Are you a packrat?/ Grown kids' stuff

nancybee_2010

12 years ago

I am not a packrat. In fact, I enjoy getting rid of stuff. The only clutter I have is my grown kids' stuff.

The way I have dealt with this is to wait until they have space and are fairly settled, then have them get rid of stuff (I donate it) or take it when they visit. This has been a long process.

Are you a packrat yourself, and how have you dealt with your grown kids' stuff?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

User
12 years ago
No, I'm not a pack rat either. Unless I KNOW I will need something with in the next six months to a year, I will typically can it, give it to charity or whatever is most appropriate. My daughter is very similar as well and at 34 has been on her own for a long time, so I don't have that clutter to worry about either.

The culprit in our house is my DH and at times, it has made me nutty. My saving grace was watching those hoarding shows with him. He didn't believe things could escalate that way but after watching a few episodes he "got it", the whole visual left him speechless. Now he's not so bad and even throws things out himself. Yeah! This time reality tv really helped us!
flowerpwr45
12 years ago
I enjoy getting rid of stuff, too; everything but my grown kids' stuff. I mean, I have rubbermaid upon rubbermaid stuffed with school papers and old craft projects and soccer medals and I don't even want to look through it. I have a great life but I miss those days.

And lukiirish, I'm right there with you. DH is in the process of cleaning the garage, and yeah, I know every person should have a space of their own, but it's to the point I drive in and quickly shut the door so the neighbours can't look for long. And sue me, I have promised him a present if he chucks some stuff. So far he has taken two half-ton loads to the dump. This is gonna cost me :)
Related Discussions
Pack-rat wanting badly to change...
Q
Comments (17)
I ditto trying not to get overwhelmed and just toss stuff out randomly. Try to identify those things, or categories, or activities, that are no longer "you" and those will be the easiest starting points. Or, pull out all the items in a certain category and, if you're like a lot of collectors, some will represent the "early" you and some will be your more advanced tastes, or better quality, or something. So some combination of approaches like that can help you get started. Also, it's not unusual to weed out a few things at one level and then weeks or months later have the focus and confidence to go further. Give yourself time to make those discernments. Another good approach for some people is to take everything out of the shelf, or cabenet, and then put half (or less) back. In the meantime, you don't actually ahve to toss out what you've deleted, but maybe put it in a box. Then look at it later and see if you think you really still need those things. If the changes you're making include bringing fewer items into the house, you'll find that if you are patient and persistent, you'll make real progress and yet not feel like you might be throwing away something you really love. I actually started a thing-out, thing-in journal "list" so that I could see if I was sabotaging myself by acquiring new things as fast as I got rid of other things. It is helpful in keeping me honest about where my problems lie. I also find some of my most satisfying de-cluttering comes at the end of an "era" or phase of project, or life--such as, as kids grow and you finally realize that certain items are now too juvenile, or when I have the guts to admit that I'm not going to actually DO a certain project or that if I ever do, I can always get the things I need then, or maybe a cooking phase that now is too complicated, or clothing styles, or whatever. And you have to be able to realize that you may have just made some shopping mistakes, and keeping the things now out of guilt won't help you or anyone else. Forgive and move on!
...See More
Follow up: My Packrat Parents Are Moved!
Q
Comments (7)
Wow, I know about hoarding old appliances. My mom (an 82-year-old widow)has four refrigerators. One in the house, three in the garage. One is totally broken, the other two plugged in and running. The story of the broken one is amusing: she had these three refigerators plugged in in the garage and running. She used them for her "extra" stuff. Sh'ed buy stuff on sale and keep it either in the fridge or freezer compartments. She even bought extra Valentine chocolates. Anyway, one month her electric bill was over $700. Wow! My brother came over, did some scouting around and found one of the garage fridges (with a huge freezer) was running constantly. The thermostat had broken and it just never shut off. He unplugged it and emptied it, found all kinds of old stuff, even an eight- year- old frozen chicken! Yuck! But my mom didn't want him to throw out the darned refrigerator because the town had to be called and she'd have to pay to get the thing hauled away. And so it sits in her garage, just a pile of broken metal. She also had an ugly old hutch in the kitchen. I mean, she bought it for cheap about thirty years ago. It was all ugly and the fake-wood veneer was severly chipped off from various dings and general use. She had my brother put it in the living room,tipped on it's side. Now it's just a plain eyesore. I dread the day she passes away, we'll have to deal with her fourty years of accumulations. But that will be another post/ rant...
