# Hoarder? 'Fess up.



## BlueJeans (Jan 17, 2009)

Is anyone sport enough to admit what you hoard...? Most everyone has a 'dirty-little secret'.

Mine is: I'm a papers-hoarder. My training goes back to the olden days when an important paper was irreplaceable. No copiers, printers, no on-line resources...you just made sure important papers were secured.

So far, I haven't been able to get beyond that feeling. 

Next?


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

Bolts, screws, nails. I have tins of them but still do not allow myself to throw one away because I feel as soon as I do, that will be the one size I need and do not have.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Same as D but added with some lumber, a junk pile, Bolts Lock washers, Flat washers, nuts, some nails, some screws.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

same as Declan. bolts screws and nails. I also have 4 china cabinets chock full and some in boxes also Victorian linen. I don't think I'm a hoarder though. I call it a collection. I might be borderline on the cups though. every time I see a lovely little dusty and neglected one I have to bring it home to keep it safe. I also collect old keys, love letters etc. etc. ~Georgia.


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## handymama (Aug 22, 2014)

Any kind of crafty type stuff. I mean I will not throw away a bead or a tangled thread or an inch of ribbon lol. But it's organized!


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

TP, and I ain't sharing when the zombie apocalypse arrives.


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

Hoarder? Maybe, maybe not? About everything I have purchased is considered an investment or possible bartering item. I've bought it well within present value. Some things, others might consider way overdone. Just not to me...I'm trying to look out for me and mine, both! 

I'll never have enough, but it's a start.


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## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

Horse tack!


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

And toilet paper isn't one of them!


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

RideBarefoot said:


> Horse tack!


Shucks Ridebarefoot, you're supposed to ride a horse with your mind and body...no tack needed! Hehehe!


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## bigjon (Oct 2, 2013)

currently? tractors=3,looking at another one lol


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Tractors 4 and not looking anymore lol


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## plowhand (Aug 14, 2005)

Hoarder..........no sir................saveing thing things I might use later......Heck yes...............I just think of it as recycling....can't help it might be 10 or 20 years for a recycling project is finished..


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## farmgal (Nov 12, 2005)

Cast iron cookware. ( pan porn) Can't get enough of it. 

I also get in the tractor collecting bug at times. Trying to stop. 

I'm just glad I'm done collecting rescue horses. . I give free hay to others who bid against the meat buyer now. That's my contribution. Much easier.


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

farmgal said:


> .
> 
> I'm just glad I'm done collecting rescue horses. . I give free hay to others who bid against the meat buyer now. That's my contribution. Much easier.


Can you ship it to Colorado? I've got maybe a couple that are destined for biscuits and gravy otherwise.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Food.
See, in this big ole 4K sq ft home....it's not 'obvious'......
In a 1100 sq ft apartment? Um, yeah.......my girls are looking at me like I have lost my mind.
Questioned my own sanity once today. 
Dang....I have a LOT of food 
The dining area in the apartment is nothing but shelves and shelves of food.
The hall closet? Buckets of food.

Hi, my name is Laura, and I am a food hoarder.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

There was a very similar thread here not long ago: http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/sp...ree/528408-admitting-problem.html#post7287173

I'm going to steal one of my posts from that thread and slap it right here, too (my apologies to those who have already seen it). Who knows what may come out of this repost? Hopefully, some tips and tricks from other kindred spirits who beat a serious book addiction... or at least commiseration from others? 



Hi my name is Sharon and I am a bookaholic... I have thousands of them. 99% are useful-to-know stuff, with post-it notes stuck here and there in almost all of them.

I can't bear to part with them, because they can be used without electricity or batteries, they cannot get a virus or any other kind of bug (my home is bug-free: no roachies, silverfish, booklice here!), and they are just as portable as a kindle. Oh and no EMP worries either.

