Good morning :)

How's it going today?
Yesterday I finished altering a blouse. :)
Then I got side tracked and did some sorting and purging.
For the last month I have been slowly gathering up stuff and setting it aside to donate.
Was so pleased with myself for making a big pile.
Well, he got into the stuff and by the time he finished there was only a handful of stuff left to go to donation. :(
Sent off for a copy of my birth certificate and it arrived. Never had a real copy before and it is distressing to find the name I grew up with is not really my name. :(
Next major To-Do on my list for this year is to get new eye glasses.
Finally got him to locate where he put the house deed and pink slips for all the vehicles.
He found all vehicle titles except the one for a dodge truck, he is still looking for that.
I now have all these important papers safely stored in the wall safe. :D TA-DA!
I would like to sell all the derelict vehicles and put the money toward getting me a dependable working vehicle to gain back my independence.
But I don't think he will let me sell them. :(
Today I plan to do some more sewing after I finish doing the usual daily tidy ups.

WAY TO GO!!!! everybody for everything big or little you have accomplished! :D
Stay warm, be content and smile today. :D

The outside temperature is now up to 13 degrees and the wind has died down to almost nothing. That means that finally my furnace can keep the house at a toasty 68 degrees. I have done very little in the way of cleaning the past two days. It has just been too cold. I have spent most of my time huddled under a blanket with my critters trying to stay warm.
I have never functioned well in the cold. My brain begins to turn to mush and I have difficulty making good decisions. My body slows down and becomes clumsy. I just have to hunker down and wait until it becomes warm enough for me to function again.
Today I will:
1. Tidy up my kitchen.
2. Do a load of laundry
3. Remove 3 bags of clutter from the living room
And since I am now able to get out of the house (thanks to a kind neighbor with a heavy duty snowblower who blasted out the dam at the end of my drive) I will go to the post office to mail a certified letter, go to the bank, restock milk and other necessities at the grocery store, and drop off one box of donated items at the thrift store.
Have a good day all!

Dianne,
I am with you on the need for mind changing.

I had been saying I'm a hoarder, but not as bad as those ones on TV. I got to thinking about that a few weeks ago and decided that may not be a useful way of thinking, so I started just saying I'm a hoarder. Now I am so focused on decisions I am unable to make that I am using the hoarder thing as an excuse rather than as an identification of something that needs to change in my life.

Ooops! That was from Dave to Diane.

Shopping list Good!

Just remember to get everything on it.
I just returned from the store, where I didn't have a list, not sure if I got everything or not.
But Sunday nite I went to the store for milk and some other things, with a list. I came home with the pie and cookies that were not on the list, but I forgot the milk, which was. I did remember that at the last minute today.

Hi everybody :)

Not ignoring you all, just having a hard time concentrating today.
WONDERFUL to read all your posts and how you cheer each other on and give words of wisdom and confort each other. :D

Got the house all cleaned yesterday and today only had to do a little usual maintenance.
Been pulling out all my fun projects and trying to formulate plans for tackling them.
Some great sewing projects are coming together very nicely. :D

I read this link and found it motivating.
Lots of swear words but if you read it make sure to read page 2, that's the part I liked.



LINK

Noon here, I better get dressed now.
Today I will do one thing to completion.
Join me.
Do just one thing, big or small, hard or easy, fun or frustrating. ;D

Hi Dianne,
How I wish I could be there with you to help you with your daughter's room. Together, we could begin to tackle the clutter and I think I would enjoy talking with you and getting to know you better while we worked.
Carl Jung said that shame is soul-eating. I know what he means. I struggle with the shame of my clutter everyday. And I know that many others out there, whether they are living with a clutterer or are the clutterer themselves, do also.
I have a new book and I am reading sections of it on my breaks to encourage me and keep me moving along. It is called The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. Here is what she has said about shame:
"Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change...If we share our shame story with the wrong person, they can easily become one more piece of flying debris in an already dangerous storm." BUT "If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can't survive."
Please know, Dianne, that you have friends here with whom you can share your story.

