DEAR ABBY: Every weekend my husband goes to all the yard sales and estate sales in our area. He brings home stuff he considers treasures, but I'm sure even the trash collectors wouldn't pick it up.
He is obsessed with his hobby and doesn't realize he is turning our beautiful home into a trash storage warehouse. I tried talking to him, but he says he'll do as he pleases. Abby, I'm writing to you as my last resort. I am desperate for any advice you can give me. -- SECONDHAND ROSE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
DEAR ROSE: Your husband has been seduced by the "thrill of the hunt" and is responding to primitive impulses passed down from our long ago ancestors. Women have it too -- ask anyone who has lost track of time during a department store sale and bought more than she set out for.
Try this: Go with him to the yard and estate sales, so you both can agree to buy or reject a "treasure" before it becomes a purchase. While this may not put an end to your problem, it may curb your husband's impulse buying -- a little.