OK, so if you were to by chance head over to your Webster's dictionary, or perhaps even visit dictionary dot com, and look up the term 'pack rat', chances are that you would find a picture of me. I have never personally considered that being a pack rat is necessarily a bad thing, until I realized that I'm turning into my grandparents...the biggest pair of pack rats on God's green earth. It's been an ongoing joke in my family ever since I can remember that my grandparents have never thrown anything away. They are the kind of people who save old Ziploc bags just in case they might need an extra one at some point in the future. They also save things like twist ties, pens and pencils, and even old pillows and lamps. Ever time that the four cousins happen to all be back home at the same time, we end up venturing into their basement (against their wishes, of course) and just going through piles of stuff and throwing things away. We never really make it past the first room at the bottom of the stairs, but at least we clear out what is there so my grandmother doesn't fall and hurt herself when she scurries down the stairs.

So yeah, anyways, back to me. When I moved to Indiana from Florida last August, I made a promise to myself that I would start throwing things away that I was never going to need again. That meant getting rid of a lot of my old notebooks and text books from when I was a biochemist and musician...because seriously, I was really never going to use them again. Some things, like old exams and papers that I had written, I kept a hold of for sentimental reasons. Most things went into the recycling bin or were donated back to my old departments. I've now only been in Indiana for less than a year, and I have once again amassed quite a collection of rigamarole from various places. Most of what I've amassed is academic materials like books, articles, presentation handouts, and other similar things. Since I've been here, I've purchased at least three bookcases in an attempt to keep my room and my life organized. Now that I've officially ended my first academic year, I returned home to glance at my bedroom with new eyes. I decided that it was time to get re-organized...someway...somehow. Having felt a little bit overwhelmed at the prospect of organizing so many different academic materials, I spent a few days just staring at the clutter every time I walked into my room. I finally decided that it was time to look for either another bookcase or filing cabinet. Wanting to make sure I was considering the most cost-effective option, I, of course, did some internet bargain shopping for comparison's sake before I went out to the stores. I quickly learned that bookcases and filing cabinets...and filing cabinets in particular...are not inexpensive items to purchase. I didn't want anything with crazy fire protection and deadbolt locks...just a plain old filing cabinet to put my papers into folders and then file. Simple as that! I decided that it would be best to stick with the filing cabinet idea, because I like the idea of being able to put things in drawers and folders and to categorize and organize them so I know where they are when I need them. My current system is laughable at best, since it consists of an ever-growing pile of papers that are somewhat separated by subfield. That means every time I want to look for something, I have to pull the entire pile of papers off my shelf and dig through probably two hundred or so papers in order to find what I want. Not cute at all. As of yet, I have not found the correct solution to my problem. Once I figure out an affordable option, I'm going to have the added challenge of figuring out precisely how I'm going to find the room in my non-so-big bedroom for another piece of furniture. As much as I love my cozy little apartment, it is just that...a little apartment. It feels like home, but it is severely lacking in storage space of any kind. Even the closets are tiny, and if you're like me, and you have fifty-six pairs of jeans alone, a tiny closet is not a good thing at all.

So yes, if you have any suggestions on an inexpenive but effective way to organize my room, I am definitely all ears. I will probably continue to sit here and stare at the piles of papers and books that line my current bookshelves and my floor for while until I have some sort of epiphany about what to do. Your suggestions will likely help that epiphany come a lot faster...so please....help help help! Many thanks in advance!