Hi Dianne, such a difficult place to be in. When I started on craft room, I could not enter room at all. Tillie told me to pull 1 pile of bin out at a time and deal with it. Now after months there is floor to walk on. The time never seemed to come that I wanted to do it, just did it a little at a time.
Today I have done nothing except read on computer and print off a $10 off coupon, for Home Depot to buy more insulation. Now going to grocery store and pet store to buy more pet food, will run out before Sunday. Cloudy days are not as much fun for sure. I made a shopping list, trying all kinds of new behaviors.
Hope it warms up for you in cold weather, that you have heat and hot water. Life keeps throwing us curves, builds character they say, at least we have a place here to share and get support

HURRAY for EVERYONE's victories of the day. I pray for warmth and courage and rest for each one of you.

I made another trip to garage with more empty containers. Felt like I should leave in here to put stuff in, took out anyway, was the right thing to do. Dog kept barking at doggie door so finally took him for a walk. After going for a walk, felt much better. Worked on path in yard the rest of the day. Max enjoyed chasing birds again, ran like a crazed dog, and is sleeping now. Still enjoying him. His parents are in Hawaii and both are ill with bad colds, coughing. Makes me happy to be home. Supposed to start getting snow so will go to grocery store tomnorrow. Not much in frig. Had soup again today, so happy I made it, will have it tomorrow too.

I apologize for not replying a few days ago to people's questions and supportive comments about my daughter's sleepover. In answer to Diane's question, I think $15 an hour is a very good price for a cleaning service. I paid $30 an hour for the cleaner I used. I imagine it depends on where in the country you live, and I think that cleaners charge less when you have them come over regularly. A major cleaning job like mine will cost more. The kitchen floor needed a deep scrub. Now we are waiting out the polar vortex, meaning the terrible cold that has descended on much of the nation from the North Pole. Schools were closed today and will be closed tomorrow. Roxie, have you gotten the hot water heater working yet? I would hire a plumber to come over. They can re-light the pilot for you if that is what you need. I am thinking of you in this situation and hoping you are able to get this fixed. Tillie, it is so sweet that you are thinking of the bunny in your garden. I think I will go curl up with the cats now. They are happy to be inside where it is warm. Temps have fallen to -8 degrees outside, and with the wind chill it's even colder.

Diane,
That is part of Mrs Dave's stress from yesterday too. I see 3 cans of gold spray paint that she intended to use for some craft project. There is a sweatshirt she was going to make something from. Some bags of batting for both pillows and a quilt. She let go of some "maybe" projects and is experiencing that disappointment.

You are both doing better than me at the moment in regard to letting go of some future ideas.

Yes Roxie, try to see if light is out, it tells you the steps to turn off, turn on, hold button and light, some have reset button. When I dug into my water heater finally it was pretty simple. Also supposed to drain crap out of it in summer. If it is over 10 years old may need to be replaced, that is what I read but mine is about 15 and is still good.
Dave have to say you motivated me to do difficult work today. Went into the cold garage and stacked all the empty bins, tubs, totes, racks in one place then went into craft room and took 4 loads of empty bins, totes, boxes and racks out and put with other stuff.
Tillie I feel so unsettled after doing this, like my stomach sank and burns. I would think it would feel good to have them all in one place and see how much I have tossed. Truth is it made me really sad, that so much of my life had been in those containers, and there is still so much more to deal with. I was keeping them in craft room to fill with craft stuff that is stacked so was a real sense of loss to take them out there, no longer to stuff them with the stuff on the floor, but instead let go of much of the stuff from the floor and closet. I have done enough for now, need to regain my composure.
Did dishes, cleaned counter and stove and microwave this morning. Change is unsettling for me. I really appreciate the support on here. And Dave I threw away a bunch of stuff in bottom of bins in garage, including some halloween craft kits still in bags, bought them years ago, cute stuff, but wanted to see how I would feel throwing away something perfectly good. Part of my anxiety. Donations of holiday stuff isn't appreciated at this time of year, so tossed, amnesty.

Roxie,
I'm sorry that is not a fun situation.

I don't have a gas heater, so don't know proper approach to dealing with it. Your comments about pilot light and outside do lead to one thought-if the laundry shed is drafty, maybe a wind gust did blow it out. Do you "neighbor" much and if so is there a neighbor person that might know about them (water heater pilot lights) you could ask for help to take a look?

