Pom in Oz with Derek Goforth: Countless board games and kitchen gadgets have me thinking I’m a closet hoarder

I have often wondered if I am a closet hoarder — and by that, I don’t mean I hoard closets. I love to collect things, buy things, even if I know in the back of my mind that I will never actually use them. Board games are my ultimate vice. At the last count I own more than 200 of them and around 50 are unused. But I still go on to online stores and browse, knowing I may just add another couple to my collection. Then there are my kitchen gadgets, utensils and appliances. I never seem to have enough. And I always convince myself I desperately need the latest money-saving/time-saving piece of technology that will make my food taste that much better. But just like with the games, they often sit either unopened or in the back of a drawer after one use. Even a relatively expensive piece of kit can be consigned to the cupboard, still in working order. So it has caused me to reflect: do I have some sort of disorder? I do know there is such a thing as hoarder’s disorder, which is related to obsessive compulsive disorder. According to mayoclinic.com, symptoms of the disorder could include: 1. Getting and keeping too many items that you may not have a need for right now and don’t have space for. 2. Ongoing difficulty throwing out or parting with your things, regardless of their actual value. 3. Feeling a need to save these items and being upset by the thought of getting rid of them. 4. Building up clutter to the point where you can’t use rooms. 5. Trying to be perfect and avoiding or delaying decisions. 6. Problems with planning and organizing. I know this list is not exhaustive, but on reflection I can tick a few of these things off. Yes, I am guilty of getting too many things, even knowing I don’t really need them, nor having space for them. I do sometimes have issues throwing things out, but I also enjoy a good clean-out of clutter. But unless an item has a genuine sentimental value to me, I don’t get upset about getting rid of unused items. And thankfully, much to the delight of my family, I have not got to the stage where I cannot get into rooms because my clutter has got out of hand. Plus, as a teacher I have to be hyper-organised and plan often a year ahead, so again this is not an issue. So maybe I need to go easy on myself? Or maybe I just need to acknowledge that although I do not have an issue yet, I need to be mindful of not creating one. But this, like with many things, just reminds me of what is actually important. It’s not the board games, it’s the people I play with. It’s not the cooking tools, it’s the people I cook for. Derek Goforth is an expat of 13 years and father of three, living and working in Geraldton