I think I am a mini-hoarder (this is not a thread about too much stockpile)

[Doglover8180]

I think I might be a miniature hoarder - nothing like what you see on the TV show hoarders. Clothes are really my organizational problem. I spend several hours cleaning out my closets and in the midst of it all, I only got rid of about 10 articles of clothing. Keep in mind, that I decided to keep some things that I haven't worn in years and likely won't wear in the future but just couldn't part with. I like everything clean and organized but when it comes to clothes of all sorts, I just can't part with them. Anyone else have this problem, be it with clothes or some other item they cherish? I also tend to buy alot of clothes too - shopping is definately my #1 hobby.

[CouponQueen23]

I really know what you mean. I have long arms and have shirts that are to short on my arms and clothes that just don't fit. I still can't seem to part with them a few years ago I read an artical somewhere that said hang all your hangers back ward, then after a certain amount of time toss everything that you have not re hung the hanger the right way this means you have not wore is in such an amount of time. I did this and more than three quarters of my closet is not wore why I keep it is beyond me.. It doesn't fit or look right not comfortable. There usally is a reason why I have not wore it. I just can't part with my clothes either. I know my arems and legs arn't going to shrink. I seceretly think I am a horder too, I have no girls to think of passing my stuff down too and my nices are my size or bigger so I get things they don't want too. This is something I have to work on.. Thanks for bringing it up.

[Doglover8180]

I think I cant part with some things because of the nostalgia of them.... jeans from 10 years ago - they don't make the same cuts, styles, colors today that they did then - styles change and sometimes I like to pull the old stuff out of my closet just to see how the styles used to be - also can't zip up those jeans from 10 years ago so I wouldnt wear them but even if I could, the style is so "out-dated" that I wouldnt wear them anyways. I like your hanger idea - it's good. I also know already exactly which ones wouldnt get turned around - my problem is parting with the stuff - I know what I havent worn in 5 years and what I likely won't wear in the next 5 years. It's also incredibly hard putting items in a Good Will bag when the tags are still on it (but yet you can't return it cause it is 5 years old) and I usually can remember how much that item I never wore cost me too. Now I make a habit of when I buy something new, if I don't wear it within a month of buying it, I return it or if I don't wear it the next time that season for it comes around, I return it - cause odds are if you don't wear it soon after buying it, it will hang forever and never get worn.

[3timesoccermom]

I think a lot of us that can't be officially classified as hoarders have some hoarding tendencies.

Nostalgia is one thing that can make us want to hang onto things. We see something and it reminds us of a good time or a special event in our lives and that feels good. There are tons of emotional reasons people tend to hang onto things. I do the same thing you mentioned but when I have been able to get rid of stuff it really helps me to think of someone else enjoying those items.

Sometimes you just have to give yourself a little tough love. Try it with just 2 or 3 things - think of them going to someone who has had some very bad luck and how much they will appreciate it - and I'll bet once you're rid of those items you never think of them again. If this happens then you know you can give more stuff away without regrets.

[CW&M Mom]

a hoarder wouldn't keep it clean and organized.

From wikepedia: Compulsive hoarding impairs mobility and interferes with basic activities, including cooking, cleaning, hygiene, sanitation, and sleeping.

If your clothes keeping is not causing any of the above..then I really would just call it compulsive shopping..and maybe a bit of pack rat. It may turn into hoarding...if you get to the point where it's no longer neat/tidy or is causing any of the above.

For things that are brand new, still with tags, But your not going to wear them...I would suggest try cosigning them at a shop, on craigs list or even ebay....instead of good will. That way you won't feel like your throwing them away. Look up the brand name and style on ebay and see what you find. You might be surprised.

The reason I'm a stickler about not calling non hoarding...hoarding..is I've had to clean up actual hoarding..and no way on earth is it the same

someone who just likes to buys clothing or knick knacks ect and keeps them clean, dirt free, clutter free and organized isn't a hoarder. They throw away trash, they don't keep complete junk, and cleaning out this kind of home is not completely disgusting (I know I've done this before!)

Me having to get rid of feces covered crap, trash piled up to the ceiling, finding dead animals, findings rotting food from years ago, heck we even uncovered dynamite (dead FIL)..no joke it's so different. Don't burden yourself with the hoarding name unless your truly a hoarder.

Your sounding a bit compulsive clothes shopping. And a bit pack rat. My rule is I buy an outfit or shirt..I get rid of one. One comes in, one must come out.

