Pack Rat or Minimalist?

[lindrusso]

Talking about buying CL annuals and throwing away vs. keeping the magazines made me want to ask this question. I'm not exactly a pack rat, but the clutter I do have makes me crazy! For me, cluttered house = cluttered mind! Therefore, in the interest of sanity, I am undertaking major efforts to unclutter (declutter??) my life. However, since I am Senior Procrastinator, this project has been underway for a couple of years ;) .

For those of you who like to control the clutter, do you have any secrets to share??? How have you cut down on clutter? More importantly, once you cut down the clutter, how do you keep it that way?

And Julie, please jump in with any comments or other questions that have to do with the Simple Living book - I'd love to hear more!

[KValley]

She says, rubbing her hands together with glee and anticipation. I've been waiting for you to put up this thread, Alysha! I need to vent!

First off- I am in the "Fairly-Clutter Free" category. I do have things displayed on counters, bookshelves, end tables and I will tolerate a degree of clutter and disarray anywhere but in the kitchen. I like things to be homey and comfortable and I can totally accept mess. I'm thinking big picture, here- I'm just not a collector and I am very organized.

I am an obsessive-compulsive thrower-outer, I admit. I grew up with a hyper-clean mom and I have moved so so many times as an adult - the result of which means I cannot tolerate things that do not have a very specific place in my life or on the counter. If I haven't worn it in a year, out it goes. I certainly keep old letters, mementos, but they are arranged, labeled, culled for sentimental relevance.

A houseguest a couple of weeks ago remarked "You don't have a lot of STUFF, I really like that." A compliment of the highest order, in my book. He then went on to tease me because my CDs are arranged by genre, and alphabetically within the genres. Why is that weird? How could you find anything otherwise?

So, going to my MIL/FILS is torture. MIL keep a VERY clean house- YAY! But every corner, floor to ceiling, every nook and cranny, counter, any possible space that will hold anything, has something on, over, around, above, below and inside it. I am scared to go to the bathroom at night, because it means winding my way through the maze in the dark, toes stubbed, trinkets knocking against each other, people waking up. One entire upstairs bedroom is a closet- you cannot see the floor, it is piled with clothes in clothing bags and boxes of shoes. She has not gotten rid of a piece of clothing since 1978, I am certain. Last weekend, DH actually got her to agree that when she retires next Spring, he and I are going to clean out her "clothes room" and give everything away. We'e also been gently encouraging them to hold a series of yard or estate sales over the course of the next year, as they retire and plan to move to a smaller house.

I cringe every time MIL says "You can have whatever you want, someday it will all be yours anyway!"

DH and I have to have venting, ranting, and raving sessions every time we leave their house. Thank God he did not inherit MILs clutter gene! I just can't see being tied down to stuff- all that time spent cleaning, arranging, worrying about STUFF!

As I told Alysha in the other post, Clutter is the focus of a chapter in the Simple Living Guide; I think the author has some great suggestions- which I've used in compiling stuff for garage sales (3 in the last 2 years!) or just cleaning out binges I go through a couple of times a year: The 3-pile rule; the 1-year rule; layer-by-layer; I am also all about plastic storage bins, containers, baskets, putting things in their place.

I've decided to keep my CL back issues, however :D

Okay, I think I need to take a deep breath and have a glass of wine, or I am liable to clean something or throw something away!

[kwormann]

I suppose in comparison to most, I am a minmalist. I sell (most) books after having them 1-2 years, I dont save magazines and if I buy a new "knick-knack", I get rid of one. I also frequently donate clothes....I LOVE to buy new ones!

I like Julie have a MIL with tons of stuff and when they decide they dont want things, WE are supposed to want it or they are insulted!

Ive recenlty been debating getting rid of my childhood scrapbooks....I mean Ive NEVER looked at them since I was a child!

I get a magazine called Real Simple which I just love! The latest issue (I havent read it yet) talks about simplifying bill paying, simple workspaces and dinner shortcuts.

