So Much Clutter, So Little Room: Examining the Roots of Hoarding

The New York Times ^ | Sunday, January 4, 2004 | NINA BERNSTEIN

[Dec31,1999]

But I've got a garage and basement full of stuff I don't use. ;)

We're the family that has everything.

[NYC GOP Chick]

A couple of months ago, one of my neighbors decided that since she became a vegetarian and started doing a lot of legal work for animal rights activists, she no longer felt comfortable with her leather stuff, so she gave it all away -- jacket, briefcases, shoes, etc. That's how I wound up with a gorgeous, black leather jacket which is *so* soft and hangs just perfectly on me. :)

[Dec31,1999]

But I've got a garage and basement full of stuff I don't use. ;)

We're the family that has everything.

[Catspaw]

I've been scanning in knitting pattern books that use the most & burning cds--and I'm setting aside the rest to sell on EBay. Ditto for cookbooks. We've gotten rid of most of our books, except reference books and a few favorite novels. The attic is pretty clear, the bookshelves are cleaned out and now we're working on the basement. We're even thinning down our clothes.

There just isn't a lot of storage space on a boat. And, after having lived on a small boat on weekends, vacations, holidays, etc., from April until early December (as long as we can push the saling season in Wisconsin), if something comes on the boat, something has to come off. It's a very sparse lifestyle.

[pollywog]

LOLOLOL!!!!!!!!! Uncontrollably laughing at this comment! This is my dear hubby and me all over!! Well there is a path to walk for sure in the house, and I am forever " gutting" stuff out, but who can resist a fixable dishwasher in the neighbor's trash? and why spend money on spare car parts when you can salvage the WHOLE CAR from the neighbor's driveway!! LOLOL!!! well you get the point! I too just printed out 5 copies and will file them on hubbys desk in case I need them!! *grin* HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!!

[Trust but Verify]

I'm like you: I hate clutter and storing things that aren't used on a regular basis. It backfires once in awhile when I go to take something out, only to discover I have gotten rid of it. I will sometimes have to get a replacement, but usually I just go without it. I would be what might be called an anti-hoarder.

[FormerACLUmember]

I treasure you comments. Now to print them up and add them to my collection!

[giotto]

We are moving to a smaller home next year and I REALLY do not see what I will do with all of the accumulated crap of a 20 + year marriage.

eBay.

[freeforall]

The root cause... capitalism we get rid of that and presto problem solved.

[Dec31,1999]

But I've got a garage and basement full of stuff I don't use. ;)

We're the family that has everything.

[meowmeow]

but who can resist a fixable dishwasher in the neighbor's trash?

Appparently not many. During our decluttering project, I found that if I just set something on the curb behind the shed, which is visible at an intersection, it would disappear - sometimes before I made it all the way back to the house (short walk). Saved trying to fit it in the car and drive it to the thrift store. Once we made a giant pile of junk back there from decluttering the shed. I made an appointment for bulk trash pick up. By pick up date, there was nothing left!

[meowmeow]

Although I come by it honestly, I got it from my maternal line! :-)

Well I am sure that she probably got it the same way.....

My mother and MIL (DH is only child) both have tons of stuff...nick-nacks, "collectables," dish sets, family jewerly, kitchen crap and who knows what else. I told them both the same thing: Estate Sale. They had a hard time grasping it but I will not suddenly have truckloads of stuff dumped on me when I am old!

[SeaDragon]

Although I come by it honestly, I got it from my maternal line! :-)

Well you want to keep the jewelry and anything of great value but the rest is prime estate sale stuff. I hope I remember that should a time come.............

[meowmeow]

Well you want to keep the jewelry and anything of great value

They both mentioned the jewelry. Good grief - I would be one decked out old broad!

[jellybean]

I'm so sorry, saur...I thought everyone who knew her had been notified and had a chance to say good bye.

[mtbopfuyn]

Oh, no! I can't believe you threw out that stuff. I agree, a genealogist will curse you. People, please cart all those old photos and clippings around to all the old relatives and have them ID them on the backs. Donate what's left to a local genealogy club, library, or museum, university history department. Donate those items which can be identified by a landmark (school, courthouse, park) give it to the appropriate person of each location.

