AAACK!! My dh is right...I'm a pack rat!

[andyandlexismom]

:fainter: I started out the day searching for a prescription card that I needed to take with me today. I knew (thought so, anyway) that I stuck it into a pile of papers that I needed to sort through. Well, after sorting through the pile, it wasn't there. :tearhair: After searching more, I realized that my dh was right...although I make organized pile, there are still A LOT of piles everywhere! :fainter:

I decided to start clearing out the piles...really clearing them out and not just moving the junk around. Did you know that an organized pile will hold A LOT of junk?!? ROFL!!!

I'm determined to clean off my desk tonight and to sort through the boxes of papers that I've been meaning to take care of for months, now.

I'm moving on to the end tables next! :tearhair: AAAACK!!!!

Is there anyone else here who is an admitted pack rat? ;)

[Crafty Amanda]

LOL It's funny you said that, i just went out and bought some plastic containers to hold bills, to do's, and to be filed. My filing cabinet is in the garage and it's too dang cold to go out there and file stuff LOL! When winter ends I will be bringing the cabinet into my bedroom and emptying it out, purging all the old junk. I know i have user manuals of things I don't even have anymore, not to mention utility bills from a decade ago!

[Sammi1961]

I am working hard on not being a pack rat and have been getting rid of all kinds of things I no longer want or need or use. Unfortunately, I am a paper pack rat. i save all kinds of things like cards, papers I am going to read through later, magazines, recipes etc. I really need to desperately sort through my file boxes and cabinet and desk and just purge! I need to find some way to break myself of saving so much paper. (much of it is just for sentimental reasons, not usefulness)

[seleach]

I too save recipes, cards, magazines that I want to read but haven't had time for. My computer desk is a disaster area. My coffee table isn't much better because I work on projects while watching TV and all my supplies end up there.

I go through my file cabinet every Jan. and get rid of old utility bills. I used to keep them for years until I couldn't get anything more in there. So I am much better at that now.

[Crafty Amanda]

Something I did a few months ago was to get a large three ring binder and a three hole punch. It cost around $7 all together. I had some tabs left over in the school supply bin so I created separate tabs for beef, chicken, cookies, cakes, etc. Any misc recipes that weren't on full sheets I taped to looseleaf paper. Recipes I have printed out I punched holes in. I sorted out all my recipes and put them in the appropriate categories. I also keep several sheets of stickers in the side pocket of the binder. Once I try a recipe, if we like it I put a sticker in the corner and jot down any notes I need on the recipe. if we don't like it I just pull it out and toss it.

This has worked like a charm, except now I need to do it again. I have a bunch of new ones tucked into the side pocket that need to be sorted into their category tabs.

oh another tip that I picked up somewhere was that the clear cover on the binder is a great place to insert your recipe while you are cooking. That way if anything splatters on the front you can just wipe it off. I keep my menu for the week in front and any recipes that I will need that week tucked behind it. Then I file them away on the weekend and start a new week :)