Those of us who were little kids during WWI were taught not to throw ANYTHING away. For instance, crooked nails were hammered straight and saved to be used again.
Insecure individuals who have had everything taken from them in the past tend to hang on to things.
My family was broke in the early 1050’s. When we cleaned out my mother’s house after she passed away, we saw that she saved everything. I’ve been broke several times in my life. Now that our finances are stable, we’re watching our government steal it away with taxes and inflation. We’ll be proud hoarders.
Prisoners of war frequently become food hoarders, for a while. at least. I knew someone who had been a prisoner in Germany in WWII. He said coming back on the boat after the war all the former prisoners took food from the mess hall and hid it in their bunks.
Good grief! I clearly remember straightening bent nails during the 1950s and 60s.
Every time I’m ready to clean out the junk room, along comes another crisis where I might need something in there. Those old crutches, potty chair, extra blankets, heaters, old camping stuff, etc. sure came in handy this crazy year.
To think we used to laugh at grandma for having hundreds of rolls of tp and paper towels.