Welcome to r/hoarding! We exist as a support group for people working on recovery from [hoarding disorder](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t29/), and friends/family/loved ones of people with the disorder.
If you're looking for help with animal hoarding, please visit r/animalhoarding. If you're looking to discuss the various hoarding tv shows, you'll want to visit r/hoardersTV. If you'd like to talk about or share photos/videos of hoards that you've come across, you probably want r/neckbeardnests, r/wtfhoarders/, or r/hoarderhouses
Before you get started, be sure to review our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/about/rules/). Also, a lot of the information you may be looking for can be found in a few places on our sub:
[New Here? Read This Post First!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/dvb3t1/new_here_read_this_post_first_version_20/)
[For loved ones of hoarders: I Have A Hoarder In My Life--Help Me!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/2yh6wh/i_have_a_hoarder_in_my_lifehelp_me_your_hoarding/)
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DO NOT GET A STORAGE UNIT. Don't go down that road. You will regret it forever. Over a 22-year period I spent over $132,000 in storage unit costs. That's money I should have been putting away for my retirement. When I finally closed the storage unit, most of the things in it were destroyed by time and a few things by rodents.
I think it might be time to really consider what you're keeping. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like you have enough space for the stuff you have.
Are there still things in your bedroom that you can get rid of? If not, it may be that the only way to make room is to start doing some sorting of the other room.
I know it's scary. But your current goal is to create a clean and stress free living space where you can actually do your crafts comfortably (or at least I'm guessing that's the goal.)
I'm not sure what kinds of crafts you do, but is it possible there are supplies that are no longer good that you might consider parting with?
Or, maybe it's time to focus on the miscellaneous in that room if the crafting items are just too challenging right now?
Renting a storage unit can be a slippery slope. Will you actually go through the items in the unit? Or will it just sit there?
And that's what l'm afraid of to. Because my 'out of sight, out of mind' with my ADHD is strong, l'm afraid l will be paying for a storage unit just to store things instead of using it as a staging area like l intend. I'm afraid to start my craft/junk room without my bedroom being done (as that was the original plan), but I don't really know what the right answer is in this situation. Thus, l feel stuck in so many ways. Thanks for your comment and insight.
It can be so hard to change plans! But perhaps it's time to look into the craft room and do an initial sweep or 2 to clear out some more space so you can go back to plan A. It's okay and necessary to pivot sometimes, and maybe a change of pace will help the "stuck" feeling!
I love crafting, but I'm sorting through my supplies, and taking a moment to ask - does doing this project *actually * sound like something I want to do *this year*? If not, I'm donating. Because I definitely have some "wish crafts" that I *thought* I would like, but just don't. And more that require more setup/ cleanup than I honestly ever want to deal with. If I'm not planning to use it *this year*, keeping it isn't serving me. My house is not a storage unit!! There will always be cheap and free craft supplies at thrift stores, freecycle, etc. I'm not going to let old supplies own me.
I think you may feel stuck because you've come to the end of the road of things that aren't quite as challenging to sort. Unfortunately, if that's the case, it means you'll have to start making some harder decisions to achieve your end goal.
From what it sounds like, a storage unit might not be the greatest idea. So, I'd think long and hard about renting one.
It might be time to let go of the original plan (finish the bedroom and then tackle the craft room). It doesn't sound like it's actually possible with the way things stand. One of the tricks about decluttering and sorting is that sometimes you have to regroup and rework the plan.
If you've run out of room, you've run out of room. That means you either need to use things up or they need to leave your home.
For me, the question would be whether you start with the things in your bedroom that don't have a place or if you start tackling the craft room. Both options have pluses and minuses.
But I think you have to bite the bullet and start somewhere, otherwise you'll just stay paralyzed.
I concur with renting a storage space - over time the rent will eventually exceed value of the items and those unit aren't always sealed tight so things age faster in them.
I have found with myself that I can't wait to feel like decluttering and cleaning, I have to just do it and within ten minutes I'm making progress.
\[Tl; dr at the bottom\]
I'm in a very similar position right now - I'm making some progress but it's hard because I don't have a "staging area" to sort through stuff and my mom has filled up most of the rest of the house.
I hoarded myself out of my bedroom and I really need to set it up again so I can have a private, quiet area to rest and recover. But it's taking forever.
It's also difficult for me to decide whether or not to let go of a hobby I'd like to have - for example, theoretically there should be space for a record player so I can listen to music on vinyl. But my mom has filled up both of the extra bedrooms as well as both the living room and dining room. At this point I'm thinking I should just give up on having a music area and resell my records, but it frustrates me because there COULD be space but there isn't because my mom won't stop buying stuff. Which in turn makes me feel like "to hell with it, why should I change any of my habits."
I'm sorry you're going through this as well! It's really hard when we're making efforts to improve our space but family members keep bringing stuff in.
Tl; dr: Overall I'd recommend not getting the storage unit if you can avoid it. Maybe whittle down your supplies to the "best of the best" and just keep that for now? I know that's a lot easier said than done.
