A nation of hoarders

Want to talk about how to keep stuff out of landfill? Here is your place to do it.
User avatar
Flo
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 2188
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:12 am
Location: Northumberland

A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292719Post Flo »

It seems that if you want a good way to make money - then set up a site with storage facilities. It's the way that people store all their stuff that doesn't fit in their homes. Excuse me. Have I missed something here? I suppose that there are some circumstances but I am completely bemused if truth be told.

Haven't people heard of reduce, reuse, recycle? Or is the all persuasive advertising making us buy more than we need?

User avatar
Odsox
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 5466
Joined: Tue May 27, 2008 2:21 pm
Location: West Cork, Ireland

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292722Post Odsox »

I have to admit that I have always been like that, as in don't throw anything away that you might need tomorrow.
I'm well known for my penchant to build a new shed when the others get full.
The only problem now is that I know I've got just the "thing" I'm looking for but can't remember where I put it, and searching through umpteen sheds takes longer and longer, so that nothing else gets done for the rest of that day
Tony

Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.

User avatar
Green Aura
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 9313
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:16 pm
latitude: 58.569279
longitude: -4.762620
Location: North West Highlands

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292726Post Green Aura »

I am a bit of a hoarder too, but mainly yarn, fabric and cookware (I've got all my Dad's old Pearsons pottery stewpots etc, never use them but can't bring myself to give them away). I think I mentioned on another thread that if the wotsit really did hit the thingummy that I could keep us in homemade clothes for years (although there would be some interesting colour combos :lol:). The cookware wouldn't be much good if we couldn't afford to heat the oven though, so they really ought to go.

I've been trying for years to donate/chuck other saved stuff, with some success. The really annoying thing though is that shortly after getting rid of some unused/forgotten object we remember why we kept it in the first place and kick ourselves. I'm still trying to stick to the "if we haven't used it in the last year or so, get rid" ethos though.

I watched a TV show (a few years back) where storage facility owners were auctioned off the contents of defaulted tenants units. It was quite interesting seeing the sort of thing folk stored in them - the main question, in most cases, was "why?".
Maggie

Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin

ina
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 8241
Joined: Sun May 22, 2005 9:16 pm
Location: Kincardineshire, Scotland

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292738Post ina »

Green Aura wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 10:32 am I am a bit of a hoarder too, but mainly yarn, fabric and cookware
That's me, too. And old clothes - waiting for when the fashion comes round again! :lol: (Oh, and the figure, of course. :roll: )
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)

BernardSmith
Barbara Good
Barbara Good
Posts: 140
Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 3:19 pm

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292740Post BernardSmith »

I am not sure that "hoarding" is the problem here. Hoarders seem to actively collect "stuff" rather than fail to get rid of "stuff" that clutters their living space. Hoarding can point to a form of compulsive behavior that might be pathological. Clutter is different. It's when we have too much stuff for which we don't have a need short term or long term and for which we rarely, if ever use and for which we don't really have room for. Strikes me - and I am not a psychologist - that marketing typically creates a sense in us that we don't feel good but we could feel better; that what we need to feel better is what they are selling; and that we should buy what they are selling in order to feel better. So we buy.. but when we check we don't feel any "better" so we try to understand why we don't feel any better and the next ad comes along and we think ah, yes, that's the answer. THAT's what we need to feel better... and the cycle repeats and repeats and repeats..and we bring in more and more and more "stuff" . But that stuff was "coded" as making us feel better.. so it is a bit of a challenge to get rid of it. It does not make us feel "bad" or "worse" . it simply takes up space but it is coded as "good for us".. If a clear space might be 'coded' as making us feel better we might find it easier to give away "stuff" to folk who truly NEED the stuff we don't need. But for many people space is a lot like silence - It forces you to think about things and thinking about things rather than living on auto-pilot can be disturbing. Just a thought.

ina
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 8241
Joined: Sun May 22, 2005 9:16 pm
Location: Kincardineshire, Scotland

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292742Post ina »

BernardSmith wrote: Fri May 10, 2019 1:52 pm It's when we have too much stuff for which we don't have a need short term or long term
I think that's the crux of the matter - who knows whether there will be a need, long term? And I've got rather good at ignoring marketing, i.e. adverts... Couldn't think of a single thing I bought because I'd seen an ad for it. That doesn't mean that I don't actually seek out for example the Lidl ads telling you what's on special offer this week - for me, that's information... If it's something I usually buy anyway, it can save a lot of money.

I think most of us would be better off if there wasn't any advertising. Except, of course, those making a living out of it. And the big companies that wouldn't be selling any more useless tat. Everybody could (and would probably have to) work fewer hours - less stuff to produce, because less stuff bought, and less money to be earned to buy that stuff...
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)

Skippy
Living the good life
Living the good life
Posts: 493
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 5:13 pm
Location: south staffordshire

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292753Post Skippy »

We have a lot of stuff , although whether it's hoarding or not is a bit of a grey area as far as I'm concerned. My father worked at a council tip and pretty much every day brought something home. Often it was scrap metal but there was a lot of other things too , bikes , mowers and vacuums we had in abundance and toys , books , tools , food , booze and pretty much anything that one could think of . The only thing that didn't come home was the six foot high stack off mucky magazines. I followed in his footsteps when I started work in the building industry . Indeed that's where my nickname of skippy came frrom , I couldn't walk past one let alone rescue something out of it. So stuff that may come in handy , could be sold or could go on the fire .
Later on when married my wife started selling on eBay when our daughter was small and that meant she would buy job lots to split up and sell on. So a similar type of thing to what I do.
Like odsox we have a number of sheds . When we had put one up I said to the wife we have a pop group in the garden. She looked puzzled and I said Shed7 ( look it up if you've never heard of them) . We've got one more now plus two green houses although to be fair one is more of a workshop than a shed.

