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

Amber there is nothing wrong with enjoying your purchases btw, you shouldn't feel guilty that you want these things. It is only if you subconsciously DONT want them that it matters

Nettle thanks for the tips. I hear you with the buying supplies and not doing the project. Buying instead of living.

Today, on a positive note, back home, I've achieved two things: arranged for my car to be picked up tomorrow (has been ongoing for months this transport saga as I'm so cr**pbat driving) as the emissions zone is due to kick in my car is old old old but still works, and I need to get it 300 miles away

Second thing was to use up one of two butternut squashes that DH had NO idea what to with ( veg box has been spawning in my absence) and make a large vat of soup.
And dog walking in rain, a lot, but that doesn't really count as de hoarding.

Just cleared a lot of stuff from car, old pics, cat basket, various water vessels. So, car cleaned, hall full of mess

I've got a huge hoard of fabric, yarn, threads, buttons, zips all sorts! When i got into sewing, shopping was the best bit!

I have one new curtain up, and one old one! The old one ripped as I hung it back up. I think I'm glad it did as that will force me to sew up the second curtain this week.

I am going to get stuck into a few tidying and cleaning and sorting jobs tomorrow. I am hoping to paint a door as a reward when I get a certain number of area's sorted out.

nice curtains down. good luck with getting the second one done.

with getting rid of baby clothes. get rid of the ones you can. you can always downsize the keep pile at a later date.

yesterday:
well I felt like I did not get a lot done but:
stripped ds's bed as he spilt breakfast in it. washed bedding, hung up and remade bed.

put dry pots away and washed up most of the dirty ones.
cooked lunch,
cooked tea
cuddled child.
helped child with emotional regulation.
did another two loads of washing.
put new yarn away. (oops)
cleaned basin and half loo.
handwashed and presoaked some washing to get rid of stains.
provided snacks and drinks to child

Amber Tbh yes you’ll probably end up with lots of cloth, ribbons, cotton, zips and wrong size or damaged clothes you’re keeping because you’re going to alter, and wear, but never do. Or is that just me? Don’t beat yourself up, enjoy what you have brought, if it’s more than what’s gone out then look at what you can get rid off to make space for it, and be aware that when you go to buy something you need, the compulsion to buy may be unleashed.
Calmingvibrations Hello and welcome. Ignore Instagram, remember it’s a curated view of how someone wants to be seen, not their daily reality, and more to the point comparison is always the thief of joy. Do what you’re doing for you and yours, not others.
Nettleskeins
…… hoarding the "possibility of these activities but never doing them. I really suffer from that particular problem, the ghosts of things I've yet to do*
Yes! Or buying for the life you wish you had, rather than the one you’re actually living.
Down the old curtain is telling you it’s time.
Susan It’s interesting the way we feel we haven’t done much and don’t see what and how much we have actually done until we write it down.

We didn’t get ‘reset’ yesterday. Really frustrating but Dc determined that he’d fit it in to the last three short evening slots he has this week which absolutely everything has to be fitted in as he’s going away for the first time after that (huge for him) and he really needs it to be successful. After that I’m on my own with everything until after second set of contractors start.
He already has a long list of overdue jobs and half finished jobs that I can't physically do, to fit into that short window, so I can see where it’s all heading, but he has to find his way and he came close to meltdown yesterday and I can see the pressure building up so swallowed hard and said sure we’d make it work.

Today so far, I’ve done the pet run, and launderette. (normally Sundays job, but Dc was wearing his washing!) Unsurprisingly contractors haven’t turned up again, but I’m not going to waste the day trying to chase them again. Somehow today I need to catch up on boxing things up and into storage. I’ve three days left that I can have help to move stuff, after that it’s moving it around so that second set of contractors can access everything in seven days’ time.

In survival mode...

Isolating autistic child...10 days with no access to outside space..

So watch out for posts that say I managed moving a teaspoon 6 feet closer to the sink.

So today I have:
Breakfast,lunch,snack,drinks for DC
School run
Chivvy child to start school work.
Wash up
Put the last of the dry pots away
Hung yesterday's washing
Extracted wet swim kit from bags and put bags away
Went to post box with paperwork.

Susan, if you look at the gov.uk website it says that not all measures to do with isolating will be possible with children to deal with. Also that you can leave the premises if you at risk of harm. A walk with self isolating autistic child when all is quiet and empty is not illegal in these circs. Iill try and find the loophole.

I cant post the link because it is too long but if you scroll down to Contact of person who has tested positive, there are two paragraphs on a) not all guidance is possible with chdren.b) not all guidance os possible when the person self isolating has a disability or autism.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

A.goodish day. Mostly taken up with literally decluttering the car from my street. It has been taken away to live somewhere else...
So that is a fantastic feeling.
Ive taken out recyling, bathroom bin and compost.
Dh and I chopped down a boring very large shrub spoiling view of cherry tree stem (burnished copper)
I wiped worktops swept floor shook outcat baskets, washed vomit dog bedding

Havent got further than kitchen really...

Amber
Now it's just the difficult stuff, the pretty things perhaps with a degree of sentimentality but not enough to be your favourites. Try to shift your mindset. You have your favourites. Your house is not a museum. You can't display everything, there's no room. All these things will do is hang around forgotten, they won't get looked at or appreciated. It's almost a crime against the clothes and their services to you to keep them hidden away, stuffed in a bag, languishing in a corner forgotten somewhere.
This is soo sensible it almost brought me to tears. I love the idea of making teddy bears from certain pieces of clothing. I could do that with some of the massive bag of girls clothes I have that didn't sell before. ^^

Down fab curtain! You must be very pleased!

