The Ugly Truth About “Peggy” & “Bob”

We spend our 20’s, 30’s and 40’s acquiring “Stuff”. As you begin to approach or reach 50, the idea of getting rid of as much “Stuff” as possible is appealing. Liking an idea and acting on it are two distinctly different things. Often the idea gets tucked away for “Someday” as the reality of the task overwhelms you. Lolita recently shared her views on Minimizing and how to begin. Let me share my viewpoint.

If you find comfort or validation in knowing that others struggle with the same issue, let me help you out. We are all Closet Hoarders! Your best friend, siblings and neighbors, the one you try to be like (we’ll call them Peggy and Bob), are HOARDERS! Those individuals will vehemently deny it until their dying breath. They are banking on the hope that they will either outlive you or you will move away before their secret is discovered. Don’t believe me? Let me in their home and I’ll expose them within minutes.

One of the many hats I have worn throughout my career has been that of an Estate Sale Professional. Every single sale I worked had one room, garage, shed or closet that was a nightmare! The one area that all involved in the sale tried to avoid being assigned. If it weren’t true, there would be no need for the Estate Sale business. The heirs would arrive at the home, pick up their neatly wrapped bundles, put an Open House sign in the yard and begin showing the home the very same day. The entire Estate Sale business exists because the “Stuff” outnumbers the treasures and no one wants to deal with it, so they hire a professional.

Still don’t believe me? In the spirit of transparency let me share a few personal stories. My biggest hoarding dilemma was hardware. Nuts, bolts, nails, screws, etc. An inherited character flaw. My father not only inherited the mindset from his father, he also inherited all of his hardware. I would have inherited the entire collection as well had it not been so old that they no longer made the tools required to use them! Armed with the proper mindset, I managed to assemble my own impressive collection. My grandmother saved twistie-ties. Bags of them. All straightened and ready for service. My mother cuts out every recipe she can find. Even from other peoples magazines. She has boxes of them, even though she stopped cooking years ago. I fear my sister may be developing a LulaRoe clothing fetish. Don’t even get me started on my in-laws, those folks are really messed up!

If this story has not motivated you to take immediate action in addressing your own hoarding tendencies, let me put the real fear in you. If you don't take the proper steps now, Peggy and Bob and all of their ilk will be at your Estate Sale. Not to buy a treasured memento of you. Oh no! They will be there bright and early. Probably the first ones in line. Their sole mission is to get a good long look at all the crap you hoarded. Yes, even your good stuff is crap in their eyes. Sporting their stupid smirks as they walk out the front door. Empty handed of coarse. Stronger in their superiority over the mess that was your life. There was at least one “Peggy” and or “Bob” at every sale I worked. Right now they are scanning the Estate Sale ads, praying that someone they know is on this weeks list.

Now are you motivated? Get started right now and the next time you run into Peggy or Bob with their perfect lives, you can tell them to wipe that smug little Holy-than-thou smirk off of their face! You know their dirty little secret.

Johnny

#estatesale #smallspaces #livingsimple #tinyliving #trailerliving #eliminatingstuff