Im all about simplifying EVERYTHING!

[emilycat]

I go in phases -- I definitely wouldn't call myself a packrat; I hate clutter, and sometimes I go on these crazy, let's get rid of everything sprees, but that's mostly cleaning out old papers and such. And Julie, I do the same thing with my CDs! :)
I do, however, have serious problems ditching anything sentimental; somehow I feel as though I'm being disloyal to a memory if I toss something of sentimental value. And clothes -- I donate the ones that I'll obviously never wear again, but I must admit to having some things in my closet that I haven't touched in at least a couple of years. I mean, what if I want to use it for a Halloween costume some day? ;)

[beejayw1]

Well, I'm part of the majority (judging from the way the voting has gone), in that if something is not functioning or unneeded, I'll throw it out or give it away, but if it has sentimental value, or I think it's pretty, it stays. (That's why I have walls covered with pictures, I guess)

I moved around a lot growing up, and we couldn't take boxes and boxes of things, and often things got damaged and lost in moves, so maybe it's a sort of luxury for me to be able to keep things.

Ive recenlty been debating getting rid of my childhood scrapbooks....I mean Ive NEVER looked at them since I was a child! (Kwormann)

Interestingly, in moving around as much as I did, I find I tend to operate on a sort of 'go forward' basis. I tossed the journals and scrapbooks I kept in college (though I did tear out a couple pages to keep) because I had no desire to revisit those days. (Not that they were bad.)

suggestion:
I propose a theory: people are inherently cluttered, but it takes different forms with them. Cluttered desks; cluttered homes; cluttered calendars ('Gosh, I'm sorry - I'm always late!') or cluttered memories. Cluttered social lives (there are some people who will hang onto an association - I don't mean friendship - where there is no longer anything to tie them together, not even liking.)

Any thoughts?

[SandyM]

Gosh, I was the only one sorting my CDs by genre, then alphabetically. Whew. Yipes - how would I find my Squirrel Nut Zippers if they were filed between Vivaldi and Dean Martin? :D :D :D

I go through phases. I don't like clutter around the house, but I keep things for a while, thinking "Well, I (or someone else) might need this down the road.......", and then pack it away in some corner behind the door of the basement. That corner will grow somewhat, and I'll get into a frenzy where I'll throw it or give it away, and the feeling is quite liberating.

I keep things with sentimental value, because I love to remenisce. But I also love "stuff"!

[Jennett]

I generally wage war on clutter. The only things I don't part with are most books (I have a dream of reading all of my Norton literature anthologies and lit crit books from college--though it may take me a while) and some magazines, mainly CLs and my horse subscriptions. And those must be organized.

But other than that, I can be pretty ruthless about purging stuff. I do keep things of sentimental value, but my stash is pretty small--just some letters, and a few hand written journals. I guess I'd fall into the "cluttered memories" catagory, because I do have lots of memories about people and places that I cherish, but for me the feelings aren't tied to physical stuff.

One of my bigger pet peeves is all the freebies and giveaways out there. I'm always trying to politely turn down the little marketing freebies I encounter in my job, because I don't want to be wasteful, but I'll just end up throwing the stuff out!:(

On the other hand, I've been guilty of wasting money on clothes and trends. I'm equally ruthless about purging my closet (if I haven't worn it in +1 year, I give it away), but I always become acutely aware of how much money I wasted. I must work on this.

[SueK]

I am like a lot of the others here, in that if I haven't used something in at least a year, it gets tossed. I donate a lot of my old clothes and books, and have a garage sale once a year. My husband would save everything if he could, and it drives me nuts! :)

[Jewel]

Now in my opinion, you should be separating this poll...are YOU a clutter person or is your HOUSE cluttered. I live with someone, remember??? I try to live by the rule that if I haven't used it in a year or two, get rid of it. My husband, however, has different chromosomes.