Nothing done here (no surprise) Going back to read more.

hoarding the "possibility of these activities but never doing them. I really suffer from that particular problem, the ghosts of things I've yet to do
This is me too. I love love love fabrics, haberdashery, and knitting yarns.

Nettle the ULEZ is the reason I'm looking for a new car atm too. My current car is tatty to a point, but has an excellent (diesel) engine, so I'd like to sell her as a runner rather than scrap :(

Welcome Calmingvibrations .

I used to make my own clothes and actually thought recently that I'd like to do so again... I'd like some new maxi dresses, but the ones in the shops/online are always too short. I want floor length, not ankle length.

I've done lots today.

We're going to get air conditioning. We're in Australia so it's essential really. We've been wanting it for ages. I couldn't bare anyone coming in to see our home when it was a big mess. It's hard to admit that it was too messy for someone to come in. I've been annoyed with myself that it's taken so long to get it organized. But if I'm being kind to myself I can just be so happy that I'm finally ready.

Today I ticked off lots of jobs from my list. Tomorrow I've got a good idea of what I want to achieve. I can do some things on Thursday if I need to, then an air con guy is coming on Friday.

Another one here trying to work out what to do about Ulez and vehicles.
Susan In total agreement with Nettleskeins about isolating children, and autism.
Down Please do be kind to yourself. We can’t fix the past we can fix the present. Great that you're plans are coming together.

Yesterday didn’t go as planned, I found the source of the wet floor. "Just a drying out spill" my you know what! This place is full of old wires and pipes where they’ve replaced things and run more pipes and wires leaving the severed old ones behind.
They didn’t fix the tap I couldn’t get the cassette out of, just diverted the leak down a very old overflow pipe!
Old pipe no longer attached to anything and turns out to end against the bottom of the back of the kitchen cupboard under the sink, in the inch between it and the wall.
I’ve kept checking all the sink pipes in the kitchen cupboards as the most logical source, but all dry as a bone. Yesterday went to take a box of the bottom shelf and felt damp on my knuckles. Started feeling around and a large part of the bottom of the cupboard literally came away in my hands. The bottom of the back and side of the cupboard was a soaked through sponge and diverted water’s been feeding through it out of one corner and into the floorboards under the lino and coming up in the middle of the kitchen where the boards appear to have already been soft. I’ve been opening the cupboard door and feeling all the pipes, and always dry and of course they still are!

Turned into major job of lifting lino as far as possible, pulling up wet hardboard, ripping out the kitchen cupboard, and putting up a prop to hold up the draining board and worktop. Left aching badly for my troubles.
Have left not happy messages for contractors and landlords.
Did sort through the cupboard box and got rid of some and lots of cleaning as you go, but still in the same situation over getting stuff into storage.

So, a load of unexpected soggy cupboard and flooring into public bins, and a carrier bag of recycling out, and I’ve turned the water off.

This morning’s pet run done, and trying to work out what to do next, other than loose my temper over it all.

Oh Elleherd what a bloody nightmare about the leak.

But it is a relief to a) be vindicated b)have found where the water was seeping up from.
Ive had my second vacc! Quiet day planned. Dh has dug up rest of puddingy shrub bringing light and air to bed outside kitchen. However now my natural meaness takes over and it is going in a pot (giant hydrangea, much mangled) in case it comes in useful to hide bins at front of house..
What I really need to do is cut the wnormous privet hedge at front but that isnt going to happen for a bit

Thanks nettles, I was thinking that even the ones in the quarantine hotels are allowed out for 30 minutes fresh air a day. we may try to go out when it is quiet. choose a time when he is unlikely to meet anyone on the shared stairs.

we had rain inside. the outflow pipe from the tank disconnected and was outflowing onto the ceiling of the landing/floor of loft. poor dd got told off for spilling her drink on the stairs. it is usually her to be fair. sometimes she leaves a puddle of milk in my slippers.

BlackeyedSusan hope the water leak is fixed soon and everything dries out ok.

Nettleskeins congrats on the second vaccination. What will you plant in the new space in the flower bed?

Oh Elleherd what a nightmare. You've done well to be as patient as you have been. I do hope the contractors and landlord fix the problem, repair the damage and refund you for the emergency plumber. It's really not fair you having to do all this.

DownUdderer I didn't realize you were in Australia. Aircon sounds like a good plan. One of the reasons I love UK is it's not too hot.

Solo I have the opposite problem with maxi dresses I'm always taking up the hems.

Waves hello to calmingvibrations

was a while ago amber, so all dry now, but goodness me it was horrible at the time. I was scared by a piece of damp insulation that was hanging out the loft... it looked like a furry bottom of a rodent that appeared to be pooing on the stairs. (bloody middle aged eyesight)

I still have the holes in the ceiling where I poked it with a skewer. and I need to get up there to tape up the joint so it does not come out again.

I've cleared away a pile of junk from the lounge. It was broken toys, socks, rubbish. So then I swept the lounge.

I wiped down the ceiling fans. They were really dusty!

I've started organizing a large set of drawers. Very dusty.

I've put the washing machine on.

I'm sorry to read about floods, leaking pipes and those shody workmen.