Stocking Up v. Hoarding

I think I had an epiphany this morning.  I realized there is a clear and defined difference between Stocking Up and Hoarding!  If you "stock up" on items that you and your family use, you are simply stocking up.  If you are purchasing items that you and your family will (most likely) never use, you are hoarding.  Now, if you won't allow anyone to touch the stock up items, you've crossed the line into hoarding! 

I guess I can consider myself a recovered hoarder.  In the beginning, I would purchase anything that was free/cheap.  A year later, I only purchase things my family can use or things I can donate or give away.  I started purging items a couple months ago and have managed to give away a great deal of things that I had hoarded.  There are still areas where I can do a little trimming, but for the most part, my stock consists of things we'll use.  Giving things away has been a very rewarding exercise for me, I highly recommend it!