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I used to be not only a pack rat, but also a collector (pack rat with a “theme”). I think I had about ten collections going, such as antique furniture, blue pottery, animals-on-wheels, horse anything, weird art. Then there were the clothes I’d never wear again, half-finished art projects and supplies for ones I hadn’t started, boxes of pictures, gardening equipment (I grew flower seedlings in the house under lights), a gazillion books, etc. We had a big house with all the closets and cabinets stuffed to the gills.
Then we decided to live on a sailboat. I’d say 99.5% of my stuff was sold or given away by the time we moved. The pictures and two nice antique pieces were stored at my parents’ (for my daughter some day), and I kept a few of my favorite collection items.
Now I live in about 200 sq feet, and I love it. It was a very cleansing experience, and I actually love finding the best use of the space I have. I can still shop, but usually when I do buy something, the former one has to go – no room to store an old comforter, for example. I have the minimum cooking items, dishes, clothes, etc. I buy used paperbacks, and donate them when I’m through reading them. My only real packrat habit is buying DVDs on ebay, but they’re small (and I don’t keep the cases).
I have found immense satisfaction in knowing exactly what I have and where it is. I’ll never go back to packrattiness. Oh, and for the record, I do have a couple of junk baskets – I don’t think any human can exist without a junk drawer or two.
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