Yea for the recovery disks!

I join the list of those who have lost or misplaced one of those expensive-type car keys with remote attached to it. I haven't seen it in several years (nor have I ripped things apart looking for it yet). I have a strong suspicion it could be in a certain section of one room. I'll let you all know if I ever find it.

Still rooting for you on the $100 bills!

I've found two Honduran 1 lempira notes. I doubt they're useful for anything except bookmarks here.

I got a special treat today. I got a camera holder out of its original bag, from years ago, never used. It has telescoping legs that go up to 5 feet tall. it has a screw to put in to base of my camera I got last year from friend. It works beautifully. Many of my pictures are blurry when I hold camera, so am excited to try it outside once frozen fog is gone. Shopping at home is such fun.
Lost: dremel rotary tool, have found attachments looked for tool for approx. 2 hours over a few days. Sure happy I am putting all tools in one place once I find them.
Lost: Book and notebook for a class I went back to last friday. Wasted approx. 3 hours looking for it over 2 weeks. I put it where I could "find it" if I decided to return to class after months of not going. well I am one that has to have a home for things now, so I don't spend hours looking for things.
Lost: still have not found my stash of $100 bills.
Hoarding is no fun at all when need to find things. Really starting to see the importance of having a permanent home for things. Used to enjoy the mystery of where an item might be now see it as a waste of time not knowing when need something.

I found some books I'd love to read in a box in my bedroom. Found the manual for my coffeemaker that was driving me crazy. Found my yoga DVD!

Yesterday I found my runner's belt! Not an expensive item but it is a good example of how my clutter can get in the way of healthy habits. Now I can get back to running while listening to music and I can carry my key and whatever else. I put off buying a new one because I new it was in the apartment somewhere.

Also I found a work shirt that has been "missing" for at least 6 months.

Love it Dave!!!! I can imagine you standing there with your beloved stones, smiling feels so good.
I found a new purse that was bought a couple of years ago, it is red, so goes with my purple coat, smiling. I have used the same old purse forever, so changed all stuff into new purse. found some gift cards that I can use at costco towards my glasses, and to Fred Meyers for fresh food. Nice to have the extra money now that I am so low income.

Dave,
since it gives you strength and courage I think you should keep it.
Use it to remind yourself that no matter the pain, physical or emotional, this too shall pass. ;)

Found! My (passed) kidney stone. d & T I am keeping it, at least for awhile.

Thanks Dave, how are you doing? How is the garage? Hope all is well with you.

If the rust isn't too bad, you might be able to clean them with a rotary brush on a Dremel type tool and then oil them up.

I found a bag of mixed nuts that fell next to passenger seat in car, yesterday. I was going to return them because they had a rancid taste. I never return anything, but thought they should know. It had been 3 weeks, since I lost them, so did not have receipt. I sweetly told them my dilemna, did not have receipt, just wanted them to know. They said go get more, bins were empty, others complained, so they replaced with similar item, I was surprised and pleased. The costco refund check that I almost tossed thinking it was something else was $87.50, big find yesterday!! Found a good pair of pliers, wire cutters in yard yesterday, totally rusted, then "lost" another pair yesterday while moving some wire I cut, looked and looked, knowing the others rusted because I used to leave things where last used. No luck, got inside and found them in my vest pocket, fear of losing them prompted me to put in pocket, new behavior. Life of changing behaviors has its twists and turns, persistence is needed.

Hooray, Dianne! So glad you found the crucifix. I hope your granddaughter will realize how special it is to you.
Congratulations, Karl on finding the credit cards. If they have been lost for a while, make sure they are still valid. I tried to use one of my cards nine months after it had been renewed and found it had been discontinued for lack of use.
Yesterday, I meant to give myself a mani and pedi. I got my fingernails filed but cannot find the toenail clipper. This is the fifth one I have lost. So discouraging. Yes, I have a place to keep it and no, it is not in its place.
I also lost and then found the remote control for the TV. This gave me momentary panic. Since the cable guy came, I can no longer turn the set on and off or change channels directly on the set. I have to do it with the remote. So i was watching some inane show with people screaming and yelling at each other with no way to stop it.
My friends used to kid me at work because I was super organized. Everything was color coded and filed. People would come to me to borrow things because I always had what they needed and could lay my hands on it quickly.
Trying to live in all this dirt and mess and clutter is killing me.

