Ok, how many of you watch the show Hoarders? In case you’ve been living under, well, a pile of trash, this show visits the homes of people who don’t know how to throw stuff away. Often, after a trauma in their lives, they start collecting things in their home and the home becomes one big garbage can. They risk eviction. Their marriages suffer (you think?). Their houses smell like crap. Talk about an influential piece of programming. By the time you see fossilized cats in the hoarder’s living room and bugs crawling around in the refrigerator you are scarred changed for life.
After watching Hoarders, last weekend, I had the urge to organize and clean. I mean, all it takes is one piece of paper on the floor for hoarding to begin, right? No one is BORN a hoarder. I spent the weekend donating bags of clothing to Goodwill. Normally, I like to give my good stuff to people I know, but I didn’t have time. Hoarders, be damned! I just needed my extra clothes out of my home. I even cleaned out the trunk in my car. Taking out the extra papers and other crap in my trunk, I’m sure, will save money on gas. I found a red, silk dress in my trunk that I’m about to start wearing again. Please don’t ask me how THAT happened. After cleaning off my desk, I found an extra calculator. Gah. I don’t need two calculators, but rest assured, I won’t be buying another one. Some of you may be getting a calculator in your Christmas stocking. Just jokes.
Anyway, keeping a clean and organized home is a very Frugalista thing to do. You save money because you are less likely to slip on debris on the floor, which can create medical bills. Also, if you donate your clothes, you get a tax write off. Furthermore, junk in the trunk of your car makes the engine work harder, increasing gas consumption. You also get to keep track of your items better, so you don’t buy things you don’t need-like an extra calculator.
Have you watched Hoarders? Does it make you want to clean like a mad person? Do you think the people are being exploited? Is it inspirational?
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On Labor Day I watched Hoarders and sure enough I got up and started cleaning. Everytime I took a break I made sure Hoarders was on so I would get up and continue. I mean I was deep cleaning… wiping down walls, trying to move the fridge. I’m gonna tackle the bedroom this weekend. I need to get rid of A LOT of clothes.
I’m on the fence about whether or not it exploits them. I don’t think the 4 days that the crew are there at the “homes” is long enough to really help the hoarders. But at the same time you can clearly tell that the show is the only way some of the hoarders would be able to clean their “homes”.
That show has the same effect on me. I watched a little every now and then, then try to move everything to a centralized location (mainly papers from my kids school) and clean whenever I’m gonna do something stupid-like call my ex and rail him out even though I dumped him. Lo and behold, this weekend I found he had a hidden stash of clothes in a box I never would have thought to look in. So now, I’m cleaning and curious!
Hoarders is like “Scared Straight” for me, it always makes me want to start cleaning or purge my closet. I think a lot of family members on the show have no idea how to get through to the hoarders, so I think the show is a good starting point for getting them the help they need. It would be nice if there was some sort of follow-up or counseling after the show.
That show is sad, yet fascinating.
Maybe I need cable TV again to work myself into a cleaning frenzy.
-Katy
Hoarders creeps me out, too! I become a compulsive cleaner for a few days after each episode. I can’t imagine living like that.
I watch hoarders and that show scares me. Terribly. We have a cluttered house and I feel like we’re about two steps away from that. My wife disagrees.
So I’m taking it upon myself to get rid of my clutter as much as possible. Maybe, just maybe she’ll take it upon herself to join in. I might have to start watching again for more inspiration.
This show has the same effect on everyone I guess … lo… everytime I’m watching this I get really uncomfortable, look around for stuff that doesn’t need to be there and throw it away …. clean up the house and my car is always clean and shiny but still clean it up more ..lo… can’t imagine getting to that point … I’m sorry but I think sum of these people are just fat, lazy and nasty and they wanna blame all they’re shit on something or someone else.