Am I a hoarder?

[DPittman]

In this day and age of environmental crises when the land fills are full and there is no more room for waste it seems to me reuse and repurposing is not just frugal and genius its essential. In this context I think we could argue that to some extent hoarding junk for reuse is wise and NOT an illness!

Hoarding is marked by an overwhelming desire to collect items and an inability to discard things that may seem useless, to such a point that the collections cause stress and start impacting a person's health, career or relationships.—Erin Allday

People justify hoarding as curating and recycling, deeming odd objects beautiful and useful.—Peter D. Kramer

Those are just quotes under the psychology definition of hoarding from the Meriam -Webster online dictionary

 

[Canadium]

Hoarding is marked by an overwhelming desire to collect items and an inability to discard things that may seem useless, to such a point that the collections cause stress and start impacting a person's health, career or relationships.—Erin Allday

People justify hoarding as curating and recycling, deeming odd objects beautiful and useful.—Peter D. Kramer

Those are just quotes under the psychology definition of hoarding from the Meriam -Webster online dictionary

Clearly there is a point in the spectrum where hoarding can indeed qualify as an illness. Never the less I object to Psychologists who appear to demonstrate an obsessive illness themselves by a self serving labeling of all forms of human behaviour as an illness!

 

[LenVW]

It’s not ‘hoarding’ if you know where everything is !!
Just make sure you have a quick way of finding everything.

 

[whydontu]

I'm not a hoarder. I'm actively building up a world-class collection of mid to late 20th-century industrial archeology. Although some of my stuff qualifies as early 20th.

And when BC Hydro goes on strike, those carpenter braces & bits will be valuable.

If you have enough money you're not weird, you're eccentric.

 

[DPittman]

If you have enough money you're not weird, you're eccentric

Damn I'm never going to have enough money to shed the weird label.

 

[Tomc938]

When I read the thread title I thought, "Well, yeah, you're a member here."

 

[Perry]

Thank you all for making me feel like I fit in.

I did learn something from this thread. The springs in the pump spray bottles. Dam, I was looking for a spring a couple of weeks ago and that would have worked.

I will share one also. The small anti theft tags are a great source of 0.0005" metal shimming material.

 

[Ironman]

So, in the process of cleaning up my garage I had to ask myself......"Am I a hoarder?" Do people who have the "fix it" skill in general lean more towards the hoarder type? "I could fix that." "I could use that at a later time...to fix something." Lol


I kept the AA batteries. That fine spring wire went into my hobby material bin and how could I throw out those two dc motor/pumps?


The ANSWER, YES. My name is Perry. I am a hoarder. Admitting to the problem is the start of recovery.

I think the first sentence disqualifies you as a hoarder. Just a garage.....piffle. I have three outbuildings with stuff hoarded and a pile of steel and trailer frames and axles in case I ever build a trailer again. I'm not sure that I'm a hoarder because I have some empty outbuildings still......

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I think the first sentence disqualifies you as a hoarder. Just a garage.....piffle. I have three outbuildings with stuff hoarded and a pile of steel and trailer frames and axles in case I ever build a trailer again. I'm not sure that I'm a hoarder because I have some empty outbuildings still......

I have a few outbuildings full of stuff too. Mostly from the previous owner though....We've been here 13 years. It's all farm/animal related stuff that is useful though. Lumber, steel, cages, troughs, waterers etc.... I might use it all.....someday.....

I've actually used a bunch of it over the years. I built the kids playhouse entirely free from the lumber. I should have sold it all during the lockdowns lol.

As far as I'm concerned it can stay where it is until I need any of it. None of the outbuildings are structures worth saving or doing anything with. All built very poorly, and not worth converting to usable space, or anything other than what they're doing now. Rickety propped up sheds, and lean to's. I did organize and consolidate about 10 years ago and emptied one of the sheds, and reorganized the others. I promptly filled it back up again with a few trailer loads of free lumber I got from a closing truss company.

I have one more at the side of the house that I've been working on turning into my temporary blacksmith shop. It's work in progress but I'm getting there. Almost emptied out now....Only thing left is the old wood framed window panes I saved when I replaced the windows in the house. I saved them to make some cold frames for the garden.....8 years ago.....I need to make the raised beds first. I need to clone myself.

