Help me purge. I am bordering on an episode of hoarders!

[ame]

Holy moly. I have a LOT of CRAP. A LOT. My folks and I spent 4 hours going through what I had started sorting already. 9 shred bags (paper grocery size), a HUGE container of recycle (like the size of two big outside trashcans), 7 boxes of magazines to recycle or donate, and three bags of trash and that is barely a dent in all that. I have 10 boxes of leftover invite work supplies to sell/donate/recycle/whatever that I need to unload and move too. Which will free up space for MORE sorting. I wish I could literally just shove all of this crap into a bucket and light it on fire. But i have receipts EVERYWHERE. I seriously had receipts and bank statements from 1997. Srsly. Obviously the majority of THAT is now being taken for shredding. As in, my parents took it all with them so that I didn't have that piled up and forget to take it to the shred day at the bank.

I need therapy or something. Packrat bordering on hoarding.

 

[Enerchi]

If you are able to part with items, then you are not a hoarder! And it sounds like you are making a good dent in your stash - so that's wonderful!!!

you didn't collect it all at once, you can't dispose of it all at once. Keep the momentum going but don't be afraid to take a break and just ... breathe ... during this process. Too much, too fast is not the way either.

So glad you are reclaiming some space - yippee for you!!!

 

[ame]

Honestly, a lot of it is trash! Just like...junk mail, cards, from birthdays that I don't need to hold on to, recipes I never really used, receipts from 15 freaking years ago...my high school transcript which they deemed worthy of keeping...my offer letter from the agency I was eventually partner/owner at and left, the receipt for our marriage license...paystubs from age 12 on (ive had a job of some sort since I was 12) insane amounts of stuff. I do think it was funny that my dad opened the one bankers box and saw my ziplocs of receipts. I KNOW those were old, I didn't even go through. I look forward to all of this being done and sorted so I can tackle the bathroom closet next. I had that all nicely organized a while back and then recently made several acquisitions and SHOVED things in there. I went and bought lots of nice acrylic drawer units to sort makeup into, and bins for hair product and skincare and then will pile my 100 boxes of hair dye (THAT I hoard, bec I use 2-3 at a time and I don't want to go without my colors for mixing if one gets discontinued.)

Most of it I can part with. I don't know why Ithink Ill use most of this crap again to keep it.

 

[ame]

So I've sold a box of cardstock now, which is a help, and I've gotten most of the boxed receipts and crap sorted. My desk, the dining room, my file cabinet...my drawing table...my whole office ROOM...still to go. It's overwhelming!

 

[ame]

Tonight was the first time I really felt like we got anywhere, and most of that was my dad's doing. He went nuts downstairs though I actually wish he'd have taken three more items out of there that I swear are like Spider habitats, but whatever. Maybe we'll leave those for the new owners one day like the last ones did for us

We did a lot around the TV stand that my husband has made absolutely disgusting. I mean, we both were gagging. OLD food wrappers, mixed with socks, mixed with gaming remotes, mixed with dvds, mixed with dust galore and fuzz balls...I could have made a stuffed pet with all that! Eww. But the couches are gone, the damaged vanity is gone, and a lot is just gone, I still have SO much more to make gone. But now I see floor around my TV stand which I haven't for a LONG time.

 

[VRBeauty]

Congratulations on all the progress you're making! And on keeping your sense of humor intact through it all!!!

 

[ame]

At this point, all I CAN do is laugh because otherwise Ill gag!

 

[Sparklelu]

Wow that's a lot of good work! Kudos to you!
Have you taken before and after pics? I did that when we turned my DD bedroom from a storage room for everything that we did not have a place for, into a craft room for me with space for guests. It was so good to look back at what it was! And I created a folder on my iPad with the pics and occasionally look back and pat myself on the back!
Here are a few.
The trick is having a place for everything, then if it has a home you can put it away.
Our next big project is the garage! It is a 2car garage that is impossible to get even 1/2 a car in!
When the hurricane was heading our way we realized we were going to be leaving them out to be damaged. So we are slogging through that mess.
Garbage goes to the curb Sunday nights and we have vowed to put substantial ants out each week!
As a teacher and a crafter I would love to get my hands on some of your stuff! I can't believe schools have turned you down!

 

[ame]

I don't know how you would be able to find me to get your hands on it unless you post on another purse related forum I am on...

I wish I had remembered to take pics before but I have only the one from my office. Which is still almost as bad. I am going a room at a time. I will have stuff in the living room til I can get through my office and move the files and whatnot back in. But if I can keep that to the side, that will be good. Today I want DH and I to tackle the dining room and I want to get through the kitchen. But we'll see if that happens.

 

[HopeDream]

Hi Ame, it sounds like you are making progress.

Clutter is a huge problem in modern society - There are just somany things to own and keep!

Whenever I need to get inspired to have a good clear-out I re-read "Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui" http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Your-Cl...1346525762&sr=8-2&keywords=clear+your+clutter It's very motivational.

The author has done a really great job of identifying clutter and then listing all the excuses people make for keeping it. It will really make you think about what you're keeping and why. It realy inspires me to clean up. It's also filled with examples from the lives of many different people, so there is quite a bit of a human interest.

This book is has a bit of a of new-agey component, but don't let that put you off (Just ignore any bits you don't agree with - I recommend ignoring the chapter on Body Clutter - it's not medically accurate.) I don't really believe in Feng Shui, but it is an interesting lens through which to see your clutter with fresh eyes.

There's also an audio book if you don't have time to sit down and read.

 

[ame]

I am sure I could probably benefit from hypnosis or something. lol

We did the dining room tonight, while he refused to totally clean his bookcase off, it's better. I also removed the folding table that has been up at the end of the dining room table since he used to host game nights for 8 people and we needed the space. It just became a dump ground.