# Collectors or hoarders?



## nvtribefan (Feb 4, 2018)

For those of you who are, or know someone who "collects" things:  Where do you think the line is between collecting and hoarding?


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## AZ Jim (Feb 4, 2018)

When you cannot wade through your home, you are a hoarder.


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## Marie5656 (Feb 4, 2018)

AZ Jim said:


> When you cannot wade through your home, you are a hoarder.



Yep. What Jim said. When you see instances of people only having a path through their house, and they buy things just for the sake of buying, and are unable to party with anything.  Ever watch that show Hoarders?  Sad people, there.  But those are pretty extreme cases and in those cases what is the difference between hoarding "useful" items, and just being a slob?


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## RadishRose (Feb 5, 2018)

When you no longer enjoy your stuff because you can't find it under more stuff, you might be a hoarder.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 5, 2018)

I'm probably right on the border between collector and hoarder.  

I don't have a stuff problem I have a space problem.

I agree with *RR*, if you can't enjoy your stuff then it adds no value to your life.  Better to donate the excess to a group or individual that can make use of it than to hoard it until it has no value or serves no useful purpose.

Hoarding is similar in many ways to *The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility*.

The idea of Diminishing Marginal Utility is that the first glass of water given to a thirsty person is of great value, the second is of some value, the third is of little value and a man in the middle of a flood sees no value.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Feb 5, 2018)

I think I would be considered an organized hoarder. I don't buy for the sake of buying and haven't added much of anything to my stash. Everything is neat, organized, labeled and in its place but I have to much stuff and have a problem parting with it.I'm always thinking I will need this or that someday.


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## Big Horn (Feb 5, 2018)

The difference is very simple.  Hoarding is keeping what should be thrown out.  I mean actual garbage.  Collecting is having what pleases you.  You may wish to look at an item frequently or you may simply enjoy owning it.


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## Smiling Jane (Feb 5, 2018)

The only thing I hoard is books and I've been making myself cull them every six months or so. Now I'm hoarding them on Kindle. Ooops.

The worst is animal hoarders. I knew a woman who had 65 cats in her house. Animal Control got called, and they had to destroy all of them because they were too far gone and nearly dead with diseases like calicevirus; cats tend to get pretty unhealthy when there are too many of them in an enclosed space like that. She even had cats living in her lower kitchen cupboards because they were afraid to come out. They did some horrible damage to her home too.


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## RadishRose (Feb 5, 2018)

Smiling Jane said:


> The worst is animal hoarders. I knew a woman who had 65 cats in her house. Animal Control got called, and they had to destroy all of them because they were too far gone and nearly dead with diseases like calicevirus; cats tend to get pretty unhealthy when there are too many of them in an enclosed space like that. She even had cats living in her lower kitchen cupboards because they were afraid to come out. They did some horrible damage to her home too.



I saw one of those cat hoarders on the Hoarders TV show. Just heartbreaking how cruel people can be. She even had a dead "favorite" in the freezer!

Another guy loved his pet rats, which multiplied into the hundreds, ate through his mattress so he slept on a mattress full of rats. They lived in stuffed chairs, cabinets, cupboards and the walls were infested. He actually cried with grief when the exterminators came. Heartbreaking in more ways than one.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 5, 2018)

Big Horn said:


> The difference is very simple.  *Hoarding is keeping what should be thrown out.  I mean actual garbage.  Collecting is having what pleases you*.  You may wish to look at an item frequently or you may simply enjoy owning it.



Very sensible answer, BH.   I'll admit that I have a slight "problem" with kitchen gadgets (but I love to cook and put them to good use), books, and handbags.  :shame::chargrined:    My house is neat and tidy and no "hoarding" going on, though.   

My son converted a regular closet into all shelves so I would have a place to store my handbags.   I have 2 daughters and 2 daughters-in-law who I share handbags with when I get tired of them.    I used to swap books with my sister, but now we both use a Kindle which has tidied up the book "hoard."   

I also have a mild obsession with shoes but I attribute that to the female gene.


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## Smiling Jane (Feb 5, 2018)

My only book hoarding that hasn't been helped by Kindle is cookbooks. I've made myself wait at least two weeks and if I still want a cookbook, I order it. I like my cookbooks to be actual physical books so I can't hide them with electronic gadgets.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 5, 2018)

Smiling Jane said:


> My only book hoarding that hasn't been helped by Kindle is cookbooks. I've made myself wait at least two weeks and if I still want a cookbook, I order it. I like my cookbooks to be actual physical books so I can't hide them with electronic gadgets.



I have quite a collection of cookbooks, too.   I was thinking recently that I would like to get rid of most of them, though.   A trip to Goodwill may be in my future.


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## Big Horn (Feb 5, 2018)

RadishRose said:


> I saw one of those cat hoarders on the Hoarders TV show. Just heartbreaking how cruel people can be. She even had a dead "favorite" in the freezer!
> 
> Another guy loved his pet rats, which multiplied into the hundreds, ate through his mattress so he slept on a mattress full of rats. They lived in stuffed chairs, cabinets, cupboards and the walls were infested. He actually cried with grief when the exterminators came. Heartbreaking in more ways than one.


