The Value of Being a Pack Rat: Some Useful Tips

As a college student, most students are either too lazy to clean up their dorm room, don't get around to cleaning it because they are so busy, or a variety of other excuses that I have heard of. Now, I put myself in that category but I prefer the term pack rat, like so many other Americans who keep loads of stuff that they probably no longer need. However, this is not always a bad thing. Items that have been collecting dust in a closet, attic or basement could prove to be useful. Let me explain what I am talking it.

If you keep envelopes an boxes, you can use them for selling items over the internet online on eBay or Amazon and reuse the shipping items instead of having to pay for them at the store. By keeping envelopes and just peeling off the label and address ads, or by covering them up with paper and tape, I am able to save a pretty penny when it comes to selling all of my used college textbooks.

I have also found it very helpful it keeping shipping materials when you are packing up to go on a vacation or back home. As I collect all of my belongings from my college dorm room, the poster holder that I have kept that most people generally throw out once they receive their posters in the mail, I can now use to hold the posters hanging in my wall and transport them to another location without the posters bending or tearing.

Bags: Bags are a tricky subject because you don't want to keep all of them. I highly recommend that you keep the very big bags from shopping centers because they are useful. The plastic shopping bags should be used for garbage to save you money from buying trash bags and bins.

For college students, I cannot stress this enough: Keep all of your papers, especially research papers. Keep the hard copy of the paper because it contains comments from the professor or teacher. You can also use the research paper as a background tool for helping you with your next research paper so that you have your own model for citations, references, and different citation styles. Research Papers are also important to keep because you never know when you need a reference letter from a professor. Many times the professor will ask for a writing sample from you to remember who you were in their class. Papers are also good to keep because you can share your research with your friends who are taking the class in the future who you know.

Books: Certain college books I recommend keeping. For instance, if you are going into law school, I highly recommend that you keep legal books instead of selling them. Likewise for pre-med students going into medical school, you should keep biology books which you will find helpful later on in your education.

Old Gifts: Old gifts, even the gifts that you hate because you can't return it without the receipt or you forgot to return it; you can always you as a gift to another person for another person's birthday or other celebration. As long as it has not been opened, it will make for a great gift.

Phone numbers: I suggest that you keep all if not most phone numbers you get. You never know when you are going to have to call up your old doctor or client to speak with them. Store phone numbers in a phone book or rolodex if you no longer need the number so that it won't clog up your cell phone index.