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! :)

Hi all :) You sound like you are doing well :)

It was my birthday yesterday and I'm feeling a bit deflated today...getting old :(

Not doing much at home - though I have some washing on the line today!

Aw happy birthday for yesterday Solo!

Not a lot achieved yesterday or today really, but have had clubs and stuff for the DCs going on. But still managed a little bit despite epic dizziness - got a couple of boxes of random crap (I think I should just abbreviate the term since I seem to use it all the time. They shall henceforth be known as BRCs) and cleared them out, so some more rubbish/recycling has left the house and I have some easy bits to tidy up now.

Happy belated birthday Solo

Getting older is great, well better than the alternative !

I love the concept of RBC .....I have loads of them and they take forever to sort through !

I am wibbling a bit at the moment. Worried about a friend, have loads of tidying to do and really need some exercise but feeling under the weather.

Aiming to do some tidying and a gentle walk on the treadmill later.

Happy birthday solo!

Right I have finally had it with my tat. I'm fed up being defined by my hoard. No one has ever officially looked into me being a hoarder so as as of yesterday I'm no longer accepting it!

I am still waiting to see f I'm going to get councilling but who cares why? I'm mad with people poking their nose into my business and judging me.

I have set up a few rules to stick on my fridge and one is not buy any clothes for anyone for a year. Unless it's desperately needed uniform or shoes. Then I'm packing everything out of sight. If it can't be crammed away its binned. Then I'm going to sort / Kondo it.

I can be a secret hoarder in my head where no one judge me.

I have been a support group and I will keep going to that. I hope I have finally snapped. I was happy as I was but I just can't take the judging any more.

If only I had a bigger house I could keep more but it's to crammed now. Let's hope the loft doesn't cave in

Well done 2boys you've had your line-in-the-sand moment. :)

Babies sorry you're feeling bad. Hope the walk helps!

I've realised that some of the DCs' classes aren't running over the next couple of weeks (I've lost track of when school holidays are :o) so I'm pleased as we should have a little more time to continue the good work. DH will be working but hopefully we can still build on what we've done!

I've achieved very little in the house today as had errands to run but hopefully I can do a bit later. I feel conscious that I mustn't let a day pass by without decluttering a little bit at least - I know if I do that then I'll just stall.

Not had my walk yet but will do shortly. Did re-sort kids clothes another three bin bags to go to charity.

2boys Keep that angry and get it working for you. Love the attitude and rules on the fridge. You go girl !

Caglio I stall often and have to wait until I am in the right mood to declutter. Enjoy your extra free time this week.

I'm just doing like 3 minutes at a time this evening. I really feel like the right mood is here long term now IYSWIM? I've had phases before but I'm hoping that as this time we've made such a massive amount of progress it's spurring me on. But I'm achy as hell so can't do much. I'm going to finish the little bits that are out already but then stop. Tomorrow will be tiring so need to save my energy.

Gosh! There's some serious attitude going on here! I like it! :) Well done all!!

2boys who has been judging you? I hate judgey/judgy (sp?) people; like they are perfect! I don't think so. This is why I've cut myself off from the outside world; even my best friend ~ someone I've known for 40 years is not allowed here. She says she won't judge, but I've heard her doing just that with a member of her own family, so I know she will :(

Caught 1 mouse today, but I know there is at least another one.

I need to start getting more sleep and do more in my time at home; I have 10 days off over Easter and I need to focus on decluttering, cleaning and tidying.

Well I have had a few people in my door over the last month lots of judgy pant hoisting has been done by nosey feckers well they can all p off unless I can barge into their house and declare it a shit hole

I'm just done with it. I have been carefully folding and stashing my beloved kids clothes hoard under the kids bed. I'm going to make up a little curtain to go under his cabin bed. If it fits there, it's doing no harm right now. I have sworn a lot today which is enought to get me buy. If I protest to myself with lots of expletives I can actually be productive!

