pack-rat

Never throws away

A pack rat is a North American rodent that collects and hoards objects in its nest.

The term extends to people who accumulate and refuse to discard things: My father was a pack rat—he kept every newspaper from the last thirty years.

The compulsion ranges from harmless clutter to serious hoarding.

hoarding

accumulating

Gathering in increasing quantity

amassingCollecting in quantity
stockpilingAccumulating supplies in quantity
stashingConcealing for safekeeping

squirreling · collecting · gathering · compulsive · clutter · junk · possessions · storage · cache · stash

clutter

mess

Disorderly, troublesome condition

disarrayLack of order
jumbleConfused disorderly collection
disorganizationAbsence of systematic arrangement

chaos · heap · pile · stuff · belongings · knickknacks · tchotchkes · bric-a-brac · miscellany · overflow

sentimental

keepsakes

Items preserved for sentiment

mementosObjects kept for remembrance
souvenirsObjects preserving travel memories
heirloomsObjects passed through family lines

photographs · memories · nostalgia · treasures · memorabilia · collectibles · antiques · vintage · relics · attachment

rodent

woodrat

Collecting rodent species

middenHistorical domestic refuse pile
nestAnimal-built shelter for young
desertTo leave behind completely

burrow · nocturnal · southwestern · cactus · den · foraging

Opposites

accumulation tendency

pack-ratminimalist

One favoring bare essentials

declutterer · purger · spartan · tosser · Marie Kondo

attachment to possessions

pack-ratminimalist

One favoring bare essentials

detached · unattached · unsentimental · monk · Buddhist monk

Family

pack, rat, packs, packed, packing, packer, packers, package, packages

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Known to kids · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G