The woman who had the cats isn't evil, but she lost touch with reality. I feel very sad for the man with the rats and my heart goes out to him because he obviously loved them very much.  If he wasn't harming anyone by having them, the government should have let the man and his pets live in piece.  They could have at least been humanely euthanized or, better yet, relocated if they actually posed a threat, something that I doubt.


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## Smiling Jane (Feb 5, 2018)

I sorted my cookbooks a while back, so everything I've got now I'm keeping.

Every six months I go through my regular books and take what I don't want/need to the VA. The local VA has a long-term rehab unit which is for the most part guys who've come back from combat with major injuries. The first time I took books to them, the unit supervisor called and told me it was like Christmas on the unit. The guys are bored out of their minds so they love a new supply of books to read.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 5, 2018)

Smiling Jane said:


> I sorted my cookbooks a while back, so everything I've got now I'm keeping.
> 
> *Every six months I go through my regular books and take what I don't want/need to the VA*. The local VA has a long-term rehab unit which is for the most part guys who've come back from combat with major injuries. The first time I took books to them, the unit supervisor called and told me it was like Christmas on the unit. The guys are bored out of their minds so they love a new supply of books to read.



What a great idea!


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## Mizzkitt (Feb 5, 2018)

If you are keeping a lot of stuff that you have not used in years and you cannot find the stuff that you do use easily then you might have a hoarding problem.

I know I do.


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## ClassicRockr (Feb 5, 2018)

Wife used to be a "saver" quite a bit, until she met me. She was pretty thrilled that I "grabbed the bull by the horns" and helped her get rid of a number of things. Through garage sales and taking stuff to the Goodwill and Salvation Army, we have really "downsized" quite a bit, but more to go before we move next year. 

As for me, I basically had nothing, but clothes, when we met. I rented rooms in houses and a condo. The rooms were furnished. I only bought a small Black and White tv from the Goodwill. The black and white was fine for me, because I didn't watch much tv back then. 

We have got collections of things, like my wife's Angel collection and our collection of Star Wars Figurines and Space Fighters (like an X-Wing Fighter and Vader's Tie Fighter). 

Now, OTH, I use to know a lady that was a REAL "hoarder". Not in her house, but in her garage. Went into it once and it was jammed packed full of stuff. Boxes upon boxes and even an old car sitting in the corner with boxes on top of it.


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## Seeker (Feb 5, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> I have quite a collection of cookbooks, too.   I was thinking recently that I would like to get rid of most of them, though.   A trip to Goodwill may be in my future.



I recently went through mine, it was hard, I have one that I got 40 years ago as a wedding shower gift. I kept it and mostly the older ones, took some to Goodwill. Now I just save the ones I see to my favorites in a folder labeled recipes. Which I will most likely loose when my computer dies. If it's a real good one I print and file it.

I could be a hoarder if my husband didn't keep me in check. Mostly sentimental things I just can't part with, anything that belonged to a family member. I still wear my Daddy's socks it just makes me feel closer to him now that he's gone.

I've done good though at least I'm an organized collector/hoarder. I have boxes stored in our shack labeled with who they belonged to....LOL


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## IKE (Feb 5, 2018)

In order to be a hoarder you have to buy lots of stuff, in order to buy lots of stuff you have to have money.......I'll never be a hoarder.


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## Smiling Jane (Feb 6, 2018)

IKE said:


> In order to be a hoarder you have to buy lots of stuff, in order to buy lots of stuff you have to have money.......I'll never be a hoarder.



I knew a woman who hoarded things like fleece infant blankets; she got all of her things from the oudoor as-is lot at Goodwill. The most I ever saw her pay for a shopping cart full of nasty used blankets was 10¢. They should have paid her for hauling that trash away.

She had a great laundry room with floor to ceiling storage on 3 sides. She had stuffed all of all of that storage full of her Goodwill treasures, and her husband ran around buying hampers and storage bins to keep her from filling all of the closets and corners of their house. She washed everything when she got it home, but it was still stained.


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## SifuPhil (Feb 6, 2018)

I was married to a hoarder for 15 years.

Not a pretty sight. When you open the front door and have to pick your way among the debris, or you go into the attic and can barely open the door, you know there's a problem.


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## ClassicRockr (Feb 6, 2018)

My wife told me “if you find things we don’t need or will not use again, go ahead and take to the Goodwill. Just please don’t tell me about it.” I really liked her telling me that. 

There are also some things we buy, but don’t end up liking, so put them into a Christmas box to send to relatives and/or friends for Christmas.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 6, 2018)




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## Camper6 (Feb 6, 2018)

nvtribefan said:


> For those of you who are, or know someone who "collects" things:  Where do you think the line is between collecting and hoarding?



Hoarding? You never sell or part with anything. Collectors sell and trade.


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## Big Horn (Feb 6, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> Hoarding? You never sell or part with anything. Collectors sell and trade.


I've collected several things for well over sixty years.  I've never sold any.


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## Camper6 (Feb 7, 2018)

Big Horn said:


> I've collected several things for well over sixty years.  I've never sold any.



Then why collect at all?


