You might be a Pack Rat if...

I recently read the excellent book, The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life by Dr. Robin Zasio. In a similar fashion to Dr. Zasio’s clarification of the distinctions between a collection and a stockpile (see my previous blog post), she also outlines the differences between “savers” and “pack rats.”

Do you have lots of stuff? Maybe you'd just call yourself a prudent saver, but do others accuse you of being a pack rat?

​You’re a SAVER if…

• You save an item because you have a definite, planned use for it in the future.
• You stop acquiring more of a certain item when you have enough (e.g. 2 boxes of bandages are enough) and more will not fit in the allotted space (e.g. more than 2 boxes of bandages will not fit in the bathroom cabinet).
• You will get rid of an item if it’s no longer useful (e.g. a cord that only fit an old camera that you no longer own).
• You will get rid of an item once you realize you’ll never use it.
• You will get rid of an item if you haven’t used it for a long time (e.g. a VHS tape) or if it is too old to be used (e.g. expired food).
• You will get rid of an item if you own another just like it that is newer or in better condition.

 
You might be a PACK RAT if…

• You keep anything you think you might use in the future or that could potentially be used by you or someone you know (especially a potential, unidentified someone).
• You keep acquiring more of an item just because you can (“It’s a bargain!” “One more can’t hurt.”), even if you’re running out of space for these things.
• You keep items that are no longer useful “because you never know” (e.g. broken items, single socks, expired medicine).
• You keep multiples or extras of the same item “just in case” even though you already have as many of these items as you use and need.

 
Notice that the Pack Rat has lots of vague rationales for keeping things: just in case, it’s a bargain, you never know, can’t hurt, maybe, someday…
 
The Saver, on the other hand, has plans for the items being kept and rules about when to get rid of items so as not to create a messy space.
 
Challenge yourself: If you realize you are a Pack Rat, maybe even when it comes to certain types of things or areas of your home, see if you can become a Saver instead.