Have you asked him- Why all the t-shirts?

Is he good with numbers? Have him track the stock exchange. Open an account for him with a couple hundred bucks and let him go. Maybe he can turn it into thousands of dollars.

Birdwatching. Collect sightings, track progress in a variety of ways, less stuff.

Good with hands and shape concepts, and can work safely within a set of constraints? Wood turning with the proviso that creations are made for someone else. Carving as well. Gardening, if the patience is there.

I’m sure there are other ideas that are similar. You know him, what his skills are, aptitude. It is still collecting, but now collecting accomplishments.

My sister had to clean out her autistic sister in laws room in her mother in laws house. Similar tendency, but pretty much 40 years of hoarding. Don’t want to get to that.

quote:

Originally posted by PossibleZombie:
What about precious metals? It is something tangible he could collect and at least would have some monetary value. Silver is pretty cheap still.

I agree, there are all sort of different silver coins and rounds.

You didn't say how old he is. Teach him how to save or invest in a small account so he can buy something big in the future, like a cool car.

Or, just introduce him to women!! Sooner or later, he'll meet one that might want to divorce him and even take the shirt off of his back! (hehehehe that was a joke).

My cousin has what I consider an interesting hobby.

He restores old Cub Cadet lawn tractors. Gets a good candidate at auction. Tears it down, repairs as needed, cleans paints and reassembles. Some he resells to further his collection of those he can’t part with. Others get used in a small lawn care business he operates.

He’s done the tractor pulls, parades, collector meets, all of it.

How about sports cards?
Though you probably already nailed it with vinyl records.

WRT the investment ideas, some brokerages allow fantasy trading with a mythical money no-funds account so an investor can try out strategies with no financial risk (until they try them with real money, of course). I know that TD Ameritrade has one they call "paper money," it is an additional account that each real customer can play with. If one likes that sort of game play, it can be very interesting and educational in as much as "exotic" trading vehicles (options, etc.) are available as well as equities and other more mainstream vehicles.

I'm sure their idea is to drive actual busine$$ to their profit-making offerings, but getting blasted on phantom naked call options has made me realize that I am no trader, but maybe Marky is better at this big boy game.

A new hobby? I mean this is sigforum.

May I suggest firearms?

No wait. He'll end up with the same amount of guns as t shirts.

Nevermind.

Not so sure SSA cares about assets; it may be more of an "income" thing; better to research that particular angle yourself. SSA has their set of rules, and the health care provider of your state has their own rules, I'd bet.

The acquisition is possibly the pleasure. The "window-shopping" on the internet, the pleasure-bump of purchase, the fleeting smile of sight and touch when it arrives. Then the need again arises, and what worked before is again done. Locate/source, arrange purchase, receive.

A purchasing schedule may help. Understanding the budget is not a bad goal. Sharing with others less fortunate is worthwhile. Culling out a good foot of the closet and sharing them with the needy will open more room for further acquisition (sell the sizzle). He can explore his passion for collecting through sharing his existing collection.

If it was important enough for me to understand, I'd ask if we could put up sawhorses and boards and lay everything out. Cull out the duplicates and similars, then go on collecting, but possibly with a little more restraint.

I had a close friend, now past, who 'collected' clothing. She loved to surround herself with pretty items, even if they would not fit. I'd empty my closet for her collecting if it would bring her back.

Any musical instrument interest?

That is pretty cheap in the long run, if you factor in hours of self-entertainment per dollar spent.

Does he wear them, are they unique in any way? Maybe have him look at the other part of the equation, reselling.

Just tell him a new shirt must replace an old. Donate the old one to a friend or Goodwill etc.

Not unreasonable.

Not certain of where he is on the autism spectrum but, what about some software to allow him to design some Graphic T's. Maybe you two can learn together?

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
My son has a thing for buying clothes, especially t-shirts. He hangs them up in his closet. There are so many that you can barely stick your hand in between them. Every day he asks if I can order a new t-shirt or sometimes a pair of Pittsburgh sports shorts.

He's got too many already and he wants more. He works for his money but we're getting until obsession territory.

Any suggestions for something else he can collect and spend his money on?

Keep in mind he's autistic so I do have to guide his decisions.

He could start a Print-On-Demand T-Shirt business on Shopify.

If you want to try coins, I can send several to get started.

quote:

Originally posted by Crom:
Any musical instrument interest?

That is pretty cheap in the long run, if you factor in hours of self-entertainment per dollar spent.

He does play guitar but it doesn't hold his interest.

quote:

Originally posted by heisrizn:
Just tell him a new shirt must replace an old. Donate the old one to a friend or Goodwill etc.

Not unreasonable.

Not certain of where he is on the autism spectrum but, what about some software to allow him to design some Graphic T's. Maybe you two can learn together?

When he gets rid on one he buys the same shirt or something very similar. He also doing doubles. It's time to change direction.

What is it that attracts him to the shirts? Colors, logos, phrases, or???

Understanding the attraction might help lead to a replacement.

If at all inclined to draw/doodle, I offer up zentangle.

Would he enjoy collecting die-cast models? He could pick a theme (eg. cars, motorcycles, airplanes/jets, farm equipment) that interests him and research the actual items as he collects the models.

mark123: <snip> ".. he LOVES music. Hmm, maybe get him a decent turntable and start him on vinyl."
Dang! I wish I knew this 6 months ago. I sold my collection of 45s and LPs to a young lady for $1.00. I have replaced it all with mp3s. I have 63 year old ears and can't hear the difference.

Let me know if you are interested in a quality, used turntable, amp, and pre-amp. My email is in my profile.

You could use the rule that if he gets one, he has to give one away.