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That's not hyperbole, my parents lived in the same house 30+ years, my mother, although not a "haorder" wouldn't get rid of a thing. My poor dad had a nervous breakdown and ended up in the hospital trying to move.
As you get older, start downsizing. Just keep what you need, believe me, that's enough to pack and move. Don't let the clutter squeeze you out of a place to live or the ability to move, which is what happens to many older people, they become trapped by their stuff!
I totally agree! My dad was the hoarder and after he passed away, she had an old house that was falling apart, that was crammed full of stuff. Luckily, a new highway project bought out her property and she had an auction to get rid of almost all of it. It was the best thing that could have happened.
As I have gotten older--I have quit wanting so many things.
A lady died and she had so much "stuff" I realized at her estate sale-what a burden it would be for
someone to go thru and get rid of so much stuff (junk)
I would not ahve a nervous brealdown about moving and have done it before. Easyto hire some estate sellers and then get rid of the junk by throwing away. Like more the person who hoards causing the breakdown really than the move itself i thsoe cases.
Measure your posessions in terms of how much bubble wrap they would take to store and move. Suddenly they aren't so important. We've gone through 6 rolls of 200ft bubble wrap, still have much to go, I'm selling the rest of the darned china!
Decluttering and downsizing I believe is very easy. These are rules I follow:
If you haven;t used it or worn it in a year, get rid of it.
Determine what the cost is per Cubic Foot for moving your items. Determine if you can sell and re-buy the item at your destination for the same cost or less than it would be to ship it. I am of course talking about selling used and buying used. Not selling used and buying new here. (ie' TV's, Furniture, Fragile Items) If so, get rid of it. (Odds are you won;t re-buy everything anyhow so you will come out ahead)
Determine if you really need those Snowpants in Florida. Probably not, get rid of it. If you have a beach umbrella and are moving to a place without a beach, get rid of it.... you probably will never use it.
If you plan on replacing something within the next year, sell it. Don;t pack it up and pay to ship it.
Now is a great time to get that new dish set you have always wanted since your old ones are chipped and you missing a glass or two since they got dropped before.
This has pretty much been our philosophy on this move and we have really downsized. Than again, I am moving 4800 miles so you can bet the shipping cost really evens things out more. Am I foolish enough to think we're actually going to buy all our stuff back right away? Of course not. Do I really expect to replace everything I sold with used stuff? Of course I don't, I'll buy some new stuff. But it also allows me to garage sale in my new town and become familiar with the area.
I find moving therapeutic to a point. Sure its stressful and a pain in the rear but it gives you a special feeling when its all done and you get to take it in that you just accomplished such a large task.
My mother would never get rid of anything. When it outlived its useful life, she looked for some place to store it, rather than dispose of it.
Yes, she grew up during the Depression, etc, etc, but still, come on---that time has past. That's no excuse for burdening others with piles of worthless crap. I'm still going through some of her stuff that has been boxed up and moved 5x, it just never makes the cut. I always sort a lot before moving, but time has a way of getting away from you and you always end up taking some stuff you just can't make decisions on at the time.
I've been going through boxes of old table linens, over 100 of them my mother kept. Finally I got so befuddled with them I took the whole lot to Goodwill today, finally I'm free of those blasted tablecloths!
What caused my father to have a breakdown wasn't the stuff so much as arguing with my mother. He literally had to sneak it out, and she'd rescue it! I remember her standing in the rain going through the trash rescuing old magazines, because she wanted the recipies! Try dealing with that when you're trying to move out an entire household!
If its clutter, get rid of it! Your life will be the better for it, believe me. Clutter, is evil, clutter kills! The stress on one's environment can shorten your life, I'm sure someone somewhere has done a study on this, probably at taxpayer expense, but clutter=stress, which kills!
My mother would never get rid of anything. When it outlived its useful life, she looked for some place to store it, rather than dispose of it.
Yes, she grew up during the Depression, etc, etc, but still, come on---that time has past. That's no excuse for burdening others with piles of worthless crap. I'm still going through some of her stuff that has been boxed up and moved 5x, it just never makes the cut. I always sort a lot before moving, but time has a way of getting away from you and you always end up taking some stuff you just can't make decisions on at the time.
I've been going through boxes of old table linens, over 100 of them my mother kept. Finally I got so befuddled with them I took the whole lot to Goodwill today, finally I'm free of those blasted tablecloths!
What caused my father to have a breakdown wasn't the stuff so much as arguing with my mother. He literally had to sneak it out, and she'd rescue it! I remember her standing in the rain going through the trash rescuing old magazines, because she wanted the recipies! Try dealing with that when you're trying to move out an entire household!
If its clutter, get rid of it! Your life will be the better for it, believe me. Clutter, is evil, clutter kills! The stress on one's environment can shorten your life, I'm sure someone somewhere has done a study on this, probably at taxpayer expense, but clutter=stress, which kills!
Every watch the "Hoarders" TV Show? It's amazing how people fill their homes so full they can barely walk through the rooms. Fascinating!
What caused my father to have a breakdown wasn't the stuff so much as arguing with my mother. He literally had to sneak it out, and she'd rescue it! I remember her standing in the rain going through the trash rescuing old magazines, because she wanted the recipies! Try dealing with that when you're trying to move out an entire household!
The stress on one's environment can shorten your life, I'm sure someone somewhere has done a study on this, probably at taxpayer expense, but clutter=stress, which kills!
Ha, yeah I believe that would give me a nervous breakdown as well.
There have been many studies in regards to stress. Reducing stress does make one live longer, which is why exercise and having a pet has proven to increase ones life span. I don;t understand how a pet increases one's life span though.... my dogs cause more stress than relief.
I saw one tv show of haorders, the guy had so much crap in his apt at first they didn't realize it was a two-story, he just walked up the crap to the second floor, he couldn't find the stairs, just scaled the crap like a rock-climber. Geez!
But this guy always looked neat as a pin, clothes ironed, etc, he was some sort of engineer or architect, his office was neat and tidy, just his apt was one giant craphole!
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"The Hoarders" TV Show
