You've been there ten years, Bev? Seems like you just moved.

Right? That's what I was thinking, -t.

I lost so much stuff when S. and I split up, much of it because he told me he was paying the storage bill and wasn't. And it was heartbreaking (pictures of the kids, Christmas stuff), but ever since my need to be ~light~ is incredible. I get rid of stuff all the time now, even books. If I don't wear or use it or like to look at it, it goes.

Now if I could just convince my mother to do the same.

My mom lived in the same house from '73 until her death (44 1/2 years, I'll save you the mathing). I lived elsewhere much of the time, but my bedroom stayed my bedroom and I stored a ton of stuff there even when I wasn't living there. The amount of STUFF in my house is beyond ridiculous. I've been trying to thin it out but it is SLOW going. Maybe I need a msbelle? msbelle, let me know when you need a place to stay in San Diego, mmkay?

I dread having to clean out my parents' huge house. They upsized after the kids moved out, and have been filling the house with stuff ever since. Much of it lovely, beautiful, interesting stuff (they travel a lot, my mom loves shopping for local arts & crafts, they have a bazillion books, etc.), but still. It's going to be a nightmare to go through it all.

My only blessing is that since I'm now living in the house, I can go at my own pace. If I had to do under time constraints? I don't even know how I'd handle that.

A house as small as ours should not have as much crap in it as it does. I suspect that Tim bought it solely because it has Tardis-like qualities. That's the only explanation for how we can have so much stuff.

I have a lot of stuff because I have a big house. But I don't feel super attached to most of it? My shelves of books is hard because I never read on paper now but there's bunches I can't/won't buy in ebook format. And I'm bad at clothes. Everything else, I am pretty ok with wholesale ditching and replacing if need be. I just haven't had to. But if I was moving or putting stuff in storage? Bye bye furniture and dishes and stuff!

If I can ever find the time to finish winnowing down my comic book collection, I think I can then be merciless about boxes of old magazines and other assorted crap that I haven't opened since moving in over a decade ago. T-shirts that I never wear will be harder since so many are of hockey teams or TV shows I have sentimental attachments to.

I will have to move before too long. The building in which I've lived for over 30 years (yikes!) is being sold ... I'm hoping to hold on until they offer me money to move out and let them renovate the place. I have, luckily, found some places that will pick up donations - clothes (10 bags) and books (28 bags by my count) to date. I need to get rid of more. I have a ridiculous amount of STUFF. And, having lived here so long, I'm under minimal rent control (and having passed 65, there's a serious limit on how much they can raise the rent) so I'm spoiled ... and having problems finding some place in a neighborhood I like that I can afford.

T-shirts that I never wear will be harder since so many are of hockey teams or TV shows I have sentimental attachments to.

There are people/businesses that will make those into quilts for you.

Ooh, that doesn't sound fun, Toddson. Hope you find something good.