Buying items related to your special interests

music files, preferably AIff or FLAC. I love many genres and go through phases. Currently I am very interested in pre and post nuclear pop and the zeitgeist of those eras respectively, through listening to their music.

Unfortunately there aren't any, I wish there was but I live in a small town and there isn't a lot about.

What you say reminds me of Japan a bit. Space is limited in the cities but if you see what people can do with a little display of maybe just a few rocks and a plant - it is amazing. I love Japanese rock gardens which are bigger and found in temples.

Yes - he’s a very patient man! I think he finds the things I collect interesting - but I think he also wishes there was a few less of them! He really likes old Science fiction paperbacks from second hand bookshops - so he does have a lot of those. I don’t paint the pebbles - but that’s such a lovely idea. I just really love all the patterns and colours on them, and the textures when you hold them in your hand. I also collect buddhist statues, and Hindu statues - I love antique eastern engraved brass and copper too - you know when it’s engraved with lots of figures and plants etc. and I collect semi-precious gemstones and crystals too. I love antiques fairs - just to look around - they’re like a treasure hunt for me and I love all the history and the stories connected to objects. I once visited the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford and I fell in love with amulets and ancient artifacts - so fascinating! But at the same time a nicely marked pebble or shell found on a beach is just as preschools to me, or a piece of broken antique pottery found in a field - there’s beauty to be found most places if you look for it :) 

I'm also interested in physical media, I think a lot of autistic people like the tactile-ness of it (also it's pretty nostalgic for those who grew up with it).

Mainstream people are SLEEPING on physical media, especially the new 4K discs, I picked up the special collectors editions of Avatar 1 and 2 and they're gorgeous.

I'd recommend the Titanic 4K for your collection, if you have a PS5 or the latest Xbox (you might even be able to play 4K's on the xbox one but I'm not sure, not really an xbox person) you can play the 4K Discs on them.

But titanic is a great film, love James Cameron in general.

Thanks for raising this thread :-)

Collecting obsessively seems to be an autistic trait yes?  Certainly one I have engaged in a lot - model aeroplanes mainly in my case.  (My name is Andrew and I'm a modelaholic!)  It is satisfying to do so.  There's also a lovely bond with others who share the same interest when one is not so good at small talk.

collecting can though be somewhat consuming of resources - both of space and money.  It can increase one's vulnerability to financial exploitation.  Buying things one needs from charity shops is a win-win though.

Accumulation versus giving seems to be a tricky balance for individuals in society generally. On reflection both these things appear to me to be getting away from some of one's life stressors, engaging in reward processes and in future planning.

Recently I have called a moratorium on collecting models.  Partly this was the realisation that at current rate of completion I would need many years beyond normal life expectancy and having a good look at present finances (realising any practical value from them is unlikely in my life time as I can't bear to part with them!).  Also my lovely sister who lives with diabetes explained to me her approach to chocolates.  She picks one from the tin, imagines what it is like to eat it and, satiated, returns it - will power learned the hard way I believe.

The last model I bought (and have resisted temptation since) was the same (and only) one that my mum bought for me.  I suspect that this has some symbolism. 

I collected records and CDs, and I collected films (VHS tapes! DVDs and Blu-ray)

This sounds very neuro typical until you see the sheer amount.

Before I met my wife, I got into debt because of this, but she helped me get back on track.

I would HAVE to buy the special editions, and newer versions (some films I have had in every format.)

They were all lined up and in a special order. Over 30 years worth.

I managed to get them all in 'my room' (called an office to sound normal ). My wife then wanted a second bathroom and half of my room had to go. Now nothing fits and it's a mess and upsets me when I look.

Streaming has ruined things a bit too. Spending money on a film that I can watch online is too much to justify often (I still indulge a bit). I am really pleased that some young people are starting to appreciate the experience of owning music and films again.

I will get some pictures later. I have a man here cleaning the car which stresses me in ways that only people on this forum can really appreciate. I'm a bit useless at the moment so my wife gives me jobs like this. I tell her the things that stress me out so much, that I can't really share little ones like this (choose your battles, and all that)

Thank you so much!️

Paige said:

Whereabouts do you get them from?

I'll message you with the details.

Stuff like that's-always expensive I've noticed-don't know how much my nan spent but it must've been a lot lol.

You're welcome they look amazing-I'm tempted to give it a try. Whereabouts do you get them from?  

It sounds like a real fun hobby-I bet you get so immersed in it to you don't feel as anxious either. I'm waiting on counselling but in the meantime I might get one and give it a try-A I think it'll be so much fun and-B I feel it'll be really good for my anxiety. 

