The Society of Failed Members of Pack Rats anonyomius

[KABAR2]

The SFMPA

Society of Failed Members of Pack Rats Anonymous

Hello friends and welcome to the SFMPA I am a founding member of this organization having failed at stopping at being a packrat since the tender age of seven.... Yes I still have toys squirreled away from back then..... the boxes are piled high.... I may abandon renting storage units and purchase a warehouse...  this way I could palletize and get to run a forklift too!
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So welcome friends sit down and tell us your story..... we are not here to judge you but to be understanding enablers, becomming a member is simple just tell us your story.

[Froglet]

I have followed my Dad's idea that there are two types of rubbish, good and bad.  The good rubbish went in the shed.

[Kryss LaBryn]

As they say, "stuff" is crap you keep; "crap" is stuff you throw away.

Both my husband and I tend to hang onto pretty much everything, as experience has taught us over and over and over again that it doesn't matter what it is or for how long you've had it, within a week of throwing it away you'll suddenly develop a need for it. So we keep everything.

On top of that, we're both geeks, which means there's an excess of empty packaging around the place too, because of course one can't simply throw away the packaging that any computer game comes in (although it escapes me why). And on top of that, we moved out of a three-bedroom house (well, one bedroom, one sewing/crafts room, and one computer/gaming room by the time we were done with it) that had a decent-sized barn for both storage and a workshop, into a one-bedroom house with no workshop or storage. Sure, we've got ten acres; but our squirrel-proof storage area is extremely limited.

So we've got boxes of stuff that hasn't even been touched since we moved up, eight years ago. At least half of our books are still in the attic. We did build some shelves into the wall of the hallway, but he keeps buying books a series at a time so that's all filled up too.

It comes to something when you're looking at moving and "Does it have a basement" is slightly more important than "How many bedrooms does it have?"

Sadly, it seems to be hereditary, too, because my oldest (at the tender age of six) already has more toys than any three kids should normally have, and absolute piles of every piece of paper he's ever had from school. Luckily, his little sister (two and a half) is "helping" him deal with them by taking my scissors and cutting them into lots of tiny little pieces every time my back is turned. Maaaaay not entirely be a bad thing. 

I am terrified of the idea of packing all this crap up again, though, I'll tell ya...

[Athanor]

I would have kept everything, except I've moved around so much. The first time I lived away from my parents' home for any length of time, around 1970, my mother gave away all my Dinky Toys!!!!! I've tried very hard, but I've never quite been able to find it in myself to forgive her for that. I mean, the cash value alone, never mind the emotional value.......

Then there were books. Literally, hundreds of books. A four-volume set of "Modern Mechanical Engineering", 1927 edition. "Engineering Workshop Practice", two volumes, 1923. "Wonders of Modern Chemistry", 1902. And on and on it goes. All gone into limbo, never to be found again......

My wife laughs at me when I pick up nuts and bolts, pieces of wire, lengths of metal gas pipe discarded at the roadside... "Look", I say,"You never know when it might come in useful." My 12 x 14ft workshop is crammed to the roof with odds and ends, despite the fact that I've discarded or left behind at least twice as much.....

It's no use; Packrat Syndrome is incurable. All we can do is accept the fact, and wonder at the strange notion that "Decluttering" is supposed to be a good idea. There are even "Personal Decluttering Consultants." People who, for a fee, will throw stuff away for you. I mean, don't these people understand anything? What is the world coming to?

Athanor

[KABAR2]

I would like to extend a warm welcome to you all and extend the title of packratusrex to all members of our little club,
no matter the clutter, no matter the thin paths to rooms filled with stuff, we know that one day we will be triumpant
by finding use for all of it! No matter what the nay-sayers say.