Dear LPG,

I remember when I first moved into my home as half of a young couple.  My new husband and I had just about managed to afford the deposit and all the stuff that seemed to fill the one bedroomed flat that we had rented during the previous two years seemed to disappear when decanted from our flat to our new residence. 

At the time the mortgage was difficult enough to afford and there was not a lot left for the settee of our dreams.   However, the one that we had been given was far from ideal but in our minds it was flawless.  That was true of many of the essential pieces of furniture that we owned at that time, so the decor was a bit of a mishmash of everything which we saw as perfect even though there was so little of it. 

Then came the family and work, which finally became retirement and we changed some things while we acquired lots of others over the years, and although I can remember when each of the items came into the house, they seemed to creep in so gradually that we did not notice them.

I think that I must be describing the experience of so many people of my age, but after a year of looking at little else than the rooms in my house, I have come to the conclusion that there is a lot of paraphernalia.  I think that I have made some inroads when trying to deal with it and some items have finally gone but the question still remains.  Am I a hoarder or just a person with a cluttered house?

There are lots of web articles that explain how to deal with it and get rid of the things that are contributing to the problem and I have spent a fair amount of time sorting it all out, but nearly everything is a memory which is hard to throw away.

The big question is, ‘am I a hoarder or just a person with a few too many things?’

It has most probably been an age since you have invited anyone in but I remember it being something that your friends are not likely to comment on, and one of the hardest questions to answer if you are asked, so I went to the internet.

There were some interesting theories as to the stages of hoarding, and also some advice about how to keep on top of ongoing hoarding habits which I am trying to adopt.  Having done a little research, I would like to share some links with anyone who could have written exactly what I have as an accurate record of their experience and feels the need to follow my lead…

AJ, Lewisham

AJ finds a few answers to her question…

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…and a little advice on a few ways to minimise…

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