So "hi!". I'm new here. I didn't realize until lately that a lot of my anger comes from being constantly undermined in my attempt to clean and organize my house (or the car or the shed or the yard...). I have that house that you visit and it's pretty tidy, but don't dare open a closet or drawer as it may not close again. In reality, we just have too much stuff. We are a family of 5 in 1600sqft. We homeschool, so 300sqft of that is dedicated to a classroom.
My husband is an electronics & video game collector (hoarder/addict) so we have about 20 full sized totes that are nothing but old wires/games/systems/desktops/controllers/etc. They work, but are value-less to sell and he's stuck on this idea that we will one day have a large home with a gaming den and he can set them all up.
His mother and grandmother are clinical hoarders. Grandmother's house was impounded and a it took weeks for an Ebay store to tag and move everything in their home. We have inherited 2 storage units worth of items from her after she abandoned all and moved to Florida. His mother's house is unlivable (she exists in 2 1/2 rooms and has a path to the bathroom) and loaded with dogs. She is a yardsale/fleamarket addict. Every time she comes to visit she has a car loaded with items for our children. They are nice items, but my children are overwhelmed. I now wait until she leaves and immediately garbage bag everything and take it to Goodwill.
My own mother is a gift-giver. She spends an easy $500 on each child. The items are very nice and often educational and high-end, but I simply have run out of room. I cull the kids' toys and clothes monthly and we still are cramped for space (the shed is FULL). I hate how all of my friends joke that I'm a hoarder when I try so desperately to keep things out of my house.
I will not say that none of this is my fault. I'm a shopping addict as well (thrift stores, so more "bang" for my buck). I have curbed myself greatly this past year, but the urge is still there. One fight with my husband and I'm bringing home 4 bags of rummage sale books. It is a journey for sure. This past year we got rid of a lot, we burned several pieces of furniture, old rugs, 4 boxes of papers. We donated 2 carloads of household items to a shelter for battered women. We sold all schooling items that our children outgrew... the river of items just keeps coming and all we are barely getting ahead.
Thanks for reading.
