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

KingArthur1964 glad you're feeling less isolated by it all and thanks for the positive thoughts. while I held my (very shredded nerves)

Solo Your bravery in in starting the thread was very noted. You were honest about the level of things but it was the 'also in storage' that made me so totally relate that as with me, there was a real war against a long term problem going on, and no one would ever say 'this threads run for eight weeks you must be nearly sorted out?' Thank you.
You should be pleased with your progress, its excellent!
It does sound like the grouting may be physically still doing the job, but has had it's day cosmetically.

Finite Sagacity Well done with the recycling center done and your procrastination tasks are pretty good too. Sorry about hording parents derail, but well done keeping as a good as on top regardless.

Yesterday I finished the earlier stuff and a couple more,tasks, launderette and shopping achieved very swiftly (and badly) bestrewn things drying, Got stuff to (my) client - whose not very happy with me or what I've done, but will look at where I'm at with second delivery today. and talk to me about what does or doesn't happen next with end clients representative who we meet today. (I could get sacked today, but am praying I'll be given a chance to make good!
No matter how bad it is, it will have to be presented so its a question of trying to make it not a total waste of their time.

Have been up most of the night working trying to get there, but cut many corners yesterday and had to again last night. None of it is as it should be.
Will be able to do very little work on the pieces today as am at their showrooms setting it all out, and organizing a lot around it, and will only have a few hours left tonight .
It is all supposed to comes together tomorrow and be presented to the end client and their people, and I am so unsure if it will be good enough to not cause a total disasters, that I almost want to be sacked today even though it would pitch me into bankruptcy. I know its a bad way to think but at least the hour in hour out terror and stress would be over.
Staying on top of the most basic tasks only here, everything is everywhere here and likely to stay that way for at least the week.

@Elleherd that is a tremendous amount of stress to carry with so much relying on you, with the creative and skilled work you do I can imagine the rewards are wonderful when you achieve a final result but this particular job is obviously stretching you in the most difficult way possible, dealing with the clients reactions must be exhausting.

I will be sending positive thoughts again today, let us know how things are going but don't let anyone or anything distract you from what you need to do.

I have just left my mum and stepdad home as I was staying for a week, just on the bus now, I always feel a sense of grief leaving and going back alone, it's very painful.

Back to work tomorrow and half day Friday as I'm 60 and meeting up with a work friend who retired last year.

Anyone has a jml dry buddy

Wrong thread??? Otherwise you're going to have to elaborate because you're making no sense

KingArthur1964 Thanks for the good thoughts, just to say I survived and although there's so much I still have to do, things went better than they might of.

Sorry I’m totally new to this and no idea what I’m doing lol

Rachit1231 Scroll to the very top of the thread. You'll see a blue bar running across the whole page. Under it, in the middle, you'll see an oval blue button that says Start new thread 🙂Press that and you're away.

Elleherd, great to hear things turned out ok.

just catching up on some rollercoaster posts - so pleased it was a happier ending than you were expecting Elleherd

@Elleherd I still have the storage unit that has just gone up in price again. It was supposed to be for 8 weeks...it's been more than 10 years! But, I do need to clear it all and stop paying this ridiculous amount of money for a very small 'shed'. If I've leant anything from this thread, it's that I'm not the only one and I'm not alone - although I am alone in my quest for a sorted house.
I'm glad your nightmare was less than expected.

@KingArthur1964 Happy 60th Birthday for tomorrow , and welcome to the 60 something club!🍾🍾
I hope you had a good visit with your family, even if it is always hard to leave them.

@FiniteSagacity The little 5-minute pick-ups all add up, so well done.

I'm sorry if I've missed anyone out. It's not intentional, I just can't recall what I've read and have to keep going up the thread to check.

I've washed up today. Yes, that's it, although I did cook a meal too.
I've got the weekend on my own so I'm going to try to work extra hard.

Keep on keeping on. We can't give up now.

Been thinking of you @Elleherd - so glad to hear things went better than you dreaded and hoping it all feels
manageable.

I have also managed to have a better than expected week so just need to sleep now and recover from work before life pressures.

There’s an all day declutter in the Take Your House Back course soon and I’m hoping to properly embrace that this time. I’ve booked a charity collection for after but trying not to approach it as a project (I definitely have project brain).

Enjoy your afternoon with a friend @KingArthur1964 💐

Just running in to say thank you to all. I'm just a solo trader. But it's looking like it's not in the interests of the company that sub contracts me, to have me go under, which wasn't expected.

TBH it may just be delaying the inevitable, as fundamentally the deal they want to strike requires SO so much more work that I'm not certain it's even doable, but I'll find out Mon/Tue. I have to put together a package of things for both days and decisions will be made dependent on that. If it's a yes I'm going to have to work incredibly hard and efficiently for the next fortnight, and be beyond self disciplined to achieve it.
But even if it turns out to be just delaying things, it should allow damage limitation and a more respectable planned ending, rather than just crashing and burning. So...

