Not quite a horder - decluttering

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  • hotandcold
    hotandcold Member Posts: 205
    edited January 2012

    Patoo: Sentimental things are so hard to deal with. Glad to hear you are motivated for the weekend.  Me too!

    3jaysmom: I too feel like life has begun again here after Christmas.I like your word "chackas." My tree isn't down, but I had a big birthday to go to last weekend.  This weekend I'll put it away.  It takes 2-4 hours as its not prelit. I still have old fashioned lights.

    Linda: What kind of christmas tree do you have.  I'd sure be interested in one like that!

    Now I'm motivated for this weekend. I didn't buy anything on the after Christmas sale for Christmas next year.  I finally got all my wrapping papers, labels, bags, mantle decorations and dining room table decorations together. I finally got all the stuff that needed to go together, together. Had a big garage sale the first part of Dec.and got rid of some Christmas knick-knacks, goo-gaws and bric-a-brack, so hopefully putting away Christmas will be easier.

    Here's a toast to a successful weekend of decluttering and cleaning. 

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  • samsue
    samsue Member Posts: 757
    edited January 2012

    I spent the two weeks of Christmas/new Years at my DD & SIL helping with new GB. The off time was spent watching "what not to wear" ..... so now I'm going thru my closet and tossing all the stuff that I like but really shouldn't be wearing! Yikes, I've got some of the clothes that they didn't like and were tossed.... I don't want to face the 10 way mirror! Surprised

    This year I "put up" the Charlie Brown tree... it's 3' tall and fits in a garbage bag. UP/Down easy. Oh, and no lights on it. Did want to have a tree but didn't want to have the hassle while I was taking care of other business.

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

    ^..^

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  • lovinmomma
    lovinmomma Member Posts: 1,879
    edited January 2012

    I want to join. My house is a mess because I have too much stuff. DD1 gets married in 6 months and we will have lost of visitors, so that is my motivation.

    Will start in a kids room tomorrow. They probably wil not even miss anything.

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

    ^..^

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  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited January 2012

    welcome lovingmommy!!!here, we're back to a snails pace. my hypothyroid 3's are headed in the wrong direction, again; so im running out of gas..fast these days.. again.. getting a box a day packed, still tossing christmas things out to goodwill.. editing as i go along.. i so love the christmas decorating, but being MUCH more choosy this year, what we keep..

      only bought one thing, and outside tree for the patio at the after xmas sales.. we'll be "at this for weeks, im afraid, now that im severely sick again.. but, i get a load of laundry a day done, dishes done every night, and at leat 1/2 a box of decorations. im determined well plow this.. YEARS of crap; so a little at a time!!!iyts a mess now, with unpacking, but soon, i'll have a living room again!!! i only had it straight for a weeek or so, till christmas hit... this time, it'll last longer...

       thank you ladies. being on this thread is keeping me motivated!.....3jays

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  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited January 2012

    Morning everyone!  Welcome lovingmommy..nice to have you.  Well, my cleaning lady finally surfaced again...she was MIA ever since we returned from our cruise.  Seems she had arsenic poisoning from drinking too much apple juice...Motts!  I did hear somewhere that the seeds have arsenic in them, so I don't put them through the juicer.  She will come again tomorrow and make the house smell nice again.

    I've been busy with rounds of app'ts trying to get rads scheduled.  Don't want the 6 week course, but that was all that was offered me, so I posted a topic on BCO and low and behold a sister came up with a shorter version (one week) and when I checked on it, I can get it at Sylvester in Deerfield, near to me.  Now why don't the docs give you all the options...there should be a law that they have to present every option to the patient so that they have choices!  I have an app't on Thursday and hopefully I meet the criteria.  Also saw MO...what a joke...must take Tamoxifen for 5 years with SE's being hot flashes, as if I'm not having enough of them already!  I didn't like his demeanor...didn't listen to anything I said, so I'll find another one, but not till after rads.  Too much aggravation.  Friday I go for my echo cardiogram.

    Today I hope to visit DGD who just loves to see me...I'm like her special playmate.  She wants me to go down her slide, get in her playhouse and other places where I don't quite fit...so funny!  It will be a wonderful break in an otherwise revolving door of dr. offices! 

    Have a great day ladies, and don't work too hard! 

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited January 2012

    http://www.amazon.com/Hoarder-You-Happier-Healthier-Uncluttered/dp/1609611314/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327158972&sr=1-1

    New book out on decluttering!

     The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life, by Robin Zasio (Rodale, $24.99). Hoarding is a malady that has received unprecedented attention over the past several years, thanks in large part to two reality TV shows. Zasio, a consulting therapist on  A&E's "Hoarders," seeks to demistify the condition even further. As she points out, the "hoarding continuum" stretches from those who save absolutely nothing to the obsessives seen on television. Her book should help people deal with the clutter in their lives, recognize the merits of decluttering and take a more rational stance toward their possessions.

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

    ^..^

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  • GramE
    GramE Member Posts: 5,056
    edited January 2012

    I am happy to report that my storage unit is almost empty.  DS even took a car load in his car.   Each time I go over to babysit I have taken a full car load of boxes - 6 so far and one, maybe 2 more to go.    Goal is to have it empty by Jan 31, with 5 day grace period.  (It is a rented unit and they require 10 days advance notice to vacate.    

    Happy decluttering!! 

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

    ^..^

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited January 2012

    Teka... I haven't read the book yet. The blurb comes from the Washington Post. You can ask your local library to get a copy. I thought it looked like an interesting book because it discusses hoarding as being part of a spectrum....





    I read Jessie Scholl's book Dirty Secrets, which is written by a daughter of a hoarder. Interestingly, many children of hoarders choose to live unfettered lives with few possessions...

