Not sure if I've blogged about this before about my Mum's habit of hoarding. My friends declare in the event of war, they will come to my parents place to stay because she has almost everything.
The one I tease her most about is her fridges. Actually, it's two large fridges and a standing freezer. They are all packed to the point that when you open the door, things tend to fall out. And there's only my Dad and Mum in the house, although she cooks dinner for me and KS on weekdays.
Then there's the toilet rolls. When they first shifted from Alor Setar to PJ, the stack of toilet rolls almost reached my height (times that with 10 rolls per pack). Some were yellowing with age. But it's better now. She has less than 10 packs now, split between upstairs and downstairs so it gives the impression that it's lesser now.
Cleaning liquids. She has an entire cupboard full of liquid floor cleaners, dish detergents, tile cleaners... she gave one to Grace last year to bring back to US and when Grace opened it, it had already somewhat spoilt from being kept too long. Unfortunately, she practices First In Last Out for this one.
Ribbons. Yup. I made some cakes some time back and wanted to have some ribbons to tie the boxes for easier carrying. Since Mum was out grocery shopping, I called to ask her to get some for me. She said, "I have" and I discovered, she had a whole plastic bag full of ribbons in various colours, sizes and materials.
I really don't need to buy anything. Need pots? She has extra. Need cabin sized trolley bags? Need Golden Churn butter in a tin (the expensive ones)? She had 6 in her cupboard about to expire. Need peanut butter? She has 2 large unopened bottles about to expire, 1 which just expired.
Today, I was looking for some pudding bowls to bake something this weekend. I went to the shop, saw one that would suit my need but thought I didn't want to buy 8 pieces only to have made this pudding once and never use them again. I went home for dinner and looked into her cupboard and found... 6.
She's so funny! But she did defend herself saying that when she was young and really poor, she had this habit of storing things out of fear of not having enough later on. Completely understandable. I'm just glad that she's so well stocked and that I'm nearby enough :)
My friend is deciding to dig a tunnel from her house to my parents place now for easier access in case of zombie attacks.
5 comments:
I hoard too. I find it hard to throw out books and my stupid craft stuff which virtually occupies a whole room.
I really like this post. Laugh until cry. The next thing she's collecting are earrings and necklaces.
You should post a pic! My parents were forced to "un-hoard" when they had to move into a downtown condo. So hoarding still happens although just minimally :)
i dare not take any photos since she will know i blogged about it! she's been warning me not to mention about her 3 fridges anymore to my friends. :)
Suddenly I recall the scene from Ice Age, the dodo (hoarding 3 melons) telling the mammoth, "If you're not smart enough to plan ahead, then doom-on-you! Doom-on-you!"
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