Dianne, so happy you found it and are now able to get things done in that room. You sound great, and like you are using your up mood to get lots done!!

Diane,

YEA!!!!! :D
WAY TO GO!!!!! :D
YOOHOO!!!! :D

Now i know why you look at everthing.

I found a family heirloom I did not realize had moved into clearing out country.

Re tasks,

The trash has been picked up, so I no longer have the "spare" microwave.

The piles on the basement stair bannister have steadily moved forward into new frontiers of empty space. Mrs Dave reminded me this morning that some of the empty space is necessary for safety, to hang on to and inquired if the piles could be moved back. So I have the chair and whip out and am working on pile reduction. (Using my sales case to move back a German Shepard that would cheerfully kill me was easier, although much more frightening.)

Hmmm.....
I thought "But I am likely to need my 20 year old grass seed in the spring of 2015" was a perfectly sound reason to keep it. :)

Diane,
Like I said, part of the value of a support group, for someone that wants to change, is that the people that have done the same stuff you have know when you are bullshitting.

dianne and dave, helpful suggestions, in my experience, excuses play a big part of hoarding and keeping stuff. dave, sorry you were hurt by comment someone made, glad you didn't use anger as an excuse to stay mad and not move forward on cleaning, tossing. Anger is such a familiar adrenalin rush, as is shopping. We are all so blessed to have this site to share our inner feelings

Anna,

It is unclear from your post whether you or your boyfriend (or both) is doing the hoarding.

It is quite clear that your boyfriend is enabling you by taking you shopping. It is unclear whether you are reinforcing that enabling with attitudes you express to him if he doesn't take you shopping.

If you both would put shopping money spent on nonessentials in a jar for awhile, you might come up with enough for another trash run.

If you have computer and internet access on Sunday or Tuesday evening, the chat sessions might be useful. And I think it would be helpful to you both if your boyfriend would participate too. It might help in 3 ways. Support from others that understand what you are living through. Maybe some ideas on how to start dealing with your situation. New communication perspectives between you and your boyfriend as you type posts.

I am sorry about the loss of your ring. I know that misplacing things like that is stressful and frustrating. I hope that it turns out to be fairly easy to find.

Diane,

Sometimes blunt is necessary. That's what a support group does.

On chat I was busy being funny and said I didn't have any maybe projects because I was going to do them all. One of the responses to that was not just rofl but roflma. Funny response to a funny statement. But it also cut me way deep down inside.

I wanted to be really mad about that. But I can't. It just sort of posed the question, from a person that knows what's what, Are you going to be funny or are you going to fix your life?

Anna I just reread earlier posts. My post was so blunt, sorry, I was just writing my thoughts but rereading it it sounded like I was lecturing you. I went to a variety of therapists and was not helped, they had no idea how bad my hoard was, since I present myself clean, neat and on time, so never was helped. On this site I finally found the help I needed, plus reading "Buried in Treasures", great book. First night Cory told me to not shop for 7 days. I actually was able to do it. I hope you will find the help you need here.

Oh, Anna. I can hear the frustration in your words. And I am acquainted with that frustration. I started this thread because I know the anxiety losing things causes and I wanted a place to share when I find something important I thought was gone.
Hang in there with your therapist if you like him or her and feel like the two of you are making a connection. A good therapist can help you deal with the anxiety, the burying of pain and emotions, and any of the other issues you have that are linked to the hoarding.
After three years, my own therapist and I have come to an understanding. She has seen how the events in my life have been linked to improvements and fallbacks in my hoarding. Through our talks she is beginning to understand how to better help me and others with the same issues.
This is an illness that affects people in all walks of society---rich or poor, highly educated or illiterate, and does not discriminate in race, religion, politics or sexual orientation.
Please feel free to share anytime you need to. You have friends here.

I found an area of yard that I can enjoy now that I got the junk out of it.

