The Hoarders Anonymous Thread #7. Keep On Keeping On!

[Solo]

We are a mixed 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 (myself included) that means sorting out our households is challenging, to say the least. So...

You are all welcome to join us for support, adding your own ideas to help others out, storage ideas, and even tips on actually getting those items out of the house which sounds so simple when you say it, but this part can be so very difficult; we are often attached emotionally to our 'things', afraid of letting things go just in case we need them.
Encouragement and support abound here, and we do not criticise. EVER! We even try not to criticise ourselves as it's not helpful to anyone, but this can be very difficult not to do.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter, mess, disorganisation and generally don't know where to start. If you can't be bothered, but really do want to be bothered. If you think you are a bit lazy, or if you just need to see your highs and lows and everything in between on the screen here, join us, and we will help you. We'll virtually high-five 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 art of washing up is sometimes our great achievement of the day, but it's still an achievement.

Welcome to thread #7 of Hoarders Anonymous - Keep On Keeping On!

Thread #6 HERE

A bulging carrier bag to the British Heart Foundation shop today - books, clothes and office bits. Then to Aldi for some nice healthy items for my bento lunch box (trying to step away from bread, crisps, cakes).

I'm really sorry about your mum BlackEyedSusan 💐

Thanks blue.

Just beginning to get back to functioning.

So: yesterday was mainly sleep and running a boy about for activities. I did get a tiny bit of washing up done.
"Cooked" a lasagne (let's pop into Asda and get a ready meal, to save time...he chose one that took 55 minutes in the oven! Bloody gorgeous though!)
Also unblocked the bath plug hole (of half a football field)

Today I have done a bit more.
Got a boy up and to school.
Soaked and scrubbed the boys kit.
Wiped half a field out of the bath.
Washed up pot rack full.
Put some slippers under the stairs.
Bagged up some recycling.
Took dry washing down (yet to take upstairs)
Fitted ds's PJs into his drawers.
Took some pots through to kitchen.
Put the lasagne tray under mum's basket of plants instead of a washing up bowl that was make do.

I need to do more but gone a bit weepy due to only just eating breakfast other than some nuts.

Got to get the last lot of washing out and start getting the kit rinsed then washed.

House has been slowly getting messier again but managed to do a bit yesterday with the mindset of doing a little tidying when entering a room. Organised a kitchen cupboard and cleared a bit of the bathroom.

Main bedroom is a priority today.

I have managed to do a few things this week and I have another quiet weekend coming up so hoping I can gather some momentum and actually Get Stuff Out.

I taped up some boxes of books for the charity shop (filled ages ago but they have been in my lounge awaiting next steps). The taped up boxes have migrated to the boot where they will no doubt stay for months….

My child has had a growth spurt and I have bought new bigger clothes but not yet removed the too small items.

I dropped off a bag of expired medication to the pharmacy. I still have a larger bag of rags to go, but I’m not sure when I’ll get that sorted out as it may require a trip to the recycling centre which is a bit of a trek.

Other than that I am trying to eat from the freezer and cupboards as much as possible.

Doing a little when entering a room worked for me quite well yesterday. Household bin day today so have two weeks and an empty bin to fill. Bedroom main priority and may have a dabble at the small bedroom as that is horrific. Managed not to leave any dirty dishes for first time in a long time last night 😊

Well done talk. Keep going.

Saturday: get lad out to football with his dad and take lass swimming. Then day off.

Sunday. I was planning to get more stuff done than I achieved but did

two loads of washing (didn't hang it up)
Got boy off to football with his dad.
Sent a bin bag full of recycling out with ex.

Monday:
Hung yesterday's two loads of washing, plus one of today's

Hoovered the hall stairs and 2/3 of the kitchen. (Picked up lots of bits and bobs)

Chased fruit flies with a hoover: neighbours must think I'm mad.

Took the compost down to the garage. (Using old shoe boxes from the garage which I will drop straight into the compost bin. Before a new colony of fruit flies establishes.

Cleaned the side of the freezer behind the bin.

Cleaned 2/3 of kitchen floor (hands an knees job) Well chuffed!

Swept football boot mud off communal stairs.

Banged football boots over garden. (Down two flights of stairs and back up.)

Took dd to optician to get glasses fitted

Took dd to club.

