People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so.
Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned. Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter. They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment. Things owned for a long time are full associations with the past, perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth. Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste.

人们喜欢收藏东西，有时并没有意识到自己在这样做。
确实，一旦无意之中从自己的收藏品中找到某件有用的东西时，可以给人一种惊喜的感觉。 那些从来不必搬家的人们成了一种无所无容的收藏家。他们专门收藏那些只能被称作杂货的东西。 他们在抽屉里，碗柜中、阁楼上堆放着一些不用的东西，一放就是好几年，相信总有一天需要的正好是那些东西。 人们年老之后也喜欢收藏东西，不过是出于两个不同的原因： 一是体力，精力均告不佳，这二者是清除无用的东西必不可少的因素；另一原因是感情因素。 东西搁得时间久了，便会充满着与过去岁月的联系，比方说与死去的亲戚有关。 因此这些东西慢慢获得了一种超出它本身的价值。 居家度日，有目的地收藏某些东西是为了防止浪费。