Most people presumably watch the A&E show Hoarders to gawk at people who lack self-control and have allowed themselves to live in squalor. But then there’s another subset of the viewership, who watch because they see a little too much of themselves in the subjects.

Count Frugal Beautiful among the latter ranks. An admitted former hoarder who has managed to break herself of the habit, she provides some insight into the thinking of those who can’t stop accumulating clutter.

Although the reasons people have for hoarding vary, she figures that a major reason people become addicted to stockpiling is that they project emotional significance onto otherwise useless items. The act of willingly parting with something becomes tantamount to not only setting aside your past, but betraying it.

The writer was forced to change her ways when she purged her possessions in a cross-country move to attend grad school. While such bold maneuvers aren’t an option for all hoarders, the post could serve as inspiration to those who are stifled in prisons of their own making and looking for a way out.

Confession: I Watch Hoarders… And I Was One [Frugal Beautiful]

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