#4 - Hoarding, Sorting, Organising, Friendship, Understanding. All On One Thread.

[Solo]

Are you a hoarder? Are you in a mess, untidy, disorganised? A bit lazy with housework? Are you are ill and not coping with the housework? Are you totally overwhelmed? Are you are emotionally attached to items for whatever reason and can't let them go? Are you unable to just ask someone in for a cuppa at a moments notice or do dread the meter reader asking for access?
Do you find yourself nodding whilst reading any of this? If you have a combination of any or all of these things or something completely different, please come and join us. There is no judging. We have something in common here 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 4.

@Elleherd the landlord sounds terrifying, like a crime boss. Have you ever talked to Shelter? Or would they just push you to CAB? You’ve been very resilient in the face of all that. Well done for making progress today with sorting, it’s another step forward.

Goodness Elle what an awful landlord. It's truly shocking that the CAB has sold out like that, it really shouldn't be legal.
No progress here today, too sleep deprived to do anything except survive the day while thinking gloomy thoughts. Hopefully do better tomorrow.

I achieved a bit today sorting wise. I threw away a pair of perfectly good black tights which didnt fit me instead of trying to store them for future use as draught excluder or bird feeder!!

I nearly threw away a teeshirt that didnt fit but alas it fitted dd, so it joined HER clothes mountain.

The bin men took away the recycling. I havent tackled the jam jars yet. I want to chuck them but I also really want to make just one batch of jam before I give up on that score.

I shook out lots of pet blankets and hoovered downstairs.

But not much sorting atm..dh felt ill after his vaccine and I ended up cooking a comforting supper for him rather than pressing on with any confrontations over throwing things out.

Watching an old dvd this eve with dd, the dust is terrible on dvd shelf. far too many and we have netflix!! Good for an internet ree time place perhaps. I have to try and stop myself getting very anxious/angry, about these things. I dusted two window sills. though.

@GlumyGloomer

Goodness Elle what an awful landlord. It's truly shocking that the CAB has sold out like that, it really shouldn't be legal. No progress here today, too sleep deprived to do anything except survive the day while thinking gloomy thoughts. Hopefully do better tomorrow.

Oh dear, fellow insomniac?

I'm still procrastinating! Argh! I think I'm just sort of ticking along this week and not gaining any ground.

Luna oh no, not in the slightest, just that my kids don't seem to sleep through until very late. 2 for dd1 and dd2 heading the same way. I shall be a different person when I am allowed to sleep through the night again.
Sorry to hear about your insomnia, sleep deprivation is such a rotten feeling.

Glumy...yes sleep deprivation from small children really affected my ability to get through the day "efficiently". I think in the end I just compromised, stopped trying to be efficient, muddled through, lived for naps, stopped cleaning much...everything focussed on putting food on table, some wearable clothes and bed linen, getting them out for activities, and clearing a space for them to play.
I think the ceiling fell down when they were two and 4, the central heating broke for six weeks in Feb when they were 3 and 5, the loft was done at some point, we had kitchen updated, built a patio, built a climbing frame..all over ten years of sleep deprivation...in between we must have just muddled through...living for afternoon naps and rare lie ins (swopping who got up). It seems everything slowed down but I suppose we got through and had good times. But my "efficiency" was low low low. I seemed to get nothing "done".

Finite Tbf they’re subtler than a crime boss, but it did make me laugh. Shelter already know about them, their suggestion was to ask to try and swap properties for a newer property in another area.

Glumy no it shouldn’t! Wish you some better sleep.

Nettleskeins well done on the chuck! I have the same issue with tshirts and sweatshirts, they just change ownership.
DVD’s? We’re still on cherished video’s here.

Luna I don’t know if it’s an option but I’ve just begged for sleeping tablets. A few nights has been agreed. Continuous lack of sleep is so debilitating.

Today I have to get rest of 'bin cupboard' cleared out, but right now I'm plucking up courage to see what’s happened in the garden. Neighbours have been out back shouting and swearing aggressively all morning, so somethings happened but can’t be anything too much to do with me or they’d have been straight round, so I’m waiting on their departure as whatever the situation is, experience has taught it wont get better quicker with them involved.

Now I am not sleep deprived at all, I don't have to even get up at 630am to get DD off to secondary. It is wonderful, but I miss my "toddler times" and wish I hadn't felt so under pressure and been kinder to myself for my "messy house".

Yesterday the utility room was clean and today it is covered with muddy footprints from the cats coming in via catflap over unswept grotty patio/alley!
Two steps forward , one back...I need to get out there with a scrubbing brush and and hose ...not sure if I can face pressure washer (only DD had used it do far in last two years and she won't help ATM)
Planted some butternut squash seeds from an organic butternut squash what making soup, hopefully they aren't the mutant kind.

I feel much better today

But this is all SO BORING. There is always something better to do.

Elle I take what I can. It's complicated!

Did more late night paper sorting

I think the paper mountain is about 75% gone.

Can I join this thread. I am a terrible horder and determined to get myself organised.