We had quite a blizzard yesterday. Today the outside temperature is minus 13 and dropping. Wind gusts are 25 to 30 miles per hour. The entire state of Indiana is shut down. Major highways are closed due to black ice and whiteouts caused by blowing and drifting snow.
My plans to blitz clean today are somewhat on hold. I am spending part of the day under a blanket cuddled with two dogs and a cat. My new furnace is having difficulty keeping up. I have cleared areas around all the floor vents, but I know that if there were fewer piles of clutter, heating would be much more efficient. My home sits at the end of a T road. When the west wind roars up the street off the prairie, the only thing to stop it in a quarter of a mile is my house.
I am fortunate. I have power and plenty of food. I'll just have to hunker down for the next few days until this is over.

Mrs Dave asked me to remove "box mountain" today.

(Tillie, she has, in a way done what you have done. She created a clean dresser top in the living room which is verboten for Mr. Dave. She put a couple of christmas trees on it. "Box Mountain" was put on an empty shelf beside it (stacked quite high for shock value for Mr. Dave). )

D and T, what is quite humbling is that she told me that what I did last week helping her with that one box ("tub") was what inspired her to the work this weekend. She filled about a third of our recycle dumpster with assorted papers that did not need to be shredded and were no longer necessary for her life, put some things in outbound, and; with not all of the boxes being full, was able to combine the contents of 8 boxes and 1 tub into 3 storage tubs. I see a few things on the discard pile that I know were quite hard for her to let go of.

Hi Diane :)
Yes, the empty bins & boxes all in one out of the way location.
GREAT! that you got some sleep.
Makes all the difference. :D

Morning Tillie, we posted at same time again. Glad bunnie got carrots. Dog slept last night and is still sleeping. He clocked 10-15 miles running at full speed chasing birds yesterday , so really needed the sleep, thank goodness, I feel so much better when I get sleep.
It is cloudy here today, but will be in 40's so can be outside part of day.
Tillie do you remember what my goals are this week, did not write down and forgot. I remember maintenance, and to start donation bag. Oh yeah, as I type, I remember organize all empty bins in garage, then from bedroom to garage, all in same place. anything else
Tillie thanks for all the support and humor, makes a huge difference.

Dave, I am so impressed with your honesty. Most addicts are self centered and and selfish, and in denial of this. Your honesty is so refreshing. By being honest, you will be able to look at your bags as the funny useless things that they are. A lot of my shopping and hoard were/are for "others". being the selfish person I am, plans to make something for others, makes me think I am generous, while the stuff sits in a pile. Also gave me permission to buy more stuff.
My virtual viewing of you sees what we have in common and know the pain you go through making decisions to do things differently. I know the paralysis of indecision, the excitement of rescuing from outgoing, and the thrill of walking through stores. Controlling all this stuff is a full time job, what if there is something better to do with our time? I want better times for you and all of us. Just for today, lets take a risk and throw something away we would normally keep, and congratulate ourselves.

Good morning everybody :D

Doing some laundry right now.
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to turn to rain or snow.
Today I will do some good thourough house cleaning.
Bathroom, floors, everything will be wiped clean.
Have a fresh new bag in the vacuum and I plan to fill it with all the dust & dirt I can find to suck up. :D

Late last night I turned the front light on to look out at all the work I had done in the garden.
Saw a cotton tail bunny sitting there looking sad that I had removed all the nice protective hiding places.
I have put out some more carrots to try & make it up to him.

So, what are Ya'll up to today? :)

Hi Dave :)
You crack me up. :D lol
Don't worry I don't virtually hit
I just virtually sigh as I roll my eyes. ;)

WTG! for getting the bags into the recycle bag.
Now just do NOT go get them back out.
And you are right about the selfishness of hoarding. My hoarder loves the feeling of
"all this stuff is mine mine mine & don't you dare try to take any of it away from me."

P.S. I bet his plastic bag collection is bigger than yours, and he would never share any of it. :D

Karl, re shopping.
Been reflecting, this is best I can come up with for you. As a hoarder, I am a very selfish person. It is all about me. Other people exist to buy, admire, appreciate, provide etc etc MY stuff. absolutely NO WAY I am going to provide ( or at least enjoy providing ) stuff for THEM.

