Feeling guilty and anxious because I'm a hoarder.

[Skittlebisquit]

Pictures please! Do they all have names? Do you know what a plate rail is? Its like this shelf that's set on a wall about 18 inches down from the cieling...... nice for display perhaps? What about string hanging from tacks on the walls and cielings!? Then you could suspend them.....

If you sent me a plushie I would treasure it as a gift.

Respectfully I have seen a hoarders house, with cats. Lots of cats. She has little trails that wind thru it all, no place to sit, not that you would want to. In a few places there are straps attached to the walls to hold it up. If you want advice on making shelving, I'm your man, total expert.

Separate happy thought. What if you sent a few as special gifts to people that are sad and poor and short? With sticky little fingers. You know, children! It's almost Christmas, you dont have to shop at all, you have a whole room full of gifts!

You are not evil. Are you spending more on plushies than on food? Wait dont answer that! Do you have one of those life size suits yet? Like the mascot at the ball game kinda thing? That looks sort of fun.

Smile it's just a spare room!

 

[Pieceofmind]

I have a big collection myself but I've also run into the issue where I just don't want to see it all the time anymore yet still care about it, this is of CD's which I actually have a practical use for but I have so many it's starting to look way too bulky in here. I wish it could be more like my music/music label related sticker collection that I can just keep a large amount of in a small bag out of sight and mind. I thought about once my work is done with it putting it into storage or getting carrying bags for them and laying them horizontally on each other compressing it all into one easy to move thing. I'm done with it for now as there isn't much else I really need in it though save for some key albums that are just ridiculously expensive and hard to get.

 

[Suzette]

I knew a man who covered every inch of his walls with pictures. Every inch! A bare spot- perfect for a postage stamp.
It was too claustrophobic inducing for me. But he loved it! It was his own personal design style.
There was nothing wrong with it.
Don't feel guilt over the things that give you pleasure. Giving yourself grief and guilt is not worth it.
You get one shot here on earth, just love it as best you can!

 

[Rasputin]

@GrownupGirl , I didn’t see this post last Fall, but wanted to mention that my mother was also a hoarder. She passed in 2009, before I was aware that I am autistic. I suspect that she was also autistic, and was incorrectly diagnosed as Schizophrenic late in life. (People don’t generally become Schizophrenic in their 70s; it’s developed early in life.)

Anyway, hoarding in my mother’s case was associated with low self-esteem. It was also misunderstood by me and the rest of her family. From what I have read, it may be associated with ASD or ADHD. Most hoarders have difficulty admitting they have a problem, so I applaud you for posting about your hoarding and for recognizing that you have a problem.

Please listen to the advice that was given to reduce your clutter. You mentioned that selling items would not generate much money, and that is because the items have little value. While you may have spent a lot of money on the items, that doesn’t change the fact that the items are worth very little. You have received enjoyment from the items in the past, but they are not bringing you enjoyment now. Get someone to help you discard of these items, so that you can enjoy your apartment.

I am not judging, because l know how distressed you must feel. I hope this message helps.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

People often mistake me for a hoarder because I’m messy and I tend to not throw away boxes for a long time and I collect many things but I’m not a hoarder because I will throw stuff out that is broken and donate things that I don’t want or need and with my collections, I’m pretty selective. I sort of have a system of chaotic messiness but I know exactly where I put things and can find them when needed. If I’m at a thrift store looking at music boxes, I generally only buy the ones that look nice and not heavily damaged and are working. The ones that have a lot of chips or discoloration and non working movements I ignore as they are no use to me. Then I decide if I want to buy the music box depending on the song it plays and price. If it’s a common song and the scene is rather common then I’ll pass on it. The only time I’ll buy a music box with a lot of chips or noticeable break is if it plays a songs that is harder to find or is a different rendition of a song .

With fashion dolls, I only buy the ones that I like the most which is based on their clothing and if they have any special gimmicks such as color change. The past three years it has been the Lol Surprise OMG dolls and I was collecting all of the dolls until 2020 when one line I missed completely had a doll wearing a particularly horrid outfit which I hated very much. The doll was perfectly fine in terms of hairstyle and make up but the outfit was a huge eyesore. After that I started having trouble saving up enough money for every single release. I mainly go after the ones that I find most interesting. Barbies I haven’t really bought because of how cheap they’ve become and only bought one in the past two years and it was only for the playset the doll came with.

 

[Nick12]

I WISH YOU A VERRY VERRY HAPPY DAY

 

[Nitro]

One of the advantages of me being a hoarder is that I'm also the go-to guy when friends or neighbors need something
"Go ask Nitro, he probably has one"
When they get here, they often get a choice as well.
Plumbing, electrical, automotive, vintage automotive performance parts, bicycles, motorcycles, 4 wheelers riding mowers and just plain cool stuff.
I'll bet that none of you have a 53 foot freight trailer you use for a shed
How about a dedicated outdoor riding mower repair area that has electricity, running water and cabinets full of tools and supplies under a roof?

I have a rather vast collection of vintage toys and games in my pile too, so it isn't just a rubbish pile, it's all cool stuff, with some of it even being fairly rare or valuable.
I don't have enough space to display it all at once, so lots of it gets rotated around the seasons.

I can't say it enough times, I live in my own personal museum of oddities