Not quite a horder - decluttering

Options
1…1819212324…171

Comments

  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited November 2011
    i don;t pack mine up, i stole all thr closets...hahaha really, i use space bags (tm) and threy work fine, no mildew, they're waterproof, etc......3jays
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dragonfly55
    dragonfly55 Member Posts: 235
    edited November 2011

    Well, Halloween is over. This year I didn't even decorate. Does that mean it's time to get rid of the box? My house was once so scary that I would walk out to the munchkins to give them their treats.



    Thank you for the tips. That regifting idea is pretty good patio.



    Congrats 3jaysmom on getting rid of couch and your "new room".



    Samsue, I wouldn't store clothes in the attic. I have some nice plastic containers to store seasonal clothes in either in closet or underbed. Shorts and summer tops are pretty small,perhaps underbed containers would work well. You can grab them at anytime that way.



    I just bought a paper shredder. I see I few movie nights coming up. Just need the motivation.



    I have a real issue with books. I buy them because they interest me, especially cookbooks,then I rarely use them. I can't part with them, just in case.



    Definitely having some trouble with decluttering. I'm moving stuff from one place to another or boxing it.



    It wow be great to have someone do a thorough house cleaning or have someone come in and help me dejunk.



    I finally emptied all the bags of soil I bought 2 weeks ago. Need to organise the outside sheds before the snow flies.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited November 2011
    just one thing, everyday.. it seems like it'll be forever.. but, there's good days, and a lot of bad days here. as long as one, im good on the bad days.. i also didn't decorate, but plan on a little next year.. we've got just a bit to put out front, and in the garden/ we live in an over 55: but i still like all the holidays. don't like the cookie cutter look lol.......3jays
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • rachelvk
    rachelvk Member Posts: 1,411
    edited November 2011

    Well, it took my mom all of two days of being with me to 'suggest' that perhaps if I shut the computer off for 30 minutes a day, I could cut down on the clutter... I gave her the evil stare. She's right, but let's talk after I've been recuperating a bit more than four days post-op!?! I did have that on my list of things to do once I got through my initial days of resting up, since it doesn't take any effort to pick up a single piece of paper and toss it in the garbage!

    Now that I'm focused on moving in 6 months (as opposed to the end of this year, which would have been a disaster) I am determined to clear things out over the next few months.

    Dragonfly - Books are a huge issue for me. I bought a bunch while working in a bookstore in college (a lot of non-fiction) that I 'intend' to read.... someday. I started a history of India the day I had my biopsy (figured I'd start hitting the bucket list right off the bat) but barely made it through Chapter 1. I've been asked by several people why I hang on to all my books. My feeling is my bookcase defines who I've been and who I want to be - Russian studies, history, science fiction, historical fiction. If you walk in and just look at my book case, you know me. 

    Hope everyone is doing well.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited November 2011
    rachel.. forget about it!!! you need to rest, read and BE ON the comouter.. anything that'll help you to heal.. this time is for you.. healing before any worries..............3jays
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited November 2011

    I am very organized...could probably start a new career helping people declutter and organize their homes and offices.

     When I was in business I had a rule about my mail.  I only touched it one time, and it either got answered, filed, or put in the trash.

    Now that I'm retired, I am careful about keeping my home clutter free.  If I buy something new to wear, I donate an item of clothing to goodwill or to one of my DIL's who are my size.  After I retired I took all of my good work clothes and evening event clothes and put them in a consignment shop...I made more money on them than I did the furniture I sold!

    I don't buy newspapers or magazines anymore unless it is a cookbook or something I am going to use ongoing.  I love to read, and have resisted going electronic; however, the books I buy and read, I donate after I'm finished.  They don't hang around to clutter my shelves.

    I think part of the reason I'm organized is that we had to move so many times...probably made about 25 moves in 50 years, and you just can't keep taking all that stuff with you, so I learned to donate it, have a huge garage sale, or throw it away.

    I have a wonderful cousin who is a hoarder...she wasn't always that way.  It happened after she had a severe business failure.  She lost her home and had to sell a lot of her possessions.  What she was able to keep, she really doesn't need, but she won't part with it.  Her brothers have no patience with her, and while she was visiting a friend out of town, they went into her apartment and cleared out a lot of stuff.  Can you imagine how violated she felt when she returned!  Now she is worse.  I can't even get her to come visit me..she won't leave her home for very long.

