Who here is a hoarder? I know you do.

It is said that hoarding roots from something in your childhood. While I dont have boxes stacked to the ceilings of old newspapers, nor a dead cat under a stack of old TVs, I confess I hoard.

I love tools. I have about every tool one could need. I shop for them and I enjoy it. Maybe it is because as a teen with my first car I had 5 basic tools available. And I could tear down and rebuild a car with just those. But now I have all the tools I need.

I love collectables. I cant describe the variety, but I focus on antiquities and NASCAR items. Yes, that is weird. Lol.

I also like refurbishing old electronics. That is just fun for me, making old crap work again. I am pretty good at it too.

I also love books. I have quite a library ranging from every topic you could think of. Some of them pretty old too.


So what is your disfunction. What stuff do you have that makes your significant other cringe when you bring home more. Does it relate to your childhood or present situation some how?

a reply to: smirkley

I'm not sure what it stems from but I also hoard books - tons and tons of books (having trouble finding places for them, they are in semi-organized "piles" and stacks and have filled all of my bookcases (I have several, the apartment had built-in bookcases/shelving as well which are also filled).

I also have collected all glass containers over several years - I use many to store my water in (glass is a healthy alternative to plastics), but I have SO many and only use a small fraction of them for my water (maybe like 10% or less of them)

In addition to this I've also begun collecting various forms of art, but haven't been able to put it all up - I have many canvases/framed paintings leaning up against my walls (I really need to enjoy them more!).

I'm not sure if mine truly does stem from any childhood experiences - for me I think part of it is obsessive compulsive disorder, ADHD and also a "need" to keep things that I feel attached to in some way. The books/art is all stuff I care deeply about. The glass jars/bottles are more of me just being paranoid and always wanting "more" supplies in case I ever needed them.

a reply to: smirkley

Most of the junk I got piled in my garage I got from other hoarders who had their stuff thrown away. They been saving it their whole life, every other garage in Americs is full of it. Usually they die and someone comes and goes, what do we do with all this junk?

Not having a clue the value therein they put it all in landfill or on the curb to be hauled off.

My junk used to be someone else's junk. It didn't cost me anything, except the gas and time to find it. I don't value it particularly, unless i can use, sell or recycle it. One day someone will come along and say, what do we do with all this junk?

1 800 Got Junk?

My husband hoards guitars and gear (preamps, compressors, etc) He buys super cheap on eBay. Literally hundreds of guitars. The majority of his guitars and gear don't even work. He got them because they were free or really cheap. Our entire basement is all his gear in dusty boxes. We have gear and guitars under our bed, in our closet, etc.

I don't entirely "get it" but it seems to make him happy. There are far worse things he could be spending his time and money on... So I got him a new bass guitar pedal for his birthday. I guess that makes me a hoarding enabler.

1 800 Got Junk. I like that.

I love it when my wife is in the garage and proclaims I should throw away whatever stack she is looking at. It is junk and just takes up space bla bla.

And six months later she asks, "I could sure use one of something for some odd reason". And I scamper out to the garage with glee knowing where one is, and bring it in with a satisfied smile of, "see, I told you we would need it sometime!"

OH boy.
My grandmother was a true hoarder, sans the dead animals. 7 car pole barn, with walking trails. So it is also probably hereditary as well.
Although I am not nearly close to her level, I do have a few "collections".
Legos are my most expensive.
Old jars and bottles found on farm trash piles around my house are my favorite, that I actually use as well as display.
Books, which I built shelves for in one son's old room. (and have boxed up in the basement.)
Tarot decks.

2) 55 gal. drums of vintage material i kept from my grandmother, which isn't bad since we threw about 60 garbage bags away.

a reply to: smirkley

A true hoarder will hide from prying eyes on what they hoard.

I've gotten pretty bad about hording metal. Aluminum, steel, brass, copper, etc. Cans, old wire, anything broken made of metal. I don't throw away used aluminum foil, it goes in with the aluminum cans. I also have boxes of circuit boards that I will eventually strip for gold, silver, and palladium.

Eventually I'll get it all up to the scrap metal place. Honest.

a reply to: mamabeth
Maybe true, and I imagine I have stuff that hasnt seen the light of day for years. But I like to show my junk off if someone shows interest.