[Doglover8180]

Thank you CW for not thinking I am a hoarder - makes me feel better .

I did get rid of about 10 articles of clothing this week which I was quite impressed with - I did save my 10 year old jeans because they just don't make them that way anymore - and although I can't zip them up - I only saved one pair - got rid of the rest so I think that's good.

[piercedanubis]

I have a similar problem with stuffed animals. I can never part with them. Even if they don't hold that much meaning to me. I always have this fear they won't be taken care of. I know that sounds childish LOL. So I have stopped buying them. I have a small bassinet full that I keep out on display but beyond that I refuse to buy or be gifted them. I have expressed my concerns with my friends/family so this hasn't been a problem. I always joke & say my OCD tendencies keep my hoarding tendencies in balance. ;)

I have worked very hard this year to part with things, every few months I clean out closets and get rid of a few items at a time. It helps to not make it overwhelming.

[JulieDB]

I can for sure be a clothes hoarder! Part of this came about from having to make so many cross country moves. My husband is in the military. But thankfully he will retire next year so no more moves. I had summer clothes and winter clothes, neither of which I need much of here. We don't often get hot weather and while we have had some nasty winter weather, things generally just shut down when that happens because we are just not prepared for it in terms of getting the streets cleared. So we just stay in our house until things get better. The schools and the dance studio just close up. No need to go anywhere.

When we were living in Northern CA where the weather was quite mild, I insisted on keeping my winter clothes in case I needed them again. We did move to NY after that so I did need those things!

I used to keep things that were a size down because I really wanted to lose weight. But we've been here for 7 years. And although I did lose weight briefly I couldn't keep it off and I don't think I am going to. So I got rid of the smaller stuff.

I had a top in my closet that was over 30 years old. It was still in good shape and still fit, probably because I didn't wear it much. It was good for very cold weather which we don't have much. I got rid of it recently.

I had a ton of clothing that was hand wash only. I got a lot of those things for when we made a cross country move because I had read about this somewhere. Supposedly if you washed each garment and hung it to dry, it would be dry and ready to wear by the morning. This worked very well with some things. Not so well with others. And then there were some things I had mail ordered, not realizing that they were hand wash things. Now I don't mind washing a top at night when we are staying in a hotel or motel. But on an every day basis? I didn't like it and found that I had a hamper full of dirty hand washables that hadn't been washed in two years. So I finally bit the bullet, washed them all and got rid of them!

I also went through the closet and looked long and hard at everything I owned. I got rid of everything I owned that didn't quite fit right, wasn't flattering or was given to me as a gift and I didn't want it.

I have recently had to purchase more clothes. In the past few years I was suffering from really heavy and long periods. So I found it necessary to wear black pants pretty much all of the time. I had to buy many pairs of those. But I found that they needed to be all or mostly cotton. I had bought some that were microfiber and they just seemed to take on a nasty odor. So I got rid of those.

Then my shape sort of shifted. I needed to go up a size in pants so had to buy more pants still! I also seem to carry all of my excess weight in my belly and I have some medical problems that make this worse. And I have a very low waist. So often tops are too short on me. And even if they start out at the right length, they may shrink when I wash them and then they are not good any more. So I have been buying more longer length tops.

Another problem I have is that in general I do not like to pay a lot for clothes. Now when I needed the black pants I had no problem with paying full price. And if I need a nice dress...say...for a wedding or something, I might pay more for it. But mostly I am constantly on the lookout for clearance prices on things I can wear. And when things are put on clearance there is often a reason for it. Like that they do shrink or the fabric just doesn't wash up well. So I found that the recent batch of clothes I bought looked like crap in just a few weeks.

I sometimes think it would be far easier to do the laundry if we didn't have so many clothes. My daughter also has a lot more clothes than she needs. We could easily go a month or more without doing laundry. And we sometimes have, washing only things like towels and sheets as needed. But then every time I let things go like that, I get overwhelmed. I try like mad to get everything washed. And then it all piles up in the laundry room because we are both to busy to get the stuff put away.