...See More
If your kids are grown & gone
Q
Comments (17)
" So I guess that's a good trade-off, but best is that a couple won't have to feel that they are separated, at least until one of them falls through the middle, lol." Marti you be bad. Hehehehe OK you can buy a couple small dog collars in nylon and lash the legs of the two beds together so they can not roll apart. And here you thought I was starting to get kinky on you. Hehehehe So this is pretty much the same I have done with the futon. I am not moving the furniture in the room now. I am just leaving the futon open against the wall and even the head end is floating and devil may care. Guests can deal with it or not. It is MY room and they are welcome to it but complaints can go down the road. Hehehehe If two people do come I still have enough room to pull the futon away from the wall just enough to get up the wall side to get into bed. It will be tight but it is what it is. So if the two beds come apart just swing the one out while making up the other one against the wall and then back together. I would not make them up as one bed. LOL Unles you insist on being a brat. My parents had two twin beds hooked to one large king headboard. Not sure how it was done but then rolled apart to make them up as separate beds then back together and she would put one large bed spread over both. OH and Hahaha imagine your inlaws surprise when they think they have one HUGE bed and find out you tricked them. I can hear the giggles now. Heheheheh I think I showed this picture before of how the bed looks made up when MY sewing room becomes a guest room. Chris Here is a link that might be useful: Sewing room to guest room
...See More
The ultimate Packrats??
Q
Comments (6)
hi very funny ,there is a web site somewhere that tells a whole story of a family like this and what became of all there stuff there was a thread here or on g.j ayr. or so ago that told a lot of stories of pack rats and crazy neighbors lol. I really wanted to take a lot of photos of a sale that happened a mo. ago on my block that was a cpl. that is 85 yrs old and moved , he was an upolstry guy and her a pro seamstress she collected quilts for around 50 yrs. and he bought out the end of auctions and repaired and resold the stuff at 2 garage sales a yr. she also had a huge greenhouse patio where she grew mostly sedum type plants and cactus . from a botanists view this was like 10,000$ dollars worht of plants amazing . I never got to see what became of the entire quilt collection but it was a seperate sealed bid aution that was national BIG $$$. the entire house hold including the house and 2 garages and a big barn was sold in 6 hrs at auction WOW. it was rainy and there was low attendance some of this stuff sold for pennys. for some folks in the country the amount the house sold for would blow your mind ,3/4 of an acre and a 5 bedroom hose with 2 garages and a barn all landscaped with a huge garden and 2 wells was 54,000$ I love those money stories , I had a grandpa that through a lot of wise investment and hard work retired with 1.1 million dollars in the bank LOL . He never moved or bought a new car ,never paid a kid to mow his lawn watched black and white t.v into the 80,s lived nicely and vacationed but just never changed . he once got into a dispute with the barber in the small town of eureka ks. because he raised his price to 5.00$. WOW gpa and a few of his cronies boycotted the place and this redneck hippie hater grew his hair out while in his 70,s as a protest LOL LOL .my gma and a few of her friends paid the barber like a 100$ to cover the difference and he lowered the price back to $3.5o lol. I could go on & on ,there were a lot of these types of ranchers where I grew up in colo. there ranches worth millions and them doing the once a yr. trip for clothes and "essentials" I knew there kids and they were,nt impressed. I hope this generates some interest I love to hear the stories . Rick
...See More
User
12 years ago
Flower, I have a few things from my daughters childhood but not a lot. I'm glad she's grown and has a good life, but know what you mean about missing those days too. They just go by too fast. Ha, sounds like our basement, oh what I wouldn't do to have that cleaned out and finished LOL
tinam61
12 years ago
No, I'm not a packrat and we don't have children, so that doesn't apply. I blame the basement, attic and garage on my husband. LOL

tina
flowerpwr45
12 years ago
I read over my last comment and wanted to give my husband his due; he has taken several trunkloads to the Salvation Army and local recyclers, not just to the landfill. You go, DH :)
golddust
12 years ago
I have kids' things left but they are stored in a closet out of sight. (Thank you, big house!) When the boys are settled, they can do what they want with them but it's fine for now.

