Ok, I'm giving it. Try! Rolling in a trash can now! Going for a big dump of stuff on all the counter and surface tops!

Hello :)

Compulsive shopping habits are hard to break but we CAN do it.
First, think about the things that trigger your urge to shop.
Then decide on and set up alternative activities to do until the urge passes.
One thing that has helped many here is to make a solemn promise to abstain from shopping for anything except food, TP, toothpaste, cat food, etc. for one entire month.
Another thing is to delay buying non essentials.
Walk away from the pretty shiny "On Sale" items and think long and hard about them for the next 3 days, a week or longer.
If after that time you still really want it
look around your home at everything already there.
Shop at home in the treasures you already have right there.
:)

Compulsive shopping got a lot of us here, I'm afraid. The three things that help me: put on music, gather up the trash, make my bed. Making my bed makes me feel human again. Gathering up the trash can be very satisfying?you can measure your progress by the number of trash bags. The music keeps me moving.

You can't fix it in a day but you can get going. With the things you've bought, are you able to give any up? If you are buying in multiples, could you donate or sell the duplicates and triplicates?

Ugh! I'm a hoarder of a different color. I frequent thrift stores and eBay. My house is a disaster so much that I don't do anything anymore. My husband doesn't say a word but it's definitely putting a strain on me. I'm lost and don't see a way out. Too, this Sunday is Father's Day and his kids are coming over Saturday. I don't want them here. I don't even want to be here! Any suggestions other than a stick of dynamite would be appreciated. Anyone, help??

It's a very powerful thing to get support and connect to not only credible therapy but also staying in touch with peers.
The peer help I've experienced here , well.... Honestly enabled me to make changes and minimize drama I was putting on family by discussing my frustrations here instead of discussing the frustrations with the people causing me the frustration. Seems simple enough, but my hoarding kept me so isolated , I became a bitter guy . Any attempt to discuss changes was met with scorn at home. I found this site , I started making small changes , brought my frustration here too. And slowly, room by room kept pressing on. I would watch other boarders on tv , and look up other self help videos and organizing tips and tricks.

But , it was still something I had to find that fit me . Something that worked for me no matter what others in my home were doing. It helped very much to sort it out talk about here . Not just keep it all to myself inside until I felt like exploding. I know that's not you, that my experience Is completely different , but finding a thread where thepeople could relate , I no longer felt bottled up.

After a while I realized I had to be in a cleaning mood, but also had clean or organize on a regular schedule. I'm a hoarder, and being apart of peer group gave me the courage do a little more every week, sometime everyday.

My issues were not just mood , but also capacity. I had to sort through other people's things and organize their stuff too . Their resistance to change was horrible. I did lose them. I miss them. However, as my life goes on and I've organized all my stuff, cleaned every gist nook and cranny. I very well I'm a hoarder. I know I could start it all up again. And if I find someone to care about again someday, I'll be very aware that I don't want to enable my hoarding tendencies or be cohoarding together. Good luck!

Ok, i'm back.

Here are some suggestions for places to start:
Tak e a realistic look aro7nd you and describe the problem - where is the excessive stuff and how is it impacting your life? Describe your living areas and any changes you have to make to your day to accommodate your stuff. (You don'5 have to share this with us)

What are your triggers for doll shopping/thrifting? Where do you buy dolls?

What is your vision for the dolls? The space your extra stuff is in?

What motivates you? What is your "project" style (big chunks of time, or one bite at a time?

Today (or tomorrow if it's already too late, but start now) stay away from thrift stores for one day.

You can only do this one day at a time. Big clean outs don't change that, they only move your starting point. But don't panic, you got here one day at a time, you can get out the same way.

Hi Nettie--join us in What are you doing today--it is an active thread. Also, I suggest you read through various posts here as I found it helpful to not feel so isolated.

Glad you are here.

Hi Nettie,

I am in kind of a hurry right now, but I know how hard it is to wait for a reply.

I'm a recovering hoarder in her 40's, collect dolls, Love thrifts, have a neat husband, and will be happy to talk with you.

For right now, check out the daily chat thread - it is more active and there is a lot of support there.

Hi. I'm new to this site and have no idea what to do. My house is not filthy, it's not even dirty, but very messy. I work every waking hour of my life NOT to hoard! Thrift stores and online shopping are the most enjoyable/dreaded things in my life! My main problems are hoardings housewares and doll's!!! I have purchased approximately 200 doll's in the last year! I have a room where all these items are stored, which, of course, I cannot even walk through...I don't even have a path anymore. My fiancee', with whom I live, is a very understanding neat freak! I KNOW he hates all my clutter, but rarely says anything, God bless him! My daddy was a hoarder also, which drove my mom crazy!!! A there we have life repeating itself! If anybody is out there reading this, please give me a note back, as I am looking for suggestions and support. Thank you and God bless. 😁😁😁