A study about Clutter/Consumerism

[Maus]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865564019/Overstuffed-Clutter-consumption-and-the-study-that-shows-how-possessions-shapes-us.html

 

Our local paper had an interesting article about how we relate to our stuff in this age of consumerism. The study is out of L.A., though, so it's probably been published other places, too.

 

I like the attached pictures. They make me feel better about my own clutter.

 

But the first person who commented probably hasn't seen a home with books in the numbers that my home has books! :lol:

[Parrothead]

I'm not sure what the deal is about the calendars. Maybe they are overbooked? My calendar looks similar. Something every day of the week. But if it wasn't so dd and I would never leave the house.

 

Oh, and my fridge looks like photo #4.:D

[Guest inoubliable]

Holy Whoa! I was feeling anxious and creeped out until I hit picture #8 and I felt panic set in!

 

Seriously, I couldn't live like that. We are very minimalistic here. I realize that doesn't work for everyone. But...those pictures! Ack! #13? No, no, no, no, no....

 

The overstuffed refrigerators and the clutter on the kitchen counters? How do you function in a kitchen like that? Not being judgmental. Seriously wondering.

[shanvan]

I find the study interesting in light of the usual 'what to buy for Christmas' thread. I want to say nothing. We are working hard not to look like the photos in the article, with the exception of books and the calendar--can't help that.

 

I'd like to see the study repeated with strictly homeschooling families. Do you think it would be different?

 

ETA: We really do eat dinner together almost every night, and most of the time we are not eating processed foods (doesn't mean we are always eating healthy, though.).

[melissad2]

I certainly feel better about my house now :D. Especially my freezer!

[2squared]

I always wonder what other homes look like "behind the scenes." Are the closets and attics stuffed to overflowing? Do they store things under the beds?

 

We are anti-clutter, and those pictures are :001_huh: for me. I couldn't function in homes with that much stuff. We are far from perfect - having five kids playing all.day.long pretty much guarantees that things will be in the wrong places all the time, but we don't live like any of those pictures.

 

I chuckle when I find neat "free" things to make or do at home with the kids. I never have the supplies. There's no way we could eat for more than a week out of our pantry & freezer.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

Holy Whoa! I was feeling anxious and creeped out until I hit picture #8 and I felt panic set in!

 

Seriously, I couldn't live like that. We are very minimalistic here. I realize that doesn't work for everyone. But...those pictures! Ack! #13? No, no, no, no, no....

 

The overstuffed refrigerators and the clutter on the kitchen counters? How do you function in a kitchen like that? Not being judgmental. Seriously wondering.

 

I certainly feel better about my house now :D. Especially my freezer!

 

:iagree:

[justamouse]

I couldn't live like that--and I like stuff. :001_huh:

[Lily_Grace]

Holy Whoa! I was feeling anxious and creeped out until I hit picture #8 and I felt panic set in!

 

Seriously, I couldn't live like that. We are very minimalistic here. I realize that doesn't work for everyone. But...those pictures! Ack! #13? No, no, no, no, no....

 

The overstuffed refrigerators and the clutter on the kitchen counters? How do you function in a kitchen like that? Not being judgmental. Seriously wondering.

 

I could have written this.

 

Dh and I live mostly minimally. We like clear surfaces, organized drawers, tidy rooms. I grew up in a house that is more akin to the ones in the pictures and I can't ever go back to that. It drives me nuts. As a kid, I always felt out of sorts when I tried to clean up. There was so much stuff that none of it had a real home. It left me disorganized and unprepared for adulthood.

[Guest inoubliable]

I just noticed the part about TVs. Really? Most families have 3 -4 TVs in the house? I have one. A 19" TV. I don't even, I mean, where would you put more than one TV? In bedrooms? But, then, wouldn't your kids maybe not want to leave their rooms if they had access to TV in their bedrooms?

[regentrude]

It would drive me crazy to live this cluttered, especially the desk areas and the garage. Who needs all this? (I sometimes have stuff on my kitchen counters, and our calendars are full, too, that did not bother me).

We did not have that density of clutter even when we lived in a 2 br apartment with two kids where space really was tight.

