Calling all Hoarders: Free Stuff !!! Are Preppers Hoarders ?

Now I've been looking into the subject of hoarding in the last few days on and off and it's quite interesting.
Here's a brief overview of hoarding

Hoarding is the excessive collection and retention of objects. To make it a disorder, the person concerned would have to be suffering a significant reduction in the quality of his or her life. This might involve an inability to go out for fear of experiencing the compulsion to pick up 'valuables' or 'useful' items, or 'recyclables'. Or it might make the home virtually uninhabitable or even dangerous via rooms stacked with hoarded items.

Source

Frost and Hartl (1996) provided the first systematic definition, identifying three characteristics:"(1) the acquisition of, and failure to discard a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value; (2) living spaces sufficiently cluttered so as to preclude activities for which those spaces were designed; and (3) significant distress or impairment in functioning caused by the hoarding." This definition distinguished hoarding from the collecting of objects generally considered interesting and valuable.

Source

The type of people hoards apparently are portrayed by the MSM are and cause:

'Compulsive hoarders often live in squalor and risk disease' 'Hoarding is five times more common than schizophrenia' 'OCD is already the fourth most common mental disorder'

Hoarders often suffer from depression, anxiety and social isolation.

So ok seems like a group of people who like to think on their own terms and do things their way not wanting to be bothered or jerked around by anyone who tries to 'manipulate' them.

Sufferers need to be carefully handled. "A son or daughter going into a parent's house and doing a big clean up is definitely not the answer to a hoarding disorder," warns Catholic Community Services director Annabel Senior.

Source
Beware of the poor people trying to purge gun hoarding !

Now to me when I was a I.T tech I used to hoard alot of old crap, because it still worked and could still serve a purpose so why bin it, my room was a scrap yard, boxes full of different parts.
Most I.T guys stay in their little shell, don't like to be bothered that much, rather interact with machines than people, machines don't complain they just need a little TLC. But I was a social guy always doing my rounds and after hours work on teachers and parents computers after my day.

Again the reason behind the madness was all this stuff was still good and you never know when you may need that odd stick of EDO you pulled 3 years ago, plus I didn’t have the heart to throw it.
Most of my hardware ended up being recommissioned again thanks to the shoestring budgets from working I.T systems at public schools, so it eventually did have a use and did save someone money.
My wife (I live in China now) she likes to hoard those enviro poly shopping bags, I've got soo many bloody bags every time I try and bin most of them she just goes insane and mentions they can save money. But we don't need 150 bags we only need 5...... My hoarding has moved from physical to digital hoarding, man I keep alot of crap on my computers, but you never know when it might come in handy.......

Which brings me to peppers, do you collect stuff that you really don't need or over stock? And only have the thought 'Hey why would someone throw that A/C out, lets pull over and pick it up'.
Prepping is of course preparing, stocking, ect. BUT how much is enough ? When does it tip the seesaw from prepping to hardcore hoarding of food, salvaged items, GUNS (no matter how many forums I read here every American has got a stockpile of at least 20 guns and enough ammo to take down Captian America).
Would hoarding actually effect in a negative way in a SHTF situation where you couldn’t decide on what to take and what to ditch?


Ok so how do you really know if you have gone beyond the point of no return ?
Where do you take it from here ? Would you accept a friend to take over and sort keep from bin in your collection ?

So you're a hardcore hoarder umm, so what can they stick down your throat to become a good little citizen again ?

The normal medication of choice for OCD: serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI's) do not seem to be as effective with hoarders. However it has been suggested that, as with other resistant anxiety disorders, some kind of 'medication mix' might work better and this would have to be worked out with a doctor. One charity client with these problems found that an anti-depressant augmented by a major tranquilliser was effective.

Well as to most ATS members meds are BAD.

So to conclude this sucker:
Attention to hoarders: It seems the authorities are paying more closer attention to hoarding and starting to target hoarders in a negative way, maybe they pose a risk to the establishment, reuse and recycle stuff
Economic impacts of hoarders: you should stimulate the economy and buy that Iphone, only to upgrade a year later ? Or buy that new computer because everyone else is and it;s cool to keep upto date.
The Stereotyping of Hoarding: This is where I kinda draw the line, how can someone point and say "This guy is hoarder because his got 3 cars" I mean come on, there's different degrees of hoarding and for the MSM's to come out and attack this like a trash man is crazy.

