Today is the community wide yard sale in my little town.

I am not going out.

Tatoulia, I will be looking forward to hearing about your day!

My big job for the day is painting in the addition (I am very slow) so no clean out here, but this evening I go back to the food bank.

And I remember that I only have ten chickens now, so I can only use a few loaves of bread.

I am feeling sad for my oldest dd right now. She has been married for about a year and her dh is a hoarder. She didn't know this when they got together and she is probably the child who was most upset by my hoarding.

He is a keeper more than an accumulator, but his dad died shortly before he met dd, and then his mom remarried and sold the house. Dd jumped into action in the only way she knew how (I am feeling a lot of guilt here - our childhoods shape us so much) and rented a u-haul and told him to take anything he wanted, they would find room for it.

He was too overwhelmed to really sort and make decisions, so he basically took everything his mom let him have. Some of the stuff is supposed to go to his sister, but she is happy to have him store it.

The garage, basement, and second bedroom of their house are now packed full. He says he is sorting through things, but mostly he is churning. The garage flooded and dd called me really upset yesterday because he had spent the whole day bleaching little pieces of scrap wood (rescued from his parents' garage) that had gotten mildewed and he wants to buy plastic bins to protect his stuff.

I wish that I could help both of them, but I don't know how.

He has his dad's ashes. His dad left specific written instructions about where they should be scattered. It is less than two hours from here. Dd would drive him at the drop of a hat.

Oops, just realized I thought but didn't write - Tillie stay safe I side!

110!

That sort of thing is part of why I left Iowa! People were not meant to live in temperatures you can set on your oven!

Tillie!!! Oh my goodness! I cannot imagine. I love your menu--all good, cool things to eat.

I am working from home today and BF and I have plans tonight. I hope to get something done house-wise. Good advice--just move on if stuck instead of giving up.

Trash night (also recycle pick up, SubC) tonight. Always a good feeling.

SubC, I am sorry about your daughter's situation. So sad. But not hopeless, as we each prove every day.

Iced tea clinks! Shout out to Anony, CM, Porter, eBunny, LR and Diane. Missing you all. And Roxie snd Bitsy of course. If I left anyone out, unintentional.

Quick post for now

Tillie - 110 degrees - yowza! Hope that does not last long!

SubC and Ebunny - with regard to dealing with the hoarding situations of your family members - this may be abstract and general, but do remember that every day more is being understood about this problem and there is more hope than ever before. I say this to myself regarding my own: It can only get better with awareness and determination.

Yesterday I got my van's battery checked and it passed with flying colors! YESSSS!!! So I can go ahead and spend the money I was saving to get the window fixed as planned.

Today is payday and run around and pay bills day. If I get a spare moment I'll call my body shop guy; if not, tomorrow. He has been on vacation anyway. But ASAP, I'm going to hae a working driver's side window, which I haven't for well over a year. Closer to two years even - can't remember.

Went by storage yesterday because I was nearby and wanted a particular book. Did some quick eyeballing of how things are loking for the move in September (keep fingers crossed that it can happen!). Was relieved to find that a lot of books I'd packaged in plastic bags are still in them. That means that they can be moved in baskets if necessary even if it rains. Hoping whenever the move happens the weather will be ideal, though, of course.

Also looked in a huge box that had art from college. Turns out most of the box was empty wasted space, so I took out the art (which I'm not even sure I'm going to keep either) and chucked the big box in the dumpster. Quick things like that that I can do to prep for the move are easy wins. I'll be out there today to pay the rent but don't know if I'll do much, but maybe I can find one or two similar quick tasks and then be on my way.

Iced tea clinks with extra ice for Tillie!

That's good news re the battery, CM! I do think you'll be able to move the stuff to a closer storage. As the date nears, you may feel a surge of energy. I emptied mine once, ahead of schedule. I got rid of everything, however. I kept Christmas stuff only, and distributed or donate ld the rest. Your case is vastly different since these are your possessions you'll need when back in your own home! But I have faith you'll continue to make progress--throwing away that box must've felt great!

I havent done much other than shredding today. I do need to go buy some kitty litter. Want to get the garbage out before leaving for the evening.