[Guest inoubliable]

I could have written this.

 

Dh and I live mostly minimally. We like clear surfaces, organized drawers, tidy rooms. I grew up in a house that is more akin to the ones in the pictures and I can't ever go back to that. It drives me nuts. As a kid, I always felt out of sorts when I tried to clean up. There was so much stuff that none of it had a real home. It left me disorganized and unprepared for adulthood.

 

That's us exactly. For example, there is absolutely nothing on our refrigerator. Nothing. Not on top. No magnets. Nope. Why? Because we both grew up in houses where stuff was piled on stuff that was stacked on more stuff on top of stuff. Even on the refrigerators. And it drove us both bonkers even as children. My parents' house now is wall-to-wall furniture with a ton of knicknacks and antiques. My mother whines all the time about me refusing to take stuff home with me when we visit. No way. I finally started answering her "But what will you do with all of this stuff when I die?!?" with "Best make plans to donate it or it's going on Ebay!".

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I just noticed the part about TVs. Really? Most families have 3 -4 TVs in the house? I have one. A 19" TV. I don't even, I mean, where would you put more than one TV? In bedrooms? But, then, wouldn't your kids maybe not want to leave their rooms if they had access to TV in their bedrooms?

 

The house i grew up in; TV in the kitchen, living room, my room, step sister's room, grandfather's room, master bedroom, and basement. That's 7.

 

My mother's current house is a small 2 bedroom with 3 TVs. My father's house had 2 (just moved to a smaller apartment, now has 1).

 

Not only tv, but laptops, desktops, ipads, etc.

 

My aunt has 3 kids each with their own room, tv, computer, plus master bedroom, and a few other.

 

My cousin had 5 TVs with a 3 bedroom home.

 

A friend, an only child, had at least 6 TVs around the house.

 

It sounds right from what i've seen.

 

We have 1 TV and no cable/netflix/anything like that. I only have a DVD player. But i have a laptop, desktop (will be putting away somewhere), and dd has an ipod touch.

[Guest inoubliable]

The house i grew up in; TV in the kitchen, living room, my room, step sister's room, grandfather's room, master bedroom, and basement. That's 7.

 

My mother's current house is a small 2 bedroom with 3 TVs. My father's house had 2 (just moved to a smaller apartment, now has 1).

 

Not only tv, but laptops, desktops, ipads, etc.

 

My aunt has 3 kids each with their own room, tv, computer, plus master bedroom, and a few other.

 

My cousin had 5 TVs with a 3 bedroom home.

 

A friend, an only child, had at least 6 TVs around the house.

 

It sounds right from what i've seen.

 

We have 1 TV and no cable/netflix/anything like that. I only have a DVD player. But i have a laptop, desktop (will be putting away somewhere), and dd has an ipod touch.

 

Hmm. Now that I think about it, I guess it's not *that* odd to me. Growing up, my parents never let us have a TV in our rooms. It wasn't until a high school boyfriend bought me one for a birthday that I had one in my room (and then a cordless phone and then a laptop and then a cell phone paid for by him - my parents were not thrilled about any of that but didn't say "no"). My younger sister and brother were never allowed any of that stuff, either. Now, though, my parents have several desktops and laptops between them, a TV in the upstairs living room, a TV in the downstairs family room, one in the guest room, one in their room... and it's just the two of them living there. My siblings have allowed their children to have TVs and computers in their rooms, too. I guess I just didn't realize that so many people *do* have that many TVs and computers around. I see that now, but I still don't *get it*. Even if you had a house with one TV/laptop per person, wouldn't that encourage everyone to always be doing their own thing and not spending much time together?

[elegantlion]

Some of those pictures made me twitchy. Some looked like they just needed a better system of organization and to actually straighten up a little. We're not minimalist, but it has to function, work well in the space, and have its own spot (not dumped on the floor).

[SKL]

What does it say about me that I didn't find the photos to be all that bad?

 

I mean, most of my house is not like that, but I recommend none of you peek into my garage or a few other storage spaces. I do live with some adults who are pack-rats. If it weren't for me, the house would probably become impassable at some point. You know, I really think some people don't see mess.

