How much clutter is hanging around your home? Before you answer that, let’s define what qualifies as clutter. If you are homeless and have so many possessions they do not all fit into your backpack, you might have too much clutter. In the other extreme you might own a mansion, filled with items and yet there is plenty of open space. So, for our purposes clutter does not have as much to do with how much stuff one has, but how much “unnecessary” stuff one has.
In my previous article we had a nice discussion about Pack Rats or as they are sometimes called, “Hoarders”. These people differ from traditional collectors because the Pack Rat just can’t bring herself to getting rid of things. This is a fairly common problem for elderly people who lived through the days when people had to be more resourceful. In the more sever cases the person might even be diagnosed as suffering from “Compulsive Hoarder Syndrome” or CHS.
CHS is not just some harmless character flaw. If left unchecked, it can lead to all sorts of problems. In one tragic case, one of twin-hoarders resulted in an unnecessary death. Another man died in a Chicago fire because of all of his clutter. In yet another example, a woman became so distraught about her clutter, she just did not care about anything any more. Her family made this heart-wrenching video.
Consider these other problems:
• False value - It can be dangerous to lend too much value to used material goods. The bible refers to it as idolatry. But we have money tied up in those items so they seem valuable to us. In the mean time, there are people sleeping under bridges who could use your old clothes and there are libraries and other individuals who could read your books. etc. So does your twelfth coat really offer more value in a box on the floor of your garage or on the back of a homeless mother?
• Sanitation – Rodents and insects need food and shelter. If there is a little water nearby, a closet full of junk may just provide an ideal place for them to call home.
• Safety – People have died because of their piles of debris. Piles have fallen on them. Others have been unable to get through their own maze of accumulations
In the beginning, the hoarder may just keep piling things up in cabinets and closets but eventually their belongings spill over into bigger areas like a basement or a garage, or even an entire apartment building. In my first book, Instant Experience for Real Estate Agents, I told a true story about a vacant 12-unit apartment building which we bought. The former managers were Pack Rats. Their particular attraction was for bicycles and bicycle parts. Apparently they roamed the alleys and brought home any bikes they discovered. The bikes were not new and flashy, or even operable, so they must have been collected one at a time over many years from the dumpsters. It took nearly two large construction dumpsters to get rid of them all.
One woman I know collects pets. Like other Hoarders she sees a certain value in abandoned dogs and cats. When one of those cats has a litter, she just doesn’t have the heart to hand them over to a shelter. She is elderly and her mind is not working well. Her CHS has affected her ability to recognize that all of her animals need homes and neutered so the problem does not get worse. Her home smells so bad she no longer accepts visitors. Her own ailments make it difficult for her to take care of the animals correctly and she cannot get out much so she just sits there in the stench, not knowing what else to do. According to Animal Sheltering, there are certain common traits that animal hoarders share. Meanwhile the pack of dogs and the clowder of cats grows, and grows. She can’t even tell you how many pets she has.
Another woman I know had hidden her affliction with CHS until she died. When her heirs cleaned up, they were shocked to find 80 cartons of cigarettes stuffed in cabinets. There were also cases of beer from decades earlier (remember the old pull-top cans). She had over 50 pairs of shoes that still had tags on them. There was a stock-pile of unused purses and countless rolls of toilet paper and napkins. The cigs and paper products were cheap generic brands or purchased with discount coupons. The shoes and purses were all purchased off of the markdown racks, frequently for a just few dollars a pair. A clear mind would have known there is no rational justification for one person to have 80 cartons of cigarettes, or so many of those other items, but a person suffering from CHS does not have a clear mind.
Do not suppose that men are exempt from CHS disease. I have known them too. One gentleman, now in his 80’s, has stuffed every spare inch of his garage with something that he imagines he might use…someday. He even has buckets of old nuts and bolts he has picked up off the streets; one such bucket is exclusively for bent nails. Another fellow I know, had so many unfinished projects in his garage and basement it all added to a cluttered and troubled mind. Eventually, he got so depressed about his inability to contain his life, he ended it prematurely.
It is not uncommon for the offspring of Pack Rats to suffer from CHS as well. An article in the Seattle Times reveals that studies are being done right now but indications are that hoarding runs in families. Apparently, when children see bad habits, over many years, that behavior begins to appear normal to them. Before long, they mimic that behavior. In my own life, one parent was a bit of a Hoarder and the other leaned toward purging. I am more like the latter. One of my kids tends to accumulate things, but the other one does not.
I have to admit that I am a bit concerned for my wife in this regard. We have too much furniture in our home and any flat surface is packed with picture frames. One day about a month ago, she admitted to me that she has many more picture frames hidden away somewhere. The actuary tables suggest I will leave this world before she does and since she is a sentimentalist, I suspect our home will continue to get more crowded as the years pass.
