As I took on the task of caring for my mother the hardest part was making room in her house for me and my few belongings. The rooms were piled full of old worn out furniture and non-working television sets. As I mentioned in another post not much had been done to the house over many years. The problem was all that stuff and no where to move it too. We carted out loads of old newspapers and magazines. She sewed so there was and still is lots of fabric to sell or give to charities or local quilting clubs. Then there was the fact of all the clothes most of which did not fit me, as I am tall and she was shorter with wide shoulders. But I have found a good home for most of the clothes and shoes, and fabric. I have been donating books to the local library and shredding old paperwork. The junk mail was dated back to 1965. At first I ripped her name off everything and then I learned to use black markers or crayons to cover her name and recycle all the paper that was not important. I had found over 250 expired old credit cards which I shredded. Now I am still working away but at least the downstairs rooms are livable and easy to clean. My home computer area gets cluttered sometimes but I never want to have so much stuff nor put my family through the mountainous task of cleaning out an hoarders space. Do you have anyone in your family with this problem? I heard it say that some hoarders got that way from living through the time of the great depression, which of course my mother did. But I also think sometimes that it is worse in people who might care more for material things, then for love of family and other people. This would make great conversation don't you think?
I am an untidy person and create clutter easily, but I am not a hoarder as I regularly clear up and throw stuff out. I have one relative who is a hoarder and I do know people where you can hardly move around the house for piles of stuff everywhere. I believe excessive hoarding is a sign of some insecurity issues or other personality problem.
My husband calls me a pack rat because I seem to hoard anything that I see. In fact, our spare room that is supposed to be for guests has been converted into my own stock room. I have a rack for my shoes, a hanger rack for my blazers and special clothes and a cabinet full of my old belongings. My husband seldom enters that stock room of mine because I don't want him to sort things out and throw away some of my things. He even joked that if ever he would win the lotto, he would build another house for my things.
250 Credit Cards..? WOW!!! I'm not a hoarder and I don't know anyone personally who is...but like @Corie Henson I have one room in my house which is called my 'dressing room'...which is laid out exactly how you describe corie...with racks and rails for all my clothing ( similar to a shop)...but it's also where I keep all the supplies too..like packs of loo rolls..boxes of shampoo and conditioner which I buy in bulk, and various other things like lightbulbs .. .... My husband built me a special deep shelving unit in there for that stuff... It's all neatly put away,.
No one in my family is a hoarder nor am I but there were years and years where I bought everything I admired….until I realized that "you can admire something without owning it". That's when I stopped completely.
My x wife and my oldest son fit the description. I would have too, had things worked out differently.
No hoarders in my family and I am the opposite of a hoarder. I like clean neat spaces. Clutter upsets my well being. I don't do well in clutter.
Not a hoarder either, nor do I know any ... well maybe one of my son-in-laws .. he collects things he finds cheap, then realizes it's a bad move, and unloads. ... his Craigslist finds ...lol I don't like to not know where things are ... I'm an organizer of the umpteenth degree. .. so clutter is such a no-no! Get upset if I ever have to look for something important and can't find it, because useless stuff is in the way. I'm always getting rid of old clothing, and things I don't use.
Ive never known a hoarder personally but I understand it's a terrible mental or emotional illness often triggered by a painful loss. Other times it's a form of OCD. I've watched the program "Hoarders" in which many of these people cannot give up their hoard without therapy. The need for things, even garbage, supercedes health, family, even prison for outdoor code violations. Then, there were the hoarders who were also filthy, too lazy to clean, with all kitchen surfaces piled high with dishes of rotten and mouldy food, insects, etc. Is there a difference between a hoarder and someone to lazy too wash a dish?
Yes, I've watched that show, Ruby. Sometimes I think it's just a combination of things. For one thing they can't get to the sink or bathtub because of the clutter, but I really don't get why they can't throw out rotting food. Sometimes I think some are made to look worse just for TV.