User avatar
Thomzo
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 4311
Joined: Thu Feb 01, 2007 1:42 pm
Facebook Name: Zoe Thomas
Location: Swindon, South West England

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292921Post Thomzo »

I’m not a hoarder, I just have a substantial collection of miculs -might come in useful later...

User avatar
Weedo
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 605
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2016 4:47 am
latitude: 35.0886S
longitude: 147.1289E
Location: Collingullie Australia

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292923Post Weedo »

Is it something to do with how we grew up? I know I will throw out anything without an obvious use whereas someone else in the house has a weird attitude to disposal of "stuff" Someone else will quite happily dispose of an antique oak dining table that has been in the family for 3 generations yet argue about a worn out shirt on the basis that it will make good cleaning rags (of which we have a cupboard full). Someone also has a fear of empty shelves, mantles, walls and cupboards.

Try this experiment - look around your lounge room (living rooom, study, shed or wherever you chill) and choose two things you would keep if you had to make the choice. Everything else would go to a useful end (not trashed) butyou can have only two things - however I do make one exemtion; my old armchair does not count as a "thing" it is an entity!
Don't let your vision cloud your sight

ina
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 8241
Joined: Sun May 22, 2005 9:16 pm
Location: Kincardineshire, Scotland

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292926Post ina »

Oh no - I couldn't do that! There's hundreds and hundreds of books alone, and I couldn't give away at least half of them...

But I agree, it might be something you learned in childhood. My parents went through two wars, with all the shortages you can think of. My mother took it to an extreme; she didn't throw out anything. When she died, we found two large boxes full of scrap paper in the loft. Well, only one side had been used - you could still use it for shopping lists etc? I'm not quite as bad.
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)

User avatar
Weedo
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 605
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2016 4:47 am
latitude: 35.0886S
longitude: 147.1289E
Location: Collingullie Australia

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292928Post Weedo »

Really Ina? Which book immediately pops into mind if you ask yourself which one would I keep? I also have shelf upon shelf of books; I am one of those people that actually wears (good) books out and has to replace them. My immediate choice was a very early edition of Dickens "A Christmas Carol".

Anyway, after a quick chat with my eldest daughter about this I discovered we may have a new generation of digital hoarders that keep everything (papers, books (sic), photos, videos, recipes,mementos etetc. in the cloud.
Don't let your vision cloud your sight

User avatar
Green Aura
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 9313
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:16 pm
latitude: 58.569279
longitude: -4.762620
Location: North West Highlands

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292930Post Green Aura »

Definitely too many books, records (yes I've still got a turntable and vinyl), BluRays and CDs to either lose or choose from. We also have an ever-increasing library of e-books and audio books and our entire music and film collection is saved digitally - hard drive and cloud. I think my OH is a belt and braces kind of chap.

I can't even begin to think what two items I'd keep - this whole house is so full of us (my family) that I can't imagine what to leave/give away.

I just asked my OH this question and his immediate response was "my laptop and router". When I asked why he said "well we'd need some way to keep in touch". :shock: :lol:
Maggie

Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin

ina
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 8241
Joined: Sun May 22, 2005 9:16 pm
Location: Kincardineshire, Scotland

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292933Post ina »

All my Terry Pratchetts??? Oh no!

ANd those half finished jumpers - and loads of clothes that need repairing, or altering...
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)

User avatar
Flo
A selfsufficientish Regular
A selfsufficientish Regular
Posts: 2188
Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:12 am
Location: Northumberland

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292935Post Flo »

Notification has arrived that the new kitchen will be fitted start of second week of September. This means moving all the contents out of the cupboards for storage elsewhere in a one bedroom bungalow. Could be up to 10 days for me as a wall is coming out and there will be re-plastering of the interior of the external wall over the passage that leads out of the kitchen to the garden. Which has to dry before they give it a coat of paint. So far I have emptied a cupboard that couldn't be used because you couldn't reach the back. The saucepan cupboard has lost a few items that were never going to be used again - think rust. The garden has lost the remains of a blow away green house (return to sender over back fence - who dismantled it with a heavy hammer and kept half a dozen useful bits). Need the space to shuffle the garden bins as the gas meter is going outside on the back wall instead of in one of the cupboards. Also had a shuffle of the small pots in the two ex supermarket baskets (one says Netto - when was that?) residing on the said item blow away item. Now down to one - want the baskets for moving and storing whilst renovations happen. Am looking at a pile of mismatched but pretty plates and wondering why? will I use them? But think I will have space for them as there will be more usable space. Would all be so easy but the greenhouse is full of tomatoes, peppers, aubergines. Just proves that stuff multiplies when out of sight of eyes.

User avatar
Green Aura
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 9313
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 8:16 pm
latitude: 58.569279
longitude: -4.762620
Location: North West Highlands

Re: A nation of hoarders

Post: # 292936Post Green Aura »

That sounds exciting. Enjoy your new kitchen!
Maggie

Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin

Post Reply