Not quite a horder - decluttering
Comments
-
Anyone have a kitty that dips her paw in the water bowl and sucks the water off instead of lapping it up like a normal cat?
0 -
I've seen it at the shelter.
0 -
@Blessings2011, I have had cats that picked up water in their paws the way you describe, and also cats that pick up kibble with their paws.
0 -
We had a cat who would take one kibble at a time out of the bag with her paw. Much better than the ones who chew holes in the bottom.
0 -
I have no recent cat stories because I am allegic but they sure are cute. I am an animal lover regardless of the allergies but just do not own an animal at this time. When I lived in Cali I had an outdoors wild cat that I got as a kitten and he would climb on the screen door or scratch on the picture window when he was hungry. Then I would feed him and he would go away.
I went down 10 more cookbooks this week and spring cleaned my two bedrooms upstairs. Ok I will be honest I saw a couple black ants in my bedroom already and decided to clean. Got up any and all crumbs. dust, changed and washed all the bedding and washed windows. I hate ants and my house is really old so I get them in the spring.
0 -
Wren, curveball -
Way to go, Bunkie!
Teka - what color?
~ ~ ~
In Orange County, California, home to some of the most
expensive real estate in the state, a Hoarding Task Force is now going
door-to-door to try to locate possible homes where hoarders live, and try to
intervene with the services they need.http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hoarding-291101-county-policy.html
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/johnson-512620-scott-fire.html
Guess it's a more universal problem than most people realize...
0 -
Blessings -I know several people that are hoarders.Especially the girl I stayed with during the power outage. OMG I was in her basement and she had so much stuff...and mice. Gave me the willies for sure. My step sister inlaw has a problem too. She has a house and a cottage at the lake all filled to the brim with stuff. She would come by my house when I was cleaning out and say she loved something so I gave it to her not knowing what her homes looked like. Once I saw her houses that was it for me giving her stuff. You are right about orange county. I especially loved the Laguna area. Beautiful homes and I would love to relocate back there but could never afford it now.
Teka - Just had the insurance claims adjuster here for all the mess with the ice storm/power outage. We waited till now so the windows could be opened for ventilation. My entire ceiling in my den has to be torn out to fix the frozen pipe plumbing leak underneath. My closet in my hall has a complete bulged wall from the ice jam on the roof and the leak from my flatroof that was tiny is now much bigger so that needs repair as well as the kitchen wall below. I often think about a white living room because I have white Pottery Barn furniture in there but there are so many whites now. Might go with a very light beigh instead. Have you picked out your white?
0 -
Bunkie - You lived in OC? Wow.... we have a timeshare in Laguna Beach (long story, my brother gave it to us...) and we get down there twice a year... can't imagine anyone buying property there now.
Teka - we had our house built in 2005 when we got married. It has tall ceilings, lots of windows, and every wall was "builder white"... I kept after DH to paint some rooms and get some color in the house, and for six years all he would say is "White's a color."
But somehow I convinced him to paint three rooms... the den (Man Cave) is a soothing sage, the guest room is a light tan, and the master bedroom - my favorite - is a pale blue with white trim.
I kept my kitchen white, though, because it's filled with Mary Engelbreit stuff, and vintage teapots. There's already enough color in there.
0 -
Blessings - Yup I did and worked there too for ATT over by the big mall. We had an operator office down there and I trained people for a couple years. My favorite place was lunch at LasBrisas resturant and then looking in all the quaint shops down there. My rustic dishes are from a pottery shop they have down there. Memories. I miss it so much. VERY expensive. There are beautiful time shares in that area.
0 -
Bunkie - Las Brisas is our favorite place, too!!! The last time we were there, we sat at our window table and watched a pod of dolphins playing in the surf below us.
Teka - my brother had been with his partner for 33 years when the partner died unexpectedly. Together, they had purchased numerous timeshares over the years, as well as a huge expensive house and several cars. They had good incomes, but spent every cent that came in. They had made absolutely no arrangements for each other in case one of them died.
Afterwards, it was a scramble to get my brother moved out of the house - he and his partner were hoarders, only not garbage and trash, but things like furniture, paintings, sculpture, and rooms and rooms of new clothing with tags. This was a 7,000 square foot house, 35 rooms total, and it was filled to the rafters.
Then there was the 2,500 square foot, two story garage - also filled to the rafters. They had even purchased those industrial shelves and rolling steel staircases to store and access their "treasures". There were also two outbuildings filled with stuff.
Imagine a home filled with such beauty, and then multiply the stuff by 1000. In some rooms, there were only tiny pathways to navigate. In one hallway, boxes of new (unworn) shoes lined each side up to the ceiling.
He lost the house to foreclosure. I called in an Estate Sale company who held sales on three consecutive weekends. They'd never had a sale that huge.
Much of the clothing went to consignment. Much of the artwork and antiques went to dealers in the Bay Area for auction.