So preppers and crows how much is enough?
What do you hoard ?
Have you ever admitted you're a hoarder ?
Have you ever thrown anything semi useful away in shame ?
How hard would it be to part from your collection ?
What are the advantages of hoarding and disadvantages ?
Have you ever made a tidy profit from hoarding ?

One last note, I recently watched a Video by Dave Rock (davidsfarm) I know his background and all that, but his got a fairly interesting video on his hoarding addiction and how it's ruined him and made him some big cash.



Sources
www.hoarders.org...
www.anxietycare.org.uk...
www.hoarders.org...

Remove the "http://youtu.be/" from your youtube link.

My wife watches Hoarders on the TV, and the one thing I've seen in every episode I've had the opportunity to see/listen to, is that every single person who has this disorder has had some type of event happen that triggers it. People deal with tough times in various ways, and hoarding is just one self-destructive mechanism that some people pick. Others turn to drugs and alcohol, while others simply blow their brains out. We all deal with grief differently. What I like about that program is that the people try to find the "root cause" of what pushed these people into hoarding.

Perhaps prepping is similar, but I don't see it that way. Sure, people can go overboard, but when you look around, is it really that bad to have a year's worth of food on hand, or a bunch of water? We've seen societies break down from the beginning of time, and it always leads to death and suffering. I think I'd rather have what I need for "me and mine" than be one of the people digging through dumpsters in an attempt to steal a scrap of food from a family of rats and mice.

reply to post by navy_vet_stg3


I got the youtube link working, sorry my first time embedding a vid from youtube.

Well it just seems to be that this is being more popularized now by the MSM's to view these people as complete dysfunctionals. I know it's a condition but there are different degrees, I'm sure everybody is guilty of hoarding something and I sure cured my I.T hardware issue in a flash when I upped roots and moved to another country, since then I havent really hoarded anything, I still keep a CRT T.V in the spare room thats about it, since I'm living in an 100sq/m apartment now,
I really don't have the space or the energy to hoard anymore, bad for the feng shui.

Well, keeping a rotating food pantry with a months supply minimum of food in it has saved us at least the cost of the food over the last three years. It has made our lives easier and less stressful as we always have things on hand to make everything we usually make. Capitalism wants us to run to the store all the time because each time there is impulse buying. If you want to belong to the part of society that is totally reliant on it's own existance, go ahead and belong to it. Anything that's going to happen will probably only last a couple ofweeks or a month the most. Enough time to see who is really good and who is really evil. A time of awakening.

Hoarding is like the alcohol... when it starts to cause problems, it is time to get some help.

An old cliche' is "There is a fine line between genius and insanity."

Hoarders and preppers walk along that line everyday. I do collect and in some cases hoard stuff. Usually it is packing crates, large pallets, feed sacks, nails and bolts and screws,pane windows, fixtures like hinges and door knobs... but it is with the intent of using them around my farm. And I do use them.

I have built two barns and only had to buy the tin roofing, I build my own gates between pastures so the hinges and clasps all come in handy. I have also built several sheds and once again, I bought very little of the materials.

Now think about it... a pound of nails runs about 5-10 dollars, a set of hinges is about 6-12 dollars, OSB board is about 8 dollars right now, a 2x4x8 stud runs about 2-3 dollars. If you build a 12'x12' shed, it can cost about 900 bucks... by "hoarding" discarded lumber... I pay nothing but time and effort, and by saving and reclaiming the nails, I further cut my cost.

A 4'x4' pallet makes an excellent and sturdy ready to use farm gate, and when it is worn out or broken...I simply replace it at no cost... a metal 4x4 gate costs about 50 bucks or a wooden gate costs about 30 bucks...the savings are obvious.

The windows I use in the sheds or I use as temp hot houses or hot beds in growing seeds and plants, if you can get enough of a matching set... you can make some nice furniture and glass doored cupboards or cabinets.

