And My Kids Call ME a Packrat!!

I saw this many years ago...I guess it's making the rounds again because someone just posted it at another forum I'm a member at.

I personally don't see how anyone can live like that...I do think it stems from severe depression or mental illness
 
I had an elderly neighbor who had a house packed similar to this, but with old newspapers and magazines, gift boxes, cards, etc. She never threw anything "good" away. There were just paths through her house from room to room. :eek:
 
My stepmom's mother is this way. Maybe not quite as bad, but hers is a "path from room to room" kindof place. Her husband is the same also, but his tendencies are limited to filling the basement with tools, literally from floor to ceiling in places.

Usually when my stepmom's mother goes grocery shopping, she has to stop by my stepmoms place and drop off the non-perishables she bought before she goes home, because 1) her hubby will give her grief about overbuying again and 2) there just isn't room.

Consequently, my stepmom's pantry is ALWAYS stocked. Always.

It really is sad, b/c she is a wonderful lady who obviously needs help...
 
Jeana (DP) said:
That is SO sad.
I am with you Jeana! It is VERY sad. There is definitely something going on here mentally. She must have detachment issues of some kind to not be able to throw atleast SOME of the junk away.

The expired food and rotted plants.....uuugghh!! :sick:
 
I watched this on Oprah Winfrey last week.

Is hoarding a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Right now, compulsive hoarding is considered by many researchers to be a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, for some people, compulsive hoarding may also be related to:

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</TD><TD>Impulse control disorders (such as impulsive buying or stealing)</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
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Full story: http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200411/tows_past_20041118_b.jhtml
 
That looks just like my ex-mother-inlaws house, except the items are better quality then the crap she keeps. She doesn't throw ANYTHING out.

Once I noticed her dish drainer was disgusting - so I picked her up a new one and she was 'put out' saying there was nothing wrong with the old one - even though it had duct tape holding it together. Later, I found the old one 'stored' in the basement - next to her gun rack she got a great deal on (they have no guns though) lol

She has things piled up in every room - especially the corners and she covers the piles with fabric & blankets to match the curtains.
 
I'm the complete opposite. I read a Christmas card and throw it away two second later. My husband saves every receipt, but its nice and neat. He also likes to save the boxes that electronic appliances come in, but I think that's a guy thing.

I save my kids memoriabilia like crazy though. Since all my childhood stuff was burned in a fire, I have nothing from my childhood, so I try to save all of my kids' sports uniforms, my son's first drum sticks, awards, etc.
 
Jeana (DP) said:
He also likes to save the boxes that electronic appliances come in, but I think that's a guy thing.

Yes I think this is a guy thing because my Husband saves the boxes also.
 
Well let me tell you, after my hubby and I had to clean out his mother's house and prepare for an auction, I decided that I will never put my kids through it! She wasn't a hoarder like that, but she had clothes from back in the 30's packed away!!
So I have been slowly "cleaning out" my stashes, selling some "stuff" on Ebay :rolleyes:
Eliminating some of my "collections," but God help the person that pitches any of my genealogy notebooks!~;)
 
Lili--
I can SO relate to what you are saying. My mother was also a "packrat," possibly having some connection to having lived through the Depression. I suspect OCD involved also. Nothing like the horrible example given here though. Neighbors' children had to empty out at least 2 houses in my neighborhood, and that was a real lesson. Have been going thru my place to spare my children, but have a ways to go yet. Just keep saying: "It's only stuff." Nobody takes it with them when they die, and most of it has no meaning to anyone left behind. It's only stuff.
 
Jeana (DP) said:
I'm the complete opposite. I read a Christmas card and throw it away two second later. My husband saves every receipt, but its nice and neat. He also likes to save the boxes that electronic appliances come in, but I think that's a guy thing.

I save my kids memoriabilia like crazy though. Since all my childhood stuff was burned in a fire, I have nothing from my childhood, so I try to save all of my kids' sports uniforms, my son's first drum sticks, awards, etc.

Jeana, are you my long lost twin?? My whole family thinks I am so ODD because I toss cards. I love getting the cards, and I appreciate the sentiment behind it, but I don't feel any need to hang on to them! And my husband saves boxes, too. He explains by saying that if the appliance breaks down, the darn thing needs to be put back in it's original box for shipping to the repair center.....I am trying to believe him.
 
My sister's boyfriend has OCD. He is into lawn mowers. She has about 40-50 broken lawn mowers lined up in neat little rows in her back yard. I cringe everytime I see those mowers--WHAT does he want them for? He never touches them! If one gets nudged out of place by even an inch, it drives him crazy and he has to get out there, move them all and go through putting them all back in precise location. The guy cannot work because it takes him forever to do the littlest task; he has to go through dozens of ritual type things even to flush a toilet, brush his teeth, turn on a light. He refuses to take medication, because he believes everyone in the world EXCEPT him has a problem. He is pretty much dependent upon my sister for his food, shelter, clothing, etc. None of us can understand what in the world the attraction is, but I am glad he has someone to love him and accept him.
 

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