HOARDING OR PREHISTORIC GATHERING URGE-- DOES IT RUN IN YOUR FAMILY?

I’m starting to believe that the women in my family may have a "hoarding or stockpiling" gene that kicks in when we reach 50 or so.

Back when I was a kid, our pantry was generally and thankfully well-stocked.  But Mom also had a sweet tooth and had a habit of squirreling sweets away.  We kids would periodically discover one of her secret caches of Hershey bars, cinnamon candies or lemon drops--which she'd then be forced to share with us.  Except for the occasional treasure trove of sweets,  it was a typical middle-class family of 6 pantry.

As the years passed, Mom’s urge to amass stores of foods increased. In our college & hippie days when we'd come home to visit, my siblings and I would stand open-mouthed contemplating the delectable treats hidden in every possible corner of her kitchen pantry. We'd look at each other wide eyed--wow, have you visited  mom's pantry yet?!

By the time we were in our 30s, the treasure troves extended to a large freezer tightly packed with goods and goodies—from Swanson’s potato pillows to ice cream bonbons and Omaha steaks—in other words, abundance at its finest.

Naturally,  it was a delight to visit home. One never knew what new and novel food item would emerge from the pantry or freezer.  Trying to fit into one’s bell bottoms later was another thing altogether.

My passed away a few years ago and we must have made a charity very happy with all the foods we donated.

Then, a couple of years ago, my mom’s sister, Aunt Kay (90) fell ill and I made the long trek to Wyoming to help out.  Intending to bake biscuits, I noticed the flour had weevils. Aunt Kay directed me to a metal container fastened to the inside of the garage wall.  After uncovering the receptacle, I lifted the lid to find at least a twenty 5lb bags of flour.

Soon thereafter, I opened the oven to discover two large bags of Dove bars; one semi-sweet, the other regular milk chocolate.  I teased her about having chocolates everywhere-- but I had yet to discover the BASEMENT!

In the basement, I discovered two upright freezers and a refrigerator.  The refrigerator was stuffed with chocolates of all types, the freezers packed with all manner of foods.

But that was just the beginning:  

Aunt Kay sent me to a room in the basement for a can of tomatoes.

There I found two rooms, one crammed with dry goods (paper towels, cleansers, cleaners, etc.) and the other fitted with floor to ceiling shelves full.  There was case after case of canned goods, cereals, oils, packs of raisins, soups and myriad of foodstuffs and quite a few sweets too.  Ironically, Aunt Kay maintains a slender and lively 95 lbs.

The room was so well-stocked it could have been a retail outlet.  Later I discovered even the attic held vast stores of paper towels & tp.

I asked her about the need to keep so many things on hand, she simply says she buys things on sale so she doesn't run out.

So did the fact that Mom & Aunt Kay lived through the great depression have bearing on this stockpiling behavior?

Possibly.

But then again, over the past few years, I’ve begun to buy certain items in bulk to stockpile—such as paper towels & tp for economy.  The list is fairly small because we have small house.

Recently I found we were running low on paper towels and felt a slow panic rising. Suddenly it felt as if we were two rolls from being destitute!  I needed to know that we had at least four extra rolls!

Recognizing the urge, I stopped and made a list of things I feel the need to stockpile or experience panic when they are low:

Paper towels,

Toilet Paper

Canned Tomatoes

Dishwashing Soap

Shampoo & or conditioner

Hand soap / bath soap

Printer Paper

Printer Ink

Glues of all kinds

Scissors

Does the stockpiling instinct run in your family, and if so what do you stockpile? ;)