*woe*

[katiefoolery]

I’m sick of being a hoarder.

I’m sick of having a garage full of boxes of things that I haven’t even seen for two years and, more important, that I haven’t needed for two years.

I’m sick of having desk drawers full of books and papers dating back to when I was at secondary school, on of the off change that they might “come in handy one day”.  Because they won’t.  They haven’t so far and I doubt that they ever will.

I want to get over all of that.  I want to take all of this pointless rubbish and throw it away and start a new life as a non-hoarding-type person.  I don’t want to suffer a little pang of doubt every time I throw anything away.  I just want to get rid of all of this stuff and see what it feels like to be free.

And wow - did almost every sentence back there start with “I”?  You know, I think that just might be the case.  I blame this on the fact that I’ve just learnt that I may have to move in the next month or so.

The only thing that’s capable of stressing me to the point of tears (beyond finding out that an incompetent bursar has left me owing the government $1,200 in taxes) is moving house.  I hate it with a passion - and not just because last time we moved house, I was without internet for three weeks... although that’s a pretty major consideration.  It’s stressful and misery-inducing and I’m settled down here and I don’t want to move.  I’ve only recently managed to overcome the urge to run screaming at the sight of large boxes.  It’s taken months and months to get to that stage.

On the up side, moving house means I’d have a chance to throw out all of those boxes and stop being a hoarder.

On the down side, I’d still be moving house and becoming close friends with Frustration and Stress and... no.  Just... no.

Comments

[flippyfrog.livejournal.com]

Can you sure that bursar and make HIM pay the money?
That's just so damn stupid, how can you owe that much and it not be his whole fault and thus his problem, not yours?

Right now, I want to go down there and kick his arse. Can you give me his address so I can do so? That's just fucking ridiculous.

And moving? urgh. Oh urgh.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I wish I could have, but it was apparently my fault. I should have known that the bursar wasn't taking out the right amount of tax from my pay, which is completely logical, seeing as I'm a library technician and she was someone who was supposed to deal tax and finances and wages on a regular basis.

And yes - very much urgh. :|

[crazedturkey.livejournal.com]

Well, if it makes you feel anybetter (and it probably won't) when I moved, even though it was an awful, stressful process, I made a decision that I was going to chuck out all of the stuff that I no longer needed.

So I threw out half my wardrobe and about two whole recycling bins full of paper.

I've still got a lot of random stuff (including some old English papers I just couldn't bear to part with), but there is so much less than there was.

And you know what? Despite the stress and frustration, it was so worth it! Because now I can tell you where EVERYTHING is. It's all organised and neat and tidy! You should see my wardrobe! It's so tidy!

It's gleeful and wonderful. SO maybe, if the worst thing happens, it will be ok!!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

No, it does make me feel better. :D There are so many things in my wardrobe that I'll never wear again... but they're still in there, taking up valuable hanger space. I want to throw it all out!

I was trying to be all angsty about this but the universe keeps conspiring to make me smile. Dammit.

[kangaruth.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain about moving - I'm in the process of moving (from a decent sized house into a tiny little dorm room!) and I just have so much STUFF! I'm exactly the same, I have three full boxes of physics notes from high school and my undergrad courses, because I might have to teach those courses one day in the far off future... But I've decided to throw most of them out. I hope it will be very liberating.

Good luck!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who keeps old schoolwork just in case! I hope this great Throwing Out Of Things is liberating for both of us. :D

[vicky-v.livejournal.com]

You're right, the move could help wonderfully with those hording habits. I'm just the same with the old school papers and such. I keep thinking 'the moment I throw them away, I'll need them for research.'

I'm afraid I can't offer anything else other than sending over internet hugs and hoping that, if the move happens, things go okay.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what happens to me, too! So many times, I've been close to throwing them out until that voice sneaks in and tells me I'll regret when I suddenly need them next week...

Thanks for the hugs and good wishes. They're always welcome. :D

[flamehail.livejournal.com]

Urrgh! Moving! What an awful time! There's not just the packing and the dragging and the carrying and the cramming but the readying the new house and fixing up the old and SO MANY WALLS TO PAINT!!

