Beneath my desk is a large wooden chest filled with various bits of old technology. Chargers , leads of all descriptions and sizes ,old phones, old cameras and thing "I think might come in handy sometime". Every upgrade of gadgetry means something more for the box which is now full to the brim.
I should just sit down and sort it all out and throw away 95% but I never quite get round to it.
Do others have similar collections of junk or is it me and am I destined to become like one of those guys you see on the telly who can't get in their own house for junk?
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I don't think I've ever thrown away a charger. I have hoarding disorder for sure.
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I Freecycle stuff.
Otherwise I would be living in a pigsty.. (oops!)
I have a desk full of old RC stuff which is 30 years old...which I forgot to Freecycle with the rest of the kit.
Sold all my old Rover 16 spares for £100 40 years after I sold the car!
Dumped 20 years of Woman's Weeklies.. (not mine).
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I got writ of loads of books not mine either.Got a dining room table and chairs to give away or tip.Two sheds always full if I see a bargain for the car or other bits and pieces I buy it.
The loft needs clearing when I get round to it.
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Chargers are the worst - not knowing what they are for, I never throw them away. Two drawers full now, drawers only get opened to add to.
Also have loads and loads of computer cables which are redundant. or duplicated/triplcated and worse.
My garage has pots of paint which are years old and probably solid inside. I inherited a load of tools and tins of screws and things from my Dad (an engineer) which I will never use and should junk.
Well you never know when something might come in handy do you?
I do love SWMBOs look of surprise when I locate the right tool for some obscure job, as she thinks I have no idea where anything is, but it doesn't happen often enough to justify keeping the junk...
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>> My garage has pots of paint which are years old and probably solid inside. I
Only take the solid ones to the tip ;-) You don't want anything leaking out into the car.
I had a major clear out of the old house before selling it. Most done in a small hire van - about 10 trips to the tip to clear the cellars and garage!!! And then I had a few more trips in the car but the hire van had to go back.
Danger here is we have a garage (some stuff needs to go to the tip), cellars again and I've now got easy access to the attic! Oh dear.
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Sod's law means that if you throw something away because it hasn't been used for twenty years you'll need it the next day.
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I had two wooden blinds in the garage, been there 4 years as I lost the fittings which were in a plastic bag from when we moved house. Sorted the wardrobe out the other day and there they were - I was close to throwing the blinds out, now they are both up and wife is happy.
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One theory of de-cluttering is that, if there is anything in the house that you haven't used for 12 months, it should go, including the Long Haired General! Formerly known as SMBO.
Last edited by: Meldrew on Tue 19 Feb 13 at 19:34
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>> One theory of de-cluttering is that, if there is anything in the house that you
>> haven't used for 12 months, it should go...
This theory is only really valid if you have the money to buy the items again if you need them. I live on a modest income and so I keep stuff to save me money in the future.
I try to throw stuff away but my genes won't let me. Friends come round for stuff that B&Q haven't got and I find it for them in the loft or in the corner of the garage. This just makes my condition worse. Maybe I need to go along to Hoarders Anonymous - "My name is Crocks and I am a hoarder...."
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>> Sod's law means that if you throw something away because it hasn't been used for
>> twenty years you'll need it the next day.
>>
The corollary of that law is that you won't be able to find it and will end up buying a new one anyway.
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An alternative way of looking at it is that if we didn't hoard stuff, the peops left behind when we drop dead would have nothing to rummage through.
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And after rummaging most of it will dissapear in a skip.The peops left behind are more interested in the bank balance or house what is left.
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I'm not a hoarder, I recently binned my BMC ball joint spanner. Oh how I miss re-shimming them, I must get round to binning the few shims I have in the garage. :-)
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>> I'm not a hoarder, I recently binned my BMC ball joint spanner. Oh how I
>> miss re-shimming them, I must get round to binning the few shims I have in
>> the garage. :-)
>>
You can bin mine whilst you are at it.
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Got a wardrobe shelf of PC stuff including assorted memory back to 486 systems and various video cards, sound cards plus a copule of Pentium generation CPU's.
Enough kettle type monitor/old pc leads to rival PCW and similar number of phone leads and ADSL filters.
Another box contains 3*SLR cameras and mismatched lenses as well as tape machines back to c1980. The two radio scanners (Yupi VT225 and Sony WaveHawk) are at least in working order as potentially are the assorted aerials and audio connectors that go with them and the Lowe HF250 Comms Set.
I do however keep an organised ER box for the current PCs including restore discs, software, tools to format/partition a troubled drive and USB disc caddies for both laptop and full size HD.
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That sadly is often true Dutchie but its not a great job clearing someone who was close to you's house after they die. I've done it a number of times. It's all the personal things and photos that get to you the most. It's quite heartbreaking disposing of stuff that is effectively worthless but meant a lot a lot to someone.
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Don't do as my BIL did and dispose of a 17th century writing desk worth at least £20,000 .......
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I am bad at de-cluttering, though in theory I much prefer a minimalist environment. I'm not a hoarder so much as a failed spring-cleaner. I have a problem with continually reviewing and removing stuff that I readily admit I don't use and probably won't ever need. Maybe it's just laziness, but the fact that until relatively recently my life was drifting badly and I needed counselling for a while was probably part of the problem. And now I'm busier than I've been for ages and can't afford the time. Well, that's my excuse anyway.
However, SWMBO is dropping more than just hints.
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Tue 19 Feb 13 at 21:58
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>> It's all the personal things and photos that get to you the most
Clothes you remember them wearing. That is the worst.
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I 'found' £18,000 by rummaging about in my wife's G/fathers bung a low when he died 20 years ago :-)
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Found £5000 in the rafters of my nans house. Even she didnt know it was there, lucky my mum is nosey!
