|
|
Post by caffeinatedcat on Feb 11, 2022 12:42:20 GMT -5
... some folks love Don Aslett's books. They are funny, at times a bit snarky, and help one realize how crazy it is to be a packrat and how twisted and self defeating the thinking is around it all... thank you! We are a snark and pun loving family, so that's a great recommendation. I've never been so grateful for ebooks in my life, because this list is ever-growing! I also have half a mind to buy a paper shredder as a present and long term solution to the mass of mail and papers. I've been told it makes for a pretty decent litter, and may also relieve his paranoia over personal information in the trash - which is why he hangs on to it all. Any insight from anyone on how effective or helpful that may be? ...maybe following your journey will give me some hope that i can do something about the hoard and squalor. All the more motivation for me to keep trucking along and keep updating! And if anyone could point me in the direction of where to regularly update if it's inappropriate to keep updating here, I'd appreciate it a lot! |
|
|
|
Post by caffeinatedcat on Feb 11, 2022 13:12:19 GMT -5
The book "Digging Out" is for loved ones of clutterers and hoarders. It explains how to speak with your loved one in a way that doesn't alienate them. Thank you for clarifying that! That sounds like it would be especially helpful to me, since my Asperger's makes it difficult for me to use the correct tones and often come off as condescending or patronizing. Ack. And also thank you for getting me started! Even if it was for Crisis-Cleaning, your method is what made it possible for me to jump in without feeling like I'm drowning. Definitely the least anxiety-inducing way for me to get the ball rolling on this whole thing. ohblondie, thank you! It was made using an app called "Dollify" and then I moved it into Procreate to do some overpainting and add some essential details. I also have a bit of a mug problem... They don't even actually take up an entire shelf in our cupboard, but I have such a hard time saying goodbye to some of them. I regularly try to purge the ones that go unused or that develop their own personality traits (i.e. cracks, chips, odd stains that never go away, faded imagery or letters), but man... I don't know if I'll ever stop looking for replacements to some of my old favourites! Self control, self control, self control... (๑•﹏•) Nael_C hi there! Thank you for the warm welcome, and you're right: I'm already really liking it here. It's really refreshing to see so much encouragement without the usual default, enabling language I've seen used so much elsewhere. goldenthreads, husband is off work tomorrow, thankfully. He has graciously offered to eliminate the enemy forces, as well as remove the Couch Kingdoms (est. 1998) themselves. Viva la resistance!Neighbor recently got to upgrade her living room furniture for free and gifted her old, immaculate (2.5 years) set to us. The inability to get the old furniture OUT of the house and the new IN was the only thing standing (or towering) in our way. Also worth noting that said neighbor's day job is cleaning! So she's bringing in the big guns. Mwahahahaha! She also seemingly has no fear. Of anything.  |
|
|
|
Post by goldenthreads on Feb 11, 2022 14:18:04 GMT -5
I'd go to the home page, down to the Members Only section, and choose Blogs. Then you can start a more private thread. (Introductions can be seen by anyone.)
There is also the Squalor Discussion section, although that usually seems to be about one topic under each thread.
Back to the more public posting, there are a couple of very active threads in Listzilla.
Personally, I think Blogs is probably what'll work best for you for now. And, of course, you can post on as many threads as you like whenever you like!
|
|
|
|
Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Feb 11, 2022 14:21:31 GMT -5
A trick for some insects and spiders: Hairspray. It stops them from flying/crawling away long enough for you to remove them. Once stunned, they can more easily be vacuumed up.
This may be helpful if you prefer to avoid pesticides around pets or children.
Sometimes it takes a lot of hairspray when there are a lot of them, so be sure to ventilate the room. If you are sensitive, maybe wear an N95 mask to keep from breathing it in.
HOWEVER, if you get hairspray on your mask, it might interfere with it's effectiveness against covid. No idea, but better safe than sorry, so I'd suggest discarding it.
|
|
|
|
Post by caffeinatedcat on Feb 11, 2022 14:46:00 GMT -5
CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity, ah so the day has come that my old nemesis and I must work together again, it seems. After well over a decade of ballet, I swore as an adult that I would never touch hairspray again, but should the husband fail to wipe out their entire army, it would be good to have reinforcements on hand. (~_~;‚) Self defense and all that, right? Hahahaha.
|
|
|
|
Post by Arid on Feb 11, 2022 15:58:29 GMT -5
Two words: WEAR GLOVES!!
Seriously, try wearing gloves any time that you think that there might be spiders present where you wish to work.
They can be kitchen gloves, gardening gloves, heavy-duty work gloves, whatever . . . .
Best of luck there!
Arid
|
|
|
|
Post by wynken on Feb 11, 2022 22:28:36 GMT -5
Welcome caffeinatedcat. Its great to read of your progress already. Best wishes for the journey ahead. I look forward to reading your thread. |
|
|
|
Post by joyinvirginia on Feb 13, 2022 18:59:22 GMT -5
Welcome caffeinated cat, LOVE you're board name! When we rented out my parents house, and my house was packed with so much stuff from their house, I had a very good friend who sat with me as I went thru the stuff, deciding what to discard and what few things to keep. Good friends who are willing to help you with the stuff are SO AMAZING. Sounds like you have made a good start!
|
|
|
|
Post by hannah on Feb 15, 2022 22:49:19 GMT -5
I would like to suggest Gayle Goddard's "Clutter Fairy" podcast. I find her to be plain spoken yet compassionate. She talks about inheriting other generations' delayed decisions (like the boxes and piles of WAY outdated electronic equipment that was stacked up in my parents' basement), the container concept (think of your home as a five pound sack your are trying to fit 20 pounds of stuff into), and getting rid of the low hanging fruit. My paper shredder is permanently set up in my kitchen and I use it everyday. It does help me a lot with the paper clutter. I also have a box for recycling, and all the catalogs and "safe" junk mail goes straight from the mail box into it. I guess that is maybe the one thing I have under control!
|
|
|
|
Post by bree on Feb 16, 2022 12:07:36 GMT -5
One if my most helpful things was moving my shredder from an upstairs bedroom/den/catch all room to a corner of my dining room. I used to save up papers to make the big trip upstairs for a shredding session which was boring and easily delayed. Now I just shred almost daily, such as the mail or an old bill or whatever, just the daily paper flow, it is easy. I wish I had done this years ago. I also over-filed for years and now I shred so much more right away
|
|