I married the only man in America with a framed black velvet 'tiger' painting in the basement. He refuses to throw it away, give it away, or (my suggestion) put it on the driveway in front of the truck's tires. He says it may come back into 'style' (was it ever???) or his new favorite "These things are collector's items now! I'll sell it on Ebay!" (Note: he won't. He can't part with them, Ebay is just an excuse to get me to quit asking for awhile).It took three years of living with this man to finally get the neon beer sign off the living room wall. In his opinion, the Lone Star Light beer sign (used to live in TX) was 'mood lighting'. Sure, if I wanted to play 'barmaid and sloshed bar patron' as foreplay, it's mood lighting. He has all his Concert T-shirts from years gone by, all of his 8-track tapes, all the old bathroom 'ensembles' (fuzzy top, U-shaped commode rug) from all of his old apartments, because you never know when we'll want to use it again.

I have a 1979 Silver TransAm in my garage with a black eagle on the hood. He has not driven it or started it in over 4 years. I cannot walk into my garage because of the parts, extra seats, assorted attachments, tires, and a very extensive collection of rims for this TransAm. He says he's going to restore his car 'someday'. Until then, my garage stays cluttered.

He won't throw away anything that can possibly be recycled, whether it's metal, plastic or glass. That would be wonderful if he actually took these items to the recycler. Instead, they clutter until he can take apart said items, salvaging the recyclable metals, plastics and glass.

Don't get me started on the restaurant-sized cans of peaches, tomatoes, and fruit cocktail (???) that he bought at a dollar store 6 years ago that he swears he'll use, and that he swears are still good. He also won't take those monsters out of my cabinets and put them in the basement because if they're down there, how will he remember to eat them? ( :confused: ) His pride and joy, however, is a box of pasta....yes, a box of pasta. When I first moved into his home I was cleaning out the kitchen cabinets, and found a green box labeled 'Kraft Spaghetti Dinner'. Inside there is a can of pasta sauce, another can of parmesan cheese, and dried spaghetti about 8" in length. Anyone remember those? I realized those things aren't made anymore. I turned the box over...it expired in 1979. He had moved that box with his kitchen supplies since college in Cleveland...from Ohio to Texas to New Mexico to Seattle. Just never got around to fixing it!! Now he won't let me throw it away, 'cause 'it's a collector's item and he can sell it on Ebay'. See why I fell in love with this man!? :rolleyes:

[lindrusso]

Ohmigosh Jewel - that is just too funny! I thought my hubby was bad, but he doesn't even come close! However, my son is showing these sorts of tendencies, but he's too young to fight about it, so I just try to keep the chaos somewhat organized!

Now going to the other extreme, has anyone seen those minimalist homes on HGTV? These homes are way beyond controlling clutter - they have NOTHING in them! Actually, they are just very well-adapted to having things stored out of sight (a place for everything and everything in its place). These places have very little furniture, very few things hanging on the wall, etc. They look quite institutional and, in my opinion, devoid of anything that makes a place a home!

Now, I could stand to get rid of a few items, but I could never go that far! Except when I'm dusting....then suddenly I can see the beauty in minimalism ;) ....

[Gail]

I'll just put ditto marks on Emily's answer. Some things I keep, others I don't. And the sentimental things tend to hang on.

My husband, however, has the totally bizarre habit of keeping empty boxes-- one never knows when an item may need to be shipped back to the company for repair, after all! Never mind that he's in sales and we have boxes of samples in here as it is, or that the UPS guy seems to be bringing more on a daily basis-- we are awash in a sea of boxes. Boxes and papers. Ah, yes. (sigh)

My system for getting rid of things accumulated is simple. I pick up the item and ask myself "how many times have you thought about this item in the past year?" If the answer is zero, it gets tossed.

[Shirley Panek]

I must admit that I live in a messy house. There are still moving boxes in my house, and we moved here last April!

However , that being said, I am trying to get a handle on this mess I live in. I am trying to "simplify my life", but (like lindrusso) I am a procrastinator. (Like, why am I on this board when I could be throwing stuff away?)

