Hoarder's Anonymous, Part 6

[Solo]

Well, here we are embarking upon part 6 of our epic journey of sorting out our homes.

We are a varied group of likeminded householders that are leading somewhat challenging lives; be that living with too much 'stuff' that we find difficult to deal with, houses that are falling apart (mine included), health issues within the family unit, wider family, or ourselves that makes sorting out our households challenging, to say the least. So...

Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us for support, adding their own ideas to help others out, storage ideas, even tips on actually getting those items out of the house which sounds so simple when you say it. Encouragement abounds here, and we do not criticise. EVER! We even try not to criticise ourselves as it's not helpful to anyone.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, don't know where to start, can't be bothered but really do want to be bothered...think you are lazy, just need to see it in print here...we'll help. We'll virtually fist bump your achievements - small or large, and virtually hug you when the need arises, and if you want a hug, just ask because we are here for you. Here for one another because we get it - the highs and the lows, the art of washing up is sometimes our great achievement of the day, but it's still an achievement.

Welcome to thread #6 of Hoarders Anonymous - Carrying On Sorting It Out

HERE

Get well soon solo.

Admits to having been on Brexit threads. Definitely need to work on cutting back the Brexit stash....at least to sensible places.

Shopping due today. I have hoovered half a hall. (Approx 2 foot by five foot of carpet ) And half a kitchen. I have washed/damp dusted all the paintwork in that half of the hall. Feel quite pleased with that. The rest of the flat is minging but progress is progress

Sorted some stuff off the kitchen floor.
Cleaned the side of the freezer behind the bin, the chrome worktop leg, and the bin, and the bit of the floor under/near the bin.

Put some things in a bin bag for charity.
Sneakily returned some carrier bags to ex.

Took DD to get lateral flowed at school...
Contacted ds's lsa re his return to school.
Made him lunch and breakfast.
Faffed about trying to get this blanket dry.... Still. (Day 5 and the bloody thing is still dripping)it's now hung in living room with the bottom in a washing up bowl. Got fed up of moving it out the bath everyday.

Thrown away one set of too small orthotics and a pair of work gloves that have perished.

It’s taken twice the time expected and too much money and stress, but the vehicles made it through it’s MOT (and breathe!) and just in time as work, study etc can't happen without it. Washing got done, and I started essay but tbh that’s it.

Cherry Tree hope operation went well and you’re sorted asap. If you can afford to put your MH ahead of your finances, then I’d go with looking after the former.
Sing It is very outing unfortunately. It’s a very tight question as well, but I have now made a start on it. Hope you find yours more fun. Sorry the boosters hit you, but well done on ‘opportunistic’ decluttering!
Susan stopping it getting worse is a very important part of it all, as is rotating food.
Miaowse well done, especially on the mug! Another Brexit stocker here. Realized that my hospital stays had disrupted how swiftly we were using it up and took two full bags to the food bank while it was still in date.
Solo Another one in the wars! Sorry you’re hurt. I also need to de-clutter some weight! It adds to all the other problems and definitely to pain.
Over the last six months medical stuff's taken me from average but with muscle, to seriously underweight and lost all muscle, and now overweight and it's all fat! in the process of trying to rebuild muscle! (Well that's the official excuse and I'm sticking to it.)

I’ve bagged up my summer clothes that fitted me last summer, which had been sitting on my bedroom chair for weeks. Nowhere to put the bags, so they’re now sitting on the bedroom floor. At least I can sit on the chair though! (Glass half full)

Really really need to get into the attic and start sorting in there but it’s a task and a half so I’m putting it off.

Just posting for accountability right now - I will read through the updates later.

I washed up. All of it! Did one small load of laundry. Cooked dinner. Sat down.
Now I need to wash up before bed.

Good about the car...laptop battery dying...

I didn't wash up before bed, but I did it this afternoon. Also, after I did a bit of shopping this afternoon, I pulled a huge amount of very out of date foods from my fridge. Shameful really. I also got rid of some frozen 'should've been used a very long years time ago' food.
Did a quick tea.

Took all the Christmas decorations down today. I go all out and our house would pass for a grotto. So it was quite a task to box it all up. I haven’t put the boxes away yet but nearly done.

