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

You're doing great down

So..
Washed up
Had another scrub at the mucky shirt
Put some t shirts to soak
Put some of the dry pots away.
Cleaned half the hall (hoover and damp dust/clean)
Hoovered the stairs
Wiped more of yesterday's shopping.

All this counts as maintaining what I have done.

I have also: put away 10 things from the cupboard in the hall. It is very cluttered so attempted 5 and made 10. Too overwhelming to tackle more.

Washed the stairs and the bathroom basin where I rinsed the sponge. Yet to put on the washing. Have put a few more pots away and made ds lunch.

Haven't got motivated yet.

Not much progress here. I’m reading another novel and will add it to the donation box once I’m finished. I recycled a few papers and some junk mail, threw away two pens that are running out and that’s about the height of it.

I'm just going through some waste papers whilst watching the Sewing Bee. Some for recycling, and some for shredding/burning.

Today I did a lot of cleaning in the bathroom. Including trying to get rid of the mould in the silicon.

I am very tired and my arms are hurting a lot.

I think I will just aim to clean the under the stairs cupboard, tomorrow. As I have done half of that already.

arse need to hang the washing...

well done solo on doing the papers. my worst job.

I can add, hanging one load and one emergency t shirt wash

cooking tea and feeding children.

@BlackeyedSusan

arse need to hang the washing...

well done solo on doing the papers. my worst job.

I can add, hanging one load and one emergency t shirt wash

cooking tea and feeding children.

Oh, it's a very minute drop in the ocean of paperwork, Susan. I previously put a load of papers into a paper carrier bag (big one), and it appeared yesterday whilst I was sorting the clothing into bags. I had to go through it because there were recycling papers and confidential waste papers. I try to be very careful about anything with my (or my family's) name and address on it.

I'm going to aim to do more tomorrow.

Good night all.

Today I realized a top had lost its shape a bit and was all sorts of bulgey around the zip. It was also covered in bobbles and I generally felt a bit like a tramp wearing it. So I recycled it, which felt very difficult because technically someone else could still use it, it wasn't broken or threadbare. But although I've seen YouTube videos of people who love thrifting and don't mind debobbling items or repairing them, they're not UK. I couldn't imagine any UK person wanting to buy the top. I'm hoping I've done the right thing by recycling it.

Then I put away the leggings I wore with the top into the drawer of things which don't go with anything else, because they were in much better condition. And then I remembered that literally nothing else I own goes with those leggings, I'd had to buy the top specially. So I put the leggings into the charity donations bag. This is such a hoarding breakthrough for me. They are soft, comfortable, good condition and I wanted to keep them although I had nothing to wear them with. But I accepted they'd been well loved with me and instead of being crammed into my drawer doing nothing for a very long time they could go to someone else who'd love them just as much.

All that mental angst over one well used outfit that I've owned for about 2yrs and worn constantly through spring and autumn. It's a small victory but I feel overall that my mindset is shifting. I found the two threads Nettleskeins linked to very useful.

Also you're all doing very well with the cleaning. Well done Solo for starting the paperwork and BlackeyedSusan for doing a bit of sorting to the cupboard under the stairs. I sorted out my junk cupboard over lockdown and although tiny it took around 3hrs. I've lived here a few years and have been meaning to sort it out all that time. It's now proper storage and I don't own any junk!

@AmberItsACertainty you’re doing great.

I’ve cleaned the toilet and bathroom sink today. A pretty quick swish, keeping on top of it makes it so much faster and easier.

I had to wrap a present today and I had everything ready to go. I felt organized! The sellotape was where I expected it to be, what a win!!

It's great when you start seeing the rewards Down Udderer, well done.

Managed to get a few more boxes sorted yesterday and ready to go to storage, and in the process sorted three carrier bags of stuff to dispose of, two rubbish, one recycling. Ready to go but no room to dispose of them.
My bin’s full, the dustmen missed us out yesterday and won’t come back out, so have to wait another fortnight. Recycling bin got pinched some time back. (It was the third one and I’ve given up paying for replacements.)
Whoever dumped the building materials at the public bins, has now dumped loads more and swamped and buried the bins and the recycling bins entirely! I hope not but can see them being removed at this rate.
Today is hospital appointment and then back to sorting through stuff to go to storage tomorrow and Sunday when I have help to move it.
Now a fortnight left before the first contractor’s due to start, and four weeks before the whole flat needs to be cleared for major works. It sounds like plenty of time but there’s so much needs to be done for it all to happen.

Elleherd, how's your head? Hope it is feeling better.

The jury is out on whether the box knocked any sense into me. Unlikely!

Big lump and bruise. Hospital (routine stuff) not impressed.
You probably knocked your sense into the box!

BlackeyedSusan I admire how much you get done daily

Solo Well done on the paperwork. That is a thankless task.

AmberItsACertainty You did well to put your leggings in the charity bag.

DownUdderer Brilliant knowing that you can wrap a present now and be able to put your hands on anything you need.

Elleherd Hope you get everything done before the first contractor arrives.

What I have done
I have done most of my daily jobs.
Kept up with the kitchen, plus the children’s new cereal dispenser arrived, so I threw the old one away! It was cracked and chipped and served us well for 4 years.
I have more grout pens to use in the bathroom. Maybe tomorrow.
I have washed two loads of laundry, one lot of towels (to go straight into the drier)
I dragged the last two boxes of stuff out of the under the stairs cupboard, to sort tomorrow maybe.

