U.S. Material Wealth Leads to Clutter

[NVMojo]

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -

Karen Lowe looks a little lost, even in her own apartment. Board games and puzzles teeter over the hamster's cage. A green metal desk spills toys and papers like a jackknifed truck in what should be the dining room. Upstairs, a computer shoots wires like kudzu around her bedroom.

Her daughter's room down the hall? Don't go there.

Lowe's home convulses with clutter. The chaotic accumulation of stuff is more than a quirk in her otherwise orderly life as a software engineer.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2005/oct/22/102200148.html

[mirandapriestly]

1. I can relate to this, only we have unfinished projects, too

But it's awful to look at all the piles of junk that I don't know what to do with and add up how much they cost, wish I had that cash now! Interesting article and true, I think.

[NJCher]

2. genetic

Yep, it's genetic. I have a friend who is fighting this battle now so I know a lot about it. What I liked about this article is that it's the first I've seen that connects consumption/credit cards/materialism and technological change to this problem.

Another interesting point in this article is how the brain tells them it's wrong to throw something away.

I would hate to be afflicted with this disorder. It really affects one's life. My friend's entire social life is affected because she's afraid to let anyone see her home. It's cleaned up now but it was a long battle--taking over a year--to get it that way.




Cher

[longship]

3. Not wealthy...

But you ought to see what Mrs. Longship does with it. Don't speak to me about clutter....
:rofl:

[Verve]

4. "It is no accident that people have a huge weight problem in this country

and clutter is the same thing. Homes are an orgy of consumption."


Great connection. Never thought of this that way.

[IChing]

5. I think I alot of Americans have never been in European or Asian

homes,
and then wonder why their feng shu
is Fucked up and their lives and thought processes are in disorder.

[AirAmFan]

6. Do you get the STYLE Channel on cable? There's a weekly clutter-

busting show called "Clean House" that's a remarkable look into American culture. People in the Los Angeles area write in for help with out-of-control clutter. They open up their homes to TV cameras for "before" footage.

Then a team of four experts plus paint and cleaning crews goes to work on their place while they are put up at a hotel for a few days. The experts consist of (1) a personable host who "psychologizes" the roots of the clutter problem and persuades the family to part with some of their no-longer-useful possessions; (2) a yard-sale manager who prices surplus items for quick sale; (3) an "arranger" who installs shelves, drawers, and other places to put things away; and (4) a designer who uses the yard-sale proceeds to replace white elephants with more useful and efficient furnishings.

Watching this show for the past year has enabled me to get my own clutter under control. "Clean House" showed me just how bad things might get if I didn't clean up my act. You wouldn't believe what the "Clean House" team finds inside some of the homes they've visited, and the oceans of tears some of their more desperate clients have shed on camera.

[Arugula Latte]

7. Are you thinking of "Clean Sweep"?

There's also a show called "How Clean is Your House" (I think) which features the two British ladies who come and whip a home (cesspools, really) into shape w/ the help of a team of professional cleaners.

Then there's "Mission: Organization," which tackles less dire areas (an office, a playroom). The people featured on that show are just plain messy and disorganized, while the people on the "How Clean ..." show are mentally disturbed, IMO.

Anyway, these shows never fail to make me feel better about my own home!

[fed-up]

8. I was saving my carp for a rainy day and just made $265 having a yard sale

today. That should cover at least a few tanks of gas. :)

It's hard to get rid of stuff that you know is worth something, so selling it is one way to recoup some of that hard earned cash. Funny thing is almost everything I own is from a garage sale, and it's fun to see my stuff have at least one more owner before it hits the landfill.