The Hoarders Anonymous #5

[CherryMargo]

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Is your house/flat in a complete mess? Do you often feel overwhelmed and helpless when it comes to sorting it out? Do you procrastinate a lot? Do you struggle to declutter due to emotional attachment or decision-making fatigue? Are you embarrassed to invite people in?

Then you and us have a lot in common!

Join in for advice, encouragement and support. Here we share our struggles no matter how big, and celebrate our progress no matter how small. Welcome to thread number five! 🤗

P. S. Here are the links to various methods mentioned in previous threads:

The FlyLady Cleaning Method by Marla Cilley
The Organised Mum Method by Gemma Bray
The KonMari Method by Marie Kondo
The Getting Things Done Method by David Allen

Solo, that sounds the most delicious lunch and you are holding the family together, despite them not helping I am sure no one will forget. I love rhubarb, brings back so many memories.

@Solo sorry you had a difficult (and no doubt tiring) time... I agree that people obviously see you as a 'helper' and will pile on stuff until you have to remind them that actually you physically can't do everything that's asked of you!!

Impressed by everyone's tidying and cleaning - @BlackeyedSusan, @Babieseverywhere, @DownUdderer and others! - I've kept on top of things today but not done much else. DP is talking about getting a new freezer, we have an old chest one which is probably hideously energy inefficient, but very handy to have as an addition (we have a fridge freezer as well). However I dread to think of the state of the floor and wall behind it and how much cleaning would be required if we ever moved it so I'm putting off the decision for a bit. Plus I think our current one would have to be binned, I can't see anyone wanting it even for free, which also seems very environmentally unfriendly...

@Elleherd I do try to get the DC to see change positively but it can be such an uphill struggle, DS2 in particular gets very anxious. I'm hoping that school will mix the classes up a bit from September as even having one friend in his class would make such a difference. Maybe it will help too when schools can run after school clubs again, I know they used to offer things like dance, football etc, but obviously nothing has gone on for months now.

DS1 sounds much like your DS2 @Nettleskeins; he loves adventures, new playgrounds, bike rides etc but is thrown if things don't go to plan. He copes very well at structured play but put in a big group to play football (for example) and it's just carnage, he gets sillier and sillier, stops listening and eventually will have a meltdown. I have everything crossed that he'll be ok at sports club tomorrow, the DC haven't been before but some of their classmates are going, and I thought they might like to try it. I'll probably spend all day worrying though that he's being a pain/ not enjoying it/ just not 'getting' the routine and not fitting in.

I have to admit that most of our plants are bought from the pound shop, to avoid me sobbing when if the DC break them - they didn't have many left when I last went in either, but then it's only a small shop. I do like roses but buddleia and honeysuckle are also lovely for bees and easy to grow. Again, probably cheaper from B&Q or similar!

Oh yes Buddleia and Malva (the pink shrub) and probably Cistus Laurifolius and Spirea Bumalda or the white philadelphus...all quite large eventually and fast, 1m or more across and often taller in three years are often to be found cheaply in Morrisons. But buddleia is the butterfly plant , and native honeysuckle is so easy, you could steal it from someone...mine roots itself everywhere along with ivy.

Will Honeysuckle grow with ivy? I've got lots of Ivy across a high fence which I let cover it for privacy, but I'd love to grow Honeysuckle and/or climbing Roses with it. I just don't really garden .

Well, today, back to mums. Cleaned more of her bathroom which was absolutely rotten in the daylight. Apart from mopping the floor, and clearing and cleaning the window sill, it looks fab. I threw away a metal loo brush holder and brush as it was grotty (brush), and rusty (the holder); she'll probably go mad at me, but too bad, it's gone. I wouldn't mind, but there was a plastic one pushed into the corner as well , so she can use that. I vacuumed all the 1950's style doors of dust. I'm just considering getting a stair and landing carpet laid in her absence.
I need to do so much at her place and still haven't made a dent in my own. The washing up is done as it is made, and I'm even telling Dd to wash her own breakfast bowl after use, which she does sometimes.
I'm off for an 'early' night now, but I'll put a wash load on before I go. I've got the addition of mums washing to do too, but luckily, I have a 10kg drum. Drying is the biggest issue for me

Keep up the good work everyone :).

I'm making a list of things to do today. I need to stay focused. I've had a few days of not doing anything so I must try and be focused today. Small things will make me feel better.

Solo, native honeysuckle will slug it out with ivy but I think ivy tends to win. I dont think you can establish new honeysuckle when ivy has its roots down making it so very dry. But if the honeysuckle was there already, and or established in a different part of garden from ivy then they might co exist. Ill take a picture tmw.

Solo, it's great that you're doing so much for your mum.

I've put a load of laundry on. Hung out two towels to dry. Taken down five bags of trash and one big cardboard box. Maybe I'll take some recycling out next.

wow solo, you are working so hard.