Example. Although I am capable of doing this, I'd better not because Diane and Tillier are watching. If I do it, they will, virtually, severely beat me about the head and shoulders. So Mrs Dave finishes off a bag of Quaker Rice cakes. Hey! great bag for my plastic bag collection. Within a day, Mr Dave is back in a box of "old" stuff for some reason, boxes includes part of a collection (not hoard :) )of plastic bags-lo and behold, there is at least a 10 year old Quaker Rice Cake bag. I bet I am the only person on my block with a bag collection like this! Now, I could give the two bags to a marketing student to use for a project paper about analyzing the marketing psychology or cultural reasons for the changes in package design. But I don't care if the marketing student gets an F because they can't come up with a paper idea. I am all into personal possession and control of the items. That attitude extends to everything I touch. Since I don't get to keep and control the item, there is a different effect in shopping for someone else. My experience and what I have to deal with. Results for others may vary.

(D and T -- 2 rice cake bags in recycle bag with torn plastic bags. Many "good" plastic bags were kept-folded neatly in an empty tissue box for household use.) (we won't talk about the copier paper box half full of "good" plastic bags. I'll find something else to discard this week to make you happy with me.)

Hi all,
Diane--enjoy your time with Max. If and when it is time to bring another dog into your home, you will know and it will be right for both of you. Dogs (and cats) bring joy and balance into our lives, but they also add to the dirt and clutter.
Tillie--I always look forward to your posts and progress reports.
Today is Sunday and I am taking a day of rest. Other than the daily maintenance chores of dishes and keeping the cooking area clean, I am not working on the house. I do use Sunday night to look at my calendar for the week, see what obligations and appointments I need to work around, what deadlines I need to meet, and try to set a few goals for the week.
I find that if I can take a day of rest, I am more ready to go full steam ahead on Monday. If I am able to get a good productive Monday under my belt, I am more likely to keep up the momentum. This works for me. It is not everyone's lifestyle.
For those of you who find Sunday a good day to get things done, do what works for you.
We are having a blizzard here in the midwest. The snow is accumulating rapidly and many places are closed for the day and anticipate being closed tomorrow.
I am safe and warm in my tiny home and have plenty of food---and I can cook in my newly clean kitchen. (One of my fears has been that we would have a snowstorm before I got the kitchen clean enough to store food, cook and eat in.)
`

Good Morning Everybody :D

Clear blue skys again today! :D YEA
Have some laundry out on the clothesline.
Once it warms up out there I plan to get outside and do some more yardwork (play).
All the cats will be out there "helping" me. ;)
All the snow has melted except along the north side of things.
I am house sitting the big house again for the next two months.
Nothing to do over there except bring in the mail and water the plants.
It's an easy way for me to make a little money.


Hi Cory :)
Lucky kitties! :D
I have always wanted an outside enclosure for cats. Keeps them happy and safe.

Hi Diane :)
WAY TO GO! so happy you have the loaner dog to keep you company! :D
Wonderful day you have planned.
It is very possible to maintain.
But you need to stay connected to the people and activities you employed to help break the old habits.
You need to be accountable.
While doing all this hard work of decluttering, making a million decisions, doing needed repairs and deep cleaning you have to address all your emotions.
Don't try to run away from feelings or you will just bury them all again.
This is why we wish that everybody could afford and find a therapist who is trained and very experienced with hoarding.
But since that is not always an option available to everybody the next best thing is to find someone like Cory who will generously give his knowledge and to find and read everything written by the true experts in the field.

CBT

Diane, you CAN do this and keep it maintained. (((hugs)))

Tillie your story about helping clean cluttered house was very inspiring. I need to believe it is possible to maintain a clean house after all the work I am putting into making this place livable and even pleasant!! I know many people on this site, do great for awhile then disappear only to come back with sad stories of returning to old ways. I have to believe it is possible to maintain. I have lived in shameful conditions for 20 years so have to really make permanent changes so I don't fail again.