 

Our freezer used to be stuffed like that, but I systematically discarded or ate everything until it was more empty than not.

 

I do not like clutter at all. I have had to make a conscious effort to learn how to put up with a certain amount of it, just to get through life. Because after all, we can't control others, right?

 

My housemates keep saying they want to build out or move to a bigger place. But I know that would just mean they'd be able to accumulate more stuff. I'd rather have less space and the need for all of us to clear stuff out and donate/discard periodically. Instead of "oh, I have so many more important things to do." Bah.

 

I too found it odd how many TVs were in the photos. My kids sure wouldn't be watching TV if their room looked like that first one.

[mom2scouts]

I hate clutter, but my dh grew up in a house stuffed with all kinds of things and I don't think he notices it. He teases me about how much joy I get from throwing something away or putting it in the recycling bin, but to me it's one less thing cluttering up my space. Seriously, my garage looks as bad as one of the pictures. I should say that one half of my garage looks that bad. I insist that dh keeps one side clear so that I can park my car in there. When he lost his job, he started scrapping metal to make some extra cash. While I admire his willingness to do whatever it takes to pay the bills, I hate that he uses our garage and basement as a staging area to dismantle his finds (more money for "clean" metals)and brings in clutter faster than I could ever get rid of it!

[Forget-Me-Not]

All those power cords. . . ahhh!!!!!

 

My house is by no means perfectly straight and organized, but it looks sterile compared to those pictures. I cannot stand clutter. It gives me anxiety. We have a nightly clean-up session where we all pick up and straighten and I try to stay on top of things like junk mail and random papers. I'm very much a "place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its-place" kind of girl. My kids work against me though :lol:

[JumpyTheFrog]

Ack! Seeing clutter like that makes we want to go home and find a bunch more stuff to get rid of. We are more on the minimalism side. Getting rid of stuff cheers me up.

[stripe]

Oh my god! The bears! Aaaaack

I am going to go clean my kitchen now

[Jeannie in NJ]

we have 1 tv (it is in the family room) and we are fine with that. Our house is for sell and dh says that I have done so much decluttering that when we finally move, we will have almost nothing left to move. I said "That's my goal". We packed most of the books left after tossing tons of them and the bins are stacked neatly in the garage. My dc are teens so don't have toys anymore . Also we just got rid of almost everything that was out in the open and I am constantly cleaning out closets and drawers of stuff. We took all the pictures, paintings , etc off the walls when we painted and donated all (except family photos). We decided that we like the walls bare of stuff. I like how much easier it is to clean with all the clutter gone.

[Pawz4me]

Ack! Seeing clutter like that makes we want to go home and find a bunch more stuff to get rid of. We are more on the minimalism side. Getting rid of stuff cheers me up.

 

:iagree::iagree:

[HomeschoolingHearts&Minds]

That's us exactly. For example, there is absolutely nothing on our refrigerator. Nothing. Not on top. No magnets. Nope. Why? Because we both grew up in houses where stuff was piled on stuff that was stacked on more stuff on top of stuff. Even on the refrigerators. And it drove us both bonkers even as children. My parents' house now is wall-to-wall furniture with a ton of knicknacks and antiques. My mother whines all the time about me refusing to take stuff home with me when we visit. No way. I finally started answering her "But what will you do with all of this stuff when I die?!?" with "Best make plans to donate it or it's going on Ebay!".

It's funny how much of what we do is a reaction to how we were raised. ;)

I do have clutter. A large part of it is definitely due to the fact that the home I was raised in was absolutely spotless without a single speck of anything out of place. Ever. Friends who came to play said we lived in a "model home," meaning the house the developer sets up to show to prospective buyers and that never looks "lived in." And my mom always had time to clean, but never had time to talk to me.

 

Drove me bonkers. So part of my clutter is rebellion. I know that.

 

I recognize that clutter affects my efficiency. It also tends to sap peaceful happy thoughts. I'm old enough now that I don't need to rebel and I'm working on an "imperfect" simplicity in our household.

