Poll: Hold on or let go?

butterflygrooves

I'm getting the last of our stuff put away tonight and have noticed a big difference between J and I in the way we hold on to or let go of stuff (i.e. stuff we don't use or don't need anymore). I began to wonder how everyone else handles this and thought it would make an interesting poll. Do you... [Poll]

2moms2twins

i said let go ... especially since DOS BABIES arrived we have crap M is a crafter so we have stuff LOTS OF stuff .. I LIKE TO THROW AWAY ...somethings are worth keeping but most i like to toss...

Sadly, the girls are 6 mo and I am ready to pass on their newborn stuff M is horrified ... i will keep some outfitts that were super meaningful but her mind set is what about another baby ... 

uggg... 

 

- J

TaylorandMel

I tried to answer this last night, but then the bump went down.  Grr.

 

Anyway, we just did some MAJOR rearranging of our house so that each baby could have their own bedroom.  This also meant tht alot of our storage areas will be No longer.  We wet thru and got rid of 2 outside garbage cans full of stuff and 2 FULL car loads to Goodwill.  

If I hadn't used it in 6-12 months or didn't think I would use it in the next couple months--it was out.  I say let it go.  Some stuff we got rid of was totally garage-sale-able but storing it until garage sale time seemed overwhelming.  Goodwill by our house got some nice stuff. 

Kershnic

We struggle daily against our hoarder tendencies.  We both seem to have sentimental attachment to stuff, and a strong frugal sense of "what if this random thing comes in useful again someday and then I want to buy it???"  We did recently get a carload of stuff to Goodwill, but we need to sort out a lot more.

2brides

It is funny how we differ in our hold/let go. I like to keep old cards/yearbooks/etc. But random crap (how many serving pieces do we need?) I am ready to get rid of in an instant. I could eliminate a lot of stuff in our house if given the chance. L doesn't keep sentimental stuff but holds on to other stuff..in case.

leapgirl8

I didn't vote, probably because I know I should vote "hold on," but I can't admit it

I do hold on to sentimental stuff - as I mentioned several times on here, I just went through all of my paperwork and reorganized it. I got rid of TONS of stuff like old bank statements and the like, but I kept all of the cards, things I'd chosen to save from school (elementary through law school!), tickets and maps from our trips, etc. I got it down to four file boxes and one small cardboard box of cards, and I was pretty proud of that - but I know a lot of people would think that's an insane amount of purely sentimental, non-useful paperwork to keep.

We do regular sweeps of the house to donate to Goodwill, and I'm gradually getting over the need to keep "stuff that might be useful someday," including clothes, kitchen gadgets, electronics, etc. My dad's side of the family has the tendency to collect and keep way too much stuff. My brother and sister are pretty much minimalists because of it, but I have to work harder at it. Fortunately we have always lived in small apartments without much storage space, which helps a lot.

Two*True

I said, "I'm special."   I LOVE purging and letting go of most things.  However I still have all my photos, friendship notes, and special toys from childhood.  It is all boxed up and stored but there is probably some of it that I should let go of.  Both K and I regularly put together bags of stuff for the Goodwill.  We have a house rule that if we bring something new in the house, something old of the same type has to leave (new shoes in, old shoes out).

2brides

Speaking of old paperwork...

When we moved 7+ years ago, L went through her office and found bank statements, bills for car insurance, credit card statements, etc from 1988-2004. I spent a week shredding the paperwork and made her promise to never to keep that stuff again.

Thankfully, with the internet and being able to pull statements, she has kept her word.