My husband is completely the opposite. When he was in college he had an '80-something 2-door Honda Prelude. He would put his nightstand, stereo, and clothes in his car - anything that wouldn't fit would get tossed. AAAACk! :eek: What if you forgot something important? Like that essay test in history you got an A+ on, but if you went and read it now you wouldn't have any idea what it meant? (See what I mean about being a pack rat?)

Oh, well. I'm sure it will get done. Someday. Before I die. Hopefully before my children go to college. :D

Shirley

[Shirley Panek]

Thanks for the big laugh!

:D

[Jewel]

Originally posted by Gail
My husband, however, has the totally bizarre habit of keeping empty boxes-- one never knows when an item may need to be shipped back to the company for repair, after all!

Oh Gail...Didn't I mention the boxes? Our basement is exactly the same floor plan as our house. 1250 sq ft upstairs of living area, 1250 sq ft downstairs in an unfinished daylight basement. At least 600 to 700 square feet of that daylight basement is filled with boxes and the assorted packing materials that fill them. His family is in PA, my family is in CA and we're in WA, so at Christmas those boxes come in handy, but why do we need so many? When I posed this important question to him, his answer was:

"For when we sell all that stuff on Ebay!!" :rolleyes:

[Julia1Pin]

Originally posted by lindrusso
Talking about buying CL annuals and throwing away vs. keeping the magazines made me want to ask this question. I'm not exactly a pack rat, but the clutter I do have makes me crazy! For me, cluttered house = cluttered mind! Therefore, in the interest of sanity, I am undertaking major efforts to unclutter (declutter??) my life. However, since I am Senior Procrastinator, this project has been underway for a couple of years ;) .


My house is pretty minimalist (no knick knacks/chochki's), but I do hate throwing things away. So, like Lindrusso, I have been slowly trying to go through boxes/rooms/closets, and throw things away.

But it's SOOO hard!!

[Julia1Pin]

Originally posted by Shirley Panek
I must admit that I live in a messy house. There are still moving boxes in my house, and we moved here last April!
Shirley

Shirley -

Sadly, I have you beat. I have a couple of boxes from last Labor days move. Hopefully, I'll get to them by this Labor Day.:o

[Alisa]

Jewel,
Thanks for the most excellent laugh! Why don't you pile all of that stuff in front of the computer soneday, and when he comes home, tell him he can have his dinner {his very favorite dish which you've thoughtfully prepared) as soon as he's posted it all on Ebay!!! Hee Hee.

My husband has similar traits, what floors me the most is his collection of old, ratty, falling apart, no longer fitting T-shirts - many from his military college days....they're for painting he says. How often does he paint the house? Why does he need 15 shirts to do it in? We DO have a washing machine...Argh!

[KValley]

Originally posted by Gail
My husband, however, has the totally bizarre habit of keeping empty boxes--

HEY, I RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!

Empy boxes, too, may be neatly stacked and organized according to size and potential purpose (moving, gifts, mailing). Many in our household come labeled and stuffed with newspaper from previous moves. It makes the next go-round of moving so much simpler. :D :D :D

Jewel- you are the Goddess of Patience. I read your post and I could feel my chest constricting, breathing become shallow and labored, in a clutter panic attack! (Really, thanks for the giggle!)

[Grace]

Is there a difference between clutter and just keeping things? My husband put me in the second category (fairly cluttered - because I keep lots of stuff), but I put myself in the third category (use it or lose it). To me, clutter is useless stuff lying all around that you have to step over, around, through, etc. Like you can't find the table top, or there's no place to set your glass down. Or you can't find anything when you want it/need it.

