How can I become an un-hoarder?

[obgyn65]

If anyone on this board is considering throwing clothes away please kindly email me before doing so. I am going to El Salvador and Guatemala in December to help patients. Many of these patients need clothes (especially shoes for their kids). Friends of mine can handle the shipping. Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue J We tend to use the things at the top of a drawer or the front of a shelf, so do we really need all the other stuff in there?

[DangerMouse]

Truthfully I wouldn't even attempt to try and deal with the excess you have accumulated until you have attempted to resolve the cause of why you are hoarding. Until you find the root cause of your actions is anything likely to change long term?

As others have suggested watch a few episodes of Hoarders on A&E, it may give you some ideas into why you are hoarding. From what I have seen on this show, the hoarding tendencies don't tend to just disappear if they go untreated.

Lastly, and I mean this in a non-judgemental way, do not bring children into the mix if you have a serious hoarding problem. I only say that because of what I observed on Hoarders on family dynamics. Hoarding tends to devastate the entire family, causes awful rifts and stress for those who want to change the hoarder. Most of the children seem to hold deep resentment towards the hoarding parent.

Lastly don't be ashamed as I would say that most people have hoarding tendencies to differing degrees. I always find it interesting when you drive down a street and observe massive McMansions with 4 car garages stacked full of what appears to be crap.

I think for many of us our childhood shapes how we act as adults. I see in our house, DH is a "collector" and he comes from a parent who puts a lot of emphasis on "things". On the other hand I am a "tosser" I came from a background of chaos and not many things so have no need for them now.

[BigMoneyJim]

I seem to be in transition from mild-to-moderate hoarder to moderate tosser. I guess the core motivation for me is utility. I tended to collect books, records-as-in-documents and tools of any variety (including kitchen utensils, hobby items like cameras, etc.). I was always thinking of how they could be useful now or in the future, even if I never quite got around to charting my investment performance history, using the darkroom equipment to make prints of my best photos or fixing that old 800MHz Duron laptop someone gave me but has a short in the charger connection.

But now I don't DIY as much, and I have more money to make a purchase when something is broken if it's not worth the effort to fix it. And techonolgy has changed the paradigm for record retention and photography.

Utility is still the motivation, but I see what I don't follow-through on, and the stuff I've kept is getting in my way more and more, so now it's more useful to toss the unused stuff with the knowledge that I can rebuy if I ever follow through. And it's a numbers game. I throw out several projects worth of tools, supplies and books, and I may eventually follow through on one or two of them, and I avoid transporting them in the next move(s) and tripping over them or digging around them so I can better enjoy the things I do use.

I'm still dejunking a bit, and I realized this week I'm extremely reluctant to break a set of items, even to give part away and keep part. For example I don't use my dining set mugs or saucers or half of a set of knives. Now that I've identified my reluctance I think I can overcome it quickly, because rationally it's silly.

I have a box full of music CDs that I've converted to MP3, but I'm still hanging onto them as if an RIAA auditor will stop by someday to make sure I have proof of ownership of all my digital music. I may still hang onto those...I'm not quite sure why. Everything I had on cassette tape or vinyl is already replaced by CD or Amazon MP3. I think...actually last I looked I still had one small box of cassettes...it's time to ferret it out and toss it.

[Sarah in SC]

BMJ, you can toss the cassettes, but let me paw through your vinyl collection before you throw them away!

[FinanceDude]

I set the rules down for the new basement rec room (almost 500 square feet). If clutter finds its way into that room I put it away once. If it appears a second time, I get rid of it. I told DW that policy applies to her also, and that did not go over well............

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude I set the rules down for the new basement rec room (almost 500 square feet). If clutter finds its way into that room I put it away once. If it appears a second time, I get rid of it. I told DW that policy applies to her also, and that did not go over well............

Let me know how that works for you

I have a room that I am guilty of letting junk accumulate in. I'm trying to do better, but DW will put stuff in there and not tell me. We have her stuff piled on my stuff. She borrowed some stuff from friends for a big gathering we had here, and months later she hasn't returned it - it is stacked in that room.

I was going to put it all in her car, as a 'subtle' hint, but I know how that will go over...

-ERD50

[W2R]

Many of us have been doing some major decluttering this year, and now we have hoarders on the verge of un-hoarding.

Has anyone noticed how FREEING it is to get rid of a lot of stuff? It's hard to do sometimes, but wow - - - it is really worth doing.

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R For me, the rules with clothing were: ( (5) Do I really wear this type of thing? (out go the ball caps with company logos) (

I love caps with company logos. I want yours. And everyone else's too.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Let me know how that works for you

On the plus side, we have a comfy coach on that room, so I ready!!

Somebody has to take a stand, might as well be me, I have been fighting authority my entire life.........

[FUEGO]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha I love caps with company logos. I want yours. And everyone else's too.

Hoarder!

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUEGO Hoarder!

My dad has a Preperation H hat my grandfather got from the drugstore about 40 years ago, should I have him PM you for your address?

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Has anyone noticed how FREEING it is to get rid of a lot of stuff? It's hard to do sometimes, but wow - - - it is really worth doing.