Hi Everybody 🙂

Just checking in...
Only got up to 106 degrees today.
But the heat stirs up thunder storms and that raises the humidity.
No rain out anywhere near me though but today got lots of thick wildfire smoke.
At least this smoke smells nice like a pine campfire rather than like burning weeds and salt grass.
Either way it's still irritating.
By Saturday it's supposed to only get up into the 90s, YEA! ;p

Ice tea "CLINKS" to everybody.

Clink!

CM, I am so glad about your van! And the art box. Did you take the art home with you to make decisions?

Tatoulia, shredding is hard work! Too bad the kitties won't use shredded paper in their box - you could skip the errand. 😉

Thinking cool rain thoughts for Tillie.

My replacement baby chicks arrived this morning. When I went to get the chick waterer that attaches to a mason jar, I couldn't find it. I think I must have given it away. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I haven't ordered chicks for several years, and those waterers are only a few dollars... So probably good.

I used the big gallon waterer which I would have needed to switch to after a week or so anyway, but I need to find a bigger bin for the chicks to live in because they are crowded with the big waterer.

Hi again!

Worked in my studio this morning and cleared off three more shelves to create a drying center (net time saver) also found two plastic bowls that I bought to use for molds (investment of $1) but I decided they are not all that great, so I added them to the goodwill pile.

And I forgot to tell you that I only brought home ONE loaf of bread from the food bank, and a little unsealed bag of pumpkin seeds (unsealed bags can't be given out), both for me to eat - we got 50 loaves of fresh challah and out of 21 customers gave away 2. They won't be good on Monday, so everybody took one. Hopefully the rest got taken this morning.

Welcome Ebunny! I am so sorry about your father. This must be so upsetting for you. And I am sure you are struggling with him every step of the way. I am sure you never expected that you'd have to argue that a decades old bottle of condiments needs to be tossed. I am so sorry about this.

Tillie and Anony--thank you for the reminder that animals need our old towels and sheets.

Just checking in. Went to sleep early last night.

Hi ebunny!

After only 14 months, your dad may still be mourning your mom and unwilling to let go of any of her things. Processing them may be too painful.

I would start with the less emotionally charged areas like food and junk mail and try to get him involved. Recovering from hoarding starts with small decisions (out of the entire box of mail from 1983, I can part with 5 grocery circulars. - drives non-hoarders crazy, but it is actually a big step - like an iceberg, most of the progress starts out underneath and unseen.)

Are you concerned that your dad may die soon? If the state will step in and quickly take the house, I would begin by finding and packing/labeling the things that matter to me for a quick move. You can abandon the junk mail and plywood - surprise! it comes with the house.

Can you take over the cooking? If your dad stays out of the kitchen, you may be able to slowly replace expired food with fresh food and not have him feel like you are throwing away and wasting all the food. (Two salad dressings out, one salad dressing in...)

It is important to reassure him that you will respect his space and not get rid of anything that is important to him. You are coming in to his home.

Porter, I'm sure you have already done a lot to help your daughter grow into a good person. I don't know that her leaving is about money. I'm sure she enjoys her new lifestyle, but it may be that at her age and losing her mom, she just really needs her aunt in her life.

I have never been a big fan of social "adolescence" and my kids were given responsibility for their lives and their choices as soon as they demonstrated competence. At 14 they were all making their own decisions about their educations and were expected to let me know if they were sleeping somewhere else and be home fairly early otherwise because my day starts early and I didn't want to be kept up or awakened. They were able to make their own plans as long as they remembered that they were not free to make my plans (i.e., if you TELL me you are going to Chicago with your friend, it better not involve me driving anywhere or paying for anything or you taking my car - if you need to involve me, you ASK.)

Anyway, my point is that society may be telling you that it is not yet time for you and your daughter to start having your own lives, but it seems ok to me. My "kids" (in their 20s) are still very close to us. Just keep the communication open.

Tillie, that is a good idea to reuse old towels.

I use my old towels, etc for the baby goats. Last winter I almost donated a bunch because I thought I had too many, but then I had two newborns that needed to come inside and realized how fast I go through them when that happens. If they had been triplets I would have been caught doing laundry in the middle of the night!

