~ Are You a Pack-Rat? ~

[Jeanway 0]

I just keep collecting stuff. And as it was just pointed out to me in "What does the top of your desk look like" by Tig. It all seems to be on top of my desk. :( Hey, I try to get a handle on it but most of the time it over runs me. :(

[Mike 5]

Yeah, I know what you mean J..I tend to be a pack-rat too..I have a bad habit of saving everything until there isn't any more room..Then I'll go thru and get rid of what I don't need...

 

And start all over again... :(

[Jeanway 0]

I was just telling Fen today I have to get a box and clean out my glasses and cups cabinet and take it to the Mission. :( I have 4 sets of dishes, and about 50 glasses and cups. Most of them don't match anyway but I just keep buying more. what's wrong with me anyway?? :( I live alone, I don't NEED all this. I don't even want to THINK about my closets. :blink:

[DrWho42 13]

The living quarters from which I dwell in are quite small...

Given that I have a mass quantity of DVD's, videos, books, magazines, action figures, and et cetera, this room can become very disheveled very fast.... :(

This quantity will probably only increase in the near future.. Assuming the threat of world destruction doesn't occur till then. :( :nuke:

Edited September 26, 2004 by drwho42

[RikerChick 5]

I used to be but I'm really starting to hate clutter as my kids get older. Now if it hasn't been used in a few months it's in the garbage or donated to charity.

[A l t e r E g o 9]

I/we used to be, I finally got over it but not Martha; she still packs it in around us like theres no tomorrow. It's not that she's materialistic or anything like that, she just needs lots of stuff for her job but not all at once so most of it gets stored here (and there, and over there...) when unused.

[Jeanway 0]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

~ Helping a Pack Rat Get Organized ~

 

 

The wonderful, sentimental Pack Rat. So nice. So loveable. So out of space!

 

Pack Rats desperately need more room, but can't bear to part with their stuff.

 

The Pack Rat keeps everything--and won. t get rid of anything. There's an inconceivable abundance of opportunities to acquire things in our lives.

 

Here are some ideas to help Pack Rats free themselves from clutter and stress:

 

THINK ABOUT IT.

 

Determining why you're a Pack Rat will help you focus. Are you a sentimental person? Are your items proof of places you've been, work you've accomplished, or how much work you have ahead of you? Does the thought of decluttering seem like such a bear that you can't find the motivation to do it?

 

DON'T BE A PRISONER.

 

Beware of being held hostage by your possessions. When your stuff begins taking over your life and you spend all your time climbing over things, looking for missing items, and fretting over where you'll put your next treasure, you are wasting precious time that you can never buy back.

 

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL.

 

If your children pick up on your Pack Rat style, they will have the same problem when they're out on their own. If you begin to get organized now, your children will see how important it is and hopefully, follow your lead.

 

RECOGNIZE CLUTTER.

 

As a rule, if you don't use it or enjoy it, it's nothing more than clutter. If you don't know what it is, it's clutter. If it's too nice to use, it's clutter. Toss it or give it to someone who will use it and appreciate it.

 

MAKE IT A FAMILY GAME.

 

Get your family into the De-cluttering Game. Make a party out of it. Play music, have refreshments, Toss-Toss-Toss. Have a pending reward ready, such as a big family dinner at a favorite restaurant after you've significantly reduced your clutter!

 

DESIGNATE A MAY COME IN HANDY BOX.

 

If you save things you feel you may use someday, create a may come in handy someday box. Place those things inside and when the box is full, discard something before you put anything else in.

 

USE THE ROTATION BOX SYSTEM.

 

Instead of displaying everything you like at once, display a little bit at a time. Keep the rest boxed up in storage. Every few months, put a few of these things in your box and take a few other things out for display.

 

FIX IT OR GET RID OF IT.

 

Have you ever put aside broken items with the expectation that you'll get them fixed one day? Chances are, these items are still where you left them and they're still broken. Immediately schedule a date on your calendar and repair them when the date rolls around or toss the items right now while you have it on your mind.

 

PICTURE IT!

 

Take photographs of possessions you don't want to forget, but don't have the space for. Save the photos in a scrapbook. Keep the memory, rather than allowing the memory to take up space.

 

AVOID THE HALFWAY HOUSE SYNDROME.

 

You know. That's when you put things aside that you're not sure what to do with. These temporary storage areas almost always turn into permanent storage. Force yourself to make a decision whether to keep or toss.

[Kyra_Ashleigh 0]

I'm a reformed pack rat.

 

My thing is that I do a mega-clean once a year and anything that hasn't been used in the past year goes away. It works for me.

[scaleman 0]

I have some rat packyness in me (is packyness a word? :( ), but i don't think i'm near as bad as my dad is. In fact, there's some stuff i want to get rid of kinda bad :(.

[she_wolf 0]

I am very much a rat - pack and what my sister calls " a dumper " i collect stuff all the time and can never find places to put them, so i dump them on the fridge, table or microwave.....

I also do really stupid stuff like go through all my clothing and take what i dont want to the op-shop...but then while im there i will by stuff and bring it home :(

[Jeanway 0]

"Rat Packyness" sounds good to me SM. :(

 

I have to "Rotate My Stock" too :(

[Ace 0]

I'm not, but Mom is.

 

I do usually hold onto things I think might be useful at some point, but if that point doesn't come in a year or so, it's off to the trash.

 

Mom keeps EVERYTHING. She's starting to reform, but that's mainly out of necessity; we couldn't walk in the attic or our storage rooms (one of them used to be a bedroom :( ). It wasn't a mess, just clutter. Now, the attic's clean, the rooms are organized, 2 truckloads went to Good-will, and probably three loads went to the dump.

[Jeanway 0]

When was a teen-ager my bedroom was actually 3 rooms. My bedroom was in the center and at one end there was a huge walk-in closet. Almost as big as my bed-room. At the other side of my bedroom there was a slanted door that lead into an attic. It was MY attic :( It was packed. I think I had every possesion I had acquired in my entire life in there. I think THAT set the stage for my 'Pack-Ratyness" :( "OOPS, :blink: it's "Rat-Packyness"

Edited September 27, 2004 by Jeanway