Damn, when you type it all out, it really seems bad doesn't it lol

 

[Bandit]

If you clone yourself, there will be 2X as much stuff, and aurguements about whose stuff is more important to keep and where it should be kept. So, to save time and stress just get more stuff/ valuable materials for the when/if/free, needed and keep on keepen on.
Perhaps the definition of hoarding really is-- to have many/much stuff, but never look at, USE any of it or give ANY of it away/sell to someone that can use it/make something from it.
Dan Dubeau, blame it on the previous owner, you are being the responceable one, recycling, useing and saving the environment by not burning fuel to haul it away to land full.
See there are answers!!

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I'm assuming that part of the cloning process will be flawed and produce a slightly dumber version of myself that will simply listen to, and follow commands without being able to think for itself and argue lol. The complete opposite of the procreation version of cloning yourself.

 

[historicalarms]

A hoarding story that Susquatch and any rural members can relate too.
When my old man retired from faring of course there was the requisite "farm auction" for all the neighboring hoarders to attend and build their collections up with.
I was putting what I thought was junk on one side of the auction bound hay rack and as fast as I put it on, the old man was pulling $hit off the other side, always with a "we might need that someday"....that auction was in 1998....and wouldnt you know it just last week I pulled an old spring toothed harrow section out of that scrap pile to use in a new project....you never know!!!

 

[Dan Dubeau]

That's the problem when you have space to store it......

I love farm auctions BTW. Haven't been too many since covid drove them all online, but started to see a few pop up this year that I couldn't make it to. The crowd around here is usually 33% scrappers, 33% buyers looking for decent stuff to use, and 33% locals who just want to snoop and see what their neighbors had in the barns and outbuildings and not buy anything.

 

[FatherWes]

I can usually find that 7/16”, fine thread, lock nut I rescued from some project in 1998.
But do you think I can find that 7/16” combination wrench I had in my hand 30 seconds ago?

 

[Susquatch]

I love farm auctions BTW. Haven't been too many since covid drove them all online, but started to see a few pop up this year that I couldn't make it to. The crowd around here is usually 33% scrappers, 33% buyers looking for decent stuff to use, and 33% locals who just want to snoop and see what they're neighbors had in the barns and outbuildings and not buy anything.

That sums it all up REALLY WELL........... The way it USED TO BE!!!!

But COVID has destroyed Farm Auctions. Now there is a 4th group that is about 98% of the crowd. That's the online attendees from the USA, Mexico, and South America who drive all the prices out of sight and hardly even leave useful scrap metal behind them. I COULD SCREAM! I hardly ever go anymore. Not worth it.

 

[Tom O]

See that is why most people don’t want to see the “ professional shrink / social worker “ who puts whatever diagnosis that goes in your permanent record that can harm you down the road looking for a new job / position.

 

[historicalarms]

locals who just want to snoop and see what their neighbors had in the barns and outbuildings and not buy anything.

that is a very appropriate statement, we had to station a couple of neighbors at our private outbuildings to keep the trespassers out of the building that weren't part of the sale....it wasnt our neighbors doing the snooping, it was people we had no idea who they were.

You forgot the 4th and most important good reason to attend farm auctions....them big ol' hamburgers & pies sold by the local community ladies groups

 

[KeeponDragon]

I keep stuff around just in case...but mostly to keep it out of the landfills...
my better 3/4's says i have issues...
of course i do...I'm married for the 3rd time

 

[Doggggboy]

That sums it all up REALLY WELL........... The way it USED TO BE!!!!

But COVID has destroyed Farm Auctions. Now there is a 4th group that is about 98% of the crowd. That's the online attendees from the USA, Mexico, and South America who drive all the prices out of sight and hardly even leave useful scrap metal behind them. I COULD SCREAM! I hardly ever go anymore. Not worth it.

But if the point of the auction is to liquidate the assets for the benefit of the retiring farmer, isn't this a good thing?
If you were closing out or had gone to that big machine shop in the sky, wouldn't you want your family to get the most they could?
I like a good deal as much as the next guy but I can't imagine anyone would be happy watching their assets sell for pennies on the dollar to the lowest bidder rather than the highest. If you want your favourite neighbour to get all your good stuff for cheap rather than some online fool with a fast mouse finger, make the deal before you go or put him in the will.
I know some auctions have people bidding higher than new for some things and that is truly maddening to watch, but I try to keep in mind who the auction sale is sometimes for. As far as I can tell the seller and the auction house both benefit, and if the buyer is happy with what they paid, they're probably happy too.

 

[DPittman]

I've always had mixed feelings at farm auctions. I love getting a good deal or finding something neat. However I also think people are like buzzards around a kill, trying to pick off whatever meat they can from the victim.