I am a pack rat

There are times in my life that I become a pack rat. I is when I am very busy. I can't just throw away little things because it is important. As a teacher, I can't just throw away little things from my students. Usually I save them and make a collage out of it then show it again to the students. During my busy schools days, I also just put all in a big box. But I make sure that soon as I get the time, I fix and organize it. So far I had done some organization and I am half through it.

Yes, you can make out a lot things from your stuff. You can give it away to a thrift stores or salvation or make money from it, do a garage sale. You need to plan on doing something about this or else it will just pile up and some of the stuff below will be ruined. Good luck. Take care=)

Hey there, momiecat.
I can understand what you are going through. My mom is a pack rat and she hangs on to every little thing, thinking she might need it someday. Because I grew up in a house that was stuffed with a lot of "junky" stuff and where it was hard to feel comfortable because there was so much stuff laying around, I tend to get rid of things that I don't think I'm gonna use and try to organize the rest.

I go through various rooms/closets of the house in a "round robin" sort of fashion. Basically, I'm going through a shelf or drawer every weeek or so and sorting, cleaning out, etc. to keep things organized and tidy. Now, that does not mean everything is organized and neat in my house! But, I do put in some regular effort to achieve that.

If you are typically going through some items/drawer/shelf, then they can't get in to too bad of shape, because, eventually, you'll get to them. I do linen closets a shelf at a time, for example. And it doesn't even take more than 15 or 20 minutes per shelf. Same with a drawer at a time.

That way, I feel like I'm accomplishing something. I think you are definitely on the right track with doing a little bit at a time. That's how I do closets. I just work on them 30 or 45 minutes at a time. I have a box to go to Goodwill and a bag for items to be thrown away in the bottom of the closet. I toss items in every few days or so. When the box or bag is full, it goes where it's supposed to go (I either drop it off at Goodwill or put it out in the garbage).

I used to have a lot of yard sales, but don't do that much anymore. That's alot of work. However, you can get a little bit of $$$ back on your old stuff that you don't want anymore. Well, good luck, momiecat.

I am a major packrat myself. I can't seem to get rid of all my stuff. But my husband helps me by throwing yard sales when I'm at work and by the time I get home we have a few extra bucks and alot to stuff gone. Including the stuff I WANTED TO KEEP!! LOL!! But he means well and I am very fortunate to have him in my life....Good Luck with your yard sale if that is the way you want to go. If not, there is always homeless shelters for clothes and stuff, and Goodwill. Have a great day.

Hi momiecat!
My suggestion to anyone who is at their wits end because of too much stuff is to check out flylady.net. This may be the answer for you since you are seeking a fun way of dealing with your problem. You are right about working at it little by little. It's just overwhelming to deal with it all at once. I have subscribed to the flylady newsletter for a long time. (it's free) I'm still getting rid of stuff, but I'm doing a lot better with it.