So, I have read a lot of things that people have posted online about extreme couponers who have large stockpiles. Some people think this is smart, some people think it's dumb and some people think that it is hoarding. What are your thoughts? You know, I don't really see it as hoarding, at least not most of the time. Most of the stockpiles that I have seen are neatly organized and kept in a specific area. To me, hoarding only occurs when it's taking over the living areas of your home and making it impossible for you and your family to live comfortably. If you have toothpaste and laundry detergent, etc., stashed neatly in your garage or in a spare room, I just don't see how it's a problem. I think it's smart. I do think some people go overboard, but the shelf life of many of these products is quite long. Plus, some people give some of the stuff to family and friends or donate it, so that's always nice as well.
I do not automatically think stockpiling would equal to hoarding. I personally think it's smart to stockpile food and necessities, not only if it is a good price but also in case of an emergency. Where I live, we get bad winter storms and there have also been flooding in some places. We can be stuck for days sometimes before we could get into town or even be able to leave the house if the weather is bad. I myslef have a stockpile of food, water, and necessities in case of emergency. That being said, I do think it is possible to go overboard. It's great to find an awsome deal on toilet paper, but I think it's kind of rediculous to buy 200 cases. You'll never go through that much and even if you did, chances are by the time you got around to using the better part of it, you would have rodents nesting in the boxes or a flood in the garage you store it in. Then all that money is wasted that you were trying to save. Also, some things do have a limited shelf life. Canned items can last a long time, but if you buy too much, you will not be able to eat it before it expires, wasting money again. I also believe hoarding is when the stuff you accumulate takes over your living space and makes it unlivable/unsafe. If your stockpile is neatly stored and not taking over your living space, I would not call that hoarding.
Yeah...I agree that it can get out of hand. Anything can! Having TOO much is just plain too much, and it's time to give it away or something if it gets too far. Overall, though, I don't think there's anything wrong with having a stockpile. I think you need to adjust it to the room in your home and such, though. For example, someone who has a huge empty basement can have a much larger stockpile than someone who lives in a one-bedroom apartment.
I agree it can certainly get out of hand, but I don't think the average coupon stockpiler is a hoarder. So long as it's kept in a fairly organized area, then there's nothing wrong with it and it's highly efficient for saving money. Now if they're keeping a huge amount of an item that they will never possibly use all of it and continue to buy more, than I think that's treading in borderline hoarder area. For example, if someone has 100 cartons of Q-tips and they barely use a carton in a year's time, then that's excessive.
Yeah, that's true -- 100 cartons of Q-tips is most certainly excessive. We go through those things like crazy here, and I don't think we use more than 3 boxes or so each year. I have one in my drawer and one in my stockpile, so that isn't too bad.
In some cases, stockpiling is necessary. The TLC show (can't think of the name) had people of various backgrounds to used coupons to create a stockpile. The college student can barter with tangible items or services, if they choose to not sell for a profit. Same goes for the housewife but some of the locations shown were in small towns so there may not be other opportunities. In the big city, a person can comparison shop or try again at another time. One episode I hated was the small town housewife who bought dozens of feminine napkins - because she could! As a young female that's not too bad but this woman admitted to having a hysterectomy.
No, it is not unless there is no use for them. If an individual has an organized system and actually uses the coupons then this is not hoarding. Hoarders do not get rid of their items either or at least have a very difficult time doing so. When you shop with a coupon it gets thrown away. Furthermore, hoarders have a kind of emotional or psychological attachment to their chosen items. It also consumes them.
If you have the confidence to walk into your local supermarket with a huge stack of coupons then go for it! I don't see anything wrong with it, but I don't do it as I'd more than likely forget about them and they would expire.
I do think stockpiling is a form of hoarding. Just because it is organized doesn't mean it's not hoarding. I think that tv show Hoarders makes people think hoarding is when a house is an overflowing mess of useless junk. But hoarding can be of useful items as well. A stockpile of things that can be used before they expire, or are regularly used items that were drastically reduced, can be smart, but also the start of hoarding if you end up not using all those items or they end up sitting neatly on your shelf for a few years.
Part of what makes hoarding an issue is the psychological and emotional attachment the hoarder makes to a given item. If the person cannot get rid of the expired coupons, displays distress when they are potentially thrown out, and never uses the coupons in the first place then it would be safe to say there is a hoarding problem.
