[SinisterBlueCat]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051022/ap_ ... abridged_3

we really are a strange race of people.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')er story offers hope to the tens of millions of Americans like her who live under the anarchy of their possessions.

[BabyPeanut]

[url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1594860939/002-5190576-5216008?v=glance]
Scaling Down : Living Large in a Smaller Space (Paperback) (link)

[/url]
Book Description
How to make more of less-the book that shows how to simplify your life, control clutter, and pare down your possessions for a move into smaller living quarters.

[fossilnut2]

Have you ever noticed one of the biggest sellers in Walmart are various sorts of plastic bins to store all the stuff. Last year I opened up the kitchen cupboard and a bunch of small plastic bins fell out. I told my wife we should buy a big plastic bin to store our small plastic bins in. We looked at eachother and both laughed and realized it was time to clean out the junk and cut back on buying 'stuff'.

We have a 'sort of' rule in the house. Excluding food we have to take out of the house the equivalent mass of stuff that we bring in. We aren't slaves to the rule but just joking about it helps us tone down our accumulation of 'stuff'.

[frankthetank]

Another reason why everyone around here atleast builds McGarages...a place to store more of your "stuff". I would love a 3 car McGarage.

[Specop_007]

How many times I try to rid out house of stuff, only to have the wife complain.

Its usually the kids stuff. They hasve boxes on boxes on boxes of toys they dont play with. But God forbid i throw any of it out.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'H')ow many times I try to rid out house of stuff, only to have the wife complain.

[jmacdaddio]

My parents are classic pack rats. Their basement reminded me of the end scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the Ark of the Covenant ends up in the massive government warehouse. They could very well have had the Ark in their basement. They had junk stored in bags from department stores that went out of business 20 years ago (Bamberger's, Gimbol's, Alexander's). Finally they began a process of organizing this junk and pitching it.

I'm amazed at how much junk I can accumulate without even thinking about it. It's a constant battle.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BabyPeanut', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', 'H')ow many times I try to rid out house of stuff, only to have the wife complain.

[crossthread]

Watch clean sweep on TLC you'll get the picture...

[threadbear]

I rented part of my house once to a woman who neglected to tell me she was under a doctor's care for severe obsessive compulsive disorder. This woman didn't throw anything away. I mean she had an orange peel collection. (I'm saving it for a potpourri) She was a human hamster with a broken off switch. She had all of her kid's old furniture, their games and many of their toys. They had long since left home, her husband had divorced her because of this little problem and she was living a semi-itinerate existence hauling all of her stuff around. She had three double bedroom suites! Really sad and a little scary. When I tried to pressure her to get rid of her stuff I was afraid she'd get violent, so had to give her notice. That was great. She made off with our garage door opener and the key to our safe deposit box.

I wonder about these acreages you see in rural communities that have all these rusting vehicles on their property. Why are they being collected? Does the proud owner think he'll fix them up one day and turn a profit, or does he/she think rust is going to explode on the commodities market?

My question is-- when does frugality and conservation cross that line and become an actual pathology.

[Keith_McClary]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', 'M')y question is-- when does frugality and conservation cross that line and become an actual pathology.