Every time I see "Cory" in spot who last posted, I smile and hurry and open it up. Thanks Cory for letting us know your plans, sounds like a good plan for the day. I was sitting here with little motivation, a bit tired, then reading your statement about using our day wisely I realized sitting is not my best use of time, thanks.
I am so happy I have loaner dog this week, we have been playing fetch for an hour. The toys he ripped the cover off of, I sewed sox on with extra crinkly plastic in, so he is so happy. He is motivating me to get out for a walk every day, so good he is here.
Clean sheets on bed
Today I will start a new donation bag, walk through every room and see what I can put in it. No pressure, just make it a fun search. When sun is in yard, will work on a new walkway with stones or bricks or stones and bricks, whatever my hidden artist wants to do.
Hope you all enjoy your day, see you at 5pm

Dave so happy you are working together to make life better. She is more important than "maybe
projects.
Max and I just came in from going for a walk and working in yard. Sun leaves my yard at 3 in winter, cold today but beautiful.
Shock: I had a spinach salad with sliced boiled eggs, actually looked pretty, first salad in forever. Ate it while soup was cooking. Shock of all shocks, washed dishes as I went, even put them away. I put fresh spinich, my new organic potatoes, black beans, and frozen broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, also red pepper boxed organic soup. Turned out delicious. A clean house can open the door to all kinds of surprises. I think I was really depressed after Molly died, and didn't realize it until Max came for a visit, he is such a delight. Sunshine helps too.
Did you have fun in your yard Tillie?

WAY TO GO! Dave and Mrs. Dave :D
Wonderful job making all those empty plastic storage bins! :D

If my wife keeps this up, my next horde within the hoard may be empty Sterlite plastic tubs. (In case I want to save something. :) ). The outbound pile increased by considerably more than a ping pong ball today. ( her work, not mine.)

I already have several tubs that have turned up in the garage that I rescued from the recycle center or bought at goodwill that I am starting to have a great deal of trouble justifying keeping. I think a few will be useful outside in the spring, but I think I have gone beyond that number.

Diane :)
Max is a lucky dog! :D
Sunny & clear here today.
Planning on doing some yardwork (playing) when it warms up a little.
(((HUGS)))

YEA! DAVE!!!! :D

WAY TO GO!!!! :D

Once upon a time, long long ago...
I found myself tricked into helping a very reluctant housewife clean her house.
She was not a hoarder but for many years had just left all her stuff pile up all over until there was no more usable space for her family in the house.
The family brought me in because they were miserable and always getting sick from the squalorous conditions in the home.
I agreed to do this for one week, not the whole month like they wanted.
My first rule was that when she picked up an item she had to make a decision as to keep, donate or toss the item right then.
OHIO = Only Handle It Once.
If she decided to keep it she had to explain "why?"
She was ornery and argumentative the whole time.
When we got to decluttering another area,
she then dug in her heals and told me "I am not going to decide on this!"
I said "OK, so your decision is to not to decide."
She said "NO, I said I will not make a decision!"
I explained to her that deciding not to decide is a decision.
She continued with the decluttering.
We filled truck loads for donation and truck loads for the dump.
I trapped too many mice and had the husband locate and cover all mouse holes.
Since she had not been doing any housework all these years I taught the two teenage kids and the husband what needed to be done daily, weekly and monthly to keep the house clean so they would all stay healthy and not keep getting so sick.
It was fun teaching them, they all wanted a safe clean home so badly and were willing workers.
By the time I left, the kitchen and bathroom were sanitary. The rest of the house was properly decluttered and the family had been taught housekeeping.
The family was also very itchy with skin rashes.
The wife had been stuffing so much laundry into the washing machine that all the clothes had so much residual detergent on them they had to all be rinsed four times to remove all the soap.
Their skin healed up immediately.
With husband pressuring his wife into doing a To-Do list daily while he was away at work.
Three months later I returned.
The house was CLEAN. Walls & ceilings washed. Bathroom and kitchen sanitary. Laundry washed and put away. No more mice. The kids rooms had only the kid's stuff in them. No more dust.
The squalor was gone.
The house has remained clean all these years later.
Anyways....
The moral of the story is that deciding not to decide is a decision and that decision is what leads to squalor.