 

However, looking at those photos, our clutter is more about organizing and figuring out what do to with things like papers, how to shelve yet more books, and what to do with the fiddly bits than about out and out consumerism. Our "toys" for both kids and adults are pretty minimal.

[Stratford]

I am not a minimalist, I do have clutter in my house...but those pictures made me want to hyperventilate a little. Especially the bedrooms and the garage. And the freezers.

 

And now I'm going to go get rid of some stuff. And thank my lucky stars that no one in this house likes dolls.

[Laura Corin]

We don't have nearly the amount of stuff shown in the pictures, but things are often not in the right places.

 

I try to keep the front hall, sitting room and guest bathroom presentable. Everywhere else gets tidied/cleaned periodically.

 

Laura

[Jerico]

I just noticed the part about TVs. Really? Most families have 3 -4 TVs in the house? I have one. A 19" TV. I don't even, I mean, where would you put more than one TV? In bedrooms? But, then, wouldn't your kids maybe not want to leave their rooms if they had access to TV in their bedrooms?

 

We have 3 TVs. One in the living room and 2 in the basement. I couldn't find anyone to take them before we moved, goodwill would not accept it, and apparently in our new city it's illegal to throw them away? So, there they sit... at least for now. However, we only watch one.

 

I have 3 areas of clutter that I struggle with right now. The kids' stuff- mainly toys in the main room. We just moved from a house of 2600 square feet to probably 1200? square feet.

Papers- I need a better system but I have seen improvement since getting a different file box.

And, the kitchen. It's pretty small and I feel like all I do is make food and do dishes but the dishes still pile up!

 

Clutter makes me freak out and I get so crabby!

[stripe]

We have 3 TVs. One in the living room and 2 in the basement. I couldn't find anyone to take them before we moved, goodwill would not accept it, and apparently in our new city it's illegal to throw them away? So, there they sit... at least for now. However, we only watch one.

 

You can take them to Best Buy, and some other stores now. They will take old electronics for free. So do Goodwills now. Get rid of them! :)

[Guest inoubliable]

We have 3 TVs. One in the living room and 2 in the basement. I couldn't find anyone to take them before we moved, goodwill would not accept it, and apparently in our new city it's illegal to throw them away? So, there they sit... at least for now. However, we only watch one.

 

I have 3 areas of clutter that I struggle with right now. The kids' stuff- mainly toys in the main room. We just moved from a house of 2600 square feet to probably 1200? square feet.

Papers- I need a better system but I have seen improvement since getting a different file box.

And, the kitchen. It's pretty small and I feel like all I do is make food and do dishes but the dishes still pile up!

 

Clutter makes me freak out and I get so crabby!

 

Ugh. I never even thought about not being able to get rid of TVs! :(

 

Our house is about 926 sq ft. We had to figure out a system when we moved in a few years ago. Every time we moved we had to get the biggest Uhaul there is AND we'd have several large SUV loads AND a ton of stuff would end up getting moved from one storage place to another. It was ridiculous. When we moved here, I spent two years just purging. Now, everything here has a place. With papers, do you have a scanner? I take some time almost every week to scan stuff in and then shred what needs to be shredded. Even if it's just a paycheck stub.

I feel your pain on the kitchen. What worked for us was to get rid of dishes, to be honest. I am still doing dish (and no dishwasher here) pretty much after every meal and snack, but at least they can't pile up into a task that wants to suck the will to live out of me.

[stripe]

Ugh. I never even thought about not being able to get rid of TVs! :(

You can get rid of almost all old electronic stuff. I've sent things like old printers to Best Buy, and there's been no problem.

[missmoe]

In their defense, they do live in a small space. I live in a small space as well and my home could be a messy as theirs at any given time. Though I do have 2 more people than their family. And I don't own that many dolls!!! But I do own books. And my kids love paper. (sigh)

 

I found it interesting that processed food was defined as clutter.

[Maus]

I have an "art" gallery the full length of my hall of the kids' papers! :lol:

[MIch elle]

"The meaning of life is finding a place for your stuff."

[joannqn]

Two things stood out for me:

 

Time spent together...a mere four hours a day. I can't imagine that. It would feel so disconnected and lonely.