So I hope you don't have to move, but if you do, I'll feel your pain. :-(

And I hoard everything, also. I have papers from middle school (when I was 11 years old! honestly!) that I haven't quite managed to throw away...And not to be the sneaky voice or anything, but they really do come in handy. Ok, maybe not most of the stuff from middle school. But I hunt down papers and notes and handouts from high school all the time still. Not to mention my college papers which I really do use all the time and for the oddest things. And the little scraps of cloth that I really do end up using in other things. And so on and so forth.

Then I look around and want to kill myself because I'm so smothered with stuff. So don't listen to me. Free yourself! Leave me here to die! ^_^

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - and since our landlord's selling, we'll have to put up with open houses and people traipsing through, touching all of our stuff. Yay. I can't wait.

Nooo! Don't encourage me to keep things! :D I'm going to start throwing things out this weekend and try not to look back, however sorely I am tempted.

[morbane.livejournal.com]

Don't forget to stand at the door at make them take their shoes off, goddrat. Let them know who's in charge.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Damn right. I don't want them getting mucky footprints all over "my" nice white tiles.

[starlingthefool.livejournal.com]

But if you're a hoarder, then I'm an accumulator. I'll go through a period of throwing out and giving away half my possessions. Then I'll look around at all the empty space in my room, and decide to start filling it. It's a vicious cycle.
I hate moving too. I've done it twice, first time was about 3000 miles away, and the second time was about 1500. You really find out how much useless stuff you've got when you have to cram it all into one van and drive it across the country.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Oh, I hope that doesn't happen to me. I want to look at all of that empty space and say, "Huzzah! Empty space!". But I just know I'll be tempted to fill it up...

Thank goodness we don't have to move that far away. I'm just imagining all of the added stress of having to travel incredibly distances on top of the whole moving thing. Doesn't sound like a lot of fun.

[cornish-pixie87.livejournal.com]

I join the ranks of hoarders. Or the accumulators. Or both. Recently, I've been addicted to watching organizational shows on the Home and Garden network...mostly because it's the show that's on when the little boy I babysit is taking his nap...and it makes me want to buy lots of baskets to put stuff in. I actually have to say that I've gotten a lot better since I came to college and had to respect other people's living space. That and my roommates are cleanfreaks. So I feel twice as messy if I let myself get out of hand.

I don't know what i'll be like when i live on my own.

Maybe you can find a cleanfreak to live with until your habits change. Or we could just remain hoarders in spirit. :D

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I got these lovely boxes from the supermarket when I was studying - they were perfect size to hide away all of my notes and text-books and they made me feel all neat and tidy. The only problem is that they're still there... full of notes and text-books.

I think there'll always be a little bit of the hoarder in me, no matter how much stuff I end up throwing away. :D

[pitkat.livejournal.com]

Argh! I completely know how you feel. I'm going through something similar, where I've been evicted from my office and am now housed two floors up. Farther away from lab space. I forgot how much crap I accrued over the last two years. I hope your move goes smoothly. :)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It's so frustrating, isn't it? I have absolutely no problem with accumulating stuff... until I suddenly find I have to move it. And I'm sure the amount of stuff when it's put into boxes.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

And I'm sure the amount of stuff multiplies when it's put into boxes.

I have no idea where that "multiplies" wandered off to the first time around...

[murfgirl.livejournal.com]

Moving...fun fun. Ever since going to college I've had my fair share of moving stuff back and forth...and that only lasts about two hours! Moving a whole house-full of stuff,Yow. I also know how the hoarding goes. I never throw stuff away...gotta hold onto it "just in case." Well...just take some deep breaths and see it as...a...time consuming hobby instead of a daunting task...if that's possible. I wish you luck and remember...hoarding stuff isn't a bad thing really. Just means you like to keep things that make you...you. :)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It's great to finally have more than just a room or two to call your own. :) But on the down side, there's more space to fill up with stuff. So much stuff...

