Before we get started, I am not a hoarder. Not even close! I am however in the middle of a HUGE life re-organization project that got me thinking about how I am maintaining my home and my life. It pains me to say this but my life for the past 5 or 6 years my life hasn’t been rocking the way I would have liked it to. I have spent the past year blogging about my money, a little bit about my weight, friends, and home. As I blog about these different aspects of my life it had become clearer and clearer how intertwined they are and that in order to get a handle on my money I had to get a handle on what seemed to be unrelated to money but is at the heart of everything. My home.
You have to understand that I have been at times called OCD when it came to the cleanliness of my home. It was my regular habit to make my bed after I got up (still do), no dishes were in the sink, and everything had a place. I bought a home in 2007 at the peak of the market. The problem with that purchase and subsequent move was that it occurred during a very stressful time for me personally and I really wasn’t financially ready to purchase a home. My finances were in complete disarray. Though I could technically afford the home (it’s really cheap), I had years of financial disorganization dogging my heels.
I moved into my new place during the spring of 2007, then the Market crashed. Though my home was affordable and I loved it-I wanted to quit my job at that time and couldn’t because there were no jobs to be had. The Great Recession had started and I like many other people were f$cked, financially, and it took an emotional toll on me.
I was always a food stockpiler and I think that the majority of Americans tend to fall in this category because of the amount of space we have available to us for food storage in our homes. I love looking at food, cooking, farmer’s markets, and food shows. I found it easy to accumulate food stuffs under the guise of stocking up. I would spend amazing amounts of time thinking up recipes, researching recipes and going to markets and grocery stores to purchase ingredients in the event that I didn’t have them. Preserved lemons, I had to have them. Sumac spice, I needed to pick some up. You get the picture. I proceeded to gain 25-30 pounds from 2007-2013 and I am sure that I’ve lost around a thousand dollars in food waste since 2007. I was literally feeding my misery at not being able to change my job and move on. My cabinets were fairly organized but had tons of food in them. When my best friend came over to visit from England a couple of years ago she commented that I was one person and didn’t need all of that food. She didn’t realize that I was worried about “What if.” What if I lost my job? What would I do? How would I eat when the Zombie Apocalypse came.
My new home was smaller than the previous apartment that I was in and as I slowly wrapped my head around the feeling of owning my home I struggled to keep things as organized and together as I used to in my old place. I found myself happy that I had bought a home, but in general kind of depressed with my life.
I also ran out of energy when decorating my bedroom having painted it 3 times BADLY. The second time looked like a bad slasher film because I had chosen a maroon color that looked great in a magazine but looked like I had made animal sacrifices in my room. By the time I repainted it a third time, a light lavender I ran out of energy to clean up the red and pee yellow splashes along the walls from the previous paint jobs. The kitchen, and living room were cute but the bedroom and bathroom looked crazy and try as I might I had lost the energy to deal with it.
Slowly, as time moved on my entire home became a lot more cluttered and disorganized until I found myself being called out on two separate occasions. My mom and an ex (who had known me for a long time) mentioned the state of my bedroom and not in a good way. You have to understand I didn’t have clothing on the floor, or used dishes…but, it wasn’t the space that it could have been. The bed was flush against the wall, the bad paint job was still there, and I had 2 pieces of furniture too many for the size of the room. The clutter and the calling out on my sh$t took me by surprise, I was offended and hurt. I’m glad that they cared enough to say something. I had shut down between 2007 -2012 and was dealing with things by not dealing with them.
Things never got so bad that I was hoarding but I was on the edge when it came to household cleaning products and body products. I decided to stop purchasing those items until I’d used up a substantial number of those items saving me money, time, and space.
Clutter, Stockpiling, and Hoarding all come from the same mental space: fear, the idea of “not having enough,” and lack of control over all of the things that affect one’s life. There have been a number of studies done that show a clear connection between financial problems and clutter, weight gain in a home. If you get a chance I recommend reading some of Peter Walsh’s books on clutter (of Oprah fame). They are pretty quick reads and offer interesting insights on the affect of clutter on your life.
As I go through the process of getting rid of excess furniture, clothes, books, and product I feel the metaphorical weight of all this excess coming off of my shoulders. There is a bounce in my step again. I knew I was feeling weighted down by my debt, I hadn’t realized that the lack of organization in my home was making it even worse. It’s getting easier and easier to let stuff go. If an item is not going to help move me forward then I’m getting rid of it.
Have you ever dealt with clutter? Are you a stockpiler (food, product, etc)? Have you done a major declutter project and noticed a difference in your life? Did you discover things that you didn’t know you had?
Latest posts by Michelle (see all)
- How Work Policies Against Black Women Birthed a Love of the Soft Life - 20 March, 2024
- How Taylor Swift’s IP Victory Could Change the Business of Music - 28 February, 2024
- Why Don’t More Personal Finance Content Creators Talk About Policy - 16 January, 2024
My parents are like this, and this makes me run in the other way… but in the same vein, I am also a lot like my mother because she has a huge closet of clothes, and I have been kind of taught to enjoy shopping the way she does, which is why my closet is so full and varied..
Considering that I was extremely, extremely uptight about the upkeep of my home it has been a surprise to me to find how quickly things can get out of control. As I work through the stuff that is in my head it’s amazing how much everything is connected. I’m starting to feel so much better about everything as I take care of things. Money, home, health, relationships are all connected and when one is out of balance it’s amazing how quickly everything else follows suit.
