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Overbuying. Sometimes I leave stuff in my amazon cart for a week for a cooling off period.

Gifts. Really, I don't want gifts anymore. If you must, something consumable is best.

Folk in the building dumping junk on you as a favor. Really happened.

Hobbies (camping, exercise gear, swimming gear)- Hobbies are good, but moving the gear every 3 years is a pain.

Heirlooms. Special category of gift, except mom died with a moving van's worth of stuff.

Obsolescence. I got a box of CD/DVDs, now as handy as 8-tracks.

Growing up. These kids keep turning into new kids with a new set of cloths and toys.

Downsizing. Going from a big house to a small house, now you got too much stuff.

Upsizing. You moved to a bigger house with more bathrooms, so more bathroom kits, which means too much stuff when you downsize again.

Different sizing. Your possessions were bought because they were a really good fit for a place. Move & now you got stuff that doesn't fit or work, like bar stools in a house without a bar.

Wear and tear. Live long enough and stuff falls apart.

Throwing it all way (and rebuying it next year) isn't cost effective. You have to get to the root of the problem.

People change. Either literally, because you don't fit your old clothes or because your hobbies changed.

Combining households. Now everything is doubled up. Young people with no possessions have it easy.

Conclusion: This form of affluenza is certainly better than poverty, but it's a complex problem. Throw it all away just starts the cycle again.