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! :)

knitting Hope the cushion covers are out of the house !

I need to set a deadline for eBaying and if I haven't done it by then I need to charity it. I am worried about not selling stuff or only getting £1 but as the money is already sunk it shouldn't matter really. Except the kids computer table downstairs is sagging and badly in need of repair and if I raise some money I could replace it. But because I worry, I do nothing ! I am cross with myself and need to get moving.

And because I am blocking the upstairs landing with the eBay stuff, I can't move up what needs to be storaged there properly. Which will be my inside airer for rainy days. Folded down on dry days, to get it out of my dining room.

Plus my new tool box on wheels, which has been craft storage forever but it IS tool storage case...so I can extend my tool collection, as I am learning to do diy. I need to buy a hacksaw to cut wood edging to repair wood paneling in the hall (which I hate but needs keeping and painting)

I also need to buy a knife (?) or something else to remove bathroom grouting and white silicone to redo it. But that is after I paint the ceiling white in there. Got the paint, just got to brave a ladder !

I gave decided to pick out the biggest three items and list them today. 99p and no reserve...arghh. I just keep telling myself if I only got 50p an item, there would be £20 of stuff there. And anything that doesn't sell first time around can go to charity.

Personally I would put the ebay stuff in the loft or somewhere else for 30 days only (!) and paint the ceiling and do the panelling. Because the ebaying is going to take far more time than those things, which after all are saving you far more money and giving you far more satisfaction, considering you are not paying someone to do them, and £20 is I hour of skilled craftsman work. So if you think about it, you are saving at least £100 if you can get those jobs done, and at the moment you can't because of the ebaying which is holding you up, literally. (okay not literally, the ladder is doing that)

does that make sense?

Dh has just told me to go for a run in the big park. I was about to procrastinate taking the recycling to the tip/charity shop on basis that I had to tidy the house and go for short run, but I see now I can combine both, run and tip run if I go to large park. But house still a mess if I do that. I must grit my teeth and get into the car and just get the stuff out of the house!!!!grrrr

I've managed to take everything to the tip, except for the books and the cushions [drat] which are still in the car; there was no dedicated book container at the dump today (usually is) and I didn't have the heart to put them in the paper recycling. But put lots of clothes and textiles and assorted household stuff in recycling. It has taken two weeks to get them there

There is still a beanbag and two chairs in my garden.

I also managed to go for a Ikm Run YAY!

I think I've found my people! I'm not sure my issue is actually hoarding or simply failing at adulting... But I'm slowly building a stash of stuff that makes it impossible to tidy and then I get overwhelmed and don't know where to start even.

Part of the reason everything is so messy is because things don't have a set place so they just get dumped. And we dreadfully lack storage and can't really afford more right now so in a bit of a rut.

We'll have to go through everything though as we're moving so might as well declutter and reorganise.

So I'll put up a couple of shelves in the kitchen so I can actually use my rather extensive collection of cookbooks.

And makeup, I have such a large amount of stuff and nowhere to put it so I'll have to invest in one of those makeup trolley things.

I swear 90% collection is the branded stuff you get in poundshop and how can I pass it up when it's only £1!

Ooh, and hello to Cagliostro who I remember from one of the anime threads .

Hi Cheshire :) Welcome . Try freecycle for shelving/storage.

I have done a bit this afternoon. Sorted a pile in the kitchen and went through it all recycling, shredding and sorting. A small step.

I find with ebay it can be helpful to put it on for much shorter listing periods - look on the listing tool - there are options for 24 hours, 3 days and 5 day listings. A short listing means that it gets up the search rankings, comes to people's attention and gets out of the house all the quicker.

and I don't have any make up either! Where is all my clutter coming from???? I don't seem to have any nice things....

This weekend has been a bit mixed. I managed to entertain people on two occasions (two nice meals with table cleared, air of calm purposefull housekeeping , and the house looked tidyish downstairs, but only because I threw lots of things in the cupboard under the stairs. And when I took them out again to search for something (which I had tidied neatly somewhere else ) it is just

TIPSVILLE again...

Have tidied my room. It looks nice. But the hoover then blew up when I was just getting to the interesting part, behind the furniture And Now I have to declutter the wretched hoover and buy a new one...adding that to my list of duties.

Books and cushions still in the car aarrgh. I am determined to sort this out on Monday. don't let me back on here till it is all gone.

very good on your kitchen pile Solo

Well, I've picked up some Maybelline lipsticks for £1, but I'm actually quite happy about that.

I've folded a pile of clothes and sorted through DS's toys the plastic tat in the living room which means at least the poor kid has the room to play.

Also sorted his outgrown clothes and refolded all the piled up clothes in a cupboard and cleared the top of the cupboard as things kept falling over!

Need to deep clean the kitchen next .

stuff still in the car

but I have nearly finished the curtains x 4.. just hem to go, so that particular project/hoard is nearly dealt with. Then I can pass on the rest of the rufflette tape and curtain lining material. And hang them up, finally, 8 years after the loft was completed and the material was ordered.

Cheshire where did you get your lippy from? I need a new one as I got rid of all my disgusting, outdated and frankly vile smelling ones (they were very old!).

Good going on the curtain front knitting

Poundshop/ Home bargains type of places do some lovely high street make up- Rimmel, Barry M and the like.

I have very old nail polishes that need to go next as they've dried up by now.

