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Help! I’m a hoarder!

September 12, 2013

There is something that some of you might have suspected already, seeing the amount of shoes and clothes I display on this page which is that I have a tendency towards hoarding. Ever since I was a kid I loved collecting. Stamps, postcards, cute stationery. This evolved into shoes, deer and cat figurines, old books, you name it. Anything I own, I have more than 1 or 2 of the same. I don’t know what the problem is that makes me crave so much variety, but that’s the way it goes. This wouldn’t be much of an issue if I had a huge house and people to clean it for me. It is not the case. I am currently in a house share and my storage space is somewhat limited. Thank god my housemate let’s me put some stuff in the garage or the loft…

At this point I really need to get a grip on my collecting! Other than seeing a therapist, I was thinking about ways of dealing with all the junk I have accumulated and I have come up with a list / action plan of things I can do to get my life back in order:

  • Turn that pile of not so good magazines into scrapbooks with just the things that I really like/ inspire me.
  • Archive the issues of Vogue and other somewhat better quality magazines in a nice box in the loft. I won’t be reading them every day.
  • Sell all the cds and dvds  and opt for online music listening/ tv series and film watching.
  • Give away all the novels to my friends after I have read them – unless it is something extremely special, I don’t think I’m going to read them again.
  • Sell some clothes online or donate them to a charity. I normally prefer to just give them away as selling them is quite time consuming but I might try to give it a go.
  • Or just make a big pile in the living room and have my friends come in and take what they want. That could turn into something fun!
  • Archive my Summer clothes in boxes until next year. Do the same for Winter.
  • Stop holding on to that piece of crap I’m thinking ‘might some in handy some time’.
  • Avoid the knick knacks. If it cannot be helped, have a designated area for them – like some shelving or cabinets.
  • Stop buying crap. ‘But it’s a bargain! and it’s beautiful! aaaargh!’ (shut down my Ebay account!).

Do you have the same problem? What are your coping strategies? I’d love to hear them!

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7 Comments

  • Reply SACRAMENTO September 12, 2013 at 11:06

    The position of your commets keeps on moving from top to left, ahhhhhhhhhhh
    i am not a keeper; although I have more clothes than any closet can stand, lol
    My husband is the collecter, cars, magazines, planes, antique, arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
    He promises to put it all in one room in our next house.
    Love, love, love, dear Sara.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

  • Reply The Style Crone September 12, 2013 at 14:03

    We have similar brains! I think that collecting is different from hoarding (at least that’s what I read somewhere). I’ve come to accept that this is part of who I am. I too am downsizing and finding a way to create more space. It’s easier to bring more beautiful items in than find a way for them to leave. But it’s a process, and how would you find such gorgeous pieces to wear on your blog if you weren’t such a talented collector?

    The hats in the first photo are great, by the way!

  • Reply pastcaring September 12, 2013 at 22:27

    I am in the same place as you, Sara, I have lots of stuff – great stuff – which I have collected, but not enough space to display or store if effectively. So hard decisions are being made… That said, I changed my mind about Ebaying a dress today, I don’t find it easy to let go! xxxx

  • Reply Tami Von Zalez September 13, 2013 at 17:02

    I have been trying to divest myself of stuff. I will need to do the closet turnover in a couple of months (we are still having warm weather in California).

  • Reply Hollie September 13, 2013 at 23:22

    I used to be terrible about holding on to magazines. Not all magazines though, just Architectural Digest, Nylon and Under the Radar. I finally got tired of the towers of magazines and ripped out my favorite pages and framed them. Then I used to rest of the pretty pages to make envelopes to ship my Etsy items. Oh, and I don’t think you’re officially a hoarder until you find a dead possum or cat buried under your stuff. Well, at lest that’s what happens on the TV show.

  • Reply ollieotson September 16, 2013 at 16:26

    ahahahaha im so like this!
    i do scrapbooks all the time and as you know sell online 😛 (are you selling any? i want to take a loook!!)
    but i really need to tone it down more. i have so many crap!

  • Reply ariane September 19, 2013 at 20:06

    I have the same problem but i have the space and someone cleans for me-
    But seriously, i have to be careful and downsize a bit – I’ m getting married i need the cash!
    I started selling on line and i purge often – Selling on line is so time consuming
    But i can do some at work, not very busy –
    I should cancel my credit card and my e-bay, Etsy account, hummmmm
    But you know what, i know i might have a problem, and frankly i don’t worry about so much, plus i know i could downsize in a flash if we moved in a smaller place
    ,
    Ariane xo

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