Anony, I hope your friend showed up with a good explanation! 4 hours is crazy.

I am working on remembering my own container for leftovers, but it embarrasses my family. Usually if dh gets take out it is last minute on his way home from work. He would never take in his own container anyway, he thinks it's too weird. He is still adjusting to the "no trash service" system. Next I want him to get in the habit of buying meat from the butcher in paper instead of grabbing a styrofoam tray from the shelf.

CM, hooray for progress! I am crossing my fingers for your van!

I worked in my studio yesterday. It is a disaster. There is too much stuff everywhere and it is disorganized and I don't have room to work and can't find anything. It was frustrating, but also a reminder of how far I have come, because ten years ago it would have felt normal and my entire house was like that.

I have a sale on the 19th, and even though I know it would save me time, I can't take time out right now to really clean out and organize because it would take way more time than it would save over the next two weeks. I am going to try to decrease the level if entropy as I go however. There is one shelf that I need to use today and I will begin by cleaning it off and getting it in order. I also have a work surface to clear off because yesterday I was working on the floor. Those two areas will pay off in saved time before the sale.

Good to catch up on everyone's posts. I am doing laundry this AM so naturally that makes me happy. I remain pleased with my burst of activity the other night and hope to get some things done today too. There are lots of areas to choose from.

I'll likely be posting about the daily accomplishments, no matter how small or mundane. It helps me to keep stock and to keep going.

Iced tea clinks!

Smooth sailing on the laundry! Have done two loads already with a third in the washer.

I'm sure doing the stairs is good for me too!

I'm doing kitty's laundry now. So she's a mix of unhappy and confused. Seeing that she's been spending a great deal of time on my white summer bedspread, I am surprised by how much she misses her sheets. Likely a ploy of some type.

Humid here. I think we are getting thunder showers tonight.

Hello everyone! I've finished my laundry. So easy!

Now to fold it and put away. There is distant thunder rumbles so kitty is under the bed.

Tatoulia, yay for your laundry!

I took care of the shelf and the work surface. Didn't actually discard anything though.

WTG, SubC! Getting those areas cleared off must have felt good!

Tillie--just letting you know I am thinking of you!

I slept after work. We were having big thunderstorms and it felt like the right thing to do.

I could use some motivation for tomorrow. Still have piles of papers to go through and eliminate.

Hi 🙂

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WTG!!!! 😀
Keep up the great momentum.
If something is slowing you down, making you resistant to tackle it
just switch it up with something else.
Make it a game, put on the music and dance.
Whatever it takes to keep you moving toward your goals. (((HUGS)))

Hi Subclinical 🙂
WTG! for doing the shelf & surface! 😀
Every little bit is GREAT!

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!!! saving those precious bunnies! 😀
(((HUGS)))

Hi Ebunny 🙂
A great book for you to read is "Digging Out".
It's for people in your situation.
Another good book is "Buried In Treasures"
It's written mainly for the person who hoards but you can use it as sort of an instruction manual.

Hi Porter 🙂
You have already done the groundwork helping your Daughter become the wonderful woman she is becoming. (((HUGS)))

110 degrees today.
One Hundred Ten Degrees!!! :/
Tomorrow it's only supposed to get up to 105 or 106.
The evaporative cooler and insulated black out drapes keep it a cool 80 degrees inside. 🙂
I have freezer pops, made raspberry jello with mandarin oranges, celery with peanut butter and have a cantaloupe.
Lots of green tea with lime juice and just plain water.
There is no way I am turning on the stove to cook anything. LOL 😀

Welcome, Ebunny (I like your name - I like bunnies!).

It's very difficult to do what you're doing. Your dad is going to feel threatened by it - we hoarders are control freaks by nature even if the things we try to control seem very odd to other people. Try to read up on how hoarders' mental processes work and to do what you have to do as respectfully as possible. I go to a local support group for hoarders and I'll try to find and post some of the guidelines for helping others - although they may apply more to those who are ready to start. Sounds like your dad isn't ready yet.

