I want to down-size, but the minute I get started I get so overwhelmed. I make a mess and then that mess never quite gets finished and I end up with another mess. I am very easily distracted. On the other hand, I tend to keep things longer than I should because I have experienced too many times getting rid of something only to find out I needed it a month or two later. I get very frustrated with myself and then I drag my feet...

My purging will start with the new year. I travel to see relatives. I live in
Buffalo and travel up to the St. Lawrence Seaway down to the Syracuse area and back to Buffalo. I am settleing in at my Buffalo home for the hard winter. Then I can get rid of things I don't use or want.

I've been feeling overwhelmed myself lately as well.....maybe because I have the first floor cleared out to re-finish wood floors, and everything is stuffed in the kitchen, basement and 2nd floor! And it's taking longer than I thought because I thought I could just sand the floors, but no, I have to strip them because the shellac will gum up the sandpaper! So, while not feeling 100% on top of it, I'm heading into the 2nd week on my hands and knees stripping floors with a paint brush....
I do take a small stack of my quilting magazines into the bathroom and go through them while there, so it is making feel a little better to separate out those I'm no longer interested in....

The Japanese folks have a saying, "Hold it in your hands for five minutes, if it gives you joy, keep it, if not get rid of it."

I've started scanning a lot of things and keeping them on my computer and passport for easier storage and use. I don't find that having books and stuff around inhibits my sewing time or creativity. But it's a lot easier to find things on the computer than in 10 loose leaf binders! I've also tossed some stuff that's just not relevant anymore.

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mac --- I can understand the feeling of being overwhelmed as I inherited a home with basement, large garage, etc. The contents represented decades of saving. Each area was more than Full of Things.....

So --- this is what I do now. I take out only those things I can go through in x amount of time. If my time is almost up I hurry and put items away as best I can and discard the trash bag, donation bag, etc. Over the weekend, I filled up a total of six large brown grocery bags with paper to be recycled. Those bags are in the garage to be recycled with some plastic items. The two large brown grocery bags with donations for St. Vincent de Paul are in my car trunk. Another donation bag is ready for anything at anytime. If I have something in my hand that I want to discard, I can walk to the appropriate area and take care of it right away. That, to me, is freedom.

The other thing I think of is how much I am paying to "house" all these things I've accumulated. Have I gotten the best use of the space? Will I ever use ---- whatever. How big of a financial loss would incur if I gave something away and found out weeks or months later that I could have used --- whatever????

We all try to find a system which will meet our personal needs. I've been using this system for about 2.5 years. It started with a challenge by a friend for us to each discard, pass on, or donate a minimum of one large brown grocery bag weekly. Ann and I found it was really easy to fill a donation bag weekly plus another bag for trash. Little by little, we created a habit which works for us. Good Luck!

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mrodarme, I thank you for sharing your attitude about using and enjoying the books you ended up taking to a second hand bookstore. I, too, have come to terms with the investment in the books. I have enjoyed using the books, have learned many new techniques, met people who became friends, etc. So, I can safely say that I have invested in myself for entertainment, knowledge, and socialization. Plus --- some other quilter will have the pleasure of discovering the books for sale at a reasonable price!

Our house is full of things that need to go away...especially things my husband has been saving for 40 or 50 years! We have booklets and maps from everywhere we have ever been. I keep telling him that everything changes and his information is outdated, but he has a sickness that he inherited from his parents. Junk collecting!! Every fall I try to support goodwill with all of the things we never use. It is usually my stuff because he cannot part with anything! I am in the process of fall purging now! Feels good to have less stuff hanging around.

Rip out what you want to keep and just recycle the old magazine. You're right, no one would want an incomplete magazine but you bought it, you can downsize it.

Most printers have a scanner feature in them, try scanning what you want and then give the book or magazine away.