I do keep lots of stuff (all my CL's, of course! And a few other cooking magazines I collect, and books, and all my old birthday/christmas cards, kitchen tools/gadgets, pictures, etc. etc.), but everything is organized and PUT AWAY. So to me, therefore, it doesn't qualify as CLUTTER. I have every kitchen gadget/toy/tool known to man, but again, I have a specific spot for each and every item, and I can go to it and find it in two seconds - no digging, searching, tearing the place apart in search of it. It's all organized. So is my briefcase, desk, etc. My co-workers laugh at my briefcase because it is absolutely PACKED, but they don't laugh when we're out at an appointment together, and the client asks, "Do you have.....?" I can always produce it with no searching. "Why, YES I DO!" is my reply! My co-worker's typical response is, "Yes, we have that - I'll have to get that for you and send it/fax it to you". Is my briefcase CLUTTERED because I have so much stuff in it? Or is it not cluttered because it's all organized......hmmmm....

[SusieO]

I wasn't sure if I should answer this poll with the way I am, or the way I want to be. I confess to being a pack rat, and I married another pack rat, so our tiny condo is very cluttered. :o

The Simple Living Guide offers excellent advice on de-cluttering. I'm trying to overcome my clutter problem. Now if I can only work on DH's "collections". . .

[BosunsWife]

Well, as a military family who have moved five times in the last 7 years, we tend to get rid of anything that hasn't been used since the last time we moved. We are only allowed a certain amount of pounds for moving. My DH is an E7 with two dependands (me and DD), we are allowed around 12,000 (without looking at our last move papers) pounds for moving. Anything over that we have to pay out of our own pocket - NOT!

We have the necessities in furniture and other household goods. DH often comments on what I deem to be necessities in the kitchen and I tell him, "well, you like what I make don't you so just be quiet". We don't have a lot of knicknacks, but have a lot of framed prints and pictures. We generally try and buy one piece of artwork specific to the area in which we have lived. My Hawaii piece has already been purchased - DH brought back an original piece of tapa cloth from Samoa with a sea turtle print on it. I had it framed in a Koa wood frame - talk about pricy! But other than our art collection, we don't accrue a lot of things. We put all of our winter clothing and a lot of our outdoor equipment in storage back in CT when we moved here. Needless to say I don't need snow boots and a ski parka here LOL! When we move back to the mainland after our tour here is finished, we will have that shipment sent on to our new residence.

Now, as for DH - packrat of the worst kind. When we are moving, I just conveniently "lose" things LOL! Like all those stupid tshirts that he has - man he has some really disgusting ones from taverns in Alaska when he was stationed up there sans wife. Somehow a lot of them found the garbage can when we moved here. Gee, honey, maybe they got put in the long term storage boxes - NOT.

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by BosunsWife
When we are moving, I just conveniently "lose" things LOL!

I must admit that I haven't yet done this with my hubby (but those underwear with the big holes sure tempt me to do it!!), but I do this with my kids all the time. When they are off at school, I go through all their small toys - you know, the cheap stuff you get from McDonald's or birthday parties - and I throw out anything I know they don't play with. One time I almost filled a kitchen garbage bag full! And they never even notice......but if I had them do it themselves, they'd MAYBE part with five toys a piece!! Terrrible, but necessary!

[BlueMoose]

Originally posted by lindrusso


I must admit that I haven't yet done this with my hubby (but those underwear with the big holes sure tempt me to do it!!), but I do this with my kids all the time. When they are off at school, I go through all their small toys - you know, the cheap stuff you get from McDonald's or birthday parties - and I throw out anything I know they don't play with. One time I almost filled a kitchen garbage bag full! And they never even notice......but if I had them do it themselves, they'd MAYBE part with five toys a piece!! Terrrible, but necessary!

Alysha...

I'm planning on doing that when my dd starts preK in a couple of weeks! I hate all that little junk! I've had a lot of it put away at the top of her shelves for some time now, hoping it will be "out of sight, out of mind". They sure do have a good memory for remembering every little piece of junk they've ever had, though, don't they?!