I also had a clear out of five drawers in the tallboy in our bedroom. Threw away intern pairs of old socks and tights. I will revisit one of the drawers if I haven’t lost weight and kept it off by this time next year as I think I would need to accept that my size 10 days are well behind me.

So much still to do, it’s really daunting. Even making a list of what I have to do is overwhelming. But I’m making inroads.

I really really need to do my fridge @Solo. Well done. Also need to do the oven. Must add both to The List.

used five tins and sent 8 away with ex.

well done for washing up solo.

very fatiguedf day.
I put a load of washing in
put some of the dry pots away
made a little bit of progress on tins sorting
hoovered a bit of floor.
fed ds lunch and chiovvied him, off to football. (he was returned stupidly late gone, 11. bloody ex)
put heating on and off for children.
need to relieve him of his phone and get to bed now.
filled in two fiddly annoying forms to say no we do not consent to the vaccination.... (they have already had it. )
slept for three hours this afternoon

Hello everyone! Long time no see! 🤗

A VERY belated ‘nice to meet you’ to Jazzledazzle, caringcarer, CarmelBeach, Ostara212, Calmingvibrations, MoesBar, Nordicmom, ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba, toomanyhobbies, Missingthesea, namebunny, IAAP, Tyredofallthis and BeefSupreme!

The second year of the pandemic hit me hard, and mostly emotionally, so I did not get too far with my decluttering/tidying up. Below is a summary of my only accomplishments since April 2021:

1. I’ve stayed on top of my previously sorted areas (my kitchen, my desk and my digital data, to be precise) – my kitchen, my desk, my laptop and my phone have no more trash/clutter/expired or irrelevant items, everything is sorted and properly stored/arranged at all times.

2. I have also managed to stick to my 5-week rotating meal plan, and my weekly task schedule still follows the FlyLady’s advice, i.e. Clothes & Footwear Care Day is on Thursday, Menu & Grocery Day is on Friday, Errand Day is on Saturday, Desk Day is on Sunday, etc.

3. I’ve finished filling up a display cabinet with some of my memorabilia. Speaking of procrastination and leaving things halfway finished, the actual total time it took me to search for the items scattered around the house, clean and arrange them inside the display cabinet was less than two hours, but… it took me almost THREE YEARS 🤦‍♀️ to complete this task, and to cross it off my very long to-do list.

4. I’ve said farewell to four items from my wardrobe:

👖 A pair of blue jeans – they were the largest size jeans I’ve ever had, and I’ve worn them to shreds. The next largest pair had an inch smaller waist, but ‘thanks’ to coronavirus I lost 8 pounds, so I could finally fit into it (but only just! 😬). The rest of my jeans are even smaller so this pair had better last until I manage to lose more weight. WellTidy, Solo and Elleherd, can I join you on your weight loss journey this year?

🧦 A pair of black Pringle Johanne Cushion Trainer socks – suitable for winter, incredibly soft, but after eight years 👀 of wear they stretched out so much that they started to fall off my feet 😅

👡 Two pairs of sandals. They ripped apart in the course of one week in early August, so now I have no sandals left in my wardrobe. I will wait till summer to buy a new pair. Just one pair, I swear 🤭

Back in May AmberIsACertainty asked how many pairs of shoes we own – currently I have 22 pairs. I know this so well because back in February 2020 I created an Excel inventory for all of my clothing items, accessories and shoes, and have been using it ever since (every time I buy or chuck an item, I update it). 22 pairs is not a crazy amount but considering my rather dull lifestyle, I would be OK without at least half of them.

I am excited to be back, and I am ready to pick up where I left off. I’ve almost caught up with the thread, and will report back when I’m done.

Hey, Cherry :) How the devil are you?
Yes, absolutely re the weight loss, but I have no idea how. Yet. I did .see a 7lb loss on Tuesday and I don't recall my last weigh-in, but it was at least a month ago. Last time I followed anything remotely weight loss orientated, it was Paul McKenna, and I keep thinking it would be good to do it again as it's actually very easy and it works.

You are doing well WellTidy and Susan keep it all up!