I know, TLDR ;D

Sister Tillie we posted at the same time again!!!!
So happy you got sleep, so did I , makes life so much better. Max got a massage this morning, lucky dog. Thanks for your input on my work paying off in the end, I appreciate you so much and all the help you give me. And yes, even though my income is so low, having a cleaner come in once a month for 3 hours would be so helpful. Just until I get caught up. Sun is out here hope you have sun today also Tillie. Hugs, really appreciate you Tillie.

@Tillie

( Red Face )

I just put a ping pong ball back in "Outbound".

Thank You!

Barb, I can relate to every word you said. This morning I went into the kitchen and there were 4 items on kitchen counter that did not belong. Putting them away, gave me such a sense of accomplishment, thought, no one would understand, but I know you do!!!!!!! I haven't been eating healthy food often enough and that is what I want to focus on in my clean kitchen. It is 7 degrees here now, so I am content being in here and plan to cook something healthy. Soup is my favorite on cold days, good plan, will get that started.
As for the enormity of hoard, I have felt that too, and make myself focus on progress. I stuffed more stuff in other rooms to make this area livable when Sandy came here Thursday, I know that will be done, but for now I am enjoying my clean areas and maintenance will be my focus like never before. Organize don't agonize is something I read last night, love it. We can only keep going, doing this with support from the folks here, so happy we have this site.

Good morning everybody! :D

Got a good night's sleep last night and woke up with lots of energy. :)

Hi Sandy :)
WAY TO GO!!!!
Fantastic that you had the sleep over! :D
So wonderful that you hired help and now most all your home is clear & clean. (((hugs))) :D

Hi Diane :)
What your hoarder friend said is all wrong...
You work on your hoard daily and depending on how fast you can declutter, in a month to a year your entire home is then clear, clean, peaceful, serene and a place for you to truly relax, a real sanctuary.
Doing all this hard work of decision making, repairs and deep cleaning is really worth the time and effort.
Sad to think that your friend is content to die in a hoard having had no quality of home life.
15 dollars an hour is a good price to pay for a house cleaner. She can do some work for you to free you up to get the other rooms decluttered.
(((hugs)))

Hi Dave :)
So what are you planning to do with all the loot you acquired while helping your wife?
I have this problem too.
When I declutter my own possessions my hoarder goes through the trash can and donation bags and gathers up stuff to add to his hoard.
I hate getting rid of things only to later see them again so much so that I now smash all smashables, burn all burnables or bury things deep under cat box scoopings in the trash can.
Unfortunately, he will still dig stuff out. :D

Hi Barb :)
WAY TO GO!!! for having a clean stove and preparing better meals!!! :D
Just keep chipping away at the kitchen clutter and very soon it will be all done.
Make sure to take regular breaks and to keep your focus on one small do-able section at a time.
(((HUGS)))

Hi Roxie :)

Hi Dianne :)
Good luck excavating that room and I hope you find that crucifix right where it should be in there.
If your daughter can help you that would be great.
This is a wonderful opportunity for you to finally get that room decluttered.
With help I think you would be able to make more decisions to donate rather than store more stuff.
Good luck (((hugs)))

Happy Saturday morning, everyone.
Yesterday I decluttered the top of my stove, washed down the walls around the stove, stove top, vent hood, burners and drip pans. Inside the oven does not look bad---a few burnt drip spots---it will wait. My stove is clean, clean, clean!
Anyway, I cooked supper for myself, ate, did up the dishes, wiped down the stove again and it is clean and ready to use again today.
That may not sound like much to some, but to me it is a major accomplishment. I can actually cook healthy food and eat it again. I have been surviving on sandwiches, microwaved food and eating out for weeks. The sandwiches were a recent addition since getting the refrigerator cleaned out.
Today I plan to clean off the counter next to the stove. Little by little I am taking back my kitchen!
A major winter storm is moving in so I may well be housebound for the next few days. They are predicting snow and frigid (below zero) temperatures. I may as well use the time to keep going on the decluttering and cleaning.
I woke up this morning and started to be depressed about the hugeness of this mess. Some days it just seems overwhelming. It would be easy to just play computer games all day and mentally block off the world.
So, I focus on the clean parts of the kitchen, narrow my focus to the task at hand, and remind myself that I WILL get it done, one small part at a time. And I reread all the posts from my friends on this site. It is your stories and comments that keep me going.
Knowing that I can share my little successes here and know that others hear me and understand is priceless.

