trying to declutter....

[Arielle]

The people who owned our house before us were truly hoarders, I found more pennies.... Stashed inside cinder blocks this time. Man what is with the pennies?!?!?!?!?!? I've started a bucket for them, not sure what to do with them now that we don't use pennies anymore in Canada. Part of me wants to see just how much has been stashed away around here.

As for hoarding being normal, yes everyone has a bit of clutter bug in them, most people do not live in houses that look like perfectly staged show homes and a heck of a lot of us are pretty messy! Hoarding is different, hoarders have attachment issues and it causes them serious distress to get rid of their "things", sometimes even rotten food. They also have a habit of collecting more and more of a certain thing. My MIL collects old furniture, she has stacks of old broken worn out furniture that she cannot get rid of without breaking down into tears and yet she continues to shop and buy more old used furniture. She won't deal with the issue either, so... Someday down the road I know it will very likely fall on mine and my husband's shoulders to clean it all up. (Sigh) at least most furniture can be dealt with with another big bonfire....

I'll bring the marsh emllows!!!

 

[Arielle]

Found any more pennies??

 

[Northie]

Not yet, but I've taken another break, only so much I can do at a time without the rest of the house work falling behind. Especially with kids who love to play in the mud! Lol

There were some really neat rocks though, which I moved to the flower/rock garden.

 

[Arielle]

ROcks???? ROFL

About a year ago I was cleaning out DS1 dresser a bit and the drawer was extra heavy. I was amazed to see a rock of substantial size hidden in the drawer!! lol IT was moved back out side.

I tially understood his wanting that "special" rock as I still have treasured collected when beach combing and keep a little box of shells and stones. THe big green sandstone rock is still at my mothers house that I hauled all the way home . . . .

Hard to get much done with the kids home for the summer!!

 

[LindaB220]

When I sold my house 3 years ago I had an estate sale for my recently passed Mom's house next door. Getting rid of a ton of both houses and moved to a 500 sq ft apt. Lived there for a year and then decided to move in with my DD. Man, another mass givaway or throwaway. Now I'm down to a 12' x 15' room to have a small bed a bookcase , TV and recliner. Also, a small fridge for cokes. Packed to the brim. So 6 mo ago I bought a 10' x 12' storeroom. So far it has been my catch all. But I use it as a feed room, brooder and storage. I'm also going to buy a freezer.
Getting into chickens was a whole new ballpark for buying things. I've bought a lot of stuff to get ready, fencing, medication, buckets, storage shelves. I get paid on the 3rd each month and I have a list of things to buy to go forward on my agenda. My daughter is bringing in all these packages and rolling her eyes and talking about an intervention. I must be a spendaholic.

No, I have to buy these things to predator proof the coop. Chickens are never easy or cheap.

 

[Arielle]

LInda you are bringing back memories. I was really "upset" when my grandfather decided to sell his house-- a house he had lived in all my life and sicne his daughter( my mom) had been a young girl. I was in shock. . . and didn't want him to move from a place that was full of beloved memories. ( I have only been back once, and that was very painful.)

He moved to a small apt at a house built by his church. Two rooms: dinette livingroom/bedroom and a bathroom.

I saw this "home" after he had died and my mother and I cleaned out the room. I filled my truck like it had never been filled before. I still have his kitchen trash can-- and cant quite let it go. ANd several towels that hung on the chrome towel holders in his upstairs bathroom in his old house. THey are more than just things. THey are memories . . .

What to hold onto and what to throw away can be a challenge.

 

[LindaB220]

LInda you are bringing back memories. I was really "upset" when my grandfather decided to sell his house-- a house he had lived in all my life and sicne his daughter( my mom) had been a young girl. I was in shock. . . and didn't want him to move from a place that was full of beloved memories. ( I have only been back once, and that was very painful.)

He moved to a small apt at a house built by his church. Two rooms: dinette livingroom/bedroom and a bathroom.

I saw this "home" after he had died and my mother and I cleaned out the room. I filled my truck like it had never been filled before. I still have his kitchen trash can-- and cant quite let it go. ANd several towels that hung on the chrome towel holders in his upstairs bathroom in his old house. THey are more than just things. THey are memories . . .

What to hold onto and what to throw away can be a challenge.

Arielle, let me tell you, I held on to everything. especially Mama's treasures. My kids said "You can't come to the estate sale". Nothing else would fit into my tiny apt. so I let them handle it. All of it. I gave some to one daughter and she has it in a storage unit. Antique stuff. A lot is gone that I would never have been able to let go so it was the right decision. After 3 yrs I still miss things that I should have saved.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THank you for sharing that painful wisedom-- my plan is tohold on to this place as long as I can.

Weirdly we elders move in withthe yonger generation-- this is screwy, backwars and totaly mixed up. THey should be moving in with US !! We keep our things until the day we die, thn they inherit-- yup the next genreation has too much too fast too easy-- they dont need to inherit to get it. But I think that may be a changin'.

As my mother has held on to all her posessions, even though I know what I will get when she passes in another 20 years !!, I no longer have use for fur coats as they have gone out of style. 20 years ago there are acouple coats I would have worn then but not now. What will I do with them after 20 more years sitting in a closet . . .

What I learned is that I will give my kids my stuff as they need it, and see the items used or abused but given a purpose and at the same time start decreasing my possessions. While I like a nice run underfoot, I cherish the family photos as I try to explain who these people are to my young boys. In a generation or 2 the information will be lost if not written down and tacked to the back of the frame.

I still have all the sympathy cards ent to my grandfather when his second wife died-- it is all I have of her. SHe was a wonderful person who had the gumption to cope with being a step grand mother.

 

[Northie]

One of the ideas I've had for keeping memory of special cards, or art that the kids have done, (but won't want to keep when they grow up!) Is taking photo's of them. I have a memory card for them and a binder with special keepsake cards and art that I do want to keep for myself .

 

[Arielle]

Great idea. Certainly takes up less space.

I keep my kids art on the walls mostly. As they made more art, and I ran out of space, I put the older pictures in a flat drawer, and put up the new. Can see thep rogression of less and less art work as they aged out of the preschool- 1st grade school. Sad really, Wish school did more art all the years.