 

Dinner...everyone is eating prepackaged, individually-wrapped junk food all day so they aren't hungry for dinner. When they do gather to eat, it's not a pleasant experience with children complaining about the food and whining for the junk in the freezer, and mom getting up to microwave what they want. Ack!

[Sun]

Reading that article and looking at those pictures made me want to go take a shower. Like many others, I could not live like that. Doesn't having that much stuff make life much harder? Of course they use prepackaged convenience foods; how could they cook in those kitchens? How can they find anything? It just seems incredibly stressful and time-consuming to live with all that clutter. How do they vacuum, or do they just live with lots of dust? Those pictures just made me think of massive amounts of wasted resources-- physical resources to make all those possessions, financial to buy them, and mental/physical to care for them all.

[PeacefulChaos]

 

However, looking at those photos, our clutter is more about organizing and figuring out what do to with things like papers, how to shelve yet more books, and what to do with the fiddly bits than about out and out consumerism. Our "toys" for both kids and adults are pretty minimal.

 

Yep, here too.

I don't particularly like clutter, but there's only so much you can do, kwim?

And no, my house doesn't look like the ones in the pictures. :D

[besroma]

Thanks for posting. I enjoyed reading the article.

[tadah]

Yes, thank you for posting the link to this article -- I found it interesting too. I am going to borrow the book from my library.

[Perogi]

I am not a minimalist, I do have clutter in my house...but those pictures made me want to hyperventilate a little. Especially the bedrooms and the garage. And the freezers.

 

And now I'm going to go get rid of some stuff. And thank my lucky stars that no one in this house likes dolls.

 

That's exactly how I felt! We've moved a bunch so we've pared down a lot but we definitely still have stuff. But that is just too much and made me feel panicky and like it was time for a pre-Christmas decluttering!

[Bang!Zoom!]

Not my house, not my problem..that's what I started thinking when I viewed the slideshow...

 

My second thought was: "These people have never heard of Pinterest." :leaving:

[Cammie]

Thanks for the article! Helped me realize how much out of the mainstream I actually am. First of all we have one TV in a 4500 square foot space - and it is not even hooked up to cable! I refuse to have a house that centers on a television set. I have designed both our last two houses so that there is a separate TV room/area. Second, I LOVE an empty fridge. I like it to have just what we need for the next few days. Freezer too - only things that we will use this week or next. Third, those pictures were giving me anxiety! I am totally anti-clutter and I weekly watch an episode of hoarders just to remind myself of why I am so anti-clutter!! My mom has a LOT of stuff. Not hoarderish but just more stuff than I can imagine ever dealing with. Off now to clean that little pile that started growing on the ironing board yesterday - just thinking about it is giving me a headache!

[Guest inoubliable]

Thanks for the article! Helped me realize how much out of the mainstream I actually am. First of all we have one TV in a 4500 square foot space - and it is not even hooked up to cable! I refuse to have a house that centers on a television set. I have designed both our last two houses so that there is a separate TV room/area. Second, I LOVE an empty fridge. I like it to have just what we need for the next few days. Freezer too - only things that we will use this week or next. Third, those pictures were giving me anxiety! I am totally anti-clutter and I weekly watch an episode of hoarders just to remind myself of why I am so anti-clutter!! My mom has a LOT of stuff. Not hoarderish but just more stuff than I can imagine ever dealing with. Off now to clean that little pile that started growing on the ironing board yesterday - just thinking about it is giving me a headache!

 

Well, now I'm not so afraid to mention my refrigerator/freezer! The pics of those refrigerators/freezers in the article just made me want to gag. I couldn't NOT see molded and icky food stuffed behind piles of other food. For me, I might freeze some berries in the freezer during winter months, but most of the year it's completely empty unless I need to make ice for a get together. We're vegan here, so not much in the fridge, either. No meat or dairy to keep cold. I've got a bottle of liquid aminos, a baggie of flax, a container of almond milk, and a canister of nutritional yeast in there right now. Maybe some kiwi in a drawer that my oldest is trying to hide from his brothers. I think the pics of those kitchens freaked me out the most. I kept thinking that there's no way those kitchens are clean enough to eat out of. But then I realize that some people might look at my kitchen and think we must starve or never eat at home. LOL.

