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.

I'm so sorry to hear that Solo. Are you able to cope financially?

Oh no Solo! I'm so sorry, what crappy news :(

Well, I have the remainder of my redundancy but that is all ear-marked (as you probably know) for my rewiring and double glazing. If I have to use it, I'll never be able to replace it.

Just wanted to update you all that for now at least my now expanding job is safe.

Glad your job is ok.

Thank you Attic

Nothing happening here...everyone else?

No - We have a functional downstairs now (ish). It's good enough for DD to play safely and and is starting to walk whilst holding the sofa and shuffling along so I'm happy.

DH needs to clear eaves where all his wood is kept then I can clean and organise storage. We are shelving the attic conversion for a few weeks just to finish sorting out teh rest of the house.

Good news on the job :)

Nothing going on here except the other day we managed to gather a few bits for charity. Seriously need to sort out the books though.

Absolutely exhausted

Good news about your job.

We are kinda just about floating.
Today was massive clothes washing day. So tomorrow will be more laundry if the weather is nice and massive put away clothes day !

I need to sort through the little girls clothes but I hate sorting clothes and keep putting it off. But it needs doing..They keep growing !

Too much to do and not enough time to do it. Sigh but kitchen is done :)

Well done on the kitchen and the laundry :)

I've written a list of things I want to get done while DH is off. I feel bad because he needs time to rest too, he is run ragged TBH, but also I am painfully aware this stuff really needs doing and I physically cannot manage it myself. Even worse at the moment due to flare up. I have barely been able to stand for the last few days.

I've broken it down into really small and specific tasks, because normally if we just try and 'tidy up' it ends up more like 'moving shit around'. So I have a long list of tiny things like gathering all DD's magazines into one box for her bed, washing and decluttering the spare bedding etc. Much of it is stuff the Caglets can help with too.

I am wary of being too optimistic because in the past we've ended up not doing much, and we have lots of things planned (nothing massive but it's still term time for the Caglets so various home ed things to get to etc... plus DD's birthday!), but I really hope that because the list is broken down so much there will be things that are easily achievable and that we can all do some together.

I have been doing the Konmari tidying this time rather than decluttering and it really seems to be working.

It is slowly than standard decluttering when you go room by room and much slowly than panic tidying when it all gets piled somewhere out of sight !

Konmari is gathering like things together, decide which to keep and throw/charity the rest.

One of the rules is no churning (moving things around for no reason)

You start with clothes then books/paperwork then misc stuff then sentimental.

Since October I have done clothes and books/papers for the kids and I and toys twice. I am not to touch DH's stuff, he has to do it himself.

I have found the bathroom, kitchen and big kids room easy to keep tidy.

Little kids room is still nearly always a tip but slightly more organised tip.

Our room is now in categories piles rather than one big one. But I am still really struggling with this lot.

I am finding it fruitful, in that I am no longer pushing my indecisions around the house. But it takes ages to gather categories together which is a pain.

Well it is worth a try isn't it !

Well done! :)

I've got nowhere and feel really despondent.

Well done babies I enjoyed the Konmari book. I have found the gathering everything together bit impossible sadly mainly due to health stuff but I still believe it has changed me - stuff doesn't have so much hold over me anymore. It's the miscellaneous stuff I struggle with really. But for the caglets' tasks during DH's time off, I do have things like 'choose books to get rid of' and that will involve them collecting them all first.

Chin up solo it's crappy being in a bad phase, you will get there. Think how much progress you've made already, it may not seem it sometimes but every item out the door is a win!

You wouldn't think I'd touched the place though Cag .

I bought the Konmari book a couple of years ago and haven't even looked at it yet another addition to the pile.

I have back slided the last couple of days.

Including having a chicken kiev for my tea last night which is a bad move as my bowel diease is playing up at the moment and I need to avoid fats and dairy until I feel better.

Tonight I am having grilled gammon and rice and hope things settle by tomorrow.

I couldn't do my daily walk or walk to school (had to drive) and feel throughly fed up :(

Oh that sucks babies :( sorry you are feeling so rubbish.

Solo I totally understand how it feels when no matter what you do nothing looks different. :(

Am feeling somewhat deflated as predictably we haven't really achieved anything in DH's time off. We have been so busy doing clubs and stuff with the Caglets, attending appts (including both of them finally being officially diagnosed with autism!!!) and with DD's birthday that we have had fuck all time to do anything. I don't feel any more rested either and after tomorrow (a busy and tiring day as have to travel to a family thing) DH is working 8 days in a row. He's then off again which is great as we have our much wanted holiday but we are already committed to other stuff around that so I can't see us managing anything then either.

Sounds really ungrateful I know as it's great that DH was able to take leave, but I'm panicking because when else do we get to do this stuff? It feels like it'll never happen. When DH is working it's just constant stress (he does evenings and bedtime is DD's main issue, especially at the moment due to bullying she has faced) and we have so much going on. I can live in hope that once summer holidays start we will at least be dashing about less, and also DH won't have his business to worry about (he runs a sports club to bring in extra income but it's term time only so we may have some more time two mornings a week. But I don't feel like it's enough! I know it's our fault for over committing to everything TBH but with the needs the Caglets have I don't see any other way.

Feeling better today and made modest headway with basic housework.

I am giving myself the evening off pizza for tea and then pj's, glass of wine and rubbish tv :)

Good stuff babies :)

DH took 3 big shopping bags of stuff to the charity shop today. They've been sitting there a few weeks so not an achievement as such, but at least it's made some room.

Hi all, I did a tiny bit this evening. Small.

Fantastic Solo. A small bit is a step in the right direction :)

Brilliant :)

Hoping we can achieve a little bit today as we have a free morning before DH goes to work. But as usual it's more a case of catching up on the general housework and sorting the tip of a living room

Imagine a 15 kilo bag of rice. I took a grain out.

I think I envy you all having a partner to work with :(

Sorry solo it must be so much harder to do this on your own. It's a massive achievement

I am annoyed with DH today as he is still saying things will never get better in the house. I don't understand why he said that because he does plenty to help when we do decluttering, he does more physically than I do TBH because of my health stuff. Why be so defeatist? He says stuff like this often but I don't understand why. We HAVE made a lot of progress, long long way to go but I need him to be positive about it not negative :(

I may be projecting somewhat as it has been a shit morning with grumpy kids, there have been tears from them and me!