Maybe I hoard things too much?

by Simon 40 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  mouthy

  Well,Well,Well, I just hope you dont kick the bucket first( I want you Angie to live a long life)

  BUT! My hubby was a pack rat. It was stored for YEARS!!!! We lugged it all around every time we moved. I didnt even know what he had down in the basement.

  Then he passed away. My two daughter & I had to clear it out. Let me give you an idea of what there was.

  Garbage bags that deterioated as we put stuff into them ---Pay stubs for ALL his life -elastic bands that fell apart as we touched them ( rotted from age)

  We found a bomb- he had brought back from the war.... We called the Legion!!! they collected it.there was an old desk - we found out was an antique....Got $600.00 for that . Silver cutlery!!! ( must of pinched them from somewhere afraid to bring them up.....)I could go on & on. But Just a warning Angie - Give it the once over while he is alive!!!!lots of work & tears when they go....
• 

  alamb

  I had/have this habit too. It's good to know there are more of us. But whenever I do gut something and organize it better it feels so good. I have to go through stuff and say to myself, "nothing is good as clean feels..." and most things are replacable or on file somewhere other than my desk (the bank, mortgage company, etc.)

  I also think back to my dad's habit of collecting which included a dump truck no one of us was licensed to drive because it "was a good deal." I told him we could plant a garden in the back and get some use out of it. Anyway, he would search for 3 weeks for a nut or bolt for something that would have cost 5 cents at the hardware store and feel he had accomplished something when he found it.
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  SuperMommy

  My son started Kindergarten last fall...I felt so guilty throwing his papers away. I have gotten over it. I have stored up a few in a special place. Everytime he brings home more papers I pick one and tack it to the fridge. When a new bunch comes in I throw the one on the fridge out and pick a new pic.
• 

  Englishman

  I throw everything away very quickly. A half used tin of paint goes straight into the bin. Once used paint brushes too. Bank statements over 6 months old get the same treatment.

  Can't abide clutter! HL is a real squirrel though. This is my garden shed, not much in there, is there?

  Englishman.
• 

  shera

  I used to hoard things alot,but latley I have been tossing things out of giving them away!

  Time to get a paper shreader Simon.
• 

  Mac

  Please eliminate aything pertaining to me!!!!!!!
• 

  Amazing1914

  Simon,

  Until rcently, I kept a file on each tax year, containing every document, recepit, and tax return back to 1968. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can audit back up to 7 years, but can make any claim up to ten years if they allege fraud. They have abused many taxpayers over the years until Congress finally curtailed the abuse in the 1990s.

  I now only keep records 7 years, but I will maintain my tax returns until they place them in my coffin.
• 

  neverthere

  Simon, I too am a pack rat, to prove it hubby and I have a 3 car, 2 storey garage which is almost FULL of mostly my stuff. (I let him have some of his stuff there too, wasn't that nice of me?!)

  I have all my mum's books and records, and my books, 2 cedar chests my grandad made a side board he made, curio cabinets he made, a desk and a gazillion other things I just can't seem to part with. Until recently I even had every note that had ever been passed to me in school, but it got ruined it was a dishwasher box filled with notes, from friends boyfriends, girlfriends, all friends, some were just a few lines, some were pages long (keep in mind we wrote these to each other during class so we could pass them in the hall and then meet at lunch or go to class together)

  Diana
• 

  kls

  This is really unreal but when my son was leaving for Mexico i was looking for his birthcertificate in our filing cabinet which we still use and i found return checks ( lot's of them) insurance forms , bank statements,etc. At least a bag full ,from 1973 and up. Did i throw them away ? nope i put them back,you never know when you might need this stuff. lol
• 

  FlyingHighNow

  I just can't stand to throw things away for fear that I may need them one day!!

  I read once that the average person accumulates enough paperwork during his lifetime to fill an average bedroom.

  In the USA, they recommend you keep papers for three to four years. Then throw them out. The statute of limitation runs out on a lot of things such as tax returns and documents. Of course you do need your birth certificates, insurance policies, etc. Common sense will lead you.

  You could contact Her Majesty's Service and have all of your paperwork photographed and put on microfilm. Remember microfilm?

  Flyin'

  If you haven't looked at in 10 years then will you miss it if it's gone?