A public library would be jealous of my collections, because of the wide range of topics:


anything and everything homesteady, f'sure!

gunsmithing,

Native American history and skills,

American pioneer history and skills,

natural healing (mostly with herbs and nutrition),

foraging,

hunting and tracking (I like to study and observe animal behavior),

fishing,

animal husbandry,

dozens and dozens of old-time skills (you could drop me into 1855 and I would be happy as an alligator in a bayou fulla tourists),

hundreds of sustainable gardening/agriculture books,

craftworking,

jewelrymaking,

woodworking,

sewing/quilting/tatting/crocheting/hardanger and other old-time needle skills

art instruction (I paint North American wildlife on sycamore leaves and turkey tail feathers with acrylics, and want to try oils and watercolors someday),

graphic arts,

business (law, marketing, sales, etc)

anything and everything to do with construction (home/barns/outbuildings),

and so much more... (No hysterical romance novels, or other people's drama here!) :yuck:

Oh! I almost forgot my COOKBOOKS (hundreds!). I read cookbooks like some people read trashy novels, lol. I love to experiment with and improve on the recipes that strike my fancy.


A friend took pity on me and built gorgeous ceiling-to-floor bookshelves (with doors!) in several rooms of my house (they are wall-to-wall in my studio ). So most of my "problem" is concealed.

I also find it hard to part with anything useful. I am into self-sufficiency big-time. If Moses had me along during the 40 year trek in the wilderness, I think he would have left me behind for fear that the Israelites would camp with me instead of him, lol. :facepalm:




.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Well hi, Sharon! I thought you looked familiar, have I seen you at the meetings??? I'm Callie and another book "hoarder" here, lol. At least my son says I'm a hoarder. :shrug: I missed that other thread somehow, will have to see what everyone's "foibles" are. 

I have 12 6-foot tall bookshelves crammed to the limit with books, and I have enough still in boxes and stacked on end tables and my desk to fill at least another six, ha!  Mine are all useful too, covering pretty much the same subjects you mentioned and then some.

The only non-skill/informational books I have are a vintage set of The Chronicles of Narnia that I got on a trip to New York City when I was 16, a set of Amish novels that my neighbor gave me a while back and TONS of old cookbooks, lol, but then I think they sort of teach a skill too, though I love just reading them for pleasure.

Oh, and my son thinks I also hoard kitchenware. I have some stuff from the 30s, 40s and 50s, but I USE every bit of it, it's not just for looking pretty, canisters, bowls, utensils, cutlery, etc. He thinks my grinder, Food Saver, dehydrator and canning equipment are "junk" that I'm hoarding too...but he sure doesn't mind loading up the bread, canned food, beef jerky, fruit roll-ups, etc., to take home with him. 

What's ironic is that he is more of a hoarder than I am! He has an oversized two-car garage, a two-car shop and a good sized storage building crammed so full of car parts, tools, fishing equipment and who knows what else in there that you can't even walk through it. But THAT is different...that stuff is USEFUL!!!  (even though he hasn't fished in 10 years that I know of and tries to steal my tools every time he's out here because he can't find his when he needs them!) ROFL!

If the books and kitchenwares make me a hoarder, then sign me up, I'll freely admit it!  Great thread Blue Jeans!


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

In reality the term "hoarder" is a maligned term pressed into New Speak for Millennials to further justify their addiction to smart phones , optical document scanners etc that they feel enhances their metro images.

In the 20th century hoarders were the mentally disturbed OCD types who cluttered their homes with years of newspaper , junk and such.

Now anyone with recycle/reuse/repurpose storage areas that terminate in scrap recycling trailers are often labeled hoarders although their efforts successfully reduce landfill exhaustion.

The current smartphone addicted millennial generation simply sees them as opposition to the tech reliant lifestyle they are addicted to.

Our cellphone addicted daughter recently said her mother and I were hoarders because between the two of us we have hardback book collections so large that we card catalog them using index cards and the DDS so that our libraries are in no way reliant on computer database that is subject to drive crash or power failure.

She asked us why on earth we would rather have a couple rooms of our house dedicated for library clutter of a couple thousand books when we could store them all on a Kindle.

I walked her into her mother's study/library and took a hardback off the shelf and showed her where it had been signed by the author on its first day of public release and explained to her that the book could easily be sold for over $800 if her mother chose to sell it and was not power dependent as her Kindle.

