Why do people find it so hard to get rid of "stuff".

[Outdoor Girl]

I have a bunch of different ones.  I like cloth ones for groceries that I can throw in the washer.  I've been given some sturdier ones that are wipeable but not washable.  I use those more for clothing purchases and other non food items.  I might use them for boxes of cereal but not for produce or meat.

Whenever I buy raw meat, that bag goes in the wash immediately.  I don't buy meat that often so it works out.  If I was buying it more often, I'd designate a particular bag for it.

The other thing I have are plastic bins for groceries.  They have strapping handles on them and you can easily carry two at a time.  They are also washable, which is great.  These are designated for my CSA veggies now, though.

[workingmum]

This thread has inspired me to go through mine and DD's clothes! I have recently updated my wardrobe due to a change in job and size and have kept hold of all those old "around the house" shirts that i will probably never wear because either the arms are too long or they are too tight on the chest but are good for wearing while cleaning. Somehow I never do wear them for cleaning  DD is 9 and a terrible hoarder.. she still has a jacket I made her when she was 3 because she "can't bear to get rid of it".

I already have 2 bags full of clothes in near new condition to donate. Unfortunately I dont have anyone near to my size to give them to, so off to Red Cross they go!

[Just Lori]

I once read that when you're decluttering, ask yourself - If I were moving, would I keep this or get rid of it?

I would much rather get rid of things than pack them, so this works for me.

[BarensMom]

And that is my current problem-
my city/state is phasing out plastic bags.  I have been saving extra from the store, and when they ask, "Would you like you milk in the bag?" I say "yes" when I used to say "no" since I am stockpiling for the coming shortage.

Also, that leads me to another issue of mine--which bags should I use when no plastic bags are allowed?  Canvas?  Washable?  Sturdy plaxstic?  Bottom inserts?  Color-coded so meat only goes in one kind? 

I live in San Jose which now "plastic bag free" for 11 months now.  I'm still terrible at remembering to bring my bags.  I have one attched to my purse so I always remember at least one.  I had a huge stash of plastic bags at the beginning of the year but they are almost gone now.  I keep my cloth bags by the front door.  That helps me remember a bit.

First, San Jose, then San Francisco - the bag bans are creeping closer to my town.  It's a good thing I already have cloth bags.  Now if my DH would just leave them in the car.

[VorFemme]

Now if VorGuy and VorSon would just remember that the reuseable bags aren't to be absent-mindedly tossed away when they finish emptying them.

I swear that the reuseable bags that don't pack flat (rip stop nylon or similar THIN fabric) and go in my tote bag or purse vanish, forever, if I'm not the one unpacking them.  They have no memory of what happened to the ones I used in 2008 to take food to the resort where we spent our vacation (we had four more people joining us for most of the vacation and two extra coming by for meals on the weekend, but sleeping at a hotel as there weren't enough beds....).  Same group plus a new baby were invited for 2011 - but things didn't work out. 

VorGuy prefers NOT to buy the staples - and I picked a different "hill to die on" - at least as long as we drive a mini-van instead of a smaller vehicle.  We have space - might as well take the brands that we KNOW we like.

[Wittyone]

I once read that when you're decluttering, ask yourself - If I were moving, would I keep this or get rid of it?

I would much rather get rid of things than pack them, so this works for me.

I've heard that when decluttering you take each item and ask yourself "keep or toss". If you don't know the answer immediately then toss it because you are only taking the time to justify keeping it.  The stuff you know you need/want to keep you know immediately, everything else is justification, which means you don't really need it.  This has served me pretty well, although I'm not a pack rat.  My DH tends to be though and this works pretty well for him to, when I can get him to go through stuff.

[atirial]

We are decluttering our storage room at the moment, and I swear some of that stuff just doesn't want to go.

In our area, the problem of getting rid of things is more of a bureaucratic one. Everything has to go into the recycling bins, or the recycling centre for items that don't have a specific bin, or you get fined. However the recycling centre will only allow users in if they are driving a car (no walk-ins), and over half the local households don't have access to a vehicle...

