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Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@CelticCrafter  My DH's solution to the problem of boredom was to find a volunteer job he was passionate about. For us it was working at our church's food bank. He goes to the grocery stores and collects donated food  and brings it to the food bank plus he goes around to some restaurants and stores where he has built a relationship with the owners and collects empty boxes for the food to be packed into at the food bank. They keep him busy with the box collection so that is a good thing. He brings them home, cuts off the tops and reinforces them then delivers to the food bank.

Occasional Contributor
Posts: 20
Registered: ‎05-08-2010

151949, thanks for the info - i will have to check into that. Did you say you snowbird or maybe that was someone else, i am new to this Smiley Happy

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Yes, we snowbird between Florida and SW Pa. However, not wanting the expense or the worry about having 2 homes we choose to have a camper in Pa instead of a house or apartment. We started out with a fifth wheel camper we already had but found it to be too cramped for full time living and so we bought a new park model camper a few years ago. We keep it on a site at a campground. Much less expensive than owning a house, perfectly comfortable to live in for a couple months and when we leave we pay to have it winterized because for $50 they guarantee their work. If we come back and find a ruptured pipe or anything it is on them to repair it and any damage.  Much less worry than having a house , needing to have someone shoveling snow etc so the house doesn't look abandoned all winter, worry about the furnace etc. We just close the door and drive away. The campground owners live across the street from our site so they have eyes on our camper all winter long. Basically, we have found this to be a very nice way to snowbird. Not to even mention all the really nice people we meet here at the campground.

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Registered: ‎08-08-2010

@CelticCrafter wrote:

@151949 wrote:

All my married life my DH the semi hoarder would have to go away every spring for a week long sales conference so I would take a weeks vacation that week and spring houseclean. It was best he was away because I would go through every cabinet , drawer and closet in our home and really throw away a lot of stuff. I would put the trash bags over at our neighbor's house so he didn't realize I was throwing so much away. He never missed any of it. The only area I did not clean was his garage. When we moved it , literally, took him 2 months, working every day, to get that garage cleaned out. That was the first time he had cleaned it in 28 years. I had NO sympathy. Now I am seeing signs of our new house's garage starting to accumulate so I go out there and start organizing and when he sees me in his "things" (junk) he is almost crazy to get me out of there, so he comes out and helps me get it cleaned up. He goes thru the trash bags and takes out every item I threw away - things like empty spray cans and empty containers of stuff like car wash soap and if he finds even one drop in there - back on the shelf it goes.


@151949 I don't know if going through the trash is a man thing or a hoarder trait but my husband is the same way.  He could be a serious hoarder if I allowed it.

When I  do get rid of something, I make sure I do it the day the trash can gets put to the curb. 


@CelticCrafter

@151949

 

Ladies, lets start a club or a support group, or something!

 

My husband is almost so bad he would save the sock lint if I didn't watch him!

 

And for those chronic 'savers', it might be tolerable, if it was clean, orgainzed, put away and easy to access what you want, when you want it.

 

But that just doesn't happen, does it?

 

I can't control what he does in his barn, but in the house and my garage, I pitch it. Do it when he isn't looking, hide it in the middle of the trash, or get it just before the truck comes. I don't apologize for it, don't feel guilty for it, and also try not to let it be something I constantly nag about. Jut doing it, without the nagging seems to keep the harmony (until he misses something, then the reply is simply "I don't know").

 

It's a matter of survival around here. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@Mominohio I agree that nagging is hopeless. They are who they are - the patterns are too ingrained. My Dad was the polar opposite of this - very artisitc and very tidy. I miss that! His garage looked like a store - everything nice and lined up on shelves, and he would actually throw away the empty containers all by himself.

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@Mominohio wrote:

@CelticCrafter wrote:

@151949 wrote:

All my married life my DH the semi hoarder would have to go away every spring for a week long sales conference so I would take a weeks vacation that week and spring houseclean. It was best he was away because I would go through every cabinet , drawer and closet in our home and really throw away a lot of stuff. I would put the trash bags over at our neighbor's house so he didn't realize I was throwing so much away. He never missed any of it. The only area I did not clean was his garage. When we moved it , literally, took him 2 months, working every day, to get that garage cleaned out. That was the first time he had cleaned it in 28 years. I had NO sympathy. Now I am seeing signs of our new house's garage starting to accumulate so I go out there and start organizing and when he sees me in his "things" (junk) he is almost crazy to get me out of there, so he comes out and helps me get it cleaned up. He goes thru the trash bags and takes out every item I threw away - things like empty spray cans and empty containers of stuff like car wash soap and if he finds even one drop in there - back on the shelf it goes.


@151949 I don't know if going through the trash is a man thing or a hoarder trait but my husband is the same way.  He could be a serious hoarder if I allowed it.

When I  do get rid of something, I make sure I do it the day the trash can gets put to the curb. 


@CelticCrafter

@151949

 

Ladies, lets start a club or a support group, or something!

 

My husband is almost so bad he would save the sock lint if I didn't watch him!

 

And for those chronic 'savers', it might be tolerable, if it was clean, orgainzed, put away and easy to access what you want, when you want it.

 

But that just doesn't happen, does it?

 

I can't control what he does in his barn, but in the house and my garage, I pitch it. Do it when he isn't looking, hide it in the middle of the trash, or get it just before the truck comes. I don't apologize for it, don't feel guilty for it, and also try not to let it be something I constantly nag about. Jut doing it, without the nagging seems to keep the harmony (until he misses something, then the reply is simply "I don't know").

 

It's a matter of survival around here. 


And when Mom or Mrs. doesn't know, then it's lost forever!

 

A few weeks ago my daughter called, Mom do you know where such and such is?  Now she has been out on her own for 2+ years and yes, Mom did know where it was!

Honored Contributor
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When my DH asks me where something is that I threw away I pretend I don't know what he is talking about.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,749
Registered: ‎11-21-2011

Before I was married I had stuff, my DH was a long time bachelor and he had had a lot of stuff as well.  When we married we got more stuff.  We both had hobbies that required much equipment.  We moved into this house some 24 years ago and brought most of it with us because it was close by.  This house is filled to the max, basement too.  We just started downloading, last week I donated 12 bags to charity, a bunch of stuff to friends.  I always took care of "my things" so they are all like brand new.  I enjoy decorating so I have a lot of stuff, thankfully I have a friend that shares my passion and  was thrilled  to get the first round.  I don't want to burn out so I'm doing a little at a time.  I figure when I open the Fall containers I'll have a lot more to pass on.  Certain things I will keep, these are items that cannot be found and are unique.  I donate a lot of clothes but luckily I never changed sizes so there are many things I just cannot bring , myself to part with.  my DH has electronics and office equipment and priming him to part with these  things is very difficult. I know I don't need all these clothes but I've always loved having a good wardrobe and dressing 

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,054
Registered: ‎02-17-2016

Our neighborhood had a garage sale on Saturday 6/4. I got rid of a lot of things. Made $500. A GREAT day.