[Jeannie in NJ]

Cammie, I am with you on the tv. We have ours in a back family room with the door always shut . When we move, the tv witll be in the basement or a closed off room. None of us can stand to hear the tv in the main parts of the house.

 

Also our storage freezer broke and we had to throw out so much food. So we decided not to buy another one, just to use the freezer that is part of the fridge. We are buying lots less food but what we buy gets used so no more waste.

[KidsHappen]

My house is nowhere near as cluttered as any of these and yet how cluttered my house is, is one of the major stresses of my life. If it was up to me there would not be anything on any surfaces or anything on the floors. Unfotunately, I live with 5 other people who really don't care. They are all busy coming and going to various classes, jobs and activities that they barely have time to come in and change and go again and they are not motivated to try and find the extra time and energy to clean up just because it bothers me. And with my chronic physical and mental health issues, I simply cannot keep things up to my standards. It is very frustrating.

[swellmomma]

Just seeing this now. I have to laugh about the comments regarding the freezers, when I looked at those photos all I could think was "wow I wish my freezer was that full" :lol: A full fridge or freezer means security for me. I keep the front of it fairly clutter free though we post "refridgerator papers" on it, aka test papers with high schools, projects they worked really hard on etc. It is our display board, but they stay up for a week and then are taken down after everyone has seen and praised each other for their items.

 

As for the rest, well I am glad I don't have pictures up of my garage or basement. They are disasters currently. I have clutter behind closet doors etc. If someone stopped buy to take pictures at 2pm the kids room might look like those pictured, it isnot always like that, but they do have far too much stuff.

 

We don't have the multiple tvs, just 1. It is currently in the backroom and the kids sit on kitchen chairs in front of the dryer to watch movies, since the livingroom is being renovated. If someone snapped pictures it would look extremely cluttered but it is not the norm around here.

 

My biggest sources of clutter out in the open are the school supplies, books and current reno as everything is displaced from it. Some of the photos got me twitchy and some did not. For example, the woman cooking in the kitchen and reading the school papers. I didn't think there was a problem with that one. A normal short term clutter of the nightmare hour of afterschool time and dinner time trying to cook and check homework. After dinner it gets cleaned up and viola uncluttered space. The distaster in the one bedroom with the bunk beds and everything shoved under them, and the garage with the kids climbing through and on the piles made me twitchy though.

 

So glad I have joined the november declutter/cleaning challenge. I was going to head to bed but now feel like I should tackle another item on my list.

Edited October 22, 2012 by swellmomma

[PrincessMommy]

while I was not always like this, I also hate clutter. Although even at my worst, my house never looked like those pictures (except the basement and garage) I think my change started when the kids were younger and I was homeschooling and in the house with kids for 24/7. It was like an ADDs nightmare. It is very hard for me to concentrate when the house is real messy - and I wasn't always that way, it's come over time. I've never been a particularly good housekeeper, but I do like the floor and counters fairly cleared off. I could not work in the kitchen like that. I'm very minimalist when it comes to kitchen stuff.

 

yeah, and it seems that the "average middle class LA family" lives very differently than we do. We've always been a 1 tv household. This was a conscience decision on our part and wasn't always easy with 6 kids, but we stuck to our conviction. Don't ask how many computers we own ;)

[cjzimmer1]

Thanks for the article! Second, I LOVE an empty fridge. I like it to have just what we need for the next few days. Freezer too - only things that we will use this week or next. Third, those pictures were giving me anxiety!

 

See and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with those freezers and food storage pictures. Yes there was a lot of convenience food but I see nothing wrong with packed fridges and freezers.

 

You would hate mine for sure. I have two large freezers plus two fridge/freezer combos and all of them are packed right now. I will turn off one of the fridges once I finish processing the last of the fall produce for canning and freezing While I do cook most things from scratch my freezers are packed to the gills and I'm still trying to wiggle a few more things in before winter comes. I HATE grocery shopping and during the summer go about twice a month but because of my stockpile I can usually go almost a month during the winter before having to go back. There is nothing worse than trying to push a grocery cart loaded with stuff through a slush covered parking lot with a bitter cold wind blowing on you. I would go absolutely bonkers trying to go to the grocery store every few days.

