How to know...what to get rid of?

[PMJ]

I just picked up a ton of my boxes from my uncle's house (because our house was too small) and now I'm wondering why in the world I kept all this stuff!!

I've always been a minimalist, but with all this moving - I'm not so sure, b/c packing is still a PITA!

Sooo I'm overwhelmed bc I have no idea on knowing what to get rid of. Most of my boxes are: decor (different seasons, holiday towels, few books for DD (for that particular holiday), holiday blankets, kitchen holiday towels etc). Then some other boxes are: pictures (from our wedding), books for school (I'm a reading teacher), and I feel like I have a ton of plastic bins in our bedroom with 'off season clothes', off season shoes. I THINK I HAVE TOO MUCH CRAP!!

Where do you start? How many holiday boxes do you allot yourself?

FWIW - we are 2 adults, 1 child household.

thanks!

[cono0507]

I've purged most every area of our home in the past year or so.
For holiday decor, if I didn't use it the past holiday season, out it goes. I found I was holding on to all sorts of holiday decor but often didn't even pull it out to use.
Same went for clothes, shoes, outerwear, accessories. With the exception of a few formal items, if I didn't wear it during the most recent season appropriate for those clothes, I got rid of them.
I keep all photos (or scan them into the computer).
In the kitchen, we had a remodel this year, so when we moved into the new kitchen, I was very minimalist about what I brought back in. I stored the rest away. 6 months later, if I hadn't gone to retrieve that item from the basement where I stored the extra stuff, I donated it.

If you actually use the stuff, keep it. If not, pass it on.

[Percycat]

I am going to work on this. I have a very hard time letting go. I think a major source of stress for me is the the mess clutter too much stuff is causing. I am going to try to work on one area at a time. I think I will start with my shoes....

Holiday is another overly huge collection. I think it would be easier to go through this excess during the holiday season when I am already going through the boxes instead of right now (with the exception of Easter). How does someone get over the sentimental feelings of things made by kids or things from your grandmother who is no longer with you? It seems crazy to hang onto these things when they never come out of a box to be enjoyed, but it really makes me feel sad or guilty to think of getting rid of them. I like the idea that someone else might be able to use things, but they won't know the 'story' that makes them special.....

[Globetrotter]

Have you used it in the past year? If not, you probably don't need it. This is particularly true for clothes!

I got rid of tons of stuff using that criteria, though I wasn't very strict about it.

As for sentimental items, take pictures and even write an anecdote about them, but get rid of the actual item if you don't use it and it takes up a lot of space.

[123LuckyMom]

Have you used it in the past year? If not, you probably don't need it. This is particularly true for clothes!

I got rid of tons of stuff using that criteria, though I wasn't very strict about it.

As for sentimental items, take pictures and even write an anecdote about them, but get rid of the actual item if you don't use it and it takes up a lot of space.

Yes, just remember that the memory is not the same as the item. The memory can stay with you always. You don't need the item for that!

[lizzywednesday]

I don't rotate books seasonally. We read year-round and it doesn't matter to me whether we're reading a holiday story in the off season - we're reading. I don't have enough storage space to do it anyway.

Christmas is probably our biggest "decor" eater - we have a pre-lit artificial tree, ornaments that DH and I have acquired over the years, as well as sentimental ones I've had since I was a teenager, a couple of seasonal towels that I use in our powder room if we have a party, a wreath-hanger, a couple of Santa and elf hats, and our stockings/stocking hangers. Ornaments are stored in plastic boxes that have cardboard dividers to keep ornaments safe & intact; we have 2 of these systems. I still have the original box from the tree, where I also store the extension cord with on/off switch and a roll of electrical tape. Everything else is in a large HOMZ brand container. I also have a separate stash of seasonal wrapping paper, which I store in a wrapping paper/craft container.

Halloween is our second-largest "decor" eater, but I only have one large Rubbermaid tub of that. It's got old costumes, decorative Jack-o-lanterns, a door hanging, pumpkin carving tools & patterns, battery operated artificial candles for jack-o-lanterns, and gel window-clings, though I tossed those this year. (I'd had them for over 5 years!)

Easter ... I have baskets and a stuffed lamb my sister gave to DD on DD's first Easter. The lamb is out from Easter morning until Ascension Thursday; the baskets should really get put away sooner than that - usually after all the candy has been consumed. I try not to use artificial grass, for no other reason than the fact that I find it annoying.

I don't rotate off-season clothing unless it's been outgrown.

[Ceepa]

Is there anything you can easily and quickly pull for trash or donation? Shrinking the piles first may help you feel less overwhelmed.