I am going to check onds before going to bed. today I have done two full loads of washing and two fifteen minute washing of new items. and a wool wash.

wiped more of the bathrooom floor with the socks that were used to mop up the flood last night, washed those out and put on a quick wash before adding the rest of the load.

washed up and put the pots away.

tickled the first tomato plant flowers with a paintbrush. (grownfrom seeds ina tomato so no idea what variety. if they are not fertile then they will go in the compost bin. )

wiped shopping but it is not all away yet. still more to do and put away.

had some free time while the children were out. fed them fruit for pudding as they had a chippy tea with their dad with no veg.

fed dc breakfast and lunch.

collected dry washing and rehung wet washing so it would dry quicker. sent out the rubbish with ex.

put some recycling in the box and one cardi in the charity bag.

taped up a foot

Most of the recycling has gone out. I've bagged up loads of things with water damage and put them kerbside.

ok. I'm happy with how much stuff I have managed to bag up and get rid of. It was at least twice as much stuff as I had pictured in my mind. The rain had got into the back of the garage and damaged a few bits and pieces. When we moved house 2.5 years ago I guess I just boxed up loads of stuff that could have been chucked away, instead it moved with us and I have literally blanked it from my mind until today! I rooted around and found loads of stuff, all water damaged. But it feels great to get rid of it, before I would have felt unsure what to do with it, so the water damage has done me a favor. It just means i can chuck it all away and I gain a lot of garage space. The space will be awesome and I'm relieved to get it back. For me it feels mentally good to get rid of the junk and I've not had to dither over it all trying to decide whats for the best. I needed a win, and today I've got it! I feel lighter and brighter and pleased.

It's almost embarrassing how many bags I've got piled up to be removed. But you know what, no one will bat an eyelid and tomorrow, they will magically be taken away for me by the council, I'm feeling grateful for the kerbside service.

My recycling pile is looking tiny. Hooray. My sunroom is really getting there. Hooray. Behind my bins is looking 100% better. hooray. The garage is so much better, but still a total mess, but better than it's ever been!

I could easily have done nothing at all today, but I've pushed back against my natural tendency to procrastinate.

Hello everyone, I completely dropped off the thread as I literally couldn't keep up with it, lol. Everyone has been getting so much done, well done
Today I have a rubbish collection booked, after finally ordering a new matress and needing to get rid of my old 20 odd year one. Also going are the high chair (dd2 refuses to sit in it any more), the infant car seat, 2 broken printers, 2 broken scales, a plastic bin with no lid, a bunch of scrap wood and a load of 'ornamental' rocks from the garden (inherited from the previous owners). Normally I pass on baby things but the high chair has been through 2 kids and has way too much ingrained yuck.
Hopefully being given away later this week is the cot frame, if the lady turns up.

Aggghh phone ate post again!

Well done to kerbside collections. You both must be so pleased. I only recently got rid of the last highchair...youngest is 12 at secondary school.

It has been minding its own business in the garage and only went out with the freezer when delivery would not recycle old appliances due to covid.

You are allowed five items for the fee, and I only had two that fitted the criteria. My neighbour piggy backed my collection and added his stuff as he has given us loads of Easter eggs for the kids over the years.

And sold me a hoover for £10 quid cheaper than advertised.

The new fridge freezer cost us loads extra. Money for collection, beer money to neighbours who helped get it up the stairs.

So, I have just got up and finished the first coffee of the day. Time to start tidying.

Maybe going for worst areas first...

Having proudly posted my progress I have now discovered that I accidentally ordered an eu sized matress instead of a uk size (10cm difference in length). Absolutely gutted, and I had a good old spiral over that. Can't send it back because I've opened, can't stand the thought of trying to sell it (I find online selling impossible/very stressful, unless it's a book selling app). It doesn't matter for now as I'm sleeping on the floor anyway, but eventually I hope to use my bed frame again. Dh has a plan for cutting it down to fit when the time comes (apparently you can do this with memory foam) and had zero sympathy for my hysterics and wallowing in self loathing. I find it astonishing that the last 5 years have left me broken and traumatised, and he still thinks I'm just being a bit silly.

Down and *Glumy" that is brilliant
Susan. What could be more mindful than brushing tomato pollen?

Not having a good day hastag cannot deal with plans changing

Also slept badly...my number one reason for being irritable.

However I have done a few small bits of housework...put DW on, taken clothes upstairs paid a bill, and dealt with dog...someone else has taken him for a walk but that proved more trouble than it was worth!

Plan today is continue with tidying kitchen, Not empty veg delivery(so cold they can stay in the box till we eat some)
Spray mould in bathroom
Give up on getting teens to help and decant papers to go in loft into smaller portions so I can lift them. I declare that getting help from teens just backfires; you feel so cross when they DONT that it was easier to do it yourself...hmm

Every morning I come down to find the remains of last night teen snack manufacture...the only good thing is that breakfast is very very peaceful as they are fast fast asleep till midday

Pick up the sand paper that has scattered across ds's carpet.
Wash the large plant pot at the bottom of the heap in the bathroom
Put dd's soya milk away in dd's bedroom.
Pick 5 things up off the floor in the living room and put away.

Agggh there is so much to do!!!!!

Sorry posting in chunks as old phone keeps eating posts...this follows on from above.

I also hope to keep on top of won areas. So washing up, and rotating washing so it drys quicker.

Not sure what I will get done but anything is better than nothing

Glumy that it is so annoying, I've done similar.

Oh no glumy. How upsetting. Try not to let it stop you achieving more. Dh can sort it. Try and park that thought there. (Easier typed than done)

Nettles you have done so much. Well done.

Right nettle's tens are going to be up and about before me at this rate... Going to go upstairs and put the radio on while I do something...