Just checking in whilst listening to cricket. Just tired today not a lot done but have managed:
Washing up quite a lot
Taking one child to school and coming back to get the other one for their turn to be lateral flowed.
Snack for child
Breakfast for one child, chivvied to get dressed.
Emotional regulation/sympathy phone call for child
Tea for one child (other ate at their dad's)
Checked some dates in the fridge and chucked some stuff out. Used up some other stuff in tea.
Letting children in and out
Taking the bin bag out the bin, filling it up from the living room bin...ex forgot to take it down. 🙄 Could be difficult as communal bin fills up quickly.
Quick clean of the bathroom basin and usual wiping round toilet seat.

Mainly stopping it getting worse as quickly again. But better than nothing.

Nice to see you in this thread too Cherry - I am a fellow beauty hoarder. Sounds like you have an excellent plan, which is always good!

I have no idea how many pairs of shoes I own. I have foot problems (bunions) and awkward heels (!) so when I find a pair of shoes that fits I tend to buy a zillion pairs. And my bunions are getting worse, so I now have a zillion pairs of chores/boots/plimsolls that did once for and would fit again if I had bunion surgery. Which I am not planning but will have to. So I don’t want to thrown them out. Parallels there with my ‘I will be able to wear these again when I lose a stone/a stone and a half/two stone’ across all seasons.

As a result I probably have 100 pairs of shoes/boots/sandals/plimsolls/trainers. Actually it’s probably more. I wear maybe ten of them.

Yikes.

Susan when you write down what is actually done in a day, it’s quite reassuring to see. If I don’t get things done that are on my list, I think it’s been a poor day. But really all the day to day things are time and energy consuming!

@Solo I’m not too bad now, thank you! ❤️ But 2021 made me deal with several sad events, including the loss of two family members. Plus, in November I contracted COVID-19, and the first week was pure agony. It triggered arthritis in almost every joint of my body, and I was literally screaming in pain. I feel much better now, and hope that 2022 is going to be kind to all of us!

Congratulations on ‘decluttering’ 7 lbs! 🏆 And thank you for recommending Paul McKenna 🙏 I’ll try and learn more about his method 😉

I was thinking to remove several types of food/drinks from my diet, and to start having six small meals per day instead of usual three. I’m staying at home most of the time, so a new meal plan shouldn’t be an issue. It would also be nice to develop a couple of new habits like daily cardio (min. 30 minutes), using fresh or steamed vegetables for garnish instead of potatoes/rice/pasta, drink more water, etc.

Hello @WellTidy! 👋 /waves vigorously/

My hoarding spreads far beyond beauty products 😓 so this discussion/community is the second one that I joined on MN (exactly one year after I had joined the beauty hoarders’ discussion). There are hundreds of other threads on MN which discuss house chores, routines and decluttering but this one stood out for me due to its focus on the hoarding mentality/mindset which severely affects the ability to perform house chores/stick to routines/declutter/let go. I immediately felt at home here.

‘I will be able to wear these again when I lose a stone/a stone and a half/two stone’ – this is a mantra I've been telling myself for the last seven years. Hence why the above-mentioned weight-loss plan.

Meanwhile, I’ve finally caught up with EVERY SINGLE POST that had been published here and in the previous thread since… April 13th, 2021! I didn’t realise I’ve been absent for so long 😲

It was incredibly inspiring to read about everyone’s journey, and I’d like to quote/address several things that I’ve found particularly relatable to my own situation 🤝

🌸 Nettleskeins: Doing stuff instead of buying stuff to me is the key, actually cooking or gardening or sewing or painting instead of 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.

Elleherd: Nettleskeins Yes! Or buying for the life you wish you had, rather than the one you’re actually living.

🌸 DownUdderer: Today I read a quote "just because you're struggling doesn't mean you're failing". I needed to read that today.

🌸 Miaowse: I think (hope!) it is normal to develop blind spots when you see things every day. If I take a photo I can suddenly see the issues/mess.

Yes! Taking photos helps me a lot, too!

🌸 Miaowse: It’s tempting to think you can’t get a job done from start to finish so put it off to when you have more time (i.e. never!). I’m very guilty of this.

100% same here.

🌸 Miaowse: I did delete almost everything from my Amazon wish list; it was a history of failed plans and dreams.

