Fillyjonk mentions hoarding. I’m a little bit fascinated by those shows too. I’ve only watched a couple of times because I assume it’s something that my husband wouldn’t be interested in and when he’s not around I always have other things that I’d rather do than watch TV. I think my reaction to those shows is a little odd. It seems to me that I should think, “OMG, I’m nowhere near that bad,” and just relax and not worry about my very minor pack-rat habit. But instead it makes me start thinking about getting rid of stuff.
I am aware of everything I have. “I forgot all about that silly thing” surprises are rare for me, though they do happen. It’s fairly easy for me to think about all the stuff I have and plan to get rid of some things. Some of it seems like it’s from another lifetime. But when I start going through stuff, seeing and touching all my “treasures,” it’s much harder to let go. And there are many things that I have gotten rid of that I want back now. The people who say, “You’ll never miss it,” are wrong! I do miss it.
Clothes are sort of an issue. Sometimes I feel like I have too many but at the same time I need more. And I really do mean literally “need” not just psychologically “need”. Pants, for example – I don’t have all the colors of pants that I need to go with the tops I have. I have given away almost all the stuff that doesn’t fit anymore. There are more things that I rarely wear but I can’t get rid of them because I really might need them. I rarely need to get “dressed up” but occasions do come along once every few years so I need to keep a few dressy things. (And I really love some of those clothes and wish I had more dress up occasions.)
I was thinking about sweatshirts yesterday and thought, I can get rid of some of those. So I went and looked at them and I don’t have very many; they’re just bulky and take up a lot of space. I still like all the ones I have and I did wear them all last year, just not as much as I had in previous years. The weather changes so frequently here we need lots of different kinds of clothes.
So, what all this boils down to is that I want to de-clutter but I still need all my stuff and I need more stuff. What I really need is a bigger closet. Not huge – only about 10′X12′ with lots of shelves and a hanging rod on one side should be adequate. Oh… and another one for the husband’s stuff.
September 21st, 2010 - 8:10 am
I see shows or commercials featuring those HUGE closets that are like very organized rooms and I swoon with lust. Swoon, I tell you. That aside, the hoarder shows scare me to fits. I cannot imagine living like that. OH! True story: when we lived in military housing, the nextdoor townhouse nabe was just like that. She had ONE path through the house. The smell was unreal and I called the Housing Office several times to no avail. Since she had a 7 year old daughter, who actually seemed fine despite the mess, I let a hint drop to the nabe’s best friend that I’d “overheard” someone say Child Services had been called. Next day, a van with SEVEN women, including Best Friend of Nabe, pulled up and during the day drove away and back bearing garbage and trashed furniture and incoming cleaning supplies.
It was great, totally clean, and stayed that way until Dirty Nabe “accidentally” set the place on fire.
But that’s another story.
September 21st, 2010 - 11:12 am
Mr. Nag has a bit of a hoarding problem that is barely controlled by my incessant nagging. We watched this show together recently and it scared the living daylights out of him. He still hasn\’t discarded much but, on the positive side, he hasn\’t dragged home any junk lately.
September 21st, 2010 - 5:14 pm
LeeAnn – thanks for sharing that. That’s hilarious.
I’ve never personally known anyone with a real hoarding problem. Fortunately.
September 22nd, 2010 - 4:36 am
ZOMG I know someone with a hoarding problem. A couple of people actually. First and foremost my Wife’s grandmother and mother. Can’t throw anything out. Can’t bear to. Some of the Junk started to spill over to the Wife and I’s house, and I let it be known that Goodwill was where the stuff would end up, if it didn’t end up at the curb for the trash men.
Another person who hoards things, although not bad enough to make a TV show out of, is, well… Me. My garage is a ferrous, oily cavity a-bang with small engines, bicycles, motorcycles, obscure auto parts, specialized tools, (many of them made by me) welders, and all other manner of manly bric-a-brac. My computer room is another frightening hole in the wall. In one end of the house, I have enough stuff to build myself a way to work, in the other end, I have enough stuff to build myself a way to the internet.
September 22nd, 2010 - 7:10 am
Hey, “Hippie,” I just now noticed you’re blogging again. (Sorry, I’m a little slow.) Good show.
Of course, American Pickers makes hoarding seem like a good idea. You just have to hoard the right kind of stuff.