Chrisi

[beacooker]

I have a similar problem to many of the other people - I'm fairly clutter-free, but DH is very clutter-ful. The computer I am using is in is office, and I am lucky that today there was a convenient junk-free path from the door to the computer. Some days I have to kind of hop over things. Of course, being 5 months pregnant, I have started just stepping on the junk (mostly papers and empty software boxes) rather than hopping over them, and he can't really complain. Hmm, hence my nice path today? Software boxes seem to be DH's greatest downfall. Before our move a year ago, I had to very patiently and supportively help him to throw away some software boxes from software that was way cool on a 386 with Windows 3.1 (in other words, really old software that probably wouldn't run on any of our computers today). Jewel, at least your DH can come up with some sort of excuse why he can't part with his stuff - mine can't come up with any sort of plausible reason, 'because I want them' is the only reason I get!

He also used to like to keep the box for every item we ever bought, but I just started pitching them without asking.

My MIL drives me nuts with the knick-knacks she's always buying me!! For one, I am not much of a knick-knack person. I do like to have some decorative objects, but very few, so the ones I have need to be something I really like. Two, she doesn't even buy things that match my house. Three, most of the knick-knacks she buys me are some sort of candle-holder. I have an almost phobic fear of fires, so I rarely light candles. I can guarantee she has never seen a candle burning in my house. (Uh-oh, maybe thats the problem!) How many candleholders can one person possibly need? She also likes to buy me a new set of towels about every year. In colors that totally don't match my bathrooms. Argggh! She really is a wonderful person, and means the best, but I think that she really buys me this stuff because she sees it, its on sale or something, and she doesn't need this crap in her house, but its so much fun to bargain shop, so who can she give it to?

Oh, and I totally relate to Jennett's comment about freebies - I usually try to pass them up. The lady in the hair salon just about died a few weeks ago because I was buying a hair product I like to use, and she showed me that there was a special package of that product with a free hairspray. Well, I rarely use hair spray, and this one was called 'Hard Head' or something very un-appealing like that, so I told the lady I didn't want it. She couldn't believe it, and kept trying to explain to me that it was FREE. I finally told her 'crap is crap, whether its free or I pay for it' (ok, I wasn't in a good mood that day)

OK, off to de-clutter my house some more!

[BlueMoose]

LOL...what is it about men saving boxes? I finally forced my DH to get rid of all of our computer boxes when the computer was two years old.

Next year when we have a garage sale I'm going to get rid of all the stuff he saved out of the pile from last year's garage sale which he has not touched since.

He also refuses to get rid of an Apple IIC circa 1985 and all the software that goes with it. I think I'll put that out for "clean up week" next spring.

[lindrusso]

I must confess that it's my husband that makes me get rid of boxes! Now I don't keep boxes from defunct software, but I did generate quite a collection of packing boxes. We did compromise and I got rid of about half. It's really not a large collection - I just couldn't get hubby to understand that I wanted to recycle the boxes and have them on hand instead of having to run to the post office every time I needed to send a package!

I hear you all on the freebie stuff! Just because it's free doesn't make it good! I try to stay away from the freebies in general, but there are several places online that you can order freebies that are pretty good! I got many snack items for the kids - but I tend to get the things that can actually be consumed. I certainly don't need another mug, key chain, t-shirt or votive holder!! I even try to avoid winning door prizes at events - I just know it will be just one more item to add to the garage sale pile!

Freebies especially drive me crazy at charitable events - I'd rather that they keep the t-shirts and baseball hats and somehow turn it into more money for the charity.

[Missi]

Oh, gosh, seems like I am definately in the minority. I am a horrible pack rat that keeps things that make no logical sense to keep!!!!! Clutter is taking over my life and I KNOW that I need to get a handle on it, especially before I have children (and turn them into packrats!) I try to throw stuff out and then I end up hearing that little voice that says "you will need that someday and then what will you do". I can't decide what is the reason I am like this (degree in Psych, so I also over analyze everything, but alas, that is another topic). I did read Simple Living Guide and am coming to the realization that less clutter=less stress. I would start a topic asking for help/suggestions, but I already know the answer "THROW IT AWAY"!!!! Oh, well, perhaps there is a support group for myself and Jewel's DH!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[Jodi]

Funny you should mention support groups, Missi. I recently proofread a book about clutter, and there were quite a few. I'm trying -- unsuccessfully -- to remember the names of a couple offhand. Clutterers Anonymous, maybe?

