Are you good at throwing stuff out?

calcotti

leeCal said:

I kept hinges, screws and various pieces of ironmongery along with various materials and timber, bicycles, lawn mowers, tennis rackets, coat hangars, string, cables, sockets and electrical equipment etc etc etc in a twenty eight foot long garage once. .. I could never find a thing and usually didn’t remember I had it anyway! 

That's a problem I recognise!

vikingqueen

     I never "throw" anything out if it can be repurposed, it's charity shops and the  freecycle site. 

66Mustang

I think my issue is that I have a lot of stuff that’s no use to anyone, including me if I’m being brutally honest, but it just holds sentimental value. School exercise books are a good example. I seem to attach sentimental value to anything - as another example I have a receipt from my first ever computer that I don’t want to throw away.

OverlyAnxious

66Mustang said:

School exercise books are a good example. I seem to attach sentimental value to anything - as another example I have a receipt from my first ever computer that I don’t want to throw away.

At the very end of summer term one year, we were in an art 'lesson', but with nothing left to learn.  The teacher basically allowed the class to do whatever they wanted - chat, listen to music, etc.  Or help clean up the art room for those of us that didn't like chatting...   

I was given the task of chucking huge piles of previous students art work into an industrial size recycling bin.    I felt so guilty doing it and it wasn't even mine!!  

Chrissilk

I am utterly useless at throwing things out. Fortunately my older daughter is incredibly good at it and given half a chance will go through my house telling me what she is getting rid of and allowing me to keep certain things if I have a real use for them. When I moved house some years ago we hired a skip. The small amount of space that was left when she was finished was rapidly filled by grateful  neighbours. It did mean I could fit my stuff in my new house though, which was very useful!

Emilyb81

Wow thanks @66Mustang really got me thinking!! 
I am definitely a hoarder I mean I used to make jokes about it thinking its not that big a deal... But I really think its an illness? Ive even ended up losing my children partly due to my home being so out of control once
 I had no bedroom because the door would not open as it was literally full of black sacks of old clothes? I slept in a chair not just because of the bedroom being full of stuff but also because I find it better/easier to breathe if I sleep upright in a chair? So when I started sleeping in living room more and more stuff got piled in bedroom as I wasn't able to get rid of anything?! And the thought of sorting through it all was too much and my health physically was getting worse my lungs couldn't handle even 5 minutes of cleaning etc so lugging sacks around wasn't an option! Eventually my dad, sister, brother and neighbours just took over because I wasn't allowing anyone into the place as I was so ashamed and embarrassed that it had gotten so out of control and overwhelming? The kids were always in their rooms or at friends houses as I was either too poorly to do anything or they obviously didn't want to be around the chaos that's my biggest regret throughout all my life of late is being so unwell I couldn't be the mum I used to be! But that's a whole other story! I'd asked/begged social services for help but they came round once for 45 minutes and cleared away one box and never came back? Then a charity I'd seen had fliers saying they could help with hoarding and many other issues I'd never heard anyone speaking about it before let alone helping so I actually phoned them up and begged them for support of some kind as I knew it was getting ridiculous and dangerous it was a fire hazard if nothing else?! They said they were too short staffed! So my family took control as they have had to many times before in my life shamefully   they had to take 5 vans full of bin bags just of clothes to tip I believe it worked out to 140 altogether? That's was just one room and just the clothes then there were the other vans full of toys, books (I hate reading) newspapers, magazines, 15 big boxes of toiletries?! And the list goes on and on!! I wasn't even able to be in the flat while they were clearing it as it felt like they were throwing part of me away as silly as that sounds? I mean I was hysterical? It was just old clothes etc that didn't fit me or the kids anymore I always told myself I'd need them again someday and it was the same with absolutely everything I kept? It will come in handy eventually? Or I don't need one of those now but I might one day so I'd buy all kinds of stuff I didn't need thinking about it now I am a recovering addict too so I believe buying rubbish I didn't really need used to change how I felt however temporarily? Anyway as usual I've gone on and on longer than I meant to but just wanted to say hoarding can be a real problem and I really hope you are able to take back control before you are buried alive like I very nearly was! ??‍♀️
Today I have to constantly battle with myself not to get things unless absolutely essential? I force myself to throw old clothes or clothes I no longer fit into away straight away without letting myself think about it too long! Being homeless and in long term violent relationship in past I used to leave everything behind repeatedly as always had to leave in a hurry so I then went to other extreme when I eventually got clean and was more stable housing wise and had a home I wouldn't let go of anything!! As I said each day is a battle with my head about many things but the hoarding is so scary for me because I am worried il get back to that place again and I can't go through it again! It took them 7 weeks working day and night to get my home back to a liveable state its so scary how it happened without me even trying really!! Anyway il shut my hole now thankyou for posting this it's the first time I've ever opened up about this problem! I am so ashamed of it but I really do think it's a kind of Obsessive-compulsive thing? This forum has helped me to open up and admit a lot of problems just by seeing others are dealing with similar issues I hate that I always tend to go on and on so long in my posts but I am a little bit happy with myself too for actually being honest with myself and other people and not being completely scared of what people will think or say! Please take back control if you can I'd hate for anyone else to have to go through all that!
Take care and stay safe peeps ??? 

66Mustang

@Emilyb81 thanks for sharing. You definitely didn't go on too long, it was interesting to read your experiences. I am glad now that you have gotten the hoarding under control. I know of someone who used to be a hoarder really badly so I know how it can affect someone's life.

Luckily I'm not at a point that I keep too much that it becomes a problem but I can completely see how easily it can get to that point. I will try really hard to keep my collected stuff to a manageable level!!

Emilyb81

Bless you @66Mustang
It sure can creep up on you! But so happy you are not at the point where you have lost control! As if I didn't have a supportive family etc God knows how I'd of gotten any back! And luckily now I'm living in a 1 bedroom static caravan so I can't fit loads of stuff in even if I wanted to take care, stay safe and thankyou for the reply and  reading mine!

66Mustang

Thank you too @Emilyb81

OverlyAnxious

Heard yesterday that we're running low on cardboard since the pandemic - partly due to the loss of hospitality waste, and partly due to people hoarding their delivery boxes!  Gave me a bit of a push to get rid of a few more Amazon boxes myself.  I hadn't realised how much recycled card went back into making Amazon boxes. 

66Mustang

Well done @OverlyAnxious

Chloe_R

Hello) I'm a hoarder like you. But two years ago I've started my therapy and was ready for throwing away a lot of stuff in my life, so I was brutal and now I have space for new things in my life (not only about physical, but mental too)

Chrissilk

I tend to keep some things 'just in case', but I have a daughter who is incredibly organised and tidy, so when she comes to visit she sorts things out and gets rid of them. I really don't mind, she does it for my benefit. 

CoffeeFirst

I’m really good at clearing out but I do always like to keep a few sentimental things.
Maybe try boxing them away out of sight and see if you do actually miss them…bet you don’t though ?

66Mustang

Thank you everyone for the replies and suggestions.