When I asked my friend, Penny, of 45 years, about hoarding, she told me, "I'm kind of the reverse of a hoarder as I'm constantly trying to clear away and remove all clutter and accumulation of stuff… But one thing I have noticed is that I buy multiples so that I don't have to purchase that particular item again for a long time.
But then I end up realizing I have four or five of something of something (anything from toothpaste, mascara, body soap, shampoo, paper towels, lightbulbs, batteries), which is kind of hoarding." I knew Penny didn't hoard because every time she visits me, something is cleaned out; the garage, my closets! She's soon to visit me and I wonder what task we'll get to while she's here—not my Swiss Miss No Sugar Added Hot Chocolate!
One friend told me what she hoards; "Cottage cheese and sour-cream containers but I also buy food storage containers. I can't seem to throw a good container away." She did say that when she moved to her current house she had to toss hundreds of the containers (stored in her garage) away rather than pay to move them.
My writer friends all said, "Books!" Another friend said she hoards rolling pins. That's a first! I had to ask my friend T, in Los Angeles, because her father is a true hoarder. Once when I visited him, I tried to help clear just some boxes of junk, paper, magazines. He got so irritated that I gave up. T told me she saves, "Pens from fancy hotels. The memory of going to nice hotels and I like to have pens close by at all times and not reach down and find some plastic Bic pen."
She then wrote me and said, "Oh, my God, are you gonna ask my dad because your article will be so long! Although, he'd be unable to wrap his head around the truth, so he probably won't even admit that he hoards anything." I didn't ask him. The comments came rolling in:
"Oh dear...Fabric! I think I got that from my mom. I see and often will use old clothes for their fabric, buttons or other decorations. I have boxes!" "Costumes. I'm a performer and you never know when you're going to need a certain corset, wig, pair of shoes, or dress. I have closets and boxes full of costume pieces. I consider this a collection. Curated since I was in high school. Plus canned food.
My pantry is a little ridiculous. I do love to cook, and again, you never know when you're going to need that certain ingredient.
To that end, definitely a collection. All told, though, this one probably has more to do with some food insecurity I experienced as a child. In that aspect, perhaps hoarding. I mean, how many tubs of mayo from Costco does somebody really need?" My friend from grade school said, "A funny thing you might call hoarding is my collection of clothing in many sizes just in case a miracle happens and I can fit into them again."
In Sri Lanka, my friend who has a horse riding center, hoards very little except, "Bits of broken bridles, just in case." Two friends told me they hoard photographs. One said, "I love going back in time, pictorially, tosee the way we were." My other friend said, "I save all photos; printed, film, digital, video camera. Thousands and thousands. Albums, boxes, CDs. Connected to genealogy, family, then and now. Places, people, things. Yep! I hoard pictures!"
"I hoard craft items and tools," a Lake County friend told me. "Things that other people throw away like corks, hooks, tiny tubes that come from odd supplies, pieces of broken shovels and rakes, wires in all colors, and on and on and on. Oh, and not to forget pieces of copper that were thrown out by my husband from construction jobs. I don't do anything with them that's why it's called hoarding."
A former resident of Lake County told me, "That's a funny topic. I no longer collect or hoard things. I decluttered my life, my stuff, books, animals, etc. It felt amazing and it makes me want to get rid of more stuff. I'm about experiences and freeing my life and space to enjoy the moments as much as possible. Less is more! Fewer things help me enjoy and appreciate the things I love."
Moving seems to be a common reason for decluttering. I did it when I moved back to California from Sri Lanka. I packed one suitcase and shipped three boxes. I had hundreds of DVD movies, lots of books, many scarves. Now I have maybe six scarves, very few books and no DVD movies.
What collections I have were stored while I was living in Sri Lanka for 14 years. I've offered my collection of glass paperweights to my daughter and granddaughter but both said, "No thanks!"
What's a girl to do?…just let them deal with them when I'm gone. Done and gone. (Jokes on you!)
Lucy Llewellyn Byard is currently a columnist for the Record-Bee. To contact her, email lucywgtd@gmail.com
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