Why Do Humans Hoard

[nailit]

A sort of follow on post from AOGs post below re: lofts.
Just why do we feel the need to hoard 'stuff'? Clutter really gets on my nerves and I'm something of a minimalist where possessions are concerned but I still tend to buy more than I need at anyone time, mainly things like toothpaste, razors and other toiletries.
WHY?
Is it a fear of lack or something more? I get on my own nerves at times with buying (and storing) more than I need.

[Eleena]

It's quite fascinating actually. I don't know whether my brother has always been a hoarder, but he was quite ill at one point, I put it down to his illness at the time. Through his illness he had to return to live at the family home, had to go through his property for anything that needed to be kept, then got a clearance firm in. Now he has started hoarding at the family home, he's limited to two upstairs rooms, but it kind of feels he has the hoarder instinct in him and always will, something I've discovered about him that I never knew and find hard to understand.

[nailit]

It is kinda strange Eleena. I used to work in a charity shop and there was an elderly gentleman that lived around the corner. I once visited his home to help deliver something that he had bought (a parrot cage) and his front room had cookers and washers etc that he had purchased elsewhere, it was an Alladins cave.
(BTW, he didn't have a parrot either)

[Eleena]

It's strange isn't it being on the 'outside' looking in so to speak, just why do they do it? My brother was X army, where everything had to be just right. He does catalogue stuff, but still it grows.

[zebo]

Because we moved quite a lot in the earlier part of our marriage we didn't hoard much but we did keep, in the original boxes, the Fisher Price sets that the girls had and now we see our grandchildren playing with them. I also found when we cleared my aunt's house a set of Christmas tree lights, little bells with nursery rhymes on them that I remember, they had the very very old flex that was covered in fabric with the two twisted together and a 15 amp plug. They still work too.

[TWR]

I hoard something I know I can reuse, know I can you use, cut something I know I can use, that saves me £££££££££££££

[MallyJ]

Nailit you beat me on the other hygiene items .... but I win on the loo rolls! I can undertand holding on to things that have memories ... I found it hard to get rid of books...but bit the bullet and shifted around 40 boxes of them ...of course all that means is that I have empty shelves.....well they were empty!! I watch those hoarder programmes from time to time and there seems to me to be collectors where their stuff is in tidy piles and others who simply don't seem to be arsed to throw rubbish out.

[Baldric]

I am not a hoarder at all, I may have mentioned previously that Mrs B is, all sorts of things that might be useful. I also may have mentioned previously that I have become somewhat of an expert in Stealth Tipping.

[nailit]

Mally, lol I'll give you the loo rolls thing then ...
But I know what you mean about the books. Ive got hundreds but slowely getting rid bit by bit. My book collection was my pride and joy but now I see it as a load of sh** for my family to get rid of after my death. Better to minimalize now.