The last two times we cleaned out “our” closets, I got rid of about 25% of my clothes, half of my books and all of my CD’s. She threw in a few CD’s, one coat and a pair of shoes. She said that all of her other shoes have specific purposes…whatever that could be. It seems to me that one pair of black shoes, one pair of brown shoes, a couple pairs of tennis shoes and a pair or two of boots ought to be enough, but … what do I know?
My cousin, Bonnie, dropped me a note and said that she is a purger: If she hasn’t used something for a couple of years, out it goes. My Dad was even more radical. His timeline was six months, except for seasonal items like garden hoses or snow shovels. One year Patty and I gave him a popcorn-popper for Christmas. Later that year, around the 4th of July, he held his annual garage sale and that popcorn popper, new in the box, was prominently displayed on his table. Patty and I bought it from him, at a huge discount, and used it for many years after that.
I think my cousin, Bonnie, and my Dad have the right idea. When it comes to possessions, a reasonable timeline ought to be observed. If the item hasn’t been used within that time, pass it along to somebody else who is not so enriched. Garage sales can be fun and useful for this purpose. Or, it is easy to find charities that will appreciate your discards. In our area there are all sorts of homeless shelters and humanitarian organizations. There are facilities for unwed parents, veterans, seniors and all sorts of other folks. Naturally, the Goodwill is always ready to assist in this regard.
The bottom line is hoarding can be unhealthy. It gives too much value to material things and not enough value to people. We all know a great deal of pleasure can be derived from giving. Why deny ourselves the pleasure of giving those things to somebody who will have an equally gratifying experience by accepting the symbol of your generosity?
Perhaps it is time for a good Spring cleaning.
A tragic Video of 70 collies that were victims of animal hoarding is provided by University of California, Davis.
For useful tips we amateur Pack Rats can employ to make sure we don’t get carried away are here.
Your thoughts?
Drop by my other blog. It is about family finances.
If you would like to write a guest article on a topic of your choice, let me know.
14 comments:
You know it’s interesting to hear about people’s material clutter. But I wonder how much awareness there is about digital clutter. Having worked in IT for the better part of thirteen years I have had the opportunity to be inside a variety of size and type organizations and one trait that is common amongst them all is that businesses spend far too much capitol keeping their employees digital clutter. I would be willing to bet that the average hoarder/pack rat of material possession behaves in the same fashion on the corporate infrastructure AND that a person who, much like your father who rids themselves of unused items behaves in a pack rat like fashion when it comes to digital content. Only recently have companies began to understand that a “purge policy” is necessary but ironically it is from a legal standpoint that these policies emerge, not from a practical or financial business standpoint. It never ceases to amaze me when I see thousands of documents that are in some cases close to a decade old by only one user. Invariably, when you approach these users to ask them to clean their mess, the answer is that whatever it is, it’s needed. I can see that the last time the data was accessed was over 5 years ago, but the line of thinking is, I might just need it. The difference between the material hoarder and the digital hoarder is that only after the fact does it affects others or does family or someone have to intervene to help, where as with digital hoarders a number of people are affected by their need to keep. Great follow up article, I really enjoyed it.
Caleb: Do you remember the 837 jars of peaches we removed from the basement of the little old lady's house on King Street? Most of them looked like they were from the 50's. Now that is hoarding.
Earlier this summer my neighbors across the street had a garage sale. As usual I thought they, like most people, had misspelled one of the only two words on their sign. I believe that 99.99% of garage sale signs should more accurately read "Garbage Sale". That one 'b' is what actually defines what is being sold from the garage; garbage.
We have all heard the saying 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'. Once again, just like the misnamed 'Garage Sale', I think this saying is inaccurate. The saying should be 'One man's treasure is everyone else's trash'.
We all understand that the saying 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is just coded talk to say something or someone is unattractive to everyone but a blind person. The same is true with the mythical 'treasure' at a garage sale or in a pack rat's den.
As a contractor I have often found myself in the Fixer position of the 'Fix and Flip' investment model. Often times these houses needed fixed simply because the occupier could not distinguish between a home and a storage unit. It is natural to be overwhelmed by being under the burden of being overstuffed with undervalued junk. The over and under can be so confusing some people just give up and find a new place to overwhelm. After dealing with countless of these plagued places my innate drive to purge has been continually reaffirmed.
Upon hearing my Grandpa's thought on classifying things as trash after 6 months, I adopted the concept. When I was growing up my mom felt an obligation to filter through my 'trash' after every spring cleaning of my bedroom. To me it was trash, to her there was the possibility of treasure. Several times in the years since, she has tried to give me back some treasure that I had thrown away a decade earlier. I have always gratefully declined; I am a purger not a treasure hunter.