I am really lacking energy today. There is still so much to do both downstairs and, in our bedroom, whilst I am still working in the kitchen and bathroom. Sigh.

I hope to get more into the spirit of things tomorrow, get the beds changed…wish me luck!

Hi all :)
Today, I went through more paper stuff. I now have another bag full of confidential waste, another bag of rubbish (both carrier bags), and a bag of recycling paper. earlier on I put the big bag of recycling into the wheelie. Very satisfying.
Whilst going through a bag that I found lying around , I found 3 doll's heads, one doll body, but I can't get the head back onto it, doll clothes, and a doll's leg...I also found the remains of a shell with 2 beads stuck to it (no idea!), which I binned. Some '80s costume jewellery (I have a use for that), hair combs from the '80s too, buttons that I bought (in the '80s), but I couldn't read the very faded receipt.
I also put some more clothing into the 'to sell' box. Again, this is just a tiny drop in a very big ocean, but I'm doing it :)

Actually, those buttons were from 1979/80, because I bought them for my exam work at school!

I did 2 wash loads - one still to hang up to dry.
Washed up. Put sink unblocker down the kitchen sink. Need to wash up from this evening, and hang the 2nd wash load to dry.
I might go through another bag of stuff before bed feeling brave.

Good going Babies, Elle, Down and Amber

Was it just me that was a bit shocked that a poster on one of those other threads actually threw out a mother's day card from her toddler? I couldn't do that. In fact, I have a bundle of 18th birthday cards to give Ds when I next see him.

Solo I think it's sensible. You can't keep everything it's not practical. I throw out my own art work regularly. I suspect if your son wanted those 18th birthday cards he'd have kept them of his own accord. I think I kept a 21st birthday card and a Christmas card off my best friend at the time, which are now in my scrapbook, I have fond memories of that friendship although it didn't last beyond our 20s. The other cards I binned. I might have kept them for a short while first like maybe a year or something, I can't remember. But maybe your DS will be really pleased you kept them

Amber I know you are right, but I'm the type that keeps all cards, although I've stopped keeping Christmas cards except from important (to me) people. I have my christening cards, baby cards (I'm 57), hospital card...I'm hugely sentimental.
I still have my son's 1st birthday cards here. I have all the letters and cards his father wrote, and gave me; I've kept them for my son to read - if he'd like to...I suspect they'll be recycled once he's had that opportunity.

I do have all my children's artwork from nursery...the splodges that you might see I can see a tree. Scribbles are people walking in the rain. Perhaps I can be buried with them all .

Babieseverywhere Good luck! Hope you have lots of strength and progress today.

Solo ”I'm doing it” Those are the magic words. It doesn’t matter what size big or small, It is the doing it that will get you and all of us there.
TBH I only scan read part of the other threads because they make me recoil and slow down me making rational decisions about individual items here.
I need to do a lot of work on myself before I’m able to deal with a lot of stuff to do with my children. I doubt my Dc will want their 18th birthday cards, or the cards they made as toddlers in the future but they like me having them at the moment.
They remind me of what was good, and I need it, both to offset my past, and the ASD tendencies of those I love deciding that their whole lives where always whatever today's situation happens to be which I understand, but rather gets me at times.

Me being was a bit of an awkward thing, but I'm unsure why exactly.
It was certainly never a cause for celebrations or cards or photos, and absolutely all evidence of my childhood and teenage years was wiped away by others, often as fast as possible. In some ways it's good as less stuff, in other ways it's not.

My birthday was always awkward because siblings birthdays were celebrated but mine just quietly wasn't. I knew it was there, as we all did, but it was expected that everyone should act like there was nothing different about the day but no one ever said why, but it seemed like I was supposed to know.
But, on my 10th I was unexpectedly brought a cake but without candles, (yep, scarcity didn't equal total gratitude!) then it was back to silent expectation that nothing should be mentioned. After my mother died relatives did the same thing, so clearly there was something wrong with my birthday being noted and I suppose I internalized it

I wanted my children to have 'normal' and feel different. I’ve succeeded, but their cards, creations, and photo's probably mean more than they should to me. I haven't kept absolutely everything, but a fair bit! Plenty of other things I'd rather let go off if I have to choose.

I love your idea, and may pitch the idea to the kids of having it all buried or cremated with me.

Have fed helper and must stop procrastinating and get back to it!

babieseverywhere hope you find some energy today.

Elleherd boot up the butt for your procrastination . The birthday thing is unbelievably cruel and...weird . Maybe you're adopted or had a different dad and nobody told you not that that's any excuse! I hope you get good birthdays now 🎂🥳 🍾🎁🎈. Friends don't know when my birthday is but I always buy myself a cake and present.

Solo you could totally scrapbook all that letters cards and stuff.

I sold stuff again. Two more bags gone. Done some washing up, then some washing and it's on the line drying. I didn't sleep last night so I'm pleased to get anything at all done today.

Elle do you think you may have been born on a date that had bad or sad memories for your family? It wouldn't be an excuse for treating your birthday so differently, but it might be an actual reason - so sad for you, though .