General Chat

I haven't heard of Lobay either but then I don't dare go on Ebay. OH does as he deals in broken mobile phones as a hobby, buys and sells but doesn't make a lot as he then has to buy the parts to mend them. still it is recycling in a way and it keeps his brain going.

I have had a good laugh at this thread, my OH does not throw anything away he has fishing gear that must be at least 30yrs old but will he throw it away NO.

I de clutter all the time with my things but the house still gets filled up with things he buys but won't throw anything away

Jane

Oh Rose why did you mention lobay have spent the last 4 hours on there, seen lots more clutter to buy!
Carol

Rose, I thought I was the only one lol now I know many others are here just like me, sentimental hoarding is a killer !!! My son is terrified I will die before I sort most of the stuff out but mine has gone to extremes as you know, with ocd coming into the equation. I do hoard more than just sentimental things tho which causes rows here too.

I used to look on Freecycle and Gumtree but collected more stuff, some free and some cheap so stop myself going there now. I daren't sign up to ebay, as I would be tempted to buy even more stuff. I rarely look there but if I do find something I like, I get my son to bid for it, he won't do it if he thinks it's something I will just hoard lol

Good luck with the sorting folks,

Lizx

LOLOL Carol, don't even look at what's for sale !! ;) ...there was a very nice purple glass vase i was tempted by...and some interesting bits of furniture and............ lol

Liz, lots of reasons for hoarding, some is just down to an eye for pretty things, or bargains, especially freebies.!

I identified one of my failings as an attraction to 'colour'...so if I saw a vase , it wasn't actually the vase that attracted me but the colour itself. So I decided to look for the colour only in something I actually need, or probably better still do some painting lol...either walls or pictures ( or tapestry with silks...great colours!)

Hello Rose ,
I'm a hoarder , I can't help it , it's in my blood . From the " family tree " point of view , I'm very pleased that I come from a long line of " hoarders " .
I have in my possession various original birth , death , marriage certificates ( one marriage one dated 1859 ) , if my dear old G.Grandmother hadn't have been the " hoarder " she was then I wouldn't be where I am today ie forever seeking the answers to the family tree ....lol
Both my parents where " hoarders " of the highest order and I think I did well not to stuff my home to bursting with their stuff when they passed away .
And as a Mum of four I have felt obliged to keep all their school work / models / art creations etc etc etc .
Good luck with your de-cluttering .....lol..... I wish I could do it sometimes but my genes won't let me : )

Have to say I am not as bad as OH good thing I have managed to make him keep most of his collectables at end of garden in 5 sheds. Every now and again he tries to put things under bed and sofas. He will go in a shop and if something is a bargain he will buy 4 or 5 and if the children ask for one he says he needs it. He buys batteries like they are going out of fashion, but most things in our house have flat batteries. He then stores the old ones, along with empty pens, envelopes, elastic bands (the ones postman throw on ground) car tyres, in fact anything. Trouble is when he wants something he cannot find it.
He took grandson for walk on Sunday and came back with a bike frame he found on playing field, it is now stored along with 3 others, plus a tandem frame which he was going to repair 35 yrs ago. Even neighbours bring things they want to get rid of knowing he will take it. His excuse for hoarding (I was a war baby you keep everthing) funny his parents were not like that.
Carol

Oh but that's 'good' hoarding Amanda :))

I am so glad my mother was, and my grandparents must have been, as I have 'In memoriam' cards, a Victorian photo album of family, old photos of places and people ( some still unknown as yet), and various cards and postcards with addresses on, which have been helpful in placing where family might have been at a given time :)

But the thing is Rose , the line gets blurred between good hoarding and bad hoarding doesn't it ....lol
I'm starting to look at the prospect of learning how to sell stuff on e-bay .
It has taken me many a long year to learn how to turn away from a pretty piece of china that I might spot in the charity shop / jumble sale .... if I learn how to do the selling bit I would be well away : )

I'm a sucker for pretty pieces of china and old-fashioned cutlery - I have some lovely pieces that my daughter has said she would never want:-)) As long as I'm here they stay but I'd love to declutter my books and some unused craft stuff. We intend putting in a built in wardrobe in the spare bedroom so I'll have to have a sort out.

Just a thought - if you are getting rid of something you feel sentimental about take a photo of it. Of course then you have to store all those photos:-))

S x

Sue would advise against a built in wardrobe. That is my downfall, used to have a kitchen that was only about 8 x 6 managed perfectly well for ten years, then OH built one 15 x 16 but of course I then had to fill all the cupboards lol
Carol

Lol my OH refused to put up any more book shelves because he said I would only fill them with books!!! I tried to tell him that was the point of book shelves but no, no more shelves.

Well when I started out on this genealogy trip I had one file which I used to carry every week to the Family Record Office. 14 yrs on the whole of my youngest daughters bedroom ( yes she has left) is full.
Carol

I just have visions of it all going in a skip when I depart this earth.

I simply am no good at declutering if the items have belonged to older generations or if something has sentimental memories,
For example I have my great aunts wedding ring. she was born in 1883 amd was a spinster for most of her life. But tshe met a widower and the married, Her wedding ring is so small that it doesn't fit my little finger very comfortably. It is now very thin and is made of Rose Gold, my favourite, there are two hearts facing in opposite direction and one has my aunts name on and the other has her husbands name, I could not think off disposing of it and hope that someone will keepit when I have passed to another place.
I also have my grandmothers christening outfit including the bonnet all hand made and embroidered,She was born in 1880. Two of my children wore this along with the cape from their fathers family which I also have but as the next two were twin boys it wasn't feasable for them to wear it.
Then I have a lovely complete china afternoon tea and coffee set which is decorated wit beautiful blue birds, It is one of my most precious items.
My elder sister has the littel night gown which my grand mother had made for him sadly he only lived for 3 hours and he was not christened or baptised and my eledest sister has this but how I would love to have it, maybe her husband would take a photo, I hadn't thought of that before
I could go one because I do hoard some things so I will save the things from my husband s family for another time.

None of that is clutter though Bridget, those are all sentimental things, I wouldn't get rid of those. My clutter is real clutter, books I have read, out of date reference books etc. 4 large bags gone to charity this last week.

Thanks Rose. I got banned some years ago from buying any more cookery books. I moved my sugarcraft ones into spare room shelves!
And now I cannot decorate cakes anymore since I smashed both wrists. Have loads of equipment I must get rid of. Everything from tins to cakestands!

we are in the process of de-cluttering our loft, we still have our childrens toys, playmobil, leggo loads of cindys and the other one and a cindy house, caravan and all that stuff, sorting it all out for our new g.daughter for when she gets quite a bit bigger, lol. but found some of their baby stuff too so she can play with those.

jean

i had a new bolier put in a couple of weeks ago
had to empty out my mirror wardrobes
and found loads of clothes still with the tags on
and shoes and boots still in the boxes all unworn

so decided i will buy nothing new to wear this year
unless its for a special event


then i found bedding in the loft unopened
so three bags of old stuff went out