I'm a pack rat. How can I get rid of things and stop buying so much?

First thing... get two giant boxes. One is your keep box, one is your sell box. Second... look around at your living spaces (don't open closets). Take everything that is currently out of place in your house in the keep box (obviously, dirty dishes to the sink, and garbage to the recycle/trash bin). These are the things that you are currently using. If you have bags of stuff you bought at Target last week, but it's still sitting in the bag with the receipt, then return it - you don't need it. Third... now that you have some room, start going through your closets. For every item, ask yourself "Do I want this or do I need this?" If it's a want... and you haven't used it in more than a year, put it in the sell pile. Rule of thumb... the further to the back or bottom of the closet something is, the lesser its importance. TRY ON EVERY PIECE OF CLOTHES...if it doesn't fit RIGHT NOW, toss it. Unless you are 8 months pregnant. Fourth... with empty closets and drawers, start thinking about how to organize the space. Group extra kitchen wares together, sporting goods together, off-season clothes, etc. Really look at your stuff... do you have duplicates? Toss one, keep the other. Put things in well-labeled boxes. You can just use white filing boxes, discarded liquor boxes or whatnot... you don't have to spend money on these if you don't want to. Fifth... reload the closets, only placing things on shelves one box deep. If you can't do this, then you need to continue to weed out the needs from the wants. You want to be able to open the closet door and know where everything is instantaneously without digging. Now that you have an organized house, you need to get rid of the sell pile. Place an ad on Craigslist for a garage sale/yard sale/ porch sale. If you don't have room, look for ads in your paper about local flea markets or group sales that you could join. Price things to get rid of them. Most importantly, arrange for someone (charity resale shop) to pick up your odds and ends when the sale is over so you are not tempted to just cram it back in the closet. Still can't find a sale location or someone to take your stuff? Craigslist has a freebie section, and I personally love Freecycle for getting rid of extras. As for not buying so much, never buy something the same day you see it. I like to give myself 24 hours to walk away from the store. If I even remember that I wanted something, I make myself visualize where it will go in my house before I buy it. Good luck... not everyone can do this.

Find a friend that is a hyper-organizer and ask for some. If you see your stuff through someone else's eyes, you may want to get rid of more of it. Garage sales are a great ay to clear out a lot at one time. Just make sure you pack up what doesn't sell and take it to your favorite charity. Donate! I actually love getting stuff out of my house more than bringing it in. I know pet rescue organizations that will take what ever you have. They have garage sales to raise funds. I also agree with getting rid of one if you buy new....Don't buy a new set of bowls unless you have some you are willing to part with. It's hard, but try not to fall for the constant push for consumerism. Most stuff for sale is just crap anyway. Be pickier and put yourself on a budget. Don't use a shopping cart unless you really have to and limit your time in the store. Good Luck. It's tough out there.

lol. seperate thing from what you need and dont need. then from what you dont need you can donate it or have a garage sale. to stop from over buying. when you go to the store know what your going to get and take a specific amount of money, so you know, you wont over spend.

Before you put that item on the register ask yourself 1. where am i going to put it? 2. Do i really need this? 3. do i have somthing like to already at home? 4. how better could i spend this money? if you still want to buy the item.... go ahead.

I am too in some areas not with everything but like yarn and my crafting items. It's hard to start getting rid of stuff and there's usually a reason you became a pack rat with or without realizing it, if you can figure out why you feel you need to hang on to so many things you can go from there and you will start to be able to let things go

this is also a disease... its called being a hoarder. you may need to seek professional help

Put everything you need to get rid of on your local Freecycle group. Cut up your credit cards and stop buying stuff!

Go through all of the stuff you already own , if you havent used it in a year and don't expect to use it in a year donate it or recycle it. And before you buy something go through the same guidlines, ask yourself if you really need it, can you borrow it and just don't go to the stores and when an ad comes on tv change the channel.

you may have a compulsive disorder - try going to a homeless shelter, or a women's shelter and take your stuff there for people who have virtually nothing can take what you pack away and use. A good dose of balance and seeing from another perspecitve can help. Here's another really good one - go to a funeral and follow the car with the casket - notice there is no U-Haul behind it - you leave with nothing...why try to hang onto what you can't keep? Why not give away whatever moths, rust, thieves, or the trash will take or get eventually - now to people who can make good use of it? Hope that gives a different perspective on your situation!