How much of a hoarder are you?

[Cakeandcardio]

Obviously hoarding is a real mental health issue but I was wondering how much the average person 'hoards'?

We recently viewed a house and they really seemed to have no stuff. It inspired us to really start clearing out our own house. Once we got started, I was quite shocked at how we had almost become accidental hoarders. There seemed to be useless stuff everywhere and I had almost become blind to it.

Are we the only people like this? Is everyone else constantly clearing out? How do you do it?

Not at all. I'm not really into stuff. I buy something if I need it but other than houseplants I'm not a really a buyer. As it is I struggle to not bin the things we need. We are a family of 4 in what I would call a small 3 bed, our kids are now adult sized so it feels like a tight squeeze sometimes.

I'm the opposite after a huge clear out 4 years ago . I cannot stand too much stuff xx

H&M give you £5 off a £25 purchase for a bag of rags!

I am a zero percent hoarder
I don’t keep anything
If I don’t use it or need it , it goes.
I like a tidy , clean , clutter free home.
I have multiple DC and haven’t kept any baby clothes or baby things .
I just think in my head , the memories are the treasure , not physical objects .
The only thing I have kept actually for each child is the baby hospital bracelet . So a tiny object each which I kept in a tiny box in my clothes drawer.
I always think if I had to relocate in a hurry I’d grab the bag of passports and could make a new life anywhere .
I have zero attachment to stuff
our house is minimalistic but still warm and homely … neutral tones , neutral furniture, we are what make our home …

Do most of those clothes not end up on a beach in Ghana?

I too struggle with the thought that what I throw out is just going to sit in landfill for years and years. Even if I donate it I'm not confident it's not going to end in landfill and if I'm going to need something like it again in the future I feel guilty throwing it out

I try to be careful with what I buy as a consequence, because I think realistically most of what we throw out will end in landfill, even if it's taken to a charity shop first or 'recycled'

I’m addicted to streamlining my house! If I spot anything I can get rid of it’s immediately stuffed in the charity shop bag ready to be dropped off. I equate less belongings with freedom. The more shit I have, the more cluttered my brain is

If I have clothes that are too far gone to be given to be sold in charity shops, l put them in a bag and clearly mark it as rags. Charity shops are happy with this as they don't have to sort out useless clothes and will still get some money from them. Not all rags are sent abroad by any means. It is surprising the uses for worn out clothes. They can be used as carpet underlay.

I agree @Whatzzitz

I've had a fair amount of stuff accumulated over the years but for the past couple of years have been downsizing it all. Not so easy to find the energy when I've got health issues but I figure every little helps. Clothes are probably the easiest for me to keep on top of, it's the books/papers/bits 'n' bobs that give me headaches. I just try to work though things and sort out/discard whenever I am up to it, but there are days I feel like just shoveling everything into a large skip!

It helps that I bought no clothes in 2024 apart from 2 pairs of boots and replacement underwear. I never shop in shops for clothes at all.

Too much stuff makes me anxious and moving 3 times in 4 years meant I really decluttered but I've still got too much stuff. I am sentimental so I've kept some things and despite trying not to buy I've still got too much.

It took us a year to go through my DGMs house (it was huge so whilst it was tidy there was a lot put away. She wasn't a hoarder but she had many multiples of the same thing like laundry detergent) and I don't want to leave my two with that job.

I'm a clothes horse and I've got dresses I haven't worn for years. It's madness.

Sorry Yourhappy Jadeeagle I don't know how to quote!
But- my phone and home is full of photos too- more clutter!

A LOT of people keep things they don't need unless they make a conscious effort to get rid of it or move often. I went sort of minimalist (I've got kids and a sentimental DH so it's limited in lots of ways) after I went home to my parents' house and saw how much junk they had.
My parents aren't hoarders but every cupboard was packed with decades' old stuff. They had unopened wedding presents from 50 years ago. DM loves to vacuum so the house looked clean enough just cluttered and faded but, for example, I found rat poo through 2 cupboards they never cleaned properly because of the amount of stuff in there. They had toys with battery acid leaked through them and dried. They moved a few years ago and got rid of a bunch with my help but they're now storing old appliances behind their couch...
My FIL moved and had a garage packed full of his extended family's stuff including 20yo magazines and 1/2 dinner sets they'd forgotten about.

Well there's hoarding and there's disorganisation..
My house often looks like an episode of hoarders but I don't think I'm a hoarder as I'd happily see the lot go! I'm just very chaotic and I have 3 kids and work full time. So the house gets on top of me. I also forget things exist if I can't see them.. so I leave things lying out to remember them. And if I do put something away I'll forget about it and buy a new one.

I have a small house with very little storage space - I've definitely accumulated too much stuff in the past, but then I also have phases of decluttering to keep things in hand.