But it's good that you're doing that with the expired food especially. I lived in a fourplex a few years back and the elderly lady on the end was a delightful person, but we neighbors could see she was having trouble coping. Turns out she had the beginnings of Alzheimer's. She was keeping a lot of expired food, and at least part of the roach problem in our building came from her place. She ended up going into a nursing home and died within a year or two.

---------

Brief update on me - I'm out of the slump of last week (thank the Lord!) and moving along on my quilting. Also preparing for yearly big event of our rabbit rescue - editing the newsletter, gathering things for a poster, and other tasks. And giving our own rabbits some TLC. Trimming their nails, brushing and grooming, etc.

Tillie, love hearing about your work with the cats. I'd love to do something for kitties as well as the bunnies. We have some similar programs where I live. I use my old towels already for the bunnies. But if I find some extra stuff kitties can use, that's certainly a good idea.

My laundry does need to be put away - I too have that issue of the old and the new getting mixed up. The obstacle is the need to clear the floor more so reaching my wardrobe is easier. It's in a tight spot to begin with and often blocked by stuff sitting on the floor.

Still cranking out the embroidered squares for my quilt. I will try to post a picture of the finished quilt top, if the photo feature on here will let me, when I get the squares done and sewn along with the blocks I already have put together in rows.

I'm a little concerned about the battery in my van. It seems to be cranking a little sluggishly in the mornings. Is that because I haven't been driving as much - or because I've already gotten 3-1/2 years out of a 3-year battery? Taking it to be tested tomorrow. If it needs replacing, there goes my money for the window repair. But I'll try not to worry prematurely. I will also start a fund for a battery even if I don't need one right away.

Whatever the van needs, I sure hope it won't interfere with my plans for moving to the closer storage unit in September. This van has certainly been both a blessing and a curse . . .

I have shredded papers til the shredder overheated. Recycling is out and one trash bag is out. To stop from going crazy, I washed a few things by hand. It's an illness. SubC, I used to do laundry all the time but never folded and never put away and there'd be piles of it all over bedroom to point where I couldn't see the top of my dresser and the chair was unusable. Then of course the inevitable/clean getting mixed with dirty, then I'd start washing all of it all over again. I used to have to keep my drapes shut in the off chance anyone could see all the stuff covering my floors.

I put two boxes of ornaments in the lower drawer and I've put the two boxes in the bin out back . The upper drawer had the stuff that for now I am keeping. I'm shredding it all including all house purchase docs, found a million manuals for stuff I don't even own anymore (into recycling bin)

I am perspiring but need to do a few more thing before taking shower. For example, kitty's box needs some changing.

Thank you everyone for standing by my side. It's tough and I thank you. I know I'm posting a lot but it helps me!!

Tatoulia, that is amazing!

I didn't mean to criticize anyone, I was just observing. I figured you guys are further along than I am (especially porter!) I know Tillie only needs to clean and fight the incursion, I just was commenting on something I noticed. And then letting others know that I was probably taking advantage of it to judge myself by the wrong yardstick.

I used to have laundry everywhere too. Having fewer clothes and sheets helps - I have to wash more often, but there is less to pile up. Also, dh made a "no laundry baskets left in the bedroom" rule.

CM, good to see you back! I am still excited about the quilt.

Tillie, stay safe and try to keep cool!

I have to confess that I have a problem with your tea cup solution. It is my problem, and I understand your horror at the idea of someone hoarding your tea cups. But I have a really hard time with needless destruction and waste. I am always trying to find ways that something can continue to be a good thing in the world. (Sometimes too hard.)

If you were here, I might have suggested taking the tea cups to the "store" I take some things to - they give people aging out of foster care vouchers to "shop" and set up first apartments. I'm guessing you would be ok with the idea of some young woman in need using your tea cups in her first home.

Anyway, it's just me, and your solution is yours, but I felt like I had to speak my truth to move on. I hope that is ok.

As for saving the world - I think if you are fighting hoarding the absolute best thing you can do to save the world is to avoid as much as possible accepting anything you don't need!

I painted for four and a half hours today. I am exhausted.

Hello 🙂

Hi CriticalMass 🙂
It's wonderful to catch up with you!
WTG! for washing your Winter robe ;D
I sure do understand keeping the Winter clothes close at hand because the weather is subject to change at any time.

