I just read an article by Anna Canzano. It’s called How Do They Rescue People From The Mess They Made?. It touched on a few hoarding issues that are affecting people and was a very interesting article.
The one thing that really made me think a little bit is that hoarding seems to be getting more common. They blame it on a few things such as a lack of mental health services but there’s one glaringly stark thing that isn’t mentioned at all.
There’s really cool things out there!
For example, boring dish towels. Years ago, you went to the store when you needed a dish towel and you bought a dish towel. You picked one out of a few that matched the color of your kitchen the best.
Now, you have 50 different choices. They come in every color and design. Some hang by a loop with a big button or they snap together or they can be tied on, you name it.
Sometimes they’re a better deal if you buy them in bulk. Buying 10 dish towels wrapped together can be cheaper than buying one really nice towel.
If you buy the cheaper towels, they might not last long and you might think why did I waste my money on these? Then you go to the store to buy a nice towel and meanwhile, the other 9 towels from your pack of 10 are now sitting there with no place to go.
It’s hard to get rid of them because they’re brand new and you spent good money on them. They will now sit there because you could find a use for them some day. You could probably use them in the garage or maybe in your car.
Sound familiar?
So that’s my example of boring dish towels… now add in all the really cool stuff like game systems, iPads, headphones, games, bikes, TV’s, smart phones, laptops, dishes that practically clean themselves and much more. There’s just awesome stuff being made these days and they can be expensive so they’re hard to just give away when you’re done with them.
Isn’t it easy to see why this problem is growing rapidly?
Before you start hoarding these nice things…
It doesn’t take long for things to start piling up and the next thing you know, you’re a hoarder.
When I start feeling overwhelmed and like it’s time to start getting rid of things, I try to think if there’s any place better where I can take things.
Humane societies are a great place to take old blankets and towels. They go through a ton of them every day. The pups like to have soft blankets to lay on and as animals come in or go out, they get baths.
It’s so much easier to let these things go when you know 100% that they’ll be put to good use.