Hoarders Anonymous. Thread #8. We Are Keeping On Keeping On. Fighting The Cluttered Fight.

[Solo]

We are a group of likeminded householders who 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 is), health issues within the family unit, wider family, or ourselves (me too) that means sorting out our households is challenging to say the least. So...

You are all welcome to join us for support, adding your 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 in our band of clutterbugs. We never ever criticise anyone! We even try not to criticise ourselves as it's not helpful to anyone, but this can be very difficult to achieve.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by clutter, mess, disorganization 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. 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

Some helpful links. They aren't for everyone, but have a look if you fancy:

• Help For Hoarders by Jasmine Harman (the author/producer of the BBC1 documentaries My Hoarder Mum and Me and Britain's Biggest Hoarders)
• The FlyLady Cleaning Method by Marla Cilley
• The Organised Mum Method by Gemma Bray
• The KonMari Method by Marie Kondo
• A Slob Comes Clean by Dana K. White
• The Getting Things Done Method by David Allen

And a LINK-#7

I'm not sure if The Flylady link is working, but if not, you know what to search for.

Welcome to thread #8 of Hoarders Anonymous. Thread #8. We Are Keeping On Keeping On. Fighting The Cluttered Fight (and winning, one small step at a time).

Today:
Stil collapsed in heap. It is very humid. Struggling.

Its hot. 31 degrees inside

That was one busy day Susan. I can't be bothered in this heat either.

@BlackeyedSusan that sounds horribly busy and like an awful lot of stair climbing on a very hot day! I hope your flat is a little cooler now, though I know ours is warmer inside than it is outside currently. May take a bit for it too cool down.

Spoke to soon about vehicle, only half successfully done, the other side has to wait for now. Doing it in the heat turned out to be foolish.
Last few days have seen launderette happen, the now dry, repaired wall mostly re-painted other than where the scaffolding is, more bits of the tree trunk chunked off, though not as big pieces or as much as I'd like ready to go.
Some fence repair, but much more to do. More growth cut back, and a large plant re potted. Four bags of garden waste to recycling,
Started filling holes in internal wall.

It's all progress of sorts, but not the right progress. I was expecting to be finishing cleaning the damaged units contents, and tackling trying to reduce contents of all units by now, but everything here's running massively over schedule.

What I'm doing in the meantime feels like the best I can do in the circumstances, but everyone's patience and my finances are running out, while the contractors seem to be making less progress.
Surveyor has made another appointment, hopefully actually turning up this time. Getting a bit desperate to know when this will all end.

Today's been flat on my back legs in the air again trying to de swell, so tonight has to be get on top of accounts and preparation for paid work tomorrow and Saturday.

Hope you've shrunk Elle!

Good luck with work.

I have: assembled tea from tinned beans, tomatoes and lentils, and frozen veg plus microwave rice.

Been for yet another blood test

Shopped Aldi.

Washed a load of washing. Sorted another load out for tomorrow. It's still in the bin bag.

Sorted out some recycling.

Got boy to school, reply to school why late.

Took DD on a walk. (Short)

Got out kids clothes.

The tree will eventually be gone Elle. You are doing a great job cutting it up.

@BlackeyedSusan Yes, but swelling reducing has revealed one lower leg to now be a weird shape and hard! No idea what's going on.
Hope the blood tests bring you good news.
Thanks for tree encouragement. It is just so much time and effort for such slow progress, and that and the heat is making it hard not to feel hateful towards my neighbors for their CF'ry, instead of staying focused on it's my chance to move forward.

Came back yesterday from work to discover a contractors hose pipe across the roof leaked down the buildings badly, including through the gap around our kitchen window and flooded everything including floor. Trying to be positive and add basic mopping and clean up this morning, one shirt hand washed, and affected food taken to recycling, to what's been achieved. Drying and sorting it all out will have to wait for tomorrow.
Off to do some serious slog for way not enough money this afternoon and evening, but needs must.

I think we are both (along with others in here) repeatedly thrown a googly/other extra shit to deal with which delays progress.