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WTG! for all that shredding and putting other stuff away in the now empty drawer!
You sure have done a LOT today!
Sleep well (((hug)))

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Religion/spiritual beliefs...
I am Native American.
There is a ritual where perfectly good dishes are buried with the dead.
Most times these dishes are rendered useless for the living first, broken.
They are now meant only for the dead.
The dead can still use the "essence" of the item but the living can't use them any more.
There is also a ritual where things are burned and their "essence" is carried to the heavens on the smoke.
I feel that I have honored my Native American Ancestor's memories by performing this ritual.

Quarter to seven pm and still 100 degrees out there.
Cats and I are quite comfortable inside with the evaporative cooler running on high. ;D

Hello ladies! Good to read your posts. Very interesting, Tillie, about your background and rituals and spiritualism. I like it very much.

SubC I thought your observation was just what I needed and I didn't see it as a criticism but rather a comment that gave me pause. You did me a favor and made me look at actually doing something for a change. You helped me immeasurably by writing that today! I cannot thank you enough for your contributions to the board!

Over the years there have been different people on this site and we are all suffering from hoarding, whether first hand or second hand. I have done a very good job on letting go of the emotional attachments to most things. But I still suffer from having too much stuff and inertia. You broke the spell of inertia for me today and for that I am grateful!

I did look at microwave ovens over the weekend and hope to buy one soon. It will force me to get rid of that hazard in my kitchen, I am so afraid of what might be lurking under the giant old oven. I need to get over that.

So today I reclaimed space. And that felt great. Two large bags of trash out and lots and lots of recycling in the bins. The only thing left from the Cleanout is one folder and then I just became saturated and decided I will take care of later. I have put away the shredder and I'm about to put away the vacuum.

Sweet dreams, everyone!

Good morning!

Tillie, thank you for sharing that. I know it is silly because it has nothing to do with me, but I feel better now seeing the cups as "used up" serving an important purpose rather than "destroyed".

Tatoulia, I'm glad if anything I say helps. Now if I could just take my own medicine....

Things just keep creeping in on me - my life would be so much easier if I could buy all my food without plastic packaging.

Dh brought home dinner last night. I was glad he didn't get take out because take out containers are my nemesis. He did get quick cooking semi-prepared food that resulted in three plastic pouches to throw "away", but at least I am resigned to their destiny as trash.

Iced tea clinks!

Getting ready to leave for office. Feeling much cheered by my progress last night!!

Good Afternoon Everybody 🙂

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Keep on making good comments that motivate and inspire Tatoulia! 😀

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
WAY TO GO!!!
HAPPY DANCE 😀
Hope that good feeling of accomplishment spurs you on to tackle another spot.
The excess/clutter makes you fell down and anxious and I so wish for you to be free of those feelings. (((HUGS)))

Did a good declutter on some stuff this morning.
Soon it will be Winter.
I volunteer with an organization that helps homeless cats.
We trap, spay/neuter, inoculate and release ferals into an area where humans will feed and look after them.
Some are adopted out to live lives as barn cats.
Some cats are not feral but their humans died, leaving them orphaned.
Some pregnant Mothers are dumped. They and their babies are adopted out to loving homes.
NO cat ever is destroyed unless it is deemed necessary and humane to do so by a Veterinarian.
We have people sign agreements that should they no longer be able to care for the cat they will return it to us.
Anyways...
These cats have needs for bedding.
The ferals have shelters to keep them from freezing to death outside in winter.
All the inside cats need beds too.
I have been dragging out everything and anything that the cats could use.
Have the car trunk more than half filled already.
I'm not done yet, I can do better.
My own cats still have plenty of cat beds/bedding even though they all prefer to sleep in the beds with us.
I still have a quilt and down comforter for my feral visitors.

Here is a challenge to you all...
Try to look through all your towels, rags, rugs, blankets, comforters, quilts, sheets, pillows/pillow cases, wash cloths, dish cloths, table cloths even plastic ones, etc... any thing that could be used to make animal bedding/shelter or used in some way to care for animals.
Then donate it to your local animal shelter.
I can't describe this feeling I get every time I do this but it feels so good to be taking care of these precious animals.