So sorry for the questions-I'm just really interested.️

Regrettably, my collection of dog figurines is small in comparison to your nan's, mainly due to a lack of space, but also because I can't always justify the cost. For something so small, they can be rather expensive, no matter how adorable they may look.

Thank you for the compliment regarding the diamond paintings. 

If I'm doing card kits (like the framed mandala featured on my profile), it usually takes me no more than a few hours at most. With the picture kits, it varies depending on the size of the picture, and how many hours in a day I devote to working on them, but I would say about 2 weeks minimum.

Your husband sounds nice letting you fill the house up with lots of different things lol-if I find a bf one day hopefully he'll be as understanding.  

I love that you get shells and pebbles-I used to do that with my mum ️- do you just collect them or do you paint them as well? My mum and I-painted the shells with different colours and patterns.Your house sounds amazing! ️

Thanks for sharing your collectables Geeky  

I love how your Barbies are in that drawer lol-I used to keep mine under my bed-I feel a little bad about that now though!!  Your books look fab too-do you read them much? I love the Inspector Morse collection you've got-I'm a huge fan of the TV series-never read the books though. 

All the things you love collecting sound so lovely-reading your post reminds me of my nan she used to love dog figurines and her house was full of them- on the table, shelves, her spare bed in the spare attic room lol-she must've had at least a hundred! 

I just had a look at your profile again and just wanted to say-your diamond paintings are gorgeous. ️ I love the detail you get with those-looks fabulous. Do they take long to do? 

As I like to be creative (in an arts and crafts sense) and look upon it as a special interest, it's impossible for me to be creative without buying items.

Whilst I don't have any photos I can share, I have an array of items related to cross-stitch (lots of magazines and stitching supplies), card-making supplies, colouring pens and pencils, ink pads, and various supplies related to diamond painting. Oh, and I also have some jewellery-making supplies too.

Although I've not done any for a while, gardening is another interest. In addition to various gardening implements, I have a collection of propagators, seed trays, etc.

I do have a bit of a thing for collecting dog figurines, soft toy dogs, and also clothing featuring dog images. During the run-up to Christmas, I'm always on the lookout for socks, jumpers and pyjamas featuring dogs.

Back in the days when I did a lot of reading, there were a few authors I liked. If a new book had been published in paperback, I would (of course) have to buy it.

Geeky said:

I really need to stop but I can't help it I love collecting things

I did talk my collecting issues through with my therapist and they said it was part of a "nesting" type reaction to surrounding yourself with things that made you feel safe and happy.

When this starts to get too much for the space you have they suggested I allow myself to continue but I needed to have a way to limit what I kept.

The advice was to set aside a space for the things to be stored in and if I wanted to put something else in once it filled up then an existing amount had to come out to make the space.

That is why I donate a lot of the books I have read to people here who have the same interests and are trying to expand their English skills - I'll often get then calling to ask what a bunch of words mean that aren't in the dictionary - some are genre specific or old slang terms or even just typos, but the drive to continue reading helps them learn and grow their skills through practice.

I only really keep books that I have the strongest sentimental attachment to - the 1970s edition of Isaac Asimovs Foundation trilogy that I bought when on a road trip around the highlands when I was a boy for example, or a gift some someone special long ago. Luckily these don't need much space so a good 95% of the collection is in flux.

I love collecting things. My father used to call me a magpie because I went out and brought so many random things back home with me. I’ve reigned it in now I’m an adult although I still love collecting stuff but I don’t have a lot of space so I have to be more disciplined now. The thing I collect most is books.

As you can see I own a lot of books.

I would love to get more but space is becoming a bit of a problem for me so I’ve taken to buying more books on my kindle to help with the space problem.

I also have a lovely collection of Barbie dolls.

Most I got as a child but some I’ve collected more recently. They live in my drawer 

I’ve also got an enormous collection of CDs and vinyl which I really do not have the space for but I keep buying anyway. I’ll likely regret it in the end...

I really need to stop but I can't help it I love collecting things. 

So lovely to see these - how wonderful. What a treasure trove - there’s years of entertainment there! 

How lovely - like a rainbow almost

Oh - I definitely do this. I have certain things I ‘collect’ and even though it makes me very happy on one level it’s a problem in two ways : 1) I feel guilty about spending the money on things we dont actually NEED - and  2) we live in a small house and we don’t have the space to keep adding more ‘stuff’ - and this drives my husband a bit crazy (although he’s so kind he doesn’t moan at me about it). But I know really that he’d like more space in the house. It even extends to shells and  pebbles that I find on the beach on holidays - they’re just so nice that I like to keep them - but there are quite a lot about dotted about the house!