The first step is admitting you have a problem...

Ladies and gentlemen, I am a hoarder.

I have been trying to hide my clutter for years and, despite knowing I needed to clean up my act (haha!) and a number of attempts to do just that, my clutter has really been revealed to me in its true form this year. I have to give a bunch of the credit to a tv show, namely A&E's Obsessed. They recently started a separate program specifically about hoarders, but a pretty severe hoarder had been featured on Obsessed, and I knew that while I wasn't that bad, I was indeed a hoarder.

I have decided to start a blog to help me in the process of "uncluttering" my apartment and hopefully, to a degree, my life. I am trying this on my own...I know that if I can't do this now, I may need to take the next step of seeking out professional help.

Let me tell you a little bit about me and my problem with stuff. I live in a two bedroom apartment that is filled with piles of stuff, with barely enough room to move around. I am so embarrassed by all of my piles, that I very rarely have anyone over to my apartment (it has been nearly a year since anyone has stayed overnight here.)

I have often blamed the accumulation of my stuff on the amount of time I work...I work very crazy hours and I work a lot. I also work in retail, so the ability and the opportunity to buy more stuff is presented on a daily basis. My piles tend to start small, with the idea that I will get to them on my next day off, but instead they just keep growing and growing until I have to start a new pile somewhere else!

I also have a hard time getting rid of things. I find sentimental value in a lot of things that "normal" people consider trash or junk. I am big into memories and I keep a lot of things from my past that remind me of a certain person or place or time in my life. This is my biggest battle and I know will be the hardest part of my journey to be clutter-free: being able to let go.

My friends and family do not understand why I can't just throw all this "stuff" out. This has created strain for me on some of my relationships a number of times and I hate it. While I see where they are coming from, sometimes I wish they would see where I am coming from.

This will not be easy. I anticipate a lot of frustration and obstacles to overcome. I am scared and nervous, but I am also excited about the possibility of not having to climb over piles of stuff every day, of being able to have friends come over again, of being able to see the tables and the floors again! I do not want to be one of the subjects of a Hoarders episode or one of those home improvement network "Clean That House" type shows. I am determined not to let clutter ruin my life any more.

So join me as I take this journey to a clutter-free life. I will try to post pictures of my progress and blog about this process. I think that it will help me stick with it and I hope I can perhaps find support from others who have or are going through the same struggles (and maybe a little cheerleading to keep me going!) Let the cleaning begin!