GF also added that when the big bad solar flare strikes down the cell feeds She and I will have plenty of reading material in our libraries as long as the zombies with their dead cellphones in hand didn't break through our fences looking for brains. :rotfl:


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## Twp.Tom (Dec 29, 2010)

A house, and five outbuilding filled with 'stuff'. you name it, I got it! Tools,hardware, antique furniture,housewares,outdoor gear, weapons, lamps-electric, and non-electric,did I say tools?.... too much to list*It's all just 'stuff', the important things in this world, I keep close to my heart*. I inherited my parents estate when they passed, I've been going to sales, auctions, and just general pickin', since I was a young man. I have purged, downsized,and consolidated-each time I have moved(3 times), and I am sure that I can do it again. I would post pictures, but I am sure it would overwhelm You*


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## Declan (Jan 18, 2015)

farmgal said:


> Cast iron cookware. ( pan porn) Can't get enough of it.
> 
> I also get in the tractor collecting bug at times. Trying to stop.
> 
> I'm just glad I'm done collecting rescue horses. . I give free hay to others who bid against the meat buyer now. That's my contribution. Much easier.


I have become a little addicted to cast iron too lately. The one thing I do not have that I still want is a big cast iron bean-pot.


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## Skandi (Oct 21, 2014)

I would think that most true hoarders do not think they are hording, just saving things that "might" be usefull one day, personaly I'm a clutter hater, so no danger of hoarding here.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

Skandi said:


> I would think that most true hoarders do not think they are hording, just saving things that "might" be usefull one day, personaly I'm a clutter hater, so no danger of hoarding here.


That describes me. I keep anything that looks like something I may need in the future.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

I'm sure there is a fine line, at some point, between hoarding and prepping for the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse, but I do not know where that line is, or if I've crossed it! Long-term-storage food, non-electric tools & kitchen gadgets, canning jars, pallets, 55-gallon barrels, ARGH! And now I'm in the middle of packing up & moving my farm, (lock, stock & barrel) to another state. 

When my handsome horseman first looked around my house, he said, "Man! You've got a lot of crap! If you ever decide to move, I pity the poor person who has to help you pack up all this stuff." THEN, a few months later, he asked me to move down next to him!!! (And he is the "poor person" who is helping me! LOL!)

I am certainly tossing a lot of *stuff*, though!


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## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

littlejoe said:


> Shucks Ridebarefoot, you're supposed to ride a horse with your mind and body...no tack needed! Hehehe!


Give me a little more time with my new guy- he'll get there. He's going to be a Ferrari. I got sidelined with major sciatic issues last summer and am just now getting time on him. He's so sensitive a ride any weight shift and he's asking "did you say something?" 

to stay thread relevant, snaffles are my downfall. Love a beautifully crafted snaffle.


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

I would love to see you all's collections! probably filled with bartering/trading items.
I like trades!
do you think it has anything to do with upbringing? my folks grew up in hard times, mom saved anything she thought family or friends would use like.
at times I was frustrate with helping move it. later I realized how much love she had for others. my hesitancy in moving it more ties than once, shamed me. she had a heart bigger than a five gallon bucket!
in no way do I save like she did, but I do realize what she was doing...some of it hopefully rubbed off.


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

I too pickup cast cookware whenever I get the notion. I use it, but really don't have that big of a. need for all that I have.

ridebarefoot...I've had quite a bunch of snaffles as well. a couple silver mounted. some were to the point of being wore out. cheek/o rings pins and centers were to the point of being unsafe.


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

In all honesty, I have a lot of faults ( to say the least ), but hoarding isn't one of them. It seems the older I get the LESS stuff I want around. Before my recent move I scoured all my possessions and gave away as much as I could. Once I settled in here there were still items I didn't want around, so I gave even MORE away. 

Is there a thread for minimalists? LOL


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## BlueJeans (Jan 17, 2009)

A thread for Minimalists is a great idea !


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

After this move, I swear I will be a minimalist!


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## BlueJeans (Jan 17, 2009)

Me too !! I haven't moved, but have moved-over...clearing-out some of my "stuff" to make room for my kids. I *thought* I had just "supplies" which somebody...sometime...might need. Nope. I had junk !!! :facepalm:

My late husband and I lived right here for 45 yrs. Nuff Said.


