Calling all hoarders out there......why?

[muriel76]

My DH is a bit of a hoarder. Some of his family are the same but particularly his mum, she seems to keep everything. They both like to also display pointless things ie books that will never be/never have been read etc.

Don't get me wrong, it is not a big deal or anything but I do want to understand why. It's hard to understand as my mum is the complete opposite and I am the same. DH and I have agreed to give the house (another!) big clear out and it would help me to hear a hoarder's view!

(Obviously I have talked with him about it many times BTW, I am just looking for other people's more neutral insights)

Thanks for any replies.

What I said?? Can't remember!!! yes that's it; I can't recall what I said!

thank you solo

is this thread going to convince me to keep my stuff though? I am going to read through and see...

Erm... DF how did you find us?! please don't tell the others, they mostly didn't seem to understand us hoarders...

I spent all day in the spare room, bar checking on children with 13yo friend in the garden, feeding them etc.

I think another couple of days and I will have broken the back of the spare room. I was pushed to do it this week, as my mother offered to help me sort it and no way was I letting her in there as it was. Hopefully we'll have it finished with the grandchildren in it before she offers to help again :)

I got to the window mid morning and let in fresh air for the first time in a while. I have a pile of things to sell, pile of things to still sort out craft stuff mainly. All the rubbish is in the bin outside. Some of the things in the sell pile are books and I am really struggling not to put them back on the shelves but we need more space, I must remain strong.

Tomorrow I have one last corner to clean and under the double bed (not looking forward to that. Clean the window and window ledge.

I need to make sure I that the sell pile goes out the house and that the sort pile is dealt with and not dumped elsewhere. But it looks much better :)

At the very least just make sure the piles are boxed or bagged and marked SELL or CHARITY or whatever or you might end up having to sort again. Well done, focus on what you are gaining, not what you are losing. Hope you have a good day tomorrow at it too!
I managed a bit of weeding and garden tidying, actually involved a pot of weeds that had sat there since moving in 7 yrs ago! How bloody awful is that???

Good idea, I need to get some more boxes/bags. As the sell pile includes a 4ft pile of books ! We have 2/3rds of our books (2 bookcases full) are on the to go pile...gulp. I have the hard book case to deal with tomorrow with my childhood books and other sensitive items. Still I am determined to have a less cluttered house in the next few months.

DH was very impressed with my cleaning/decluttering over the last couple of days. Told me to leave under the bed, he needs to do some of it. Oh, I also cleaned the window and windowsil and floor when I took the baby up to bed, whilst I had homemade biscuits were baking. So just the chair corner to do tomorrow and then I can have a go at moving the empty bookcases, baby change station and wardrobe around in various rooms.

Why can I have a really good few days cleaning/sorting yet it only takes ONE lazy day for the house to turn back into a pit ? Or is that just my house with a 5yrs, 3yrs and 1yrs children in it.

I am eating a biscuit now with a nice cold beer :)

Meh, I haven't touched our garden in the 4 years we have lived here

Luckily it is all paved and my DH gets the weed killer out when the weeds start approaching triffids level. Bet you miss your weed pot ;)

.

Weed pot in the compost bin, on its way to a better place. RIP weed pot

[grin]@DH doing a bit under the bed! Sorry, but is that where his stash of errr gardening magazines is?

My back is so painful at the moment i'm struggling to do much at all. Just keeping the day to day in order.

I am doing alot of thinking about it though. Gonna put 'keep' stuff in permanent plastic containers, but 'chuck' stuff in cardboard boxes. Then when i move my hoard from old warehouse to new warehouse i know that the cardboard ones dont come.

I've been on hiatus this week. Has been mental. I am hoping to do a bit of judicious culling in the kids' rooms tomorrow though. Anyting that is broken or missing a bit will be binned.

Honest.

I have done nothing for a couple of days and that trend is likely to continue for a bit longer. I have to get it done to a reasonable standard though as I have the ADT man coming soon.

Babieseverywhere no you're not the only one. My cleaner comes on Tuesdays and by Wednesday I am already ashamed of the place. This week she took away ironing and brought it back while I was at work yesterday. I knew she would come so I tried my best not to have so obviously undone all her good work. Futile though. And I only have one 2y-old.

DH told me again he's really glad I'm doing this decluttering - he likes the feeling of things leaving the house (that's his way of saying thanks). So this weekend he has agreed he'll start on the DIY equipment collection. Once our next two ebay sales go (a pair of wardrobes and a futon) he can access his box of electronics. It's all cables and things. He was saying there's a cable in there which nearly failed three friends their university degrees - the cable he networked their computers together with, in 1996 or something, so they played games all the time instead of studying. They begged him to remove the cable so they wouldn't be tempted. Now they all have the internet, obviously!

I've asked MNHQ about moving the thread to Good Housekeeping (briefly thought about Relationships but I'm determined we're not tragic enough for there!) and messaged Muriel76 too.