These characteristics came from my parents who grew up during the great depression and WWII. You simply did not waste anything. If you go through any old person's house that lived then, you will find mustard and mayonaisse jars, the smaller ones have a collection of buttons or nuts and bolts or spare fittings or a shoe box with squared remnants for patching clothes or making quilts. They would even save the metal bottle caps to use as washers, and to this day... I, like my parents, wash my ziploc bags to get extra usage out of them. Baling wire, duct tape, cardboard, the parts salvaged from an appliance or lawn mower is literally money saved.

I took an old washing machine and took off the contol panel across the top, BUT kept the drain line in the back bottom and painted it...and now use it as a transfer tank for watering my garden. It will hold thirty gallons, has a wide open top with lid, and all I do is set it in the back of the pick up... fill it with water from the lake... bvack up to the garden and by gravity, simply drop the drain line down to the waterers and water my garden. An actual 30 gallon water transfer tank from the farm store I manage costs 99.99... mine was free.

In these days of economic uncertainty, such measures can make the difference of surviving or becoming a debt slave.

I have recently got a thing for chairs. I see a nice barstool going to the trash and I just can't leave it there! Seriously though, I have gotten some of my best furniture from the alley in back of the house. People throw away good solid furniture to replace it with contempory chip-board crap. Their loss, my gain!

Personally, I do have alot of crap around. Books, I have a real problem getting rid of, but, with the exception of collectibles and regular reference, I am happy to pass on to an interested person. I have a real problem with throwing good stuff into a landfill, but do not get so attatched that I cannot give it away later. Like, maybe I'll hold onto a leather jacket for years until I come upon someone that would want it and give it to them without a second thought.

I guess what I am trying to say is, I don't believe in disposing good items, but I have no problem letting go of things, even after years of holding it.

I often find people will say "well it only cost a couple of dollars, I'll just get another" as they throw a huge chunk of plastic in the trash. Or," let the car run, what am I wasting a dollar?" I think people ought to stop thinking of things in terms of money and start thinking about what is REALLY going to waste, or the consequences thereof.

I get really upset when people throw out meat. I mean, if your onlg going to eat one portion, then cook one portion for heavens sake! If you think about the fossil fuels wasteed to deliver it to you, the pasture land, antibiotics used, fecal matter washed away, and please....a living creature had to die! But "it only cost a couple of dollars....." The dollar will be the death of humanity.

Also, I think the hoarders TV show (which I have never watched, but heard plenty about) is trying to stigmatize the "make do" types in society. It is not in the interest of corporations to have a non disposable type society.

Look at alot of items available today, can you say "purposeful obsolescence"? Unless you are paying big bucks for things you are getting really cheap crap, like "non-stick pans" I have had the same cast iron skillet for 13 years. It is better than ever, whereas a non-stick pan will last a year or two with good care.

Look, if they use regular programming to ridicule the last remnants of responsible citizens, then they are ahead of the game. They can sell all the plastic crap they want and sell it to you over and over again.

I know there are some extreme hoarders out there, but they are an exception. Now, if you try to reuse a baggy you are a hoarder. Like I said, I think they are trying to stigmatize our section of society to maintain control.

Basically, the question is, "how tidy are you."

Hoarders are suffering from a depression; we know this because some drugs have been found to reduce the hoarding behavior.

Look at the OP's list. Basically
-things are hoarded in a haphazard way
-rooms are so full of hoard that they cannot be walked through
-the room is so choked with hoard that it can no longer be used for what it was intended.
-the person cannot live a full and meaningful life.

One diagnostic I've heard for hoarding is that you should get rid of an item if you will not realistically use it in the next year. The problem with that rubric is that if you own technical equipment, or need a large library for your work, then by this definition, you are hoarding!

A wife's friend claimed I was hoarding because I have a thousand or so books, stored on antique book cases. The "friend" tried to convince my wife to "decorate" with the books: she wanted to glue stacks of books together, drill a center hole through the stack, and run a chord through the hole to make a "designer lamp" -out of a collection that includes first editions of Kipling, Marx, Vonnegut and Bertrand Russell! Then she wanted to convert the 100-year-old bookshelves into a rabbit hutch.

According to this Philistine, I wasn't "using" all my books in a given year, thus I was "hoarding" them. She told my wife if I didn't sell them (thus "using" them up in a year), I must be hoarder. I pointed out that any buyer would then be a hoarder, and that my wife's friend is such an anti-intellectual hag that she practically stepped from the pages of Bradbury' Fahrenheit 451 (which I own a copy of, incidentally).

