The Hoarders Anonymous #5

[CherryMargo]

Thread #1 | Thread #2 | Thread #3 | Thread #4

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

Well done on selling an item Amber.

Good luck with stopping procrastinating.

Clutter 5
Tidiness 9
Cleanliness 7
Procrastination and control of paperwork..10

I took a big bag of clothes I was dithering over to Morrisons Foundation clothes bank (at our Morrisons...I didn't know it ws there...they also have small electricals recycling but I didn't have any today)

I've a big bag of batteries that need recycling at Morrisons I think but indoors..
Coins that could go in coin counting thingy at Morrisons indoors
Scarves and hats that need to go in loft
Online banking that needs doing
Curtains that need finishing

It was a truly wonderful feeling putting the clothes in the clothes bank. I could do with that rush more often it spurs me on to deal with those batteries

well done nettle.

I wonder if our morrisons does a clothes bank. I could do with getting rid of a load.

did not complete the list, but...

we did the stations of the cross and got our chocolate reward. (eaten) and managed the on line meditation. (slightly interupted with wails of despair when the internet dropped out for dc) too shattered after this walking to take the recycling down (got to natter to various people from church who were also out and about to get chocolate)

one load of washing, there was not quite enough for a second load of any type there is a part load in the machine waiting to be completed and set going

kids mostly emotionally regulated... a hiccup at the end of the day when I was panicking about editing shopping order to take off things that need to go in the fridge

washingup. most of it was done. including the stuff that they generated at lunch time. some is left and tea pots.

wiped loads of shopping. put some away. some has been delivered to near where it gets put away.

gathered one bag of recycling.

everybody fed, nobody dead, reasonably meltdown free.

so I can add cleaning the basin,
editing shopping order

accidently falling asleep while looking out the window at sunset... oops.

trying to transport stuff around the flat as i go up and down to the loo mainly.

Yesterday went totally wrong here and what should have been a day with help getting things into storage didn’t happen. Had to be limited to getting three sacks of rubbish out that I’d got together previously, along with an old spade handle, a couple of bits of wood, and a token bottle from the cupboard.
Had to reorganise mess others had left the public bins in to get ours in there at all, and it’s fair to say there’s no chance of getting anymore in until after the bank holiday, but at least it’s a little less stuff. Am hoping to get something done towards de-cluttering today in between all the other things that need doing, but bank and shopping is next.

Amber Congratulations!
Nettleskeins Well done, glad you got a rush from feeding the clothes bank!
BlackeyedSusan “everybody fed, nobody dead, reasonably meltdown free.” Sounds like a win!

At least you got rid of some Elleherd it all helps.

Everyone is so productive, I'm in awe. I get distracted by the internet. I'm going to do some admin tasks which will make the place a little tidier.

Ha, just good at pretending to be productive....

Sorry it didn't go as planned yesterday elle

@AmberItsACertainty

Come on, let's get on with this together, I'm off to make ds some lunch and wash up.

Just stopping letting it get worse is a win. Reduces the overwhelming unable to do stuff as one bit of territory is held!

Dr you back here in half an hour

My family are driving me insane this morning...And it is freezing. Endless opening and shutting of doors and music blaring.

I'll have to do something to take my mind off my own irritability. I did read a novel in desperation , an old classic that I only understand now I'm middle-aged, To The Lighthouse, which means it is not entirely a wasted morning.

Today is proving a bit of a black hole.

I have done some washing
And I'm about to sweep up the magnolia petals.

But will go off with batteries and coins now

1 hour later...

So.... I have finished the washing up that was in the kitchen. (There are some bits lying around elsewhere but wanted to clear the part of the worksurface next to the sink because....

I have dealt with all the little bits and bobs that have been waiting to be washed and put away. They are all now washed and drying or thrown away, bar two things...which are soaking.

Most of the dry pots have been put away.

Scrubbed the 18 inch square patch of worksurface that has been cleared. I have thus reduced the kitchen messyness by at least one point would quite like to get it back to a five, so cluttered but clear parts of work surface. More clear than occupied. And the floor clear of shopping and detritus. (Random bags or dropped things I can't pick up until a day I am not toppling over. )

It is shopping day so officially Friday tidy day. Basically trying to make the hall and kitchen look less shit from the door. Washing up and putting away is part of that as is hoovering the hall and stairs and a tidying of the worst stuff.

I also wiped some of the bathroom shopping that had fallen on the floor, ditto something from ds's floor.

One child has been fed breakfast and lunch. The other gets their own.

I cleaned the bath basin and part of the loo this morning. That needs finishing.

Sorry just interrupted posting to send two bin bags full of recycling down with ex who has finally turned up to get the children. wiped a bit more shopping.

Going to sleep before final hoover...and shopping delivery.

BlackeyedSusan you're right it's letting it build up that's the worst. Especially the admin, because it 'just a bit of paper' until you've an entire box of it which takes weeks to get through.

So far I've:

Put the washing up from last night away, so now I can use the drainer as a worktop (my kitchen is tiny).

Filed the paperwork that needs filing.

