Hiya,
I decided to try to start this thread because I need help. I am both a shopaholic and a hoarder. While shopping malls are not my thing, flea markets/yard sales/thrift stores are. I just can't stop buying. It's not always the thrift stores, etc, in the past 2 months I bought 2 DSi's, a DSi XL, a Gameboy Advanced SP, a 32GB iPhone 4, about a dozen games for the Sega Genesis, 3 games for a Japanese Sega Saturn (Which I don't even have a machine that can PLAY the import games), I then went and ordered from Amazon.co.jp a Sega Saturn used from Japan, and I ordered an SD Card cartridge for the Sega Genesis so I can download games onto the card and be able to play them on my Genesis. Also, the one Genesis I have was in storage, but instead of going to my storage and picking it up, I bought another one at a flea market. Oh yeah, I also bought a Super NES and about half a dozen cartridges for that.
I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with my wife and 2 children. There is ABSOLUTELY no room for this stuff, but I keep buying and buying. At home, (not counting the systems in storage), I have the Sega Genesis, X-Box 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, plus the 3 DSi's mentioned above, as well a regular DS, and the Gameboy Advanced SP.
Other things in my collection of useless stuff, a Tandy 1000HX which is under the bed in my room, a Razor electric scooter, a 49cc Moped (which I can't get started anymore, a rather large library of reference books on the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers.
And all that stuff is just the stuff in my apartment currently, if I started listing through my stuff in storage, it would take me all day.
I don't know what to do. I don't want to throw things out, because I think I might need them at some point, even things that don't work, like a 47" projection TV (Which I replaced with a 42" LCD TV, then ended up getting another 42" LCD TV for my bedroom)
I keep telling my wife, "Oh, we just need to get some more bookshelves and cabinets, then this place will be all nice and clean" But I know that's a lie, because I will buy enough to overstuff the shelves and cabinets, and stuff will continue to be everywhere.
I really don't know what to do.
Thanks
My step dad used to be like this. He loved to roam around garage sales/flee markets and buy a bunch of stuff. He also loved to bring home useless junks. Like sometimes he would find a random rock and take it home saying how valuable it is. I’m sure you can imagine how awful our home looked back then. It was a complete mess.
Personal I think it’s a mental disease. And if you have the means, you should consult a professional.
A lot of the stuff you buy aren't that useless relatively. If you truly enjoy blowing your time on useless crap, learn to sell things when you get bored. I have this problem (albeit to a lesser extent) but I don't view it as one.
But yes, getting help as well wouldn't be a bad idea.
You know you are making progress because you can at least admit that you have a problem and that you are a hoarder. There are many hoarders out there who can't even see that what they are doing is wrong. So you should congratulate yourself!
There are many different methods for resolving compulsive behaviors. Some include seeking professional help, medication, etc. I would encourage you to explore these options. But of course, you know this already. Please allow me to share my personal story. Recently, I became obsessed with scanning Art books from the local library. It was literally all I did for three months straight and it nearly drove my flatmate insane. Exhausted to tears, I asked myself, "Even if I scanned every Art book from every library in the world, would I be satisfied?" I thought, "No." So I decided to release this compulsive habit and it no longer has a hold on me. What you must understand is that Life will provide for you everything that you need whenever you need it. You don't need to 'hoard' it away somewhere for when you may use it 'one day'. When that day comes, what you need and the means to obtain it will be made easy for you. You just need to TRUST. To trust Life, to trust yourself and to believe that you CAN live without these items because they no longer become a part of you if you release them mentally and emotionally. Our environment is an extension of ourselves and a reflection of our mental state. Rearrange your mindset and then your surroundings will reflect this. You CAN do it. Good luck!
I'm like this with books. Beyond bibliophilia, even. I've traded countless valuable possessions for more books than I might ever have time to read T_T