Washed mud off the weekend's kit. And rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. (Time limit on washing machine use, forgot to get started earlier and promised ds I would wash his favourite PJ's)

Cleaned the bath three times

Spent 1.5 hours cleaning plus time washing.

Quite chuffed with myself today.

You've all been doing well lately. I've decided to start with getting rid of all those Really Useful Items which others would probably describe as "trash". I'm perhaps a little too frugal at times. Areas aren't clear, but they are a lot tidier with only genuinely useful items there and none of the random things I'm convinced I'll find a use for one day.

The weekend wasn’t quite as productive as I’d hoped, but I did drop off 5 boxes (mostly books) and two smallish bags of rags to the charity shop. The boxes were filled last year or even the year before in some cases. It feels very good to get them out of the house.

Well done Miaowse!

God, I've go so many RUIs I put one tiny one in the bin today. Such an effort for something so small.

I've finished cleaning one kitchen work surface and have cleaned the sink.

Yesterday I washed up loads and put it all away. Looked after a poorly boy while being poorly myself and got loads of washing done. I have washing drying everywhere in the living room.

washing galore all over my house as the machine was misbehaving and I have a backlog to get washed, dried and put away. These multi-step tasks have so many points where they can get stuck...

Last night I found a few random bits and bobs to discard from a big pile. The pile looks tidier even though it hasn’t shrunk much.

hope the illnesses pass quickly blackeyedsusan

Thanks Miaowse.

It all helps. I found a bag of receipts I can chuck out (compost) and started putting stuff back in the cupboard leaving access to the stop tap to turn off every month.

I feel less poorly but tired. Cramps kept me awake.

Owner of garage wants it cleared out quickly. Originally gave me until July. Bloody annoying.

Get well soon BlackeyedSusan. I'd be annoyed about the garage too.

I can see table, around one third. I'm about to cover it up with a pile of stuff again, but it's a much smaller pile than before, I know exactly what is in there and everything is genuinely useful.

Very frustrating to have the timeline changed re: garage clear out, BlackeyedSusan. Excellent idea to leave some clear space for stop tap access, impressive will power not to fill up the space!

I have started a new books box for charity. 3 paperbacks in there now. Also started a new rags bag that just has a pair of holey socks in it so far.

I put away a bunch of dry laundry (still plenty more to be dealt with) and lots of still damp washing on the airers

I picked up a random bag for life that’s been in the living room for ages. It took barely any time to sort through and I’ve put away and chucked various things. It had a bucket and spade, a bunch of thank you cards, old receipts, a pen, sellotape and two rolls of parcel tape, a phone (?) holder for the car, pack of paperclips and some wrapping paper.

I’m now going to spend 5mins sorting the clutter on top of the microwave.

Well done on the table BlueSummerBaby

Thanks Miaowse. I'm doing a book donation pile too, there's only one book in it so far though

Hi everyone.

Susan I'm so sorry about your mum . My joke about my own 'mum will outlive me' must've sounded awful.

Everyone seems to be doing really well :) and a belated welcome to those of you that I've missed through being absent.

I've done nothing other than washing up and laundry. I just don't seem to have been in my own house other than to get into bed recently, and this weekend won't be much different.

I did return a parcel today that's been waiting to be packed up and taken to the collection point for several weeks today.

I'm finding work overwhelming at the moment, and Dd is doing mocks...trying to get her into school is a nightmare, so that's probably the reason I've been very low in mood recently. I've always just carried on, put the mask on, and smiled, but I don't feel much like doing that at the moment.

I think I'm off to bed. Night all.

Thought I’d update. I got 2 books on hoarding and tried to follow the rules in them. It’s hard though. Have actually cleared a spare room of junk (Emmaus, British Heart Foundation etc) which was hard but cathartic.

Which books did you get GonnaGetGoingReturns? You've done well clearing a room

I cleared the table, then filled it back up again with stuff that needs storing there for now. As I'd got rid of quite a lot, there was room for some other things dotted around the place which don't have a home. I've got a clear window sill and side table as a result

Have been keeping up with everyone's progress and keep meaning to post to say well done, and then the next thing happens...
Finally getting better from chest infection and breathing's getting easier, but so exhausted.

