Why am I a hoarder?

[momtored]

I am a stamp/die collector! However I have purged my stamps twice now and agree with other's comments. I can't recall what I got rid of. A lot of it was in my early stages of stamping and was either on sale or cheap enough I could justify it. I also have found that purging is a process. Sometimes i am not ready to get rid of things the first time, but when I came back through the second time, I was ready to let it go. We have a dollhouse, so not a huge amount of storage. I have found I need to purge now at least every 2 years just to check myself. I do it more frequently with things like clothes. I now buy quality products that I know make me happy. Having also purged 5 houses of family members, I do not want to leave this same legacy to my one and only son. So if you are nervous about purging too much to start, do it in stages, inks one month and six months later do it again. You will be surprised perhaps at what you can let go off when you have less inventory to review and realize you just don't need it. For me, growing up with a family of hoarders, it has become a continual process, lol.

[cobby]

Coming back to add: something gregzgurl mentioned is so true. I think back to all the stamp sets, patterned paper, ribbon and other embellishments I’ve purged either by selling or donating and I realize I do not miss any of it. JUST ONCE I wanted a stamp set I had sold in order to create some scrapbook pages. It was Vogue Verses by Stampin’Up.

I checked EBay to see if I could “re-buy” it and found it for a reasonable price. I bought it, made my Scrapbook pages and was delighted they turned out as I imagined! That set still remains in my stash even though I haven’t used it in years. I still have many photos of my son as a “small fry” that those sentiments will work for if I ever decide to scrapbook a few more pages.

But other than that one set...I have not missed a single thing I’ve let go of. Now, I continue to buy new stuff so I am certainly not lacking in stamps, paper or ink. But it really does feel good to clean out the supplies and let go of what you don’t or won’t use anymore.

[Rush'd Lady]

In the beginning when I was a newbie stamper, I took everyone's cast-off supplies and traded for some and bought them at thrift stores (because I didn't have the budget for new). Now that I know what I like, I only purchase Mary Engelbreit stamps and look-a-like ME stamps and paper. I used to get together every week with a girlfriend to make cards. Did that for over a year and that really helped me get cards made, but we quit because her father-in-law became ill and she had to care for him and then she got cancer and it's been almost a year since she passed. A mutual girlfriend between us moved back to our area and we had met once to craft and then Covid lockdown began, so I've only seen her on video chatting. I also discovered I like farmhouse decor, so I've begun a process of purging and I've taken 3 trashbags of stuff to the thrift store so far and am working on a 4th. This thread reminds me of the supplies I have in my she-shed that needs to be sorted through and destashed too. Thanks for the reminder. smile!