Are you a Compulsive Hoarder????

[crochetqueen]

Add me to the list I have all the symptoms except for the one about feeling anxiety about the clutter I warn everyone before they come over and to date no one has left screaming out the door.

[unicorn37757]

I am terrible for hoarding things. I've got tons of dolls, & craft supplies that I've found on sale, just waiting to be used! My family thinks I'm nuts.

[goldi316]

Oh yeah, you betcha. I am at an advanced stage of the disease! My biggest fear is having to MOVE! I moved 4 years ago to this "tiny box" (it really is tiny, though it should be plenty "big" for a single individual) from a large 3 bedroom house. I packed for WEEKS before that move, and single-handedly moved all my boxes of books and..., uhm "rocks" (I hoard crystals and stones too) because of al the complaints from my moving helpers. It still took 2 FULL 18 foot truckloads over two days' time to get the bulk of my possessions moved here, and then another two weeks of daily trips with 2 carloads to get the straggling pieces out! And I even threw a lot of stuff away! Talk about a nightmare!

 

Until I moved here, in spite of my hoardings, I was very organized. That move dismantled it all, and I've never recovered! And - most shocking of all - this was before I took up crocheting again! I started that up in all seriousness a year ago, and I can't BELIEVE how much I've managed to accumulate in that year's time.

 

Whenever I contemplate getting rid of anything, I break out in a cold sweat. I have it really bad! It's a darn good thing I live alone.

 

Oh, and speaking of embarrassment - I hate to even open my front door for anyone stopping by to drop something off, even the mailman. My living room looks like storage space right now. I just about fell through the floor when my landlord stopped by last weekend for me to sign the new lease agreement! :blush:blush

[Bexx]

I used to be, not anymore. I learned my lesson.

Lost 98% of my stuff to toxic black mold when I moved to TN back in 2001.

Now I go on a per project idea basis.

The little ol' ladies I worked for gave me TOO MUCH, so I narrowed it down to one of those plastic containers you can get at Wal-Mart and gave away the colors I didn't want.

Once that container is emptied - then I might try to reclaim the project I had before the contamination - a bedspread made with this yarn called "Evening Jewel". I loved that stuff! I had about 20 skeins of it and it all went kapoot to the mold.

So ladies, be careful what you hoard!

[badgermonkey]

I'm a bit of a hoarder, although I also enjoy throwing things away so usually it balances out! But I only started crocheting about two weeks ago and I already have a big bag full of yarn and a little bag full of hooks and another medium bag full of scraps that went wrong and unfinished things. And I can't stop looking at crochet books on Amazon! Actually I think the little bags system is part of the attraction really...

[perigrine]

Oh man, I'm doomed!

 

yup, so am I.... :hook:hook

[sjkmaurice]

I'm a selfish hoarder. There's someone looking for a baby afghan pattern on this forum and although I've made it part way and didn't care for finishing it, there's a knit dress in the booklet I can't bear to part with. I don't even knit, but it's on my neverending, continuously added-to list of things to accomplish before I die and I want to make one. Selfish, selfish, selfish.

[kazily]

I am a mild hoarder probably. I may be in denial of course but my mom used to be a compulsive book hoarder---they were everywhere! You could barely walk without navigating boxes, stacks, bags etc. It was embarassing, so I can see that I am not compulsive with my yarn & crochet stuff. I have seen compulsive obsessive LOL! That's when you have to clean a chair of yarn to sit down or when you have to scoot yarn over to get down the hall to the bathroom--and then when you get there, boxes of yarn surround you while you pee, then you peek behind the shower curtain & guess what? Yes, the tub is filled with it too Thank goodness Mom let us donate more than half of her books when we moved her closer to us 2 yrs ago. Goodwill was both very happy or very freaked out the day we showed up with a uhaul trailer of all books And in a strange city--she still doesn't know where the book places are she doesn't drive much anymore. Now she orders through book clubs & mail order but limits it to her "library" room with wall to wall shelving. Moving helps you see it in prospective, or at least in our case it did.

 

Back to the topic of crochet hoarding, I keep my stash to my craft cabinet & a small 3 bin rolling cart. Had a yard sale this weekend & even though I am still buying yarn occasionally, I also bagged up a little yarn to sell. Stuff I know I won't use like some thrift finds or some my relatives gave me.

 

Most of the stash I do build up, is a fear of not being able to buy more yarn for a while. I think that is because my huby had a yr off work in 2004 & our budget dropped tremendously. If that every happens again--I want to have a sizable stash that will last a while. I won't be deprived of crocheting LOL! Also--if a catastrophy happened like that again.... yarn, books, tools etc can be used as sale/trade items for what you do need! UNless of course it is an large scale catastrophy like LA, MS & TX went through recently. I doubt yarn would hold much value in that case but you never know who has plenty of water/food stashed but not enough yarn lol!

[jwamblicia]

This describes me too closely

[b1jah2]

This is great....I am the definition of a "hoarder" My boyfriend hates the fact that I keep things "just because I may use that foot of string for something sometime:D "

[whitedtu]

oh!!! you know me soooo well, can't thow it you may need it some day

[Qmare]

I could have said the exact same thing! I'm really good about weaning things out but somethings (like yarn!) I just seem attached to. Although - I DO NOT keep those little yarn ends, they drive me nuts!!

 

I'm guilty of SAVING the yarn ends... the fun fur and the acrylic get put out for the birds in the spring. They use them in their nests! And the wool bits, well, someone on my list is looking for wool bits for needle felting!