The rest of the house should really follow on ok if I tidy it, stash and then thin again by area. It seems to work so far as its the fastest appearance result. I'm doing a list of housework every day too.

30 mins dealing with washing - minimum, 15 each on the beds, table, washing up and declutterring. Key seems to be to never stop for a day ( for me).

I just feel like the more people who I tell I'm struggling with my stash, the more of a issue it becomes. It's like admitting it has become a excuse to accept it. Like "oh well I'm a hoarder so what do you expect?" I think I'm 50:50 angry with myself

Plus I'm fed up of loosing everything. A kid looses a shoe - you might as well declare it dead or loose a a day of your life trying to find it. PE kits, keys, it's all disappearing into what feels like that rubbish shoot thingie in Star Wars while the walls close in. Gahh! Got yet another visitor tomorrow. I might get a t shirt made up saying "Yes it's a mess in here" to wear.

Maybe the visitors are coming thick and fast as the house is a local attraction now?

But it's really not that bad. But I am a hoarder. I need to start hoarding on a more minute scale.

Solo Well done of catching a mouse...good luck with the second one...or get a cat ? Hope you get more sleep soon.

If you want a non judgy visit, we would come around. It would be relaxing as no need to panic.

2boys Screw the judgy people. I must confess I tidy like a whirlwind before visitors, hide loads AND then tell them I haven't had chance to tidy a thing...why do I do that !

YY to losing things. We nearly didn't leave the house yesterday as DD2 lost ONE shoe (which is why I am obsessed with putting shoes in a hall tub) no idea when we will find it next :(

Gaglio Hope you are not too achy today and got your three minutes tidy done.

I am having a home day and the top task today is rebox all toys in right boxes and chuck some on the way. What a thankless job...another one I have been avoiding...but the giant box if toys in the kids room needs dealing with.

Wish me luck !

Ohhh muchos sympathy on the losing things. I'm sure that's the main way in which this clutter keeps me ill. I mean I'm ill anyway, no amount of tidiness is going to get rid of my conditions, but the stress of looking for things and the dust and aaargh it just makes me ill. IYSWIM?

I didn't get much done at all last night. Sorted out a new box for a couple of things and continued decluttering in my head (that's what I do when I'm not well enough to do it in reality - I think hard about how to arrange things and what I could get rid of). I'm going to check a drawer for size when I go downstairs (haven't got up yet!) but not actually rearrange it today. And I can see a few things that I WILL put away this morning. I WILL.

Good luck with the toy decluttering. I find that really hard. It was easier when we had broken bits and lost pieces etc but board games/jigsaws (the main culprit for lost pieces) are now well organised so that doesn't happen anymore (yay!). They have loads and loads of toys. Seriously I could set up a nursery or something. But they play with ALL of it. There is literally not a single thing left that I could get away with chucking. A couple of things I'd like to sell sneakily (Duplo and an easel) but not even sure I'd get away with it! Even Happyland and wooden blocks, which I thought they'd have outgrown by now (8 and 6) is still played with all the time. I'm glad really - even when we've had help from SS, family support workers etc, they all commented on how nice it was to see children playing properly - but the storage is hard! And each birthday and Christmas it gets worse. I keep seeing things I know they'll love.

2 more mice! Doesn't seem to be any more...!

I'll answer properly tomorrow as I need some sleep.

I have seen this in active from time to time but my life has not been at all good recently H left. I will try and post some of my progress soon but I wanted to say hello, and to encourage you all, especially all of us who struggle with mental health issues.

Welcome twoandtwo. Lovely to have another new person on the thread. Mental health issues are very common around here....so you are amongst friends. :)

Solo Two more mice caught ? Well done.

I have failed to touch the kids toys again but today I will start it. I need to thin the toy mountain !

A returnee ... been a while, though.

Hiya Two welcome/welcome back! :) Sorry about your H. I hope that in the end it is for the best.

