purging/decluttering...will I regret throwing some of it out?

[Tess in the Burbs]

We just moved to a smaller house lacking in closet space. I believe we lost over 900 sq ft! It's also an open concept so my kitchen/dining living room literally has one wall. The rest is windows on one side and doors, hall, stairs on the other side.

 

I finally put the sheets/pillows/blankets into plastic tubs stacked in my room. Right now the medicine cabinet is in the hallway which dh hates.

 

I have one closet in the living room. I had planned on putting craft stuff in there. I put the scrapbook stuff in my bedroom. I hope to get some done this winter and then go digital...so I have a goal of purging the tools/paper in the spring.

 

But I have other craft stuff. I have a ton of card making supplies in a plastic drawer unit. It takes up half the closet. I haven't made cards but once this past year. I sold most of my supplies years ago. This is my bare minimum. Will I regret letting it go?

 

What about the knitting supplies dh wanted to do last winter? The cross stitch dd seems so interested in doing? These are each a small plastic tub. Then there are the musical instruments. The guitar dh never bothered to learn. The electric guitar and amp ds did one week. We will keep the piano and 2 ukulele's. But can I sell the guitar and amp and other guitar or will someone want to play in the future?

 

Then there is the sewing machine. And stuff that goes with it. The serger I have no idea how to use. I started a quilt this year. I want to finish that. But honestly, after that I want to get down to the sewing machine and little box of thread and dump the rest. I don't have time to sew. Or a place to keep it out. Who am I kidding?

 

But then I think about when I do these things...it's rare but I truly enjoy it. But at this point, it's a lot of stuff taking up the only closet in the house.

 

Don't get me started on all the stuff we put in the attic.....

 

be honest, will I regret giving all this away? :confused:

[mrsanniep]

No, you won't regret it. Not only will it clear up space, it will stop taking up mental and emotional energy.

[Momof3littles]

Here's my take. I have purged maybe 3-4 things ever that I regret giving away. Now when I purge, I give myself permission to rebuy if I absolutely miss it. For me, that's liberating. That gets rid of the massive "what ifs" when I hem and haw over things. Usually I forget about what I purged once it is out of the house. With respect to the very few items I somewhat regret giving away, I'm not sure I ever repurchased a single one of them. I just wasn't *that* compelled even though it would have been nice to still have said item around.

 

Would it work to change your thinking to it not having to be permanent? If you really miss it, you *can* rebuy most things? 99.5 percent of the time, you'll probably never give it a 2nd thought once it is gone.

Edited July 25, 2012 by Momof3littles

[regentrude]

No, you will not regret it.

[Cammie]

You will absolutely NOT regret it! It will be freeing and liberating!! And if on the off chance that someone needs something in the future you can rent, buy used, borrow, etc. The joy of having empty closets, space, and no clutter cannot be surpassed (except maybe by a man in a kilt in the middle!)

[applethyme]

You won't regret it. I do a yearly massive house purge and have only missed on or two items in the last 4 years. I regret letting unused things take up space for long periods of time more. :001_smile:

[ocelotmom]

be honest, will I regret giving all this away? :confused:

 

I suspect that, unless you have plenty of money to spare, selling the more expensive stuff rather than giving it away would be worth your time and help you feel better about it.

 

I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff you have on your list, and don't regret it. I occasionally wish I still had the serger, but not enough that I've bothered to buy another.

[Tammyla]

Oh go ahead and give yourself some space and make a little money.

[Laughing Hen]

Here's my take. I have purged maybe 3-4 things ever that I regret giving away. Now when I purge, I give myself permission to rebuy if I absolutely miss it. For me, that's liberating. That gets rid of the massive "what ifs" when I hem and haw over things. Usually I forget about what I purged once it is out of the house. With respect to the very few items I somewhat regret giving away, I'm not sure I ever repurchased a single one of them. I just wasn't *that* compelled even though it would have been nice to still have said item around.

 

Would it work to change your thinking to it not having to be permanent? If you really miss it, you *can* rebuy most things? 99.5 percent of the time, you'll probably never give it a 2nd thought once it is gone.

 

:iagree: You may miss some things occasionally, but the weight of having all that stuff gone is so worth it. BTDT. We are five living in less than 900sq/ft.

[Alyeska]

Over the years, and from move to move, I have taken at least a dozen car loads of stuff either to the dump or second hand.

 

There is only ONE thing I regret getting rid of and it was something of dd's--a piglet pillow.

 

The surger/craft supplies/knitting etc...see if a senior center wants it! You said you just started quilting, but you don't need a surger for that. (I bought and sold a surger and have been a quilter for about 12 years...)

 

Just.do.it. You will love the space and it will be so much easier to keep clean!

 

BTW, we lived in the square footage that you lost. : ) For over a decade we lived in 874 square feet. It was...um...and adventure. lol!

Edited July 25, 2012 by Alyeska

[Bassoonaroo]

You'll not miss it.

 

You might actually want to try to sell the instruments, sewing machine, etc.

 

Then donate the other stuff that is not yet trash (of course, trash is trash -- don't bother anyone with looking at it, pricing it, storing it, cleaning it up).

 

I like the idea of taking it to the senior center. Otherwise, Goodwill is fine (or a smaller, local thrift store).

 

Anyway, think of people that actually WANT the serger, guitar, those clothes, those linens, the craft supplies.

 

Items are worthless if nobody is using them (actually they are less than worthless since they require you to dust them, insure them, think about them, move them to get to the drawer under them, look bad sitting out). But items are worth a lot if someone is using them and getting joy from them!

 

Bless someone else with things that are done blessing you! You will NOT regret it.

 

It's so nice to have more closet space, clothes that are not wrinkled due to overcrowding, less time spent digging through stuff, or any sort of guilt of "I should finish..." Kiss it goodbye!

[nova mama]

Now when I purge, I give myself permission to rebuy if I absolutely miss it. For me, that's liberating.

 

Ooh! That's gooood!

[Desert Rat]

I purge lots. I've only ever regretted giving away one thing. It was a wicker coffee table that we had stored in the garage. I only used it for an extra sitting area at my bench in the kitchen during parties, maybe 3 times a year. I sold it at a yard sale. I still miss it every time I rearrange the kitchen for parties. I have something else I use but I don't like it as much.

It's the only thing in the last 20 years that I miss.

[Crimson Wife]

We've done a lot of purging during our various moves and periodically I do regret getting rid of something. The past 5 years have been pretty tight financially so I haven't been able to re-buy the items I foolishly got rid of.

 

If it's a big ticket item like a sewing machine or a serger, I wouldn't get rid of it unless you're sure you will actually be able to re-buy it if you decide you do want it later on. I've learned this the hard way :(

[Jeannie in NJ]

nope, I don't miss anything that I have thrown out, not the Beta vcr nor all the Beta tapes that it took me 20 years to convince dh that Beta is never coming back so could I please throw it out. Seriously, maybe ever once in a while I will think "Oh too bad that I threw out such and such" but the thought only lasts a moment and then I get over it.

 

I now love clean and open, free of clutter spaces. For ex. in my new redone all white kitchen all I have out are my Keurig, a cutting board that sits vertical in its stand and 2 white canisters and a red tomato shaped cookie jar that I had made (I have this out just for a little color in the all white kitchen). I keep my sharp knives in their storage unit on top of my fridge.

 

My redone living room has a sofa, end table with lamp, my computer table, a beautiful hand made small wooden bookcase with sea shells and absolutley nothing else in the room. I even got rid of all the pictures hanging on the walls and now love the look of just beautiful light ocean blue walls. I actually took down all pictures from every room except for some family pictures in the family room. I painted all my walls nice new colors and I love the look of just the color on the walls with nothing else.