Oh, Sandy, I am so glad for you. What you have done for your daughter and yourself is magnificent! And thank you for posting your success. It gives the rest of us such hope and encouragement.
When I was first married, my husband and I both made good money. I was trying to finish my master's and he was teaching all day and then two night classes a week at the university.
I had a friend of a friend come in on Thursdays to clean the kitchen, entry, living room and bathroom. It was well worth it. I went into every weekend unafraid to let people in the main area of the house. I could keep those rooms neat and clutter free. We used to have the kind of house where people felt free to "drop by."
I want to have that kind of house again.
In my area, $20 an hour for someone who works freelance and does a good thorough job is fair. Sometimes they require certain cleaning supplies that they know will do a good job and are non-toxic.
If you can afford it, Sandy, go for it. Having someone keep the living areas clean will give you the opportunity, time and energy to tackle the clutter in the other parts of the house.

while you are waiting for Sandy's reply:

2,080 hours in the year at 40 hr weeks. So, maximum income for year approximatly $30K. Assuming this person reports income and pays taxes; Fed Inc tax, State Inc tax, and both halves of the FICA tax. Health insurance. Cleaning supplies and transportation. Your car shop probably gets $70-$100 per hour, mental health professionals probably get $100-$150 per hour.

On the other hand I did my first clutter cleaning consulting job the other day (helping my wife with a box that was troubling her). I got two pennies, two rocks, several sea shells and an "antique" rubbermaid coaster in payment. Violating one of the cardinal clutter cleaner consultant's ground rules--"thou shalt not appropriate thy client's crap", I also got two binder clips and two picture frames.

Gives you a range to think about and decide if "reasonable" should fall within or outside of it.

Sandy the more I think about what you wrote, the more I want to hire a cleaner, it may motivate me to unload the rest of the hoard. My neighbor charges $15 an hour, is that normal? She works for my friend that is a minamolist cleanie, and does a good job in a beautiful home, not sure how she would react to an old trailer, but only lives 2 blocks from me, so at least wouldn't be a commute. What is your opinion?

I am tired right along with you Tillie, hope tonight for both of us. Sandy, great story, I want to get to the point where I can have a cleaner even once a month. I am still confused why I choose to hang onto stuff in 2 hoard rooms and garage. Having clean living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom has me looking at the hoard in such a different light. I finally can see and feel the burden it is and how it is ok to enjoy a clean life, and my fear of being destined to fail doesn't have to be true.
My hoarder friend said, "I can see it now, you work on your hoard daily, then you die, what is the quality of that life?" My feelings were a little sad, but today when I can relax and enjoy this area being free from clutter, I know I am doing the right thing. 2014 is already so much better, even though I am whipped from being so sleep deprived, I feel such a sense of serenity in here. I am so grateful we all found each other.

It's good to hear of everyone's progress. I have had a great triumph. I held my daughter's birthday sleepover last night, and it was a great success. I worked for days to clear out the junk in the house, and I managed to do it all except for two downstairs rooms that we did not use. I then hired a house cleaning service to clean up after the junk was out. The lady from the service said that my house was quite dirty, and perhaps I would like to hire her to clean on a regular basis. I said yes I would. Then she said, "I've seen worse. I have cleaned the house of a hoarder. But you're not a hoarder." I thought to myself, "Oh, yes I am a hoarder. You didn't see the house before I cleared the junk." But I didn't say anything. Now the house is clean except for my daughter's room and the other upstairs room where the kids ate. The kids made a mess. But it's a mess I can and will clean, because the rest of my house looks and feels great except for those two downstairs rooms that are still full of junk. I still have work to do! The folks in the Sunday night chat were a big help. Thank you.

Good morning :)
Still morning here for a few more minutes.

Scooter had some GI upset last night and kept me up with him, for company.
I am exhausted. My brain is fuzzy and I can hardly think.
So many things I wanted to do today....
Oh Well

Will reread the message board again when I can concentrate.

Wonderful to see so many posts! :D