This topic is so timely for me, because DH and I are getting ready to move in a few weeks, so the packing nightmares have begun. I moved a lot growing up, so I tend to throw a lot of things away. At the same time, though, I just cna't seem to part with certain random things. For example, I have EVERY piece of artwork my godson has ever given me. Ever. (My mom tells me this is something I'll clearly need to get over once I have kids of my own because there's no way to save EVERYthing. I say, we'll see!!)

Also, my job of editor and writer creates a lot of excess stuff in the way of piles of paper. The nature of the beast, I guess.

Before we got married, DH was bachelor minimalist like I'd never known before: bed, dresser, couch, TV (on his dresser -- no stand), 1 plate, 1 bowl, 1 pot, 1 glass, and boxes of plastic silverware. I'd never seen anything like it!!

[lindrusso]

Originally posted by Jodi
For example, I have EVERY piece of artwork my godson has ever given me. Ever. (My mom tells me this is something I'll clearly need to get over once I have kids of my own because there's no way to save EVERYthing. I say, we'll see!!)

Oh, this is something else I must do when my kids aren't looking. They create sooo much artwork that it really is impossible to save it all. They will take a crayon, scribble on a piece of paper and then expect me to cherish it always. Now I do cherish their artwork, but not every scribble! So, I must dipose of these scribbles when they are not looking so they won't be hurt! One preschool teacher would even send home the little tiny scraps of papers that my son had created while learning to use scissors - I like to save things, but do I really need cut up scraps of paper??? I always thought that was a little odd!

[Little Bit]

All the stuff I have that I make the trouble to pack and take with me when I move is filled with memories. See that shiny steel kettle? I got it in Raleigh, at Tuesday Morning. Every time I use it I remember the cozy times I'd have at my friend Patricia's wonderful old house, drinking something hot on a winter's day, playing with her rabbits, talking about the trips we'd like to take, the meals we'd love to try, the time we took that wrong turn on the way to Southport and laughed ourselves silly about it.
Sure, it's just a kettle, and it'll bite the dust one day, but it's also a bit of remembrance, right there on my kitchen counter. :)

[guavagirl]

count me as an anti-clutterite, but i confess that i do not always walk the talk.

my grandmother, a farmer's wife (and why shoudn't they have titles unto themselves, eh?), is a modest pack rat -- mostly sentimental stuff. and here is how she blessed me with this habit:

my mother passed away when i was a young girl. prior to that , she wrote to her MIL on a highly regular basis, documenting her life and the lives of her two kids and husband. grandma saved every letter and just recently passed them (or copies of them) on to me. what a truly amazing, wonderful, heart-wrenching gift!

[food girl]

I count myself as a total minimalist, but my husband says that I have some pack-rat tendencies.

I cannot stand knick-knacks unless they are truely unique like the pots my father brought me from Machu Pichu or the tiny replica of my deceased grandfathers home that he made when he was in a TB hospital (the window "glass" is his x-ray film).

Our house is 91 years old and closets are sparse and small. I simply can not keep clothes that I don't wear regularly.

I only buy white sheets (we have 2 sets) and white towels.

I fantasize about our house burning down and moving into a loft with a just a futon, all of my kitchen gadgets and only white, black and khaki clothes.
What is wrong with me?

DH points out the 4 bicycles in the foyer of our house, the recipes cliped to the 'fridge door and . . . well. . . the art supplies are out of hand. Does any one need any nice, original art? We have it lurking behind every door and we have tons of mat board and foam core under our bed - need anything framed??

I guess we all have our dirty little secrets.

