hoarders is so inspiring / family

[Zoe Girl]

i switched from law and order svu to hoarders last night, it is so inspiring. i tend towards anti-hoarding but life still creates a lot of stuff! i was watching one where a young lady was being encouraged by her mom to keep something she wanted to give away. reminded me of my mom, i think my mom is a 'functional hoarder' , they have a 4 bedroom house with every closet and other spaces full but my dad is as much into not having stuff so it is a very nice house. Still i get overwhelmed when i visit with it all.

i have 2 grocery bags of trash and one of goodwill from one room, i do keep it up. i am getting a couple new towels and washclothes. Better a couple good ones than a pile of junky ones. also framing some art for the bathroom that my kids made. i had a lot of socks, gave a lot of good ones to goodwill because it was just too many. i went to about 10 pairs of underwear months ago and i have never had an issue getting dressed so that works.

it feels good

[TxZen]

I love watching Hoarders because I am fascinated at the reasoning behind why they do it.

My mom was a functioning hoarder too. I called her the organized hoarder when I was growing up but noticed that as she got older, it was getting out of control. When I say we removed 23 full size storage bins of shoes from the first go around, it opened my eyes.

I just did another go around and I brought another load to the donation place.

[Float On]

I was pretty excited to see netflix had some new hoarders episodes the other night. Love watching it to get in the mood to clean. My moms attic and basement are full but organized in labeled boxes. My mother only gives me checks anymore because she said one time "I'm afraid to give you anything because I know you'll just get rid of it later."

[catherine]

Love watching it to get in the mood to clean. My moms attic and basement are full but organized in labeled boxes.

Yes, it does do that to me also. It's fascinating and sad at the same time. When I watch it I think of all the spiritual injunctions in every religious tradition against "attachments" and watching that you can see why.

[rodeosweetheart]

I have a love hate reaction this show--it definitely inspires me to get rid of stuff, which is good, but I think it's really intrusive and creepy and cannot believe that therapists are involved in publicly giving treatment to these people--seems really unethical to turn their pain into entertainment and source of schadenfreude, but that's also true of Dr. Drew and intervention shows--just think a hundred years from now, people will react like we react now to circus freak show entertainment. Although hey, that is also making a comeback, I guess.

Anyway, I hate seeing human pain turned into entertainment. Hoarding is a serious mental issue, a confluence of things like anxiety, OCD, and depression. And it definitely gets worse as one gets older, so I'm sure we will be seeing more of it.

But you can argue that these shows do a great service by bringing these problems out in the open.

Who knows.

[Teacher Terry]

I can't stand to watch that show-the homes are so dirty/disgusting that is makes me sick. Also I agree that is unethical on the part of therapists. However, I used to love clean house because the homes were not disgusting & I felt like they were helping people who homes were out of control & helping them before they truly became sick hoarders. They would also ask them what led to the situation so the people could think about it.

[Packy]

I went to the wreckin' yard, to pull some good, garnteed, salvaged parts for my 1-ton, dually flatbed 4x4 '84 GMC. It has the mighty 454. I had acquired it from a goat rancher from Yellville, ark. He wasn't using it, and it needed too much work, anyway. But, the engine runs excellent, the body is pretty solid, and there is none of that hi-tech, computerized electronic garbage or antipollution or safety junk on it. You can start it with a key that costs 99 cents to duplicate at any hardware store, instead of wasting $300 at the dealership. Anyway, I got the removeable trans hump out of a late-70s model, since someone had cut the non-removeable trans hump found in 81-up trucks w/4-speed and/or 4wd, to gain clearance when they changed out the clutch at one time. Also, a nice set of door weatherstrips, a nearly-new boot for the transfer case shift lever, a set of door locks w/key, and seat tracks. There was a huge rats nest under the seat of my the GMC, and a stash of dry dogg food. The rats' means of egress was the gap in the trans tunnel cut during the hill-persons' clutch change. See? So, I pressure-washed everything to clean it up. But, one of the pickups at the wreckin' yard had a really nice passenhger-side door, and they are getting hard to find. So, I picked it up, too. Ha. I have no need for it, but may in the future, and by that time, they will be even more scarce. Right now, it is in the driveway, leaning against a car, and one project this afternoon will be to find a spot to store that door, out of plain sight, for the time being. I've even got a spare clutch disc and pressure plate in nice shape I picked up, for it, that I bought cheep from a guy who was parting out a truck. They are $150+, new. Plus, other spare parts hoarded, including a steering column. How do you neatniks like that? Plus, I'll cut and fit that trans hump & clean up parts. Tomorrow, another trip to the wreckin' yard for more bits n' pieces. I'm having to pack a tool box, instead of just taking a few basic things. Never know what I might find to bring home. Ha. ( Wish me luck.) and, (Thankk Mee)

[Zoe Girl]

okay i have had enough, the next episode has rats and there is this Stephen King story i am flashing back to. My son and his girlfriend just pulled a lot of trash out of his room, emptied all the little trash cans in the house and did the cat box WITHOUT being asked. Gosh i love and appreciate my family right now. My oldest came home for 24 hours last week and i could see every place she had been because she likes stuff and is a potential hoarder. i have offered to help her sell things on ebay that she thinks are valuable but no luck. But she pretty much cleaned before she left, just little things that are not that important.

i am feeling good i bought new little towels and washcloths and threw away junky ones, got a mat ordered for artwork my son has done, am putting away the little bits of Christmas stuff that i had out (and by my personal deadline, last day of January it should all be put away).

i have nothing against saving and recycling, i collect tp tubes, small boxes, egg cartons, etc. the difference is that i have a designated space in a designated size. once my recycled item area for doing crafts with kids at work is full then i recycle the rest or use up. ooh i almost threw out socks and we need to make sock snakes!

[goldensmom]

I've watched a few episodes of 'Hoarders'. I am so spartan that I cannot imagine why people hoard so I thought the show might be enlightening but when they went from hoarders (people who just collect tons of stuff) to those who are trashy and disgusting I stopped watching the show. People do not 'collect' feces ladden toilet paper; soiled feminine products; moldy, spoiled, maggot infested food; rats, pet feces, etc.. It's also the same pattern, starting out agreeing to help then something happens, they get mad, stomp off and will not cooperate, then they come back and on and on and on. Could be a show that is helpful and informative but it's nothing I'm interested anymore.

[kib]

Yes, the thing I don't care for about the show is that aspect of disrespect / superiority / oversimplification ... the hosts always act as if ... I don't know. As if the people with issues are simply ignorant children, and VOILA! a few words of explanation from our sponsor (I have to actually gather and throw away my trash? Oh, praise God, Thank You, I had no idea, I've spent the last four years waiting for the Skunk Bottle and Dirty Pizza Box Collection Committee to empty my living room while I'm sleeping), and the problem's going to be solved forever.

On the flip side, I do agree that the before and after, if taken from a purely visual standpoint without the human aspect, always makes me want to declutter, too.