    Real hoarding is an illness and needs to be treated as such.  I tried talking to the brothers, but they blow it off...say she just needs to get her act together.  I don't live nearby, so I can't help.

    It's sad to see the state she is in at this time in her life.  I wish I could help her, but she doesn't want help from me or anyone else righ now. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited November 2011

    i'm so sorry to hear that  story.. one of my sons' cleaned out a storage garage behind our house, yrs ago; whike i was gone a few days.. he threw everything id stored there.. important papers, pictures of my boys childhood... im sure thats' why its so hard to lose any of their old stuff... recently, one of the family from my ex; has been sending old photos of my boys to my oldest.. thank goodness for technology now; i just scanned them into my pictures... what a good feeling to have re gained some of them.....

         and the journey continues...3jays

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Gingerbrew
    Gingerbrew Member Posts: 2,859
    edited November 2011

    Family or friends are terribly misguided and uninformed to go through anyone else's possesions. Somehow informing those who may be tempted might be the best thing one could do for a person at risk. I know a woman who was widowed young and then the problem began. Her family ordered up a dumpster while she was hospitalized and "cleared" out her house. She is much more seriously ill now thanks to their help! Makes me glad I am an only child. Hoenstly I wonder if family does this to men? I kind of think not.

    I popped in to say that I have had cleaning service now for several months and it is helping me be more organized. Everything looks really good for about a week and pretty darn good the next week until they come again. In areas where I still have some moving boxes they work around it very nicely. 

    I am SO glad I have the cleaning service, I should have done it years , decades, ago! I thought I would be embarassed and ashamed and I tell you it really wasn't a problem. Also it is cheaper than therapy! Therapy  $150.00 an hour, cleaning $40.00  an hour per worker. Three cleaners for 1 hour and 15 minutes for $138.00 and they get a huge amouint done.  Worth every penny.

    Ginger

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited November 2011

    hiGingerz; its' so good to see you here!  yes, it unfortunately, gets to men, also. My DH mur, got really bad.. around the time we moved here, a much smaller place than we had.. everything was in boxes, and i got my dx.. he's really still not keen on going thru stuff; from"before"...

      so, my wanting to hang on to sentimental stuff; and him wanting not to face what alls "changed" in outr lives, its' a crap shoot!!

       i actually was a housekeeper; for yrs. when my ms allowed me to work.. first, i was a massage therapist, but my knees and hands wouldn't allow that for too long.. then, i got a job working for a rich family in ft. lauderdale, as daily for awhile.. hated the job itself the ple, but found i loved clreaning.. thats why i get horrified that we've had such a time decluttering.. my house is clean; steam clean, etc.. but the chaos kills me. my hub fights any progress, too, so thats' hard.. onward, and upward!!!

       hope thins stay well for you.........3jays

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited November 2011

    Ginger:  You are so right about the cleaning service!  I used to have one when I was working, but when I retired I decided I could do it myself.  Well...that lasted almost six years...this year when we came back to Florida I took one look at the house, the screened porch, the windows, and promptly called a local service who sent two efficient women out on a day when my boyfriend was playing golf and not there to get in their way.  In no time at all, the place looked like a model home!

    I didn't feel the least bit guilty!  Have a great day everyone! 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • suzwes
    suzwes Member Posts: 1,740
    edited November 2011

    Ginger and Kaara,

    I am with you, I have someone come in every two weeks.  She also works around cluttered areas of the home.  I had one corner in my room that was just a pile of stuff I hadn't taken care of (falling over piles) and last week she organized it and now all I have to do is put stuff away.  As long as I'm working I'm keeping her.  DH grumbles every two weeks but he misses the clean house if she has to skip a time or two.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • rachelvk
    rachelvk Member Posts: 1,411
    edited November 2011

    Got a bag for another charity collection next Monday. Mom is excited about helping me go through and pull things out to add from my closets... And every day I've managed to throw out at least a few old business cards or papers that were just hanging around.

    Next week I might pick a small project or two to tackle beyond that. Thanks for being a great motivating group! 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited November 2011
    getting more done here.. about two laundry baskets full to go to goodwill each week. tommorow, over 20 books to go to the store, where i trade them for credits.. so far, so good. gotta go thruhvholiday boxes, and downsize soon...........3jays
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited November 2011

    3jaysmom:  Good for you!  I always feel better when I've taken a load to goodwill...makes me feel like I've accomplished something of value.  Another good place to donate if you have clothes that you wore for business, etc, is Women in Distress.  A lot of those women have nothing but the clothes on their backs because they had to leave so quickly to avoid abusive relationships.  

