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

[Solo]

Are you are any of the following? Can you be described as a clutterbug? Are you 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 cannot just ask someone in for a cuppa at a moments notice or dread the meter reader asking for access.

Are you nodding whilst reading any of these words? 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. We cheer one another along and drag the drowners from the depths of despair.

Join us; we don't bite :) Welcome to thread number 3.

Nettle no, I meant Benenden Health so, I get a magazine from them to 'read' about health breakthroughs and celeb actor/sports members that have a health issue and other such stuff...

I'm going backwards today. Today's mission: do basic cleaning of kitchen!!! first empty dw and wipe worktops, get ds to do the recycling. It is quite interesting that dd has come down, had breakfast and chatted to me, whilst leaving her cereal plate on the table. she clearly regards me as a soft touch as regards tidying, whereas with her dad it would go in the sink straightaway.. I can see things silting up around the four of us, now that dh is away, because none of us can be bothered...

Hi all, I fell off the thread. PND setting in a bit although it seemed to be a short term blip. Rediscovered my motivation today though. I confess that I bought storage. 😳 Something I really try not to do as generally it just breeds clutter, but as baby’s grown (4 months today!) the clothes box was no longer big enough so I bought three smaller tubs instead to separate into vests/sleepsuits/day clothes (here she is in the tubs 😂😂 she actually enjoyed being in there!).

Then I bought more, they were so cheap and we have heaps of stuff hanging around the house in bags like the duplo and train set we are keeping for her, next size clothes etc. So lots of sorting out done today in between feeds, but living room is now teeming with stuff and she’s being ever so clingy so I’m glued to the sofa again. And we have a friend visiting tomorrow.

Also made a little headway on the home ed stuff a couple of weeks back but then I stalled as it’s just so hard to know whether we will use something or not. Today I sorted through all the workbooks and activity books as well. Got rid of a few, but most I’m fairly hopeful for as the Caglets are now tolerating more structured work which is a big improvement.

I’ve still got all the outgrown baby clothes and wasn’t sure what to do with them all, I was saving the neutral stuff for a mumsnetter (who isn’t finding out the sex) and for a friend who just qualified as a foster carer so could bring home a baby sometime. But had no idea what to do with all the overtly girly clothes. But a friend is collecting for Syria and baby clothes will be much appreciated. So I’ve started putting some in a box.

I’ll also be decluttering some craft supplies as I’m running a home ed event for World Book Day next week (eeeek). So all the paper scraps, ribbons etc will be perfect for one of the activities and that will free up a couple of our art drawers.

Flying through before bed but, I just had to say... Cag she is gorgeous!! :)

Oh and Dd and I spent the day doing lots of sorting out...

Cag you are amazing to do so much, anyone would feel tired and low with so much to do, but well done for doing all that sorting and the World Book Day event to come. Don't forget vitamins, I am really in awe how you are managing so much, at this point with 3 I was a gibbering wreck unable to organise a cheese sandwich!

today has been peaceful and cosy. I cooked a few rather flung together meals (if you can call them that) I managed to get to church fo rthe second time in about 4 months (is dh a vampire, when he is here I find it very difficult to allow myself to go, I feel very guilty to abandon ship, when he is not here, I just trot off )

I threw away some old jars. I pulled out some stuff from a cupboard and left it on the floor, hopefully. Dd said I could recycle an ugly duvet cover she had selected (mauve and purple patchwork from Aldi last year) worked out I could put another hook on the door, to lessen coat rage. So feeling v positive, though not much done really!

I loaded dw too, and did lots of laundry. Ds2 did his bed, and changed the duvet and sheet. Dd tidied her room reallly thoroughly too, thanks to nil intervention - she is realising that only she is going to tidy it not mum!

Cag You make beautiful babies and she looks very content in her box :) Sorry to hear about the pnd. Sounds like you are being very positive and busy with the home schooling.

Nettle Sounds like you are doing brilliantly. Good for you, wish I was as motivated. I tend to do one day rushing around madly and the next day recovering and doing paperwork !

Solo Yeah for your daughter and you doing loads. Hope you are pleased with your progress :)

it is snowing, a great day to hunker down and do more tidying/decluttering...kids have gone to school, we were able to find the hats and gloves easily today...

