I have never been able to say no easily.  Especially to accepting bag after bag of hand-me-down items.  I have a hard time getting rid of things anyway.  "But it's so pretty" or "So-and-so gave me that".... excuse after excuse led to pile after pile.  I started cleaning out while reading the book, and have had multiple spurts afterwards as well.  I've done a pretty good job, but keeping the momentum for the task at hand is proving difficult.  I typically get busy running around and forget to…

Master Bedroom (Weekend, January 21st - 22nd)

1. Tarnished metal bookmark, from "personal items" box by bed, into garbage.
2. Half melted stick of lip balm, from "personal items" box by bed, into garbage.
3. Misc. hair clips and ornaments from container in closet.  Old, worn, and defective into the garbage; ziploc'd newer, still clean and pretty items for donation at Value Village (unique locally, in taking very small items and rebagging them as small collections, eg.,…

I have spent most of the last 8 years of my life fighting STUFF.

First my own STUFF, for a year.

Then my late mother's STUFF, for most of three years.  That's because she was exposed post-mortem as what I would now call a Class 1.5 hoarder (basically a Class 2 without pets) whose tastes unfortunately did not run to much that could simply be kicked to the curb or into recycling.

Then back to my own STUFF (including inherited) for three or four years.  Long periods of near…

I'm new to 'Throw Out Fifty Things" and finding the website, checking it out, reading the posts, articles, all... has been just the motivator I've needed to get my butt in gear. Situations beyond my control wreaked havoc on my home. I've been dragging ass for several months. Gail, and all of you are exactly what I need right now. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Does everyone have "that" cupboard? It's similar to "that" drawer in the kitchen that everyone has... The one with the dried Krazy Glue, the dead batteries, cords from 9 cell phones ago, instruction manuals to thinks you don't remember owning, twist ties, single screws, calendars from 1998, keys that go to nowhere... you know "that" drawer that acts as an orphanage to anything that will fit, even if you have to push it down with your foot before you close it. I have a cupboard. For all the…