We are not hoarders. I watch the show periodically. I never can watch the whole thing. It is the humiliation factor for the folks. When I see one of them upset wanting to have time to go through a box, I feel their pain. They had good intentions and there is just never enough time. Plus, they have lost perspective. How can you explain someone sleeping outside in a tent with a home filled with items that may be lost anyway.
Presently we have a clothes crisis. It is killing me but I am hauling a bunch of stuff to Happy Hour Service Center to donate. I found a shirt yesterday that I had worn regular last year, I try to wear items over and over in an effort to wear out and discard. Well my system has bugs is all I can say. Fortunately not the real bugs yet.
I used to go to work where you had to present yourself better. Now, I have three pairs of jeans I wear. When one set is in the washer, another one is on me and the other one sits in a drawer waiting. You would probably not be surprised at the number of black pants I have. Each one carefully snagged at a super bargain. Black pants just don't go on sale.
Then I retired and all my black pants are being folded and put in a plastic tub to save and a few in a box to give away. I have not shopped for clothes in seven years. Occasionally a sale has snagged me and I picked up a few things. I think I'll go back to the plastic tub and take a few more out to go to the thrift shop.
If you read my blog, you know I'm probably exaggerating my efforts to unload. You are right and wrong. I had stockpiled that well. Lately, I have been thinking of how much extra money I might have if I had not purchased so much. One of the hoarders was $750,000 in debt due to his excessive collections of valuable things. I don't think he was called a hoarder. He was a collector with a spending addiction. Once again I can think to myself, I could be much worse.
It's funny how you spend your life accumulating things. Then one day you leave it. A co-worker's sister suddenly died of a heart attack in her early 40's. The sister had an immense collection of hardcover novels. There was value in the books and yet a huge burden to move them half a continent back to her home. I used to have the idea that if I could find a place for it, I could keep it.
I don't plan to get rid of any of my books. I know I will never read half of them.
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| Button on the left has carefully removed the stuffing from a dog bed. |
The one thing I do know is we all need to keep our affairs in order which includes Log In IDs and passwords. When I brought my sister's power of attorney to the bank, the woman says this will not work if your sister dies. I thought, why do I need to know this. The woman was not being mean, what gives. Then I thought of the voice of experience. She was warning me to get what I need out of my sister's safe deposit box.
For what it is worth, I am making a record of my accounts. Who will take over, who knows.
I know this sounds like I am depressed but I am not. I just have had to recreate so much information to get my sister's affairs in order. It really was not bad. It was just hard to pick up the trail and pay important bills, make sure her health insurance had continuous coverage, etc.
But I have also rethought my stockpiling ways. As I cruise the clearance shelves, I'm careful to buy only what we will use right now. I did buy ten packs of printer ink at a greatly reduced price. Hopefully they will last awhile and the printer will not break. But the heated wraps to sit on the sofa with marked down to I don't know what stayed there. It's a toy I would use maybe one time. Or worse, leave in the wrapper and find myself taking to thrift shop.
So, should I be jealous of your bare necessity lifestyle or are you in the same boat as I but like it that way?
The cats have more thing than I do, so bare necessities away at my zoo. As for who gets to log into what when I croak, bah, I'm dead, what do I care haha I can have that attitude when it is just me.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous Pat. But I'll catch up maybe.
DeleteSince I slowed down on shopping I don't have as many closets needed. I shed anything I don't wear in the previous year.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, I need to do the same. It would be nice to wear more current fashions, lol. Not that any of the younger folks would agree.
DeleteI am sitting this A/Z out this year, but not because of the list issue. Just too much going on with other things. I'm very minimal with what I have clothes wise and other things too. I would reduce 1/2 more of our stuff if hubby would stand for it. He is getting better about "releasing" things but still struggles with some stuff.
ReplyDeleteGood idea to get the banking things sorted out and written down just in case something happens. I keep reminding myself I need to do that as I take care of the finances here and its all done online. Hubby will be a bit lost without passwords, though I do have a fairly consistent order on what I use for them.
betty
Losing the list will be a good thing. It was getting too filled with people who either wanted to sell something or did not participate. I have that desire to participate. I just don't want to start and not finish.
DeleteI've seen pictures of you house and it is how I intend to get. It looks good and I know feels good.
I also hold onto things I should let go. Luckily, my husband likes to throw everything out, which keeps us balanced somewhere in the middle.
ReplyDeleteHusbands can be handy like that. I have a brother that throws things away easily and I do consider getting him to help.
DeleteI don't collect things. Things can't make one happy. We clear out stuff now and then. I sometimes wonder why we purchased half of what we get rid of. I admit, getting things in order is not something I like to think about though.
ReplyDeleteSo true about wondering why you bought certain items. My goal is to get the house easy to clean which means getting rid of the clutter.
DeleteAfter going through my mother's things when we moved her out of her house (and there were two houses to sort since they built a new one and kept the old for storage) and then sorting after her death, I understand the importance of planning ahead. I don't want to leave that kind of mess to anyone else.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am afraid of is not being able to get it together for a move, etc late in life. Plus, I would like to streamline some of my housekeeping.
DeleteAll of our dog beds are rendered stuffing-less nearly upon arrival. I clean up the stuffing and leave what's left for tug-of-war games ;-) I usually don't shop unless I have to, you know, for food and such. I like your attitude, your happiness and contentment is what's important. Planning is necessary, not just for you but for others to know what you want done. Have a relaxing weekend!
ReplyDeleteNow that the dogs have gotten older it is not as bad. With so many dogs, they make a lot decisions indirectly. lol Thanks for coming by Diedre.
DeleteI have never been a big keeper of things. My husband always had a stockpile of "spare parts" and old things that just needed a "little" repair out in the garage or sheds. When he buys a used vehicle, he has always bought another in bad shape for parts. That has never been a big issue. That saved us oodles of dollars over the years in parts. But when he had to stop working and was home inside more and more of his days, he began to making "piles" or "nests" around each and every place he sat or slept. He started bringing home bags of curtains, old what-nots, kitchen do-dads. All of which was nothing in my taste, nothing we "needed". I think it was his way of trying to contribute, to keep us prepared. Also, he wants to keep papers: all sorts of papers. You can't clean a house that has piles and stacks. Hope life slows down enough you can join us in the AtoZ! Perhaps you could do a series on how to prepare ahead for someone else to handle your affairs in an emergency?
ReplyDeleteBarbara from Life & Faith in Caneyhead
Bill had a hoarder in his family. When he passed, we were left to clean it all out. It was not easy. My mother was a "packrat", in her words. Hoarder, in my words. I tend to throw things out, some which I later regret.
ReplyDeleteHappy Dr. Seuss Day! I love him still.
I'm definitely not bare necessity. I don't see the point. I'm not dead yet:) But I do think organizing is a great idea. Something that's always on my 'to do list'. Grin.
ReplyDelete