[joraemi]

What an interesting thread!  It has reminded me that it's about time to go through the storage room again and purge!  My closet also needs a serious culling of clothes.  It's getting crowded nd I know I'm just wearing the same stuff over and over again.

[Lynn2000]

Just gave a friend some old magazines, in good condition, to try and sell on eBay! One less thing cluttering up the house (okay, it was at my parents' house). My friend can keep the money, I will just be happy knowing that the magazines went to people who were really looking for them. And if something doesn't sell, she has my permission to trash it. But hopefully things will sell well enough that she'll want more, because... I have more. 

[Tea Drinker]

Does anyone else feel as though they're not getting anywhere with decluttering? I can see the bag of clothing to donate/recycle filling up, but the drawers I'm going through look just as full as before.

There are places I know I'm making progress--notably my bedroom closet--but the lack of apparent progress isn't helping me here.

[stitchygreyanonymouse]

Does anyone else feel as though they're not getting anywhere with decluttering? I can see the bag of clothing to donate/recycle filling up, but the drawers I'm going through look just as full as before.

There are places I know I'm making progress--notably my bedroom closet--but the lack of apparent progress isn't helping me here.

I had that issue when I decluttered my clothing (need to take another look soon, too). It might help to stop once you’ve gathered a big bag to get rid of, then work on organizing what is left—refolding, moving things into better drawers if needed, etc. I found that helped me better identify what was left, and started to make it look like less when I had things grouped well and the t-shirts actually folded instead of just thrown into a pile in the t-shirt drawer.

[Bethalize]

Does anyone else feel as though they're not getting anywhere with decluttering? I can see the bag of clothing to donate/recycle filling up, but the drawers I'm going through look just as full as before.

There are places I know I'm making progress--notably my bedroom closet--but the lack of apparent progress isn't helping me here.

It's like housework - it's on a cycle. Start in one place, and that needs doing again before you get to the last place!

[Lynn2000]

Does anyone else feel as though they're not getting anywhere with decluttering? I can see the bag of clothing to donate/recycle filling up, but the drawers I'm going through look just as full as before.

There are places I know I'm making progress--notably my bedroom closet--but the lack of apparent progress isn't helping me here.

Oh sure, sometimes. I've done some decluttering in several places lately (thanks, thread!) but my goodness, you wouldn't know it to look at my place. But, I know I did it, and I feel better knowing that what's left is stuff I really want to keep, and that it has a little more breathing room in its storage space and is less likely to be damaged. Honestly if I had a hole I could see I would probably just think, "Whoo! I can get more stuff now!" and fill it up. 

[snowdragon]

For some of us it's also that we have had parents give away things of theirs because "so and so wanted it" really? what makes so and so - so much more worthy of my stuff than I am?  At this point I next to never give things away, because I resent the idea that others can have my stuff but I can't.  My mom says she wanted to teach sharing,,,what she taught was "you need to hide and defend anything you care about because someone is always more worthy than you."
 
  I have several friends whose parents did the same thing - with similar results.

[Carotte]

I'm in a 'transition' phase, I just finished school and am starting to look for a job, right now I'm still living with my parents but that's likely to change in a few months so it's the perfect time to purge.
I was in art school, so over the years I gathered lots of stuff that I used/could use in my projects, little bits of doodads and odds and ends. I won't throw away what is usable 'prime' art supplies (paint, papers..) I've had to pay for it! but I've started asking myself if I'm really going to use that or if I really need that empty box of tic-tacs...
My objective is to have a room that will most likely be turned into a guest room, where people can spend the night in an 'half neutral/half carotte's' environment.
It helps that I'm starting to hate things that are too cluttered. My parents have tons of useless stuff, collections and stuff from places we've been to or lived, paintings.. And that I've always been kind of frugal with my money, I don't have much stuff or they are little, I can mull over buying something for even months before deciding if I really want it or not.
I think I might try allowing myself to have x number of shirts, x number of pants, sweaters,... I don't have that much clothes compared to some girls my age but it's still a bit overwhelming at times, and I end up using always the same ones.