Womblers Anonymous

[jacey]

green_knight has been asking about the naming of a community for de-clutterers.

Some years ago BB and I  thought we should starts a society called Womblers Anonymous, for all those people who collect things that-might-come-in-useful-one-day. Every week you have to go to the meeting and take something to throw away. The trouble is that with a meeting full of fellow Womblers someone else would be bound to pounce on it and say: I'll take that if you don't want it!'

Everyone would end up going home with a different piece of junk that somene else had thrown away.

Today I've thrown out six old pillows, two old duvets and two pads for cushions. Whoo-hoo! Yes! Result!

Comments

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

There's already Clutterers Anonymous (mostly US, but Germany and Iceland each have a couple of meetings) and Messies Anonymous (not a kosher 12-step group, since the founder isn't anonymous and uses the group to sell her books etc.)

On Usenet: alt.recovery.clutter.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

There might be a Freecycle Network in your area.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

There is, one in Barnsley and one in Huddersfield I believe, but I also have junk that's really not fit for freecycling. The pillows and duvets, for example. I'm not sure anyone wants unwashed/unwashable bedding. I know street people would probably be grateful for the duvets, I mean, they're not dirty - but I don't know of any charity that recycles them in that direction.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Aha, I see. There's a local shelter that I'd offer that kind of thing to (but of course that's no use to you!). But something similar?

[footlingagain.livejournal.com]

I've thrown out six old pillows, two old duvets and two pads for cushions. Whoo-hoo! Yes! Result!

What? You haven't re-used them, made them into sooper dooper beds for the luvverly Diezel? *evil grin*

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

He would tear them to shreds in moments. We bought an indestructable dog bed which was ripped aparet in a night. Granted he didn't rip the fabric, but he destroyed the zip. He's currently wreaking havoc on his indestructable vet-bed rugs.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I tend to de-clutter by nature, but the marquis does not. We are, therefore, cluttered. Sigh. Well done on the throwing-out.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I would love to be a natural de-clutterer but sadly I am not. Neither is BB. Neither was BB's dad. 12 years after he died we still have the half roll of wire netting in our barn that he'd asked us to keep for him 'in case it came in handy'. Sheesh.

It's gone now.

We did have a massive de-clutter on the barn before BB started the renovation. There were about 12 full trailer loads went to the tip (trailer is 8 x 5 x 6ft thall) including wood, the aforementioned netting and several dead lawnmowers.

Now I need to declutter the house, but there's BOOKS, dammit. I should start on the non-fiction in the library, many of which have been rendered unnecessary by they advent of google and wikipedia. Do I really need Whittaker's Almanac 1966 and the Headteacher's Legal Guide 1983, plus a cheap but bulky thesaurus and three German dictionaries left by the kids? (I never even learned German.) I could get rid of some of it that's become outdated - as long as it isn't beautiful or useful in its own right. Of course the history books etc. (of which I have many) never get outdated because they are always someone's particular take on events and often lovely in themselves.

With all the touring musicians passing through I also have a stash of stuff for them. I insist they all buy the 60 litre 'Really Useful' boxes and limit whatever they leave to one or two of those, but I have 16 acts on my agency books - and about 8 of them, the ones from from Australia, Canada and the USA, leave stuff from tour to tour. One band recently left me with 2x 60 litre RU boxes plus a guitar (boxed) and a roof-top box for a car. It's quite... bulky.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Books are difficult, but since I've just doubled the number I own, I have no choice but to weed out, because at this rate, my living room will be a solid wall of boxes, and that's not a state that can continue. And planning to rent a three-bedroom house just so I have more wallspace for books is, well, not such a great idea, either.

I need a major revision of my approach to books, not just getting rid of a book here or there.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

When I was a librarian throwing away books - or deciding which to dispose of - was just one of the jobs I did. But when it's my own book...

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I need to have another purge on the house to get rid of the bits and pieces that have now passed their use by date. "It might come in useful someday," has often been my downfall when it comes to getting rid of junk. I have just about mastered that urge to adopt other people's cast offs, but it's not yet automatic.

The main elephant that needs nibbling away at is the garage, but it's been far too cold to work outside until now. As from this weekend, however, I need to make serious inroads into it, with the aid of Freecycle.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Good luck!