How did it feel after you deleted those items, @Miaowse? My wish list is not on Amazon but in a Word document on my laptop, and it is a sad thing to look at: the furniture and décor items I have nowhere to put in my apartment, the clothes I will never look good in, ornaments and lanterns for my non-existing garden, tools and equipment for the hobbies that I never have time or energy for, etc. Deleting this document would probably help me accept the reality, and let go, but I still cannot bring myself to do that.

🌸 Miaowse: Just watched a video that was quite interesting: m.youtube.com/watch?v=G14xkf3jKaE Summary - all clutter is a result of a deferred decision or an incomplete action.

I completely agree, and deferred decisions and incomplete actions are the results of procrastination, indecisiveness, decision fatigue, lack of energy/time/motivation and various mental and physical health issues /deep sigh/

Fingers crossed, in 2022 we'll be able to make all the decisions that need to be made, and to complete all the actions that need to be completed! 🤞 🙏

Cherry I definitely have the hoarding mentality/mindset in all areas of my life and I am starting to acknowledged it and starting to get on top of it. A long way still to go for me.

I finally took the big bag of bits and pieces to the charity shop today. It had been waiting for over a week. So many things in it were brand new with tags. I didn’t remember buying a lot of it.

I also organised some of the Dc craft stuff leftover hanging around after Christmas. I have made a note not to buy any Christmas crafts for 2022 (and probably 2023 and 2024) as we have so many left over I could probably open a hobbycraft franchise.

I accomplished some other things today too. I batch cooked Wagamama katsu sauce and bagged it up into portions for the freezer, and did the same with basil pesto. It will make some meals quicker over the next few weeks. Know it’s not getting things out of the door or more organised as such, but it will help me free up some time. Which I will then have fewer excuses not to spend getting better organised!

I am feeling better for this. I will probably do nothing more tomorrow, as I can never seem to get a good run of productive organising days together. But definitely continuing to make inroads.

Cherry it's a shame (assuming) that we don't live close by one another as we could walk together. Paul McKenna has several different methods - well, they are basically the same, but one relies on you only eating when you are hungry, chewing for a long time each mouthful, and stopping when you are full. Listening to your body. The other is a virtual gastric band which kind of makes you feel like you've had a bypass. I need to read the book again and listen to the CD.

WellTidy batch cooking is something I definitely want to do so that I can save on energy bills and time and stop the food waste. I have a slow cooker and tend to make a lot up at once but we eat it until it's gone over several (3 or 4) days, but with different accompaniments and bits added to make it different.

I have loads of shoes and boots and sandals too and usually wear my fake Uggs from Costco as they are so comfy and warm, or my real Uggs which are more dressy for something that doesn't require casual. I wear my Birkenstocks during the summer and on occasion my Skecher 'biker' style shoes. I rarely wear trainers but I have 2 pairs. My bag collection is unbelievable! Loads of evening bags and bags I'll never use again. Do I try to sell or just charity shop some of them? Aaaagh!

Hi everyone. I've done a load of laundry today and hung it up. I did a small load yesterday. I put away four jigsaws into a cupboard, I'd been procrastinating that tiny job for literally weeks. I put some trash in a bag. I'm procrastinating with most jobs at the moment.

I've got my booster jab tomorrow.

I would love to lose weight.

Ooh @CherryMargo welcome back and how interesting to see those old comments! I definitely didn’t have any regrets when I deleted the wish list and if I’m being totally honest I’d forgotten all about it.

I haven’t started a new wish list but I do have a bad habit of adding items to my basket then clicking “save for later”. My discretionary spending budget is very limited and I’m frugal but enjoying looking at things I might like to buy and adding items to basket/wish list seems to satisfy the acquisitive part of my brain without having to spend money I can’t afford/adding clutter to my house.

I love that comment from Nettleskeins, who I have not seen on the thread for a while. I was thinking of her posts recently when I finally took her advice and let go of a mug painted by a friend. It is actually quite frustrating to see my old comments as I clearly know this stuff but still can’t seem to put the advice/knowledge into practice.

My plan to re-read old novels and donate any that do not completely captivate me is ongoing - another novel in the charity shop box today. Aside from that, not much achieved today so far.

Well done for putting away the jigsaws DownUdderer! I still need to take down and put away the Christmas tree

Fridge partially cleaned yesterday (some very old manky veg went in the food bin), so thanks Solo for the inspiration.

