Packrat or careless user?

i have kept some stuff that my mom has saved from my childhood. i love old stuff so i have some of my toys and even my art that i did as a kid.

I have random things that I've had for years. I had this mini tablet that I got as a game gift at a birthday party in elementary school. I rarely used it so I still had it up until a few years ago. I think I have a little bit of pack rat in me, but not too bad. My grandmother was a pack rat. She kept all sorts of butter containers and bread bags, etc. thinking she'd need them at some point. I guess somehow it made her feel safe.

Lore- I used to save every scrap of everything I ever had, then I experienced my first loss when I left my ex spouse and could only take myself and the children with me. Then I acquired more and kept it pristine only to loose it in a fire. Then lost more in a move across the country to take a teaching post. It was then that I began to evaluate why I felt this need to "collect" and/or "save" things that really had no value other then sentiment. After doing a great deal of reading of motivational material on attachment I began to break my unhealthy ones to things. One always has memories that one doesn't need to save every little piece of one's life especially when they no longer use it. I don't find anything wrong with giving things I do not use in the present to another who can use it. I do not think this makes one "careless". There are lots of cards, letters, and pictures I've thrown out over the years because I do not need them to remember the event. And if my memory ever does fade then that is the past. I can only live in the here and now. Far too often "things" weigh us down and then no growth occurs. Namaste-Anora

My motto is, the less clutter the better. Why would you hang onto something that you have packed away? I save things that I know I will have a future use for, and won't want to buy the same item again in a few months. But I think it's silly to hang onto something that you might look at or use once in five years. If you have quilt pieces that your grandmother made, make them into something instead of storing them under the bed. I've lost a lot of my things with way to many moves in the last five years, but when I die...lol, my kids won't have much to sort through.

I have found it very hard to get rid of my daughters things and we have a lot of stuff from before she was born. At this point if we ever move we are selling the house with all the stuff in the craw space LOL. I am getting better I do try to sell some things and the rest I donate. Right now I am still in the piling stage but with Christmas getting closer I am getting more eager to get rid of things. I know she will get more and I know that some of her old toys are in great condition and will make someone else Christmas a little happier. We have been very lucky and now it is time to share some of our luck with others.

I throw away all the unnecessary stuff.It doesn't make sense I keep things that look shabby coz of costant use,plus they take a lot of space and get torn in time.