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>> Found £5000 in the rafters of my nans house. Even she didnt know it was
>> there, lucky my mum is nosey!
All we found in the loft of my Mum's house, not on death but when as a widow she moved nearer rest of family, was a stash of sixties soft porn left by first occupant.
A least women with body hair was normal back then.
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>>All we found in the loft of my Mum's house, not on death but when as a widow she moved nearer rest of family, was a stash of sixties soft porn left by first occupant. <<
We found that too, something my nan confiscated from my uncle in the 60's. We still have them in a cupboard - my mum didnt want to get rid incase they were some sort of rare issues bless her!
Last edited by: FoR on Tue 19 Feb 13 at 23:23
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The £18k was hidden in a 'secret' compartment of a bog-standard table (no drawers in it)
I said to the house clearance chap "d'you want this old table, or shall I bung it on the skip".
I bet those chaps sure find some wedge 'hidden' in old teapots and mattresses etc..
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That reminds me Dog.
Circa 1969 when I was 9 and sis 7 we moved to a bigger house. Deal included some semi built in furniture in our parent's bedroom.
After we'd been there 20 years previous owners contacted Dad. Thought they'd forgotten stuff (old coins and jewellery) in a case on a concealed shelf in dressing table of master bedroom.
It was indeed still there but both my sister and I had located/examined it while looking for hiding places used by 'Father Christmas' !!
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Tue 19 Feb 13 at 22:41
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The boy has often mocked my box of useful things.
However, when he gained an old Nokia phone (after losing/breaking expensive smartphones) he was more than pleased to accept the official Nokia charger I dug out from the bottom of the box.
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'stands up'
My name is Dave and I am a hoarder.
Chargers & AC/DC adapters are my worst vice. From old rechargable torch or cordless drill chargers, to Nokia phone chargers. You name it, I've probably got at least one of each kicking around. I occasionally find a use for one when another one breaks and the spec is the same or almost the same.
I also hoard old electronic junk, such as PCBs, bulbs, LEDs and the like so I can rob components to repair other electronic stuff that would otherwise also become junk.
And then there's the offcuts of metal and wood in the shed and garage that get used once in a blue moon.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 20 Feb 13 at 00:40
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I certainly was a hoarder, mostly electronic bits & pieces - chargers, discs, goodness knows how many cables, old modems & routers, old computers, and goodness knows what.
I junked the whole lot in a fit about 12 months ago - 6 x 25Kg UPS boxes.
I don't think I've missed anything yet, but I know when I do it'll be a biggie.
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>>After we'd been there 20 years previous owners contacted Dad. Thought they'd forgotten stuff (old coins and jewellery) in a case on a concealed shelf in dressing table of master bedroom.<<
That's one of the reasons I got into metal detecting in the mid 90's, all manner of treasure lays literally beneath our feet.
The 'hobby' needs much time and dedication though, needless to say - I wont be retiring on the strength of my finds :)
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Oh Dog, please don't. I have a life-time of a hoarder's 'stuff' to go through. It is far from easy... and really no fun at all.
Bravely last year I freecycled three, yes three, sacks of cables on the principle they could be replaced if vital. The tools are sorted although not sure how many of the bits I will ever need. The salmon and trout fishing gear is taking up a large amount of room in the loft, although I have freecycled the waders, the chest waders and so on. So far, probably 500 books have been re-homed - haven't started on the ones in the loft.
This month I have finally picked up the courage to start sorting office stuff. So far, three sacks of recycling, three of rubbish. Two carrier bags of pens, pencils and other stationary on the RSPCA clinic wish list. One Banana Box full of chargers - absolutely no idea what they belong to.....
On the good side, I will never need to buy another pack of photographic print paper, laminating pouches or paper ... but then, do I ever need to use these anyway?
Sort your stuff, chaps, it is not a good gift to leave behind.
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Sorry about that Dee, my harsh words emanate from a soft heart I can assure you ;)
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"Beneath my desk is a large wooden chest filled with various bits"
What a spartan existence you must lead in your empty house with just a tiny wooden box for storage.
I have an attic, spare rooms, sheds, a barn, a spare cottage, old cars full of "useful" spares.
I have boxes and trunks of stuff left by my father and grandfather, still often unsorted.
(Reminder to self - need another shed)
Last edited by: Cliff Pope on Wed 20 Feb 13 at 08:15
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You know, CP, you've just made me feel a lot better.
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You could take a leaf out of Charles Wade's book. The National Trust now have his collection (it's at Snowshill) and having seen it, it puts hoarding in a new light.
Of course, although there are (literally) twenty two thousand items squashed into a small space, they are all of impeccable taste.
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"What a spartan existence you must lead in your empty house with just a tiny wooden box for storage."
I'm just worried it's the start of a slippery slope that ends up where you are :-) - Reading your post I'm now determined to sort out that box !
I did clear out the loft space earlier in the year when I put in more insulation. Took everything up there to the tip on the basis that if I didn't know what was up there I didn't need it.
Recently attacked the garage in much the same way and junked 80% of stuff.
I am always struck by the fact that when we go away on holiday how little stuff you really do need in your life. You can live for a fortnight with the contents of one suitcase and yet we have houses full of possessions we hardly ever use.
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>>I am always struck by the fact that when we go away on holiday how little stuff you really do need in your life<<
One of the most happiest & contented times of my life was when I flew orf to Tenerife for 3 months in the winter of 92/93 on my own, and rented a front line apartment - sans TV - phone - or car.
I used to buy The European & expat Telegraph and make em last all week.
The weather probably helped a bit too :-)
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Becoming a hoarder - Manatee