~Hi, all!~
Tillie, as i read your last post i couldnt help but notice the immense enthusiasm you have for helping kitties! I also share that love! Straw is also a really good thing to use for bedding, cuz they can burrow into it, and it dries out better than fabric. Yesterday the black kitty that showed up here a while back let me pet him?! I dont know if he has a home nearby, but i can not bring myself to chase him away. He is spraying my new sofa on my screen porch & inside the house, too...
I was gonna throw another suggestion out there for old or sentimental dishes, etc. This is what ive planned to do, is put them in a pretty mosaic wall?
Also, SubC, i use to bring my own Tupperware for take out? You just have to get there early enough for them to put in it there instead of Styrofoam.
Ive been waiting for 4 hours for my friend to show up to finish the tarp...im not sure what happened.
As overwhelming as my home falling apart is, a part of me is relieved. I cant procrastinate now. The decision is clear i need another home/building. And, the idea of fixing up this trailer is ridiculous, not just laziness....ha ha Im hoping i can do it?! ~♡~I hope you all have an incredible day, full of triumphs & inspiration!~♡~

Will try to catch up on daily reading later. I'm heading into a deadline. So. About me then.

daughter 1st day of school was yesterday. I thought I would be happy . I am happy for her. But i miss her. I wanted to be the one whom help her grow into a good person.
But somehow money changes everything. And .... uh I guess I'm in a grief over her and my wife both.

I moved all my wife's stuff to storage.
I don't know why. I have the storage till September 30th. And I can a pay a month to month. Her tubs filled with small clutter are still in the basement. But her furniture is in the storage . Her clothes remain in the closets.
I put a a small couch and needed a place to put a small card table. Whatever reservation I have about using her room for gambling . Is i need money. Its not her fault there's no money coming towards this lease we signed. But i need to make enough money to pay the bills . And I'm very good at organizing these games. If i can host 5 games friday sat and sun. Them I make 300 a week plus it pays my foods on those days I eat porter house steak.
well that's that.

Long term
I want to find a boat I can buy for $15,000 on payments and live on it where I don't pay expenses. Or minimal exoenses.
trade my kia soul in for a truck that can haul such a boat.
in that way if it's to hot or cold I can get in the truck or drive to a air conditioned public place during inclement weather.

After I get those .
I'll find property to build a clay home.
I'm very excited about this plan and deluxe in just talking about it than it just as a fantasy in my head.
summer 2018 boat to live on
Winter 2019 truck to travel.
spring 2020 buy property to build clay house on
winter 2021 go on sailing trip during cold winter season

I just moved into my dad's, along with my boyfriend, last Thursday. My sister and i have known about our parents hoarding, and I myself am what i call a pack rat. Our mother died about 14 months ago, and I really hadn't been in my parent's house much for the last 4 years. A few months ago, My Bf and I, were going to clean out my dad's food pantry (as this was the only place we figure we could clean easiest, and to put a bed for ourselves if we had to move). I did not realize his hoarding including food. I found spices in tins, we used as kids, 4 decades ago, still on shelves. I found a ranch dressing, dated for 19 years ago, that I told my dad to pitch, and he tried stashing it. I went behind him and took anything older than a year past the expiration date with me when I left. That was a 9 hour project, with both of us working at it.

So fast forward to last week. I had a shock, when I was looking for ketchup, and it was the color of A1 steaksauce. Expired 4 years ago. So i checked the rest of the condiments open in the fridge. I HAD to throw 2 out, mold was floating int he italian dressing dated for 13 years ago, and Open Pit, dated for 16 years ago. But everything else is at LEAST years past date, most in the 4-6 year range. And he eats this stuff. I am not going to die of food poisoning, and it will be replaced here in a couple of days. But i am trying to figure out how to do it without traumatizing my dad. Any ideas?