Lexilicious , Glad the thread is moving to a more permanent home.

I'm very of you having a cleaner, that said I wouldn't dare employ one at the moment.

Poshbaggirl, LOL, I really hope he doesn't have any mags under there. He just offered to do what was left, as we were going to do it together at the weekend but I wanted to get it started and got carried away.

Good news. I am ready to move some smaller bits of furniture around. I still have 5/6 big crates of stuff in the spare room and I don't know what to do with it. Mainly craft stuff. If I drag it downstairs (where the craft stuff will be shortly) then it will be nearer the door, or am I starting another pile up.... I am tempted to move it as that will be the spare room done as such, but am I just moving the problem elsewhere ? Maybe I should put off the children's move and sort these boxes out first ?

Bad news is the clothes mountain in our bedroom is so stupid and really needs deals with next. Luckily it is all clean and ironed/folded. So just a case of keep & put away, keep and store in attic, throw out, give to charity. I need to find a free supply of small boxes, no car atm wonder if the local shop might have some, if I ask nicely.

Ive been doing really well in my before baby arrives clear our but need some advice. What do I do with all the clothes I have bagged up? There mine and dd's from the last 2.5 years. Could do with some money so have been thinking about selling them but where too many for eBay. What's everyone else doing?

Dh has had to go to the tip a few times but also now has a pile of stuff for freecycle.

I have a small suitcase of party dresses which don't fit me any more. All nice ones (Coast/Karen Millen sort of standard) and in perfect condition. My ribcage expanded when pregnant so they don't do up around the bust - otherwise I'm the same size ish as pre preg! (yes yes lucky me).

I am going to sell them through a dress agency, once I find one. I think with this sort of thing, timing is everything - so I'm waiting until nearly Christmas party season. (We sold a tent on ebay a couple of weeks ago which was the wrong timing as most of the festivals are over, hence it went for 99p!!! But the main thing is, it went.)

Are your clothes-bundles also worth selling through agency perhaps?

Maybe try your local NCT baby sale. Our local one, allows you to set your own prices and you get it back if it doesn't sell on the day. Maybe worth a try.

I'm not sure what to do with my books. Amazon or Ebay or charity shop. We are really tight with money so selling would be better than charity but I worry that we'll have the book hanging around maybe going back on shelves for a while if we use Amazon or being ripped off on Ebay.

Lex - thanks but more work stuff EBay is probably the best place for these.

babieseverywhere - that would be a brillant idea, far better than a car boot, just that the next one is about a week after ds's due date think however things go between now and then (approx) 3 weeks it's gonna be too soon. What do you think? I'm not a member of nct, would I have to be? Guess it would be baby friendly?

Know what you mean about books, just not sure if it's worth the hassle, aren't there tons of people selling them?

NCT sales are for anyone, no need to be a member. Our two local branches take...maternity clothes, real nappies, toys, baby, toddler and children clothes, prams, child gates etc.

I might try Ebay for books and try selling 'as is' in sets. i.e. Set of Terry Pratchet books. Set of Anne Macaffery books. Even if I only get £1 for them, better than nothing.

Guess I will put a few auctions up and if they don't sell take them to the charity shop.

Read the postage charges small print if you're selling books on ebay. I seem to remember there is a quirk in the categories.

And..... whooo! we're in Good Housekeeping!
#thingsineverthoughtidsay

Will do. Off to check Ebay

I'm off to load the dishwasher with laundry pegs !

Bit of advice for other mothers...When your littlest girl is quietly playing behind the sofa, don't think. How cute I'll make some lunch. What you'll find on your return 5 minutes later that her nappy has opened up and she is clearing up the poo, by using each peg in turn and placing in the peg basket...great fun

Carpet and baby cleaned up, lunch eaten so just the dishwasher and a proper bath for all the children.

lovebeing - bundles of the same brand or same size baby clothes do well on Ebay.
Failing that, try sticking the lot on Gumtree?

DH is a major hoarder of things that might come in handy and one or two things from his younger days ie all his Uni notes (mine went on the bonfire years ago) and old comics (cos they might be worth something - but doubtful in the condition they are in and if they are SELL THEM). I am a bit of a hoarder too though, I find it hard to get rid of books although I have now forced myself to as it was getting silly, still got heaps though - and have bought a kindle to make sure I don't take up any more space. I have a regualr clear out of clothes but I still seem to have too many but nothing to wear. PErhaps I need a personal shopper then. DH also lives in fear of throwing out paperwork - his business which he hasn't run in 10 years for example. And invoices for just about everything we have ever bought. We also have broken computers or computer bits or cables, and you don't want me to start on the crap that is outside. So while I have the odd issue I feel I could get over it if I tried, he is a lost cause. I also struggle if it is something someone who died has bought me - even if I don't like it. So the moral of that is chuck it before they die, you don't feel half so bad.