I've got a dysregulated teen this week. Ex forgot to MOT the car so that was off the road giving me more work. He collects them at random times and drops them off at random times. (Lunch time can be somewhere between 12.30 and 4) Drop off can be between 8 and 12.30 pm.

Hi all. I've been struggling last few days but managed to sort a few bags in the bedroom so quite pleased.

@Elleherd that sounds beyond frustrating with trying to progress everything only for your contractors to not show up or communicate with you!! It's been mercifully cooler here for the past couple of days, I did not enjoy the heat at all so how you and @BlackeyedSusan got anything done at all is beyond me, kudos to both of you.

Thank you to everyone for the kind words about my redundancy and all the advice from @BlueSummerBaby - in the end I took what was offered and have had my last salary payment, my solicitor did advise that I could draw it out a bit longer if I wasn't sure but also said there isn't much point if the company can't offer me another position, as it's too small to have other vacancies. I was straight into applying for other jobs and have been lucky enough to get one at the DC's school, term time only - as my DC are still at primary school I couldn't really get a full time job (a shame as I'd have a lot more options!), I'm hoping I'll enjoy working at a school as I've never done anything similar before, office jobs only.

That was a big relief to get something quickly, but DP has been in a foul mood for days - he absolutely cannot stand not being the centre of attention, even if someone else is getting more attention for something unwelcome (redundancy, in my case!) - then the DC were all excited about me working at their school, which really sent him into a temper. I was chuffed that I'd got something so quickly but all weekend I've had comments like "All that work experience and where has it got you? You don't need that much experience to work in a school", "You've got all the qualifications not me, and look, I earn more than you"... and so on

Anyhow, I have a couple of weeks off now and am hoping to catch up on housework, which has really fallen by the wayside with this horrible heat - I have an enormous pile of clean laundry to put away and that's just for starters. Everywhere could do with a good tidy and clean! I'm making a list to work my way through...

Congratulations on your new job Kitty ✨🎉🌟🎉🌟🎉✨ well done you. Hope you enjoy the career change.

and commiserations on being married to a "see you next Tuesday" 🤬 . I used to have one of those. FYI life has been immeasurably better since I LTB.

I recommend you go and explore that dynamic on the relationships board.

What a wazzock!

Day out for a birthday resulted in 55 minutes of vigorous cleaning to keep my calorie counting ap in the green zone.

It's cool in the evening. Bloody hell the paintwork was dirty when I put my glasses on!

Catching up on two and a half years of grief and an enormous amount of driving and two weeks superheated flat.

Launderette happened but had to mainly spend another day laying diagonally upside down trying to physically recover from overworking Saturday.
Currently trapped in bed waiting on carer, wondering how much drying out kitchen still needs, and how much I can catch up on without inuring further damage.

@BlackeyedSusan It does seem that way, and I know I should just accept it, but... Well done with the 'vigorous cleaning' and good luck with the catching up.

@TalkToTheHand123 Well done! Every bit helps get us there.

@KittyTalbot Congratulations on the new job, and getting one that works for you!
Sorry you're being subjected to resentful rubbish instead of respect.
Susan's right about exploring that dynamic further. It needs dealing with, one way or another. It wont age well and quite often how we're treated isn't unrelated to what's going on with stuff and homes. Don't let his petulance eat at you or take the shine off.

Well done for turning a worrying redundancy situation around, you're right to be chuffed.

Yeah, I feel shit this morning, though. Catching up later.

Yesterday:
Caught up on sleep.
Took kid to school, both kids to clubs, one back from club.
Two loads of washing. (Need to.hang)
Shopping Aldi.
Emptied lots of shopping bags. Put fridge stuff away.

