Too much stuff not enough space?

[tygherrayn]

Umm ... so this was like .. my idea and stuff .... soo .. I suppose I should start some sort of discussion.

So. Since I'm dealing with it anyway .. how do you deal with the 'too much stuff not enough space' predicament?

[mol]

Trash!

[Jeleia]

So. Since I'm dealing with it anyway .. how do you deal with the 'too much stuff not enough space' predicament?
I don't... you should see my room :blushake:

[asamananara]

I abhor clutter. You've got two options- get less stuff, or make
more space. Sort through everything, and discard whatever you
don't actually use. Many people stash things away for sentimental
reasons, or "just in case" they might need it in the future-
in my opinion, if it hasn't been used in more than a year, there's
no sense having it around. Whatever you wish to keep, but don't
use often enough to warrant it a place in your living space should
be boxed up, labeled, and stored away in an attic, basement,
garage, or shed. Reducing your stuff is easy, it's just a matter
of prioritizing- making more space is less simple. If you don't
have ample storage, build up. Shelves are easy to construct,
and can turn an otherwise dull wall into a showcase- a great
way to display knick-knacks and bric-a-brac while keeping them
out of the way.

[mucgwyrt]

I have the same problem - I have a house-worth of stuff in one room :sick:
We're waiting for the day we move out, but until then we're just going to have to live in clutter :wah: - we have nowhere else to put it all!

[moria636]

I try to keep smaller things of sentimental value(some things you just can't part with) and try not to keep big things....im no pack rat..... all junk I throw away... I use little plastic boxes to store things under my bed... and use them also in my closet... I have shelves..and shelves.... I try to get the most use out of a space as possible.... and yes it can be done.....
and of course cleaning regularly helps the clutter from building up..... (but I can't say I always find time for this).... I normally let some things build up and then have a big clean up day.... (im so bad )...

[morrigen]

We rented a bigger house. Seriously.

Although we did start off in a studio apartment (basically, one big room with all facilities in it).

[asamananara]

I guess I should consider myself lucky... we have more storage
space than living space. Two sheds, an attic, a garage with a loft,
and a basement. Anyone innundated with "stuff" is welcome to store
it over at my place. Now, if only I had a finished room large
enough to stretch out in, I'd be all set.

[moria636]

lol.... you could have your basement finished...make it into a room... just watch out for water damage.... or turn the garage into a room if you don't use it...

[asamananara]

Well, I've heard tale of this magical stuff called "money" which
can make things like that happen, but these wild myths are often
the product of someone's overactive imagination. I've yet to
see any of this miracle "money" stuff, myself. :)

[morrigen]

Well, I've heard tale of this magical stuff called "money" which
can make things like that happen, but these wild myths are often
the product of someone's overactive imagination. I've yet to
see any of this miracle "money" stuff, myself. :)

Hon, I'm sure that "money" of which you speak is no more than a legend started by people of old....

I've heard of it, but never seen any of it either.

Thank the gods that science has proved the credibility of chocolate.

[moria636]

ah money... Ive heard the tale.... I oftin like to dream of the great things this thing called money brings....lol


...sorry did'nt mean to make it seem like you werer made of money...
alot of things are easyer said than done.....(I think the trade system was better)

[Faery-Wings]

Sort through everything, and discard whatever you
don't actually use. Many people stash things away for sentimental
reasons, or "just in case" they might need it in the future-
in my opinion, if it hasn't been used in more than a year, there's
no sense having it aroun

I totally agree. It is hard to start throwing stuff out, but it does get easier. Also I donate anything that is in decent condition. I pass clothes and toys along to friends, clothes to the Fireman's Association, garage sale clothes and toys and give my kids $10 each to buy *one* new toy. It feels wonderfully libertaing to get rid of junk!


Well, I've heard tale of this magical stuff called "money" which
can make things like that happen, but these wild myths are often
the product of someone's overactive imagination. I've yet to
see any of this miracle "money" stuff, myself

:rotfl:

[IvyWitch]

Ah, I have this problem too. You know, I figured once I got my own place and had two rooms instead of just a small bedroom to keep my stuff I wouldn't have a problem.....well, we all knew I was kind of dellusional anyway. :p I'm hoping that once I finish unpacking it'll be better.

I'm a sucker for organization products though. I love those little pastic drawer units and stuff like that. Good thing I don't have any wall space anymore or else I'd wind up with more organizational stuff than...well...stuff.

As for how I deal with it? I've become kind of lazy so this doesn't work as well as it should, but I use the kindergarden theory of organizing: In kindergarden there was a section of the room for every type of toy, and a place to put it away. Likewise, in my apartment everything has a place, and the pieces of furniture have a "section".

[mucgwyrt]

Ah, I have this problem too. You know, I figured once I got my own place and had two rooms instead of just a small bedroom to keep my stuff I wouldn't have a problem.....well, we all knew I was kind of dellusional anyway. :p I'm hoping that once I finish unpacking it'll be better.

I'm a sucker for organization products though. I love those little pastic drawer units and stuff like that. Good thing I don't have any wall space anymore or else I'd wind up with more organizational stuff than...well...stuff.

As for how I deal with it? I've become kind of lazy so this doesn't work as well as it should, but I use the kindergarden theory of organizing: In kindergarden there was a section of the room for every type of toy, and a place to put it away. Likewise, in my apartment everything has a place, and the pieces of furniture have a "section".
I go by this motto: If there are no surfaces, then there are no surfaces upon which to place clutter :D

[LadyTrinity]

some places allow you to take ur stuff there and make $

consignment shops...
pawn shops...

or get rid of it for free?

thrift shops

[Velvet]

I go by this motto: If there are no surfaces, then there are no surfaces upon which to place clutter :D
Lol, the floor is a surface, isn't it? I've got clutter everywhere.

[mucgwyrt]

Lol, the floor is a surface, isn't it? I've got clutter everywhere.
I know, I try not to look down! :lol:

My floor is covered in piles of clothes at the moment, because we have no wardrobe (or room to put one). My mum's gonna clean out one of hers for us to use though, so it will be clear soon :D

[mol]

Have you all seen that show where they go through a cluddered room and fix it up? I cant remember what it is called.

[Patriciaj]

Are you talking about Clean Sweep? The show where they put your stuff in piles of keep, sell, and throw away. Then there is a yard sale and whatever doesn't sell goes either to trash or charity.

[mol]

Thats it!

[DragonsChest]

They need to come do our garage. It's screaming for help.

[Kadynas]

I agree that some people really need to take a look at why they're holding onto all the /stuff/ they have. And I /love/ Clean Sweep and its counterpart on the other station "Mission Organization".

But I don't think most people are as bad as the ones on TV. I don't have that much space myself, just two rooms and a bathroom and a kitchenette. I really don't have any useless crap that I can pitch out! :lol: The place is just too small, and I'm sure a lot of us are in the same boat.

Luckily I've become somewhat of a master at making small places look less cluttered. The trick is to use every inch of space available, even the "unobvious spaces"... ie: vertical space and little cubbies everywhere! :D Buy or make some very tall bookshelves (I know books are my biggest problem); go up to the ceiling if you can! If you're not a book nut like me, you can use the extra shelving for nicknacks or whatever. Underbed storage is a must, particularly if you have a tiny or non-existant closet. Right now, my cool weather clothes are in my drawers, with all my summer ones under the bed. Under the sink cabinets, if you have them, can go a lot further if you put in those stackable plastic basket thingies. Also tableclothes for any endtables or coffee tables you might have is a good way to store things underneath and out of sight. Baskets of all kinds are great for magazines and such, and I use "office" desksets with their trays and such to keep our bills organized. And buy one of those cabinets that goes over the toilet: the bigger the better! :lol: My bathroom isn't as wide as I am tall, so that was a big help.

[DixieWitch]

Hmm I just spent most of today cleaning, or attempting too. I've got 2 trash bags full of random stuff and a 30 gallon tote full of my daughters old toys. I'll be making a trip to GoodWill later this week!! I can remember the first apartment my hubby and I had--hardly anything in it. In fact when we moved into it, we had a 14 ft moving truck. This last time we moved, 5 yrs later, we had a 26 ft truck. Yes, we had a little extra with our daughter, but not enough to fill in the space between 14 and 26 feet!!! LOL Since we moved up and and while we were packing, we got rid of a lot of stuff. Here's what I did: I took the item, looked at it and asked myself a few questions: Do I love it? Do I like it? Do I need it? Do I really, really want to keep it? 9 times out of 10 the answer was "No" to all those questions and it got tossed!!!

[WickedBttrfly]

my floor and where ever I find a blank space...its scary

[katclar]

I would vote for getting rid of the stuff. Well, not all of it! ;)

Last year after my divorce I threw out stuff I KNEW I'd never need again. I had been hanging onto most of it "just in case." Well, of course "just in case" never came. So I chucked a bunch of junk...papers from grad school, college, high school even. And I took a bunch of clothes to Goodwill. And other household stuff too.

Then this year I moved into my house! I got rid of lots of books and cds (sold 'em) and tossed the rug which used to be in my living room (the house has carpet). The rug was a toughie cause it used to be in my childhood bedroom. But it wasn't necessary in the house! So it went in the trash. It was really filthy, so that wasn't a bad thing...

Right now I have a lot more books to sell...no more room on my shelves either! And the only things I feel the need to add to my house are a dividing screen and some curtains...

Kat

[Mnemosyne]

I'm in that predicament a lot of the time too. I have to take a few deep breaths to reluctantly prepare myself for.............getting rid of everything that I haven't used in the past year. Soooo tough! I have to stop telling myself, "hey, I'll need that one day in the future." lol

[Fairyelf]

I have no room (literally) and tons of stuff..

[ap Dafydd]

William Morris said to keep in your house only those things that are either useful or beautiful.

You may already have got it down that far and still have too little space. Improvise.

If you've got a load bearing wall, put shelves on it, floor to ceiling. Make them the ones that got on brackets so you can maximise the number you've got. Don't forget that you've got another run under the bottom shelf. Get racks for things like CDs and the like, so long as they slide about easily you can put them in front of the shelves and move them out if you need to get at the stuff behind them. Another possibility is those cheap self assembly pine cubes you can get in DIY stores. Get some, screw them together into a big unit to fit in the space you've got available. Get loads of stuff in them.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[Ivy Artemisia]

I feel your pain. I live in a studio apartment, which is basically one room with a kitchenette. I have SO much stuff. When I moved into it, I barely had ANYTHING... and now- 2+ years later, I've accumulated lots of stuff. Mostly big stuff. For example, I recieved a home theatre system for my birthday. So I had to buy an entertainment center, because my little tv stand wouldn't even fit the reciever. Its all about how you arrange your place. Try setting things on diagonals. It sounds funny, but it increases the perception of space in your place. My bed is at a diagonal, and it makes the area seem larger- and looks cool, too. Try getting some shelves, or cheap bookcases.

Another way to make your place seem more spacious is getting rid of all the clutter. Invest in plastic boxes from the $1 store. Then, on top of your bookcases, shelves, place some pretty objects... you can get some pretty colored glass objects for less that $1 if you go to some places like Cost Plus World Market and Big Lots (I don't know your area). Also, if you have a Marshalls, TJ Maxx, ROSS, by you, check out their home sections. I've bought some pretty colored glass globes for about $3 there. Those are great to set on an intentionally stacked bunch of books, etc.

I totally understand, though. I'm in a studio apartment, cause rent is so expensive here in California. You can't get anything bigger than a studio for less that $900. And the $900 ones are in the bad areas. :( My studio is a steal at $725.

[MorningDove030202]

PURGE! If you want new things to come into your live, you have to make room for it! Purging is liberating. The Fly Lady taught me that.... though all her emails were cloging my computer and I had to purge her too......LOL

Dove

[Seren_]

Well I spent about a year unemployed, up until this March. So being bored, I decided that I'd declutter my house. Things were reaching critical mass.

I filled up six black bin bags of my clothes that I didn't wear anymore (the clothes I kept "just in case" I put on weight again etc) and took them to the charity shop - I don't drive so I had to drag a bag down every day. It's really weird seeing your own clothes in a shop window.

I filled a further eight bags of crappy clothes (three of which my sister had stored in my loft when she went to Thailand and never took back) which I took for recycling.

I could have filled a skip with all the crap my husband kept under the bed and in his playroom *ahem* study (or fortress of solitude) "just in case"; most of that went in the bin. What is it with men and their inability to throw anything away? He got really upset when I told him "be brutal, do you really need it?" I think he found it genuinely traumatic. I suspect most of it went into the loft (attic).

And for no apparent reason, I have four fridges and a freezer in my garage (anyone living in Britain, feel free to come and pick one up). I've no idea how they got there...they seem to breed. They all seem to work, though.

And I still have too much stuff and not enough space...for books, anyway. Any tips on how to put shelves up in old Victorian walls so they won't fall down?

[RubyRose]

My room is rather like a shoe box. Or that's my label for it. If I were to take out the three dressers I have in there it wouldn't be so cluttered. I suppose it would help if I actually got around to cleaning it up properly each week instead of doing a half hearted job. But time seems to slip away. Meanwhile I do actually plan on starting a major clean out today.
The way I get over storage problems is having boxes and stuff stored, rather neatly underneath my bed. And at the top of my wardrobe ... Ack. I need organisational skills. They do exist just not right now.
<sigh>

[Thalias_Smile]

I have been watching Clean Sweep, and little by little, I am giving away books and clothes i no longer use...and trying to get the junk out of my room, before I have to move.

[CaitrionaMorgaine]

Any Clean Sweep type show coming into our home would send my packrat boyfriend into fits. I'm of the opinion that if you haven't used/worn it in the last year, get rid of it. I don't mind keeping momentos, ect (especially since he's military and has a ton of them) but they should be stored in boxes (labelled as well) until scrapbooked or what have you.

He just keeps everything. It drives me insane. The man has clothing in his closet that is older than me. (I'm 23, he's 32) I helped him clean out boxes when we were organizing the back bedroom/turning it into the altar room...we had more fights during that week than in all of our two year relationship.

Three of the walls in my altar room are all organized and clean...then the last one is stacked high with boxes. I stuffed all the boxes I could in the closet, but there are still so many!

Oy.

Avalon's Blessings, ~Rhiannon

[tygherrayn]

I especially love the quote ... and it's something to remember.

We're working on decluttering ... I'm taking some hints from FlyWitches, and some fomr the folks here. We really need another bookcase for all of our books. And we still have boxes in the closets to go through. From when we moved in. Two-and-a-half years ago. Eeep!

I want to aldo put shelves in my office, but have a huge desk and a dresser that serves as a shrine also, and literally no place to get at shelves. Once we bet the closets cleaned out though we can use them as closets, not a mere storage, hopefully.


William Morris said to keep in your house only those things that are either useful or beautiful.

You may already have got it down that far and still have too little space. Improvise.

If you've got a load bearing wall, put shelves on it, floor to ceiling. Make them the ones that got on brackets so you can maximise the number you've got. Don't forget that you've got another run under the bottom shelf. Get racks for things like CDs and the like, so long as they slide about easily you can put them in front of the shelves and move them out if you need to get at the stuff behind them. Another possibility is those cheap self assembly pine cubes you can get in DIY stores. Get some, screw them together into a big unit to fit in the space you've got available. Get loads of stuff in them.

gwyn eich byd

Ffred

[Raven Reed]

ah money... Ive heard the tale.... I oftin like to dream of the great things this thing called money brings....lol




With two teenagers and being on disability, I am a temporary stopping place for money. It enters my wallets and exits so quickly it generates friction! :tongueout

[WandererInGray]

*laughs* I used to be a packrat, but over the past two years I've gone through an evolution of style.

Not only moving from Wicca and celtic styled things to Buddhism and more asian styled things, but just a realization that I don't like having stuff I never use. :lol: Of course the realization that you'll have to pack it up and move it every two years is a big drive to clear out the junk.

I've gone through my closet about five times, clearing out clothes and shoes at a rampaging pace.

I've given away/sold all my witchcraft and Wicca books (with the exception of a few that I truely liked). I am still giving away and selling celtic inspired things that no longer fit my decorating style.

Sometimes it's hard to let go of things. *shrugs* But at this point I figure anything I can put in storage for over a year and live without...isn't really worth messing with. :p

[Garnet]

I go here to shop or just get ideas for storage.

www.getorganized.com

[FaeFollower]

I have so many books and absolutely nowhere to puit them. I have three huge crate of them and a tall bookshelf stacked two deep...I'm trying to give tham away and release them stuff because I have literally no wall space for another bookshelf.

For my really small stuff (pens, cameras, hair scrunchies, etc) I have one of those shoe holder things hanging from the inside of my closet door that holds all that stuff instead of shoes...It's not much, but it clears off some some space on my desk and in drawers.

[FaeFollower]

I go here to shop or just get ideas for storage.

www.getorganized.com

AOL won't open this site for me...?

[RubyRose]

AOL won't open this site for me...?

Ditto.

[SilverClaw]

For me it says the site cannot be found.

[emmunite]

I couldn't get it either...did msn search w/get organzied as topic...first hit was this

http://www.getorganizednow.com/

Maybe that's it?

[MockingbirdOxygen]

I have so many books and absolutely nowhere to puit them. I have three huge crate of them and a tall bookshelf stacked two deep...I'm trying to give tham away and release them stuff because I have literally no wall space for another bookshelf.

