Here comes another moving post. I wish I could write about something else, but it’s consuming my life right now and I can’t even try to think about anything else.
Through the moving process, I’ve had to decide what to pack and what to throw away. I have always prided myself on the fact that I’m not a hoarder, but in my effort to become more of a minimalist I’ve started to wonder which side of the fence I really fall on.
For example, I called my girlfriend Tag and told her that I was going to get rid of the porcelain panda bear and Budda that we got on our first vacation together in Reno. We ordered some stupidly expensive drinks and they came in these little figurine cups. The hoarder in me decided to keep the cups and fly all the way back to Dallas with them. Then I put them in a cabinet and forgot about them for a year or so.
I realized that these things were just taking up space, so I called Tag and asked her if she wanted them. I then proceeded take a verbal beating for being so insensitive about our first trip together. Tip to the guys out there; if you’re not sentimental, sometimes it pays to pretend.
Here is a list of things I’ve thrown away in the move, followed by a list of things that I’ve decided to keep. Hoarder, Minimalist, both or neither; I’ll let you decide.
Things I Threw Away (Minimalist Tendencies)
- Porcelain Panda Bear and Budda (see above)
- Goggles from my swimming career (most of them so worn they are unusable)
- A DVD player (I have a PS3 and only watch beautiful HD Blu Rays)
- Lots of CDs (I made digital copies of everything years ago. Why did I keep the CDs this long?)
- Guitar Hero Guitars (I used to be THE GUITAR HERO, I don’t even have an XBOX 360 anymore. I should have done this a long time ago)
- A DVD Rack (Just sold all my DVDs to Amazon. It’s all about the streaming baby!)
- Swimming Awards from college (I have swimming stories; I don’t need physical proof of what happened)
- Glee Stickers (A gag gift from my aunt last Christmas. I actually kinda wanted to keep them)
- Cologne from an ex girlfriend (I never wear cologne, and I broke up with this girl five years ago. I have no freaking idea why I’ve kept it this long. Hoarder tendency?)
Things I’m Keeping (Hoarder Tendencies)
- Boxing Gloves (I don’t box anymore, but might pick it up again for fitness one day)
- Wrestling Shoes (Bought them for my one amateur boxing match. Maybe a part of me really wants to get back in the ring)
- Track Shoes (I wrote a song about why these are so stupid, but I still keep them. What am I thinking?)
- Frisbee Golf Discs (Haven’t played this stupid game in years, and don’t really intend to play in the future)
- Rhino Ramps (I have a leased car and do all the maintenance at the dealer now. Why do I need ramps to get under a car. I should sell these)
- A sleeping bag (The last time I went camping was girl scout camp. Yes, you read that right. Girl scout camp. Long story)
After typing this up, I’ve come to a realization. I’m a minimalist when it comes to sentiment. I don’t need things to remind me of interesting times and places in my past; my memory does the job just fine.
However, I’m a hoarder when it comes to useful items. If there’s a chance I’m going to use something again, I tend to keep it. Except in rare circumstances, like when I stupidly threw away a router last year and now don’t have one to connect to the internet at my new apartment.
What about you readers? Are you a minimalist or a hoarder, or are you like me and exhibit characteristics of both?
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT atย Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer ofย Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When heโs not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
I think you’re a hoarder of hope ๐ The things you’ve chosen to keep aren’t actually useful at the moment, and haven’t been recently, since you admittedly don’t: box, wrestle, frisbee, fix your car, or sleep in a bag.
[I’m a big fan of Hoarders, the show, btw, not the activity.]
The hoarders on the show tend to accumulate hope, like you, and it’s hard to part with hope items because you could, in theory, make use of all of those items. It’s hard to argue against that.
Oh dear, one of the reasons that I have no intentions of moving out of my apartment EVER is because I totally fear the task of packing up and moving all my stuff. Like, I’m not a hoarder by any meals, but I have a lot of STUFF. Like, just stuff. I have a ton of books, movies, magazines (I’m a magazine writer, so it’s not *quite* hoarding to keep holding on to them all…right?), CDs and vinyl records (yes, I still have both of these things. Hate digital media files!). Plus clothes and trinkets abd craft supplies and…oh lord, I’m getting anxious just thinking about it.
Yeah, I’m just never going to move.
I too am a hoarder of useful things that may come in handy in the future.
I’m a reformed hoarder of sentimental things, meaning I don’t keep them now, but I kept a lot in my past and now I can’t get rid of them.
I’m a minimalist with toys because my kids are still too small to notice when they’re gone.
I’m also mostely a hoarder but when I do succeed to get rid from stuff it feel so good!
I think you are human. I seem to have the opposite tendencies, I can throw out useful stuff that I no longer use (well, I Freecycle it) but I keep every sentimental POS I ever had. ๐
Wait until you are married. Then she’ll really put her foot down on the Panda. haha. ๐
The Mrs. had this old round coffee table from her childhood and I wanted to throw it out for 10 years. We finally got rid of it when we moved to a smaller place and there was absolutely no way to fit it in. I really don’t want to rent a storage area.
I’m trying to become more of a minimalist, but I fear I still have too much stuff to be a true minimalist. I think I’m with you on the sentimental stuff. Take a picture of it and give it to Goodwill and then move on with your life. ๐
I don’t want to say I’m a hoarder, as much as I am a pack rat. ( I prefer the more colorful term) I go through different phases in my life, when I want to throw everything away but keep things that are memories or things of my moms. I feel another burst of getting rid of stuff coming on.
Latent hoarder tendencies, but only with tools and books. And insulated coffee mugs. On the minimalist side with clothes.