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## debodun (Feb 8, 2018)

When I inherited my parents house, it was like a hoarders. My mom, who out-lived my dad by 23 years, was a collector of almost everything. Over the last 10 years, I've been trying to liquidate selected contents - that which I have no interest. It's been slow going as it seems people are't into collecting like they used to be, but it's getting to the point where can actually see the floor in some spots.


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## Senex (Apr 14, 2018)

In my opinion, the difference between a collector and hoarder is in actual usage. A stamp collector has everything neat and organized, knows every stamp he has, and goes to length to preserve each stamp. A stamp hoarder has loose stamps in sacks laying about everywhere, has no idea what he has, or where it is, makes no effort to archive and keep them safe....basically its a buy it, forget it, buy more, and forget them situation.


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## terry123 (Apr 14, 2018)

I scheduled a Salvation Army pickup and was able to get rid of 3 TV's, 3 vcr's,3 sacks of good clothes,  4 boxes of books and 5 angels.  Not a hoarder but just do not need that much stuff.  The kids came over and picked out their goodies.  Used to get the Southern Living cookbooks each year.  Kept 3 I actually used and put the rest on free cycle.  Had a waiting list  of 3 people to get them.  Divided them up between the 3 of them and they all were satisfied.  Still have a lot of books, will check out the VA.  I will not throw away books. Am thinking about moving to a smaller condo and am just keeping the things I love. A girl I used to work with has problems making it. She works in housekeeping at the hospital and I asked her over to pick out what she wanted as she was having a garage sale with her friends and she left here with 3 boxes of things.


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## helenbacque (Apr 15, 2018)

I only hoard books and needlework supplies.  All else kept to bare minimum.


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## john19485 (Apr 15, 2018)

I have books copyrighted 1700- 1800, 1899-1970 ,news papers, Mags 1899-1970 ,  confederate and union money, and railroad stock, 1933 ships books, shows the names of people on board, have a lot on my wall, my wife calls my room the museum


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## john19485 (Apr 15, 2018)

I have books copyrighted 1700- 1800, 1899-1970 ,news papers, Mags 1899-1970 ,  confederate and union money, and railroad stock, 1933 ships books, shows the names of people on board, have a lot on my wall, my wife calls my room the museum  radio's 1940 and one 1938


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## Big Horn (Apr 15, 2018)

Senex said:


> In my opinion, the difference between a collector and hoarder is in actual usage. A stamp collector has everything neat and organized, knows every stamp he has, and goes to length to preserve each stamp. A stamp hoarder has loose stamps in sacks laying about everywhere, has no idea what he has, or where it is, makes no effort to archive and keep them safe....basically its a buy it, forget it, buy more, and forget them situation.


There always seems to be some overlap.  A coin collector, for example, has his prizes neatly arranged—at  least from his standpoint.  However, there are usually some buckets as well.  The buckets contain coins of value, but not terribly attractive or desirable items.

I love guns which are both rare and beautiful.  I realize though that not everything I own can be a gem so  I also own guns that I bought simply because of what I considered too low a price to pass up.

The same criteria hold for toy soldiers, toy trains, pocket watches, and, it seems, virtually everything else.

Rather than use the pejorative term hoarding, I's say that some of what we have is purely investment material while some are both to be treated as both investments and aesthetically pleasing.


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## jujube (Apr 15, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> Then why collect at all?



Uh....because he _likes_ his collectibles  and would like to keep them for himself and enjoy them?  

I think you're confusing collecting with "dealing".  Yes, some collectors are also dealers, but many collectors just collect.


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## wvnewbie (Apr 15, 2018)

Moved two years ago and got rid of a LOT of "stuff".  Tools, nuts& bolts, screws, and other "supplies" I will keep.  Always fixing something.

Had a buddy who would call every 6 months to see if I wanted anything.  His wife had a RULE:  "_If it hasn't been used in that last 6 months get rid of it!_"

I like that "Rule" and have been trying to adhere to it.  Except for my tools!  Some were Dad's, some were Grand-Dad's, some were Great Grand Dad's; most are too old to be used   --  I do have duplicates; i.e., a dozen 1/2 inch sockets.  Kid next door just turned 16, getting his license, and someone gave him a car!  So, I have been out-fitting him with some basic tools and teaching him "How To" do rudimentary work on that car.


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## Keesha (Apr 15, 2018)

Reference books and collectables only. (Donated all others to our local library.)
Different types of woods because I’m a woodworker.
Different types of stones, beads , wires etc., for when I am into making jewelry. 
Different types of fabrics for when I am into sewing?

Notice any pattern here? layful: I’ve got to make an effort to get rid of some of this stuff because it’s starting to take up space.

To answer the question: I don’t know. Perhaps if you are still as passionate about your collection and it’s not harming anyone or interfering in a negative way, then it’s a healthy collectable. 

If , however, it’s not getting the same enjoyment it once had or causing issues, collecting dust etc., then maybe it’s considered hoarding. I don’t have an answer for that.


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## KingsX (Apr 16, 2018)

.

As the old saying goes... .  one man's junk is another man's treasure.

I only hoard "treasure"


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