[TravelingChris]

We have four tvs but one doesn't get used and we will be getting rid of it. One is in our exercise room/storm shelter/giant whirlpool bathroom (no toilet or sink, just shower and bath facilities), one is in our family room and one in our living room. We do have the two tvs on often at the same time- I will be watching something in the living room and someone will be watching something downstairs in the family room. Often, I am listening to music- we have lots of music channels available.

 

My freezer is as packed as those which is why I want a deep freezer for Christmas. I have only a small freezer section of my fridge. Otherwise I think I need to get this book from the library and show my dh. He is always complaining about clutter and disorganization in our house but it is immaculate compared to those pictures- not the calendar, though. We don't have one but what is strange about that?

[Garga]

What? I don't understand a lot of the above comments.

 

First of all, I'm a budding photographer and I take pictures aaaaall the time. I take between 20-200 picture every single day. Did you notice that many of the pictures zoom in on just one tiny little bit of a room? Like picture #7 where there's a close up of a corner of a kid's room with stuffed animals? For all we know, the rest of the room could be empty and that tiny corner is where all the kids' toys are stored. I got the feeling that all number of the pictures were deceptive like that. They found the one corner of the house that was a mess, and cropped the rest out of the shot. I do it constantly with my own pictures.

 

Second, I do not understand the negative comments about the full freezers. The freezers could have been better organized, yes, but there is nothing wrong with a full freezer. Like the PPs said, it's a good thing. How many threads have been started about having extra food/supplies on hand? Lots. The idea is to buy the items when they're on sale and keep them in your (fully stocked) pantry or freezer.

 

Not many of the pictures were horrible examples of out-of-control clutter. Here's my take on them:

 

1 and 2. A neatly displayed collection. Sure, it's a lot, but it's kind of fun, too.

3. A counter top where someone is obviously taking a lunch break and working (drink, sandwich, smokes, open calendar, phone.)

4. Fridge with papers stuck to it. The bit of surrounding area we can see around it is clear.

5. A stuffed freezer. Just needs to be organized. Absolutely nothing else wrong with it.

6. Fridge covered in photographs. We can't see any of the surroundings.

7. A small corner of a room with 3 bins of tidy stuffed animals.

8. Very cluttered bookcases. This is the first picture that is of honest clutter.

9. Station next to the fridge, brimming with papers/pencils. Again, what does the rest of the house look like? If this is the one spot where all the papers land, it's not a big deal.

10. Garage--over the top clutter.

11. Same picture as #8, but from a different angle.

12. Cluttered desk/computer station.

13. Garage--over the top clutter.

14. Calendar--absolutely not cluttered at all. Well organized and color coded.

15. Mom is cooking so the counter top has items on it. What's the point of this picture? To show them eating processed food? Because when people cook, um...items get put on the counter. Very odd picture.

16. I don't get this picture, either. This is the same mom still cooking and everyone is moving about in the kitchen. I guess this is showing how the kitchen is the center of activity. Nothing cluttered about it.

17. Stuffed full freezer.

18. A messy boy's room. Not full of clutter. Just needs to be tidied. I guess this is about them having a tv in their room.

19. Videos and games and WIRES. Unfortunately, if you have a gaming system or two, the wires will be like this. They're organized into a basket in the picture, so it's not that bad.

20. Messy kid's room. They just need to clean it up.

21. A garage with non-perishables are being stored. Responsible and thrifty if you ask me.

22. Very messy desk with papers.

23. Um? I don't get this one, either. So...it's a full dishwasher and there are pots on the counter waiting to be cleaned. Big deal. So, they cooked a big dinner and are cleaning it up. Why is this picture here?

24. A calendar. Sure, it's full, but so what? It doesn't mean they're all events. I put things on my calendar like, "Books due," "Fill Rx" It doesn't mean we're over-scheduled.

25. An ad

26. Messy kid's room. Needs to be tidied.

[PrincessMommy]

What? I don't understand a lot of the above comments.

