and tomorrow will meet freecycle blokie to give him cooker, some shoes for his wife, and anything else he wants to take that is left there.

Good luck folks.

suzitiger

calicocat wrote: »

Anyhow.....if you are moving...de-clutter first so you don't have a nightmare at the other end people!!

I FEEEEEEEEEEL your pain!!!
Still slowly decluttering now, 4 months on from the move.

Pleased with today so far... decluttered the food cupboard a bit.
Threw out some olives that had gone off and some marmalade, kept the marmalade jar to decant some coconut oil into ready for cooking with (I couldn't cook with it as it came in a bottle and was solid so you couldn't get it out!! goodness knows why, so I heated it to melt it and decanted it so I can spoon it out ) I bought a bag of beetroots from the market last week for 50p so today have been cooking them off and pickling them ready for use in salads for the week. More stuff will be going in the charity bag today. I'm STILL dithering as always but things are going and that's great. I just need to keep at it

calicocat

Jeeze this is killing me in this heat!

Anyhow, table legs on, crystal unpacked, about 5 more boxes done, and I have been ruthless....yay.... have totally run out of bin space (which is really annoying when in the mood to throw stuff out with wild abandon). Friend took a whole load of paper and packaging to recycle as I have no room. I don't think the bin men come for another week!!

Have tidied up the lounge so that every room isn't a mess so it looks much better now, and washed the floor. I'm not used to laminate flooring, not sure I like it as it just feels dusty, however I guess that maybe due to unpacking etc.

SUZITIGER.....sounds like you are making progress, good job, don't dither too much, that's when the "Mmmmmmm........that will be really useful one day" starts. Mind you I have a nerve to comment as i'm terrible for that usually, I think as it's so hot and i'm getting sick of it all i'm just throwing all sorts of stuff out. My main dither area will be upstairs with the clothes, bags,boots,shoes,and general crap. My friend who was here this morning was laughing his head off looking at stuff and asking why I buy it all.....the turning point for him was a battery operated bug-bat that electrocutes flys. He's right, I do (or have) bought an amazing amount of rubbish in my time, and then store it all for that 'useful' time to arrive. I haven't come across the other bug catchers as yet.

Plan is.....go to other end tomorrow to freecycle as much as possible and clean that place. Wednesday do a slow more relaxed sort of clothes etc upstairs, and chill a bit before I start my shifts again. Thank god I was on holiday last week, took 3 days to find some makeup and a mirror.


Good luck folks.

calicocat

Right....i have a dither so a question.

I'm sat looking at a stack of old letters and some cards from old boyfriends. My reaction right now is chuck them out as haven't read them for years (these are from when I was 16 - 20's) .

Would you throw them?

whitewing

Yes, calicocat, I would chuck them. In fact, I have only this year chucked some of that kind of thing out. They were mildly sweet, and it impressed me that I went out with some lovely boys, but I know I was loved a bit then, I no longer need the evidence.