Look around you. Do you need everything you see in your residence? Or are you a packrat collector of things you are going to leave to your grandchildren, who will probably just throw them away anyhow. Maybe you look around and call it a hobby, all those knick-knacks, 78 rpm records (remember those, where’s the turntable?) and yesterdays and months of newspapers and magazines that are irreplaceable memories of times past, and take up so much room you must watch the TV in the kitchen while eating over the sink. Think about it. It could even be said that collecting is in itself a crazy activity.

Why would any rational person want to have a bunch of stamps sitting around that are never going to be of any use? Well, some who study human behavior speculate that collecting is a modern expression of our ancient instinct as hunter-gatherers, to hunt and gather and collect. Do you feel that old, or are you a throw-back retiree to the cave ages? Look around your place and decide.

Some things you need to collect like cash, trash, the mail, and empty bottles and dirty dishes off the kitchen table, but maybe not belly-button lint from the ages, your youth until now.

One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. You’ve heard it all before. Be careful how you define junk. Some say it is discarded things, or things regarded as worthless or causing clutter, or cheap and poorly made goods: or something to seriously think about, secondhand goods offered for sale. Have you been to a state or county or local street fair lately and seen the wares of collectors spread out on card tables? Have you been to a yard/garage sale lately?

If you are a pack-rate hoarder of tons of junk in the attic, the basement or the garage, like toy trains, baseball cards or matchbox cars, fishing lures or old postcards, there are places where these items can be traded or sold. There are buyers out there. There are, for real, clubs and organizations that deal with many of these ‘treasures’ that mess up your home. There are almost as many collectors as there are things to collect. Why? People like to collect things. That, you see, is the real reason they collect stuff, because they love them. It matters not why, if they even know why, it makes little difference if these things are obsolete or ungainly or ugly, that they cost far too much and take up a ridiculous amount of space and serve absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever. In love, as in collecting, irrationality reigns supreme.

If you are one of these types, properly organizing the stuff you call a collection has a definition. It’s called housekeeping, housework, or domestic science. After you have completed one of these chores, you have to find out what to do with your treasures. If you have some time on your hands there are collector’s sites on the web whose primary purpose is to provide free information for collecting clubs, collectors and the antiques, art and collectibles industry. For example, search for cigarette lighter collectors, or salt shaker collectors. You will be surprised. Of course there is the ever popular eBay site that has a bidding process where you can get rid of, or sell, your items. Or, you can organize your own, or a block group, yard sale. There are many out there just like you.