A lot of the older clothes (nothing was ever tossed out) went straight to donation to charities and churches. We donated around 300 pairs of brand new socks to a homeless outreach organization. They were thrilled. THEN they saw the 50 almost-new winter jackets we donated. Lots of tears that day....
When our family came in to rescue my brother, he repaid us by giving us things. He said that he could never, ever visit those places where the timeshares were because he was heartbroken. So he gave them away. (Selling a timeshare isn't fast or easy, nor does it bring in close to the original amount that was paid.) So I paid the transfer fees - not cheap! - and I pay the yearly maintenance fee... not too bad.
Since DH and I don't do any traveling at all, this is a way for us to have a vacation at least twice a year!
(And yes, we did get that house completely cleaned out on deadline, and my brother found a much smaller place in town with a much smaller amount of "treasures" to surround him.)
0 -
Oh, believe me.... that topic was discussed MANY times as we shoveled through piles of incredibly stupid purchases! But to them, THINGS mattered more than people. They thought they could achieve happiness by buying more STUFF. Didn't work.
DH and I are finally comfortable... I can afford to buy a pair of (cheap) shoes AND go to the dentist in the same month! For most of my life, I couldn't. But that hasn't changed us. We remain frugal... remembering both our parents who saved every dime they made, and "made do" with things even though they could afford to replace them. We still shop in thrift stores and the Dollar Store. We have a decent car and a truck we take care of, because we plan to keep them til they fall apart, no matter how long that takes!
We don't go to movies or shows, rarely go out to dinner (and when we do, we get takeout boxes so we have at least two more meals), and have never been on a cruise.
Our house is nice... but it is furnished modestly, with a few new things and a lot of hand-me-downs. Since we are retired, there's no reason to buy many new clothes. (Well, except when I lost weight, and was keeping my old pants on with a binder clip....)
We've never used the timeshare in the summer because it is in the heart of Tourist Territory!!! The beach traffic in the summertime is unreal in Southern California. But this year, for the first time, we'll be there in June, as that was the only opening they had for the unit we like. Doesn't really matter too much; the beach is across the road, and we can walk to shops... and the grocery store is just a few blocks away. We'll see! Usually we go in the early fall or late spring, and in the winter.
0 -
Blessings - OMG!! That does it. If I ever get back to Cali we are meeting for lunch there. Yes I always get a window seat and then walk around the walkway down to the beach area. I even took my mom there.
Wow that is something about your brother. Glad he is doing better. Stuff sometimes takes over.
0 -
Teka - hoping so!
Bunkie -
0 -
Not that you can tell by looking at my house, but I just completed my charitable deduction. I gave over 200 items to charity last year. My goal is for 300 items this year---by items, I mean housewares, clothing, things other than cash. I bet if some of you look at your itemized lists of donations, you will also be surprised.
Hope to finish the taxes tonight.
Hugs to all
Mandy
0 -
.0
-
Onco Warrier: all of the housewares and usable clothing that you donate to Goodwill or the Salvation Army or any actual charity may be deducted. The amount depends on their condition and a number of other things. But if you have donated, take the deduction. You can even deduct mileage for driving for a charitable purpose but you have to be more organized than I am to take advantage of that. My sister used to keep a note book in her glove compartment and if she drove for work or for charity, she'd note the date and miles.
Anyway the end of these taxes is in sight for me--so that is great! I also do taxes for both of my duaghters so it is a lot of paperwork. But with today's tax programs, so long as you get the numbers put in correctly, it is farely easy to do taxes. I can remember doing them with a paper and pencil, not that many years ago---it took forever!
0 -
Teka, that is perfect!!! :-)
0 -
0
-
0 -
Too funny Teka.
0 -
Cat and water story. My son's cat turned on the bathtub faucet while he was out of town. The water flooded the condo below his, the insurance asserted that my son had left the tub running when he left for the airport. To prove it was the cat, my son sat in the bath room for over a day before he was successful in getting the cat on video turning on the tub. Finally the insurance company relented and paid for the damage.
0 -
We had some that drank from the tub faucet, but they never managed to turn it on themselves, thank goodness.
0 -
Wow--that is quite a cat. My cat drinks from a sink faucett but she does not try to turn it on and off--fortunately.
0 -
Well third week from my "full spay" and I managed to clean up the kitchen area. I have no idea where all these papers come from. I'm going to pile up all my cancer papers I have collected on this journey and post a picture for you girls. This is crazy.
0 -
I've been lurking on this thread for a long time. Started decluttering with paperwork in Feb 2013 & was getting ready to announce the 13 bags shredded, but the darn cancer came back. So after a year in treatment, I'm starting again. I've been cleaning closets all week. Took 23 bags & 17 hanging suits & skirts & pant suits to the thrift shop that supports battered women. I gave a bunch of tops & sweaters to a neighbor who has gone back to work, and have another 8 boxes ready for the 40 yr old daughter of a friend who can wear the larger sizes - everything from tops to exercise clothes to 5 different sizes of bras. (Yes I tried hard to find a bra for my new body in 2011 & 2012. Now I just wear camis.) I don't plan to get rid of the size 12 pants even though I'm now a 6 because the weight loss was all due to chemo. Who knows what I'll be next year!! But I did get rid of the size 14s.
