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When I was a boy, I hoarded Stuff. I had what my parent’s called a “rat’s nest”, a closet full of the Stuff I’d gathered. Why did I hoard Stuff? Was it because we were poor and I wanted to own things? Or was it something deeper?
As I grew older, I became more discriminating. I didn’t hoard everything — just certain things. Books, especially. But it was difficult for me to throw anything away. When Kris and I moved out of our old house four years ago, I was forced to dump all the Stuff I’d been collecting in our storage shed. So many magazines — gone! It was a painful experience.
My own compulsion to hoard is minor. Martin Hampton has created a short film highlighting four excessive hoarders, people who cannot rid themselves of any of their Stuff.
In a parallel world, I could be any of these people (especially the first guy).
Hoarding appears to be linked to mental illness, usually to obsessive-compulsive disorder. This doesn’t surprise me. I’m just happy to finally be shedding the urge to hoard Stuff. (I’ve been purging my life of useless things for several months now.) If only I could figure out how to stop hoarding data…
More info:
- Mayo Clinic: Hoarding
- Wikipedia: Compulsive hoarding
- Something Awful: My mother is insane
I’ve learned that hoarding can be costly. As the film demonstrates (and as I know first-hand), it costs money to acquire the Stuff we hoard. It costs money to store it. And it costs mental and emotional energy to deal with its presence. I don’t have any solution for excessive hoarders. All I can say is please, do your best to prevent Stuff from ruling your life.
[via Andy]
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March 4th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Here are a couple of really good websites if you or someone you know is affected by hoarding. They’re both really supportive groups and worth checking out.
http://www.squalorsurvivors.com/index.shtml
http://www.childrenofhoarders.com/forum/index.php
March 4th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
My experience is that the relationship between the amount of stuff that I have loosely follows the Universal Gas Law: My stuff slowly grows to fill the available space. We now make concerted efforts to not bring new Stuff into the house (we have learned that Stuff does not make us happy), get rid of stuff we don’t use (ever find boxes from your last move that are still unopened?), and better organize the Stuff we feel we can’t live without.
Three years ago we moved from a house into an apartment — that really forced us to get rid of a bunch of Stuff. I think we need to start looking for a smaller place again…
March 4th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I had a reality check last year. I had managed to be fairly non-materialistic my whole life (I’m now 23) until college when I had my own paychecks to spend. In 4 years time, I amassed quite alot of stuff and realized how materialistic I was getting. A month before college ended, my apartment burned down. My roommate lost everything to his name, and I nearly lost everything as well. It really opened my eyes as to the actual value I was getting out of having my stuff, and I am much more careful with my purchasing habits now. I’m happier with what I do buy (quality over quantity), and save money at the same time.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I can see how hoarding can be linked to OCD. I’m not OCD, but I feel it’s probably a very fine line that I walk. I don’t hoard “stuff” so much as I hoard paper…old school exams, theses, articles I find interesting, bills and receipts, and, yes, books. When we moved across the country in May, my husband made me throw almost all of it away…I did manage to save some…and it was an incredibly painful experience. I find comfort in knowing that if I ever need to refer back to something it’s right there, and though I’ve been quite good since we moved about not saving these things (particularly old bills and receipts that have been reconciled), I’m still quite uncomfortable with it.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Wow, really sad to watch. Like Kym I lost pretty much everything when as I was moving at the end of my university year, the car was broken into and everything stolen, I was literally left with the clothes I was wearing and a few textbooks. I’ve become much better at decluttering since then (I do it at least twice a year) because I know that almost everything can be replaced. But this movie makes me want to purge my stuff again.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
When I short sold my house last year, I had to get rid of probably 75% of my “stuff”…it was the most freeing experience. I fit everything I owned into a compact car. I don’t think I’d ever go back.
That movie was really sad. I don’t think you can fault people that have a medical issue for hoarding though.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Someday, I hope to be part of this video.
Except, surrounded by cash.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
The question is, do you own the stuff or does the stuff own you?
My stuff owns me. But I make progress on it. I give a LOT of stuff away, I don’t buy more stuff, and still I have a garage full of stuff that some days, I know I’ve made progress on shedding, but some days I’m wondering if it will ever end. I’ve noticed my Smart Half keeps old electronics and computer parts that don’t work. I can’t complain to him, because most of the stuff in our garage is mine. my excuse is the poor storage in almost every place we’ve ever lived. It’s only sort of valid.
