some things are not usable "forever"
 

such as

rotary cutting blades
rotary cutting mats
seam rippers
pins
needles
old glue/paste
rulers that have been used so much the edge is curved instead of straight

Sometimes it makes sense to just buy new tools instead of fighting with worn out ones that are causing problems with the finished product or turning the project into an ordeal instead of a pleasure.

Some things can be recycled for other uses and some things do just need to be disposed of! It is amazing how much room I get in a cupboard when I go through and get rid of what is "bad".

So true! I don't mess with anything like blades. I've seen some pretty bad cuts with dull blades. I was at the drs ofc. the other day and sat next to a woman who ran a dull blade up a ruler. It slipped and went right up and nearly severed her thumb. She kept it but it was touch and go. She didn't want to reach over a foot to use her cutting glove. few thousand dollars later!

it takes a lot less effort to cut with a new, perfect blade and a smooth mat with one pass, instead of several tries to cut the piece.

So true. I hate to throw anything away and try to hold on to everything as long as I can. That is why my sewing room is in such a cluttered mess.

Bearisgray,
You can add:
irons....which lose their spray action, leak, or don't heat thoroughly
marking pencils....I hate nubs!
templates....with dinged or chipped corners
leftovers....fabric scraps, partial patterns, 3-out-of-4 buttons, that trim you'll never use, batting scraps when you have yards of leftover batting pieces, a "finished" bobbin with about 2-3 yards of thread left on it
UFOs older than dirt which you'll never get around to completing
(These last two are "attention span". THAT does not seem to last forever either. :rolleyes:)

Jan in VA

Any item that gives me frustration I get rid of and replace. I don't save used up items that may be useful some day to use for other purposes because I wouldn't have room to live in the house and never has that someday ever came.

Boy howdy, Bearisgray, you are right! Yet I struggle on, especially with those rotary blades!

Needles I'm better with; I bought a box of 100 so have enough to last a good, long time. When I start to hear a pop when sewing, I know it's time to change it out. Pins, as they bend, are put in an old pill bottle to be thrown away.

Jan ~ I wish I was more like you. I hold on to way too much "stuff" and my studio shows it!