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Gingerbrew
    Gingerbrew Member Posts: 2,859
    edited November 2011

    Many hairdresers do provide that service. Check with local organizations sponsoring back to work programs. Also I had a free hair cut before chemo and it was very nice and caring.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • rachelvk
    rachelvk Member Posts: 1,411
    edited November 2011

    Another great program is Dress for Success. I've donated a number of suits to them - though they always need size 10 and above, and mine are 8 and below.

    I just put a call into United War Veterans Council who are making the rounds Monday. My old computer monitor and printer are headed out, as is a bag of stuff I've had in my 'for the next tag sale' pile for ages. Guess I'll give up on squeezing cash out of any of that junk. I'll look for more stuff over the weekend. I had to laugh - the postcard I got with the donation bag was stamped "We especially need Chotskies!" Chotskies? Have I got Chotskies for you!!!

    Mom got a hold of the plastic holder where I keep all my lipsticks and nail polishes and she's wiping it all down. I've tried to whittle them down - all those crazy colors I never really use. 

    Thanks for the encouragement. Here's to a weekend of decluttering! 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Teka
    Teka Member Posts: 10,052
    edited September 2017

    ^..^

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2011

    rachelvk, I have the same 'yard sale' pile.  The junk didn't sell in the two I did this year, why do I think they will sell if I hold them until the spring?  Hoping to go through it this weekend.  Does Goodwill take anything and everything?

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • rachelvk
    rachelvk Member Posts: 1,411
    edited November 2011

    patoo- Pretty much. I think as long as things aren't broken or dirty, they'll take them. I suppose most of the items wind up being sold in the shops.

    I suppose we like to feel that since we spent money on something, it still has value, so someone else would be willing to spend $2 or $5 for it. And that $2 or $5 adds up when you can sell a few things... I know I'm a sucker at tag sales.. (yard sale. I've been told saying 'tag sale' marks me as a New Englander... originally from CT)

    Teka - the odd thing is, I am like the anti-Maybelline girl. If I wear anything, it's lipstick once or twice a week. But it's the accumulation of a bottle here, a lipstick there (and some of this stuff dates back to college) - plus the dancing phase I went through a few years back and bought a lot for swing and salsa dancing. The gold nail polish was for fencing competitions - thought it might bring me luck and a medal! Which of course starts adding a nostalgic element to all of this.... oh, that's what I was wearing the time....

    Sigh. But I'm getting better at treasuring the memory and... dumping the relic in the trash.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • samsue
    samsue Member Posts: 757
    edited November 2011

    Thanks for all the suggestions... I think I'll try the bags 3jay's. FL has mildew if you don't use your AC when it's hot outside but usually not. I just don't have a lot of room for all my clothes in the walk in closet. Perhaps I'm just tired of what I own... got a stack of stuff in the garage for GW or another charity.

    Books look great in movies when the whole wall is a bookshelf. My problem is I don't have a bookshelf or a wall for it... that's why they're in baskets in several places in the family room. I also give books I read away but I buy at garage sales, GW bookstore and take what people want to give me. Wink

    I'm getting so I also have a basket of washed clothes in my bedroom... waiting to be put away. They're folded just laziness on my part. ARG.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited November 2011

    we had "the discussion " agsin today. my DH is having a fit; saying im getting ocd, but i don't care! if it was up to him, we WOULD be on "hoarders" hahaha tommorrow is the day im changing the liv rm furniture around, and putting papers away.

         my scanning to the computer idea crashed.. somehow, they got loaded onto sky drive, and not in albums.. so i gotta figure out the computer stuff sunday... or, i'll just delete all; and try again.. i have 4 boxes, yes boxes of pictures, and a box of cards we've sent to each other.. thy'll be nice memories in my compouter next week, and not on my drm. table!!!the therapist i was seeing for awhile, said that having the chaos in my house is causing the chaos in my head. i sooo think he's right on the$$$!!!

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited November 2011

    My boyfriend has a man cave (his office) and I never organize in there or touch anything.  He can pile stuff to the ceiling for all I care.  It saves us from a lot of fights.  It would actually make a better guest room because it is in a private area and has its own bath, but it was worth it to give it over to him.

    When he leaves stuff like his mail, magazines or golf clubs lying around the house, I just take them and put them in his room without saying a word.  Eventually, he gets tired of looking at the mess and cleans it up. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories