We are all Rat Packers.

I read a pretty wild series of "bulleted" items on Organization and Pack ratting (is that a word) that runs rampant here in the USA and elsewhere.

- The average US Home has grown by 80% but Americans face a "Storage Crisis".

- The self storage industry is only 35 years old. It took 25 years for the first 1 billion square feet of storage space to be built. The second billion was built in just 8 years.

- 1 in 11 households rents storage space - up one million from two years ago.

- in 2006 Americans spent 7 Billion on "organizational" items.

- Self Storage units cover 72 square miles, the area of Manhattan and San Francisco combined.

- according to a 2005 survey by Rubbermaid, American women would rather organize their closets than loose weight.

- 1 in 3 Ikea customers say they get more satisfaction from cleaning than sex.

- Men who don't organize their sock drawer have sex 3 times more a month than men who do..***rushes home to mess up sock drawer***

- If you own a palm pilot like device you are more likely to forget birthdays an anniversaries.

- Americans spend on average 55 minutes per day looking for things they know they can't find.

- Most "hoarded" items - mail, newspapers/magazines, containers, clothes, books, notes,collectibles, broken items???, garbage???

- 4 out of 5 new homes built have multi car garages. Most 2 car garages have one or NO car in them.

- Upscale homes are now being built with "transition rooms". These rooms are for just "junk" waiting to be moved.

- More than 2 million Americans are hoarders.

- 60% of cited animal hoarders are repeat offenders.

- 90% of parents say that their kids' rooms are causing "mess distress" (can you call out sick with this??)

- More than 6,000 people last year went to the Emergency Room with back pack related injuries.

- The US created 40% of the world's new stored information.

- Home designers now consider paper shredders as important as washers and dryers.

- The average American refrigerator is twice as big as its European counterpart.

- More than 70% of Americans are routinely unable to find the matching lids for their food storage containers.

- San Diego Zoo has a "Frozen Zoo" which has the semen, embryos and DNA from 675 specifies, half of which are endangered.

- Clone USA will store your pets semen for $110.00 per year..the thing is you need to collect it yourself.

Its a long weekend..and LABOR DAY weekend so get to work and start de-crapifying your space.