|
Hey Andi and MayMay,
Question ~ I always wondered about the Space Saver bags ~ doesn't the stuff inside get terribly wrinkled? What about fluffy comforters? Doesn't all the fluff get squished out? Does stuff plump back up when you take them out?
As far as the hoarding question goes... I have a tremendous amount of space. A large country home, a third story fully accessible attic, a large two story poolhouse, extra large two car garage, an ocean front condo. I have kept everything right down to my kid's umbilical cords. For awhile it was all organized. I even individually initialed every single crayola marker (AND TOP OF EVERY MARKER!!!) when they went to school. How insane is that?!
Point being there was no need to get rid of anything because I had the space and was a master at keeping it all under control. Fast forward 30 years and I am a full blown hoarder. I loved going to my beach condo because it was an oasis of simplicity and calm. But I found myself starting to add a little too many decorating touches. Small stuff like swirls of sand and tiny shells among the books. No live animals allowed (I need one hair-free zone) but I filled it with stuffed animals and pictures and books. It was beginning to feel oppressive.
So just because we CAN keep things doesn't mean we should. I think hoarding is more a mental/emotional problem that wreaks havoc in our physical lives. Having a lot of similar items no matter how well stored and labeled can indicate a hoarder mentality. And when life throws some real heavy-duty crap at you the tightly wound control unravels and you start just building piles or tossing bags of newly bought items in a room and shut the door. Or you squirrel away stuff like toothpaste or shampoo or soup. Or you let your passion explode to out of control proportions and have a ton of crafting supplies or take in every poor, abused animal that someone dumps in a bag on your doorstep. Then one day your eyes kind of get out of the squint a little bit and you think, holy shit, what happened to my life?!
If you're lucky you haven't totally destroyed everything, decide you need help and ask for it or find a place like this and attempt to make better choices every day. It's not a fix-it-once problem. It's like other addictive behaviors. Gotta keep working at it. But if you are in the beginning stages and wondering if you have too much, you probably do. Start now ~ get rid of what you can before the decisions get too hard. Put a halt on everything except absolute essentials that come into your home. And if you have living things that depend on you for their well-being make sure you can provide or let a loving person do it for them.
I had to ask people in rescue groups to remove me as a possible home. I make sure to keep my 17 (down from 20) cats and dogs updated on vacs, individual licenses, meds and specialized foods. Their areas, bedding and all needs have priority. The expense, my aging body and my commitment to take care of my responsibility for life-time care is a great deterrent to adding more.
Ahhhh what a lot of words.... don't save it, let it go. Your future you will thank you for it!!
|
