Pictures and some progress

JZ and I have met approximately 4 times for two-hour sessions to actually work on sorting, organizing, discarding and decision-making regarding his hoard.  We agreed during our first meeting that we would utilize his second bedroom as our staging area to sort things into categories:  discard, donate, or sell.  We have worked a total of 6 hours so far on clearing out the second bedroom.  This is the room that had no space to walk into at the beginning.

So far, JZ and I have discarded unusable or outdated items and have filled the big dumpster at his condo complex 2 times!!  We have also donated clothes and other items to a local charity.  We continue to work on the second bedroom.

JZ and I were unable to meet for a few weeks due to some health issues that took precedence for both of us.  We met again yesterday, and when I arrived JZ told me that he had started some things on his own.  He decided that he liked my suggestion last time we met to clean out the kitchen and get that room in usable order.  He spent the morning before I arrived moving items INTO the staging bedroom to clear space in the kitchen so we could work there.  Because JZ does not have the best organizational skills, we worked together first to try to at least organize the items that he placed in the staging bedroom.  Most of the items are small appliances, pots & pans and the like. 

We decided together that we would work on cleaning out the kitchen cabinets to discard outdated items and organize things into categories that will make it easier for him to determine just what he has or doesn't have on hand.  We spent our full two-hour session doing this task and we still have the bottom cabinets left to work on next time. 

JZ and I agreed that we were very happy with our progress in his kitchen.  We also agreed that he may have to invest in a cabinet to store extra canned goods, as he has always bought in bulk and he has a small kitchen with minimal storage space.

JZ expressed disappointment and amazement at how many canned goods and other items we had to discard because they were outdated.  He said quite a few times "this is such a waste of money that I don't have."  I have inserted a photo of the dining/kitchen area below.  As you can see through the window, the kitchen is stacked with items, leaving no counter space to work on.

Today, I am posting a photo of the second bedroom when I first saw it.  This is the bedroom that we have worked with in order to set up a staging area for sorting items into categories.

Next week, I will take new photos after we finish up the kitchen area and post that for you to see the progress we have made so far......

Clutter, clutter, clutter

Since moving to Florida, JZ has exacerbated his hoarding behaviors.  His small condo has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living/dining combination and a kitchen.  He also has an outdoor screened patio.

His entire living area, including the outdoor patio, is filled with boxes, books, tapes, DVDs, food cans and a multitude of other things.

JZ and I met at his home on June 8, 2011.  Pictures were taken of every room in his condo, and we sat down to make a plan about how we would attack this major project.  JZ is very willing to "get it done" as he says.  We discussed beginning with the extra bedroom, which is filled floor to ceiling with items.  We will clean out this room and set it up as a sorting area for donations, items to keep, and sale items.  JZ readily agrees to the plan.

JZ and I set a schedule to meet every Wednesday for two hours of work on the clean-up.  He is unable to commit to more than this amount of time and the cost associated with it.  We agree that JZ will have "assignments" to get through during the period between our joint clean-up meetings.