I can't throw anything away, like shoe boxes and old magazines. What is wrong with me and how do I fix it?

Question

I am sure it is some sort of obsession, I have been like this all my life. I want to change but I find myself spending way too long considering why I should keep something. For example, I will look at a bread tie for 5 minutes thinking about why I should keep it. My life is now cluttered and I have a very hard time prioritizing what to throw out, what to put in which closet. I want to change, I want a cleaner less cluttered life, but it is so much work. Help!

Answer 1

You and so many more like you! There must be at least 20% of all Americans that "Pack Rat" stuff like that and here it is seen as a bad thing. I am a bit that way too, as I always think that I may be able to use it sometime.
In the more poor countries it's just life. If you have something, anything at all, it is saved because you don't know if you can get it later.
But again here in the USA we have become such a throw away society that it is now seen as a bad thing.

Don't worry about yourself, worry about where to keep that shoe box and what to put in it...

Answer 2

Do it in small chunks. It becomes overwhelming if you try to deal with it all at once. Pick a room to start in and break it down into four sections. Start with the closet or a cluttered desk... something that when finished will motivate you to continue. Even if you can't finish the other quadrants of the room the first day just keep chipping away at each section and then move on to another room.

Boxes and other containers go in a pile you can draw from to organize what you're going to keep. When you're done, the rest go in the trash.

Clothes that haven't been worn in the last year or two go to the Goodwill or Salvation Army. Dress for Success accepts donations of women's business suits to help lower income women obtain or seek better jobs. If items are torn or stained throw them away.

Decide on where you are going to store specific items and always return them to that location. A little discipline prevents clutter from piling up again.

Resist the urge to keep things like twist ties. Allow yourself one junk drawer. For larger items like furniture you no longer use or need... again donate it or sell it.

eBay is an excellent way to unload items that are too nice to give away... plus you make a little extra money. Spend it on organizing even further... storage bins... racks to hang things on... closet space savers.

Good luck! I think you'll find it's very liberating to get uncluttered. Plus my favorite part: It gives you room for more stuff! *L*

Answer 3

It sounds like you have Compulsive Hoarding, a particular type of disorder felt to be closely related to Obsessive Complulsive Disorder. There are many web sites with good information on this - it is tough to work through. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Oprah and Dr. Phil both did shows on this in the past two years. Do an Internet search and you will find some good information.

Among the "experts" are Dr. Randy Frost at Smith College, Dr. David Tolin at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut. There is also someone at Boston University whose name escapes me - she works closely with both of the two listed above.

Also, just the OCF Foundation for starters. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 4

A good place to start is by trying to figure out when this started. And what was the event that started you in this "pattern". If it's because you don't want to waste things then send them to your local good will or charity. If your keeping magazines for an article cut out the article, file it and send the magazine to your local school. They use them for art projects and current events searches ect. If you can't do it by yourself then by all means get a freind to help or other organization! Usually once you've figured out why you try to save things, you can change your habbits so to speak so it doesn't continue to happen. Another thing that is very important is to organize what you do keep so you can find it when you need it. Because if you can't find it there aint no sense in keepin it! Lots of luck dear!

Answer 5

Your not alone, I'm the same way. I'm a neat freak too. I have magazines stuffed in the coffee table drawers, I can't fit anymore, so I'm starting to put them in other drawers. I want to throw most of them out, but I can't. I try to decide which ones to throw out and it's almost impossible. There is good things in all of them. I can't seemed to throw out any cards that people give me either. I need help to. I'm afraid of having a cluttered house. I need to nip this now before it gets out of hand. I always want to save everything because I think it could come in handy.

Answer 6

Ask someone you love to clear your room. If you manage to survive not hating that person, you'll be more appreciative of that relationship. Either way, the bulk of what you're obsessed with is forever gone, and most probably with guidance you'll stop purchasing useless stuff.

Answer 7

I suppose you have never changed your house in whole of your life,if you done that atleast twice then you can't think like that, you will always keep only those most necessary items in your closet.

Answer 8

get a clean and organized friend to go through your house with you and help encourage you to throw things away, give them away, sell them, or email that show on hgtv , Mission Organization and they might send someone to help you.actually you just have to start throwing things out, if you dont you will be like the little old lady who died from a pile of her clutter falling on her. they show people who get old and die and the house is full of garbage, rats and so on, please get help. call a church , anything any body who might help get you motivated. once you do it you will be so different. you will discover that we need about one tenth of the stuff we have, my guys ex buys and buys, every sale, she buys stuff for her and her husband and her dogs and her friends and she has a whole room full of stuff for gifts, and by christmas shes missplaced half of it so she buys more, she goes to yard sales, flea markets and chairity stores too and buys someone elses old stuff, she has given me tons of clothes most of which i cant wear or dont like, so within a week i pass them on to someone else, many of the things still had price tags on them. you can barely get through her house sometimes. its work, yes, just watch hgtvs mission organization and it will get you going, i dont know when it is on in your area but here in las vegas its on every day about 2 pm. really its inspiriing how much they change peoples lives.

Answer 9

i'm the same way lol
i'm lucky though my husbands throws away my pack rat stash while i'm gone lol
make a list for stuff to be thrown away , then leave have a friend come in and throw it out for you , its so musch easier this way i promise

Answer 10

it's known commonly as "hoarding". go see a therapist and they can help you. alternatively, you may like to try a hypnotist or psychic. there was something on TV about them helping hoarders. but try a therapist first

good luck