Is my friend a hoarder?

BitterAndTwisted

In which case offer your advice and help without challenging them. Hoarders have emotional attachments to their inanimate things and it can be a wrench to let them go.

arbroath_lass

A real friend would offer to help not "challenge" them.

Lotus-eater

My name is Lotus and I'm a hoarder.

I also do that silly thing of fixing things instead of buying a new one, I like doing that one. I also keep old things that work perfectly well, just in case they will be needed.

I know it's wrong, but I just can't stop saving money!

pineapple

bigpound wrote: »

When I say 'old' I am talking at least 10+ years.
.

Keeping items beyond 10 years. Who'd have thunk it? :eek:
When my 22 year old Sony packed in, I was glad I had 'hoarded' my mums teli after she died. And I'm still using that (old fashioned CRT) teli..
Maybe they are 'rainy day' hoarders. Am I the only one who sometimes keeps things because they 'might come in useful'?

onlyroz

I wouldn't say that it was a problem unless their house was a health-hazard, towering with junk, crawling with beasties that have made the hoard their home.

msb5262

The trouble is that lots of new things just aren't as good as older ones - they aren't as well made, and the materials are often rubbish. For example, I got a new electric hand whisk last year...but the beaters are metal held together by plastic joints and one bit has broken already, so it now has a limited lifespan. The previous design was all metal so would last much longer. I for one can understand your friend keeping things as spares if she/he doesn't trust the newer version. All too often, that lack of trust is shown to be the right instinct!

fannyadams

Lotus-eater wrote: »

My name is Lotus and I'm a hoarder.

I also do that silly thing of fixing things instead of buying a new one, I like doing that one. I also keep old things that work perfectly well, just in case they will be needed.

I know it's wrong, but I just can't stop saving money!

*stands up to be counted* My name is fannyadams and I too am a 'hoarder' like Lotus.

We also fix stuff and keep old things that work until they don't work anymore and then keep them to be bits to mend other things. Damn HWTHMBO and his garage/workshop with all them tools and stuff.

I didn't know that I HAD to have new stuff and 'up to the minute' devices. Please don't tell my children! I'm so 'old fashioned' I only just got iPlayer on the Wii. :rotfl: and I'm hoping that if I get mugged they'll take pity on me and upgrade my phone...:D
Oh Noes, maybe the hoarder police will be round later and take my kidz off me for patching a punture (and showing them how to do it) on the tyre when I should have gone out and bought them a new bicycle.

Lotus-eater

fannyadams wrote: »

We also fix stuff and keep old things that work until they don't work anymore and then keep them to be bits to mend other things. Damn HWTHMBO and his garage/workshop with all them tools and stuff.

The amount of money I've saved over the years by fixing things is unbelievable. Mind you, I've probably spent all that on tools

KxMx

There is nothing wrong with keeping spare elecricals or old stuff etc if you might need to use it again. We have a non-electrical phone for powercuts, more garden chairs than we need really unless we have a party every week etc.

The problems start when things get kept that have no future use... my Nan and grandads conservatory is full of junk and I mean junk. Including a large plant stand they have never used (and never will, Nan's time is full-up caring for Grandad) a VHS which was put in there after one attempt to get it working failed and a display case with 3 old kettles, mini baskets, some pencils I think and goodness knows what else is lurking there, which was covered with a dust sheet over 10 years ago and hasn't seen the light of day since.

Auntie does the majority of their housework and said the other day it was due for a clearout, to which my Nan replied "I couldn't possibly get rid of anything. The only problem in there is the dirt from the shopping trolley wheels" Aunt was a bit :shocked: as were we lol, she is determined though.

Nan passes through there several times a week to get to freezer or for mentioned shopping trolley, so it is becoming a hazard having so much in there. Rehome, recycle etc, it doesn't have to go in the bin.

They are elderly and they really, really don't like any sort of change. It took several weeks for the idea of Wiltshire Farm Foods to sink in, now they've gotten the sample pack from them I am so pleased. And several months to convince Nan to spend the AA money to make their lives easier with regards to taxis etc.
I was dead impressed though Nan got an answering machine a few weeks ago on her own too- this is after the Heartbeat-style phone with old connection finally conked out and BT installed a modern telephone plug. That happened about 2 years ago and they have obviously seen the benefit of modern phones if they upgraded on their own.

Padstow

Just a quickie. What is AA money please? I can only think "ability assistance" but can find no trace of it, having googled.