Hoarding

The Infinite Mind radio program has a fantastic show about Hoarding and Clutter.

As a knitter, I find myself hoarding yarn. I have way more than I can knit in a year. Recently I guesstimated that I have about 2-3 years worth of projects stored in my stash. That’s hardly anything when you consider some older women have SABLE (Stash Acqusition Beyond Life Expectancy). That’s the yarn you find in your great aunt’s home after she’s passed on.

I find this yarn hoarding is pretty serious. Hoarding is a type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I think I’m borderline for OCD because I could be a serious hoarder if I’m not careful about what I bring into the house.

As a single person, I have a hard time filling a kitchen size garbage bag full of trash. That’s because I don’t generate a lot in a week. I usually toss stuff out every two weeks or so. When the white bag isn’t nearly full, I float around the house and I sweep up stuff to toss out. I have lots of clutter, but I try to de-clutter regularly. My girlfriend thinks I’m nuts because my plastic recycling is full all the time, but I like to wait until I can fill an whole bag! A lot of hoarders have bags of trash in the house. Fortunately, I can let go of my trash. And my recycling. Periodically, I toss out all the periodicals in the house.

What does this have to do with personal finance? Well, this post at LiveJournal might illuminate it better. Hoarders often run up debt.

Ask yourself if you are prone to hoarding. (I’d like to hoard a little more in my savings, but that’s another issue.) Can you spend less by breaking your hoarding habits? Giving up your penchant for collecting knick-knacks? A lot of people don’t start out by being hoarders. It builds up slowly over time. Sometimes you hear stories of Depression-era folks who kept bags and bags of dry goods in the pantry because of their fears about having plenty. It’s all related.

So my best advice is don’t hoard. Be conscientious about what you bring into the house. Was it good deal? Was it free or gifted to you? Where is it going to go in the house? Is there upkeep/maintenance on it?

Some thoughts on changing our habits to become savers, not spenders.

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