And I took 5 bags of books to the used bookstore. Those that they didn't want stayed in my trunk to go to the library tomorrow.
Hope I can keep the momentum. I'd love to more on to the kitchen when I finish dressers & closets. Thanks to all of you for the inspiration.
0 -
FDM, I put all my cancer papers in a big notebook and just keep adding. It makes it easy to find if there's a dispute or question.
Minus Two, I am so impressed. That is a huge amount of stuff to get out of the house.
0 -
Wren - I'm impressed too until I look in the closets & realize that has to be jjust a first pass. When I got divorced, I took over the ex's closet space. Then my son went to college & moved away so I took over his space. This meant I never had to sort or switch summer for winter/ etc. And I brought home a number of my Mother's dresses when she died & had them tailored to fit (wore one once). When I started my first "post retirement job", we had to wear casual jackets so I acquired a number of those. And of course I had to have tops to match - not the white dress shirts I'd worn w/my suits for so many years or the sweaters for the wool skirts. Since I don't know if I'll go back to work next year, I'm dithering about the jackets - all of which are too big, but they are the size I've worn all my life for jackets so...
You won't believe the socks. I think they multiplied in the drawers just like the T-shirts did. When I got to the bottom of the T-shirts I'm embarrassed to admit there were 40. I'm afraid to even count socks. White socks, white ankle socks, trouser socks, knee socks, flannel lined socks, gold toe socks (white & black), special socks for Valentines & St. Pat's day, thin socks for flats, thick socks for tennis shoes - and on & on. The more i I get rid of, the more I want to clear out.
0 -
I would keep the jackets for now because they're expensive to replace. I had all these panty hose from years ago when I wore them. I was happy when I discovered all the elastic had rotted and I could just throw them away without feeling guilty. I don't feel guilty about my T-shirts because most are old. They haven't sold them in my colors for several years.
0 -
Minus Two,
Standing ovation for you!!!!!!! Keep the socks, just don't buy anymore. I agree on the jackets. Good job!
Wren I know what you mean about colors. When they go warm I just am out of luck.
Ginger
0 -
Minus Two - sheesh! You've been PRODUCTIVE!!!
Wren - I was helping DH clean out the mountain house (where he lived before we got married) and I found his stashes of T-shirts everywhere....all with sayings, all some kind of souvenir or gift or "special" meaning, and most of them totally ratty. I finally laid them all out on the bed and asked if he really needed 122 T-shirts? Well, DUH! Of COURSE he did!!! But we eventually got that sorted out....
OMG. My MIL passed away in January, and FIL finally asked us for our help in sorting out her clothes.
So on Sunday, we ferreted out as many clothes as we could get to, stuffed them into trash bags, and filled the back of the pickup truck.
I knew beforehand it would be like an episode of Hoarders, so I went prepared with my head covering and my mask, but UGH.
1) They were 92 years old and never got rid of ANYTHING
2) Everything was crammed into every available space and then more piled on top
3) Clothes had been put away dirty, as they had problems doing the laundry (they had a cleaning person come in but they wouldn't let her do anything)
4) There were moths flying around everywhere.... DH finally discovered two homemade bean bags shoved underneath some boxes under the desk that Mom used to heat up in the microwave. They were full of moth larvae and moth poop.
5) The layer of dust and grime was at least an inch thick in places. Cobwebs hung off all the walls. No wonder Dad complained to his doctor about waking up with a sore throat! I cleaned as best I could with a wet towel, then insisted that he let the cleaning lady in to dust and vacuum.
6) There were boxes under the bed with important papers in them. Those had TWO inches of dust on them!
7) We cleaned Mom's stuff out of the bedroom, and made room for Dad to get his things off the chairs and doorways. He can barely see, and has trouble walking, yet navigates the house through tiny narrow paths. We made a nice wide space for him. All he has to do is put his clothes away.
8) Oh, wait, he STILL doesn't have enough room. He showed me his dresser drawers - probably 50 pairs of pajamas crammed in one, maybe 200 pairs of socks in another, and so on. I'll bet there are things from the 1930's he still has.
It makes me sad that he is living in such filth. But he is very sound of mind, and would never EVER let anyone in like they do on the Hoarders show. All we can do is clean a little bit every time we go over there. There are two rooms that are totally un-navigatable, if that's a word.
All we need to do is go through and find the important things. The good news is that the oldest SIL (the hoarder) wants the house after Dad passes, and SHE can take care of getting rid of the piles of trash and cleaning the interior.
I am so glad I watch Hoarders. It is helping me during those times when I just want to light a match and toss it.
0