DH just cleaned out the basement and garage and that feels great! BUT... I am a collector. I do have a rule. If I can't think of the perfect place for it to live inside my house, I MUST walk away. I don't go to yard sales or many thrift stores anymore unless I am looking for something very specific. (An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.)
theroselvr
12 years ago
Well; I guess I'm the 1st pat rat & I'm proud of it. I can't even be compared to hoarders- they are slobs; not pack rats. They do not only save things of value; whether it's monetary or sentimental; they don't clean; they don't throw garbage out & they keep bringing things in.

I saved a lot of my kids toys because mine were all thrown out & I don't want my kids to feel the way that I do. I have a few of my dolls that I had to hide in my dresser while growing up & I wish I had a few other pieces like my favorite Easter stuffed animal my dad bought me.

I have a few bins of stuff from my dad; mostly his uniform clothes that were dropped on my front steps in trash bags; plus I have some of his medical paperwork. I wasn't welcomed back in the house to get anything that I wanted.

I have everything in the basement in rubbermade bins; so it's neat. It's not bothering anyone & I will never get to hoarding status. I'd love to be able to unpack some of it because I thought this would be a 10 year house but it doesn't look like we'll be able to stay here more then a year.
neetsiepie
12 years ago
Nope. I don't hang on to much at all, really. The kids took most of their things when they moved out, but I still have some of their 'treasures'. Mostly the few stuffed animals that they cherished and a small amount of their school papers. I have some of their ceramic creations at my desk at work and adorning my bookshelves.

Just this weekend, tho, I went to my son's GF's house and got his things brought over here. I currently have a life size Alien statue residing in my living room. Once DS is home, he's planning to move things elsewhere, but for now, they are safe here.

My problem is DH. His father was a hoarder, and his mother is a shopper...so he gets cr*p she buys and he wants to hang on to it all. I recently found the UGLIEST horse statue in our family room. He hated it too, but his mom had brought it to him. I threw it away...too ugly to give to Goodwill!...and told her the cat knocked it over and broke it.
igloochic
12 years ago
I wonder about what school work and pictures to save...and save quite a few. But I have two houses to hide it in lol so maybe I'll be ok.

I just donated a couple dozen large boxes of his cloths to charity. I had kept them for the next baby so I thought I'd be sad when they went....and i wasn't. I kept some special outfits but seeing that go was a very good thing for my soul :).
mitchdesj
12 years ago
I used to save a lot of the kid's stuff but when I downsized I made them take their treasures or else I got rid of them myself; I do have a bin with special baby clothes that I kept for my pleasure, I even have some of my own baby clothes.
Oakley
12 years ago
My boys mostly moved out when they went to college and gradually took all their things with them except trophies and special toys I saved.

But now we're experiencing such great joy watching my grandson play with my boys old Hot Wheels, and sleeping with his dads stuffed animals. Monkey and Ricky. Ricky is a dog named after Little Ricky from I Love Lucy. lol.

Now I need to get the two containers of Star Wars toys out because he's almost old enough for them!

I need to have my DH watch a Hoarding show. He does wood work as a hobby, but geez, does he have to buy every piece of wood he sees? It would take 10 lifetimes to go through!
theroselvr
12 years ago
Oakley; one advantage of saving toys is that we always have something for friends kids to play with if they come over. My son has legos; original Thomas; all sorts of action figures; my daughter has dolls & different girl toys. The kids love going to the basement to get something to play with.

Igloo; I didn't save all of their projects- my son made a spaceman from a can; one made a jewelry box from a can; my girl made a tooth pick bridge that just got thrown away because it broke; she also made a game board.

Are you a packrat?/ Grown kids' stuff

Comments (12)

User

flowerpwr45

Related Discussions

User

tinam61

flowerpwr45

golddust

theroselvr

neetsiepie

igloochic

mitchdesj

Oakley

theroselvr

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US