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Housekeeping

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Original poster

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

916 replies

muriel76 · 10/08/2011 17:10

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.

OP posts:
Babieseverywhere · 26/08/2011 10:14

"It's hard to find the motivation to read 17 pages"
Totally agree, hence my suggestion that the title of the the thread changes or a new thread started, so we don't confuse anyone Grin Life is too short and cluttered to read all these posts.

However since I posted I have to agree with Lexilicious points too, so I see why this thread should stay as it is. :)

No decluttering for me today, think I'm burn out. Off to a friends house for teas and cake whilst ignoring supervising children playing.

greencolorpack · 26/08/2011 10:19

Have a nice day. Grin

Solo · 26/08/2011 12:31

I have absolutely no doubt that you love your Dsis gcp, none at all, but she clearly see's things differently to you...I would think that email was extremely hard to write and send...not sure I could have done it, so you are brave to have done so.

I'm actually the same with news papers and mugs (why?!!!). I've got several copies (6?) of a Sunday paper with supps that I subscribed to in order to get 6 free cinema tickets. I've not even broken the plastic wrappers on them (think they are 2 years old now!!! Blush) and I've thought about just throwing them out, but haven't as yet...I will though as I'm never going to read them. Also, I rarely buy a paper and get no free ones either and it's the free local ones I miss and actually read!
The mugs? well, I gave a set of 4 away when Dd was a tiny baby as I realised I really didn't like them and recently, I gave a whole dinner set away to my Dbro as his household really goes through pots and I didn't use them anyway. I do though, have many, many mugs (including a Cadbury's chocolate one!)

GrandmaW · 26/08/2011 13:02

I confess to being a hoarder. I still have my childhood books ( School Friend, Girls Crystal and Girl Annuals) and toys, dolls etc in the loft. I have a box full of my sons baby clothes and they are both now in their 30s!
I do have the occasional sortouts- I either know for certain that an item can be thrown or kept which is easy to deal with. It's the middle ground which is the hardest - shall I throw or not - and I usually end up not throwing so back it goes into the loft.
I know that if my sons had to sort out the loft they would have no hesitation in throwing out most of it. I even have a 'car boot section' there - have been promising myself I'll do one for years - anyone want a wooden magazine rack?!

Poshbaggirl · 26/08/2011 20:56

Diamond! "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful" a spot on quote from the dude William Morris. Inspired by the legend John Ruskin.

Poshbaggirl · 26/08/2011 21:03

Do a car boot this weekend GrandmaW (you're not my Mum are you?) just put 5 boxes in the back of your car, a pasting table or camping table, a flask of tea and turn up at half an hour before published start time. Get ready to take some cash! Just do it! Such a friendly atmosphere and such a buzz with each £1!!

AngelDog · 26/08/2011 22:42

Thought I'd add a (possibly) encouraging anecdote. I was talking to someone I know who said that her husband had hired a skip and had a huge clear out. I don't know where she was on the hoarding scale, but she said it made her feel really twitchy - as if her whole life was in the skip and she needed to retrieve everything out of it. Two months later, she couldn't even tell you what had been in it, and she felt much better for them having got rid of so much stuff.

Babieseverywhere · 26/08/2011 23:01

Welcome GrandmaW :)

Poshbaggirl · 26/08/2011 23:07

Well done babies! Isnt it nice just to sit in the new room and be all smiley! And look around at all the niceness of the finished product! And smell the fresh paint and listen to the birds sing.....
Oops, got lost in the moment there! Grin

Babieseverywhere · 26/08/2011 23:19

I have been building up to sort out this spare room for months, so yes I am pleased it is nearly done.

