A hoarder is defined as a person who has a need to acquire things, but fails to use them or discard them. A&E says its program is about people whose hoarding has gotten so out of control they are on the verge of personal crisis. 

One episode was about a woman whose children were taken out of the home by the Department of Social Services because her house was considered unsafe and unsanitary. She had to clean up in order to get her children back. The therapist and a cleaning crew came in to help get the job done. The work was slow as the hoarder had to touch every piece of junk before she could decide if she could throw it away or not. And, in most cases, she could not. At the end of this episode, the woman’s house is clean, but her garage and basement are stacked floor to ceiling with boxes of the stuff she could not part with and Social Services is not convinced that her home will stay clean for long and she does not get her kids back. 

In another story, a woman had convinced her second husband (the first husband had divorced her over her hoarding problem) that they could never get their current home cleaned up and should buy a second house so they could start over! Eventually, they would clean up house one and sell it, she had promised. So, now, strapped with two mortgages and two out of control houses, she asks for help. Ultimately, the crew of helpers left after barely making a dent, although, the woman said she would finish at her own pace on her own. 

In another episode, a man spent a week and only got his dining room table cleared. Even though his wife had fallen down the steps the previous year resulting in a broken leg because of all the junk stacked there, and even though, she promised she would leave him if he did not get his mess cleaned up, he could not. 

In all of the cases I watched, the hoarders felt overwhelmed and ashamed and really had a strong desire to get a handle on their compulsive behavior, but could not. 

I admit it. I really don’t get it. I do not understand how people could live in such filth and why they have a need to keep so much utterly useless crap. It made me realize, though, that most of us have our own compulsive behaviors.  I am quite the opposite of a hoarder. I must have order in my house. I keep the spices on the spice rack alphabetized. My silverware drawer must be organized and only hold a matching set. There are no wire hangers in my house and clothes must be hung facing the same direction. All of the clean towels and wash clothes must be folded in the same way with the fold facing out and stacked in their appropriate places in the linen closet.

A couple of months ago, I was losing sleep because my sock drawer was a mess! Well, okay, honestly, I wasn’t losing sleep over it, but I was thinking about it everyday. Browns were mixed in with blues and some had no match and I couldn’t just reach in the drawer and pull out what I wanted. It felt very satisfying to clean it. (I do not remember now the exact count, but after I threw some away I had over 30 pairs – more than I could wear in a whole month! Maybe, I’m a sockaholic.)

I have no problem getting rid of stuff. My general rule is that if I haven’t used something in a year, I must not need it and out it goes. The junk gets thrown out, and, I pile the quality stuff in the workshop, planning a future yard sale. I have never actually had a yard sale as I can’t stand the accumulating clutter, so I gather up those things and give them away a few months later.

This is not to say that I am a neat freak. I am far from it! My floors can get dirty, the furniture can get dusty and I usually have a stack of clothes piled on the dresser by week’s end. But, I do clean the inside of my refrigerator every week and straighten the kitchen pantry shelves every time I put groceries away. The more I write about it, the more I realize that people must think I’m  a tad crazy! I am truly a compulsive anti-hoarder. 

I see a reality TV show in the making; people who throw things out only to discover later they need them! 

I’ve got other compulsive behaviors, too. But, I’ll save those for another day!

So, I fall behind and everyday living gets messy and things get disorganized and I stress.

So, I do what any smart girl does at times like these; I  go fishing. 

Aaah, nothing lifts my spirits more.

We took the boat to the tidal creeks near Folly Beach to do a little salt water fishing. You know, I am always completely awestruck at the beauty of this place and I never tire of going there. The sights, smells and sounds do magic on my soul.

We caught a few croakers, sea bass and perch, the largest fish being a nice spottail, but none of them were large enough to keep. I took my collapsible crab net, but didn’t get any crabs. I’ve determined that I need a couple of crab pots and have asked Brian to get me two for my birthday. After I get them and use them and bring home bushels of crab, I’ll write a story about it! Anyway, even though we came home fishless, it was a good day.

It wasn't quite this messy when we first started, but almost!

