[Cornelian]

Lawn chair - if your parents hoard paper stuff, computer disks etc, donate the entire lot to a library or museum - someone will want it. You may think it trash, but many social historians would kill to get their hands on it.

[I_Like_Plants]

Ferretlover - the standard explanation within the Empire is that the hoarding behavior is a sign of a brain problem which needs drugging right away with heavy and expensive doses of SSRIs.

In reality, yeah, it's probably related to OCD or something like that, but as mentioned I wish I'd been more of a packrat over the last 10 or 12 years, there are a LOT of neat toys I had that I wish I had now.

[eastbay]

We really don't hoard anything. We do, however, have a terrible time unloading books. Lately, we've started a regular culling program whereby we take a few to the library each trip thereby keeping the total number in the house from climbing. Maybe we would do better if we had a trusted friend sitting in the garage to ask if we seriously needed this or that book old... lol. If in doubt we keep them. We have hundreds and hundreds of books most of which are boxed and never even looked at.

We also started donating an item of clothing each time we acquired more. In fact, the wardrobe is steadily shrinking and since retiring last year, it should shrink even more, for example I now have only six ties and three sport coats after donating a bunch of no longer used dress clothes.

We try to have a month of food in the house at any time. I see no point in hoarding more food than that at this time.

Ammo. I suppose one can't have enough so this is not hoarding... it's more 'common sense'. Plus it lasts almost forever if stored properly.

Heh, found 38 silver half dollars yesterday! I forgot I had them. Not exactly a hoard, but might come in handy some day.

[Stratovarius]

I'm the opposite of a hoarder. I'm too zen to hoard.

I throw things away without much thought at times, sometimes regretting it. But if you took all my things, you could probably place everything in a small closet. I love the feeling of being unburdened and clean.

[eastbay]

Strat,

That's wonderful. It's our eventual goal too!

After 53 years, I've managed to collect quite a lot of stuff. A few months ago I got rid of three or four boxes filled with no- longer- used- things. There are many more boxes to go.

My kids are also storing things in the house. At some point, we want to downscale to a much smaller house on more land but the kids' will have to be part of any such plan. I did manage to recycle my old college texts last year.

Some things are very hard to part with.

[I_Like_Plants]

Strat - I know the feeling!

But at the same time ..... I had some neat and useful stuff I wish I'd kept.

Lost some due to wanting to run *too* lean and clean, I think. Lost some due to trimming way down to move.

Changed interests and never thought interests could come back around to old ones again.

I AM big on being organized though, these hoarders who have boxes that they don't even know what in them etc. I like to have at least an idea of where things are ..... it gets old buying that 26th box of band-aids because I can't find the first 25, for instance.

[Blacksmith]

The greatest auctions are at farms owned by people who hoarded, if one is good two are better, and three better still. To those of you with parents or relatives who hoard, start looking for a good auctioneer.

Now, what do I need two of those for? Oh, look honey another one.

[Laurasia]

Oh dear! I KNOW that I have the hoarding gene! I've been going through a lot of stuff - old pay stubs and receipts but I've got this fear that the IRS will one day demand to see my pay stubs from the eighties and that I won't have them! Added to that, I have started washing out glass jars after we finish with them and they are piling up on the counter! I just feel as if I will NEED them some day, and glass is healthier than plastic for foodstuffs. Something good that has come from my hoarding is that I have been slowly taking off the 'middle-aged spread' and now the clothes that I had from 20 years ago are being used again. Everyone asks me if I have a new outfit or whatever I have two big plastic bags full of stuff that I have sorted out to be thrown away, but guess what? I'm probably going to go through it all again before I throw it out it just in case I'm being rash!!! Maybe posting this will act as a catalyst and MAKE me be brave and throw this stuff away. At least I have sorted through it!

L.

PS: My dog is sniffing one of those garbage bags as I write!

[Falconoffury]

Now would be a good time to hoard the right things. I threw away all my useless junk and replaced it with tools, supplies, and books that will maintain their usefulness and value in an economic depression, or outright collapse. I have actually been transferring a good portion of my cash into such things, so I am probably more of a hoarder now than ever.

[topcat]

There are few greater feelings than being able to build of fix something without leaving your home to BUY something,

[WildRose]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('topcat', 'T')here are few greater feelings than being able to build of fix something without leaving your home to BUY something,

[Ang]

I cringe when I think about going to my grandmother's house periodically and throwing out anything I could get my hands on. She saved EVERYTHING!!
It was all the same stuff I'm "collecting" now because you never know...except now I'm buying from local thrift stores what I could've had for free.

Life has a way of biting you in the ass like that.