So sorry you are so unhappy. As long as you continue to shop, therapy can't help in my opinion. Have to stay out of thrift stores, dollar stores etc. Only shop for food with list, no other shopping. I had to go cold turkey and give up shopping in order to make progress on the hoard. Therapist can't help people that continue their addiction whether it is shopping, drinking, drugs, overeating, because thinking is distorted when getting high on whatever person is using. Shopping was my high, finding bargains, you may be in the same boat. Hope you can give up bringing excess in, and continue to get rid of junk. Hoarding doesn't get better without changing our behaviors.

I cannot find my engagement ring. Back in the summer, I had taken it off because my fingers were swelling. Since then I have managed to build a 'wall' between my little part of the house,a tiny part of the living room and outside door, and the rest of the house. I have made sure the other outside doors are impassable. Even if I could get past this wall of boxes, I am not sure where the ring is. I am so sick of this. I spend an hour at therapy every Tuesday. Just came from it. We usually don't even deal with the hoarding. They are not trained for that. I have lots of issues, but I want the hoarding to stop. I know my boyfriend is going to ask me about the ring. He lives here too. At times he says he cant take it any more, but he always takes me shopping. For a while we were taking things to the dump, but we couldn't afford to do that any more. I would love a dumpster. Sorry for going on, Anna

FOUND, my spare safe deposit box key (representing a savings of $13 if I close the box) while searching for pliers I stole from my wife!

found 3 old wallets with lots of change, no paper money, will count later

sounds like you are making progress Dave, thanks for all the support, back at you

Dave,
A good way to prevent pulling things out of the donate pile is to
bag or box it all up and get it out of the house ASAP.
;)

Tillie
Thank you for the regret reminder. That is something I have a big problem with. I also have a problem going to the donate pile and pulling out a garment there to use rather than using one I intend to keep.

Karl, that seems like important and current items you are looking for.
May I make a suggestion?
Find a box, bag, basket and place it in a prominent place in your room.
All new and important items go into this container to wait till you have the time to properly sort them out and put them away properly where you can find them again easily.

Sometimes during a major purge something may be tossed out or donated that later on down the road you find a need/use for.
Try hard to not dwell on that one item.
Take pride and comfort that 99.9% of the stuff that has gone is stuff you don't even remember, will never need or miss and that in return you have nice clear and organizable space to live in. :D

Thanks for the clever comments.
No hollowed out book, good idea though.
Nice comments Dave!!!!
I spent at least 1/2 hour looking for a long cable for tv antenna. Then I remembered I took all extra cables to thrift store this summer. then thought, probably kept one, looked some more, no cable anywhere. A neighbor gave me a HUGE antenna, so got it up on roof today, then could not find cable. so just bunjied antenna to tree for now. Have to attach cable before put it up, cause connection will be too high to reach once it is upright. Labels on all boxes would have been so helpful, guess I can label now when I do my searches through organized boxes, which I don't know what is in there.

Diane,
Pennies are good. (Particularly if they are 1909 vdb ones!) 99 of them plus enough for tax gets you enough for a small frosty at Wendy's.

I made a stack of 21 books to accompany my instock Black and Decker refrigerator to Goodwill a couple of days ago.

There was a dollar bill sticking out of one of them -- which led to:
I got in trouble once for hollowing out a book and smuggling a squirt gun into school (nowadays I'd probably go to Juvie for that) -- which led to:
Do you suppose Diane hollowed out a book for her in house bank?

Karl,
Good you're finding some useful stuff. I know not having the stuff one really wants is extremely frustrating. What kind of quantity of boxes do you still have to go through?

found 3 pennies yesterday Normally I would just leave them where I found them, but this has made me have fun, so now collect my found money. still hopeful for big find!!

Hurray for money. (This time I'm supposed to "turn in" any I find-maybe a party fund, not sure, but not finding too much this time around. I think I had change envelopes from two different car cleanouts when we traded them. I think you are doing pretty good, but I understand the stress over the "big bucks". Loosing things like that just eats at me.

Hurray for tools! Having them all together in a tool drawer or box sounds good to me. I bet you'll be able to keep track of them. My latest tool fiasco is pulling some things to do some wiring with. Then I go looking for my "beater" screwdriver or spare tape measure and can't find it for anything. After a half hour or so, then I remember.....