The Hoarders Anonymous Thread Part Two...Still Sorting It Out ~ Together!

[Solo]

Sorting out the home when you're a hoarder (big or small) is never going to be easy and we should know! but having someone else to support you, talk about it with you and make you feel much less of a freak of mother nature makes a huge difference!

If you are any of the following:
A hoarder. In a mess. Untidy. Disorganised. Lazy with housework that has lead to something that you now feel unable to deal with. If you are ill and not coping with the housework. If you are emotionally attached to items for whatever reason. If you have a combination of any or all of these things or something completely different, please join us. No one here will judge you. We have something in common and we have a common goal. We share our ideas and we share our disappointments no matter how big and our celebrations no matter how small.

Welcome to thread number 2! :)

Back to school tomorrow...I am aiming to sort out kids clothes and toys over next few weeks.

Going to try a new thing with the clothes...rather than keeping the nice things and back up ok clothes for each child. I am going to be brave and only keep good stuff in the wardrobe.

Thus reducing the amount of clothes in the house by loads. ..hopefully this will make the washing/drying/laundry mountain more manageable.

But because I am unwilling to throw them all away straight away. I will pack away the ok clothes in 4 bags (one for each child) under my bed...just to check they don't really miss a particular item. Then I will be taking the bags unopened to the charity shop when I can face it...hopefully after a week or so.

Then it is onto toys !

I'm just checking in. My big problem is an emotional attachment to things, even clothing. I understand it's unrealistic but hey.
Still I am so pleased to announce that I have completely been through my wardrobe and chests of drawers.

I followed the KonMari system for the drawers (folding) and the wardrobe is now tidy and organised - clothes I never knew (or had forgotten) I had hanging tidily, folded and organised. I keep opening drawers and robe just to look at it.

I do have a pile to donate or get rid of which keeps growing, but that's fine.
I just posted to let all know that I honestly feel a weight has been lifted off me. I actually feel lighter and less stressed - and I've only done my bedroom so far. [shock) I never realised before what a burden my disorganisation was to me.

Yay, Free!

Free that is fantastic! Well done you!! .
I'm also emotionally attached to things and clothing so completely understand. I too must get a move on with getting it all sorted out.

Babies how are the toys going? You sound very on a mission :)

My dp is a hoarder. I haven't seen him throw anything out in 10 years 😮 he gets angry if I do! Tips please!

Ok, today I emptied and sorted three packing boxes, large enough so that I almost hurt myself bending into one slightly out of reach but not so large I couldn't, just about, pick one up (60 cm × 60 cm × 60 cm). I gave away two large Ikea bags (like football pitches, are Ikea bags now a unit of measurement?) and, also, a miscellaneous carrier bag of baby bits, and #3 is sorted till her next growth spurt.

Two that was a lot of sorting to get through, well done.

What have you done with the contents of the boxes (just interested )?

Those big Ikea bags are so useful for hoarding storing, I won't say how many I have.

Onward and outward is my mantra at the moment

I am getting precisely nowhere... sigh.

Enjoying getting back into the new (home ed) 'term' but all other motivation seems to have been packed away with the Christmas decs (which I didn't even put away myself )

We've got a load of things to do this weekend.

Before Christmas I did a huge amount of sorting in the box room and got rid of two estate car loads to the charity shop (the third load went to a different shop as I was too embarrassed to go in there again!). It had been 'dumped' in over Christmas, but it's mainly empty boxes and other bits which we knew was only temporary.

Last weekend we got rid of the chest of drawers which wasn't needed in there and I offered the very old wardrobe on Freecycle which is being collected tomorrow. I think that once that goes we'll be able to see much more what can be kept and what will go.

I've got a large box of sewing patterns to go through to decide if I want to keep them and then my sewing stuff is pretty much sorted.

Then all I've got to do is sort the study (I work from home!) and particularly my desk.

It does feel so good to be more on top of things.

Midlifehope welcome. We had a poster on our last thread who was married to a hoarder. The only advice I can offer is to talk to your Dp, tell him how you feel and how it makes you feel, but also try to find out the reason behind his problem. Try to work out and implement a way to move forward between you taking into account how and why he feels this way and why he hoards things. It's unlikely to be easy as I'm sure you know and you will need patience and understanding. Anyone else have any advice? Sadly, we are the hoarders on here so we can't necessarily see it from the other side of the pile so to speak. Let us know how you get on please.

Two I love Ikea bags :) and Pigeon you've done really well :)

Fuzz I'm with you. I'm having a relapse with the CFS, so nothing much is being done here and it's just getting worse :(

Have rhenium to a friend with the right aged children ...

*given them ...

Oh well done Two. I'm rewarding myself with at the mo. because I have spent 2 days on/in my airing cupboard. Put up 3 more shelves to store the enormous amount of sheets/pillowcases/duvet covers I've accumulated. Airing cupboard has a big hot water tank in it so not much spare space.
Everything is on the spare room bed and corridor (only two bedrooms here) so am surrounded by mess.

How many sheets do I need? How many duvet covers? I have dozens and dozens of pillowcases [embarrassed]
I also have so many tablecloths I 'inherited' from my mum - all white, all damask, various sizes. I never use them.
I'm getting a bit overwhelmed again even though I started with such good intentions.

Keep up the good work Freeriver Are the tablecloths in great condition? Could you ebay some? Do you know people who might use one or two of them that would appreciate them? I love a tablecloth and I know people that do use them and they can be hugely expensive to buy... just a thought.
I've also got loads of pillow cases and recently took a load of fitted sheets for my bed and duvet sets from a friend who seems to buy new ones monthly for my Ds. To be fair, I was short of sheets and Ds needed duvet covers that weren't flowery, so it was a good thing.

I am full of good intentions but still not done much.

I have gone through all four children's clothes myself and have three binbag to go to charity next week. I now have four bags of children clothes which I will go through with each child (next weekend) and get them to throw some more. Remain clothes will be put in wardrobe unironed but clean and dry. I will iron as they are needed and will catch up eventually.

I have NO washing pile, which is great. Mine and DH day clothes are put away.

Currently ironing tags into school uniform and putting them on our temp hanging rail along with club uniforms and DH's office clothes. Hopefully finish this ironing tonight or tomorrow.

Then onto toys !

Right. Dropped all four kids off at school. Then I went on an hours walk around the village ! Which is a massive achievement for me, as I have been too worried/ill to be more than a 30 second dash from my bathroom. I really think these pills are working well. Maybe I can risk going swimming next week ?

Any how, back home having 5 minutes whilst the iron heats up, ironing day today.

:)

I managed another walk around my village this morning...hurrah.

This morning was general tidy up, kitchen and laundry...All good.

This afternoon I have been trying to sort out the girls room...how much stuff !

I have one giant box of soft toys taken downstairs to sort out this evening (when they all asleep)

One medium box of dressing up finished
One medium box of dolls & horses, to be sorted later.
ONE MASSIVE cardboard box full to the brim of small things and 12 clip boxes to sort it in to....definately tomorrow's job.

Currently clearing under their bed, remaking beds and hoovering.

Should be finished by 3pm, just in time for the school run.

Then I have sorted everything into sets, I gave to decide what is staying and what is going so the Christmas toys can go upstairs! Which will clear the last corner of my living room.

You are sooooo good Babies you put me to shame...

I tend to post on days I did loads and not on days when it was all I could do the basics !

:)

Ha, Babies!

I have managed a tiny bit over the last few days. I cleared out some drawers and have sorted some toys into them. I'm not sure what to do next though, it feels like we can't attack the next bit without creating more chaos!

My entire life is chaotic I think. I know that the chaos that is home does not help my well being :(