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  • jenlee
    jenlee Member Posts: 504
    edited January 2012

    Uggh, this has been a problem for my entire life.  Since my diagnosis, things have gotten worse. Yet I feel like I need to "tame the paper tiger" so that my husband doesn't get stuck with it in case anything happens to me.  We've moved a few times, which has helped, but a lot of it gets thrown into boxes and moved.  I need to stay on this thread for motivation. As I write, I think about the Christmas stuff, some of which is still in the garage, but not packed yet.  

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

    ^..^

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited January 2012

    Teka. I read Jessie Scholl's book. I mentioned it awhile back on this thread. I emailed her. She was very brave to write about her mother who is a hoarder. My neighbor is a hoarder. I wrote to Jessie because my neighbor has two adult daughters, both attorneys who live out of state and neither will return to help their mother. In a conversation with one of them, she explained their mother was welcome to visit them but they would never return to their childhood home. Their mother, who dresses well lives in squalor with squirrels. We, her neighbors, are extremely concerned for her safety. We are now working wiith the town attorney. Very sad situation. She has even been arrested for not showing up to court. I asked Jessie if children of hoarders ever choose NOT to be their parents guardians? She said she didn't know of any but she is certain there are some.

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

    ^..^

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  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited January 2012

    My cousin is a hoarder...I've mentioned this on the site before.  She was once a very successful businesswoman, and lost everything financially.  She always accumulated stuff, but until this happened she was not a hoarder.  Some traumatic event must cause this to happen in some people.  I don't know how to help her.  Her brothers have all but rejected her.  I don't know how to help.

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited January 2012

    The mistake we, her neighbors made, was not contacting the building department sooner. The code inspector told us that, by the time there are code violations, the behavior is so ingrained and the home such a mess that it is nearly impossible to help the person. We have had adult protective services evaluate her several times and they have found her competent. She is now under court order to make repairs and get the squirrels, that cohabitat with her for over two years, out of the house permanently. She is on the verge of having the house condemned.





    My advise is if you are worried about her safety, contact adult protective services. If the house looks bad from the outside, contact your local building department. Also get Jessie Scholl's book and share it with family members. And if there is someone close to her, by all means have them try to talk to her.

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  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited January 2012

    voracious:  I am going to recommend that book to my cousin, her brother.  They are very impatient with her and the last time she did go on a trip they went in and got rid of a lot of her stuff, so you can imagine the state she was in when she returned.  Now she won't leave the house for long periods.  I can't even get her to come for a visit.  She needs therapy.

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited January 2012

    Jessie tried cleaning up her mother's home and got sick. Afterwards she gave up. But reading the book gives a very interesting perspective. Everyone gets hurt.

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  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited January 2012

    yes, there's all kinds of versions of hoarding.. we argue about it ALL the time, my DH, and I.. i've gotten so much rejection from my sons since bc; i now hold on to somethings more; and have let go of a lot , and this site has helped...

      i am a collector of "pretty " things... started out in this much smaller house, with a collection of 20 yrs, porcelin dolls.. down to about 20.. now.. and yes, the xmas dec are coning down, still.. we might make it before july hahah but we both got sick the last 2 wks, so its slowed us down.

        

    gtam e you've given me hope!!!!

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  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited January 2012

    we 1st have ro organize our back (covered porc h) next, will be our rented unit!!!i just have ro take it a bit at a time.. DH is much more resistent, but not to the point you see on tvv. I guess we're in the middle, somewhere.. it was bc that changed things for us, a traumaric incedence... we moved into a MUCH smaller place, crammed it all in, and i got dxed 3 mos later.. still going thru boxes we pit on the porch 3 years ago!!!

      yep, i tried throwing away some that i hadn't opened, but Mur opend them, they were things I could save from my moms death.. all mixed in with stuff for goodwill.. so having to sort carefully is slowing down the process.. but, we'll make it

      i know coming here, has kept me to the point that i NEED to do something for goodwilol every other day, or its too hard.. i don't want to slow down the process, no matter, what..............

        I don't think many are true hoarders, and tv has made ple ( like me) really aware that it IS progressive, and the time is now to take care of things...

       also, my health being so bad, has motivated me. having nurses in care in hne after surgery, helped.. and, i don't want my kids or Mur ro have todo it.. in casr...3jays 

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

    ^..^

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

    ^..^

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited January 2012

    Teka, I think I have decided to put off decluttering until spring.  Winter months, although it's been mild, just makes me a slug when I'm home, probably because the den and garage which need the most work are cold so not fun to stay in too long.

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

    ^..^

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  • 3jaysmom
    3jaysmom Member Posts: 4,266
    edited January 2012
    i'm still at it; but we're so far behind, and we don't have much energy, both sick, chronically, so im still at one thing a day.. took two big bags, and an old tyoewriter table from our "stash" this wkend.. onward!!!3jays
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  • Kaara
    Kaara Member Posts: 3,647
    edited January 2012

    Life is good!  I got up today and realized that I had absolutely NO doctor appt's!  Could this be a new normal for me?  I still have to see an MO about some tamoxifen or something like that, but for the most part I'm done with treatment since I decided not to do the rads.

    Today I'm going to clean out some stuff in my closet to give to my DGD when she comes today for a visit.  These clothes are too big for me now and she needs clothes desperately!  They are cute little tops so I think she will actually wear them.  I don't ever want to see them again unless they are on someone else's back!

    Happy cleaning everyone! 

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  • GramE
    GramE Member Posts: 5,056
    edited January 2012

    Progress report:    All is out of the rented storage unit.   3 boxes in my car to go to DS today.    This is my birthday present since I want or need nothing.   DS was given an ultimatum - take this stuff OR it goes into the dumpster at the end of the month. 

    Happy decluttering everyone.   :-)    

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

    ^..^

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