So earlier this summer I had no desire to check out my neighbor's garbage; though I could really use another garage, especially if it was on sale. However, regardless of all of my attempts at avoidance, I ended up in their garage. The retired man, Bob, mows my lawn for a little extra money and for something to do. When he comes to get paid I invite him into my house while I write him a check. Apparently he told his wife Bobby (yes Bob and Bobby), that I had no furniture and my house was nearly bare. I have furniture and things, just not clutter. I purge clutter.
So when Bobby came to me with motherly eyes that were sad that I wasn't overwhelmed under the burden of being overstuffed with undervalued junk, I felt obligated to hunt through their garbage's treasures. I am happy to report that I spent no money, I had to move no furniture, and I have not had to purge any garbage treasures. I am a purger not a treasure hunter.
Caleb,
What are some examples of digital clutter?
You have all inspired me! Thanks.
Dave, I could give you an example of digital clutter in my email inbox. Yikes.
Also, people keep old emails, folders full of files, just the same old office type documents and paperwork, only in digital form. It stacks up on company hard drives and slows down the system.
My grandmother is a hoarder, for the reason you mentioned Dave; she is AFRAID to get rid of anything because back in her day, you saved everything that might be of even the most insignificant importance. My mom and I talked about this just the other day that when my grandmother passes, we have a big job ahead of us trying to figure out what to do with her stuff. Not to mention she lives 1,200 miles away. Should be interesting.
Anyway, as much as she won't admit it, my mom is also a hoarder. Always has been. Not to the degree of the people you mentioned in your article, but she's always lived in chaos and clutter. She buys stuff that she doesn't need for the sole purpose of having it. It might come in handy someday after all. If she sees something that's 80% off, she buys it, even if she already has one of whatever it is, even if she doesn't need it. Usually these things go unused for years and eventually she hands them down to me. Usually I take them to Goodwill or the shelter, whichever is more appropriate. She also has a compulsory need to buy something for my kids every time she sees them - which is at least once a week. I've told her so many times that not only do my kids have way too many things already and they don't need more, but also that she should save her money to buy things she can use, or better yet, her retirement. But she doesn't listen.
Growing up in the house of someone with this hoarder/packrat syndrome, I've found that as an adult, I am quite the opposite of my mother. Which is also sometimes not a good thing, just ask my husband. I have a compulsory need to get rid of stuff! And I hate clutter. Everything must have a place and purpose and if it's out of place or out in the open, it drives me crazy. I can't stand it. I have to move it so that it's at least out of sight. If the item no longer serves a purpose, it's gone. I regularly give our gently used (and in some cases unused) clothes, toys, and other random household items we don't use or need anymore to charities. I get a sort of a thrill purging the house, getting rid of stuff. Handing over that huge Hefty bag to the ladies at the women's shelter makes me feel so good. I just made room in our house for new items and I probably just made some little kids day with some new clothes and toys.
So I broke the chain of hoarder/packrat syndrome that seems to afflict the women in my family. But I'm not sure what I do is much better.
Every single year my mom would take us to Iowa for vacation to visit with all of her aunts and uncles. One of them, whose name I actually can't remember, was a single woman. She used to be a librarian, and she had inherited her home from her parents. It was a beautiful old house, but it was falling into disrepair. What's worse is that the entire living room was covered in newspapers. There wasn't even any place to sit, because the piles of newspapers overcrowded everything. When we looked in her fridge, there was nothing but a box of cookies and a can of soup. I never went to the upstairs part of her home, but I used to dread having to visit this woman and her crazy clutter.
Dave is a turkey hoarder.
Dave is a turkey hoarder.
Dave is a turkey hoarder.
Matt, Shame on you. A hoarder I am not. I admit that I buy 5-10 Turkeys per year, but I have never wasted one. Last year I bought 10 turkeys at Thanksgiving, when they were cheap. We ate 8 of them and gave 2 to a homeless shelter. This year I bought 7 of them. We ate 3 on Thanksgiving and one about two weeks ago. We will eat one per month the next 3 months. It is a matter of frugality, not hoarding.
However, i will admit that I have a hoarder's instincts. I like to acquire cheap things that I can give to worthwhile causes.
Dad, I think you are not a hoarder, just a Bulimic Consumer. Your condition is a combination of both your parents (surprise, surprise). You over consume because the deal is too good to pass up, then you feel the need to purge the over consumption. As long as you get rid of most of what you took in, whatever is left can be forgiven.
A Bulimic Consumer eh? Well, I guess that does define me fairly well. I like charity work so it gives me an outlet for the bargains I like to find.
A Bulimic Consumer! I am gonna have to remember that one. Good observation.
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