Is my friend a hoarder?

thatgirlsam

Hanging_by_a_thread wrote: »

I bet they all work far better than anything he could buy now too. With all the technology we have it is disappointing that products tend to be such poor quality. I think the throw away attitude in society now contributes alot to this. Manufacturers dont see the need to provide things that will last. They see more profit in selling cheap and cheerfull.

Definitley.. it makes no economical sense to make and sell something that will last a lifetime.. better that it breaks and the consumer has to buy another 2,3,4 etc

Such a shame that the age of buying something that lasted for life has gone

In my Grandparents generation you wouldn't have thrown away a sock with a hole... you would've darned it!

Can't imagine anyone darning socks these days!

fluffnutter

I don't think this is even about hoarding. By discussing the symptoms of hoarding and whether or not this friend is likely to have this dreaded affliction, people are just giving credence to the OP's unwarranted interest in her(?) friend's life. This could as easily be 'Does my friend bake too many cakes? Three a day! Think of all that flour and butter she gets through!' or 'Does my friend have a problem with choosing outfits? All she wears is blue! It's boring!'.

Why do people think they have the right to scrutinise their friend's harmless peccadilloes and then, even worse, come on the interweb and discuss them?

paddy's_mum

In defence of the OP, it is incredibly annoying when someone asks you what they can do about such-and-such a problem when the answer is staring them in the face but they are absolutely determined not to see it!!

'I can't afford to keep paying my child's maintenance' "Stop going to the pub and the takeaway every night of the week, then"!!!

'I'm going to be hard pushed to pay this bill' "Stop buying tawdry clothes that don't last 5 minutes and buckets of make-up, then"!!

'I put on weight on 300 calories a day and my doctor says there's little I can do about it..' So the bars of chocolate, the lashings of butter, the crisps and chips etc are nothing whatever to do with the problem, then ... :mad:

Padstow makes a very valid point indeed. Hoarding is fine so long as the hoarder is the one who hasn't space to swing a cat and is the person who finally deals with it.

PS Can you tell that I married a hoarder and know only too well how enraging constantly falling over piles of useless "valuable" clutter and junk can be?

SnowBelle_2

I don't think your friends are hoarders,just making the best of what they have,One of my good friends is a hoarder with some mental issues that go along with it.
You would never be able to class your friends as hoarders if you saw the stuff my friend has...broken bits of glass,empty cigarette cartons,shoes that do'nt fit him,rooms full to bursting of stuff etc etc.
Maybe because you used the word 'challenged' it could sound a little aggressive to some people.
I have learnt to just accept my friend as he is and i'm just glad I don't live there,so do'nt worry about it and let them worry if they have no space.
Unless they become ill or their health & state of mind is being compremised just leave them to it.

BitterAndTwisted

If any stranger ever saw my bedroom they'd call me Mrs Trebus, I'm sure....

thatgirlsam

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If any stranger ever saw my bedroom they'd call me Mrs Trebus, I'm sure....

What do you have in there?

I'm nosy

shellsuit

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If any stranger ever saw my bedroom they'd call me Mrs Trebus, I'm sure....

Noooo, nobody could be as bad as that man, surely?! :rotfl:

I really liked him actually, they were his belongings and he stuck to his guns didn't he, bless his soul!



OP, your friend doesn't sound like a hoarder to me, they just sound like they are not from the throwaway generation, which I confess I happen to be a part of!

My Dad doesn't throw anything away unless I throw it away for him.

He has lots of bits and bobs he won't part with because he thinks they could be worth something and when he goes, they could bring us a little fortune.

How could I argue with something like that?!

If it makes them happy, keep thy nose out!

thatgirlsam

Also I think the concept of time goes funny when you're older

My mum said to my Grandad, 'You need new trousers, shall I get some for you'

He said 'No! These ones I have on are new, I bought them in America'

'But you went there in 1982... 20 years ago!!

Hanging_by_a_thread

thatgirlsam wrote: »

Such a shame that the age of buying something that lasted for life has gone

In my grandparents day a job could last a lifetime too. I think job security was far better then. You would think considering the economic climate, and how people must worry about losing their jobs with just a months notice at any time, that a 'make do and mend' approach to possessions would be popular.

KxMx

Padstow wrote: »

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

Attendance Allowance. It's to help make their lives easier which is why I am so pleased she is finally spending it to do just that