The psychology of hoarding is just incredible. I HATE stuff that doesn’t have a place. I guess I have always lived in small places so I need things neat and tidy, so I’m constantly looking at what I can get rid of. There is absolutely a metaphorical weight that is lifted. It just feels so freeing.
I am in the grand scheme of things very clean. However, in recent years things have been sliding a bit and this shouldn’t be a surprise because I’ve been a bit depressed. As I get a handle on things and feel mentally and physically healthier I can’t continue to exist in a space that doesn’t match how I feel. Extreme hoarding for me is a reflection of lives that are out of balance and it’s heartbreaking to see. I have a great aunt who is a hoarder and I always wonder what triggered it.
I used to stockpile food when I couponed but I don’t have time to anymore. It’s kind’ve a good thing, I guess. When I used to try to stock up, I would end up throwing stuff away and it made me sad.
I think that Americans do have a slight compulsion to stockpile large amounts of food-because we can. When I lived in other countries there just wasn’t as much space in the home for storage of any kind. That’s why Europeans go to the Market or the store every week. I was pretty good about using my food but it was getting out of control. How much does one person really need?
I am a bit of a hoarder… not to the extent of obvious clutter everywhere but I do tend to retain useless and even broken stuff that I don’t need. Clothes from the 1990s that will never be in fashion again and will never fit me again either. I think decluttering definitely helps to clear the mind. I should make a start on this! Good luck with your decluttering Michelle! 🙂
I was all about stockpiling food, product, and toilet paper 🙂 As I stop purchasing things, use what I have, and get rid of extra pieces of furniture that I don’t need I am starting to feel free. Also, as I pay off my debt I feel like I’m shredding a layer of stress and anxiety, growing my dreams, and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I would encourage you to start (slowly) on getting rid of anything that doesn’t move you forward. This project has taken a life of its own and I’ve gained a lot of clarity. Let me know how it goes. Good luck!
My parents stockpile non-perishable foods, bottled water, laundry detergent, toilet paper, etc, especially when it goes on sale. It actually comes in handy when I go to visit them, because they give some of the stuff to me. I can’t say no to free groceries. 🙂 I’m not a stockpiler myself, although one time I bought the limit number for paper towels because it was on sale. That was almost 7 months ago and we still have a couple of packages.
I think our house would feel smaller if we stockpiled stuff.
My family does the same thing! My place is just too small to have a whole bunch of sh$t. I’m having fun getting rid of things and the more I do it the better I’m getting at it. My house DOES feel bigger as I get rid of things. I donated some furniture and I won’t be replacing it.
For a while I was totally stockpiling stuff I bought couponing. I swear I had enough food and toiletries to last 5 years. When we moved I gave away a lot of the stuff to avoid having to pay movers to move it (and to get it out of the house). Now if I buy stuff I’m not going to eat or use I donate it right away to avoid having too much “stuff” in the house. There are always more coupons and more deals to be had if I need more of something.
I was getting out of control and really letting fear drive my purchasing. When other people start making pointed comments and wondering what’s going on with you…that’s a clue that something is not right! Spending the past seven months switching to mindful spending has been intense. I appreciate what I have a lot more than before.
We ended up hitting a bit of a minimalist phase a couple of years ago and I started getting some serious enjoyment out of just getting rid of things. I was never really “addicted to shopping” like some, but I will admit that I bought many things that I didn’t really need. Thankfully, my mind is in a much better place today.
I think I’ve hit the same phase! I just want to accumulate: money and experiences 🙂 No more unnecessary things in my home. I’ve also gotten rid of several pieces of furniture-it’s amazing how much of a difference it has made to the “feel” of my home.
Your post is so interesting, and I feel so bad that you went through that. I’m so sorry.
I am a stockpiler, but it’s not out of a “what if” need, it’s because I coupon. I use everything in my stockpile, although there are some deodorants and shave gels that have been there for 2 years. At one point, though, the cereal stockpile was out of control and some of it expired. So, I cut down on some of that.
Yet, when I go to my parents’ house, their clutter and hoarding drive me bonkers because I don’t have a lot of “stuff” in my house. Just my stockpile 😉 Once something becomes useless, I’m quick to get it out of the living space and into the yard sale pile ASAP.
I am afraid to learn how to coupon affectively because then my stockpile would really get out of control! Some of my older relatives also have extreme stockpiles. I think that they went through a lot and are still fearful that things will change-in a bad way. Their fears aren’t unfounded but I have to have faith that things will be ok. I’m loving the declutter project and just going through the process of thinking about what I want for myself and getting back to living in a way that is healthy: lose some weight, lose the debt, lose the clutter, and lose the stress!
I’ve been through everything you mentioned in your post. It takes a long time to work through clutter, mental and physical, but after you do, it’s very freeing.
I still stockpile (a little), loo rolls etc, but only because I have the room – I never let it spill out of the cupboards.
Good luck on your continued journey Michelle.
I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that I am clearing things out at the same time that I’m getting rid of my financial clutter. As things get more organized I am loving the way things are flowing and lack of drama. I hadn’t realized how much drama is attached to being in debt. It kind of freaks me out to see how interconnected everything is.
I enjoyed your post and I have experienced these issues too. I am currently nearing the end of a home inventory and I am kind of afraid to finish because of what all my “stuff” says about me.
I think you will be so happy when you’re done! My place just happened to have certain zones that attracted stuff. Having the product stockpile really got out of hand. I’m almost finished using the bulk of it and will approach buying that stuff in a really different way. Also, I’ve gotten rid of a ton of clothes, etc. Just things that I felt were holding me back. Good luck with your inventory!