I have the opposite problem: I'm a compulsive discarder. (For some reason we seem to be a rarer breed than hoarders.) This has on occasion crossed over into pathological territory. For example, when I was 15 I decided that certain items of clothing no longer belonged in MY MOTHER's closet, and proceeded to discard them. Needless to say she was not amused. I have also been known to discard clothes I bought just a few days ago because they "didn't fit" with the rest of my wardrobe.

For the most part I have the compulsion under control now. Still, when something goes missing in our house, the first place my husband looks is in the garbage can. And I find it hard NOT to discard very small portions of leftovers.

I would never hoard food (especially food I like) because I would be tempted to eat it "ahead of schedule." I keep only enough food for our family's immediate needs in our fridge and cupboards.

F.

freelancemomma, I also am an compulsive discarder. DH knows that a lot of things just aren't safe with me and you'd think that would lead him to put things "where they should live" (my phrasing) if they're important but he doesn't. It drives me nuts. He also knows if he can't find something to check the trash can. I didn't know there were other people like me.

I agree with Wannbeskinny. If you think you have a problem, address it. If you are comfortable with your supply, and do not think you have crossed a line, let it be.

Personally, I have watched the hoarding shows a few times, and find them troubling. The people featured all seem to have issues with keeping trash - - in my opinion, they are slobs! It is one thing to collect (hoard) basic supplies because you have an irrational fear; quite another to have empty wrappers, pizza discards, half-empty paint tins, dirty paper plates, etc. all piled every where, every which way. I will never watch another hoarding show again - - I feel they are taking advantage of people with obvious mental problems.

it's called "downsizing" LOL and I do that too....several years ago when we bought our house and had to move into it, in the middle of winter, I did most of the packing and discarding and I was extra efficient at discarding so we wouldn't have to haul all that stuff with us

when summertime rolled around and it got hot outside, I realized I had thrown away ALL of my summer clothes....every single last piece....because I had packed in the winter and didn't need them at the moment LOL

Hoarding on that level is a type of mental illness. My friend's mother was like that, you couldn't walk into her house because of the piles. At the time I could not understand why someone needed to stash dozens of empty boxes of cereal but I know it's not because the person is "slob". Slob is not the right word here, it's beyond that and hoarders of this type do deserve a little sympathy.

Besides, you can call fat people a type of hoarder. We build a cocoon around ourselves, a type of security blanket that makes us feel protected.

Thanks. I am clearly not "hoarding" in the extreme sense. This is using up half the floor of my small pantry, at best, and a couple of shelves in my office. My main concern is that I am enjoying buying new types of canned fish I have not tried and canned fish I know I like, even though I have enough to subsist on (with my current diet) for a month or so. It's the enjoyment I am struggling with, even when I know I already have enough to eat for quite some time.

It's coming from a place where I know I will enjoy eating the food (at breakfast, lunch etc.), just not now. That's the link with anorexia, I assume. Seeing and having the food but not eating it (although I do eat...a lot...just at the right times).

The posts about "hoarding" and anorexia is interesting. I never realized the connection, but can see it now.

I was so worried that if I had anything in my kitchen, I would only end up eating it so for awhile I went grocery shopping everyday and bought only enough for what I would eat that day. Over time, I was able to keep some food in my fridge or cabinets and only ate them when I was planning to eat them. That I have more than one box of crackers and I don't tear up the package until I intend to eat them with my soup is an achievement I am quite pride of.

But now I am a bit of a hoarder. As a Canadian, it's cheaper to buy stuff in the US so I try to buy as much of my groceries when I go to the US as much as possible. That means "hoarding" because I can't go the US all that often.