My house is also very small, and I am a hoarder. I guess I have come to terms with having to work with what I have .... since I can not afford to rent (or heat) a bigger place to live.

You could say yes, the house is too small, but since this is what you have to work with, do you want to live like this? really? and like the show Hoarders does so well, help her recognize the consequences of her hoarding. Until the negatives outweigh the positives, change is only minimal.

Hope this helps, hang in there and take comfort in the love that is there between you. No one is perfect, but love can help.

Catherine

Hi :)

A great way for you to start is to read some really good books.
"Buried In Treasures" Digging Out" "Stuff"
are all great books to get you started helping your Mom.
They help get the hoarder to see that they have too much stuff and give them ways to start letting go.
They also will give you some great insight as to how a hoarder thinks about their stuff and ways for you to help them develope good decision making skills for sorting it all out.
Your library should have the books and Amazon has them for a very reasonable price.
Good Luck!
:) Tillie

Hi! first time checking out the site... looking into things before approaching my mom to get serious help.

my grandmother was a hoarder, and at some point when I was younger mom said "If I ever get like that, tell me." Well it has been pretty bad for years, even while 'us kids' lived there. But after we all moved out, it just went overboard. She IS aware of it. and makes micro attempts to clean and organize, but she just keeps so much stuff. Her excuse is that the house is too small, that there just is not enough space. Yes, I admit the house is small. But it isn't so small that I couldn't live there comfortably. I firmly believe she could have a 5,000 sq/ft house and still have a problem. How do you bust the "my house is too small" or "I just don't have enough space" excuse? THANKS