I Have a Problem Throwing Away Stuff...

[SamIchi]

And I'm sure there's many other. I collect the most useless stuff. Like I'm actually goin to need it someday. I got these tubes of candy (chocolate covered gummies, awesome stuff, i think it's japanese), they are just everywhere. I got this huge box of reciepts. I keep my reciepts from everywhere, the market, gas station, anywhere. Stupid magazines, like even the store issued ones like Eastbay, and TigerDirect. I got all my schoolwork since as long as I can remember. Useless used cds, and promotional cds (AOL etc..).

Well you get the point, I just wanted to talk about this cause I got a small room, and there are just boxes everywhere just full of this crap. I've noticed I don't clean my room anymore, I just organize everything in their correct piles. I gotta learn to let go.

 

[Macaddicttt]

I bet your room is a firetrap.

 

[rye9]

Oh yeah, I know lots of people like that... you're def. not alone.

 

[Koodauw]

I am just the opposite, anything that I haven't used in 3 months gets pitched and or sold. I can't stand having all that stuff just sittin around if I have no use for it. Out with the old, in with the new.

 

[rye9]

I am just the opposite, anything that I haven't used in 3 months gets pitched and or sold. I can't stand having all that stuff just sittin around if I have no use for it. Out with the old, in with the new.

I wish my family would think that way.... my house is cluttered beyond belief. 😀

 

[2nyRiggz]

I had the same problem....until i moved in with my friends and now all i have is a room so i haul everything in the trash thats not important.

Best way to solve this problem......move into a smaller space

Bless

 

[Lyle]

I gotta learn to let go.

Take my advice and start giving and/or throwing away all of that stuff. It took me literally most of 2005 to go through all of my accumulated files and look at each thing, piece by piece, and ask myself, "Why exactly am I hanging on to this?" But I think I've finally got the clutter under control.

 

[SamIchi]

I had the same problem....until i moved in with my friends and now all i have is a room so i haul everything in the trash thats not important.

Best way to solve this problem......move into a smaller space

Bless

I think my room is small enough. Probably around 100 sq ft.

 

[Temujin]

And I'm sure there's many other. I collect the most useless stuff. Like I'm actually goin to need it someday. I got these tubes of candy (chocolate covered gummies, awesome stuff, i think it's japanese), they are just everywhere. I got this huge box of reciepts. I keep my reciepts from everywhere, the market, gas station, anywhere. Stupid magazines, like even the store issued ones like Eastbay, and TigerDirect. I got all my schoolwork since as long as I can remember. Useless used cds, and promotional cds (AOL etc..).

Well you get the point, I just wanted to talk about this cause I got a small room, and there are just boxes everywhere just full of this crap. I've noticed I don't clean my room anymore, I just organize everything in their correct piles. I gotta learn to let go.

You should really start getting rid of some of your stuff. Pick a sunday afternoon and get it over with. Save all your personal and important stuff, pictures, letters whatever. You should keep your old schoolwork. You'll love looking back at it someday. I keep mine.
Get rid of everything with the taste of commercialism. Your AOL CD's, old tickets and recites your never going to need again. And be critical, you really won't need the stuff, and will never miss it when it's gone.

Getting rid of all your stuff will give you more energy and make you more happy. Your room will seem bigger and be more pleasant to stay in.
Letting go is crucial if you want to move on to better things.

 

[RedTomato]

I had the same problem. My flat was stacked full of boxes of stuff I couldn't throw away.

I had 12 PC cases stacked on top of the fridge in the kitchen.

Then I got a new girlfriend who had her own business, and I started learning a new language. I was very impressed with the way she did her stuff, so I started throwing away stuff.

It took 3 years, and I'm still going through the last few boxes, but I guess I've thrown / given away / recycled / charity-shopped about 90% of everything I own.

It's amazing how much more space I have now. And a lot more possiblities have opened up in my life and artistic career.

Some examples of what I got rid of:

- 8 bin bags full of clothes (I have one rail and one drawer of clothes now)
- 14 PCs (mostly broken!) I only have a laptop and a B+W G3 now.
- about 1500 books (had to accept that the ones which I've read, I'm not gonna read again, and the ones I haven't read, I'm never gonna read. Down to my last 300 books now.)
- 50 posters.
- 3 chests of drawers.
- 6 chairs.
- 3 bookcases
- 5 boxes of fabrics.
- 3 bikes (my last bike got stolen recently - I don't miss it)
- about 2 skips full of 'art' stuff - mostly strange stuff that I found somewhere and dragged back home with the vague idea of making 'artwork' out of it.
11 CCTV camera cases
10 shelf metres of folders and files full of various things like newspaper clippings or flyers or handouts.
2 microwaves.

