There are lots of tools and resources discussed and success stories reported in the declutter threads. Alas, we lost some classic posts because in the most recent one when I tried to restore the current thread -- I didn't realize mudcat was going to truncate the post and I didn't keep a copy of the file before I hit "send."

fatB****rd is a newer participant who has reported success, and in that link to the first post of the previous thread, you see that a lurker not only took heart, but went ahead and took care of the job, only reporting in when it was finished. That is the hope - that by keeping the declutter thread going something along the way will click for lurkers and they'll conquer their stash/hoard/mess/clutter, whatever stage of crowded living they are in.

I won't describe the pathology of living in a space crowded with too much stuff, but Don Aslett, who got his start in a cleaning business in Idaho years ago, discovered a pent-up need for declutter assistance when he wrote one of his "how-to" books about cleaning and included one chapter on clutter. The response was instant and immense, so he spent more time thinking about and discussing the problem. Of his various books I find Clutter's Last Stand to be the most philosophical. It helps the reader examine WHY they are holding onto some of these things, and addresses how to let go without creating anxiety attacks and guilt (which can accompany a stash in particular if it involves possessions of deceased loved ones or family estates).

I didn't merge this with the current declutter thread because I'm seeing new names and names that used to declutter but who dropped out (due to success, I hope!) The topic is helpful and if having "hoarder" in the title helps, I'll see if it can fit in the next declutter thread (due to start in early April - I try not to clutter mudcat with too many of these things!).

BTW - Katlaughing was the one who started and tended these for a while, and she enjoyed reading them even when unable to post as much. They've been around for years now, and are used by people for various reasons. Some folks keep track of daily tasks, others record work and can go back and see how far they have progressed or capture content they need. In my instance, I had a lot of inherited stuff that I have gradually thinned out. Since I didn't know my father's family well (he was estranged from them but I reconnected with my great aunt back in the 1970s) I've decided that though I'm going to sell (eBay, Craig's List, etc.) or donate, I should know something about the item first, so my research for eBay sales has allowed me to learn about things and still decide that "I am not a museum" and let them go.

SRS