For my really small stuff (pens, cameras, hair scrunchies, etc) I have one of those shoe holder things hanging from the inside of my closet door that holds all that stuff instead of shoes...It's not much, but it clears off some some space on my desk and in drawers.
Omigod you are trippin' me out because I just had made a comment on the song you were listening to (Closer) and then noticed that I chose a profile location similar to yours, and guess what I was doing last night? Going through crates of books and bookshelfs because I am so overloaded...part of that is due to the books I've kept for my kids, though, too. And I've done the shoe holder thing inside the closet door, too. I ended up taking out the little things and sorting them in boxes, though, because I decided I needed a better system for my shoes. But those over door hangers can be good for scarves and hair bands, too. And I've got this hanger that isn't really a hanger, it's like a solid hanger with holes in it, I thread my costume jewelry and belts through that. But I still keep re-arranging my systems when I think of something better! I actually ended up getting and installing a towel rod that would fit the side wall of my closet, and I hang some belts, scarves, necklaces, etc., on it. Or I might hang up an outfit on it that I wore once so it's "dirty", but it's not really "dirty dirty" (could be worn again before laundering) :collapse:

[MockingbirdOxygen]

Oh my I've killed my first thread. And now I must mourn.. :rubhead:

[MockingbirdOxygen]

Go toward the light, dear thread! The light!

[MockingbirdOxygen]

Yup, she's a goner... :yikes:

[Nantonos]

No she http://www.cutemeter.com/forums/extra/scissors.gif isn't ...

Actually I thought it was one of those laws of the universe, like gravity. The amount of stuff grows to fill the available space, always. Only the formidable and rarely performed ritual known as 'moving house' (or the über version, moving country) actually reduces stuff, and even then, not always.

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

No she http://www.cutemeter.com/forums/extra/scissors.gif isn't ...

Actually I thought it was one of those laws of the universe, like gravity. The amount of stuff grows to fill the available space, always. Only the formidable and rarely performed ritual known as 'moving house' (or the über version, moving country) actually reduces stuff, and even then, not always.

Not to mention that once you do move house or country whatever stuff you kept begins breeding once it arrives at the new house or country until you have just as much if not more than you had to begin with. It's a viscious cycle. :2G:

[banondraig]

Not to mention that once you do move house or country whatever stuff you kept begins breeding once it arrives at the new house or country until you have just as much if not more than you had to begin with. It's a viscious cycle. :2G:

yes, that is true. i deliberately skipped the (free!) shipping the military offered for my stuff, so i wouldn't have breeding stuff, and even left the majority of my clothes stateside, so i could get german clothes and not stand out in crowds. my stuff is now spilling out of my little corner. it sucks!

[Lost_Sole]

it suxs to be in the old b's

[RubyRose]

Anyone ever find that they accumilate a lot of books, but can't seem to let go of them? That's my problem so far, and the biggest reason that my bedroom isn't as clean as it could be. All my available space is taken over by books. :lol: But they are stored away, at least. I just have a few cuppy holes I need to clean up. And my wardrobe. I have about 15 or so pairs of shoes, and I barely wear half of them. But going thru the bottom of my warbrobe takes time. Actually that's a job for me tonight. Can't put it off any longer, its bugging me too much.

RubyRose

[Garnet]

Anyone ever find that they accumilate a lot of books, but can't seem to let go of them?

Oh golly, yes!!! I have so many that my house looks like a professional book-breeding farm.

[RubyRose]

Oh golly, yes!!! I have so many that my house looks like a professional book-breeding farm.

Thing is, once I get hooked on an author (eg. VC Andrews, Anne Rice) or a particular area of interest (Celtic/Arthurian Legends) I'm constantly in search of books, but with me its more of a search for books that are on sale. I can rarely turn down a bargan, esspecially if I've been searching for the book for a while.

I absolutely hate spending a lot of money on clothes, books & shoes.

[Garnet]

Thing is, once I get hooked on an author (eg. VC Andrews, Anne Rice) or a particular area of interest (Celtic/Arthurian Legends) I'm constantly in search of books, but with me its more of a search for books that are on sale. I can rarely turn down a bargan, esspecially if I've been searching for the book for a while.

I absolutely hate spending a lot of money on clothes, books & shoes.

That's me, exactly. I have member cards at WaldenBooks & Barnes & Noble...I'll pay for the cards so I can get the store discount. I won't buy books at Borders (because they don't offer discounts), unless I get an email coupon or find something in the sale aisle.
I was broken-hearted when the used bookstore in my neighborhood closed.