However I still have a big pile of things to sell/charity shop in my hall and landing and an European clothes mountain in our bedroom.....but that is a problem for another day. :)

Solo · 27/08/2011 01:19

Hehehe! @ Posh

Well done Babies!!! :)

Solo · 27/08/2011 01:20

Oh yes! I forgot to mention that I took a large carrier bag of boys clothes to the charity shop today :)

nickelbabe · 27/08/2011 09:47

solo - that's very kind of you, but next door normally does it for free - they only ever charge me for parts :)

nickelbabe · 27/08/2011 10:43

it's insteresting about Green's sister - my mum is similar to that, actually - she'll buy crap and then give it to people randomly. Hmm

I'm the opposite - i'll hoard things I can't get rid of "because noone else will want it"

Solo · 27/08/2011 11:54

No problem :)
I'm the same Nick ~ can't let someone elses history be thrown out Hmm

nickelbabe · 27/08/2011 11:57

I was trying to look at how to make our kitchen more usable without having to get a new kitchen (because i'd be waiting years for that to be affordable!), and I cleared out all the jars of unset maramalade and jam - marmalade was made 2 years ago, and the jam was made last year. We kept the jars on the counter because we kept meaning to re-set them. We decided that that wasn't going to happen (not that we couldn't be bothered, but because we weren't sure whether it would work, so were waiting for bravery! Grin ), so we would chucke the "jam" away and clean out the jars for re-use.
lots of lovely spaceon worktop Grin

then I thought about the box of posh cup and saucers that DH had been keeping because someone gave them to him. WHEN HE MOVED INTO HIS HOUSE !& YEARS AGO! They've never been out ofthe box.
When I moved in, I di a huge clean of the kitchen, and he said he wanted to keep them, and that we could use them for posh. That's over 2 years ago now, and they've never been out of the box, even with that new intention!
he has agreed to let them go. :)

nickelbabe · 27/08/2011 11:58

that's a good way of putting it - someone else's history. :)

We're dealing with DH's dad's war stuff in the same way. I definitely don't want it to be thrown out, but we must do something useful with it.

Poshbaggirl · 27/08/2011 18:35

Nickel.... YES i can report success in the reboiling dept! I did this with strawberry jam this summer. It was dripping off the scones, so reboiled and now it sits nicely ON the scones/toast!! Yeah !
OK confession.... I have about 25 jars of plum jam dated 1996. Its still edible..... It was a good year for plums, so much so that the branches snapped off the tree, which was a double shame coz it was the branch with the swing on it.
Hmm Think i will get rid, but compost, drain or bin. What would the environmental route be? Anyone?

Solo · 27/08/2011 20:08

Use it Shock or wrap it up for Christmas pressies!!! or send some my way...but if you must throw it, then compost it.

Babieseverywhere · 27/08/2011 20:39

Good grief, you ALL know how to make jam ! Is it hard, does it last longer than bought jam ?

Yeah to Solo for her charity shop drop off. Well done lady.

I would like to announce that after living here mumble years, we have a tidy clean new box room with double bed

AND

Two oldest children moved to the previous spare room today (still banging around up there trying to get use to a new room / enjoying having the space to play) But we still have to move out two bookcases and a running machine out of there tomorrow. Still apparent from that it is clean and tidy. Including a lovely rug we got as a wedding gift and I forgot was under everything else Blush Hoovered up lovely and DD1 wants to claim it for their room, so be it.

Then I can move onto our room.....next month.

Solo · 27/08/2011 20:47

Yeah backatcha! Babies I've done nowt today yet.

Poshbaggirl · 27/08/2011 22:01

Babies, i think the jam making is about seeing all that fruit otherwise go to waste. I started with blackberries, which are all in the hedgerows now and plums and apple chutney. Anyone remember 'Brambly Hedge' ? I loved those little mice and their hoards of winter stores and their cosy little homes!

LoveBeingAtHomeOnMyOwn · 27/08/2011 22:09

Well hope you are all proud. Dh said his mum is doing a car boot tomorrow and he was going to give her some stuff out of the shed that he'd sorted out. I didn't even ask what it was, well not till he got back and it was too late anyway Grin

Babieseverywhere · 27/08/2011 23:18

I remember. I had a night light of a giant mushroom with tiny mice living inside...I loved that lamp.

Solo · 27/08/2011 23:26

Oooh! yes! Bramley Hedge! I have the set of videos from Readers Digest... lovely! not getting rid of those ~ oh no!!

LBAHOMO that's one way of doing it Grin

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