Hoarder's Anonymous

We are preparing for our move to the smaller apartment. I'm really excited about living there, just not about getting all our crap out of here.

So now I have a math equation for you:

If a woman has managed to fit 400 square meters of utter crap into a 130 square meter apartment, how does she then manage to pack and contain all that in an 80 square metered apartment?

The Answer:

Throw crap out! We are having a cleaning, hoarder's anonymous, purging of the home all week long. This will be the time where I will open the junk draw and actually be honest with myself. There will never be a moment where I will really wish that I had kept the finger flashlights or those broken crayons. I am not going to miss the wrinkled pizza restaurant slips nor is there an actual emotional attachment to the ticket stubs from some bad random movie.

This stuff is going into... gasp... the recycling bin.

Now don't get too scared for me. I have already sent a Tupperware, large enough to fit Mr. Rant, full of his crap to the in-law's house. As they were the ones to encourage his collecting of CDs and comic books, they can house them.

It's 80 some odd square meters of living space which means there is only about 20 left for actual stuff.

And this isn't the real challenge. The real challenge will be me keeping that little place organized and free of clutter. I'm going to be honest, I am horribly lazy when it comes to organizing crap. I just can't be bothered, and I'm even a Virgo. So stuff that in your face astrologers. I prefer living in organized chaos.

But in the best interest of my children, I am going to reform.

So here goes the first week of the rest of my life cleaning up and organizing my crap. Maybe you should be scared for me...


This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

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The House that Hoarders Built

Art by: http://maryzeran.blogspot.com/2010/11/becky-danielson-artist-interview.html

The beauty of apartment hunting in Rio de Janeiro is the x factor. There is a BIG x factor in this city!

Take today for instance. I randomly saw an adorable house for sale in Santa Teresa. The price was very reasonable and the pictures were beautiful. I started dreaming about leaving apartment life and moving to a chic place in the artist/thieving district.

So it came as a surprise when I arrived at the home to discover that it had been split into two home and I was seeing the other one. Oh was it the other one alright!

To make matters even more pleasant, it is also the home of hoarders! No, I'm not exaggerating here. We're talking serious hoarding. Yes, paths were made through the crap and one room could not even be entered.

I have always known that there is a big potential for great hoarders in this country. Whatever is not thrown out the window is usually saved. Brazilians fix things, at least the older ones do, and save things that could possibly have later use. Obviously this is paradise for those who take saving to the next level of mentally questionable.

And while I attempt not to judge but only mock the crazy, this crossed the line. I don't care if you save a sample from every stool, I just don't want to visit your apartment while you are doing so.

That is why I am here to ask the hoarders of Rio de Janeiro to give a girl a warning. Put up a note like do not throw away the trash, we like to save it. Or hand out a pair of booties to put over my shoes before I walk in. I have no problem with you wanting to sell your place. I do, however, have a problem walking through a home that would make a dumpsite feel inadequate.

On an ironic side note, the garage was clean and empty!