Actually, that's part of the problem for me. So I sort out a shelf with five boxes on it, and after three boring hours I have it whittled down to 2 boxes. Just isn't much motivation really. It does help make things easier to find, but that's not too exciting.

I guess I need to envision a project for that space, and really give me a reason to do something. I dunno.

-ERD50

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinanceDude Somebody has to take a stand, might as well be me, I have been fighting authority my entire life.........

And I bet we both have the bruises to prove it!

-ERD50

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Many of us have been doing some major decluttering this year, and now we have hoarders on the verge of un-hoarding. Has anyone noticed how FREEING it is to get rid of a lot of stuff? It's hard to do sometimes, but wow - - - it is really worth doing.

(emphasis added)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Actually, that's part of the problem for me. So I sort out a shelf with five boxes on it, and after three boring hours I have it whittled down to 2 boxes. Just isn't much motivation really. It does help make things easier to find, but that's not too exciting. I guess I need to envision a project for that space, and really give me a reason to do something. I dunno. -ERD50

One shelf is not a lot of stuff, and it is just not enough to feel much change. Get radical! Frank and I both think it really feels great to be so free and unencumbered, and so far we haven't missed any of the junk that we no longer have.

[DangerMouse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 Actually, that's part of the problem for me. So I sort out a shelf with five boxes on it, and after three boring hours I have it whittled down to 2 boxes. Just isn't much motivation really. It does help make things easier to find, but that's not too exciting. I guess I need to envision a project for that space, and really give me a reason to do something. I dunno. -ERD50

Nothing wrong with whittling down from 5 boxes to 2. The key is to do that as your first stage, revisit the area in 6 months and you will wonder why on earth you kept any of it.

I find the more you sort in one sitting the easier it becomes to just toss it all out.

Don't even worry about having a project for the space, you would not believe the sense of joy we get from gazing at an empty space that was once consumed by junk.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R One shelf is not a lot of stuff, and it is just not enough to feel much change. Get radical! Frank and I both think it really feels great to be so free and unencumbered, and so far we haven't missed any of the junk that we no longer have.

Yeah, I know. But doing more than a shelf at a time drives me bonkers. Part of my ADD-like tendencies I guess. I can rarely read a book either, gotta stick to magazines and articles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse Nothing wrong with whittling down from 5 boxes to 2. The key is to do that as your first stage, revisit the area in 6 months and you will wonder why on earth you kept any of it. I find the more you sort in one sitting the easier it becomes to just toss it all out. Don't even worry about having a project for the space, you would not believe the sense of joy we get from gazing at an empty space that was once consumed by junk.

Yes, but I do a lot of DIY stuff. I actually do find a use for stuff that I kept for 10 years once in a while. And it will end up being when the stores are closed and it's an emergency fix. That makes it hard to throw stuff out just because I have not used it for 6 months. That's why I need more motivation than others I guess. Like I said earlier, I might sort it all out and decide I only need 3 of something, not 10. That takes a lot of time, and I end up with the 2 boxes instead of 5 or whatever.

Maybe that's it, most of what I keep isn't 'junk', I really do find a use for much of it. And the time it takes to separate out 'junk' from potentially useful stuff is just too hard for me.

-ERD50

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Many of us have been doing some major decluttering this year, and now we have hoarders on the verge of un-hoarding. Has anyone noticed how FREEING it is to get rid of a lot of stuff? It's hard to do sometimes, but wow - - - it is really worth doing.

I just found a home for some wine and drinking glass sets I was given over the years and never really used. Mr Boston's cousin's daughter's son and GF are are just starting out and cannot afford need stuff like this. I'm packing them up in liquor boxes for delivery at Christmas.

I just dropped off 2 boxes of misc good usable small stuff at the church for their rummage sale.
I'm back to decluttering and on a roll....

[GoodSense]

I have had a lot of success since I first started this thread! I've made several trips to the local Goodwill, took one box of books sent to Half Price Books (and made $7), gave many scarves/hats/mittens/sweaters to a friend of mine who teaches English to new immigrants, and, most amazingly, recycled 12 years worth of old electronics yesterday! There were 4 monitors, 3 laptops, 4 desktops, 3 printers, 1 scanner, and numerous keyboards and mouses (mice?). They totaled 284 lbs!! I was so proud of myself.

[Ronstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 I'm back to decluttering and on a roll....

Same here. My workshop was cluttered to the point that I considered a $15,000 addition. Instead, I started what I believe will be a winter long de-cluttering project. It involves:

1. Tossing almost everything in the house attic. mostly building materials left over from building the house 15 years ago.
2. Tossing almost everything from unfinished portion of basement.
3. Move brewing stuff from garage and workshop to
unfinished basement with new utility sink to create a new
brew room.
4. Move lawn chairs and other non workworking stuff from
workshop to house attic.
5. Build high wall shelves in workshop to hold lumber. Throw
away lumber scraps and sell/toss unused tools.
6. Move unused lumber from house attic to workshop to be
used for future projects.
7. Build shelving and drawer units in master closet. Toss/donate seldom worn clothes.

The garbage man is not going to be happy.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R (6) Does it make me feel happy and pretty?

Good for you!

YouTube - Julie Andrews - I Feel Pretty

I must say though, I have seen your picture and I think you would be pretty no matter what you wore.

Ha