Took the wife to the hospital yesterday for a procedure that took a couple of hours. In the waiting room was a TV with the Dr. Phil program. OK, I know, I don't ever watch that stuff but all the good magazines were in use or I had already read so I think...so what.. see what the guy has to say.
Well, the topic was "Compulsive Hoarding". There were three couples on the show and they filmed (taped) each of them at home with their various hoarding issues.
Couple #1:
The guy collects and hoards GI Joe, Star Wars etc. figures, equipment and video games (over 3000 of them) . He has a whole room dedicated to this . He spends 5-6 hours a night on Ebay searching for this stuff and several hundred bucks a night supporting his habit. The wife is about to leave him. He is addicted to hoarding. Dr. Phil tells them that he is wasting all this money and time on his habit when savings for college and retirement are not being considered. He is very sorry and promises to do better.
Couple #2:
Wife has a major spending/hoarding issue. The house if stuffed full. I mean you cannot even walk throgh it. The 3 car garage is stuffed and no cars will fit. She says she resents her husband making her account for every dime. (She does not work and he now has three jobs to be able to make only the minimums the credit cards. She does not seem to see she is killing the marriage and her comments about doing better end with "But, I want money of my own that he does not know about..." Glad she is not my wife. Been there, done that, have the scars to show it.
Couple #3:
This one is not really about hoarding but about one spouse being a clean freak (husband) and the wife being a pack rat and slob. I give the marrage 6 months. These two are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Been there, done that too. Compromise is the key to survival.
In the end... all couples will go to a shrink and they will make it all better. :
There people will never ER nor will they ever be FI. Unless they have a major personality transplant the marriges will me a nightmare and will most likely fail.
Give your frugal, budget-minded, financially savy, loving spouse (or SO) a great big hug.