Today:
Took kid to school.
Collect prescription
Top up shop Asda
One full load washing and two emergency washes. All hung.(Carried up and down stairs to ex's)
Watered strawberries, and raspberries.
Wiped and put away a lot of shopping. (Emptied a couple of bags)
Put up temporary blinds. (Temperature control)
Searched for lost glasses. (Not yet found)
Cleaned around my bed looking for glasses. (Chucked away a lot of rubbish, wiped down the chair I use as a bedside table, tidied a bit. )
Hoovered under chair and wiped down ledges.
Just stopped for coffee and the search goes on.

@BlackeyedSusan Well done! Keep keeping on.
Hope you've found your glasses. Can't tell you how many pound shop one's I go through. Have one pair in an emergency kit, so when I manage to run out of all of them, I can use them to look for the others!

Bit more of kitchen dried out and most of it sorted back out. letting floor boards do it naturally if possible.
Have chunked enough tree to have made it to half of the tree trunk ready to go. May not sound much, but it's huge with a very tough core. Hoping now I'm past where the branches where, it will get easier. Lots of plants watered.

Lots of unhappiness with surveyor, project manager and landlord, and associated stress. Did win one important concession from landlord though it's going to cost me hundreds. (will give better quality of life though)
No news on end dates or progress, but they're clearly expecting to still be working here for at least a few weeks, and promises made seem to be evaporating.😔
Had to move lots outside for a load of rubble to be taken through, worst of mess from it cleared up, but one bit still to do.
Also informed another large consignment of materials coming through us next week (sometime!) and to get everything out of the way inside and out for it.😓

Going to try and crack on with much that today, as have paid work on Friday and Sunday.

Yesterday and this am:
Last bit of mess from contractors rubbish going through; cleared up.
Stuff that was moved that could go back to where it was, mainly done.
Partial sewer blockage sorted & cleaned out, plus clean up afterwards, done.
More cutting back (it's shooting up) and more watering.
Knackered, now off to actual work.

Well done Elle. Did the kitchen dry?

It's 29 degrees inside. Doing nothing that makes heat. (Washing up, hoovering, cooking, using fridge) it will get hotter later. Going to decamp to ex's when it's shady there. Might go shopping if the buildings are cool.

Picked up and folded empty shopping bags from kitchen floor.
Wiped shopping (asd, and it was hanging around for ages. )
Dated and sorted tins in my makeshift larder. Really need to sort something out about that but it is an adaptation for disability as food just disappears into a cupboard never to be seen again and thrown out when five years out of date. (Note for when I update the kitchen at mum's)
Found a couple of bits for holiday. (Those pesky awkward things that take the longest time to find and pack. )sorted the tins while looking for a nightie for holiday.

Got two loads of washing in bin bags ready to come home. Enjoying sitting in ex's garden.

Put the washing up in the early hours to get rid of the worst humidity overnight.

Very hot. Very tired.

You've done well to do anything at all in these temps Susan.

It's far too hot to move isn't it. I don't want another day of it tomorrow 🥵 I hate sitting inside in the dark all day in stiffling heat with the windows shut (it's hotter outside so needs must) unable to do anything useful, then sitting on my phone in the dark all evening so no bugs come flying in with the windows open, still unable to do anything. At least when it's lashing rain outside I can still do stuff inside and have the lights on. I don't know how people live in hot countries, I assume they get used to it in the womb and it doesn't bother them so much.

@BlackeyedSusan Kitchen's as good as dry. Saying that as what I can see is dried out, but worried about what I can't under the polythene stuff they put down.
Don't blame you for doing nothing to add to heat.

Very slow tree chunking, not getting far fast. it's mainly just leaving me aching really badly.
Launderettes happened, and a bit of ceiling filling round a light fitting that seems to have been hit by something, knocked it skew whiff and chipped around it.
Been saving as much energy for working today as reasonably possible.

@BlueSummerBaby Sympathies. Might be worth knocking up some basic temporary net 'screens' to keep the bugs at bay, think we may have at least another fortnight of this if not more.

Hand washed boxing wraps, got the other set to finish spinning.

Washed bathroom basin twice. (Hand wraps)

Washed kitchen sink and bowl. DD is washing up.

Ds has sorted out his empty deodorant sprays.