That woman is the enemy of erudition!

My wife was pretty horrified, and knew that I am permanently enraged at this woman, who hasn't been in our home since shortly after that conversation!

My point is, the accusation of hoarding can be leveled at anyone with hobbies more focused that bowling or watching TV. Every sportsman can be accused of being a hoarder, if he owns fly-fishing equipment that he only uses once every couple of years on a trip to the Rockies with his best friend. Every collector of Hummel figurines, Every kid with a stamp collection, Every woman who saves fabric for quilting---all of them are hoarders! I guess you should throw away your birth certificate, since you wont "use" it in the next 365 days!!!!

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-The serious preppers I know hide their caches; this makes them hard to accuse. The serious ones build shelves and storage areas, making things systematic so stock can be rotated, items can be store where they won't rust or attract vermin, etc. So as long as it's orderly, it isn't hoarding, by the psychological definition.

As a matter of fact, I don't know any sloppy preppers.

I am a borderline hoarder. I hate to thow things that can be used away. Yes I have rewashed my baggies. but throw them away 90% of the time. I also wash and keep the plastic food containers like butter or sour cram tubs, they are great for taking food to others and for storing leftovers. and I do not feel guily throwing them away if I happen to forget about something in the fridge til it grows mold, like I do with my good food storage stuff.

I also will save the screws and hardware out of items that have bit the dust, and will often pick up a screw or nail that I happen to see laying abandoned on the ground, along with any other piece of metal I see. I have a container of assorted useless metal items that I can take to the scrapyard if I need an emergency dollar or two

I do not have a problem giving away things to people that can use it, but do have a problem with throwing a perfectly good item away. I used to pick up nice things from the trash, you would be amazed at some of the things people throw away, like items still sealed in original packaging, or collectables and antiques. My fear of bedbugs has overcome my love of dumpster diving.

If the MSM is trying to abolish hoarding and get more people going out and buying new, that very well could explain the prohibition of pesticides that effectivly took care of bedbugs for so many years, along with their reintroduction into society.

If the SHTF happens and goods cannot make it to the markets/public I will have items that people can use and possible means to barter for what I need, if I do not have to leave my home.

gypsycat, You and I sound alike with the screw collecting, I used to have every gauge, length, head screw there was in a case in the back of the car along with an assortment of screwdrivers ofcourse. I lost count of how many times I was able to find the right screw for the right job, even people who I didn't know, knew me as the guy with the screws. But that was another time.

I always have the moral of if I buy something then I must get the maxium use and life from that item. So I'm very particular when I buy things because I will rely on that item for years until it's no longer effective.
Digital Camera 5 years of use (self repaired 3 times)
Mobile Phone 4.5 years until PCB board got rusted up
Car: WIfe forced me to buy a new one so I got one with a 5 year warrenty.
Clothing: I always wear my clothes out, I don't really care about the latest FAD.

Lately people have been leaving unwanted plants in the elevator, so I carry them to my apartment, quite an assortment now (I live in China, so pretty much everything I look at is concrete).

Regarding Chinese and hoarding, I don't really see many people here hoard, not enough space, Young Chinese are constantly moving cities for work, so they learn to live light.

Im a weird hoarder. LOL! The 2 living levels in my house are pretty well immaculate... but the basement is another story. 1500 sq feet of basement hoard. Then every few yrs I purge everything and find people to give things to. The kids friends, family, and I have been known to ask the cop that lives down the street what family, elder, or kid needs what... especially for xmas.
I know when this started.. we had moved and Id had to change from a completely contemporary decor to antiques in our historic home. I couldnt throw out the furniture and decor.. so I kept it and for whatever reason added to it until the husband said okay.. I need a man cave and tool room... so I purged it all. It felt so good seeing people smile getting the things that I have kept it up doing this over and over for years!

As far as being a prepper.. you just cant get a better home to prep in than a century plus yr old home... built when things were kept cold or warm or whatever without electricity. Many "quirks: in the home have made prepping easier and the cold room is just that.. a stone cold room and I keep home canned there and smoked meats. Being an organized reasonable normal prepper doesnt require hoarding IMO. If the SHTF.. there will be plenty left around to scavenge..