Lisa

[vstowe]

I moved 2 years ago and I was so proud of my myself my house has almost been clutter free. WELLLLLLLLLLLLL, I just found out where all my clutter is, in the storage building! And I have to clean it out in the next month:(

[MKSquared]

I firmly believe that the tendency to minimize directly corresponds to the number of times you've moved. I've moved each August for the past 5 years (being a college student does that to some people), and each time, I've amassed more furniture, but dropped a fair amount of "stuff."

My BF, on the other hand, has moved once. He, too, saves all empty boxes (golf clubs, computer, PS2) from all of the "toys" he buys. I begged him to take down the movie posters decorating the living room, and to take down the plaques he received in band in high school. (Being a smart guy, he did.) Now he's moved on to "fine art" -- there are no less than 12 Van Gogh posters hanging on the walls. None of them are framed.

I suppose it's a start.

Now we're officially moving in together -- I'm a little bit worried. He's already making plans on where to put all of his baseball cards.

(Do they ever grow out of this stage?)

[Bakerwoman]

We still have about two hundred albums, at least an equal number of books, and alot of bulky stero equipment from the 70's. It is difficult for my husband to part with any of this stuff, he is even talking about getting a new turntable!

I am trying to reduce clutter going forward by using the library more often, and thinking carefully about purchases. It is also important to purge outgrown kidstuff on a regular basis. I try to be careful about what actually goes in the basement, and there is nothing in the attic.

Living with someone who finds it difficult to get rid of stuff can be a challenge. I, too, have gotten rid of college textbook and computer monitors. You just can't keep it all!

I have acquired several kitchen appliances this year: a bread machine, a pizza peel and stone, a waffle iron, and a George Foreman grill. I use every one of them, but they do take up space, and the overflow is now in my dining room.

Having things costs in terms of time and space. It is my goal to live efficiently, both in tems of the house I live in and the car I drive, but not to acquire things I don't really need, unless they are family heirlooms, or it's a cooking gadget! And, of course....no parting with the CL's, it is the only magazine I keep, but has been a wonderful, treasured resource for me!

[lhall]

Ok, I voted fairly clutter free, but I HAVE A LOT OF STUFF.

I try to keep things organized. I do have notes, papers, etc from college/grad school, but they are organized in a closet. I will go through closets periodically and get rid of stuff I don't use/need.

THROW OUT OLD CLs:eek: I think not! I have those magazine holders for each year I own, and they are all in the kitchen. Of course I'm running out of room and I need to label them. I even look up recipes in them. I generally know what issue something is in by the picture on the cover.

I have knick knacks and tons of stuff on the kitchen counter, but it is stuff I use.
I don't have a lot of patience for the little scraps of paper, junk mail, and pennies DH leaves on the counter or kitchen table. I like to keep things put away. Even my cabinets, drawers, closets are organized. I keep a certain number of old boxes, some for value some for presents, but there is a limit. Things like my one Lladro are always more valuable if you have the box. I lived in a VERY small apartment in college and if things weren't put away you couldn't move.

Now, MIL keeps a hospital spotless house, and I know I will NEVER live up to her clean everything in the house at least once a week if it needs it or not standard. But, she keeps a lot of stuff I never would, and in some ways is not as organized. She keeps those butter,coolwhip tubs and expects us to take like 5 of them full of leftovers everytime we are at their house. I refuse to keep these. I don't have anywhere to put them so out they go!

But her refrigerator! I mean she has 2 and a chest freezer, but I'm bet you $10.00 you couldn't get an additional item as big as a carton of ice cream in any of her freezers. She's got all these little things in them, and if I try to put something as small as a freezer pack for a bottle cooler in her freezer 2 or 3 things fall out! We won't talk about what her cabinets look like, and she must have towel from the 60's!

Leigh

[HDgirl]

I am fairly clutter free (I will save sentimental things)...my only issues are paperwork/mail that I procrastinate about. We live in "this small space" so it keeps us honest. And as far as SO goes....two words DUMP PERMIT. He will pitch stuff w/o asking...like HE gets to decide what needs to go!