I think I'll have to get onto this great throwing-out of stuff before I manage to talk myself out of it.

...

[tellerly.livejournal.com]

It'll be okay. Things happen for a reason and this move could be the best thing that has ever happened to you. What if you end up living to a publisher interested in your ficlets? Ah, didn't think of that did you?!

Besides, I spent my entire life moving around. (Remember: Air Force Brat)

It'll be fine.

Later Gator!
Ally

Re: ...

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Hehe! You're right - I certainly hadn't thought of that scenario. :D Thank-you muchly for making me smile.

[sirgallivant.livejournal.com]

Oush me! I feel your pain. There's nothing more horrifying than a herd of large boxes demanding to be chaperoned about and attended to. How dare your landlord decide to sell? Wot about your lemon tree!?

I threw out piles and piles of stuff that I had stored for three years and not used at all when I recently moved. It was a trying task but after it was done everything just felt so much simpler. I hope it feels that way for you too. :)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

The lemon tree! My beloved lemon tree! I'd completely forgotten we'd have to bid that goodbye. Maybe I can somehow smuggle it across to the new place...

I would love for everything to feel simpler. :D

[drscruffy.livejournal.com]

Oh Bunne... I'm still getting over our move, so I *totally* feel your pain. I'm also a prolific hoarder, which drives Mr Scruffy batty ("But it might come in useful!" "Scruffy, it's a scrap of paper with a phone number on it that you can't even remember who it connects too!" "But I might remember...."). Moving is so stressful! On the plus side, there is a sense of adventure which comes with finding new little house and making it your home... Good luck!

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I just threw out a whole bunch of notes and photocopies from uni - it was great! :D

Actually, I keep thinking of you and your rushed move a few months ago. The most frustrating bit at the moment is that we don't know what's going on yet - when we'll have to get out or if there's a chance we might just be staying on with a new landlord. Some communication would be nice...

[wldhrsjen3.livejournal.com]

Hi - hope you don't mind if I added you as a friend. I really appreciated your advice on my sfandf question, so I figured I might be able to glean a little more wisdom if I browsed your journal once in a while. If you'd rather I not intrude, just let me know and I won't!! :)

Happy writing,
Jen
PS I can *so* sympathize with the hoarding and moving issues! :Z

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I don't mind at all! I love meeting new friends on LJ. You might find more ranting than wisdom, though - I'll just warn you in advance. :D

Why not make a profit?

[evilqueensage.livejournal.com]

I am such a hoarder, I still have two whole rooms full of costumes, fabric, paperwork, books and other unnameable paraphernalia. At least now it is reduced in size (although the temptation to buy just one more bolt of cloth can be overwhelming, which is probably my addiction talking).

I didn't move (shudder) but I did renovate - which in some ways is even worse because you have to figure out how to fit a house full of furniture and stuff into two rooms.

When I did unpack, I swore that it would end! (although my husband still has boxes in his office wardrobe).

The point I am - very slowly - coming too is - sell it on eBay!

I got rid of lots of paperwork and much of the rest of the junk went on eBay including things like my wedding shoes (like I'll ever find another guy who is willing to put up with me) and lots of other weird stuff.

Second hand shops buy clothes and I made about $200 on books that I will NEVER read again. The rest went to charity.

You could probably pay for someone to pack and move your stuff with the money you make.

Might be worth a thought.

Smiles in sympathy,

Kadea

Re: Why not make a profit?

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

That's a brilliant idea, really. Alas, the majority of my hoarded stuff really is useless (although I probably do have a whole bunch of books I could sell). I shall have to think about it.

But we just got a notice from the real estate agents telling us the landlords are putting the rent up in August. So I'm guessing they're not going to try and sell the place straight away. That takes a bit of pressure off and gives me a bit of time to get rid of stuff. :D

Renovating or extending is definitely not fun. I'm glad we're not doing that. My parents moved to a smaller house a while ago which they subsequently decided to extend - and it was nothing but trouble. I never want to do that. I suppose it's worth it in the end, though.

Thanks muchly for the sympathy. :D