Speaking of fishing, on Saturday, we started cleaning the workshop. Honestly, I don’t know how it got to be such a wreck, but as you can see from the picture, it was a disaster. This was originally going to be a Brian project, but I got involved because I wanted to straighten my shelf of canning supplies to add more! My friend, Maddie, had cleaned out her shed and offered me several boxes of canning jars and a canner and I needed a path cleared to get to my shelf so I could put my new stuff away.

Brian is using a very old drill press (from his Uncle Leo) to drill holes.

So, back to the fishing part of this story. Brian was straightening up our camping gear, boating stuff and fishing equipment. We have a number of different kinds of fishing rods, for almost every kind of fishing imaginable. Storage of so many rods is difficult and Brian has been wanting to make a rod holder to keep them better organized. Well, I’m all for organized, so we took a break from the cleaning and built a rod holder from some scrap lumber Brian had laying around. It was a fun project and we learned from our design errors, so the next one will be better. 

Eighteen of our favorite rods have their own spot in their new rod holder!

And, with the weather changing, I am slowly climbing out of this funk. Now, if I can just get the fall garden planted and my office at work cleaned…

I have found that keeping organized is the key to living simply and stress free. And, it’s not difficult if you make a plan to stay organized and stick to it. Here is my list of eight tips.

1. 15 Minute Rule

This is the most important rule. 

Fifteen minutes is all it takes!

Spend 15 minutes everyday putting things in their appropriate places.  Make it a game for everyone in the family.  Set a timer.  Have everyone straighten one area that is shared by everyone in the family.  Or pick a specific location that needs attention (such as a drawer or closet).  Do not spend more than the allotted time, but have everyone dedicate themselves to their tasks for the full amount of time.  You will be amazed at what can be accomplished in 15 minutes. 

Also, sometimes, if there is a good program on television, you can do your 15 minutes during commercials! This can be great fun, too. Everyone jumps up during the commercial breaks, works on their 15 minute project, then they rush back to the den to watch the show until next break!

2. Use it or lose it Rule (aka The One Year Rule)

Take stock of what is in your drawers and closets.  If you haven’t used something in one year discard it.   Of course, memorabilia and important documents are exempt from this rule.   But, the bottom line is that to live more simply you  must quit being a pack rat.  If you go through four seasons and no longer use something, you don’t need it anymore.   During my daily 15 minute ritual (see number 1 above) I take stock of the items around me.  If I see clutter, I ask myself if I have used that thing in the last year.  And you can guess what I do if my answer is no.   I know this rule sounds harsh and it is.  But it forces you to take a look at those things causing dysfunction in your home and provides you an opportunity to decide to keep, move or discard them. 

 3. Everyone Needs a Junk Drawer

Yes, indeed.  This is the temporary place to put the stuff that you don’t know where else to store and you cannot waste the time right now to find an appropriate place.  And it is the final resting place for those really odd items that just have nowhere else to go.  Limit yourself to just one drawer, though.  And remember to spend a 15 minute day going through it once in awhile to organize it.  It will need it, too.  Also, do not use this drawer as an excuse not to put things in their proper places. 

4. Get a File Cabinet (or expandable folder or something)

Everyone should have one.  You must keep your documents in order.  File things as soon as you are finished with them.  Throw out junk mail right away.   Need I say more?

 5. To-Do List

Make one everyday.  Try to do some of the things on the list.  Cross off the things that get accomplished.  Do any of the things that did not get done need to go on tomorrow’s list?

6. Have On-Going-Donation Box

Put it where everyone can get to it.  After it is filled, drop it off at your favorite charity.

7. Quick and Dirty Cleaning

We have all had days like this where guests are arriving in 30 minutes and the house is a wreck.  Take a quick look at what would make the place look presentable and do only those things.  Pick up dirty clothes and throw them in the hamper. Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher or stack in the sink.  Take a cleaning cloth and wipe the bathroom appliances with glass cleaner. Wipe your counters. Make the beds.

8. Take it Easy on Yourself

Life is short.  We are not perfect.  Some days do not go as planned.  So what?