I became the family genealogist at the ripe old age of 20 when visiting a relative. We happened upon a box of old family photographs in a box out in the horse barn. There were pictures dating back to the Civil War for goodness sakes.

[BunnySlippers]

•

[mtbopfuyn]

I love Clean Sweep. It's motivated me to start eliminating some of our stuff. I'm sick of having garge sales and there's not much worthy stuff to donate so most is headed out to a landfill. The stumbling block is garbage can isn't as large as my motivation so hope I can sustain it for a while until the job is finished.

BTW, the families on the show admit to doctoring up their mess for the camera.

[onyx]

Oh Lord. Pinging myself for later reading.

[Squantos]

STUFF YOU SAY ??..............:o)

George Carlin - A place for my stuff
Actually this is just a place for my stuff, ya know? That's all, a little place for my stuff. That's all I want, that's all you need in life, is a little place for your stuff, ya know? I can see it on your table, everybody's got a little place for their stuff. This is my stuff, that's your stuff, that'll be his stuff over there.
That's all you need in life, a little place for your stuff. That's all your house is: a place to keep your stuff. If you didn't have so much stuff, you wouldn't need a house. You could just walk around all the time. A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. You can see that when you're taking off in an airplane. You look down, you see everybody's got a little pile of stuff. All the little piles of stuff.

And when you leave your house, you gotta lock it up. Wouldn't want somebody to come by and take some of your stuff. They always take the good stuff. They never bother with that crap you're saving. All they want is the shiny stuff. That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff! Sometimes you gotta move, gotta get a bigger house. Why? No room for your stuff anymore.

Did you ever notice when you go to somebody else's house, you never quite feel a hundred percent at home? You know why? No room for your stuff. Somebody else's stuff is all over the goddamn place! And if you stay overnight, unexpectedly, they give you a little bedroom to sleep in. Bedroom they haven't used in about eleven years. Someone died in it, eleven years ago. And they haven't moved any of his stuff! Right next to the bed there's usually a dresser or a bureau of some kind, and there's NO ROOM for your stuff on it. Somebody else's s--- is on the dresser. Have you noticed that their stuff is s--- and your s--- is stuff? God! And you say, "Get that s--- offa there and let me put my stuff down!"

Sometimes you leave your house to go on vacation. And you gotta take some of your stuff with you. Gotta take about two big suitcases full of stuff, when you go on vacation. You gotta take a smaller version of your house. It's the second version of your stuff. And you're gonna fly all the way to Honolulu. Gonna go across the continent, across half an ocean to Honolulu. You get down to the hotel room in Honolulu and you open up your suitcase and you put away all your stuff. "Here's a place here, put a little bit of stuff there, put some stuff here, put some stuff--you put your stuff there, I'll put some stuff--here's another place for stuff, look at this, I'll put some stuff here..." And even though you're far away from home, you start to get used to it, you start to feel okay, because after all, you do have some of your stuff with you.

That's when your friend calls up from Maui, and says, "Hey, why don'tchya come over to Maui for the weekend and spend a couple of nights over here." Oh, no! Now what do I pack? Right, you've gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The third version of your house. Just enough stuff to take to Maui for a coupla days. You get over to Maui--I mean you're really getting extended now, when you think about it. You got stuff ALL the way back on the mainland, you got stuff on another island, you got stuff on this island. I mean, supply lines are getting longer and harder to maintain.

You get over to your friend's house on Maui and he gives you a little place to sleep, a little bed right next to his windowsill or something. You put some of your stuff up there. You put your stuff up there. You got your Visine, you got your nail clippers, and you put everything up. It takes about an hour and a half, but after a while you finally feel okay, say, "All right, I got my nail clippers, I must be okay." That's when your friend says, "Aaaaay, I think tonight we'll go over the other side of the island, visit a pal of mine and maybe stay over." Aww, no. NOW what do you pack? Right--you gotta pack an even SMALLER version of your stuff. The fourth version of your house. Only the stuff you know you're gonna need. Money, keys, comb, wallet, lighter, hanky, pen, smokes, rubber and change. Well, only the stuff you HOPE you're gonna need.

© April 2000 George Carlin from "Braindroppings"


Stay Safe !