I emptied my handbag on the table in search of money to give ds for lunch, it is a disgrace...But I am going to resist decluttering the small stuff today, and concentrate on the bigger cupboards. Oh and I still need to make my travel file don't I?

today: declutter towels and sheets. put ski stuff downstairs in case they want to wear it in the snow...ds already wore ski gloves to school, that came in handy

today I have sorted out the shoe cupboard, and by removing all the non-shoe crap in it, (big hall cabinet) fitted five persons' multiple pairs of shoes in it. And forced myself to take certain items to the clothes recycling ie: lace top that I could have cut up for fabric, stripey shirt ripped ditto, some slippers that might have been useful if my foot was a size smaller, some tennis shoes I am never going to play tennis in (because I don't play tennis atm due to dealing with cr**p sorting!) oh an all sorts of things that could have had a home or a purpose but NO they are GONE...hurrrah!!!

but I didn't do the towels and sheet declutter. And the kitchen is terrible, fulll of saucepans, even though dw is on again. Cooked v nice supper though for the three kids.

still failed on the usual things though, I found myself putting some paperbacks back on the shelf as I didnt have the energy to give them to the person I was intending to, or know whether she would want them, and then the charity shop doesn't take books anymore, and it was only three paperbacks!!! (maybe I should just burn them...) I got rid of a hardback Dr Seuss on the pavement though, The Sneetches. at least someone wants it. In a rage I threw 3 other battered think ex library books that no-one will ever want except me in the bin. Feel better for doing these wicked acts of subversion, occasionally.

And I sorted out my handbag a bit. One of the books I put back on the shelf had 5 fivers and 20 pound note in it, lucky really I waved it around so much

Wow nettle was it in fact one of those safes disguised as a book :o

I’ve done absolutely fuck all today except make a mess in the kitchen.

I’m getting really panicky about how much there is left to do. I am super excited about moving (we are very near the top of the housing register, other than any emergencies) but it’s also getting very real now and I’ve lived here 10 years, that’s a huge change! And there’s so so much to sort out. I’m really hoping we have a nice big overlap (quite likely as we will have to give notice here) in which to gradually furnish and move stuff over. But oh god. So much to do. Panic panic panic.

I had to take some of the crockery and glasses out of two of my kitchen wall cabinets this evening as a tray that was balanced on top of it fell off and when I looked, the cabinet has inched further off the wall . I may have to deal with a new kitchen sooner than anticipated! I have so much to do...

just coming on here to pathetically moan because ds has snowboots in the loft (size 12 men's) and they have been unused for 3 years(since he went on ski trip with school) and NOW I CANNOT FIND THEM because there is so much cr**p up there and it is all snowy...bo hoo.

Cag that is very exciting. A larger house/flat will be great news. Moving will be a horror but when it is done, yay!!!

Solo oh no, scary, I think they are mostly fixed in such a way as to never fall off, just tilt, something to do with physics. Maybe take everything out right now??? rather than have an accidental crash? New kitchen is also very very exciting, nothing beats a necessary new kitchen despite the £££. Mine is cream gloss, I love it. 5 years old now, and I still feel as if it is a treat. Also irridescent black laminate (sounds vile, but I like polishing it)

Sometimes the best decluttering happens when a disaster forces it, sadly.

I hate things like that, when you KNOW you have something and you can’t bloody find it. Story of my life TBH.

Made a little progress today, as I need a load of colouring stuff for the book day thing. So it’s a good excuse to go through the drawers, bloody hell we have so much. I decided to go through testing them all (faffing clearly but at least it’s somerhing I can do with a baby attached to my boob 😳) putting back the naice ones, and actually I have now decided to just chuck the still-working-but-not-so-naice ones after the party. We do not need so many. Haven’t even tackled the pencils yet.

I would have got so much more done but family popped in unexpectedly. Well, with about 20 minutes notice. Which in my book counts as unexpected. Need to sort out all the paper scraps for the party too. Will be nice to have them gone, the Caglets don’t really use them (although they will at the party because their friends will be!)

