How much cr@p can one person accumulate?

[Kirstie]

We just got rid of most of what was in our loft - it took four trips to the tip, and most of it was just put up there when we moved. I still have no idea how we manage to accumulate stuff. I have to have a shoe audit at least once every two years, or the other half gets grumpy...

 

[Fnaar]

We just got rid of most of what was in our loft - it took four trips to the tip, and most of it was just put up there when we moved. I still have no idea how we manage to accumulate stuff. I have to have a shoe audit at least once every two years, or the other half gets grumpy...

the top half?

 

[Kirstie]

the top half?

No I'm a whole. That's whole.

 

[scots_lass]

I had a friend once who hoarded (among many other things) cardboard boxes! Every time she had a box, she would fold it down and put it in the garage. The garage was full of mouldy cardboard! What's the point????????

 

[tyred]

My brother seems to collect empty paint tins. The garage is full of them. If he sees me with a tin of paint, it's "keep that tin, might be useful for something"

 

[Fnaar]

Anyone remember this sad story about a junk-hoarder who died amongst his rubbish?

 

[MajorMantra]

An oft-repeated phrase in my flat is: "S*** expands to full the available space."

Boy does it ever!

That could explain the five bikes I have in here at the moment...

Matthew

 

[summerdays]

I'm a hoarder who wishes she wasn't, married to someone who also wishes I wasn't. I get nervous when he starts chucking stuff out... and I can't make up my mind to watch and retrieve stuff or not look and then not miss what he has thrown out.

 

[Hover Fly]

When I cleared my father's shed after he died I came to a wooden box, about 3 feet x 2 x 2, tried to lift it, no chance! On looking inside it must have contained every old bicycle and motorcycle chain he had ever used. Over boxes full of old Sturmey innards and worn out hubs and pedals, tyres made by Dunlop and John Bull hanging up.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

The day after we moved in here, about eighteen months ago, I put 30 boxes of stuff in the shed. I had almost caused a divorce and a family rift before we moved trying to persuade family members to ditch their junk but still ended up moving 30 boxes we didn't need to. The only good thing is I persuaded the mrs to go through them over the last bank holiday and the 30 are now 25.

 

[Mr Pig]

My sister lives in America and I remember a conversation she had with my mother a few years ago. It was about a cupboard full of my sister's old school books that she'd kept at mum's house since moving out and went something like this:

"You know those old books of yours? I was going to throw them out"

"You can't do that! I've had those for years, they hold memories and have great sentimental value"

"Well, I need the space, so if you want to keep them you'll have to take them home with you"

"Oh, ok, just throw them out then"

I think that 'human garbage expands to fill the space available' is exactly right. We'll keep anything we've got the room for.

 

[slowmotion]

Well, the rules you apply are flexible. I do not stick to any of them BTW

1) Trash the old pots of paint, cement and sand, and that half used sheet of plasterboard and MDF at the end of a DIY project.

2) If the consumer electronics doesn't pack up within a week, trash the boxes that they came in. Who wants a loft full of empty cardboard boxes?

3) Keep just one pair of grubby jeans and one paint-splattered sweater. You only need one of each.

3) When you find that wierd plastic moulding/ screw/ piece of metal etc etc that you can't quite work out the purpose of, but might be vital at some stage in the future, trash that as well. You will not miss it.

4) Do not chuck out books or LPs.

5) Bin all interconnects from the hi-fi, TV, etc that came in the box, and were never used.

6) Keep all maps, but trash the brochures from the holiday.

7) Keep all photos.

8) Clean out My Docs, and your email on your PC.

Well, there you are, totally liberated...now the next problem is to persuade your partner to part with whole cupboards full of clothes and cosmetics that she started acquiring 30 years ago .

Good luck.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Part of my problem is I'm an incorrigible skip diver. There's a skip about five doors down from us at the moment, full of useful stuff. So far I've had:

six old window frames, two of which I actually had to go and buy glass for. I'll be using these to make coldframes and to put in the garden shed when I build that
nearly 100 housebricks, to be used for building a base for the shed
some old wooden drawers, for use as planters
a dozen or so lengths of decorative timber - half round, D section and such like. Always handy
and a toolbag, now full of my house tools

which wouldn't be so bad, but the house is already full of stuff. At least I can use it all, I suppose.

 

[sheddy]

I sometimes tell people that I exercise by doing a bit of skipping. They never get it unless the wife butts in to translate.