I agree, and I bet that most people are psychologically attached to their stockpile, after they went through the time and effort to find those deals, had the rush of finding and buying them, etc. I think those people who are stockpiling and couponing are getting a rush out of their behavior, I mean who wouldn't? So the stockpile is a display of their triumphs and I'd bet many are attached to their stockpile, which is pretty much just another form of hoarding. Expired coupons have no value for a couponer so I don't see why they would be attached. Just because they are hoarding useful, current items, doesn't change it from being hoarding. Maybe our view of hoarding then needs to change, and we see that there is a spectrum for hoarding behavior, and maybe not all of it is bad.
Anything that prevents or blocks a pathway or creates an alteration of a route contributes to hoarding. Is it an excusable hoard? Absolutely I think. I've seen people go up to the counter with full carts of groceries and pay nothing in the end so I see no problem hoarding whatever can make an expense disappear.
I think a lot of people make the mistake of being to generous in giving a diagnosis. I guess for this given topic we should define whether we are referring to the word 'hoard' as a general term you would find in the dictionary or as something used in the medical field. I don't always like to use Wikipedia, but this is the exact material from the DSM-5 and therefore appropriate. "TheLog In diagnostic criteria for hoarding disorderLog Inare: Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of the value others may attribute to these possessions. (The Work Group is considering alternative wording: "Persistent difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, regardless of their actual value.")This difficulty is due to strong urges to save items and/or distress associated with discarding.The symptoms result in the accumulation of a large number of possessions that fill up and clutter active living areas of the home or workplace to the extent that their intended use is no longer possible. If all living areas become decluttered, it is only because of the interventions of third parties (e.g., family members, cleaners, authorities).The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (including maintaining a safe environment for self and others).The hoarding symptoms are not due to a general medical condition (e.g., brain injury, cerebrovascular disease).The hoarding symptoms are not restricted to the symptoms of another mental disorder (e.g., hoarding due to obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, decreased energy in Major Depressive Disorder, delusions in Schizophrenia or another Psychotic Disorder, cognitive deficits in Dementia, restricted interests in Autism Spectrum Disorder, food storing inLog In).For something to be defined as a disorder it must typically do what the word implies: create disorder. There is a disorder of functioning. Merely because someone is getting a rush from an activity does not mean it is a diagnosable condition.
@blur92, when I say getting a rush, I don't mean that is part of the hoarding, what I mean is that is when the attachment forms to the item. Also I don't see that the DSM description really goes against anything I said. Hoarding has to start somewhere. And there is no black and white to all disorders, they can all occur on a spectrum. A behavior may not be diagnosable as a full fledged disorder, but it can still be on the spectrum and be where one is headed. So you think those extreme couponers with hauls filling up the backs of their trunks, with garages and closets packed to the brim are not hoarders?
Do you think a disorder is something possibly good which is contrary to the definition? Regarding disorder, hoarding does not consist of anything useful to that particular individual. The object at hand may be a useful thing, but in relation to the person it is not. It creates significant distress, and the only way the area is decluttered is from a third party intervention (according to the DSM-V). In saying that hoarding can be good, and in consideration of the DSM, you would be saying that a person who is extremely distressed, suffering social, occupational, and mental impairment, and any of the other above listed symptoms is good. At least by the principles of logic you would. Yes, disorders are recognizable on a spectrum, however, disorders are not defined as good. They create some kind of impairment in a person's life.
Not all stockpiling is hoarding. Buying everyday items when they are dirt cheap seems like a good idea to me, particularly if it's stuff that gets used up quick and is usually fairly expensive. I can't understand those who buy things they are never going to use or donate to charity though - I agree it must be some sort of disorder, possibly linked to anxiety.
If it's not going to be used then I see it as hoarding. Stockpiling with the intention and expectation for putting it to useful purposes, is fine. But if it remains in a cupboard and is allowed to go bad or goes out of date, it's a total waste.
I personally love coupons, but I don't use them very often or save them. I was reading about people who are so obsessed with couponing that they actually buy things they don't want or need just because they found a great deal. In the end they spend more because of the need to 'save' money. They have binders full of coupons that are seperated by category and expiration date. Don't get me wrong I love to save money, but I don't have the time or energy to go to such extremes.
Well that depends on if you’re going to be using those coupons because of you're not going to be using them then yes you are hoarding because you just have a bunch of expired pieces of paper laying around your house.
It really depends on if you're going to use them or not. Though, apparently there are people who have entire 3 inch binders FULL of the things, and that seems like it's a little bit of an hoarding thing then. I personally don't really use coupons, since I always forget that I have them, and only two places where I am will actually take them.