I would sell some of the stuff, but that’s more effort than I want to put into the stuff. I just want to get rid of it, but not necessarily throw it away unless it really IS trash. Plus, much of the stuff just isn’t worth anything to anyone but me.
March 4th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
I agree with DebtKid - moving can be very freeing - you get rid of so much stuff. I try to trick myself each year and pretend I’m moving to throw out stuff. Fortunately I live in a 1550 sq. ft. house with no basment and a hard to reach attic. I don’t have much space to hoard. And I generally don’t add to the mess. My husband, on the other hand, can’t throw anything away. He is really bad to keep papers and journals. I frequently have to go in and just pull from the bottom of the pile to throw away (we are talking about papers that are 5 years old or more - kept for no apparent reason). After all, if it has an inch of dust on it I really don’t think you are going to use it.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
My wife’s parents recently retired and did away with almost everything they own. They keep 1 small condo, fully furnished, and only what clothing they can fit in a couple suitcases. Because of that, they are able to travel at will, all over the world, often for lengthy times and just rent out their furnished place to offset their travel costs when they aren’t there. The freedom that lifestyle has given them has inspired me to de-clutter as much as possible, and I hope sharing that helps others who struggle with hoarding.
The reality is, all that stuff just ties you down, and there’s incredible freedom in ridding yourself of it. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
March 4th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Here’s a good 20 minute video called The Story of Stuff: http://www.storyofstuff.com/
March 4th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Woohoo! I read The Tyranny of Stuff back when you wrote and couldn’t agree more. I’ve been writing all about my process of GETTING RID for two weeks, as part of a month long challenge to myself:
http://www.antishay.com/?p=67
Simplicity Challenge - Halfway There!
It’s been an experience of letting go, to say the least
Keep on preaching the word! LOL. We could all use a little less stuff in our lives, I think.
March 5th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Oh my! This link —> http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=830487 is unbelievable.
March 5th, 2008 at 6:25 am
Why is it easier to acquire than de-acquire? I think that some of the traits that make one thrifty, that are useful habits in one’s life, can at the same time lead to over-accumulation. I have been tepidly trying to reduce what I own for some time now, but without an external prod like a move, it is difficult not to see each item as something I paid for and saw value in. As someone noted above, it is a lot easier to purchase than to sell, so usually to un-acquire something, it’s going to be give it to goodwill/salvation army or to the trash/recycling bin… There’s no reason either of those options should be so hard, but somehow it is…
March 5th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Great article. One thing that really helped me become less of a hoarder was my husband’s constant reminder to me of the economic principle of “sunk costs.” Like others have mentioned, I find that I often justify keeping things because I paid good money for them, not because I actually like the stuff or ever plan to use it. So reminding myself that that dusty gadget in the basement represents sunk costs that I can never recoup makes it easier for me to throw it in the Goodwill bag. I sell what I can on ebay or craigslist, but so much of what we keep has no significant value anymore.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Aha! I was going to comment about “The Story of Stuff” (which changed my life!) but I see that fortunately “InvestEveryMonth” beat me to it. I’m so glad you brought up this issue.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:03 am
And don’t forget that selling whatever stuff you can helps with your snowflaking efforts.
I find that when I do that or when I donate sacks and sacks of stuff to Goodwill, 5 minutes after I drop the things off, I can’t remember what any of it was. My credit-card statements do, though! Sad.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I am not a packrat, and I have decluttered often, but still there is so much more stuff in my house and garage that if I were to dispose of it, I know it would give me an incredible freeing feeling. I get rid of things in stages, instead of one fell swoop. It’s excess baggage to me, weighing me down mentally — (one way to look at it). Whenever I drive by and glimpse someone’s garage, packed to the gils, I feel sorry for them. Whenever I see someone’s garage all cleaned out, I envy those people. I’m somewhere in the middle, but want to have that empty garage/house, free from at least the stuff that I know I will never wear or use. Maybe this article will motivate me. I could work in 30 min. increments, or could do one room a day, or one closet a day.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:37 am
I keep too much Stuff as well, though not to the extreme of the people in the video. I have grand designs of making back some money on things by selling on ebay or craigslist, rather than just tossing them in the trash. The frugality in me doesn’t want to let go of something that could bring some money.
But sooner or later its time to let go. I suppose I don’t need those three spare computer cases from old systems 10+ years ago….