I am very keen to do some batch cooking and meal planning this year too WellTidy. I just need to clear more space in my freezer first If anyone has any good recipes to share for inspiration please post! I have never made katsu curry sauce from scratch, is it complicated to do?

@Miaowse the Wagamama katsu is really easy. I make masses of it and freeze, as it freezes well. It’s basically onion, garlic and ginger, spices, soy, a little sugar and coconut milk. I blitz it and then drive it so that I know it is smooth. And then freeze in portions.

Recipe here

Thank you WellTidy!

@WellTidy

Susan when you write down what is actually done in a day, it’s quite reassuring to see. If I don’t get things done that are on my list, I think it’s been a poor day. But really all the day to day things are time and energy consuming!

Yes otherwise I feel like I have done nothing. Good to look back on and know one is not just being lazy as not done...(insert task here) that you feel you ought to have had time for.

Yesterday:
Washing one load, getting it spun in two batches as some things were too heavy when wet to spin in one load and hanging up to dry.

Got two kids packed up and off to swimming.

Pulled out tins from storage, hoovered under, started refilling with long dated tins. Going to post it note the top one with the dates. (11/23 and longer) so I don't need to worry about them until next year.

Stacked tinned beans in date order to use up.

Put dry pots away.

Reminded ex to bring back swimming bags.
Did pudding and drinks for ds.
Sent ex down with recycling

Picked up some random bits and bobs from floor. (Pesky ends of yarn, )

Today:
Breakfast/lunch/drinks for ds
Put a load of washing in. (Yet to hang)
Started filling up the recycling bag again
Changed the battery in the smoke alarm.
Cleaned the living room windows. Need to buff with a fresh cloth tomorrow in the light. The mould beginning to grow was annoying me.

Used the cloth (piece of old school shirt) to wipe a bit of ds's windows which turn black with mould in a month. Need to finish them tomorrow. Chucked the cloth in the bin. (DD wrecks school shirts so plenty more cloths available)

Going to nap. Stayed up til tea...(4am) listening to cricket hoping for rain and a draw...

After that it is making tea and bed...

And hopefully washing up.

@WellTidy last month I gathered all of my wrapping paper, gift toppers, tags and postcards together, and discovered that I won’t need to worry about any of these for at least five years bar the postcards, as I buy them once a year after I have reviewed and updated the list of people I need to send/give them to during the next 12 months. And yes, the list of people is another Excel spreadsheet 😅

I hope you had a chance to recharge your batteries today 😉 Good luck with your next step! ✨

@Solo it would be great to have a walking buddy! We have a couple of walking clubs in my town but they meet up only once a week. IIRC we are miles and miles apart from each other but I may be wrong 🤔

12 bags here (tote bags and suitcases are not included). Again, maybe not a tremendous amount but nowadays I only use three of them (#1 is used in October – April, #2 is used in May – September, and I use #3 when I need to carry only a few things like my phone, wallet and keys). I used to have one more bag in rotation but not anymore due to my current life circumstances. Bag #4 was a backpack which was handy for picnics in a park, short sightseeing trips or gym visits. If I return to those activities one day, I’ll dig it out again. The rest of my bags are the ghosts of a glorious past 👻

@Miaowse “adding items to basket/wish list seems to satisfy the acquisitive part of my brain without having to spend money I can’t afford/adding clutter to my house” – oh I wish my brain could be tricked like that! In my case, every time I look at my wish list or online shopping carts full of awesome stuff, they make me upset reminding me that I cannot have those items here and now.

“It is actually quite frustrating to see my old comments as I clearly know this stuff but still can’t seem to put the advice/knowledge into practice” – behavioural changes do not happen overnight, but knowing or awareness is half the battle 💪 Please don’t let your spirit wane!

Cherry it's a shame, isn't it? I'm sure we are miles apart. I've noticed that the walking groups near me are in the mornings and that's when I'm at work so, no can do.

Nothing done here today apart from cleaning the washbasin in the bathroom and a bit of the bath...sounds daft, but it was the edges and the plug holes on sink and bath which were horrible!

There's a nice group I joined on FB about living frugally. Lots of ideas and support on there. It's called 'My Second Hand And Frugal Life'.

I'm for bed. See you all soon.