I need to do a push on our bedroom and the attic really.

I am not a hoarder, but I definitely feel I could turn into one so I have been trying to sort myself out. I have trouble decluttering in that I overestimate the impact of throwing something out and then finding I might need it. In reality I would have to shrug and get on with life without whatever it was I threw out, but in my head I feel like my whole week would be ruined

I am and I’m not, with the house in general I am pretty good at getting rid of stuff, regular tip runs and will just chuck things if broken/unused. Apart from the kids toys my own possessions are pretty limited really.

However, I have a great big box full of things from my childhood up until about 18/19. It’s full of books, school work, certificates, photographs, cinema tickets from 20/30 years ago that kind of thing. Everytime I go through it to try and condense it I just can’t do it, so it sits in the wardrobe taking up quite a lot of space really. I’m not sure why I keep it as I know I’ll never need a cinema ticket from watching White Chicks or a map of Rome from 2007.

I’m also a big reader and have hundreds of books, which once I’ve read just sit there but I don’t like to get rid of them either - although am happy for friends to borrow etc.

You need to shift your idea about when it becomes waste. It doesn’t become waste when it leaves your house, it will always leave your house at some point but if you keep it forever it will be for your relatives to deal with. It becomes waste the moment it is made, if fewer people buy it then fewer new ones will be made and then there will be less waste.

I frequently have clear outs but we still the so much stuff, especially the kids.

DH insists on keeping all our CDs and DVDs, even though we have neither a CD player or DVD player anymore!!!

It‘s so much easier to keep the house clean and tidy when you have less stuff!

It really helps me to have an ongoing charity box and rags bag that I can just add things to really easily, then I drop this off at the charity shop every few weeks.

I also think of all of the stuff we have coming into the house (and try to be mindful of this of course), and to think about how we really need an equivalent amount to be leaving.

I do sell some things on eBay, but it's important not to keep loads of things because you plan to do this at some point - either do it, or pass on through another route.

I bet they stored it before you viewed the house. We did that.

We pay for a lock up and it’s full of old furniture - currently working through clearing it out.

My friend died recently. I found a box full of her letters and cards from uni days that I’d saved. I was so glad.

Dunelm takes bags of rags, and I think also shoes and backpacks that are beyond repair.

I’m sure H&M only take stuff that was originally from their own shops.

I'm the same as you OP. Really trying to work on it this year but my kids are the worst hoarders ever so its hard. My DM moved last year from our old family home into a smaller house. We had to clear out 40 years of stuff. 5 skips and endless bags to charity as well as selling tons on ebay and Vinted. When she got rid of everything she said it was like a massive weight off her shoulders and is much happier

Recovering hoarder here.
About 10 years since I started my recovery journey. I have a larger than average home. At one stage (before having last 2 kids) about half my home would have been unusable due to just bring stacked with stuff. Mostly fantasy self. Very little sentimental.
In some of the rooms we did use, every flat surface would be covered in stuff. (Kitchen was relatively good. Playroom was actually ok too)
Every day was spent constantly tidying and sorting. It was incredibly stressful. I knew if I put something away I'd forget about it so I kept it out but it often just got buried.
I used a variety of sources to keep me motivated - started listening to the Minimalists (but quickly found them annoying with few new insights), then Joshua Becker, then found The Minimal Mom and A Slob Comes Clean on YouTube, closely followed by Clutterbug. The last three I still listen to almost daily. They have a course together that has a body doubling element which is the key for me.
Also play the Minimalists 30 day game twice a year (1 thing out on 1st of month, 2 things out on 2nd etc)
I joined an in person hoarders support group, but I think it was aimed at people who were where I was 5+ years before. I kept going for about 6 months but felt ultimately my time was better spent actually decluttering.

Honestly it was like a full time job managing the stuff. It took a lot of mental strength to do it and to change my mindset over bringing things in in the first place.

However, for last 3 years I feel my home has been pretty comfortable to be in, all but one room usable as a living space (and that one room serves as our attic as we don't have one). A bit cluttered now and again, but usually only when life gets crazy busy. I have a car load of donations and rubbish ready to leave today after an all day declutter in the online group yesterday.

I actually really like the super minimalist aesthetic but not for family home. I'll do that when I downsize after kids have grown up and left.

I'm not a hoarder but I am a bargain whore. Love going to the bootsale in the summer or bulk buying things on offer.

My house is cluttered but I have no problem getting rid of stuff. Slowly going through it atm as it does frustrate me with the amount of shite we have. It either gets sold or goes to the charity shops. Dh is a pain in the arse when it comes to getting rid of stuff though

People worried about it going to landfill need to think that the sad reality of it is, it may all end up there anyway when you die due to the volume/time people will have to sort it out.