Pack-ratting

[numberunknown]

Okay, so I have recently realized that I have a serious problem with pack-ratting. A serious problem.

I haven't gotten rid of anything for years.

So my room is so full of junk, I can't enter it.

But I can't throw it away.

So, are you guys pack-rats, or are you good at getting rid of stuff?

[sunnybunny]

Nah, I wouldn´t call myself a pack-ratter...my room is full of plushies, but that´s kinda different

I´ve given all my toys (not plushies) to my little sister or brother , the junk goes straightly to the garbage bin.
The only "junk" I have in my room is a little collection of candy-papers, but I just can´t throw them away

Btw, do you have a place where you could put all these items (not into garbage) ?
Maybe that could solve your problem: you wouldn´t have to throw your stuff away, just put those into another place

[numberunknown]

Btw, do you have a place where you could put all these items (not into garbage) ?
Maybe that could solve your problem: you wouldn´t have to throw your stuff away, just put those into another place

Nah. I get in trouble if I don't keep my stuff in my room. The living room and garage or anything like that is off limits for me to go and put my stuff in.

[numbuheightbitstar]

I used to be a pack-rat, but recently I've been getting rid of stuff.

Pack-ratting is a very sorry habit. I mean, there are a few things I love, but when I pack-rat the things I love get mixed together with junk I don't care about and it all kinda blends together, making me lose interest.

Like with books--awhile ago I was totally disgusted with them and never wanted to read another one ever again. Then I started unloading a lot of my old collection and, well, whaddya know, I became interested in reading again.

Gail, yeah I know how you feel about the whole "I can't throw it away" thing--I was like that at first too. It was like, "There's too many memories associated with this book! How could I even think of getting rid of it?" The answer was simply, "what memories? Its been sitting on your shelf, unread, for almost a decade. That's a memory? Sides, you have to clear the space to make room for new ones..."

Overcoming pack-rat mentality is easy when you put your mind to it.

[The J.A.M., a.k.a. Numbuh i]

Or sell them on Ebay

[thesuki]

I don't collect stuff, and dislike knick knacks. The only things I keep a lot of are books, and occationally I sell those.

Though I do collect marbles I find ont he street and those little crystal doohickies you put fake flowers in. But only when I find them on the sidewalk or something.

[michelledspy]

The only things I collect are plushies and stuff with Winnie the Pooh on it. xD

But, other than that I would say I'm pretty good at getting rid of stuff. Or rather, good at wanting to get rid of stuff. I have so much stuff I want to sell; the only problem is that we never get around to actually doing it. xD

[numbuheightbitstar]

If Ebay isn't an option (in my case, it isn't) you can try to sell stuff online. One forum I go to has a section for buying and selling stuff, and I've used it successfully in the past.

Might be different depending on what you're trying to dislodge though... the forum I know of deals specifically with video games, but I've seen others for comic trading and toys.

[RohaHat]

Well, I'm a bit of a pack rat, but that's because I let my room get into horrific states, then I go buy more stuff. I'm currently clearing it out, though.

[numbuheightbitstar]

Uhhh.... is it just me, or did Gail aka Abigail.and.Nigel.Forever's account get deleted?

[Numbuh 0xFF]

Yup. But the mods didn't do it. She did. By accident. Ah well, it happens to the best of us. I'll be happy to give her the number of posts she had back if it means something to her.

[gailoraanf]

Yeah. Deleted it by accident. Which is actually nearly impossible to do, because that little box pops up... So I don't know WHAT I was thinking... Musta' been tired.

Would you, 0xFF? That'd be great

Gail, yeah I know how you feel about the whole "I can't throw it away" thing--I was like that at first too. It was like, "There's too many memories associated with this book! How could I even think of getting rid of it?" The answer was simply, "what memories? Its been sitting on your shelf, unread, for almost a decade. That's a memory? Sides, you have to clear the space to make room for new ones..."

For some reason, I find memories to match each of my items. One time, I even had trouble paying for something with a certain DOLLAR because I had gotten that dollar with my friend who moved away. That is basically when I knew that I was... weird.

I know that I should seriously, SERIOUSLY get over it. I mean, *looks for random item* This pink lamp? The one broken on my bedroom floor? I HATE pink nowadays, and don't even need a room lamp... but it was the first thing I bought from money I earned, from when I was what, three? See how weird I am?

[hoagiegal1970]

I'm another one who attaches memories to things. I had an especially hard time getting rid of my kids' clothes (crazy ) for that reason.

Every six months or so, I get so crazy with the clutter in my house, that I go on a major decluttering spree. Nothing's safe when I'm like that.

[numbuheightbitstar]

gailoraanf said:

For some reason, I find memories to match each of my items. One time, I even had trouble paying for something with a certain DOLLAR because I had gotten that dollar with my friend who moved away. That is basically when I knew that I was... weird.

I know that I should seriously, SERIOUSLY get over it. I mean, *looks for random item* This pink lamp? The one broken on my bedroom floor? I HATE pink nowadays, and don't even need a room lamp... but it was the first thing I bought from money I earned, from when I was what, three? See how weird I am?

No offense, but I've never understood why it is that, when people talk about themselves, they always feel the need to belittle themselves while their at it. ("I'm so weird." "I'm so creepy." "I'm so dumb." etc)

Getting attached to stuff is 100%, perfectly normal behavior. There is nothing about it that makes you "weird." No, not even that dollar. Human beings, especially in a capitalist society, tend to be possessive of their belongings.

Now, about them precious memories. Yeah, they remind you of good times. But nobody ever thinks about the flip-side of that coin: The unspoken implication that your life was so great in the past but somehow isn't as good now. I've met a lot of people who honestly believe that, and all it does is make them miserable.

Not only that, but the human mind actually does have sort of limited tolerance, and even just having full shelves/drawers/etc. will make the ol' gray matter feel like its all used up. You have to ditch the old in order to experience something new.

So, getting rid of stuff is not only clearing space, its also healthy as well.

....

That being said, If anyone here is trying to clear some space and happens to have the following books, please PM me:

Robotech: Before the Invid Storm by Jack McKinney
Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary Wolf
Doom: Infernal Sky by Daffid(?) ab Hugh and Brad Linaweaver