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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:
Solo · 27/08/2011 23:40

Tut! I did of course mean 'Brambly Hedge' Hmm

Poshbaggirl · 28/08/2011 02:44

Bramley hedge is a hedge hoard of cooking apples!
Lbahomo well done! I might do a car boot on monday (bank holiday)
£50 is £50!

LoveBeingAtHomeOnMyOwn · 28/08/2011 04:13

Think she's ended keeping sone of it Grin

Poshbaggirl · 28/08/2011 17:22

Hello dear hoardy friends. OMG. I have loaded the car for a car boot sale! Why do i feel terrified and nervous?
I'm going to keep the car boot pile of boxes and keep adding to it. Separate from still to be sorted stuff. Clothes £1 an item and after 3 car boots they go to charity. Everything else priced to go!!!! Eeeee!

Babieseverywhere · 28/08/2011 22:28

Poshbaggirl, Yeah, You are all packed up and ready to go. So when is your first car boot ? Bet it is a really stupidly early start !

I cleared our dining table of various stuff, mainly jigsaws and playdough. I had 12 empty pots of play dough and matching lids. I sat there thinking I bet these pots would come in useful. Mentally slapped myself and said that is why your house is full, chuck them. I did ! OK, DD1 insisted on rescuing them to play in the bath....but I tried to get rid and this way I get to sort out the bath toys.

I also sorted out the big box of paperwork that has been sitting on the coffee table since Jan 2011 (according to the oldest bill in there) All paid to date but I never filed anything away. I bought a 60p folder and that will be for 2011 and I'll get another one for next year and cycle the files. So now I just need to keep up with it.

ChippingIn · 28/08/2011 22:43

Hi all - you are all doing really really well - I am very impressed!! Babies - are the kids asleep yet??

ProcrastinatorGeneral · 28/08/2011 22:44

Evening all. Quiet week for me, but I managed another go at the clothes mountain today and got another big bag out of the way. Got a few things washed and dried in the lovely sun and wind too.

Hope you've all had productive and/or enjoyable weekends.

Babieseverywhere · 28/08/2011 22:48

Oldest two were in bed at 7pm, asleep by 7.30pm. Baby went up at 8pm.....peace and quiet :)

Solo · 29/08/2011 10:29

Baby name book, two reins now gone! £2 in the pot. Grin

KenDoddsDadsDog · 29/08/2011 10:32

My dad is going to do a car boot! Massive step for parents.
I am taking 6 binbags to enviroclothes and have a load on eBay.

Solo · 29/08/2011 10:37

Brilliant Ken

Babieseverywhere · 29/08/2011 12:09

I got up and started tidied at 6.45am and I have just sat down !

I woke up to find DH gone (in spare room) as the oldest two had joined us in the night and we already cosleep with the little one. So I had three children in bed and when the baby woke up, I gave up and got up.

Cleaned living room, kitchen, laundry and some ironing. Just sitting down with a sandwich and then I have three children to wash and dress and pack into the car....arggh...is it bedtime yet.

Still so much too do I think the problem is that I hide/stack and store things so well that every cupboard is fit too bursting, I don't think I'll ever have a tidy house.

Plus the dining room had been decluttered beautifully and through still clean it is now full of things to sell/relocate outside the house, so it still is messy :(

Babieseverywhere · 29/08/2011 12:10

Well done Ken :) Off to goggle 'enviroclothes' sounds interesting.

ExitPursuedByATroll · 29/08/2011 12:16

Marking my place to read later - I am a serial hoarder. I even hoard threads on MN.....

notcitrus · 29/08/2011 12:26

Went to SIL's mum's house yesterday and was pleasantly shocked - last time no-one could get in the living room as it was all 4 foot deep in stuff, and piles of everything everywhere.

A year on, the lounge was ... spacious. At least 8 foot square of carpet was visible under a couple of dn's games! And the rest of the house was... possibly a bit cluttered with stuff that only a reuse-obsessed person might keep, but we're talking a bit untidy rather than hoarding being a problem. It's the best it's been for years. To be fair, the lounge only got that bad when they had to clear out a dead relative's house, and then they had to do the same again with another relative's house and clearly got rid of loads of clutter at the same time.