 

First of all, I'm a budding photographer and I take pictures aaaaall the time. I take between 20-200 picture every single day. Did you notice that many of the pictures zoom in on just one tiny little bit of a room? Like picture #7 where there's a close up of a corner of a kid's room with stuffed animals? For all we know, the rest of the room could be empty and that tiny corner is where all the kids' toys are stored. I got the feeling that all number of the pictures were deceptive like that. They found the one corner of the house that was a mess, and cropped the rest out of the shot. I do it constantly with my own pictures.

 

Second, I do not understand the negative comments about the full freezers. The freezers could have been better organized, yes, but there is nothing wrong with a full freezer. Like the PPs said, it's a good thing. How many threads have been started about having extra food/supplies on hand? Lots. The idea is to buy the items when they're on sale and keep them in your (fully stocked) pantry or freezer.

 

Not many of the pictures were horrible examples of out-of-control clutter. Here's my take on them:

 

1 and 2. A neatly displayed collection. Sure, it's a lot, but it's kind of fun, too.

3. A counter top where someone is obviously taking a lunch break and working (drink, sandwich, smokes, open calendar, phone.)

4. Fridge with papers stuck to it. The bit of surrounding area we can see around it is clear.

5. A stuffed freezer. Just needs to be organized. Absolutely nothing else wrong with it.

6. Fridge covered in photographs. We can't see any of the surroundings.

7. A small corner of a room with 3 bins of tidy stuffed animals.

8. Very cluttered bookcases. This is the first picture that is of honest clutter.

9. Station next to the fridge, brimming with papers/pencils. Again, what does the rest of the house look like? If this is the one spot where all the papers land, it's not a big deal.

10. Garage--over the top clutter.

11. Same picture as #8, but from a different angle.

12. Cluttered desk/computer station.

13. Garage--over the top clutter.

14. Calendar--absolutely not cluttered at all. Well organized and color coded.

15. Mom is cooking so the counter top has items on it. What's the point of this picture? To show them eating processed food? Because when people cook, um...items get put on the counter. Very odd picture.

16. I don't get this picture, either. This is the same mom still cooking and everyone is moving about in the kitchen. I guess this is showing how the kitchen is the center of activity. Nothing cluttered about it.

17. Stuffed full freezer.

18. A messy boy's room. Not full of clutter. Just needs to be tidied. I guess this is about them having a tv in their room.

19. Videos and games and WIRES. Unfortunately, if you have a gaming system or two, the wires will be like this. They're organized into a basket in the picture, so it's not that bad.

20. Messy kid's room. They just need to clean it up.

21. A garage with non-perishables are being stored. Responsible and thrifty if you ask me.

22. Very messy desk with papers.

23. Um? I don't get this one, either. So...it's a full dishwasher and there are pots on the counter waiting to be cleaned. Big deal. So, they cooked a big dinner and are cleaning it up. Why is this picture here?

24. A calendar. Sure, it's full, but so what? It doesn't mean they're all events. I put things on my calendar like, "Books due," "Fill Rx" It doesn't mean we're over-scheduled.

25. An ad

26. Messy kid's room. Needs to be tidied.

 

The article says they video taped them from waking up to going to bed. It might be nice to watch a bit and compare it to the photos we've been shown.

[Garga]

Having multiple tvs just "is." It's not good or bad.

 

We have a tv in the living room because if we're going to watch it, we want to sit on comfortable furniture.

 

We also have a tv in the kitchen. I live in an older house and, like the article said, my kitchen is small and separate from the rest of the house. We cannot all congregate in there (like people do in newer homes.) I get really, really bored in there by myself when I'm cooking. I send the kids off to read or do a lesson while I cook. I watch Netflix on the tv while I cook.

 

We also have a projector and big screen in our playroom. We hook up the computer to the projector and watch movies together or have friends visit and watch movies with us.

 

A tv isn't bad. I guess it's only bad if you sit in front of it all day long and ignore everyone else while you watch.

 

I guess I'm the odd duck. Yes, there was clutter in these homes, but most of it never ventured anywhere near "hoarding."

Edited October 22, 2012 by Garga