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MichealB(18) I'm afraid you may have missed the point of my comment(14),,, it was a JOKE!!! a "funny", a facetious and rediculous comment to amuse the mentally agile.

My mother, now several years dead, was born in 1914. Most of her life she dried laundry on a clothesline, so when we finally got a dryer, fabric softener sheets were a novelty to her. She told me, "You should save the used softener sheets so we can use them to stuff a pillow." I have never saved a single used softener sheet in my life, but I still think of her every time I throw one away!

That's a good one Vinny [14]. Amazing how people who any subject, any conversation whatsoever into grist for a political rant.

Very creative.

Maybe the landlords should knock the some of the outside walls down to make more room. Better cross ventilation too.

Do you really think the landlords designed and built most of the buildings in this city?

Jeez.
Comments like yours are why I usually avoid blogs or bail out after only a few minutes.

Linda with the cat hair: You can find crafters on line who will spin and weave your pet hair into a rug, blanket, pillow, etc.

I collect all the packages and can labels that come through my home - because it's a record of life today - MY life today - and I so enjoy looking at these things. I'm interested in the graphic designs as I am a graduate of Parsons School of Design (graphics division - we're talking back in the sixties here) - and I have seen how graphic design (advertising design) of past eras becomes extremely interesting to view, decades later. So I save a good deal of this stuff. I pack it away in bags and boxes and stash them in the basement and garage. I always explain to people what these piles of labels and food boxes are - and why I collect them - (because I appreciate them) - and some people get it - and some people pronounce me nuts!- which I pay no attention to.
Jonella
Boondox of Sullivan County

This discussion reminds me of the Walter Benjamin essay, "Unpacking My Library," and Hannah Arendt's wonderful commentary on her friend's habit, published as an introduction to a collection of his works. Benjamin was a collector of rare books, many of which he had no intention of reading. When questioned about this, he said something to the effect of you don't eat off your fine china everyday. Arendt noted the differences between the collectors of the past, and those who later where motivated by market value, which distorted the initial impulse of collecting. Benjamin was an even more avid collector of quotes, and I think many scholars can relate to these two essays.

i know fellow artists who "collect" things with re-purposing in mind and have interesting living spaces it's kind of an inventer's gene maybe - also i inherited a re-use ethic - not sure it's a compulsion but there's soemthing anti-consumerism to saving and re-using jars etc.

Collecting is not the problem,, it's the stingy landlords who don't provide enough space to accomodate this pastime

I have two cats but I vacuum the cat hair after it is brushed.

I collect roses and orchids.

Caller has OCD!

i casually collect pez dispensers, baseball and garbage pail kids cards, toys from the 80's and baseball player action figures. i'm not terribly serious about it and will only spend nominal amounts on each but i can see how easy it can be for one to take collecting to the point total neuroticism.

I collect plastic dinosaurs. The range of unique dinosaurs out there is quite amazing. I've amassed about 500 so far. One day I will open a plastic dinosaur museum.

where is the line between this and hoarding

i have hoarding problem, a small NYC apartment makes this worse. roommates never like my "habits"

Sounds like a good use of one's time.

Packratism is a pathology. It does interfere with one's personal life but the packrat will not admit it. It indicates an inability to make a decision.

Here is a serious collector to check out:
http://inspectorcollector.com

I collect pressed pennies and display they in an old type set drawer I have hung on the wall.

My boyfriend is a horrible packrat and keeps all his books from college! He won't throw anything out! Those dictionaries and text books are out of print and not up to date after 5 years.

ugh!
i hope my roommate doesn't hear this segment

I'm guilty of collecting romance novels.