Women who keep junk for 'sentimental' reasons

My girlfriends bedroom is full to overflowing with global hypercolour t-shirts and nafnaf jackets because she refuses to throw anything away, even though she knows herself that she would never, ever wear that clothing again. This morning I had to question her as to why we had to display an empty turkish wine carton on a shelf. At this rate I have a vision of the future that would be like those crazy old brothers in new york who filled up their entire house with 60 years worth of old newspapers, and had to make tunnels around their house to get from room to room.

Why do they do this? Is there an anthropological reason? Is their a close connection between people who keep drawers full of old clothes and people who store their urine in labelled jars?

Worm, can you change the topic to "People who keep ..."? Just to get it straight that not only women do. I admit that I have a t-shirt from about 1983 which my youngest brother wore. It's a period piece.

Why do you think it's a female thing? (Edit: Sarabyrd was quicker than me)

some people are more sentimental than others. I personally keep lots of junk! I just cannot part with some things. Heck I still have a hockey uniform from 84, my grad dress, a baby dress of mine. My brother on the other hand- has just his photo album of his pictures... I need more to remind me. And the first guy to complain is shown the door!

Np, tom, I am really sensitive about that kind of thing (Susan B. Anthony was my great-grandmother's great-aunt).

Absolutely. It's the total opposite in our house. Someone who shall remain nameless has to keep every item for 'nostalgic reasons'. I have become a total minimalist myself...keeping only what I really really need (but I do have a few concert and vacation T-shirts that I can't part with...)

Photos are all you need to remind yourself of times gone by.

Other 'things' just clutter you up and make you look back at the past all the time, not necessarily a good thing.

sorry, perhaps I should shorten the thread title to 'women...are they insane?'

You're not having an illicit affair with my better half are you?

well, yes, of course. but we love 'em. you should check out some of my wife's habits/collections.

Oh, that's an easy one...the answer is yes, so just deal with it...thanks for playing...

It's a sign. She wants you to leave, but you have to be the one seen to be making the decision.

I wouldnt mind if it was something quite physically 'concrete', but we often have conversations where she will reveal to me that the reason she keeps a horrendous old red t shirt is because it reminds her of being a dress-size bigger, or something equally abstract. Maybe I should have kept all the porn mags I had under my bed as a teenager.

yeah, I'm hoping the fact that she doesn't like to get rid of useless junk extends to her boyfriend too...

Well my bird keeps me around but I do not think she has referred to me as "junk" yet.. She has plenty of other names for me but we have not reached "junk" yet...

I'm a woman and nothing I own has been in my posession for over 2 years.

Im glad its not all women, theres still hope the world wont be buried under a pile of dead flowers and deelyboppers.

It's actually hard to distinguish the "junk" in my apartment from the preowned "furniture".

I like old stuff though, or maybe I just like junk.

That is just it, my brother says my stuff is junk, but his collection of NHL miniature hockey players, or DQ Baseball helmuts, or hockey cards are 'collectables' not junk!

Stick 'em on the French ebay. You'll make a mint.

but the chances are they may be worth something, whereas a pair of gold lame happy pants probably are not.

It is not only a women problem!
My boyfriend still keeps in his wardrobe 20 years old clothes, that he will NEVER wear again, thorusers that do not fit him anymore because they are 2 sizes smaller and lots of other junk.
By the way, I told him that he is allowed to wear such things only when he is not with me.
I tried to convince him to put something in the containers for donations to poor people and he replied: who do you think is willing to wear such things? (He is aware it is junk, at least!)
His attitude is not only torwards clothing, also junk objects displayed on shelves in our apartment.
When I complain about this, he argues that I am jealous of his previous life and I pretend that his life was zero, nothing before we knew each other!

Well, at least your boyfriend is not holding onto the green plastic skateboard he had when he was a kid and that no kid in their right might would be caught dead riding...oh, the list goes on and on.

apparently its a Virgo trait as well. ive still got wwf top trumps cards, a Sooty puppet, and a NERF gun...all safely hidden away though but im determined not to throw them out.

[img]http://www.shrewsburysummer.co.uk/img/sooty.jpg[/img]