Hoarding

Hoarding in the traditional sense, is an emotional attachment to a large amount of tangible items, regardless of organized and clean or chaotic and dirty.

We as humans are naturally drawn to keeping things of sentimental value. But, many people become emotionally attached to items that they are not otherwise going to take to their grave. Then a vicious cycle of keeping things takes over their lives.

I personally have been on a journey of purging stuff of my late mother's and purging of my own stuff, since I inherited the home I shared with my mother. My medical illness recovery means have been my priority and slow purging has been going on since my mother's passing in October 2023. I am about three quarters of the way done in a year's time. Not bad for what I have dealt with.

Hoarding is a funny word. I still have all of my stuffed animals from when I was a child never thrown any of them away there’s hundreds of them. they’re all vacuum packed up in containers in the attic. my parents have kept almost all of my childhood toys all of my Fisher-Price all of my Donnie and Marie dolls Raggedy Ann, and Andy all of that stuff. My sister and I loved hot wheels. I have 2 5 gallon pails full and sealed with lids. I even have some of my old clothes from grade school. So I guess the big differences I have it all organized and stored, not kept down the halls of my house like an animal. I have political flyers from when I was a little girl when Ronald Reagan was a governor turned president. I have pressed flowers from funerals of relatives flyers from my prom graduation at Disneyland admission papers from my first job. so do I hoard or do I keep stuff from fond memories?. I have a photo album of all the tickets stubs that I’ve ever seen. Stuff from every wedding I’ve ever been to. I guess the big difference is when people hear the word hoarder they automatically think unorganized slob. Just my opinion

We have a rule that if either of us buy some new item of clothing we have to throw out or donate an equivalent piece so we don't need a bigger closet.

Having said that, I still have my old books from Law school, although with the current Supreme Court precedent isn't what it used to be.

When we moved on a boat 7 years ago, we got rid of a lot of stuff.

But we still had a 10 X 10 storage with a bunch of shit that was worthless to us.

Now that we are back on land, we do have a storage, but most of it is the kids stuff.

I've never dealt with bona fide hoarding but I've helped several family members down-sizing or purging after a death in the family. Deciding what to do with family heirlooms and sentimental items is the hardest. I've gotten pretty good at being ruthless with general household goods - excess linens, kitchen items, furniture, unused craft supplies, etc don't stand a chance with me!

We didn't mean to purchase a larger house, but it just worked out that the best house & property for us in retirement is twice as large as our Orlando house - with a basement - and a barn. I'm doing my best to be intentional about purchasing only what we need, donating what is no longer useful to us and tossing what is broken.

I don't see any treasure in anyone's junk. Garage sales or estate sales are places that I refuse to waste my time.

It's like George Carlin's joke about houses are places to hold our stuff. When we run out of room, we get bigger houses

Storage facilities are raking in billions.

I would do the same. That is why I stay away from estate sales, antique stores, etc. I'll browse second hand stores on occasion. When it comes to holiday bizarres and craft shows, I only go to them for the fudge makers. ;-)

"We talk about downsizing as we walk around buying more stuff at estate sales and antique stores."

haha same

We talk about downsizing as we walk around buying more stuff at estate sales and antique stores.

My mother always had ridiculous reasons for keeping shit. When she died, one of my sisters and I spent a week just throwing things out, while one of my brothers, who inherited the hoarding gene, checked out each piece we were tossing. We got half the house done in that week.

I came home and started paring down my stuff, even though I'm not a hoarder.

Was easy for me, I just threw it all in the dumpster and didn't worry a second about it. Not my problem, that's hers...

I inherited the house my mother and I shared, when she passed in October 2023. I am still dealing with the removal of the remaining hoarded stuff, eleven months later. Admittedly, I have avoided the final purge for too long. In my defense, my health and getting back to work had been my priority, after my medical downfall September 29th, 2023.

With having most of my strength back, I am slowly restarting going through the remaining stuff. I have the majority of hoard in boxes and can toss or donate most of it. The process of sitting down to do it, is what is mentally taxing. But, I have always kept the common areas clean, always had food in the house and well cared for my two senior age cats. I had done the best I could, under the medical condition that I had been dealing with. Now is the time to take the bull by the horns and finish the purge. It is amazing at what one is capable of when the hoarder that ruled the nest, passes away.

Regardless of who you are as a person, when dealing with a living hoarder and their stuff or a deceased hoarder's stuff, it is mentally taxing. Dealing with someone who it deeply mentally attached to junk, tears at your soul.

You have my sympathy.

My sister is a hoarder. Was brutal cleaning out my dad's house when he died (she lived with him thank God). Was amazing to watch her rationalize why she was keeping some shit. And that's what It was....shit.

Hording. Lots of us have started doing it. And if you don't, you definitely know someone who does.

Many of us have already or will eventually deal with grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles and their hoarding.

Whenever you feel bad about your mess, just watch a couple of episodes of Hoarders. I guarantee that it wash your blues away.