@1sunnyday23

Can I join this thread. I am a terrible horder and determined to get myself organised.

Welcome!

I live in a small flat and not a hoarder but still stunned how much I've accumulated over the years.

My biggest problem is a live in a nice sized house, so I have too much space to store things. We are a family of 5 and I have a real issue with my weight and shopping. Therefore I have tons of clothes which don't fit me , but have or may fit me in the future.

Hi everyone. Please can I join?

Every room in my house is a mess. I have made a start this week but what I really struggle with is giving things away which I had originally bought thinking I would sell at some point. I know that the quickest way to declutter is giving all of the stuff away that we don't need. It would be much quicker and obviously someone else will benefit from it. I do already give quite a lot away but there are also so many things that I had planned to sell too. Has anyone else planned to sell things but in the end just written it off and given it all away? Thanks

Welcome Satsunday.

If you can easily store them and make money later, tbh, I would.

Yes, I was planning to sell some clothes, nothing valuable though. I have one small wardrobe here and with all the crazy rules, I decided I couldn't face the Post Office and managed to find a clothes recycling bin.

I reckon best case I'd have got £70 for them but as a FIRE person I kind of can't believe I've given them away. It feels like a missed earning chance and in my case, nearly a month food shop. But you may benefit more from reducing hassle. All our circumstances are completely different.

I held them for a month, put a note in my diary and it came up at end of Feb. I didn't feel any better about going to the Post Office so that was that.

I'm popping in to place mark, DH died 8 weeks ago and he was a hoarder so slowly working my way through stuff. I'm 'doing' one thing a day.

@notapizzaeater

I'm popping in to place mark, DH died 8 weeks ago and he was a hoarder so slowly working my way through stuff. I'm 'doing' one thing a day.

My condolences.

My late father was a hoarder. I mean much more than me.

The odd thing is - again this goes back to FIRE - I have found some of his things useful. I don't think I will ever have to buy paper or filing stuff again but the fact it's not in my home does make it easier, mum has space.

Hello 1sunnyday23 Sympathies. Is it worth trying to go through clothes for things that are easier to get rid of as a starting point?

Got the bin shed entirely emptied yesterday. Done, finished.

The garden looked like a tornado had hit it. It wasn’t great before but it had some semblance of a work in progress at least.
The yelling and swearing was almost certainly about the uprooted tree diagonally across next doors garden. The branches are across ours.

Our (admittedly elderly) shed looks like it’s no more, along with damage to a plastic greenhouse, and a load of pots and garden stuff I put under a big sheet of ply with tarpaulin over it for winter, is now V shaped under a lot of branches, so hate to think what it looks like under there.
From what I can tell though, although the fences are down, they actually look mainly in one piece underneath everything, but there’s too many branches and twigs to get at them to find out.

Just couldn't face any of it yesterday, but went out there with good intentions today to start to try and deal with whatever I could get at.
Didn't make much progress and eventually decided it was too wet and windy to go any further so unpeeled multiple layers of damp clothing and had a bath. Of course as soon as I got out the sun came out!
Not putting damp stuff back on and my hands and wrists are too sore for more sanding, so I’m going to look for two missing library books and two important missing documents that are all causing troubles, instead.

Hello Satsunday. As Luna says everyone’s situation is different
I need to sell stuff. I need the money. My business is effectively collapsed and much is assets.
On the domestic front I find it easy to give things away if someone actively wants it, much harder if it may end up landfill. One thing that might be worth thinking about is you’re paying rent to house that stuff.

Notapizzaeater really sorry both for your loss, and that you’re left clearing out a hoard.
One of my big fears is something happening to me before I’ve sorted things out. I don’t want my issues to become my loved one’s problems. I don’t know if my mother thought about it but it is what happened with her.

Hello to everyone, and notapizza that must be a terrible shock, and so much to deal with. I hope going through his things will be bearable.

Elle you do realise you are a heroine, don't you? Fallen tree on most of your usable garden!!! People in the best circs would freak out over that, you sound v calm and resilient.

I have mended a dog toy.
Used up the old leeks in a shepherd's pie
Bought three doormats to reduce the mud coming in.
Bought some lemons that I need for marmalade.
Washed out a glass demi john, that ws a random acquired going free item two years ago, so I can give it a neighbour who will "lend" me her preserving pan (it is mine but she kindly stores it and makes full use of it all year round)
Shook out a rotting polyester throw from garden, will wash it. Can keep DD warm in garden and be kept in garden cupboard.

I'm struggling with my weight too, and usable clothes that don't fit now. Diet has been going well for all of three days now. My clothes are so shabby, the ones that fit that is.

Elle, finding missing documents gives me such a boost; it is one of those things I really stress and struggle over...losing items like passport vaccination certificates for dog driving licence, bank reader birth cert ...but finding one of these elusive documents or knowing for sure I do have them after all, is the best feeling. I find they do turn up but often when you are doing something else unrelated, like cleaning out a drawer.
At present I have everything stored in a plastic see through box on a shelf where I can see it all times and remember to put things back in the box. Fancier methods have failed.