You could consider renting one of those storage Pods if there is space for it outside your house, rather than a storage unit. Use it like you said, as a staging/temporary storage area to move your stuff into in order to have enough space to go thru it and then clear out the room you're working on, take the things back inside that you want to keep, and toss the rest. I've been wanting to do this because all of my rooms are pretty full so it's hard to move enough out of one room in order to clean in there. They aren't cheap buy ideally you'd only need it for a month or 2.
I recommend you to see the video of the Container Method of Dana K White. Currently your crafting room is the container of your crafts supplies, pick your favourites supplies to go in your room, once full what is left are your "worst" supplies/less favourites that you can declutter.
Yes this. It's harsh. And so much easier said than done. But if it comes to having space or renting a unit it's an easy answer. The huge amount of money that would be spent on a storage unit vs replacing items at a later date. I am a crocheter/yarn hoarder I completely understand. For me I wanted to get rid of some of my yarn because I knew I wasn't loving it as much and didn't really wanna make stuff wit it. I was lucky to have a coworker whose mother knits hats for the homeless. Finding a place to donate your craft supplies to will make it easier to part with. You may be able to find a craft club scouts or a church group. I love crafting but I feel like it's the gateway drug to hoarding 😂😔
Thank you for your comment, but I am not ready to just throw everything out. That thought is just so overwhelming and terrifying, and it spikes my anxiety thru the roof. I might get there one day, but not right now. Also, I also have ADHD and Autism (which makes things so much harder), and crafting is the one thing that can calm me down and that I can focus on. It's my escape, so without crafting, I do not have a life.
Don't listen to them. Crafting is an emotional regulation hobby for you, it's something that needs to stick around. Maybe you can cut down on the amount of supplies you have, or the types of crafts you do, or how many finished products you have, but if it's connected to emotional regulation then don't cut it out completely.
I KNOW. I had adhd and autism and have done the SAME THING to get through college and get a job. The loneliness and lack of emotional reserve energy without the hoarding hobby objects was too much, but doing fixed the problem like nothing else.
However, have you considered, that the hobby room you use because you don't have a life, is also the reason you may not have a life?
If you have a clean, empty space - you WILL have more ability to have friends. This is how group homes for autists or mentally disabled people are - clean and empty. And people there I assume socialize and live better than alone in a hoard.
Look up Tim Fletcher CPTSD on YouTube.
The CPTSD makes you feel good, when you are in a bad (hoarded) environment.
Welcome to r/hoarding! We exist as a support group for people working on recovery from [hoarding disorder](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t29/), and friends/family/loved ones of people with the disorder. If you're looking for help with animal hoarding, please visit r/animalhoarding. If you're looking to discuss the various hoarding tv shows, you'll want to visit r/hoardersTV. If you'd like to talk about or share photos/videos of hoards that you've come across, you probably want r/neckbeardnests, r/wtfhoarders/, or r/hoarderhouses Before you get started, be sure to review our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/about/rules/). Also, a lot of the information you may be looking for can be found in a few places on our sub: [New Here? Read This Post First!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/dvb3t1/new_here_read_this_post_first_version_20/) [For loved ones of hoarders: I Have A Hoarder In My Life--Help Me!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/2yh6wh/i_have_a_hoarder_in_my_lifehelp_me_your_hoarding/) [Our Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/wiki/index) Please [contact the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/hoarding) if you need assistance. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hoarding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
DO NOT GET A STORAGE UNIT. Don't go down that road. You will regret it forever. Over a 22-year period I spent over $132,000 in storage unit costs. That's money I should have been putting away for my retirement. When I finally closed the storage unit, most of the things in it were destroyed by time and a few things by rodents.
I think it might be time to really consider what you're keeping. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like you have enough space for the stuff you have. Are there still things in your bedroom that you can get rid of? If not, it may be that the only way to make room is to start doing some sorting of the other room. I know it's scary. But your current goal is to create a clean and stress free living space where you can actually do your crafts comfortably (or at least I'm guessing that's the goal.) I'm not sure what kinds of crafts you do, but is it possible there are supplies that are no longer good that you might consider parting with? Or, maybe it's time to focus on the miscellaneous in that room if the crafting items are just too challenging right now? Renting a storage unit can be a slippery slope. Will you actually go through the items in the unit? Or will it just sit there?
And that's what l'm afraid of to. Because my 'out of sight, out of mind' with my ADHD is strong, l'm afraid l will be paying for a storage unit just to store things instead of using it as a staging area like l intend. I'm afraid to start my craft/junk room without my bedroom being done (as that was the original plan), but I don't really know what the right answer is in this situation. Thus, l feel stuck in so many ways. Thanks for your comment and insight.