Basically my guidelines were:

- keep stuff that I'd personally made.
- if I hadn't made something but it had real personal value, I tried to cut off a little bit, keep that, and junk the rest.
- only keep the best quality stuff. Junk the rubbish.
- keep something small and get rid of the large stuff.
- don't obsess about trying to sell stuff - sometimes just giving it away gets you a better return than trying to sell it.
- charity-shop any clothes that I hadn't worn in a year.
- buy less, buy smaller, and buy better quality. (I dumped my PC and brought a powerbook.)
- concentrate on getting rid of the bigger things first.
- get rid of any 'projects' that I hadn't touched in a year.

Took a long time but really changed my life.

My place looks seriously minimalist now - clean white carpet, white curtains, pine furnishings, red sofa, big pine desk with nothing on it except my Powerbook...

(and a pile of toys in the corner for my baby daughter 🙂 )

.. RedTomato ..

 

[CompUser]

I believe you have OCD in the form of hoarding.

Seriously

 

[thedude110]

I gotta learn to let go.

No you don't! Without your instincts we wouldn't have historians, archivists -- museums!

We are peopled by our objects. Plus, the longer you hold them, the less of a commodity they become.

So really, you're enacting a mild, anit-capitalist revolution in your room. Down with identity and simulacra! The longer you hold onto your receipts, the less of a consumer you become!

Seriously. Remake yourself in the image of your objects outside of their capitalist identities.

And keep saving stuff.

 

[cycocelica]

I hate clutter, as I am already a messy person. I throw away things the moment I know I won't need it. If I do end up needing it again, I buy it again (as long as it is not expensive).

 

[Applespider]

- about 1500 books (had to accept that the ones which I've read, I'm not gonna read again, and the ones I haven't read, I'm never gonna read. Down to my last 300 books now.)

Now that I couldn't do. I'll throw out other stuff... but not my books. Well, not til they're successfully 'ripped' to my future Bookpod but then again, I think I've probably reread many of my books... and probably will again.

I'm ruthless on occasion (used to be better when I was renting flats and moving every year or so) but there have been a few times, I've regretted throwing out/giving away a couple of items in the future (like my first Mac, which I kept for 10 years in its original box... before finally tossing it, 3 months before I switched back to Macs)

 

[jefhatfield]

I am just the opposite, anything that I haven't used in 3 months gets pitched and or sold. I can't stand having all that stuff just sittin around if I have no use for it. Out with the old, in with the new.

you are my role model 😉

my timeline should be 3 months but it's about 15 months...i used to keep much older stuff, from 2-5 years old, but i tossed or recycled it all

my high school work and undergraduate college work...all tossed

business receipts from 2003 and before...all tossed

clothes bought before 2002...all tossed

any old food in frig...all tossed

two old macs (040 machine and beige G3), one old pentium II PC, and a couple of 1999 era laptops...yes, i should toss those but i kept those...plus photo albums and many CDs and DVDs i know i will never listen to or watch again...but i did get rid of all my jr high and high school yearbooks

 

[SamIchi]

Ahhh it's so hard... I just looked over and saw a little tin where I keep used erasers from mechanical pencils! What's wrong with me? OK I'm goin to throw those away, I think...

 

[Deepdale]

I believe you have OCD in the form of hoarding.

Having seen a show in which hoarding was the subject of discussion, this pattern of behavior as described in the OP really does seem to fit that type of disorder.

 

[Applespider]

I have a friend who used to be overwhelmed by paper - bills and receipts.

She now scans them in to her Mac and dumps the originals (unless they are guarantees). She's now got an Automator action that deletes those over 3 years old.

 

[iGav]

She now scans them in to her Mac and dumps the originals (unless they are guarantees). She's now got an Automator action that deletes those over 3 years old.

Wow. That's really anal. 😱 😛

 

[jadekitty24]

I'm a packrat myself. I recently got fed up with never being able to find the stuff I need because all the stuff I don't need is in my way. I've recently been culling through everything, basically one room at a time. I'm going to adopt the motto "Out with the old, in with the new" as well.

 

[CoMpX]

I keep receipts for my checking account, but I will throw away those probably after a few months to make room for new ones.

I keep all my schoolwork, because I think it's something I will like to look at when I'm older. I have a system in school. The right side of all my folders is stuff we are currently working on. The left side is all of the papers that have been grading.

Every month I go through all my folders and remove all of the graded papers from the left, and anything on the right that we are not currently working on. I then placee it all in a dedicated spot in my closet. I have probably saved about 15 pounds off my back in papers alone!

 

[SamIchi]

I keep receipts for my checking account, but I will throw away those probably after a few months to make room for new ones.

I keep all my schoolwork, because I think it's something I will like to look at when I'm older. I have a system in school. The right side of all my folders is stuff we are currently working on. The left side is all of the papers that have been grading.

Every month I go through all my folders and remove all of the graded papers from the left, and anything on the right that we are not currently working on. I then placee it all in a dedicated spot in my closet. I have probably saved about 15 pounds off my back in papers alone!

I can ususally keep the same folder for the semester and it willl be packed full of papers. I just put it in a box after that. But yea, I do the same thing with the graded papers and what not.