September's Dynamic Declutter

[Lynlee]

I`did`deliver`those`items...`dropped`to`a`charity`store.
UMmmm.`They`had`refurbished`putas`there...Wondering...

[blessedw2]

yeah getting rid of your stuff Lynn!!!
I don't go into the place I donate stuff to as I would get something probably LOL

today: I decided to keep highscope book so I donated about 5 books, tossed another of dh's old college books (he said it was okay)

10:59 am so so proud of dh. he has kept all his stereo systems for years... today he tossed 6 items from record players, to vhs, to control systems. He only kept his beta max from 29 years ago. He said he wasn't ready to toss that yet, but I feel like it will be soon Yeah

spent he day getting rid of 75% of old checking accounts and tons of old papers and keepsakes. unfortunately the crawl space is wet and I found block mold on some of the files so I have to call someone. I have to thank dharriet for years of reminding us to dejunk our clutter... I hardly have anything in the crawl space so I can have someone come in.

dh and I made lots of decisions today. I thought it would be harder emotionally. I got rid of tons of high school stuff of mine...not a heart ache at all. I have a great life and it was easy to think of dkids not having to deal with it. dh kept his old boy scout water containers and some other things and lots of old head lines but all to fit in one container nothing more.

[Harriet]

From bedrooms areas so far - 2 large bags to Goodwill stash in my trunk. (Already one bag waiting there)

From desk/"office" area- 2 small grocery plastic bags to trash.

I was amused to realize I've been reporting declutter results here in "square feet" here sometimes when I meant "cubic feet". I haven't measured decluttering in literal square footage since I was working on those 2.5'x2.5'x2.5' boxes at my parents' house while caring for my dmom and I would get a stack of 2 or 3 of them done.

[BookSaver]

WTG Lynlee & Harriet!
Hi Nancy!
Blessedw2 ~ Was it Peter Walsh you were remembering say those things? The part about honoring memories sounds like his style.

***
Following my note in PWYC, I did take book and magazine donations to the library yesterday.

I think I need a permanent crate in the car for books to donate so as soon as I decide to let one go, it can get directly out of the house.

It has always seemed like I needed a full a box before I could donate. That just makes a pile or bag sitting around the house waiting for "the right time" to deliver. That's dumb! I work at the library at least twice a week and we have an ongoing book sale. I could throw a book or 2 in my tote bag every time I go in and it wouldn't even mean making a special trip or carrying a heavy box.

I'm sure that if I started a 3x5 card to keep track of how many books I donate, my boss would give me a receipt in December for the tax deduction.

***
See, you all are doing such a great job with your decluttering efforts that you're really helping to inspire me. You have me willing to declutter BOOKS! Who would ever have believed THAT would happen?

[Nancy]

Last night I happened to catch a segment of the results of hoarders and success story
it was good to see happy moments, Harriet I too wondered what helped and how the got there. I did see that one of the techniques was to have the person "sit with negative feelings" and experiencing the one gal was saying "I'm robbing my kids of their childhood".

I wonder how long the process was, and at the end of the show they had a website to contact if you wanted help or knew of some one that wanted help and could be on the show.
These people are so brave to let cameras in to their homes!

[Indiana]

One of the things I like about the Hoarder show is that they do follow-up care if they want it.

[blessedw2]

yes it was peter walsh. thank you I forgot his name
I also like they offer after care for the hoarding. I wonder sometimes if they removed everything and put it in storage containers near by and dealt with things with psychologist slowly if it would be a benefit. I think it takes time to learn to live with out the "stuff" around you. I also think learning to make decisions takes time. I have finally come to terms with that not everything is a keep on memories, especially papers, artwork, etc. you figure it has taken me years to get there. I also have learned that if I can't honor it and it is thrown in a closet or garage in a heap it is not a keep sake and it gets ruined. (that seems to be a continuing commonality in hoarders).

today: went to rubber stamps and got rid of most, also went through wood working crafts and paired down by 1/2
another thing I would like to do is go through threads and yarn.. I have lots of embroidery threads that are messed up

[Harriet]

With all the recent input from shows, articles and just society's admittance that hoarding exists, I continue to believe that no one here is a hoarder. We chat freely about our homes' needs and that's a giveaway that we don't have the condition.