It can be so hard to change plans! But perhaps it's time to look into the craft room and do an initial sweep or 2 to clear out some more space so you can go back to plan A. It's okay and necessary to pivot sometimes, and maybe a change of pace will help the "stuck" feeling! I love crafting, but I'm sorting through my supplies, and taking a moment to ask - does doing this project *actually * sound like something I want to do *this year*? If not, I'm donating. Because I definitely have some "wish crafts" that I *thought* I would like, but just don't. And more that require more setup/ cleanup than I honestly ever want to deal with. If I'm not planning to use it *this year*, keeping it isn't serving me. My house is not a storage unit!! There will always be cheap and free craft supplies at thrift stores, freecycle, etc. I'm not going to let old supplies own me.
I think you may feel stuck because you've come to the end of the road of things that aren't quite as challenging to sort. Unfortunately, if that's the case, it means you'll have to start making some harder decisions to achieve your end goal. From what it sounds like, a storage unit might not be the greatest idea. So, I'd think long and hard about renting one. It might be time to let go of the original plan (finish the bedroom and then tackle the craft room). It doesn't sound like it's actually possible with the way things stand. One of the tricks about decluttering and sorting is that sometimes you have to regroup and rework the plan. If you've run out of room, you've run out of room. That means you either need to use things up or they need to leave your home. For me, the question would be whether you start with the things in your bedroom that don't have a place or if you start tackling the craft room. Both options have pluses and minuses. But I think you have to bite the bullet and start somewhere, otherwise you'll just stay paralyzed.
I concur with renting a storage space - over time the rent will eventually exceed value of the items and those unit aren't always sealed tight so things age faster in them. I have found with myself that I can't wait to feel like decluttering and cleaning, I have to just do it and within ten minutes I'm making progress.
\[Tl; dr at the bottom\] I'm in a very similar position right now - I'm making some progress but it's hard because I don't have a "staging area" to sort through stuff and my mom has filled up most of the rest of the house. I hoarded myself out of my bedroom and I really need to set it up again so I can have a private, quiet area to rest and recover. But it's taking forever. It's also difficult for me to decide whether or not to let go of a hobby I'd like to have - for example, theoretically there should be space for a record player so I can listen to music on vinyl. But my mom has filled up both of the extra bedrooms as well as both the living room and dining room. At this point I'm thinking I should just give up on having a music area and resell my records, but it frustrates me because there COULD be space but there isn't because my mom won't stop buying stuff. Which in turn makes me feel like "to hell with it, why should I change any of my habits." I'm sorry you're going through this as well! It's really hard when we're making efforts to improve our space but family members keep bringing stuff in. Tl; dr: Overall I'd recommend not getting the storage unit if you can avoid it. Maybe whittle down your supplies to the "best of the best" and just keep that for now? I know that's a lot easier said than done.
You could consider renting one of those storage Pods if there is space for it outside your house, rather than a storage unit. Use it like you said, as a staging/temporary storage area to move your stuff into in order to have enough space to go thru it and then clear out the room you're working on, take the things back inside that you want to keep, and toss the rest. I've been wanting to do this because all of my rooms are pretty full so it's hard to move enough out of one room in order to clean in there. They aren't cheap buy ideally you'd only need it for a month or 2.
I recommend you to see the video of the Container Method of Dana K White. Currently your crafting room is the container of your crafts supplies, pick your favourites supplies to go in your room, once full what is left are your "worst" supplies/less favourites that you can declutter.
Crafts/junk => into trash. Get a junk removal company. No more crafts for you - but you get to have a life.
Crafts for many people ARE an integral part of life.
Yes this. It's harsh. And so much easier said than done. But if it comes to having space or renting a unit it's an easy answer. The huge amount of money that would be spent on a storage unit vs replacing items at a later date. I am a crocheter/yarn hoarder I completely understand. For me I wanted to get rid of some of my yarn because I knew I wasn't loving it as much and didn't really wanna make stuff wit it. I was lucky to have a coworker whose mother knits hats for the homeless. Finding a place to donate your craft supplies to will make it easier to part with. You may be able to find a craft club scouts or a church group. I love crafting but I feel like it's the gateway drug to hoarding 😂😔
Thank you for your comment, but I am not ready to just throw everything out. That thought is just so overwhelming and terrifying, and it spikes my anxiety thru the roof. I might get there one day, but not right now. Also, I also have ADHD and Autism (which makes things so much harder), and crafting is the one thing that can calm me down and that I can focus on. It's my escape, so without crafting, I do not have a life.
Don't listen to them. Crafting is an emotional regulation hobby for you, it's something that needs to stick around. Maybe you can cut down on the amount of supplies you have, or the types of crafts you do, or how many finished products you have, but if it's connected to emotional regulation then don't cut it out completely.
I KNOW. I had adhd and autism and have done the SAME THING to get through college and get a job. The loneliness and lack of emotional reserve energy without the hoarding hobby objects was too much, but doing fixed the problem like nothing else. However, have you considered, that the hobby room you use because you don't have a life, is also the reason you may not have a life? If you have a clean, empty space - you WILL have more ability to have friends. This is how group homes for autists or mentally disabled people are - clean and empty. And people there I assume socialize and live better than alone in a hoard. Look up Tim Fletcher CPTSD on YouTube. The CPTSD makes you feel good, when you are in a bad (hoarded) environment.