My hording stems for the fact I have many mAny hobbies and very small house....if I lived in a bigger place I wouldn't be a horder as I would have ample room for all my crap. But as it stands my little office which is about 8feet by 10feet is pretty damn horded and the bedroom to many cloths not enough closet. Besides those two rooms my house is pretty clean and the living room, kitchen and porch are presentable.


a reply to: smirkley

originally posted by: smirkley
a reply to: mamabeth
Maybe true, and I imagine I have stuff that hasnt seen the light of day for years. But I like to show my junk off if someone shows interest.

I do that and I get arrested for indecent exposure.

originally posted by: VictorVonDoom
I've gotten pretty bad about hording metal. Aluminum, steel, brass, copper, etc. Cans, old wire, anything broken made of metal. I don't throw away used aluminum foil, it goes in with the aluminum cans. I also have boxes of circuit boards that I will eventually strip for gold, silver, and palladium.

Eventually I'll get it all up to the scrap metal place. Honest.

]
Don't do that. As middle men, they want your "scrap" at next to nothing prices. If you save enough weight, call a center nearer a port. The closer you get to the docks they ship it out from, the better the price per pound.

a reply to: smirkley

To the guy who has everything, F&S!
I want to be able to take a pair of raw Brodix dash-17s: and
without CNC munch them into drag racing nightmares for
another 355 with Ricky. Not just a Dumore and a drill press,
if you get it... but I'd give the one down there (not working
this month) for a flow bench and a turret milling machine that
isn't wimpy. Sigh.
Retired toolmaker-- with loud hobbies and a small wallet. Oh
yeah a valve spring compressor that won't warp out and launch a
beehive spring through the shingles. Great thread where's that 9/16

I have bags full of plastic bags.
Will I ever use them?
Probably not.

originally posted by: VegHead
My husband hoards guitars and gear (preamps, compressors, etc) He buys super cheap on eBay. Literally hundreds of guitars. The majority of his guitars and gear don't even work. He got them because they were free or really cheap. Our entire basement is all his gear in dusty boxes. We have gear and guitars under our bed, in our closet, etc.

I don't entirely "get it" but it seems to make him happy. There are far worse things he could be spending his time and money on... So I got him a new bass guitar pedal for his birthday.

I guess that makes me a hoarding enabler.

You are in fact a low frequency aficionado and sponsor to
the subsonic. He is one lucky golem

a reply to: derfreebie

Oh yes, I do understand.

A man should have several 9/16s around. Several. And a 7/16ths and a 1/2.

originally posted by: smirkley
a reply to: derfreebie

Oh yes, I do understand.

A man should have several 9/16s around. Several. And a 5/16ths and a 1/2.

Actually if you have a pair of '78 or so 400 Smogger heads they're the Holy
Grail of grunge slabs. I mean the chambers are 78cc but you can shave 'em
and make love to the intake runners and waste your life making that 23
degree valve angle do draft horse work for ya. And I'd cry too. But that's
just because the first car I paid for was a '56 BelAir with a '55 front end
and a stutter inside it like a 15 year old cheerleader right out of a cold pool.
Maybe that was too much information... but if you've got a Smokey (BIll)
Unick book or two I'm going to just suicide.

a reply to: derfreebie

Uhh actually I am a huge fan of Smokey. That guy could make anything work, and work fast. He was a genius at inventing the better fast parts. I might have a book of him. I would have to dig lol.

a reply to: smirkley

I am not a hoarder--I watch that show Hoarders, though.

Anyone who is a hoarder: please go get help. Please. Pretty please with cherries on top.
Living in a nice clean house is nice. You deserve to live in a clean house.
Oh, and also, you'll save money if you stop and you'll be able to actually enjoy what you buy instead of turning it into garbage due to the filth in the home. That's what really gets me about that show. These poor people spend tons of money on stuff--and that stuff ends up being trash because it gets ruined by the hoard. Not to mention rodent problems *shiver*

Hoarding is bad, m'mkay?

Collecting things isn't worth it if collecting things is destroying your home or your life or your relationships.

Obviously, I've seen too many episodes of Hoarders xD

originally posted by: smirkley
a reply to: derfreebie

Uhh actually I am a huge fan of Smokey. That guy could make anything work, and work fast. He was a genius at inventing the better fast parts. I might have a book of him. I would have to dig lol.

I'll have to pit after this one but yes indeed. I think if it wasn't for DeLorean,
Duntov, and that NASCAR fellow the world would be a lot more boring. Bad joke.