I am also in the process of cleaning and reorganizing the 4 bedrooms and attic full from door to wall, and floor to ceiling, at the rate of about 20 boxes a day. I am good at getting a lot of stuff into as little space as possible. But my dad stands right behind me, breathing in my ear practically, and watches me like a hawk. This is all my mom's stuff I am going through. I keep a nick knack, i want to display or something, to remind me of my mom, and have a box for that sort of thing. But there are hundreds of boxes, of just STUFF, i am not going through right now, it just gets thrown into a STUFF box, with the date on it. He has put a padlock on his bedroom door, and if he finds something he doesn't want me to have, he will put it in his over stuffed bedroom, behind lock and key. Then, when i am done at night, he sits and goes through all the stuff I deem as trash.

Any ideas on how to keep from being discouraged? I find a lot of half filled boxes, so am coming up with lots of empty boxes to help us continue with our move, because i will combine 2 half boxes of saved mail into one, etc etc. I am trying to work on one room at a time, clockwise starting at the door, but at first i had no where to put anything. But as I am emptying up boxes, i started stacking them in the farthest corner from the door, in a small room we cleared out a month or so ago, (mostly by shoving stuff into another room). But I now have a good working area of space to put boxes i fill up, and stack up.

Today, i went and looked in his unattached garage. Was shocked, not sure why, to see again, crammed full to the rafters of stupid crap. Not much useable, or even wanted by anyone, of no value. Old plywood, counters, cans, you name it. And after inspecting the attic with the same results yesterday, I just all hit me today, I am NEVER going to be done! When he dies, this hundred year old house goes to the state for my mom's care. So it needs cleaned out BEFORE he dies. I just get very little help to do any of it (my bf has a bad back), and my sister doesn't care enough to help. I am just so overwhelmed right now, any and all advice appreciated!

Yes I'm obsessed with laundry. I got one load done but then I could hear some rustling upstairs and when I went back down, someone had placed their laundry basket in front of the machine. So I took my stuff out and put in dryer but didn't put in second load. I was hoping to get three loads done today. Home Wednesday and Thursday so I'll have to try again.

Good Morning Everybody 🙂

Hi Porter 🙂
I like those 3M scratch pads too.
They can do a lot of different jobs.
I cut mine into 4 strips to fit my small hands.
WAY TO GO! for keeping your home a nice place for you to entertain and play in 😀

Hi Anonymoniker 🙂
I don't know what to say...
At this point a tarp covered cardboard box sounds like a better living situation.
((((((HUGS))))))

Hi Subclinical 🙂
Happy you are starting to feel a little better 😀
Here we focus not only on cleaning but on whatever the person's needs are.
If you are ready to start decluttering more/faster, we will help you focus on that.
The cleaning and maintaining clear & clean areas is the final step after all the sorting and decluttering.
Since people are working alone on these projects the going is slower. Room by room, area by area.
So keeping from just shuffling things from one spot to the next, we say to clean the clear area and try real hard to keep it from becoming a dumping ground.
So, whenever you are ready to declutter just let us know and we will all help you 😀

Hi Tatoulia 🙂
I like how you are laundry obsessed. I am always doing laundry too because I would hate to have it pile up and I like it all to be fresh.
Decluttering is like peeling an onion layer by layer.
First time through we get out the stuff that's easier to decide on.
Once that stuff is out of the way we start to get to harder decisions.
As we keep up with evaluating our possessions, keep/toss/donate/sell, we start to have a change in our thought processes.
Some things we thought were something to keep forever start to lose their hold on us.
We start to define who we are now and are able to let the past ideals go.
We are no longer the person we were 20 or so years ago.
We have evolved. (((hugs)))

When my Granma died in 1985 I inherited her dishes.
This set is a lot older then I am.
I have many fond memories of my Grandparents and other Dear family members using these dishes daily.
I have used these dishes daily ever since I got them.
Well, I am old now and have nobody to pass them down to.
I never used the cups and decided to let them go so nobody would have to deal with them after I'm gone.
But if I donate or sell them I worried that someone would just disrespect them and keep them dirty in a hoard somewhere, or worse.
Problem solved! I used my hammer on them. Buried the pieces in a shallow grave.
All along having happy thoughts about all the tea we all drank from them.
Did this just this past week. Took a long time to come to this decision.
The cats are still using the matching saucers. ;D

Deadly heatwave this week here.
Yesterday watered everything real good.
No plans to go anywhere until this is over with.
😀