We at one time had *three* storage units. We paid the rental on two of them for more than a decade, because we had no storage at home. Maybe once a year we would pull something out to use, but that's money ill spent--most of that stuff got sold or donated, eventually. And I will perform a spectacular tantrum if renting another is ever suggested.

H has the "this might be useful" thing--but with him, it's true. Still. He's never going to get around to everything he's saved parts and materials for. He's just spent three days (and is far from finished) sorting and storing and arranging the interior of his workshop, after five years of just chucking things inside when he's finished with a project and scrambling to find what he needed for the next project. It had gotten to the point of buying tools he knew he had but either couldn't find or needed immediately--and those were the replacements for tools he'd had for years, buried somewhere in the depths.

It might be beyond hope for him to include "Putting shit away afterward" as *part* of each project, but I'm going to keep suggesting it. Who knows? "It could happen" - Judy Tenuda.

I confess to "collecting" things--pens, inks, single teacup and saucer sets, teapots. But I do use them all, and if I run across something I don't have and want, I weigh how much I want and will use it against the things I already have. I'm gradually divesting my pens, as handwriting is increasingly difficult. And to be honest, "I already have all the pretty teacups." I rarely see anything I like better than the ones I already have.

I've also stopped buying every blank book I covet--in fact I frequently send visitors home with a few from the stockpile I've built over the years, since I'm facing the fact *I'll* never fill them all.

But still, I do have to fight the urge to acquire things I love. I have two chopping blocks, one hard rock maple edge grain, one bamboo, four paddle boards, two of which are marquetry teak, a meat cutting board, mid-century Dansk teak, a slab for cutting or chopping made of exotic woods by a former co-worker, two small oak sandwich boards, and a pig-shaped board made eons ago by StE in shop class.

I'm currently pining because I left a large paddle board with metric conversions engraved on one side, and a smaller paddle board with a gorgeous shape behind in NC for StY to use. And I'm upset that I can find neither my brand new, nor my well-used rock maple bread kneading boards (I think they're in the shop, still packed from the move).

Which is so viciously ironic, because H does all the cooking, and he uses one of two plastic cutting boards, never a wooden one.

Mmm, kneading boards.

I'm not even going to start on my hoarding-esque issues. It is too much. I will say that clutter and crowded rooms do not bother me. I find them obscurely comforting, tbh. Any advice that tells me how much better I will feel if I'm in a tidy environment gets big old eyerolls.

My DH's family is close to hoarding. They "collect." If they like something, they want ALL of it.

This, sadly, is Pete and me. But starting this weekend, I am decluttering one area at a time each weekend. I'm starting small (the corner of the library that is now a graveyard of unfinished projects), but my goal is that by the end of summer, everything of mine has been sorted and culled.

(And you guys, I have been SO good about not adding to my stacks and stacks of vintage gothic romances. There have been so many great covers I've seen from my favorite used bookseller. But no, I have restrained myself.)

Sadly, I have a storage shed in my back yard but don't really use it. Anything stored in there but metal or plastic would quickly mold and mildew here in east Texas. I suppose I could raise roaches. I think my predecessors used it for gardening stuff, but I use a mowing service.

If anyone wants to come to Bryan, Texas, disassemble it and haul it away, that would be fine by me.

I keep too many clothes. And electronically I hoard books and photos and music. But otherwise no. Partly I think so much travel (knowing I'll be fine with laptop and suitcase and hotel room) and partly parental overconsumption. But I do like to be the one who doesn't run out of batteries or toilet paper or whatever. So it's a bit of overbuying. But I would be fine getting rid of most of it, I just don't bother?

It took having my own costume shop for me to stop hanging on to clothes-but when I was an amateur costume designer, I usually regretted getting rid of things. There is one red wool LL bean sweater that I had in high school that I could have used 100 times and I got rid of, and I still regret it. Now I take things like that to the costume shop, and when we run low on storage I have so much more experience in getting rid of things that will never be used and getting rid of things that are easily and cheaply replaceable. So I don't hang onto tones of white dress shirts that were cheap to begin with and get yellow with age, but a vintage shirt with an interesting pattern or color gets kept. Before I had the costume shop, I had a whole second bedroom full of potential costumes. I wish I could leave the job and still have access to the storage and the work facilities because I would like to do independent things again.

Mom has too much stuff. I don't have much stuff. I don't have room for it. And I have some stuff in Florida in storage. Things I'm hoping I can get up here so o can go through it all.

I have collecting tendencies but between the moving , limited space and money it's been curtailed on some ways.

Also I really like Tiny houses. I think I want to live in one someday.

Hoardish family members are good warning systems for me. Cleaning out my parents' place multiple times was definitely inspirational. Now I'm down to one smallish box of my mother's stuff, and a photo album of Dad's photos.

In a total change of subject: Here is a marvelous political filk set to The Room Where it Happens: [link]

Timelies all!

The only thing I tend to hold on to in significant quantities is books. Of course, I'm small potatoes compared to many of my friends.(One of whom quipped that he was saving for his retirement.)

I will say that clutter and crowded rooms do not bother me. I find them obscurely comforting, tbh.

I understand this. It's like having a big hug from your history.

I saw a story a while back that showed memory-impaired people suddenly telling detailed stories about their pasts when they had their mementos handy. I didn't argue about Hubby hanging on to things because seeing them would trigger his memory, which had taken some damage over the years.