 

Imagine all the colorful, soft nests in my neighborhood!

[Tracy1cg]

YES! And not just with craft stuff.

[moonspinners]

They must have interviewed my hubby for that one!

 

I know they interviewed my husband! He's always saying I could open my own store. However, I never, ever have clutter I'm too organized.

[SheWolf]

Y'know, it's so bad for me, that I've actually not made things because I didn't want to use up a fabric. I don't have as much yarn because I only just started, but I bought those plastic storage drawers to put my stuff in, and 5 large ones isn't enough. And I only buy remnants. . .

 

I only have 5 balls of yarn. . . which reminds me. . I need another color. . .

 

Off topic, how'd my sig get here? I'm on another board that uses this format, bt I never expected it to show up!

[fsurose]

So that's what I am.

[donnalynn2]

Oh my gosh! I certainly am a hoarder!

 

I actually have my entire closet (in my guest bedroom) full to the brim with craft things. Granted they are all in storage containers so they aren't going to fall and hit me on the head but I have everything in that closet. If we have guests, they will not be able to use it!

 

I didn't realize how much yarn I had til I seperated it into types. I have 4 boxes full of yarn in my bedroom closet (there wasn't any room in the other one!) and my DH will say "why did you buy more yarn? you've got tons in the closet!" Then I'll explain that I didn't have the type/color I needed and of course the "IT WAS ON SALE" Thing! LOL

 

I really have a to keep a close eye on him because if I am not watching he'll try to sell it all for a nickel! LOL

 

When I met him I collected Happy Meal toys. I had thousands and thousands of them including hard to find ones. My collection was probably valued at several thousand dollars. Anyway, before we got married we had a huge rummage sale and got rid of the dupicates we had and such. He bargained with me. I could keep my Star Wars and Beauty and the Beast collections but the Happy Meal Toys had to go. Ok, it killed me but I agreed. This guy offered me $5 for all of them. I laughed in his face and my DH said "just sell them already" and I had to argue with him that this guy knew what he was doing and that $5 was way too cheap. Long story short, when I went inside to go to the bathroom, he ended up selling them for $5. I could have killed hiim! If you ever hear that I'm in the hospital or have passed on, make sure to call my DH. He'll GIVE away all my craft stuff! LOL

[Somethin'Shady]

I do believe there's a 12 step program for folks like us!

 

I buy too much and don't have enough time to make all the things I've purchased materials for. I keep telling myself that one day I will, but I'm afraid that's going to be years into the future when I'm old and grey and retired.

[clocke]

DH & I got a big kick out of this in Sunday's Parade magazine because I have a bad case of all these symptoms. I've added items in parenthesis.

...

If you have most of these symptoms like I do, then you are a Compulsive Hoarder like me!!!

...

Well? Do you have any of these symptoms????? 'Fess up!!!

Yes, yes I am a compulsive hoarder! It just hit me again today. As I'm printing off patterns of things that I'd love to crochet, but at the rate I'm accumulating patterns, I seriously doubt it'll happen! I just can't crochet fast enough. :rofl

[JulieKay]

I think I'd need to be on a Shrink's couch for MY disorder .

I only hoard 2 things -

BOOKS and YARN .

 

Everything else in my house has a DIFFERENT rule. Did I use it today ?

Ok , it can stay .

If I didn't - Goodwill .

 

I cannot STAND clutter . My yarn and books actually all have to be put away OUT OF SIGHT . ONLY the item I'm working on can be out .

 

Weird, huh ?

[Lisaizme]

DH & I got a big kick out of this in Sunday's Parade magazine because I have a bad case of all these symptoms. I've added items in parenthesis.

 

 

 

If you have most of these symptoms like I do, then you are a Compulsive Hoarder like me!!!

 

Well? Do you have any of these symptoms????? 'Fess up!!!

 

I can't believe I'm just now finding this post. I must post this on my blog.. The Compulsive Hooker.. LOL With your permission please Diamond/Cheryl?

 

Although I've always thought part of my hoarding syndrome came from being raised by parents who went through the Great Depression. Back then you HAD to save stuff or do without. I Know my parents were scarred by that experience. I can remember them saving wrapping paper & tin foil to reuse. (and some grosser stuff, but we won't go there this morning).

 

Off to work. ugh.

[Daisy]

I confess that I have all of the symptoms, and to add to it, even though I have stashes of yarn all over the house....and more than I can use in my life-time, I still buy more. My husband thinks I'm squirrely, but so be it! I am addicted to my yarns, threads and hooks. The more yarn I have, the happier I am. You know what they say.....the one who dies with the most yarn wins, LOL!

[funkyreporter]

Absolutely compulsive and getting worse! Starting to hide yarn like alcoholics hide bottles of booze! I have 15 skeins of Homespun in the back of my truck 'cause I'm too embarrassed to bring 'em in (it was in sale - how could I NOT get it?) Patterns everywhere, multiples of hooks, stitch markers, leaflets, yarn yarn yarn... It's bad.

[Poochie]

No comment.

[Daisy]

Funkyreporter, you sound just like me, LOL! Yarn, hooks and books everywhere! I've even taken over my husband's half of the closet....and I've got boxes of my yarns and projects in every corner of the house.....and I'm supposed to be organized! I got it bad! Funny, cause when I buy new yarn, I hide it too.....so hubby doesn't flip out. He's got his toy airplanes.....I got my yarn stash!......so we're even!