No progress today, was just too tired TBH, got back pretty late from the HP studio tour (was amazing!). Did start washing some things though that had been lingering on the floor bottom of the wardrobe for months. If not years.

Lots of free time tomorrow though so hoping we can get more done.

I am still feeling fired up. That's great as I'm normally up and down about the house during the week. Constant small things are slowing showing.

I have a tiny kitchen which is rammed. If I just say to myself "ten things back to their rightful home" I can see it straight away. Fast fixes boost my mood.

20 things on eBay, eight have bids. Have bought eldest kid some shorts and belts but he needs both.

Let's see how I feel after Easter and inevitable trashing of the house when you have four kids.

I might be broken and rolling around sobbing in empty frube cartons, crumbs and abandoned pjs In two weeks.

I have also been without my car for several days, so everything is so much more complicated and we are all very tired. I have a day or so before we go away so I hope that the ravages of the end of term can be repaired, so it is no worse than it was, if you know what I mean.

hello everyone; Happy Easter to you all. I'm not well! I've woken up with a cough and cold ~ again! I still intend to do lots here, but I'm not feeling great. No more mice caught, so we might have sorted that out :) phew!!! although I haven't checked the traps today as yet.

How are you all getting on? Any plans for this weekend?

I'm ill in bed! Combination of my lovely Dh being off so I have childcare and my body just giving up.

It's raining so it's the toy room today. I'm hoping for a drastic result. That's one area that you could look at and say "hoarder" it's got to say "four kids" by the end of today. I'm ignoring any feelings of sadness, loss or wastefulness.

I realised yesterday also that lots of woman like shopping. Why am I punishing myself for liking it? I just need to tone it done ( a lot!) it's not like I'm a alcoholic and and another drink / trip to shops will be the end for me.

Took the little kids out to the beach yesterday. Dd wet through her nappy ( no idea how she must have drunk too much on the way down in the car) I had spare clothes but there was a urge to look for a new spare outfit. However I didn't look at any kids clothes. I reminded myself she's got tonnes at home and I could just re pack a spare set.

So I'm feeling positive, holding onto my anger and reminding myself I can still shop, but not now or anytime soon. I need to clear out first. It makes me twitchy but it's just a new mindset. I think it will feel more normal the more time passes

That's a great way of looking at it, 2boys - I have found the regret (over wastage etc) to be paralysing in the past, and it's serving me much better to just chalk it up to experience and move on.

Not sure I'll get much done today, DH has taken the DCs out so I can rest - I waved them off just after 8, and then ended up sleeping on the sofa til almost 1pm! Will do some laundry soon and might try the 'just do one tiny thing and then rest' trick as that's pretty much the only way I can manage any decluttering at the moment. We don't really celebrate Easter other than an egg hunt in the morning, so hoping we can get a bit more done as a family tomorrow. Then on Monday DH starts his new job so am not expecting us to be able to do much more over the next few weeks really.

Hope all the lurgies go away soon and you all feel better! [lemsip]

Well I'm getting nowhere with proper decluttering so I'm lazing on the sofa clearing out my inbox instead.

Had 3 days off to do stuff and have done nothing. Truth is I'm overwhelmed and don't know where to start.

Hi, not posted on MN for years. Changed username not got it quite right so will have one letter change tomorrow. Similar story to every one else, clutter has taken over and cant get it sorted. For the first time in a long time actually feel like life can change though. OH is helping and not just by tidying stuff into boxes when his family visits. He has put up hooks for bags and 2 coat racks.At the moment I am on an up and wanted to encourage anybody on the down. Clutter is a tricky beast it will make you feel guilty if you don't keep sorting it. Makes you feel you are failing when reality you are not. There will be days when you sort bin bags full and other days when you do nothing. Don't beat yourself up I don't understand why but this is how it works for me and you. Just keep on fighting. (Excuse grammar and spelling but it is early). Xxx