Even though we'd describe ourselves with more ordinary words, that doesn't mean we can't learn from everyone who is struggling with clutter. So just like we learn from each other here or anyone who has the more ordinary problems with stuff, we can also learn from the hoarders, organizers, doctors and children.

What I've learned recently is that there are levels of hoarding, it CAN be corrected early but MIGHT not be, and every hoarder has different types of items with which they have problems. Hoarders who shop irrationally are different from hoarders who confuse disposable items with valuable ones, and different from hoarders who mentally block sanitation concepts when their important hoard gets in the way.

I now believe that my parents lived at least half their married lives as what is called "atypical hoarders" - no problem with accumulating normally (in fact, thrifty/cheap), but a mental block against disposing at a proper rate, because of the fear of want. (Great-depression-era influence on their thinking.) Thankfully, it was mild, and not the type that would degenerate into unsanitary conditions. But what if they had endured a trauma, say, at midlife? Would that have sent them further into a really bad problem? Maybe.

If I hadn't shown up (TaDA!) and been there to whine and complain, would they never have made the positive steps they did make at times? (and work - you should have heard me as a teen, for instance, whining about having a particular boyfriend over! I worked so hard, tossing some, but mostly pushing my parents' stuff into hidden spots to get ready for his visit! I remember predicting the trajectory of his gaze down the hallway and trying to get their stuff over to corners he wouldn't see! After he was gone I had to put it all back the way they had it!!!)

So I am a child of hoarding in a way. I think I have less learned-skills than others might. I have to actively think about decluttering and actively try to recognize what I'm doing, why I'm doing it. It doesn't just come naturally to me to declutter on along, because I never saw it done. I would call myself a "packrat" to use the cheerful funny word. One additional glitch for me is that I chose a hobby that requires a good bit of space. I try to make myself feel better about it by telling myself that all people used to sew a lot, or their families went without. But in this day and time, most sewing is for enjoyment and many people don't even store a sewing machine, much less materials and supplies.

The two things that I think are useless on the shows are the times they focus completely on the doctor's work and never show the viewer HOW TO lift a finger. Sometimes you never see a trash bag, much less gloves or a face mask, which the viewer should know about. On the other end of the spectrum, just showing impossible scenes of sanitation problems and hysterical family dynamics are little help, either, because, again, they're not teaching much.

I do think there's a need now for another cleaning-emphasis show. Even when they used fast-motion scenes, I appreciated seeing the process - that's what gives hope to hoarders, too, I'm sure. Just going from before to after in scenes doesn't help.

[Nancy]

It sort of scares me to think of the things my dad a contractor at one point in his life
kept things "he might use some day" old sinks and such and had them stacked outside
the shop in an area the size of the shop. Like in American pickers not as bad as some
but who wants and old used toilet? My mom used to joke that if he did not get rid of it
she was going to plant petunia in it and put it in front of the house! LOL!

[Sunny]

It felt really good to work in our laundry this week. It was neat enough before, but the two large shelves above the appliance/sink area were filled with cardboard boxes (some wrapped in plastic bags against nature) of all shapes and sizes. We got rid of two garbage bags of "stuff" and put the rest in larger clear plastic containers. We have more room on the shelf now. All the Christmas items are together. All the tools are neatly organized on the tool shelves. We have a set of plastic shelves for all the cleaning/laundry supplies and each of those shelves is organized by what they are used for.

We also have to keep our gas grill and shop vac out there as well as the freezer and water heater. It is a smaller space, roughly 7 ft. by 16 ft., but has to serve as our basement. It is also strictly an outside room with access from the kitchen and carport, so it is imperative that it be kept clean of unwanted debris.

Everyone here has done such a good job of decluttering and that is inspiring. Next I have to tackle the closets. And I know I have to be strict with myself in order to let go of things I no longer use or have an interest in.

Harriet, my dad was born in 1906 and grew up having to "make do" with what they had. He lived through the depression and saved things that he "may need someday". He had a wonderful workbench and so many tools and supplies for working on cars or handyman carpentry.