Happy Birthday 👑King Arthur👑 Hope you have a lovely day.

Hi all. @Elleherd Hope things work out ok.

I've been struggling a bit with the clutter, but making inroads again slightly. Focusing on little areas.

Solo you're very much not alone. I think if all the hoarders with storage units cleared out on the same weekend, the bottom might fall out of the storage industry overnight.

Finite sagacity good luck with the all day decluttering.

TalkToTheHand Every inroad counts.

Trying to sort out exactly what I have to get done in the next fortnight without panicking, and be ready for Monday and Tuesday. It's an awful lot.

Just finished cleaning up worst from builders. Automatically did the loo when they went on Friday, but only checked the rest today. Lots of takeaway packaging empty cans and dirty mugs, but literally can't see what they've actually been doing, other than eating and drinking a lot! 🙄
Launderette has to be achieved alongside everything today too...

Your builders sound like a lazy bunch. I'd be really hacked off and be telling them about clearing up after themselves. If your landlord is paying for this work, I think I'd be reporting to him too. Landlords get a bad deal these days.

I've got something to share, but first a disclaimer.

It's about cleaning not hoarding really, although it is related, so if cleaning is something that triggers you in some way - maybe because you never ever do it and that makes you feel bad or whatever - then ignore this post.

I came across a YouTube video and I found it really helpful, even though I'm someone who cleans, because I never do extras just basics. I could also see how it could be helpful to someone who maybe never or rarely cleans because it's such an easy video, the best one I've ever seen like this.

It's a follow along cleaning video for those jobs which are important but get ignored. It's seasonal, so I thought it could help someone set up a routine because it's literally 4 days per year you'd need to do it, so you could take annual leave if you're too disorganised or tired to fit cleaning into your usual non-work hours and then you get the self esteem boost of achieving something and the practical benefits of having something function better. Hopefully you'd also get rid of some hoarded items along the way.

I can see how not everyone could do everything because you might have hoarded stuff in the way and can't get to it, but I believe in doing what you can. So I wanted to share because this is the best video of this type I've ever seen, with clear explanation of what to do and how to go about it, making it great for when you're overwhelmed and can't think. It's called 18 things to clean every season and it's from the channel midwest magical cleaning.

Sorry for this long post I just didn't want anyone to go look it up and then get upset with me for recommending it because it's not strictly about hoarding. His sense of humour is sarcastic also, so don't be upset if he calls his family filthy and useless or whatever. I hope it helps some of you.

@BlueSummerBaby I love the cleaning tips on that video - I am already a vinegar and citric acid user and now use dish soap (washing up liquid) more.

I appreciate you saying it might not be for everyone but I did appreciate you sharing (and the sarcasm makes it more entertaining!).

My problems aren’t caused by hating cleaning, it is all about getting started and realising the importance of decluttering and that I organise differently.

And I guess not having anyone teach me, given the example in my childhood was hoarding and make do and mend.

ADHD rewired podcast just had Cas Aarssen on and that was really insightful about why stuff is hard to get rid of and the psychological safety around stuff when you don’t have much money.

Finite Sagacity glad you liked it. If you want a real laugh, I just watched the car cleaning video. It's called this video is stupid.

I too hoard things due to growing up in poverty. It's a hard mindset to change but I'm working on it. Our home was a strange mix of empty tidiness and chaotic rammed hoarded cupboards. Those cupboards scared me. The insanity of them. One was filled with decomposing carrier bags and this was in the days when carriers weren't biodegradable, they must have been there over a decade at least. The decomposing ones would be periodically pulled off the bottom and fresh ones stacked on top. The pointlessness of it has stuck with me forever.

I spent a lot of time as a child with a huge chaotic heap taking up the entire floor in my bedroom where I'd pulled everything out of the drawers, cupboards, boxes and bags. I'd put back what I wanted to keep and get rid of the rest, but as you say without guidance it was so hard. My decisions took forever because I didn't really want to get rid of anything, hence the state of my floor. I'm making better decluttering decisions since joining this thread. Slowly making better purchasing decisions too. The podcast you mentioned sounds interesting.

Sorted a big pile of books that aren't antique or vintage - just dated. The problem is getting them out of the house without partner going 'keep that, I'll read it.' He won't. (They're my books. )

Sneak one book a day out to the car/drawer at work, in your handbag?

He can get it out of the library when he's ready to read it. Your books, your rules.

Or tell him you're loaning them to a friend.

Teach him google @JFDIYOLO !

Cleared out some rubbish from the garden and little bits around the house today so a little progress. Hoping to make inroads in the kitchen soon as the table is high with clutter.