I am thinking back to the time when I got my first full time job. I had two pairs of pants to wear to work. One black and one navy blue. I had two nice blouses. I had a pair of jeans and a pair of sweat pants that I wore on my days off. Probably two or three tops for days off. A couple of nightgowns and enough underwear for the week. Probably was two bras and 7 pairs of panties. I did have a huge drawer full of socks. I used to collect socks. I have passed that on to my daughter. I have to wear ugly compression hose now. So I buy the cute socks for her. But even that gets to be a pain! I currently have two laundry baskets heaped full of socks that need to be matched. She has an odd habit of taking one sock off and just wearing one. She will eventually toss the one she is wearing into the hamper. And the other one? Who knows where it goes. So I do the laundry and have all these mismatched socks.

Anyway... It was MUCH easier to do the laundry when I did have only a few pieces of clothing. Ah, but I was working in a store that sold clothing. And that's how it all started. I would see the new things as they came in the door and buy them. And I bought heaps of clearance things at the end of the season. And although no longer work there, I still look for bargains.

[JulieDB]

a hoarder wouldn't keep it clean and organized.

From wikepedia: Compulsive hoarding impairs mobility and interferes with basic activities, including cooking, cleaning, hygiene, sanitation, and sleeping.

If your clothes keeping is not causing any of the above..then I really would just call it compulsive shopping..and maybe a bit of pack rat. It may turn into hoarding...if you get to the point where it's no longer neat/tidy or is causing any of the above.

For things that are brand new, still with tags, But your not going to wear them...I would suggest try cosigning them at a shop, on craigs list or even ebay....instead of good will. That way you won't feel like your throwing them away. Look up the brand name and style on ebay and see what you find. You might be surprised.

The reason I'm a stickler about not calling non hoarding...hoarding..is I've had to clean up actual hoarding..and no way on earth is it the same

someone who just likes to buys clothing or knick knacks ect and keeps them clean, dirt free, clutter free and organized isn't a hoarder. They throw away trash, they don't keep complete junk, and cleaning out this kind of home is not completely disgusting (I know I've done this before!)

Me having to get rid of feces covered crap, trash piled up to the ceiling, finding dead animals, findings rotting food from years ago, heck we even uncovered dynamite (dead FIL)..no joke it's so different. Don't burden yourself with the hoarding name unless your truly a hoarder.

Your sounding a bit compulsive clothes shopping. And a bit pack rat. My rule is I buy an outfit or shirt..I get rid of one. One comes in, one must come out.

My daughter worries me because she has hoarding tendencies. I myself am not a big neatnick but I do have at least one trash can in every room and three recycle bins in the house.

I believe that all food type trash needs to go into the kitchen. We do have to actually recycle any food we might otherwise throw out by putting it in the yard waste bin. But I am talking about wrappers that have a bit of food still clinging to them. Stuff like that. I want those things put in the kitchen trash only.

So what does she do with this stuff? Leaves it in a pile near where she is sitting. She doesn't care if it goes on the floor or the table or the couch or wherever. There is always a pile of cans, bottles, cups, plates, bowls, half eaten food, etc. Also used tissues and whatever wrappings came off of any gifts she might get or anything she bought at the store.

I don't get it. I just don't get it. I even put an extra trash can in this room and a recycle bin in here so there is no excuse for that kind of behavior.

I don't know if in her case it is laziness or what. But I can't stand it! I keep telling her she has two hands. And that every time she gets up to go into another room she needs to look around her and see if there is anything that belongs in that room, then if there is put stuff in each hand and take it there and put it away, throw it away, whatever. That is what I do. But she just won't do it.

I really have to keep up on it. Because I have a tendency not to look around me. I mostly just sit here in my computer chair when I am home and don't even use the part of the house where she sits. So when I do look there the pile can be quite high or quite spread out.

[Doglover8180]

I have a similar problem with stuffed animals. I can never part with them. Even if they don't hold that much meaning to me. I always have this fear they won't be taken care of. I know that sounds childish LOL. So I have stopped buying them. I have a small bassinet full that I keep out on display but beyond that I refuse to buy or be gifted them. I have expressed my concerns with my friends/family so this hasn't been a problem. I always joke & say my OCD tendencies keep my hoarding tendencies in balance. ;)

I have worked very hard this year to part with things, every few months I clean out closets and get rid of a few items at a time. It helps to not make it overwhelming.

Stuffed animals I can part with easily - particularly those beanie baby type things that people tend to throw into gift bags and such. However, I do have my first teddy bear from when I was a child and a few of my favorite childhood stuffed animals (probably 4 in total) and I will hang on to those forever because they mean alot to me. But new ones that I aquire, I have no problem getting rid of. They also sell horribly in garage sales so I tend to just throw them out or good will them.