Does Homestead = Packrat?

In making the house ready for sale (and our eventual move), we continue to work at improving and cleaning it. Our immediate goal is to get the house organized and clean and keep it so for prospective buyers. The counters and dressers are completely clear, the closets clean and organized, shelves neat and tidy.

I have thrown or given away scads of materials we don’t need: decade’s old training manuals, clothes that no longer fit, VHS movies we’ll never watch again. We’re not packrats, but stuff accumulates over time. I wonder if homesteaders are packrats as a general rule. Truly, how easy is it for you throw out bits of this and that?

• Maybe that slightly rusty bolt will save me a trip to the hardware store one day.
• Maybe I’ll fit into that shirt when I drop 20 pounds.
• Maybe I’ll remember to give that book to my brother when I see him next year.

There are a lot of maybe’s associated with the packrat mentality. Bits of wood, old screws, leftover string, unused paint. I must admit, though, when the conjunction of need and availability collide, and you actually KNOW where the item is when you need it, it can be very satisfying. More than saving money and time; there’s rightness to that type of recycling. Yes, I think the world is a better place because that old rubber washer destined for the land fill instead fixed Sam’s bike perfectly.

That’s why it’s particularly hard to get rid of the things now. I know those cinderblocks and plywood and paint would come in very handy once we reach ONE ACRE FARM. But, no pain, no gain. We’re not on a farm yet, so out they go.