Checked through my bank statement, all ok there. (I get paranoid about ID fraud).

Filled in a form to do with the electric and took it to a post box. Felt brave while I was out, not too many people around, so went for a short walk too.

I updated a visual time management reminder which I use to help organise my day. My life has changed so I needed to update the activities. I quite like being creative so it didn't feel like too much of a chore.

Went through the To-Do list of long and complicated tasks and wrote a quick update on where I'm at with each one, so I don't forget.

Feel like I haven't really done anything, but all that above has taken me 1 1/2hrs and I'm quite stressed now. Putting my feet up with a cup of chamomile tea for a minute.

That's loads Amber. Well done.

Enjoy your tea.

Thanks

Wiped worktops properly
Wiped hob properly
Took dog on second long walk

Watching/listening to the Messiah on the telly...really quite odd with the social distancing, but beautiful...

Teen is doing paperwork...she just asked for her NI number..needless to say I couldn't locate it, but someone else had a better filing system than me...so she has it now.
I haven't done any errands hmm

I picked five things up off the floor though and put them away!

shopping has arrived... most of it that needs to be in the fridge or freezer is in there. I wiped down some of the paintwork in the hall again after hoovering. it gets mucky quickly.

today is the first day that you can see progress. mostly it is holding back the mess from getting worse, with a bit of ebb and flow. I have noticed that the computer desk is relatively uncluttered on the monitor level, so that is something I have kept on top of . needs a bit of a dust but not too bad.

jut waiting for children to come back now.

nettle you are doing really well.

DD has decluttered ,To her room, a runner that I had hidden behind the sofa...that is good! She came in saying, Mum you don't happen to have a spare runner do you? Occasionally my clutter comes in handy

My storage clutter is also bad, but good bad, as in books.
My garden is also an garden 8 or 9.
DIY SOS score - oh yes! I forgot about that - 9 or 10 here.
Buying/acquiring unneeded stuff - I'm much better some days, and terrible on other days.
With regards to my dirty house. My bedroom is better. Cooker top is usually clean, and I've got really good at washing up after using stuff now. Dust is bad.

Today, I went through my jewellery and put aside a lot of broken gold chains, and a gate bracelet and a wedding ring - got another one somewhere too that a friend gave me after her split. My Ds is saving to 'pop the question' and I thought maybe I could try to get a few quid together and throw that his way. I'm thinking of selling the engagement ring his father bought me because I'll never wear it again, and Ds doesn't want it because it's yellow gold. The money could go to his ring purchase. That'll be a bit of clutter gone

Oh, and I didn't know about the official hoarder's score, so I apologise if I've done that wrong.

Well done everyone for the progress.

Amber Well done, especially on the “list of long and complicated tasks and wrote a quick update on where I'm at with each one.” (With everything that’s happened I’ve reached the point where that’s a day’s work.)

BlackeyedSusan Great that you’re seeing progress. It is very hard to keep on top of the ‘ebb and flow’ at the best of times.

Nettleskeins I have that situation of my clutter coming in handy too. Just wish it would come in handy more often for people who didn't live in the same house as me!

Solo I’m not sure there really is a 'wrong' on scoring for those of us who already know we have a serious problem. I think including storage situations, our gardens if they’re problematic or can get us into trouble, DIY SOS situation, and self-awareness over further acquisition, are a really important part of the picture.

Yesterday was sorting and shifting things to storage while I had the help, but the help is resistant to change or tbh getting off their phone. Went painfully slowly with half of what went pre sifted, and half not really, but do know what it is, but just not that much stuff moved.
I really don’t want to end up with the situation made worse by just shoving it all in with no pre-sorting on a promise of later help. It never does and leads to so many arguments, but I also need space to work in. Have fingers crossed that I’m making the right decisions here!

Did end up completely unable to get myself off the floor, which is when having help at hand made a really major difference.
Only half a carrier bag of stuff out, but a lot of small detritus gone. Another attempt today.
So far have managed to wash another four damp affected T-shirts and a bag, and get most of the family laundry together.
Proffered chocolate and help about to get lunch, so hopefully can be lured into working soon.

solo the cash-for-gold places take broken stuff too . They melt it down

I swept front paths
Hung out some washing
Watered very dry pots at front
Moved some seedling ground cover "thugs" to fill areas where nothing grows by the privet hedge....earth is being constantly washed down the bank, so gardening now will mean less path sweeping later in season.
I love my bluebell thugs in the front. By May they will be unsightly and dried up but then hopefully the summer thugs, valerian and Herb Robert will take over...all under large tree

The window box is looking good too. Daisies and mini tulips and last years geraniums.
.
Dd has a friend in garden...finally.

We have done nothing Eastery...its a relief tbh. Dcs bought their own Easter eggs this year because we were fed up with lack of engagement with grocery matters, so we gave them cash and said off you go!

Nettleskeins I'm not doing anything Eastery either. I clean on Sunday's so it's business as usual for me. I've got an egg though.

I sold another thing, only a small one so it's made no impact on the mess in the porch, but my purse is £5 heavier