Decluttering

R

Robusta

Member
Location
upstate New York
My wife is a border line hoarder. Not horrible like on the TV series but worse than I like.
We have a four bedroom house with two of them being stacked floor to ceiling with crap.

Well she had some kind of epiphany, and started cleaning. Holy crap! Seven computers, five CRT monitors or TV,s nine vcr,s or receivers, various circuitboards . I have a pick up full of electronics that we are taking to the center this afternoon.

I see she has a phone number and price list for a roll off dumpster on her desk.

This may be a life altering event!
 

Wow! I'm fairly good at getting rid of stuff, but hubby is not. Wish he would do this! It was just a couple of years ago he finally dumped his 32 inch waist bellbottoms!
 

It intrigues me about all the electronics gear! Was you wife hoarding it?
Isn't that the guys sacred domain?
 
The electronics crap is the worst. I am not techy in the least. So a drawer full of wire thingies...Something like ten chargers for various gizmos. Owing to the aging of the plastic, the things they charge might be long gone. An extension cord with exposed connections...that can't be good. Sometimes it's just easier to toss the whole drawer or box and not overthink things too much.
 
I did this to a spare bedroom over the winter. It took me days to complete it with constant runs to the recycling centre with everything from a bed to a CD. The entire room was gutted and even the carpets went. And I did end up with a very, very large plastic bag full of cables and connectors. That is now parked in the loft.

However. I was pretty furious recently tom discover that our local council have closed the recycling facilities. We have been left with no where to take our gardening refuse, scrap metal, electrical stuff, etc. They closed all local centres and have left only one central unit for the entire area - which is miles away. Not helpful when you are having to make several trips in one day. The lack of a facility for gardening refuse really annoys me as several times a year I have tree cuttings, shrubs, etc all to be dumped. I cant get rid of those in the small garden waste bin that the council will collect every 2 weeks. And in any case, they cease this collection from October to March leaving us without a facility for garden waste.
 
fureverywhere said:
The electronics crap is the worst. I am not techy in the least. So a drawer full of wire thingies...Something like ten chargers for various gizmos. Owing to the aging of the plastic, the things they charge might be long gone. An extension cord with exposed connections...that can't be good. Sometimes it's just easier to toss the whole drawer or box and not overthink things too much.
Click to expand...

I'm with you! Whatever it is or was used for won't be any good a year or so from now. I don't know how my son and grandson look at all these types of wires and know exactly what it is. I have no clue.
 
It's all to easy in our consumer society to let things, especially things from the past, limit our today and our future.

Tossing out stuff is great therapy in my opinion. If it is something sentimental, then take a photo of it, label it so you can remember the person and occasion that makes it important. Then if you don't use it, toss it.
 
I'm still sorting books, an ongoing project. Yesterdays section was spiritual and self-help. I don't get warm fuzzies from such books so it was pretty easy deciding the donation pile. But then you pick up an oldie but a goodie. Leo Buscagila, the huggy guy, I opened to a random chapter where he explains exceptional kids...maybe it's time to reread that eh? But especially with books or whatever is special to you. Don't punish yourself if you rescue a title or three. Donate thirty and keep six...it's all good.
 
I am thankful for every molecule that leaves the property. The electronics is just 30 years accumulation, the inconvenience of recycling,and the refusal to trash. Recycling center is 30 miles north and is only open Sat/Sunday for 4 hours per.

This is not 100% her problem as I am wont to see value where very little probably exists myself. If I change wiper blades I save the old ones. Who knows, the new ones may fly off, ain't happened in 50 years of driving, but you never know!

Ok! so far 3 pick up loads and the one of electronics. She is a bit edgy so I'm not pushing.
 
Sometimes it's letting go of memories too of course. I have at least fifty cat themed objects for every foot of space in the house. But even then it's difficult sometimes. There was this antiquey wooden cat doll. Cute except a leg that needs repair. But it all but has one of my estranged daughter's name on it. Hey for someone else it will be a new treasure.
 
You're right of course with the memories. But as I've gotten older I'm not as sentimental, no I don't need twenty pounds of received greeting cards. Or my mother in laws mass cards. Greeting cards or mass cards...if there's no year, or no one special it was written for, or just generic with name signed, or someone I don't recognize...out it goes. Besides If the funeral mass was held in say 1952, my husband probably doesn't know who the person was either. The same thing with photographs. Before the days of digital we had a lot of "dud" pictures. Save the best ones, I have my photo albums on the book shelf. There is a box for each child still speaking to me. The rest of the hundreds of duds are gone.
 

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