[Koehnae]

Well I spent about a year unemployed, up until this March. So being bored, I decided that I'd declutter my house. Things were reaching critical mass.
This is pretty much what happened to me. Boredom from being off work from my burns had me climbing the walls, so I decided to declutter and toss. I was amazed how much crap I had accumulated! I threw out bags of clothes that were so worn that I couldn't believe I'd kept them, donated many more bags to Goodwill, sorted through years of old receipts, bills, and outdated paperwork. The good news is, I finally found that warranty for my clothes iron. The bad news is, I threw that iron out 5 years ago! :foh:

All I can really say is that I feel... lighter. It may have been hard to let go of some of the things, but I feel better living in a clutter free house. And, thanks to shows like Clean Sweep, Mission Organization, and "neat," I now know how to organize the stuff I bring in now.

[RubyRose]

Well I do have an organisational system set up within the boundaries of my room (still living with parents) and whenever I do clean up the house, I'll spend a little time, clearing away the accumilated junkmail around the place.

But I find lately that I don't have enough time to keep on top of the mess that my room turns into each week. By the time I'm done bringing in my clean clothes from the line, at the end of the week, putting them away, and getting rid of whatever dirty clothes may have materialised since Friday night ... put anything else away that's around. By the end of it, I usually crawl into an unmade bed at night.

[-Ember]

I'm in the process of extensive decluttering. Both my parents were packrats, and raised my sibs and I accordingly. When they divorced 5 years back, there was so much fighting over stuff that a lot of it got boxed up and claimed almost randomly. Important usable stuff was found pretty quickly and the rest left boxed. When my mother moved into the house she is in now, it just all went in the basement (out of sight/out of mind) and meanwhile all of us (I still live at home: student budget, my mother needed the help-disabled and a single mom as well as a few really bad years with illnesses and accidents in the family) had continued to hoard stuff.

Things I have learned in this process right now:

There comes a point when you have let it get too far and simply bagging up one or two bags of things weekly in the curbside trash-can isn't going to work. The rest just overflows into the space. There is a point where it is best to rent a dumpster for three reasons. 1) You clear out a lot all at once, which brings you back to a manageable level. 2) It gives you a way to get rid of large pieces not in shape to donate (mattresses, furnature you were going to fix "someday", old carpet, etc). 3) It imposes a deadline. Dumpsters can be expensive... you want to fill them, and you don't have too much time to do it so you have to be ruthless.

Even the stupidest things can have all sorts of emotional attachments. It is hard to go through boxes of stuff from childhood and not get worked up. Give yourself enough time to deal with it... not be so rushed that you just throw it all away or none of it. It is not a quick process. I know this kinda contradicts the dealine point... but both are needed. Enough time to really do it, and enough push to not let you put it off.

Plastic totes are the best thing. If you do store stuff, don't use cardboard boxes for long term stuff. When they get old, it can get ugly.

For the professional grade clutterer, beware organizational tips. Those plastic storage towers are junk hoarders if you don't use them for oranization (lots of little drawers to put things in.) Organizational things only work if you are organized with them... if not, they just give you more ways to keep more stuff than you really want. Hold to organization rules or don't get them... billions of junk drawers is still clutter.

Happier side. I've gotten rid of lots of stuff over this last week And it feels good to have done so. I still have more to do, but I'm down to stuff that I have to go through again: anything I can't find a place for is going. No more stuff jammed in corners or drawers. Lables, labels everywhere so I don't have to think! Now I just have to figure out what to do with those special items: presents from grandmothers who insist on giving me porcelian dolls and stuff. Important for the giver (I love them) but not the gift. Any suggestions for those things you don't really want, but can't really get rid of?

[LadyTrinity]

Yep. I do all the time.. I clean my house and then its like.. ahhhh how did that get on the table.. then I end up shoving it into my junk drawer.. ( Yes I have one too! ) Dont we all? :lol: and then my junk drawer is never touched.. so Im like.. well if I dont need it then why not throw it out.. 2 months later I will need something that I threw out.. LOL Its a never ending cycle

[Yasmine Galenorn]

Umm ... so this was like .. my idea and stuff .... soo .. I suppose I should start some sort of discussion.

So. Since I'm dealing with it anyway .. how do you deal with the 'too much stuff not enough space' predicament?

Get rid of everything that's old, outdated, and no longer applicable to my life, and if there's still too much, then either pare down to my favorite things, or find a good storage unit for the rest if I know I'm going to be using it in the next year.

Yasmine