Please can I join?

Working this week but pent this evening going through everyone's clothes but DH. There are so many to take to charity tomorrow!

The more the merrier Madam :) Good start!!

Thanks Cheshire I'll have to have a look :)

I'm now mending a pair of pjs that have been in various piles for ages, and very pleased to say I darned ds1's school jumper which was full of holes, and plan to do the other one, courtesy of having functioning sewing box with all the thread easily accessible.

Have also made inroads on the laundry pile, it looks a bit less terrible. Then maybe I can properly put things back in the children's rooms, which usually just hang around in random piles.

curtains are finished but I need to iron them and put the hooks in. And it is parents' eve this evening so not going to manage this evening.

Wow, I'd love to learn how to sew properly, that's really impressive knitting. I have a sewing machine and I can do some very basic sewing by hand, but that's about it.

We actually bought a curtain 2 years!! ago and we never put it up in the end. Bit pointless now as we're moving again. Maybe I'll set it up at the new place.

I need to mend my coat as it's fairly literally falling apart so that'll be tonight's project I hope. What I should really do is bin it and buy a new one, but I can't afford one that I'll really like and I don't want to be stuck with one I'm not keen on IYKWIM.

No real decluttering has been done as I've been sick so now we have to pack things up ASAP.

Had a busy and fun day. Managed to completely replace my clothes for £50 from a charity shop - jumpers, dresses, t-shirts (and most is Next). Have now bagged up all my old clothes to take to the same shop (old clothes too small hence the clear out).

Also took DD to the park to watch the birds on the lake which she loves and took her for a walk.

Enjoying well earned cuppa then off to tackle make up nd tidying the kids bedroom.

Piled eBay stuff in dining room for the time being.

Moved clothes airer (which is up permenantly with 6 sets of clothes being washed) to upstairs landing with dehumidifier...equals drier clothes and clearer down stairs.

I have no laundry pile, done all homework and rearrange kitchen surfaces (Doing cupboards over half term).

I really need to deal with 'eBay' pile and our oncoming pile in our room. But overall we are doing ok. :)

Well! You'd be proud of me today :) It doesn't look like I've done much, but I went through and sorted a lot of the utter crap lying around the kitchen floor! I can actually see (some of the) floor! I wiped over my cooker top, did a wash load, dishwasher load and sorted the undersink cupboard (well, some of it as I hardly touch most of it ). I have decided to use up what I have in cupboards rather than just keep buying stuff, so will not need to buy shower gel, deoderant, toothpaste/brushes (for 12 months), shampoo and conditioner, cleaning stuff, washing liquid or fabric conditioner for at least 6 months, though I will need dishwasher tablets. More tomorrow (maybe!).

Well done Solo Sounds like you got loads done :)

Hi all! Can I join? I've been lurking and loving getting inspiration from your motivation and achievements. I am a "hidden" hoarder, by that I mean I keep far too much stuff but it is all carefully organised and hidden away in elaborate storage so you wouldn't necessarily be aware of it... But it still has a negative impact on my mental health because in the back of my mind I KNOW all the shit is there, weighing down on me, needing sorted, indexed (I know, don't judge me...it freaks me out not knowing what is there) and someday dealt with properly ifyswim.... I have been slowly sorting and reducing it but it's a slow process... About 17 months so far....

Right now I am trying to get shot of an old IKEA bookcase on Freecycle, but no takers. It's too big for my car to take to the furniture recycling place, and I work on the day they collect so I am stuck with it! Agh!

that brilliant Solo. I find using up the stuff I've already got, not only makes me feel positive, but is a way of assessing what I HAVE got, and makes me take it out and properly look at it.

Dd just handed me lots of suncream. Very tempted to throw it away but it will go in the medicine cupboard of doom. Found dissolved strepsils in there last time, they were so old they just sort of reabsorbed into the atmosphere, I must have thought ONE DAY I'll be searching for that last strepsil and hung onto them.

We get through so much shampoo in this house and washing powder and dw powder, but things like body lotion and cleanser just hang around, oh and handcream. Soap I tend to stockpile, when people give me bars, but then I just cannot find it when I want it, it is all over the house in different corners. I think I may just have to throw it away and start again with some nice soap which doesn't turn into horrible spongey cakes left under the shower by the boys. And makeup I might as well throw away because I never ever wear it.

I've done no decluttering but I did take 2 bags of books to the charity shop, from the car hoard. And I've been wearing a lot of ski thermals, which makes me feel better about having them hanging around in piles not quite sorted or "placed". I confess to buying some more books from charity shop though, just 4, and new ones, and I read two straightaway, and cooked from another one. My first Nigella book ever!! From 1998, I don't think I realised what they were on about at the time, I never watched the programmes, she writes very steamily about food doesn't she

I am also managing to use some knapsacks which have been put in the right place since the big understairs sort out, feel really pleased they are actually useful and contributing to the household. One I use for running and the other defunct handbag has come in useful for shopping. Before they were just lost in a mountain of "stuff".

Not missing ANYTHING I threw away, can scarcely remember what I threw away, if that gives hope to anyone fretting about what to dispense with. Apart from a jug, and even that is because all the jugs are full of stock/sour milk in the fridge, I still have plenty. I think the more I organise the easier it is to do without extra utensils and crockery. Although you can never have too many wooden spoons or cereal bowls I find..Or teaspoons for that matter.