March 5th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Is there an opposite to hoarding thats linked to OCD because i have some ocd tendancies and i HATE stuff. I have one book shelf of books, dvds and video games, when i can no longer fit anything on it i get rid of most of it. It drives me insane to have stuff. I go through my closet atleast once every 3 months and get rid of any clothes i haven’t worn. when i buy a book i read it ASAP then donate/sell/trade it. My husband is a hoarding but only with electronics and computer parts. drives me insane how much stuff is in our office and on his desk. His desk takes up half the room and mine is a printer stand bc i dont need extra space for anything.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:53 am
“If only I could figure out how to stop hoarding data…”
I hear you there. I’m trying to create personal wiki on my home computer to compile all of the “indispensable” information I’ve clipped (Google Notebook) or bookmarked. I’ve got a real problem. Just yesterday I saved a consumer reports article about saving money on baby formula…..I’m at least a year or TWO from even needing that info!
March 5th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I’m a hoarder in recovery. It’s very very hard! Stunning the power stuff has over us….The irony is, while it pains me to let my stuff go, my favorite places are those with few things—I love Japanese style (minimalist), wide open spaces, clean, clear surfaces. It’s frustrating!
March 5th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Check out the OCD Foundation website: http://www.ocfoundation.org/ There is a pamphlet that details compulsive hoarding.
March 5th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I’m trying to figure out what I still need from my college years—papers? On the one hand, having the papers could be important down the line if someone wants to see my work for grad school or somesuch. On the other, they may never be useful again.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Computer nerd/entrepreneur Paul Graham wrote a good essay on the urge to acquire stuff (in the context of “normal” people, not those with diagnosable mental conditions):
“…the value of some new acquisition wasn’t the difference between its retail price and what I paid for it. It was the value I derived from it. Stuff is an extremely illiquid asset. Unless you have some plan for selling that valuable thing you got so cheaply, what difference does it make what it’s ‘worth?’ The only way you’re ever going to extract any value from it is to use it. And if you don’t have any immediate use for it, you probably never will.”
http://www.paulgraham.com/stuff.html
March 5th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I just wrote about this.
The Cost of Junk
it’s a little more on the larger-scale societal aspect of hoarding, but it’s a good complement to J.D.’s article.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I think in our culture it takes a deliberate and constant effort not to acquire and hoard possessions. I have been steadily de-hoarding for the last year and the more I get rid of the easier it seems not to acquire more stuff. Just a change of mind set I guess.
My cleaning out started when I shut down my home office. Good grief, I had accumulated an unbelievable amount of stuff(junk really) in that office, eighteen years worth.
Once I got started I just kept going. Every few months the spirit moves me and I tackle another area. My house is getting pretty empty, but I notice that my girl friend is slowly filling in behind me.
One area that I have been unable to cut down is tools that I have accumulated over many years. Just can’t make myself do it yet.
March 6th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Re: CleanSimple
Please stop perpetuating the myth that the Japanese are minimalist. This is only true in style magazines and architectural digests. Real life looks a lot more like stacks and stacks of junk all over the place. If you don’t believe me, have a look at the book “Tokyo: A Certain Style” by Kyoichi Tsuzuki. That’s real life. That zen, clear space crap is a myth the West eagerly embraces for reasons I can’t fathom. I’m guessing the only people who really live like that are monks. Honestly, I’ve lived in Japan for almost 19 years and I’ve seen places that’d make you shudder.
I started decluttering seriously 4 years ago and have my apartment (which is a tiny place in Tokyo) pretty clear. I keep pruning it around the edges, but I’m pretty happy with it as it is. My main problem is my husband simply refuses to let some things go even though he hasn’t touched them in over decade. As it was, I had to labor long and hard to convince him that he isn’t extracting any additional value from things he spent money on and no longer has any use for. These days, I can’t pry stuff from him that he is convinced he may have a use for again some day or that he may eventually sell (a collection of 2000 music CDs, for instance).
March 6th, 2008 at 6:27 am
What does it mean when you are compulsive stuff purger?
I may be one of the few, but I feel almost equally trapped by my “need” to get rid of my stuff. I get stressed when I cannot get rid of things.
March 6th, 2008 at 7:43 am
The best website I have seen for this is http://www.flylady.net. It’s free. She helps you realize you can do anything 15 minutes and to finally start loving yourself.
March 6th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Ditto on http://www.flylady.net. Her free website and practical, caring approach enabled me to work miracles in my home and unload many, many pounds of clutter a layer at a time.
March 7th, 2008 at 7:04 am
[...] Rich Slowly has an interesting article about people who hoard things (I fall into this category as someone who hoards books… [...]
March 18th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Someone said that one should never have something you don’t know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.
All my stuff fits into those two criteria