Over the last week and a half:
Physical part of an overdue work project finally achieved. (much paperwork to yet be done)
Made basic plan for catching up with work required for upcoming exams.
Boss of awol contractors was supposed to be coming tomorrow to reassess situation, but having preped everything for that, he's just cancelled.
Moved more stuff out of flooded storage unit into other units so they could access.
Suffered yet another sewage flood. (The God of hoarding recovery giveth, and the God of hoarding recovery taketh away.)
Cleaned up the worst of above, still have to clean up outside from drain contractors, and additional boil/soaking washing in buckets as a result.
Aunts flat has little progression, and legal stuff dragging on and messy.

Out is: 5 sacks of recyclable materials gone, along with a shed, a large umbrella, big poster, some small shelves, couple of pairs of shoes, and some smaller bits into bin.

Bits into bin of smaller items is a small breakthrough as they weren't at end of life which would normally make me feel I had to find a better way of getting them out of my life.
I get a lot of guilt over waste, but up to now I've only really managed it with bigger items where the amount of space cleared by just junking it, justified it.

BlueSummerBaby well done on space reclamation.

GonnaGetGoingReturns A whole room is something else! Well done you!

Solo sympathies on only seeing your own house to sleep in, and the overwhelm of work and school/Dd. It can be very hard going and exam prep vs teenagers is its own hell. Don't think the continuing winter in spring is helping much either.

Susan sorry your garage landlord's adding to difficulties, impossible to plan for things changing without warning.

Miaowse I smiled at the contents of the random bag. Sounds familiar.

TalkToTheHand123 well done with the emptied sink.

I forgot you need to keep tidying or it gets worse. 🙄

Making small inroads again though. Trying to make it fun to get motivated and doing little project areas.

Weekend: did the full bathroom clean. Himself had done all the plugholes and drains while I was at work. I even brushed down the walls and scrubbed the manky skirting board tops and washed the bath's feet. Fresh towels and washed all the bottles. Then stripped the bed and removed one unused chair from the bedroom, put the other one into the corner. Can now SEE the fireplace and feels like so much more room! Thinking of getting sheepskin rug - or fake - for bare floorboards ... Did the bins, and recycling, and three laundry loads. First lot put away. Birthday flowers still look nice in bedroom and kitchen, feeling very spring like. I'm continuing with Mrs Hinch Declutter Jar challenge - I drew a 9, so five more books and a burnt saucepan earmarked for exit. 3 more things to go ...

Hello everyone!

Take it super easy Elleherd don’t overdo. It until you are recovered How awful you’ve been flooded again, really hope nothing too precious was ruined.

Keeping up with laundry and washing up is something to feel good about Solo and getting a parcel posted is one of those jobs that I am incapable of managing so for you

Wow JFDIYOLO you are smashing it!

GonnaGetGoingReturns clearing your spare room is wonderful and I’m sure the charities were very happy with all the donations! Hard decisions but sounds like it was worth it in the end.

TalkToTheHand123 that is the most dispiriting thing, you get something cleared and it’s back to chaos in the blink of an eye (here anyway).

BlackeyedSusan how are things with you? Hope everyone is feeling better.

BlueSummerBaby no more books in my box yet, but the book I’m reading at the minute will probably go in the box once I’m finished it. The cover is a really weird matte texture, feels like it attracts dirt, can’t really describe it, but I hate the feel of it. The content is fine but it’s not really gripping me so happy to let it go.

Hello again everyone. Not been on this thread since the beginning.

nit having a great time tbh. I started with brilliant intentions and all was going great and now my mental health has too a dive, my house has.

I never seem to be able to get any time at all to myself, I feel like a stranger in my own home, there us always always someone extra here apart from my dds, ds and dgd. I Mean friends ofthe kids, my eldest dds boyfriend. They create chaos and disorder (none of them are bad people but it’s all too much) it honestly feels like open house and because I have adhd and asd my anxiety is through the roof.I feel like I can’t clean the room, I have no privacy it awful.

I know people will tell me to put my foot down but my dds have really been through the mill and I can’t begrudge friends and bf.

ah well. Actually I did say no to anyone being here tonight dgd is here though but that’s fine, she’s in my bubble and she’s only 4.

I made myself do 2 loads of washing today and I’ve had a bath, first one in 3 days so it’s a start

The bits of the house i have control over - kitchen, bedroom, bathroom- are not bad at all. But still, three rooms are unusable through clutter - none of it mine. I take my little wins where I can...