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## J_OF_JandH (Nov 20, 2014)

My wife and I are terrible about hoarding. Everything! Her parents got a new vacuum for Christmas, we asked for the old one for no good reason. We already have two vacuums. WHY!?!?


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## Janis R (Jun 27, 2013)

Hoarding no b/c that is usually messy take over everything stuff.
Stockpiling, yes b/c that is storing useful things I might need or I can barter with.
Also why throw away something that would cost more later to replace like material,ammo or tools.


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## CountryWannabe (May 31, 2004)

Yarn and beads. I probably have enough to keep me going through this lifetime and the next. 

Mary


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

CountryWannabe said:


> Yarn and beads. I probably have enough to keep me going through this lifetime and the next.
> 
> Mary


Beads? Yeah. Those, too. :facepalm:


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## COSunflower (Dec 4, 2006)

I have lived in this home for 41 years - 32 of it with my husband. We raised 3 boys and they all have homes, wives and children of their own now. I have stuff that belongs to probably each and everyone of them here!!!  Every summer I go thru the sheds and make everyone take their stuff or else I sell it at our annual community yard sale!!! I am continually going thru all the rooms in my house - my granddaughters like to help me go thru all the cupboards and closets each summer.  We make ALOT of trips to the thrift stores. I still feel overwhelmed with stuff often though. My "hoard" used to be craft supplies but I've narrowed things down to the stuff I REALLY USE now. One of my biggest problems is that everyone is giving me things that they think I can use (craft supplies). I used to take it all to school and share it there but I retired last spring so now have to say No Thank You or else just haul straight to the thrift store. The one thing that I have to be careful of is hoarding RECIPES. I have SO many little slips of paper with recipes on them!!!


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

Recipes, yeah. Those too. I'm about to weed out my cookbooks. :facepalm: I hate to jettison any of those, though. Somewhere, in some cookbook is a recipe I'm positive I'll need some day. . . . . .


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## farmgal (Nov 12, 2005)

Nehi, who are you fooling? Fess up, you collect baby goats !!! Lol


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Saver, yes. Hoarder, no. I am making a lot of decisions about things I don't use, though I like pretty things around me, and enjoy the hunt for treasures. I have the gear and supplies for several hobbies or crafts I haven't done in a long while, but not ready to hand off. I would not spend time scanning documents, etc., just to have a few boxes less stacked/stored. That is a waste of time, imo.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

farmgal said:


> Nehi, who are you fooling? Fess up, you collect baby goats !!! Lol


ARGH! Caught! There are 6 pregnant goats going with me to AR. All are carrying future champions (I hope)! Now, how can I get rid of any of my precious girls?


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## CountryWannabe (May 31, 2004)

COSunflower said:


> The one thing that I have to be careful of is hoarding RECIPES. I have SO many little slips of paper with recipes on them!!!


MasterCook + an external hard drive are a MIRACLE, I tell ya. I also have a massive hoard of ebooks, but they are on my computer, so nobody knows about them.

Mary
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

In addition to the books already mentioned, I also have several thousand books on my laptop, an external hard drive and memory sticks, lol.  But I don't trust everything to electronics, too many variables to go wrong and lose everything. 

I used to have a lot of stuff, still not really hoarding, everything neat and organized, but just more stuff than I really needed, TONS of craft stuff, even more books, a huge music collection, lots of furniture, knickknacks, clothes, etc. But when I moved back down here from Colorado, I got rid of almost everything. I came back with only what would fit in a Camaro and started over, lol. It was actually very liberating. 

I've started completely over several times in my life, some through choice and some not. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant getting out of Oklahoma and moving to one of my dream locations...or for the right man.


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## bigjon (Oct 2, 2013)

hey bluejeans! got a email on nother tractor!


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## Echoesechos (Jan 22, 2010)

Cookbooks, recipes, fabric, plants, for awhile garden hoes until I cleaned out my garage. Couldn't pass by a hoe at sales. Sheesh you would think I would pick something besides a hoe. LOL

I could come close on books, food, not TPaper though. Love dish ware, all ages. Have a hard time not buying bibles at yard sales. Just seems wrong to sell your bible ya know.


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