I absolutely must get all the party stuff sorted by tomorrow night though, as I have a very narrow turnaround on Thursday. If only I could put this baby down without her screaming.

Oh, I want a white gloss kitchen with real wood worktops and a double sink. I have quite a small kitchen so, making it practical is a top priority and practical is not what it is right now! I'll be having a big Stoves cooker (mum's old one) too so, space will even more limited. The whole kitchen is currently tiled with mid 80's tiles and awful. I want clean, sleek and practical...
I can't do it yet; I'm just not ready!!

how would you make it happen? what would be the first thing you had to do? Not everything, the first thing.

everything is sorted in my kitchen but it is still untidy right now, I guess I am just incredibly untidy. I seem to create mess faster than I clear it, which reminds me I seem to like making nests. sore throat and earache today make me less interested in dealing with it. House now littered with possible articles to keep ds1 warm on way to school which he refused to wear

have kept on top of washing in last few days though and I found a ski jacket in the loft, so I am pleased with myself for those things.

And hall still looks great, light and airy due to massive declutter earlier last week. Dd has not gone into school today because tube for her very long journey not working. Boys have gone in, ds2 v excited and preparing for snowballs(if they are not banned, I hope they are, thought of cold ice down your neck in the classroom, yuk)

Solo I had wooden worktops before (ikea ones) and although beautiful, they were not practical and very quickly became stained (washing powder esp bad). Whereas formica/laminate [swoons] looks as good as new years later. I just love it in a weird sort of retro way, reminds me of the 70's. But basically I love being able to put a hot pan down or a wet dish down with no marks.

Hi all, I'm new to the thread.
My big problem is clothes and shoes... I have two big wardrobes and two chests of drawers full + loads more in several storage bags and a couple of boxes. And that's after donating lots to the charity shop recently!

I'm just not ruthless enough - I often go back to old favourites after not wearing them for a while and would regret getting rid of them. Occasionally I dream of getting rid of the lot and becoming one of those people who only own a few selected good quality items, though! Anyone else dealing with too many clothes?

viccat I've decluttered loads of clothes in my time. I often think of all the clothes I bought - old friends that have departed - often I might have worn them again, I occasionally end up buying similar, copies of things I declutter (ie red cardigans, black skirts, white teeshirts)

However, I weigh that up against the amount of clothes I would have if I hadn't thrown them out (or recycled them to good homes I like to think) and how incredibly depressing it would be to have cupboards of clothes to care for sort through. As it is I have summer and winter clothes and I put summer clothes in the loft and even the summer clothes make the enormous pile.

There are five people in this house, and I frame it that if each of us kept all our clothes into infinity..well there would no room for any of us and the cats. As it is dh does keep all his clothes and it is very oppressive to be dealing with moth and cramped rails, and suits that don't fit.

So if you have enough room, it is not stopping you enjoying life, and you are curating a collection, well why not enjoy your collection. But it is worth recycling some of clothes that are only there for sentimental reasons (if not all), you will still remember them even if they are gone, I certainly do. Also be ruthless about clothes to wear doing gardening etc, you may find you have lots of these and you don't need more than one set of "old raggedy clothes"

atm I have one "good" exciting coat, one weather proof warm stylish anorak for dog walking, one fleece for keeping warm, one alpine anorak for summer walking and one smart short woollen red jacket as autumn spring coat. I miss my black coat that was getting a bit tight, with a pink fleck - I recycled that a while back, but I was bored to death of it, when I recycled it after 6 years. And would i really want to have 6 coats? It seems slightly obscene. That's the way I approach my wardrobe. But maybe if there were less of us I would have kept the other coats.

I have lots of jackets...several coats and a few short raincoats.

Well, my boiler has stopped working today and of course, I can't get a plumber in to fix it! We are bundled up with extra blankets in bed now and I put the living room gas fire on which stank due to probably a decade of sitting idle! But, it warmed up lovely in that room and I put pyjamas on under my onsie; Dd didn't want to but, she did have a hat on and did some homework/watched videos on her iPad in bed whilst I fell asleep watching tv. In bed now but, I can't sleep.
Tomorrow, I'm tackling the back bedroom (boiler in there), the hall, stairs and landing so that I can get a plumber in.