So it's possible. :)
Shame two other relatives had to die to make it happen, but at least it wasn't SIL's parents dying and her having had to clear it all.

My dad says he's now considering what I'd do with something after he dies when deciding whether to keep stuff. :) It doesn't seem to have reduced his walls of piled papers but at least he says I can feel free to throw them out when the time comes...

Solo · 29/08/2011 14:10

Exit me toooooo!!! Grin

Poshbaggirl · 29/08/2011 15:24

Well....car boot report.....£18.40.
Not impressive Sad
After the £5 pitch fee, DD got £3.40 and i put £10 diesel in the car. So only a break even position, but it's started the momentum and we're doing another very soon, next week if poss.
Clothes didnt sell at all, so going to give it one more go then charity or rag the lot.
Just got to keep the momentum going.
Thanks you lot!!!! Really feels like we are going through the pain together. Can't tell you how much this thread has helped. Smile

KenDoddsDadsDog · 29/08/2011 18:20

Enviroclothes is something I might get flamed for.
They pay you per kg for old clothes, bedlinen, towels and shoes. Has to be rewearable/ reusable as they then sell it in Eastern Europe. Disclaimer : I also donate some to charity.

duchesse · 29/08/2011 18:34
Poshbaggirl · 29/08/2011 20:49

You have to swear an oath to join: 'I am a hoarder, but I'm going to do something about it to simplfy my life and improve my immediate environment for my own sanity and for the good of those who share my life and space'

Lexilicious · 29/08/2011 20:56

Ken - I had a rant on this thread or another about companies who sell on your second hand clothing BUT my beef was about them trying to look like a charity collection. If Enviroclothes pay for their supply, I would completely support that. In fact I would almost prefer it to taking things to my local charity shop where they seem to see me coming with a box and say "oh no!" - because it's work to them, sorting through my things. I NEVER take just any old crap to charity shops though. Only serviceable/wearable things.

Today I did the bottom of the stairs, the coats in the hall, and the upper shelves of my wardrobes (singing Handbags and Gladrags in my head the whole time!). Had a lovely moment when I came upon a fascinator I wore to my best friend's wedding, which I'd saved in its box with the reading she asked me to do - bit of a weep at that, a happy weep though.

So I have now a fresh ebay batch to do, a charity batch of about ten large handbags, lots of scarves (dressy/silk/woolly) and three jackets, and a whole side of my bedroom is now "done". I am presently sitting at the other end of the bedroom in a little study area. It is far far from organised, but I want to leave bills-filing to further down the process because it will take me longer and I will need space to do it in. I also found a useful app which will work across my phone and DH's where we can share jobs around the house in categories - it's called Astrid (which I would also quite like to use as a baby name if I had a girl...)

Lexilicious · 29/08/2011 20:58

Oh and I put all our camping gear into a cupboard in the second bedroom in an organised way. I didn't shed any of it but at least it is all in one place together. I previously hadn't been able to get into the cupboard because the cot was in front of it, but creating space elsewhere meant I could rearrange the room. Smile

KenDoddsDadsDog · 29/08/2011 21:06

There is no doubt about what the company does with your clothes it's here

Solo · 29/08/2011 21:17

Ken, that's where I took my 6 bags of clothing to, but they'd gone! someone there was talking of illegal goings on and being shut down...so, all the clothing went to the charity shop as I couldn't bear to bring themm back into the house; I think I'd have felt like I'd lost the battle, just as I'd started fighting iyswim? could've done with a few quid though...ho hum!

Posh, I think on a BH weekend, it's best to go on the first day rather than the last as most people have done their booting buys before then. But it is fab that you're well in the swing now :) well done you!!!

Lex, they should be ashamed of themselves!!!
Great poem btw. I've hoarded saved that to my favourites. Blush

Solo · 29/08/2011 21:22

Ah! couldn't have been the same people, but somethin g similar as I'm in the south.